Since the US is now clearly comparable to a banana republic South American style, it seems to me it would be de rigueur that the army take over and save the pseudo-democracy. I think we are there!
3
I heard that Flynt Michigan was just the tip of a national iceberg of lead-contamination. Hmmm... Just putting two and two together, here..
5
Thank you for an accurate, updated discussion of the activities of our rude, crude, mean, ignorant president, Donald Trump.
28
Sorry, but my last comment was incomplete. Guess what I meant to say was that the Emporer-in Chief believes that although his arrogance and ignorance are obvious, he continues to treat the office of POTUS as a division of the Trump organization. His nakedness is beyond anything Dowd could have imagined and now as we approach a constitutional crisis Fox News may have to come to terms with their newslessness. I though was too old to be scared, but think of our enemies, eg; N.Norea, Russia and every nut with a poison bomb. NYPD has the best counterterrorism apparatus, but I think I will stay huddled under my bed in quet New England where the only concerns are how the Red Sox will do this season.
12
Some day perhaps Ms. Dowd will explain why she worked so hard to help elect the monstrous confidence man she now describes so accurately.
62
Maureen, you are partially responsible for trump being president. Words have power, especially those which appear in print in a prominent newspaper. Own up to it and maybe I’ll lend more credence to your now anti-trump op-eds. Hillary was flawed but you excoriated her more frequently than necessary thus lending Trump more credibility than deserved.
53
What type of leader seeks monetary punishment and embarassment of his perceived enemies?
Mostly, the horrid dictators we've been fighting for almost 100 years.
Now we have One in the White House.
33
“I like conflict,” Trump said this month at a press conference with the Swedish prime minister, smacking his fists together and adding, “I like watching it, I like seeing it, and I think it’s the best way to go.”
Isn't that statement by the "emporer in chief"
6
The only bit of light I see at the end of this horror house tunnel is that We, the People are more than fed up, angry, and ready to VOTE. I just wish this present Congress would impeach him so he could suffer from public humiliation.
18
I am wondering what happens when Trump does arrange for Mueller to be fired and the investigation shut down. If we take to the streets in protest, Trump can declare martial law, and then where will we be? I want Trump, Pence, Ryan, and McConnell and all of their toadies gone. But I'd rather that we didn't have to have a bloody civil war to make it so. I worry about that. I really do.
28
Thanks for having helped so much to put him there, Ms. Dowd!
48
Sadly, I agree. Hillary was harmed by Dowd and others who thought she was an atrocious choice. But Trump was worse, and now we are reaping the whirlwind.
33
Congress needs to end Trump's fake presidency. Someone needs to stand up to this madman before serious harm is done to America.
23
We knew what we were getting when he exposed himself in Trump tower announcing his candidacy while wholesale insulting Mexicans. Even those of us who never saw his major accomplishment, a "reality" TV show, knew by looking at him that he was weird. He showed what a dim bulb he is. He revealed how far too full of himself for being a really unattractive person.
I don't know where Maureen Dowd has been for her to have expected anything from this awful man. Of course, I suppose Dowd has some loyalty to her old friend, though he has none for anyone.
His base, the benighted people who love him no matter what he does or says, and pay no attention to anything the least negative about him, expected nothing either. And that's what they got. And that's what they have inflicted on all the rest of us.
31
A film came out a few years ago...called Idiocracy. A somewhat comic satire on just how low the presidency can go. No one could dream then just how close we are to such a premise happening, if not already.
20
With the selection of Donald Trump, America, this once great country, has devolved into Fox and Friends.
18
Very well said Maureen. Very accurate reflection of Trump's true nature. At least now he doesn't try to hide it anymore. Must be eye-opening to even some of his followers to see how really base and unscrupulous he is. The recent special elections may indicate that people are getting sick of the Trump show.
8
This is not the week he became President; this is the week we should be considering the 25th Amendment.
A friend recently mentioned that his mom was finally diagnosed with Alzheimer's, which was a relief to the entire family because members of his family had noticed that their mom was lying a lot. But it wasn't that she was lying (she was very emphatic in her belief), it was that her mind was going.
We as a nation need to put this man (who is 70+ years old) and our country out of its misery. There is such a thing as mental decline in the elderly and Trump is no spring chicken.
17
The Foxification continues. Steven Goldstein was fired - for telling the truth - from his No. 4 slot at the State Department last week and will be replaced by Heather Nauert, a former reporter for "Fox & Friends".
You can't make this stuff up!
25
I think it would be great service to everyone if Maureen spoke about why Trump was once her friend. She claims they weren't really friends. But close enough I think to shed some real light on his appeal. Obviously she represents a very tiny demographic: fawning mainstream columnists with a major preoccupation with wealth, power and celebrity. But still her family to their shame seemed to like him for who he actually was and were/are committed to his agenda. While her family members can speak for themselves (and who knows what they are thinking now), Maureen really hasn't yet told us what that appeal was. And what would be the best way to counter act it.
25
I pray Ms. Dowd is correct in her final sentence.
6
I wish the reality right now was "Trump, Flushed".
10
For the past several years I've been studying complex systems. Those are systems with complex interactions between various parts, so that they are more than just the sum of their parts. Systems where cause and effect are hard to tease out. Systems like climate, like economics, and like politics.
What does that have to do with Donald Trump? To make progress in dealing with a complex system, you need to avoid too much order and too much chaos. Too much chaos makes progress impossible. But so does too much order -- stasis means no progress.
Barack "no drama" Obama played things too cautiously. He did not want to cause offense. He did not want to fire people except for just cause. He wanted to be admired. He wanted to be liked.
Donald "you're fired!" Trump gets it right. He focuses on getting things done, not on being liked. By no means is he cautious. But he doesn't get very far out there either. There's madness to his method, but also method to his madness.
Barack Obama's presidency was successful, certainly, in a modest way. But Donald Trump is looking for something more. He is willing to gamble, to go to the edge of chaos, in looking for progress. And I'll bet he gets it.
5
You’ve heard of Brownian Motion? Trump is like a tiny particle of dust being shifted about by even smaller particles striking him. He has had enough money to have all his basic needs assured for as long as he lives. So he’s devoted his life to play and being a celebrity. He does not think beyond his immediate concerns. What you see is what there is.
19
Obama was handed essentially a dead economy. He responsibly delivered a viable economy to the American people. That is not about "being liked".
Trump is a liar. He cannot assemble a team. Plus he lies. Did I mention he is a liar??
21
sure, if he goes to campaign style rallies in front of an adulating crowd, it's because he doesn't care if he's liked.
You also have to admire his laser focus on getting things done, like ACA repeal and replace or infrastructure bill. No distraction from that whatsoever.
5
Individuals have no power until people give them power.
Why is Trump still in power?
14
While we hope Mueller will save us, it is more likely he will simply be Fired by Trump.
Then we will hope that our votes in November will rid us of his congressional republican enablers And Trump will be impeached or somehow neutralized.
The Leaders that Trump admires don't allow free elections. Here's to hoping we actually have another one.
16
Standing behind Trump is the dystopia science fiction has been warning us about. If we let it happen, I wonder whose army will be marching down Pennsylvania Avenue? And who will be leading the band?
8
He is trying too hard to follow Nixons 'plans of attack' with Mueller. We all remember how that ended!
7
Have any NYT readers ever stopped detesting DJT long enough to consider that the Fox News pundits may be on to something? That the dossier is indeed phony, and was unethically used to obtain a FISA warrant to wiretap Page, who in turned communicated with Trump and his cronies, and the Obama administration illegally unmasked them for political advantage? And that the likes of Strozk and McCabe and Comey were acting outside the bounds of their oath of office in giving Hillary a pass for obvious violations of national security and were quite deliberately seeking to undermine both Trump's campaign and his presidency? If true, shouldn't the public know? Or is it really better to divert our gaze and impeach Trump for whatever rationale we can find and return Washington to its normal state of dysfunction? Either way, God help us.
5
Yes, we've stopped to consider all theories, and quickly threw your easily debunked excuses aside. There is more evidence of sneaky behavior by the Trump regime than there ever was for the supposed "crimes" of Hillary Clinton. Real facts, not "alternative" ones, are important in determining guilt. Mueller and his crew know the difference.
20
Yes, we have considered it and dismissed it. Lie to us for 30 years and we are not going to believe your lies now. There were no "obvious violations of national security" - that was a Fox News fabrication. The obvious violations are Trump's ties to Russian money and Russian politicians. Comey torpedoed HRC's campaign, or have you and Fox forgotten? No national security agency has called the dossier phony - only the paid liars on Fox News are doing that. The trouble with this country is that the easily duped and unable to think for themselves have tuned in to Fox News for 25 years, and now have no ability to separate truth from lies. God help us.
21
So William, you’re saying what if the CIA, the FBI, and England’s intelligence agencies are all lying to the American people and only Fox ‘news’ is getting it right? And the FBI, while investigating Hillary for years decided to bury all of her ‘crimes’ and support her? Your premise is so absurd it’s hard to even find words to describe it. You’ve obviously been watching Fox and reading Breitbart. Almost everything in those sources is a lie.
31
Dowd is right about Trump in this column. But as many have noted, she has discovered what she thought all along only after the fact. Here is how she concluded a column written on election eve: "even Chelsea was concerned about the [Clinton] foundation’s ethical morass.The problem with Donald Trump is: We don’t know which of the characters he has created he would bring to the Oval Office. The trouble with Hillary Clinton is: We do know...."
Hilllary was one of the worst candidates in history, as she confirmed with her recent remarks in India. But Clinton was not a committed birther whose every other sentence was a lie. She was not self-evidently ignorant of the constitution, the workings of the U.S. government, and foreign policy. She did not create a university whose only purpose was to separate students from their money. She did not boast about grabbing people's private parts. She lied mainly when asked about her server. The problem with Dowd's approach to political analysis is that it is based entirely on analyzing not skill sets but personalities, and in thinking that contrarian journalism is by definition good journalism. Personalities matter. But skill sets (and Hillary has a good one, so long as she stays on script in public) matter more.
21
So how come Trump hasn't fired Mueller yet? Because it's working. The guy works super hard, we all sit around waiting and hoping and he centralizes power, then dumps him at the last minute. Because the guy is sadistic.
It's ridiculous that we do nothing.
And the real reason we do nothing is we do not know what to do.
I do.
Resilience building.
We can generate a sense of belonging, build critical thinking skills and drive prosocial volunteering.
The really weird thing is I estimate there are 1000's who know what to do. They were trained to facilitate a peer practice that's a hoot.
They come from the most diverse public urban campus in the US, San Francisco State.
Let's ask them to head down to their local coffee shop, where ever they are, and pass along an attractive and objective way to be together that is anchored in evidence based practices for reducing emoting and increasing higher ordered thinking.
You don't have to lean left or right. In fact, through this practice, we learn how to stand up straight.
Imagine, just by heading down to our coffee shops and inquiring to see if maybe small story telling circles have started up, we can change the world.
The practice will spread. The only thing stopping these folks is no one is asking. Look, I'm a social scientist, and I've been around and this will work.
We can connect and resolve our throwness and the division and sensitivity that keeps us divided.
Never thought of this? Let's make it a norm.
They really do matter.
2
John Brennan? That's not the same Brennan that was head of the CIA when Russia was unfettered in meddling in our elections is it?
Major blame for the Russians' interference in election 2016 goes to Brennan's incompetence, and it was that incompetence that left America in the dangerous position it is now in. May Brennan take his rightful place in the same dustbin as Trump.
4
He is right and the truth is right there staring at us every single day.
4
I wish Maureen would spend more time looking at Trump's enablers, Ryan and McConnell. That is where the problems lie. A Congress that isn no longer a separate body of government, but a coluder in malfeasance.
22
I agree, they do nothing except dolt around with sameness of preposterous holding power.
4
Simply, if the majority of us know right from wrong, why is he still president?
7
Many have poked at Maureen Dowd for having been negative on Hillary Clinton. It's a mistake to think rigidly regardless of which party's policies you favor. As an independent who sits in the middle on many issues, my vote for Clinton was a joyless but necessary action against Donald Trump. With a better Democratic candidate this train wreck of a presidency likely wouldn't have happened.
9
Fox News spent 30 years trying to convince you the Hillary was a bad candidate. That propaganda campaign swayed just a few too many "cult of personality" voters who preferred to vote celebrity over skill.
11
Like the frog that won't jump out of a pot of water slowly coming to a boil, Trump seems to be in denial that justice is closing in with serious criminal accusations against him. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these activities were deemed treasonous. Watching members of his grifter family and complicit members of the Republican Party led out of Washington D.C. in orange jumpsuits and handcuffs are no longer the subject matter of fever dreams.
Then again, if I'm wrong, then the frog in my metaphor is the American democracy. Our institutions did not hold up against this demagogue, our politicians were too feckless, and it is too late to repair the damage done.
Either way, I can't wait for the Netflix series on the Trump presidency when this nightmare is finally over.
11
Trump is "flush with power" in flushing out the so-called "adults" and replacing them with a council of capo "Yes men." We've had the long-rumored Rexit at the State Department with arch-conservative, West Point trained Mike Pompeo, who shares his boss's "mind-set," as in let's trash the Iran Nuclear Accord just when we're bullying Little Rocket Man to get rid of his nukes. We have National Security Adviser, Gen. H. R. McMaster, who is rumored to be on tweet-alert and about to be replaced with Looney Tunes' Yosemite Sam impersonator, John Bolton, who'd like nothing more that to give Kim Jong-un a "bloody nose" when they meet face-to-face and Kim decides to keep his nuclear-tipped ICBMs. And now added to the gang is Trump attorney, John Dowd, calling for an end to the Mueller investigation following on Trump's exoneration by the Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee on the very eve that former FBI Assistant Director, Andrew McCabe is fired on the eve of his retirement at Trump's insistence tarnishing his credibility as a witness supporting Mueller's obstruction of justice case. All this "chaos" of firings and the new team of narcissist-loving thugs (aka "goodfellas") seems to portend that the Don-in-Chief is planning to sweep Mueller out of the way if they don't blow up the world first.
7
Great but it's all to real for anyone to understand.
1
Trump is acting with false bravado and phony celebration over the Republicans retreating from Congressional investigation into Russian interferences to avoid contributing to further upsetting of the President. But Trump refuses to act with rational responses to the challenges of the office he holds and it’s producing poor results. It’s not just failures of the Administration efforts to produce effective policies, the President and his appointees often contradict each other. The President is usually the one who is less creditable. He continues to make false assertions of facts with out any efforts to be more careful.
Trump is disbelieved in what he says by all, even his supporters. His supporters seem to hope that Trump is a genius just keeping his opponents in confusion. But he is an ignorant man who just is not interested in doing what is hard and does not still grasp the consequential impact the the President’s acts and expressions have. He’s going to find himself alone and resented and despised. Everything he is doing is going in that direction but he cannot see what is ahead.
7
That he thinks he is the dictator should surprise no one; he campaigned on that premise. "Only I can fix all these horrible problems", problems coincidentally only he could see.
Better late than never I guess, Maureen.
8
What do you mean "This is the week Donald Trump became president." He has NEVER become president only plays the part in his reality TV mind.
8
He is truly on his way out. This foolishness that has been going on for over a year now is going to stop, one way or another. We have corruption in the White House, and complicity in the Republican Congress. At least half of that Congress is going to flip to Democratic control. Then we will see how much corruption and self-dealing our Thief-in-Chief can get away with.
7
I agree with everything said about Trump. But, you see, Ms Dowd, these op eds are on one hand singing to the choir, yet on the other hand falling on deaf ears. Your colleague David Brooks just the other day on the News Hour reminded us how Trump's supporters are tuning out everything that is even in the slightest critical of this pathetic man. And because of the Republican cowards in Congress, they too by their silence or Nunes-type venom are abetting the abominable behavior of The Donald.
There is absolutely no ethical or moral leadership in this country, and we are allowing it to happen. Hopefully, Mueller can return justice and stability to us deserving Americans. But ultimately it is about us. Whether it be the ballot box or letting our voices be heard, we have to be relentless in combating the "crimes and misdemeanors" spewing from the Oval Office and the halls of Congress.
15
Maureen, you're back! Thank you for this clear-eyed look at Trump.
Putin must be very proud of himself. He placed a "No Puppet, No Puppet" puppet (I think they call them assets in the spy world) in the White House, and he's succeeding in destroying our Democracy as we knew it. Steve Bannon, another clear Putin Puppet, is technically out of the same building, but is continuing to run around the world seeing what he can do to destroy freedom and democracy.
We can only hope that woman and children can save this country, because the White Men who are in power seem to think that it's OK to say "just following orders". Where did we hear that before?
11
Solid column.
Dowd still delivers - especially about Washington, DC.
Please stay on watch.
Now more than ever.
Every time I read another of Ms. Dowd's scribes I am once again reminded of how Trump became President in the first place. Her vitriol and bias against Hillary Clinton helped pave the way.
I will not forget.
24
Trump will inevitably fire Mueller & Republicans will not do anything about it.
9
Sir / Madam - you hit the nail on the head. Tomorrow, Monday, will be the day that the DOJ fires Mueller at the bequest of our honorable president.
Perhaps one day you'll write a mea culpa for the years you spent vilifying Hillary Clinton, which helped us reach this moment of complete madness.
22
Hope you're right...
2
Ms. Dowd and other pundits who heaped scorn upon Hilary Clinton, and before her, upon Barack Obama, share in the blame for this national disaster.
24
If only MD hadn't spent years demonizing Hillary Clinton.... We might not be in this current nightmare of corruption, racism, and incompetence.
22
Trump is doing to America what he bragged about doing to Trudeau: making up garbage with a straight face, lying, bragging, rinse, repeat.
It will take years to remove this stain.
10
"Or at least the week he became the president we were always expecting."
Maureen, perhaps you should go back and re-read the fawning pieces you wrote at the beginning of the 2016 campaign when Trump was taking your calls. You were singing a rather different tune.
14
Calling Trump a narcissist is such an understatement that it's ridiculous.
5
Who's is the modern day Mencken? A bit of his wisdom follows.
I am suspicious of all the things that the average people believe.
The kind of man who wants the government to adopt and enforce his ideas is always the kind of man whose ideas are idiotic
It is the dull man who is always sure, and the sure man who is always dull.
Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.
Moral certainty is always a sign of cultural inferiority. The more uncivilized the man, the surer he is that he knows precisely what is right and what is wrong.
The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.
The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.
As democracy is perfected, the office of President represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
H.L. Mencken
7
A few weeks ago, there was much discussion about Trump's reciting the lyrics to the song "The Snake." He had recited the words during the campaign and insisted that many had asked him to do it again. While many have assumed his recitation was an attack on Muslims or others who he claims are out to destroy America, I have come to believe something very different was taking place. When he recited the lyrics at CPAC, he was telegraphing the coming truth to his most ardent supporters. Having heard the taped comments he made at the fundraiser in about deceiving Trudeau, I am even more convinced that Trump is revealing himself more than he may intend.
In Book X of Paradise Lost, Satan returns to Hell and delivers a triumphant speech to the fallen angels about his success in beguiling Adam and Eve. As he finishes, he expects to be greeted with the roar of the crowd. Instead, he is met with a great hiss as he and they all fall to the floor, having suddenly lost their bodies and been turned into the writhing serpents they always were at heart.
Trump wasn't warning those at CPAC and at the fundraiser about the danger of an outside force. He was letting slip what he and they are. At some date not long off now, he will stand before a crowd of his more benighted and common supporters and say, "But you knew I was a snake all along." They will likely start hissing along to the tune.
5
The cruelty...the lunacy...This really is Caligula returned to life.
7
Maureen you are of course entitled to your opinion. But for most of NYT readers you remarks are disingenuous and worthy of attention only if your first acknowledge how wrong you were in regards to painting Hilary as crooked and Obama as elitist Barry. Instead of a competent woman President we now have a perfectly dangerous fool. Next you will paint Kim Jong Uns opponents as crooks?
14
This GOP led Congress is allowing our country to be a disgrace to the world by tolerating Trump in order to get their tax cuts, screw up healthcare, blow up the EPA, de-regulate all they can and leave the Dems to clean up again at some point. Why isn't Trump being impeached?
4
Hopefully for all of us, basic math remains a very weak skill set of this "administration." Mueller and We the People have approximately 30 weeks between now and mid-terms. There are approximately 115-119 congressional districts in play deemed more competitive than deepest 'red' PA-18 where Conor Lamb just scored a pivotal and barometric upset. In Mr. Lamb's home state the Supreme Court also found gerrymandering unconstitutional and new constitutional boundaries put perhaps two or even three congressional seats in the "highly competitive" category - just in Pennsylvania alone.
The House Democrats need a net gain of just 24 seats. To be ultra-cautious let's say redrawn PA election districts yield only one more seat. That leaves a net gain of 23 seats required. So we need to move the needle on significantly less than one seat per week until mid-terms. That's not calculus, trigonometry or even algebra. That's just simple addition and subtraction. Last but not least mid-terms historically favor the party not holding the Executive branch.
Why is basic math the key to our salvation? Because the chamber empowered to take up articles of impeachment is the House. Does impeachment automatically mean the President leaves? Of course not. What retaking the House and impeachment does mean is significantly diminishing the clear and present danger of this Presidency. What it does mean is repudiating in the strongest constitutional terms this will cannot stand.
12
I disagree- about the "flush with power" part, at least.
I don't see the "power" in it.
I see Act V of "The Scottish Play."
In fact, if Trump is not acting out of pure fear (as any sane person in his current legal position would be) then it has to be because he is "flush" (i.e., "delusional") with his addiction to attention.
But I don't think that that is the case.
I believe he is capable of just enough "acting" (from his tv show days) to hide his fear with bluster, at least in front of the cameras.
Most of the time.
But this subpoena (an action that is probably only a necessary corroboration of material information that Robert Mueller's team already possesses) of the Trump Organization records (which has crossed Trump's "red line") has clearly revealed to him that this stage of the battle already is, in fact, "the beginning of the end of his presidency."
(Which is, of course, what Lindsey Graham said would happen if he fired Mueller. But Trump knows that it's happening anyway- he knows what's in those records).
For over a year, we have been like Lillian Gish in "The Wind"- running around in fear, with our hands to our heads.
Now it's his turn.
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
16
What will happen before the midterms as Trump runs amok? Will Trump fire Sessions and put in his place someone to fire Mueller? We certainly can't count on the Republican House to do anything in such a case. I would hope the electorate would rise up at that and throw the bums out, but then I never thought we could elect this "moron" as President.
If he waits until after the midterms, I hope a different Congress will make him fear such a move.
Scary times.
26
In the early 1990's I excitedly told my brother how the Clinton's would be brought down by Whitewater. He responded, "no-one cares and it's going nowhere." I will never forget that because the Clinton's activities there were highly suspect; wrongdoing DID occur. Imagine how much more ridiculous it is to believe in the Mueller investigation in which Trump did nothing wrong. This would go nowhere if he were guilty of something. The fact that he isn't makes this even more ridiculous.
3
This is a really deceptive post. "Wrongdoing DID occur." You omitted the inconvenient fact that it wasn't by the Clintons.
13
It is not what Trump did , it is how he did it.
Trump does not comport well with the myths and legends of America. When your life is all myth and legend the truth does not make proper clothing.
2
Spare us the Fox News synopsis of history, which, of course, is a total fabrication. Brainwashed Fox News watchers, unable to sort truth from lies, have presented us with this unmitigated disaster of a "presidency".
5
Bolton becomes national security advisor it'll be time to bolt for the nearest bomb shelter.
30
Mueller seems competent so every day his investigation continues makes the outcome more serious for Trump. I think Trump is consumed by his personal inadequacy and spends his life trying to cover it up. The worst possible thing is public exposure in a context out of his control.
The prospect of Mueller exposing him must be driving Trump mad. He has bought his way out of every problem he has ever faced in live and has a terrible fear of confrontation with capable, dominant men and now he is confronted by such a man with no chance of buying him off.
Trump is going to crack under the strain. He will fire Mueller then start a war with Iran hoping that will allow him to go on a warmongering rally tour to whip up his deplorables enough to stop the GOP losing the House in November. It will be interesting to see how far faux patriotism and bombing footage get him.
But if the Democrats win and a Democrat House reappoints Mueller with a wider mandate, that’s when America gets to see the real Donald Trump. That’s when Trump will decide to burn it all down and launch some nukes. And Americans will be paying for the damage he does for the next generation.
You people put Trump in power. You deserve whatever happens as a result.
26
Colin McKerlie,
Don't forget that the majority of voters did not vote for vile Trump.
6
This is not an ad - but I wonder how many Americans have read Advise and Consent and its sequals. Scary reading when you draw the parallel to today... https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field...
4
From your lips to God's ears !!
2
The United States has a history of never dumping a President when we're at war. We keep them for a second term, no matter how bad they are. If he's still around during the next election year, and his ratings continue to drop, watch out. Look at history to see what happens when demagogues are elected. War, displacement, migration, and financial ruin. We elected The Cat in the Hat, and it's about to destroy the house. You know how bad the situation is when Pence starts to look good in comparison.
12
There is a good chance our next president will be a Democrat.
But I am getting tired of the working class whites voting against their own self-interest and the best interest of the country for a Republican.
And then the Democrats come in and clean up the mess.
Reagan got in and increased the deficit so much we put the debt clock in Manhattan.
Clinton came in and balanced the budget.
W Bush got in and gave Obama a whopping $1.4 Trillion deficit.
Obama cut that by 2/3 to $550 Billion.
And now with this latest Republican tax cut, the projected 2018 deficit is back up to $1 Trillion.
And after the Democrats clean up the mess, those working class whites who voted Republican think the Democrats are bad people.
I personally would like to have talk with Rupert Murdoch. However many billions he and his family are making, is it worth ruining this country?
35
Trump’s tweets indicate he is committed to “total war” because he sees Mueller’s indictments of him, his family, or the Trump Organization as inevitable, unless Trump makes the ultimate gamble to go it alone and fire anyone and everyone who threatens him.
Trump sees he has no choice because his ego will not permit him to surrender. He is unwilling to save his family, organization, or friends because everything has always been about him.
12
Most importantly he is unwilling to save the country he pretends to love.
11
Agreed
2
President Trump wrote CHAOS in all caps because he was referring to the organization made famous by "Get Smart." He is probably right taht the are not in the white House.. In fact, he may have so little respect for the American Intelligence Community because they refuse to include CONTROL in policy briefings.
There are white nationalists, unqualified relatives, cabinet secretaries who don't know their jobs; agency heads who think their agencies are their personal playgrounds; agency heads who think their agencies are wholly owned subsidiaries of the industries they regulate, etc. But no CHAOS. We can thank CONTROL for that.
7
And of course he's got a cabinet member with his own Cone of Silence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/climate/pruitt-epa.html
Cost: $25,000. Which is chump change in Trumpington. Can't even buy a decent dining-room suite for that!
4
If Mueller is fired, all the hundreds of FBI, Justice Department, CIA and myriad other intelligence and security personnel who have had access to sensitive and incriminating evidence on Trump but have held their tongue will start to leak revelations about him that will bury him.
"Deep Throat", of the Watergate era, the disgruntled FBI agent who couldn't stomach Richard Nixon and his distain for lawful conduct became the source of dirt on the president and the nexus of his eventual downfall. He led the press to the information that destroyed Nixon.
The public could not stomach what they were learning and even Nixon's own party could not resist the angry public mood.
Mark my words, there are numerous Deep Throats in our government agencies as we speak.
They are honorable men and women.
Patriots.
They will tell what they know.
They will educate the public.
They will rightfully defend our Constitution and our country against an enemy named Donald J. Trump.
He will lose.
Big.
We will win.
37
the rage against trump continues, reflecting the frustration of the complacent "elite" (look up the mocking press and the worthier-than-thou excesses, still emanating from hi!!ary nee rodham, forever clinton) that let him past the gate and into the oval office.
he is, note well, no joke...and he, and the bitterness, an easier lift than cogent opposition, of his opponents will mark and mar the republic for years after he is gone, the loss of trust in the fourth estate may exceed even trump's best worst efforts.
just as reagan went from "axis of evil" to "let's talk" we have to get off the chicken belittling and press this president as we can, toward the best we can get from him until we can replace him with actual democracts, who, once the oxygen debt caused by the pelosi-schumer captivity is fixed, will recapture its role as the voice of working men and women, representing their interests and helping those on the edges to join in.
infrastructure, health care and education reform, as examples, can all be tied to the economic recovery (and trunp's ego) now in progress, and the presidency inflected thereby.
we need to behave like citizens, rather challenged by present circumstances (we've met those before) than inchoate rumplestiltskins.
4
I sincerely hope that Mueller's investigation will not lead to Trump's impeachment, leaving us with Pence as President. While Pence is holding conversations with God he will enact polices that are worse than Trump's.
7
If McCabe was fired for lying I would think Sessions would be next, given the fact he lied at his Senate hearing in order to be appointed Attorney General. After all, fair is fair.
And then maybe Trump can go next he is, after all the one who started it all and now is the Liar in Chief.
The surprise is that anyone would join the Administration after the last 15 months. I had no idea there were so many people who would want to ruin their reputations. Just goes to show what power and money can do to a person’s so called integrity
This is why Trump wants to get rid of Mueller. Mueller has integrity and intelligence.
At least one person in DC has it and has managed to keep it.
14
The only thing that truly scares me that POTUS will start a a hot war not a trade war in order to get the public alarmed enough to back him as he is failing . It is obvious to most of us have seen how amoral and self centered he normally is . What would his actions be under great duress?
8
As we look back on the Trump era many will be amazed that this man served as President at a time when he should have been serving time in prison.
31
Rod Rosentein's job is on the line right now. If he is let go, and Trump fires Mueller, then the whole Russian interference into the 2016 election mess disappears. Just as he did with Cabinet positions, Trump is putting in the worst possible choices he can come up with to fill vacancies, and lick his boots. Right now our Democracy is tenuous, and hanging by a slender thread that can be easily broken. There is chaos, and the smell of revenge is always in the air.
We have a dangerous, narcissistic demagogue occupying the White House who is a clear and present danger to what stability there is in the world, with no one to rein him in. No Republican is really repudiating anything Trump says or does. At least during the Watergate investigation there were some Republicans who actually stood for decency. That is not happening now. So please hurry Mr. Mueller. Time is definitely of the essence. While I am certainly no fan of Mike Pence, at least he appears to be sane, and I would settle for sane right now.
13
No one as driven by religion as Pence is can be considered sane.
4
A reality TV President. This was very predictable. The majority of Trump voters are very happy with the new actions by this President. It matches exactly their tone and view on the world. Back in the 50's and 60's, TV was an occasional thing, with only 3 major stations, no cable networks, and people were much more involved in their communities and doing things with neighbors. The current voters just watch tons of reality TV (Judge Judy, Survivor, Apprentice reruns, Bachelor) and cable TV. They do not communicate with neighbors, and their television is a bunch of mean bullies. So our current politics just matches how we live our lives.
9
It has been said: "...The lunatics are running the asylum.
The people least capable of running a group or organization are now in charge. Said especially when the result is total chaos or calamity..."
5
The door opened so long ago with the entry of Reagan, a grade B actor. But please, let's try to shut it on this end. Please, Dems, stop talking about Cynthia Nixon and Oprah as possibilities for political office. Oprah at least has the integrity to say she hasn't felt the calling yet.
11
What is amazing is that Trump doesn't realize he will go down in history as one of our very worst presidents ever.
And there is a guaranteed place in history for others:
Paul Ryan
Mitch McConnell
Devin Nunes
Sarah Huckabee
22
I agree, except I don't think anybody will really remember Nunes or Huckabee even two years from now. Right now it's getting hard to recall Spicer already, surely Huckabee will have the same fate.
4
I'm so fearful Mueller won't get to the finish line in time, I keep hearing myself plead, like the then pope to Michaelangelo when he was painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, "When will you make a finish?"
6
The essential simple question regarding a manipulative simpleton: Why is he still here?
10
Well, it is thanks to people like you, who bashed Hillary CONSTANTLY, no matter what she said or did , she was wrong.
16
and, margaret, like a bus parked in your flower bed, she still is...and, until we get her out of there we'll only have more turmp.
2
Installing TV personalities in the administration is no worse than any of the previous characters Trump had. The overriding trait they all share is a willingness to say "yes" to whatever he does, to praise his genius, to thank him for being president, to tell him he looks great and to agree, agree, agree. No dissenters allowed in the inner circle. What difference if it's a general, or a TV presenter, an economist, or an anchorman? Qualifications mean nothing--obsequiousness is all that's required. Oh, and the desire to get rich grabbing as many taxpayer dollars as you can. Public service? That's for suckers.
7
Let's face it, we elected a narcissistic, ego centered criminal as president. Our country must face the inevitable embarrassment of seeing our president face charges that might be as serious as treason. Certainly the money laundering he has practiced for decades is a minimum penalty of 20 years. For the harm he has caused thousands that would be a light sentence.
9
The sadness here is that we didn't elect this buffoon. He was appointed by the Electoral College. Another sad fact is he didn't have a viable candidate to oppose him. Just. Plain. Sad.
Now we have this national nightmare from which we may never awaken.
8
He's going to fire Mueller and the Republicans will do nothing. But we're all grateful you helped defeat Hillary anyway Maureen.
10
Another downfall of many to remember: Elvis. Syphocants catered to his every whim causing him to flame out early on drugs and food.
3
Visions of the next State of the Union speech presented from a Fox News set. :(
1
We will be paying for this trumpian “ escapade “ for many years to come thanks also to the impotent, pusillanimous , incompetent and hypocritical GOP .
11
Maureen Dowd exposes the ugliest and most despicable side of American public opinion. Let’s hope that eventually (sooner and not later), the once proud United States will have the executive leadership it desperately deserves. The current predicament is so hard to accept.
2
I keep reading in these comments about looking for a leader to save America. Don't wait for someone to come along to help you-you must help yourself and make the change happen!!!!
Get off your sofa and work as hard as you can to get people out to vote.
If the Republican Congress is still in power in November it will be because of people sitting around waiting for someone to make the change for them.
Did you notice in the Alabama election that more Black people came out to vote for the Democrat than came out for Obama? Their lives depended on it and so they got out and voted. Only you can make the change.
13
Tillerson should publicly change his voting affiliation to Democratic. Nice way to send a message to the GOP. Time for the remaining rats to flee the ship of state.
4
An ode to the occupant of the Oval Office
The Great Pretender-recorded by the Platters
Oh yes I'm the great pretender (ooh ooh)
Pretending I'm doing well (ooh ooh)
My need is such I pretend too much
I'm lonely but no one can tell
Oh yes I'm the great pretender (ooh ooh)
Adrift in a world of my own (ooh ooh)
I play the game but to my real shame
You've left me to dream all alone
Too real is this feeling of make believe
Too real when I feel what my heart can't conceal
Ooh ooh yes I'm the great pretender (ooh ooh)
Just laughing and gay like a clown (ooh ooh)
I seem to be what I'm not (you see)
I'm wearing my heart like a crown
Pretending that you're still around
Too real when I feel what my heart can't conceal
Oh yes I'm the great pretender
Just laughing and gay like a clown (ooh ooh)
I seem to be what I'm not you see
I'm wearing my heart like a crown
Pretending that you're
Pretending that you're still around
Songwriters: Buck Ram
2
Ms. Dowd, I’m wondering if you’re finally regretting the pass you gave to Trump during the election. Those kid gloves are feeling a bit unconfortabke now, aren’t they?
21
Trump is nothing but a small-time, loud-mouth, sociopathic crime boss type, who hobnobs with certain Russian and American oligarchs and amuses himself with "killing"/firing his enemies and being a sexual pervert with prostitutes and porn stars. All made for TV--so unpredictable, irreverent, exciting, and hilarious, at least according to Fox and Trump's morally askew, desperate fans.
Trump is his own sick joke, who masks his lengthy trail of life-long failures and disrespect with cruelty and fake bravado. If he were in a fraternity, he would likely be kicked out for the deranged, obviously inept, narcissistic, frightening embarrassment that he is.
But alas, Trump leeched himself like a disease to the already ailing and seriously mentally disturbed Republican Party that has juxtaposed fake religious zealotry with white hate to forge a secret brotherhood of alienated, self-pitying, angry voters.
So much for the party of Lincoln. Now the former law-and-order, moral majority Republicans have become the crime boss's bodyguards and enforcers, loyally carrying out his deranged orders and eagerly snuffing out those who anger their boss. It is a cabal of soulless losers, and Trump is their fearless boss in the corruptions and criminalization of America.
Can no one stop this American tragedy?
9
The moronic, pyromaniac is Trump along with the sycophants in Congress, will simply burn the whole thing down. Many don their MAGA red caps and fan the flames, what could possibly go wrong, indeed.
6
Maureen, are ever going to admit just how short-sighted and destructive your “plague on both your houses” posing during the 2016 election was? You trashed Clinton as much as trump; proud of your handiwork now?
21
Andrew McCabe - Republican
James Comey - Republican
Robert Mueller - Republican
Rod Rosenstein - Republican
9
Donald Trump - Republican
(Thank you for helping make the logical pattern abundantly clear. It cuts through the heavy speculating going on below.)
4
A strong essay, Maureen. Trump is the apotheosis of Paddy Chayefsky's sardonic "Network". We thought it was clever, but never did we think that we'd be living it.
Equally, Trump has shown himself to be that Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes, the unhinged Bud Schulberg creation that enticed a crowd of poorly educated followers.
When Rhodes finally becomes unhinged, his crowd walks away. The great actor Patricia Neal plays the one who exposes Rhodes. As we know, in the plot Rhodes speaks his vitriol about his followers, unknowingly into a live microphone. But Trump's followers are so dumb that Trump can confess his recalcitrance on Twitter and they still follow him. After all, Trump said that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and still be loved. Trump knows well his followers.
We await the person brave enough to take Trump down, thereby shaking his followers from their trances.
12
Yes, if Muller has his way, Trump the Terrible’s rule may be short lived.
Then we have a President Pence who has been keeping his head down and praying while waiting in the wings.
Wow, to me he is another empty suit off the rack!
7
I’d have to think, however, that Pence will end up being tarred by the same brush that eventually brings down Trump.
8
What will happen to all the documentation Mueller and his team have collected if the worst happens and he is "fired"?
I hope that copies have been archived and protected, regardless of possible attempts to prevent them from ever being made public, and will allow the facts pertaining to illegalities leading to Trump's presidency known.
I think It's advisable for the truth, in order to be know in any future situation, that concerned Americans start to look into what would need to be done so that the resultant facts and truth of the investigation will never be prevented (or delayed) from being known by all Americans.
8
Donald Trump will leave a legacy.
I have to believe that if nothing else, people will finally get why doing their civic duty is so important.
We have often voted for 'personalities' for our leaders,
The finest, the most handsome to become our leaders.Saw a sign at one of Trump's rallies of a woman holding a sign saying, 'the next Mrs. Donald Trump'.
Instead of voting for at least experience, expertise, and some sort sincerity, we voted for the 'Housewives' series, unnecessary drama, lies and backstabbing.
I hope we can upright our sinking ship.
We have a chance to start to do so NOVEMBER 8, 2018.
Please, folks, find the courage necessary to understand that this is more about us as a nation than personalities.
.
6
Time has turned the corner on the politics of yesterday, and even the Herculean effort by the media to discredit this rebuke of the establishment will not bring the old ways back. The system had become so stacked against the people that they had no choice but to go outside of it, and elect a populist candidate, despite the problems that usually accompany such a move. Yet even before the inauguration of this historic election was to take place the media was already calling for the impeachment of the new candidate. That Trump is not our savior is a given, however he is the peoples proclamation that a new political day is upon us that is more suitable for the times, and one that despite all the insults and mud slinging by the establishment, will not be denied the people of this country.
1
Not exactly the people's proclamation in that almost 3 million more votes were cast for HRC.
8
I can think of a few other leaders in the past century who "turned the corner on the politics of yesterday" - Russia 1917, Germany 1932, Iran 1979, etc. Were they "more suitable for the times"? Just because we need change doesn't mean that every change is good one.
4
It seems these days that we may all be suffering to some degree or another from a rampant epidemic of apophenia if all the mutual claims of conspiracy are any indication. At the risk of succumbing to the widespread affliction, one might wonder whether this recent crescendo of imperious behavior at 1600 Penn Ave is related to the reinstatement of another "sun-king" in Moscow this weekend. It may be that the respective franchises are trying to synch up the autocracies for a better coordinated geopolitical pas-de-deux, each President consolidating political power with his respective tools at hand.
Whether this latest round of executive behavior can be explained by the putative Kremlin connection or not, Ms. Dowd's observation that sycophants can, through their obsequious behavior, hasten their boss's demise is well documented in history, Watergate being one of the more celebrated examples. By contrast, two of our greatest Presidents--Washington and Lincoln--surrounded themselves with advisors who challenged their leaders often to the point of the President's exasperation yet who also kept their posts. Those presidencies--and the nation during those Presidents' respective terms--were all the better for it.
2
It's bad enough without the sane among us predicting the end of civilization as we know it. We've been in worse shape. We're facing no great issues of the kind we've weathered in the past -- slavery, Civil War, total war, a Great Depression, Teapot Dome, Vietnam, the Gilded Age of McKinley.
But there has been a curious shift to the extreme right as documented by political scientists, beginning in the early 70s, and we -- voters -- COULD blow the whole Constitutional thing if that's what we want.
Trump can be stopped but it's up to us. It depends on what kind of leadership -- or what kind of government -- we want.
5
This president represents an interesting challenge to the existence of our republic. Will Fox News will outlive the United States of America?
10
Trump is the best thing to happen to the Democratic party since Roosevelt.
7
Or since Herbert Hoover.
3
the traitor will rue the day he became president. Had he stayed on t.v. firing everyone there would be no Mueller. But the traitor made a momentous mistake by downplaying the quid pro quo with russia. His quo will lead to the traitor, his family and his cohorts, losing everything they have. Had he not become President, it most likely would not have happened.
Ironic isn't it.
24
On the bright side, the Trump presidency is inspiring the world's best and brightest to make progress on revolutionary technical innovations. Top priority: to finally get serious on building a Time Machine so that we can travel back to November 2016 and...well, you know.
9
You nailed it Maureen. It takes interminably long for people to recognize a psychopath in their midst, especially a man like Trump who has risen to the level of a world leader. Even after they do come to their senses, people are under the mistaken impression that the psychopath’s outrageous conduct will certainly come to an end sooner than later. Only after a psychopath like Trump has created CHAOS and irreparable harm, do people realize they have no choice anymore. They must rise up against him.
11
Let's talk about House Republicans for a minute. What is in this for them in the long run? Or even in the short run? Why are they not standing up? Heck, Why are they not waking up? Are their constituencies so enthralled by this dumpster fire in the Whitehouse that they dare not thwart them? It is pretty clear a blue wave is about to wash over them, perhaps, and many of their colleagues certainly. What is the payoff for their continued sycophancy? I don't get it. And I have seen little explanation for it in the press. Condemnations yes. Explanations? Not so much.
17
Drunk with power would be more accurate. He claims to be abstemious but has the personality of an alcoholic or an addict who can't get enough of anything: money, TV, diet coke, women who remind him of his daughter, cheeseburgers, chocolate cake and self-aggrandizement. At some point, this ugly and ignorant gasbag will implode and explode. We live in hope that Mr. Mueller will prevail before he does.
22
It will get nastier: in the courts, in the midterm elections, in social media, in international trade, in the markets, in the streets. In short, Everywhere. Trump is flushing the country down the toilet, with the able assistance of the undereducated, misled, sycophants and racist rabble who support him.
20
Trump's actions are straight out of the Roy Cohn play book as he openly acknowledged with his 'Where's my Roy Cohn...?' quote a couple of months back. Trump's game demands that he badly needs to play badly, and Cohn, to his great discredit, was an undisputed master of that kind of bastardy.
While he is no Roy Cohn, Trump has learned from his apprenticeship under Cohn that he is indeed a match for the disgrace, deceit and shame Cohn brought down on himself, his family and his profession - so I guess we gotta give the President his dues and a passing grade in the dark arts of 'How To Stand Up For Your Rights And Win' - according to Cohn.
5
This is The Apprentice 3.0. Our government is being run like a reality TV show. One minute, you’re in. The next you’re out!
You have been chopped!
Pack your knives and go!
With the one big difference.....the amount of time dedicated to the pros and cons before making a decision on the above referenced shows. Listening to all sides, arguing through the night and recognizing the decision must be based on merit. Trump decided Apprentice strictly on ratings. The “pretty girl” or the one with the most fans got the save over the competent one.
He loves chaos, and everyone, including our allies, will wind up being “thrown under the bus”in his crazy TV-style of running the government!
2
Well put Modo. Does this guy remind anybody of another buffoon called Yeltsin ( with money - sans alcohol)?
Hold on there a minute. Did we not meddle
in Russian elections back then and help get that guy get elected? Putin has got to be chuckling away a la Billy Bob ‘Malvo’ de Fargo.
2
It seems to me that many people think of a narcissist in a narrow form, as ‘just’ someone who has a huge ego and is arrogant. Those are obvious symptoms; but pathological narcissists are also vengeful, immature (in the sense of under-developed) personalities who literally cannot emotionally tolerate being wrong, being seen as less than (Rex Tillerson and the moron moment; the Washington Correspondent’s dinner years ago where Obama and Seth Meyers made fun of Trump; his inauguration crowd the biggest ever; first in my class, etc etc). He is delusional — a fixed false belief that persists in the absence of evidence and/or the presence of conflicting evidence. That is a gross distortion of reality, and it’s dangerous. He is decompensating. And that is very dangerous. He is not lying per se; he lives in a delusional world of his own making. And he is terrified of being exposed for the impostor and weak person he is; hence his rage at Mueller and McCabe and anyone else who threatens him with the truth. We are truly in perilous times; his rage and delusions are likely only to grow.
21
Trump is a nut job, and I'm getting sick of this stupidity.
It's time the Republican Congress do their job, they wouldn't accept this kind of bizarre behavior from any other President in the Democratic party, they were going crazy over President Obama stepping off Air Force One with a cup of coffee.
Donald Trump is dangerous to the country and he needs to be removed, no one would accept this kind of mean vindictiveness from a boss, ceo or any other person.....he's worse than a jerk, and I can't use the explicative that Trump deserves, but you can fill in the blanks.
18
It is breathtaking to watch a former CEO of the one world's richest and most powerful corporations get the Trump treatment.
6
If he doesn't fire Mueller.
3
When are the Republican's in Congress going to stop saying stuff off the record about Trump's behavior, and start showing some courage and defend the constitution regardless of the consequences.
It's been obvious for a long time that anyone with half an ounce of intelligence that Donald Trump is not right in the head, something is wrong with his psyche, he cannot be trusted with the security and treasury of our country, and it's time for Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republican Congress to stop enabling this nut job in the Whitehouse.
12
The Democrats will take the White House in the aftermath of the mid-terms in November. Here' how: Mr. Muller's investigation will take out Mr. Trump for Treason; and Mr. Pence with him for among other issues, lying under oath.
Ms. Vanessa Trump will put country before Mr. Donald Jr. and verify what we
already know, adding on to what we do not. Since the Speaker of the House is 3rd inline for the Presidency, He/She ( Not what's her name ) will become the new occupant of the White House. Maureen, I think your brother's worst nightmare is yet to come.
8
Now, since all of these characteristics were plainly evident since at least for a decade or more, imagine the level of disgust with HRC and with the mainstream GOP for this presidency to come about.
1
I agree but would argue that the negatives for Hillary are artificially high due to right-wing media.
I have neighbors who still believe the Clintons had Vince Foster murdered. Then there was the recent "Pizza-gate."
Now they are after Pelosi for not supporting the Republican tax cuts.
Those tax cuts will get the average tax payer about $10,000 over the next ten years.
During the same ten years, they will put $67,000 of debt per tax payer on their credit card that is the Federal debt.
But people will believe Pelosi is a terrible person all the while she is trying to protect them from more of the same Republican trickle-down Reaganomics.
3
Trump has never been coy. He told us "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters." He was unembarrassed and correct.
7
Now that Mr. Trump and the military are no longer in thrall of each other I have some hope that come a meltdown, the generals will think twice before ascending to the whims of a deranged leader.
5
Everyone seems to want to attack someone, blame someone. I don't know how to blame the 40% of the American people who love the reality show our government and our country are becoming. That's what disturbs me the most, how so many Americans are thrilled with the performances, including their mendacities.
17
All of the ire and awe at the unbelievableness of what is the Trump White House will come to a head in November. As Trump “ plays to his base” the not his base gets more angrt and more determined to replace as many of the Republican congressmen they can. The younger generation is in full activation mode and little will keep them from the voting in the up coming election. Mr Trump can do what he wants now and Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell can keep turning a blind eye. But come January 2019 they better watch out as they may be out of a job.
5
I really dislike that all our hopes for the future are riding on Muller’s investigation.
16
Donald Trump, for the sake of the nation, must resign the presidency. I see no other alternative if we are going to survive this dangerous era of American politics.
7
Sadly, he won't.
1
I second that, the best way out of this mess would to have him decide to do what is best for everyone.
I'm just waiting for the moment when Trump announces that Sean Hannity has been appointed to his Cabinet. Maybe Trump doesn't think he is handsome enough? Hannity surely has all the other qualifications.
Trump is now officially "unleashed". Full on Trump from now on to include more lies, more cruelty, more racism and bigotry and more law and order Trump style.
After being found out about dealing with PM Trudeau in a disrespectful and joking manner, world leaders will be looking at Trump in a disrespectful manner.
The right-back-at-you for Trump will not build confidence for our future foreign affairs. North Korean talks anyone? Trump goes there fully exposed now.
Trump being Trump has worked for all thee 71+ years and he will pull out all his maneuvers to face Mueller. If the teflon frays and starts to scorch, Trump has the pardon as his last saving grace. He will save that for himself and a select few only. We know his vengeful cruelty and there will many in the GOP who are aiding and abetting now who will find themselves under the bus as Trump protects himself.
Trump is entering the most popular months of his presidency to date. His base are in awe of his bully tactics, his meanness, his jokes at others expense and his 'victimization' at the hands of the elite. Trump is just getting started and they have the popcorn popping.
Bad times ahead.
5
There are those of us, some of us, in the world who like chaos, who fuel it, who endorse it and who champion it. Every entity in the Universe needs to undergo chaos at various points in said entity's existence.
For those of us now who champion chaos, President Trump's presence upon the world stage is an adventure. Rather than heading South, Mr. Trump is the North Star that the United States needs, and has wanted and lacked, certainly during the Obama years. His election voided the possibility that we would have to endure another 4 to 8 Obama-style years under one Hillary Clinton. Thank God.
For many Americans this is going to be their only chance to get a political education in how The Government of The United States of America works -- or should really work. The nation cannot have the same people sitting in the same chairs for one, two, three and four and six year periods of time. Having near octogenarian and octogenarian elected officials in Congress and in Government and Bureaucracy has brought this nation down to a level of tremendous dysfunction. The stasis has been suffocating. The more people that Mr. Trump can remove from Government, his Cabinet and the overbloated Bureaucracy, the better the United States will be. The remaining people will be forced to step up & do their job & the jobs of others. There is nothing wrong with having to multi-task & knowing how to do so.
President Trump is his own Smart-Pressure Cooker. He knows & understands stirring the pot.
17
Reggie,
Trump's method of leadership failed in most of his businesses. Most of the peiple he has fired are people he brought into government. The rest of the people he brought in are too incomepetent "step up and do their jobs?" Betsy DeVos? Ben Carson? Rick Perry?
Stirring thge pot is not leadership.
The Loop Garoo Kid
21
Yes, he knows chaos. But he does not know, or understand anything else. He is incapable of moving the needle forward. That you see him as capable of anything good or positive is a serious error on your part.
19
If your house has termites, do you burn down the house?
9
Firing Mueller will bring the crisis to a head. In such a situation, it would be hard for the GOP to retain Congress in the mid-term elections. In the alternative, if Trump fires Mueller and the GOP don't lose the mid-terms, then there is something to worry about.
3
Don't shoot the messenger, folks. She's right. I would add only that: 1. Some of us knew this all along; and 2. It may now be too late to do anything about it. The poison is spreading, and it's going to affect all of us.
10
Man, people have short memories. Sorry folks but MD did not cost Hillary the election. Yes she did point out Hillary's flaws at a point where everyone including Nate Silver thought the Trump candidacy was a hopeless joke. If hindsight were 20/20 commenters would also recall how she feverishly supported Hillary over Obama in 2008. You'd have to be blind not to see the pattern. Like a film critic, we rely on people like her to tell the truth about people in power. She did speak the truth about Hillary and DT. I hated it when she criticized Obama but she did speak the truth. She's a columnist for Christ's sake.
6
Everybody knew HRC flaws, and Maureen should have know Trump's flaws better then anybody yet she still chose to pull out the long knives for Hillary during the campaign. In a political world of binary choices this is nearly unforgivable to many of us as Maureen seemed to prefer the chaos candidate. Well, she and the other Trump voters got what they wished for. I'm sorry if her regrets fall on unsympathetic ears.
8
Saw the numbers this morning and Trump's approval ratings actually went UP this week to 43%. Where & who are these people that make up that percentage? I live in NE the reddest of red States and I rarely come across ANYONE who can stomach this sideshow anymore. Forget embarrassing, what he's doing is, in his own words "Treasonous."
21
Stop blaming Trump and start blaming stupid Americans who believe his lies. Oh wait, Liberals do not allow calling stupid people stupid. Better to be PC and lose than to be honest and win elections
5
In all societies at all times there are those, usually a minority, who will believe the lies of demagogues and charlatans like Trump. The US is no different from any other human society in that regard. But most of the time most societies choose leaders with the calibre to rise above the views and reactions of that slice of the population and provide good leadership based on truth, facts, and a good-faith effort to set policies that are best for the society. In Trump we don't have that. We have a leader who is leveraging that slice of society to his own venal ends, and who appears to have no idea of or concern about good policy or how to make it. Until and unless we get rid of him or at least neutralize him our democracy is in grave danger.
5
So much psychological energy and emotion was invested by so many, in this President, against the very idea of a President Clinton and President Obama. This negates the tolerance of any challenge or questioning of President Trump in the minds of this cohort.
We have now entered the realm of the Personality Cult. If this continues, we will no longer be a nation of laws. It will be one of men. Duterte, Putin and Xi would be proud.
12
Trump is turning the White House in to the White Trash can. His vindictiveness, self- confessed lying, and massive inferiority complex are mind boggling. Maybe he thinks he is the big man - but he just shows his crassness. His denials are in fact admissions of guilt. He first denied knowing Stormy Daniels then says that he will sue for millions because she violated her gag agreement. The man does not know how to keep quiet. To the millions of Americans who were fired to deny them their pensions - remember Trump at the polls. And for Jeff Sessions - shame on you - it’s the Dept. of Jackals.
20
Folks, keep your eyes on the unfolding drama with the North Koreans.
The NYT reported yesterday that the CIA has a "backchannel" to the North Koreans and is arranging the "summit" without the participation, involvement or input of the State Department.
It will be fascinating to watch what happens when Kim Jong-Un manages to pull a fast one on Mr. Trump.
Because it IS going to happen.
12
Objection: Speculation.
Working for a Trumpian figure years agp and our organization survived because the team around this person was smart, loyal to each other and focused on the greater good. Sadly this gang of liars, cheaters and thieves will only be indicted out.
6
"L'etat, c'est moi." Trump
"Le loi, c'est moi." Mueller
14
What an incoherent article. Dowd must realize that these people serve at Trump's pleasure? That he (or any other president) doesn't need a reason to fire anyone in his cabinet. Tillerson disagreed with him on everything, Trump (nor any other president) wants that, they want someone who will implement the policies. Obama would have fired someone who fought him on everything he tried to do, or he would have, but he placed a bunch of sycophants around him from the start. Does she really believe that the Mueller investigation will turn up anything? All it is doing so far seems to be showing the corruptness/incompetence of the FBI. Furthermore Trump ran on the platform of not being a normal president, if you think he will conduct business as usual, you're an idiot.
2
“...showing so far” All we know is the indictments that have been announced, including several people very close to Trump.
The rest including the baseless accusations of FBI bias are speculative.
1
If you are defending Trump's actions you are missing out on a few points that clearly shows he cares absolutely very little about the American people
Below are just a minuscule of examples that this man is not fit to be leading country anywhere but into a dark hellhole and total economic collapse.
This is a man who failed to get the popular vote
Failed to implement sanctions against Russia despite clear evidence of their interference in his favor in the last election
Fails to clearly acknowledge that the Russians are continuing in interfering in America elections
Fails to do anything about the interference
Fails to make any valid criticism of Putin
Alienates his northern neighbor by publically bragging how he lied to the Prime Minister
Alienates the entire world by his boorish creepy lying tweets
3
End this fascination with tweeter post everyday. Unless absolutely need be said for purpose of information really important.
Will the people from Fox all sit on the same sofa and interrupt each other during cabinet meetings?
15
Your words to God's ears, Maureen. When can we '86' Trump once and for all?
4
"Flush" is the right word for Trump, but not as an adjective. Try it as a verb!
9
I agree completely with Ms. Dowd - Hillary was a lousy candidate even though I did vote for her.
Hillary is dead to me. Please move on people!!!
1
This a very rosy view. The world is a powder keg now and a stupid vain egotistical man with a narcissistic personality disorder, who loves chaos and excitement, a man who could play Nero, is in power in DC. He faces in Putin a tough, ruthless, evil dictator, a known mass murderer who shamelessly uses assassins in neighboring countries to intimidate opponents, who sees benefit in weakening or destroying the USA. And lest we forget, Putin is probably conspiring with and in control of our president through blackmail, with the limits of that control set primarily by the weakness and instability of Mr. Trump. We may soon learn how dangerous having a mad president is.
9
Ethos, Pathos, Logos, CHAOS. The rhetoric of the punks!!
4
A bit off topic i suppose, but has Trump or any one member of this god awful mess sent condolences to the UK in regard to the death of Stephen Hawking? You would think one very stable genius could acknowledge another genuine genius's death.
13
Tillerson on the pot. Aww, Ms. Dowd! Thanks a bunch for an image I will never be able to forget! Jeepers!
3
Maureen Dowd wrote countless poisonous screeds against Hillary (whom to this day remains very difficult to defend), and which contributed in a tangible yet incommensurable fashion to Trump's election.
14
4sreA lot of people were whining about the fascist Trump but he never scared me. It was always obvious he was deranged, even to his supporters. They might like him for President but they wouldn't want him for Fuhrer.
But now I am starting to get seriously scared. What scares me is "The Resistance".
Everyone knows the CIA is evil. Their job is to kill and lie and torture and to overthrow any government that won't kowtow to the US, whether democratically elected or not. And yhe FBI has a pretty rotton record. So it was disquieting to see the D party make a pact with depose the Donald, who was elected according to the rules.
But when you think about it you realize it is more than a temporary confluence of interests. In fact it is a marriage made in hades. Obama was very close to Brennan and the CIA and Hillary would be even closer. What I see is that the D Party has leapfroged over the R Party and is now the greater evil, because they want to institute a repressive Police State. Mark my words. Remember what I said. You won't want to believe it but this is real. The Owners of our country see that the people are getting out of hand, and they realize they will have to resort to naked force to maintain their ownership.
4
Ah, the usual state of high dudgeon, Ms. Dowd. Doesn't it get exhausting? I recommend a time of reflection, of truth, of reconciliation. Let us contemplate your lifetime obsession with "The Clintons," and your poisonous columns attacking Hillary Clinton's integrity, competence, intelligence and anything else you could grab up. You may have reached a mind or two, swayed a few votes here and there. You did your part in getting us to right where we are today. Is this hard to reconcile? I'd hate to see you go down this path of hypocrisy and turmoil. In a column dated July 2016, you wrote about "The Clinton Contamination." (As usual, it's about "The Clintons," although it was only Hillary Clinton running for president. You and Fox News cannot seem to seem to stop conflating Bill and Hillary Clinton.) At the end of the column, you wrote: "This year’s election bargain: 'Put up with our [the Clintons] iniquities or get Trump’s short fingers on the nuclear button.' The Clintons work hard but don’t play by the rules. Imagine them in the White House with the benefit of low expectations." Ms. Dowd, I imagine and wish for a President Hillary Clinton every single day now. You called this a "Faustian" deal. Well, Faust works in many different ways, Ms. Dowd. I'm told that a recounting of past sins and a good act of contrition can bring calm and solace. You might try it. While Old Scratch is tough to cast out, at least a troll or two might be purged. Peace.
12
A man who takes pleasure when a civil servant of 20 years service is fired on the eve of his retirement is a psychopath.
31
Why don't you write your next column:
My regrets for not supporting Hillary Clinton for President.
28
Maureen Dowd's readers don't seem to want to read an opinion column. They want a "yes woman" who will hide, cover up and excuse the faults of their particular hero. They want validation , not honest opinion. They don't seem to be able to handle it. Just like Trump that way. Stop licking your wounds and move along and find some good candidates for 2018 and 2020.
Clintinisras keep going on about the three million votes that,she won in California and New York, where people might actually read Maureen Dowd. I doubt that Dowd sells a lot of papers in Arkansas, Mississippi or most of the states that make up the bulk of the Electoral College. Stop using her as a scapegoat for the DNC fixing up a primary election that did not give equal support to O'Malley, Webb or any other candidate that might have challenged a their choice who was loaded with baggage and a record of one failed candidacy already. And then the candidate couldn't even be bothered to campaign in a state where she lost the primary vote by a lot. Somebody here wants to talk about "imperceptible reasons for losing votes" try that one. Move on already and find somebody who can actually get elected. The 2018 election is coming and you are still mired in 2016.
3
We are dying a slow painful death while a demented “leader” gloats. How can we revolt?
7
Did it bother Ms. Dowd that Donald Trump spent five years peddling a conspiracy theory about the birth records of (as she would call him) "Barry" Obama, and used this scheme to keep himself in the public eye before announcing his candidacy? Trump is what Trump was and what Trump will always be: a self-promoting charlatan with no regard for anyone but himself. Shame on Ms. Dowd for cozying up to this fraud in 2016, while bringing down the more qualified candidate who has never thrived on chaos: Hillary Clinton.
29
America has become a laughing stock in the world
8
If only you meant "flush" as a verb and "with power" as an adverb phrase.
Strange! As the last paragraph of Maureen's scathing artivle on the president was finished, did any NYT readers suddenly reflect on Shakespeare's Macbeth?
2
Thank you for calling out this nightmare of a Presidency Ms. Dowd!
Now, you may want to work on a compare and contrast between Obama and Trump...
....and that will be your penance!!!
5
"The Saga of Trump" makes George Orwell's "1984" look downright quaint by comparison. Big Brother would envy Trump with his cabal of toadies; among the notable, Mike Pence, John Kelly, Jeff Sessions, Mike Pompeo, and the lapdog's lapdog, Devin Nunes.
For Pete's sake, Robert Mueller can't spit without hitting an enabler or co-conspirator. This ain't a witch-hunt; it's more like whack-a-mole.
8
You missed Paul Ryan in your list of “toadies” who have sold their souls.
4
" flush with power ". Sure. And this giant faux gold plated pile of " stuff " deserves a flushing. Directly into the sewer, along with all his Collaborators. It's the first step in eradicating the stench. Bigly.
6
I do wish you had not worked so hard, Maureen, to elect him.
16
No snarky comments about Obama or Hillary? Have you grown weary of the trump chaos? Too little far too late. Those of us who lived in dread of trump being elected are not surprised at this disaster brought by the grate (sic) orange one and his enablers and thugs. You were certainly complicit in his election, as far as a NYT columnist can persuade people. We await your sincere apology- you owe us.
11
Ms. Dowd: Does Mrs. Clinton look better now? You bear responsibility for the defeat of Mrs. Clinton and the election of Donal Trump. This should NEVER be forgotten.
17
Did the odd Trump vote casters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin really read NYTimes columns weekly for a year or more before the election? Or had they mainly been allowing social media content and algorithms to make them angry, especially on Election Day?
If I read you correctly you are actually elated that finally your man has become the President
4
From the perspective of a German reader, it is simply unbeliebable how deep US politics have sunk. Your caricature of a president has no morality, no shame and no clue, and his party follows like sheep. Once your culture and your institutions have been the model for the free world. Now your crazy president and his enablers have turned a whole country into the laughingstock of the world. It will take a long time and more than a Mueller to recover, if ever. Meanwhile, the world watches in awe.
7
Emperor Maureen —
‘Tis a tough go
To sit to the West
In a lower seat of flushing power
And not see a May and her day
Boomeranging across your column.
I am shocked that nobody is realizing or discussing that Trump is replacing his cabinet with toadies to keep away the 25th amendment that he can be declared mentally unstable !
9
What a shame. People outside of the USA cannot understand how on earth a man like Trump was ever elected to his post. They keep on saying why he is still on and not just thrown out,
7
I like to think that Maureen, in her previously snarky columns on “Barry” Obama and Hillary Clinton has perhaps regretted writing them and with her pushing DFT as “entertainment” for us plebes after realizing what a monster she had helped create!
But though looking to Robert Mueller to correct the situation, while thinking of it as still a possibility, I have been thinking it less and less likely as time goes by.I hope I am proven wrong but 45’s willingness to fight as dirty as necessary to save his own backside as shown recently in the case of Andrew McCabe’s firing shows what we are up against.
Only the ballot box shows what we should do and hope we are clever enough to avoid the result of the last election.
I like to think that we should vote as Americans and not as followers of “Vlad the Impaler”.
8
Trump has long been regarded as a pathological liar and narcissist. With the firing of McCabe less than 48 hours before he became pension vested, coupled with the way he publicly and routinely humiliates other appointees like his Attorney General, Chief of Staff, National Security Advisor and FBI Director, among others, we now know that Trump is also a sadist.
4
Churchill famously said he utterly declined to be impartial between the fire and the fire brigade. It’s good to see you suddenly can tell the difference. Instead of apologizing for your previous judgemental errors, however, you are churning out half-hearted efforts, as if to be passive aggressive over it. Grow up.
4
Bill O'Reilly is available.
2
If Machiavelli was alive today, what do you think he'd say about Trump?
We can always look at the brighter side. Seems like Putin's detractors somehow die in ways, which suggest strangulation. Trump's --- sniffers just tuck their tale and move on. Some are probably dreaming about writing a book about their experiences with the president or making a bundle on the speaking tour.
From opiates to AR-15's and homelessness to massive, city and state debts, we might have inadvertently found our national emoji and scapegoat!
2
Maureen Dowd's views on Trump seem to have changed over the course of the year.
7
Let me get this straight.
Ms. Dowd's basic premise is that members of the media (such as Mr. Kudlow) may be idiots who should not be appointed to political office.
The corollary (which is not addressed in this column) should therefore be that members of the media may be idiots whose commentary should also be ignored, about such things.
2
The continuation of comments crucifying Dowd for not criticizing Trump when he was running for president are long past their expiration date. It's time to accept that Dowd recognizes Trump as the despicable president he is. She's also ceased sneaking in criticism of the Clintons. It's time to simply celebrate her razor-sharp writing.
1
Once again, Maureen Dowd, despite all her barbed criticisms, downplays Trump's true Achilles heal. Namely, the fact that his vaunted "success as a businessman" was achieved with the help of multiple bankruptcies and a "charitable" foundation that actually helped his bottom line and provided him with years of questionable tax deductions.
In other words, Trump is simply a FRAUD and a CHEAT, and the question is, why did we have to wait for Robert Mueller investigating Russian collusion to find this out? What if Ms. Dowd, (and other reporters) had gone for the jugular, the way they did with the Clintons? For how long were we hearing about the Clinton's financial dealings? How much venom was spewed due to the fact that the Clintons didn't/couldn't produce all the documentation from some stupid financial transactions that happened decades ago? How many people were jailed? How many accusations were hurled against the Clintons?
Now, we have a President who has simply REFUSED to be transparent, who we KNOW has engaged in questionable tax practices, who most certainly LIES about his net worth, and yet it seems as though Ms. Dowd is still pulling her punches.
The problem is not simply that Trump is a narcissist who can't accept criticism. The problem is that he is a fraud whose critics want to expose him for who and what he is.
6
The title of Maureen Dowd’s column may be “Trump, Flush With Power,” but the headline the majority of us are ardently praying for is-
“Trump, Flushed From Power” - and the rest of his misbegotten administration with him!!
5
Your deadline obviously missed the McCabe firing. Trump and Nunes have continued following the false threads of Nunes' memo, and firing McCabe -while attempting to ruin his reputation and credibility as a Mueller witness - is just the next part of the Trump/Nunes plan. Let's hope that mcCabe's reputation is unvarnished by these false claims from our Liar in Chief.
When will Congress act to remove this boy/thug from the Oval office?
4
"Trumpian" will became a synonym for political corruption,incompetence, and disgrace.Donald Trump is an American political Caligua whose narcissistic depravity defiles the Oval Office every minute he's in it.
3
Fingers crossed, Maureen. BTW, has anyone heard anything from Mitch McConnell lately? One word? Anything? Does Elaine Cho know where he is? Does she care?
4
Roger Ailes may be dead, but Rupert Murdoch isn’t.
2
Manchurian Candidate goes full Dunning-Kruger Effect.
3
This guy has lost his senses, all five of them. He can't see the pain of another. He can't feel the touch of a woman. He has no taste for anything but fast food. He can't hear the cries of a suffering child. He can't smell his own stench.
7
Maureen, part of the responsibility lies with you. And Jimmy Fallon. And everyone else who thought it would be fun to make nice and toy with Trump. Great sport to make him look semi normal and disregard any serious consideration of what might happen if an unhinged toddler-man became the president. Hillary had more Americans voting for her and she knew how to do the job. Trump and his minions trip from one scandal to another. Can you imagine the blow back from Fox News if a male porn star had stories to share about Hillary and her lawyers tried to gag him. Just the sound of that is incredible. Would the Tea Party and Christian Coalition ignore a scandal like that involving Hillary? Would Mike Pence and the Republican Party leaders? By remaining silent they risk all out civil strife when the real criminal and treasonous deeds are laid bare. The likes of Howard Baker are nowhere to be found in this Congress and that is very scary.
12
One of my favorite little books, entitled "I Have Abandoned My Search For Truth, and Am Now Looking for A Good Fantasy" (Ashleigh Brilliant)....may be our present state of being under under the dominion of our fabricating
"President". He has, apparently, elevated his Sociopathic Personality
Disorder into our National redefinition of Truth.
2
Are we, the public, embarrassed enough yet to vote Dem in the midterm elections and vote this clown out in 2020?
4
When will Mueller slay the bad Russian wolf ? Dowd says it will happen. In the meantime there’s Trumpian entertainment : lies, firings , Fox News hirings. The charlatan has oomph in his lungs and disease in his brains . He fiddles while the world burns.
Where will it all end ? He needs to be hooked off the stage; will it be Mueller , Stormy Daniels or one of his fired staff with a gun? He was an aberration to begin with ; it will be an aberration that gets rid of him .
7
Basta! Basta! Basta! When will this national made in American disgrace end? For a few hours of the day I would like to read and enjoy the thoughts and opinions of people who actually contribute something meaningful in the world. This tired old demagogue bent on saving his own neck will not do. His daily tweets only confirms his disdain for the truth. Mr Trump is a one man wrecking ball who will eventually bring down the house. He is not fooling anybody. This low IQ circus cries out for immediate cancellation!
10
Wow, what a wishful thinker you are, Maureen Dowd. There is not even one person in the majority party in Congress or one courageous cabinet member willing to try to stop this out of control freak show. So to think that Trump will soon be doing it Mueller's way is a pipe dream. Nothing happened after Trump was caught on tape bragging about groping women, lied about his crowd size, refused to give up Twitter, called Obama sick and crazy, engaged a nuclear-crazy dictator in a war fo words......it's just too exhausting to continue. Nothing has touched him. Might as well hunker down because, from the looks of it, Trump will be around for a long time, Mueller or not.
125
Wishful thinking. Yes, the GOP could back his firing of Mueller. But the 'BLUE WAVE' of 2018 will hand the Congress back to the Dems and then he is toast. The lack of GOP enthusiasm in recent votes is an indicator that in their hearts, while they can not admit the error of backing Trump, they can't bring themselves to vote for GOP candidates.
1
As of this morning's latest "presidential" tweet, plus new numbers that show him with a 43% approval rating, a "Blue Wave" sounds like fantasy fiction. But, hey I hope you're right.
1
The country can only hope that Trump will soon be "doing it Mueller's way." Mueller'e way is quiet, discreet, thoughtful, thorough, honest and patriotic: the positive image of Trump's ugly venality. President Trump might indeed be exacting revenge on an "idiot" who called him a moron but that "idiot" has stories to tell that will doubtless fascinate the Mueller investigators. More "idiots" are flooding the Mueller pipeline.
"If you’ve ever had a narcissistic boss," you know that, in the end, such bosses are their own worst enemies. They sink themselves into their own dross but sadly the drowning can be slow and painful. It can bring many people down with them and, if the process emerges slowly enough enough, can drown whole nations.
President Obama once described the United States as the world's "essential nation." President Trump is proving Obama right. As Trump casts the country he presides over into a sea of immorality, mendacity, belligerence and insouciance for a world order of decency, the world sinks into indecency. Russia knows full well that it's murderous villainy will sail right past America with barely a whimper of protest from its president.
We have put thugs in charge of the church choir. For the short term, we are lucky that these thugs are also profoundly stupid. For the longer term only our own voters can save us. Here, happily, the signs are beginning to look better.
5
And you’re surprised about all this? Why?
It only took the Republicans and their donor machine 25 years, hundreds of millions in dollars, an entire trashy cable “news” network, hundreds of garbage books, a string of super PACs and complicit members of the media to completely and utterly destroy a talented, capable, brilliant, if sometimes flawed, woman from ascending to the Presidency.
Thanks for all your help Mo. Hope you can look yourself in the mirror.
9
Exclusive from AP:
In an about change just announced at White House,Ronald MacDonald set to become new Secretary of State, Mister Ed is proposed new Head of CIA and Deputy Dawg, new Director of FBI.
2
Here's a moniker I hope goes viral:
Stormy Donald
5
This is a moment of great peril for a good people. I was talking to a friend today. She is a basque, and tough as nails. “As much as things are terrible now, as it looks to you,” she said. “ It has been much worse where I have lived. I just weep to see this starting here, I never thought it possible.” Ms. Dowd, with great respect, you must now earn your keep. Our times do not need your sneering take on what you consider a passing reality show. This IS reality, and you are not Dorothy Parker. As Auden said of Yeats: “Become your admirers.”
3
Is there not one patriot at the IRS who will lead Trunp's tax information? How much does he owe to Putin?
4
Y'all crack me up blaming Maureen Dowd for DJT's election. HRC was a HORRIBLE candidate for the second straight presidential election. Her awful campaign and personality led to the Obama/Trump administrations.
The entitled HRC and 15 Republicans were not going to defeat America's #1 Carnival Barker.
Step Right Up, Step Right Up.
3
As bad as HRC was as a candidate, DJT was several orders of magnitude worse, Mo should have known this early on, like the rest of us did.
2
Poor, worried, desperate whites elected Trump (well, them and the undemocratic electoral college we seem to be at peace with). We really don't care about those that struggle, we reward the few. And Democrats are almost as guilty as Republicans in this.
Greed, money, property, power are all seductive. They have ruined America. My first evidence would be the President: such a fool, fake, bully, vainglorious clown. The desperate bought his lies; they wanted somebody to tell them something about how life would get better. Down deep they really know he's bad, contemptuous, deplorable, selfish, unchristian, draft-dodger and worse. Worse. He avoids war and 'calls out' McCain? How can military people vote for him? That's is unbelievable, he's such a good liar, he says POW's aren't heroes, but then says he love the military, but he doesn't pay taxes that fund the military. And, some soldiers vote for him?
I live in a terrible time and place.
Evangelicals follow Trump. Support him. The serial-adulterer, that made sure he cut taxes for the richest Americans. Him and the Republicans. Cut their own taxes & the richest donors to their campaigns. And the 'good people', the 'salt of the earth' vote for him? Hypocrisy. He's the moneychanger.
Trump is the worst of all Americans, only because he is our leader. Greed & self-interest permeate this place. We're a true curse & shame on our children. They try to get semi-automatic weapons of the streets & out of schools only to face the 'adults'.
4
Maureen - You are complicit in making this sham of democracy happen. You should have been sending this message out two years ago. Instead, you were trashing the most qualified candidate for president in the history of our country.
7
HRC, The DNC, Super Delegates, and The NYT trashed the most qualified candidate. DNC is now claiming that they can run the Primary anyway they want to.. Well, they didn't go to jail for what they did so I suppose they can, but when they look in the mirror they are looking at the idiots who gave us Trump, by NOT letting democrats democratically select their best candidate.
If HRC had gained the nomination in a democraticaly managed Primary, I would have sucked it up and voted for her. But I was directly aware of what they had done to keep a thumb on the scale: The hacked e-mails, and suppression of voting rights, if you wanted to vote for Sanders, spoke clearly to me. We had a choice between two manipulating cheats, I chose neither of the above. That is past, but the DNC is STILL actively opposing progressive Democrats. They can't put together a winning DEMOCRATIC message. They have seized power, but has no idea how to use it for the benefit of people other than oligarchs, so we will not win next time either
Trump & friends need to come to a bad end. If they don't, we can expect more of these kind of people in the future.
4
"Those whom the gods want to destroy, they first make arrogant."
2
Under normal circumstances a column like this would feel harsh and mean-spirited towards the subject of it. That being said the person Ms. Dowd is talking about is Donald Trump, a truly loathsome creature who actually deserves as much disdain as possible heaped upon his corrupt, sadistic and degenerate self.
But perhaps, Ms. Dowd, we are all witnessing your over-compensation for helping Trump get elected in the first place. Ms. Dowd, I suspect it's going to be a long three years for you.
On the other hand, you know what they say in Mississippi: when you dance you gotta pay the fiddler.
1
Pretty clear that Trump is indeed a moron, and he has no actual friends. He fires people on a whim, hires people with no experience to replace them, and then fires them too. Chaos is his operating principle, because if he moves fast enough, it takes peoples' attention away from the idiotic mistakes and scandals in his wake.
Luckily, he spends a third of his time on the golf course, so for a third of his presidency he won't be doing any actual harm. Also luckily, nobody he hires gets to stay in their position for too long, so they can't do much damage either. And best of all, most of the world is turning away from America now, regarding us as an ex-superpower that is falling apart from within, and they're right to do so.
See, the lesson here is that yes, Trump is an incompetent buffoon, but America put him in charge. Thus, America is, in the majority, thoughtless and foolhardy. Americans are just not that bright, and just like Rome, we're on the downslope of empire, when people aren't learning anymore because life is too easy to need to do so.
So when poking fun at moronic Trump, remember to include moronic America in the mockery.
3
Trump reacts emotionally to everything in life. Mueller is inching closer and Trump is breaking out in hives. Brace yourselves for more unhinged, addled twitter-pitter-patter.
3
from what I've read, it's possible trump made up the entire story about Trudeau. Canadian officials said they had no record of the alleged conversation. trump has a history of saying he talked to whomever and the other person denying it. head of the boy scouts and PM of mexico both said so, if i'm remembering correctly.
3
I read that as the Canadians are smart, they are staying out of this mess by keeping their lips sealed, i.e. know nothing and say nothing.
1
i'm not sure of that, but i think it don't matter none to the clown in chief and his devoted dunces.
1
Like Huey P. Long, "The Kingfisher" populist leader who did so much for the poor and down and out in his native state of Louisiana, Trump is sui generis, unique, unlike any other poltiician in our history and lifetime, and the media loves it, and focuses on him to the exclusion of anything else. Ms. Dowd strikes me a a trifle hypocritical in her excoriation of the c-in-c because in the eighties when she was primarily a NYC reporter, a return call from The Donald was like balm in gilead, manna from heaven for her and other journos.With age comes bitterness. Compare the early George Carlin, young and in excellent health, with the older George Carlin after his almost fatal heart attack: difference between a good comedian and one who appeared to be going off the rails!In her younger days, Dowd was funny and kept it light. Now we are seeing someone who, instead of making us laugh, is now proselytizing. Justin Trudeau, whom Trump mocked and for good reason, scolded somepone once for saying "mankind" rather than "humankind!" He also was all in favor of a 10 million dollar settlement for a foreign terrorist accused of firing on American troops in Afghanistan!Dowd does not mention that!Lay off The Donald, Ms. Dowd, if you please, and later for the sermonizing. Recall 1 article about a gay French diplomat whose only claim to distinction was that he was gay and in the diplomatic corps. Aren't you now the goody goody Ms. Dowd, supporting all the politically correct positions!
I have a barrel of tar, 10 bushels of feathers and a rail for riding when the day comes.
4
I'm always surprised when news outlets, and even Ms Dowd insist on euphemisms for what my parents called lies. They are not alternative facts, not hyperbole, they are lies. Tell it like it is folks, stop trying to dress up the pig.
4
As much as it makes for great reading in this column, let us admit that we don't know that the Japanese -don't- drop bowling balls on American cars from 20 high to see if they dent.
Another thing we don't know is how strong of a case Mueller will really be able to present. Ms. Dowd has consistently hinted that she has reason to believe that the case is stronger than what is publicly known. Perhaps she has been receiving information from someone with a strong motive to end the Trump reign as soon as possible - someone, let us say, who is weary of having had to restrain certain impulses for the first time in his life ..
This was entirely predictable. An uneducated, rich, "p" grabbing, name calling, dishonest, insecure, narcissist bullying his way through life. You didn't see this? At best Hillary was an awkward candidate breaking the mold. She was old school sticking with her marriage, but she was new school in not hiding her intelligence. And yet you trashed her, blind to what was to come. I no longer regularly read your column. I am still mad.
2
Still waiting for a column about what your siblings think of Trump now.
Continue to support him and why or buyers remorse and why?
1
I wish all of us have your confidence that the liar-in-chief will soon be doing Mueller's way. It's not even clear that Mueller will last much longer if you consider the McCabe deal is the first shot fire from the truly lawless president (remember his enablers used to accuse President Obama of being that).
Looking forward to Doris Kearns Goodwin's new book - Team of Sycophants: The Political Ineptitude of Donald Trump.
5
I recognize so much of this pathological behavior from my unfortunate 5-yrs-long almost daily interactions with a narcissistic sociopath. Everything about Trump -- from his love of creating chaos and conflict to his odd exaggerated facial expressions and body language to his discordant thoughts to his impulse control issues and anger to his unethical, indecent, immoral, spiteful behaviors -- screams sociopath. All of it -- the inconsistencies, gaslighting, the delight of firing people! Up is down. The fact that he finds lying to and manipulating the leader of one of our dearest allies "hilarious" is confirmation that he is a disordered anti-social human. He's also a dangerous person, one who has been cyber-engineered into our highest office by a Russia that has already begun a virtual world war. He is being manipulated by this far more cunning, sadistic mind. He tries to emulate this authoritarian regime, but he lacks the intelligence. However, it would be a mistake to dismiss Trump simply as an obese orange clown. He is. But he's like the horror film version who is taking America (and the world) on a ride through his own personal carnival of souls.
1
Actually, the full quote of what Brennan, ex CIA chief is:
“When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history.”
Given Brennan’s acumen,and access to what is really going on in the Mueller investigation, this is a statement that should give America hope. Sounds like Mueller very much has the goods.
3
America must be patient to get to the bottom of the Trump corruption. With a complicit Republican Congress, Trump is allowed to bend the Constitution and our laws. The day of reckoning will only come when Congress turns over and Trump is then held to the standards of ourConstitution.
1
I always get out my thesaurus before I read Ms. Dowd's column, as I can count on learning a new word that is always apt for her subject. Today's winning word is "schnorrers"--a sponger, a moocher, a beggar--to describe Trump's latest version of a "cabinet." Perfect.
1
- Respect is earned, not given - That is one of the first lessons I learned as a US Marine. I have this fervent wish that the media outlets (except Fox News, of course) would stop referring to Trump as president. He is anything but that. That crude, rude, noxious, imbecile, snake oil salesman huckster deserves the same respect he give everyone else, none.
2
The mainstream media is so so biased. Trump is not an outright liar, he is"... a fabulist, concocting phony facts about the trade deficit when talking to the Canadian prime minister — one of our closest allies —"
Can't anyone call out this guy for what he is - a liar.
1
Maureen we can do without the Yiddish reference. Money grabbing moochers will make the point.Clearly you now recognize the ineptitude of the Donald.The man is shameless and continues to embarrass the presidency and his country.So where were you during the campaign? You had to know that Trump was a con man and based on his lifestyle a world class vulgarian.
16
Grab your easy chair and some popcorn folks, it's Muller time! ...and it's going to get real interesting until it gets better...
6
Schnorrer.
Thanks for the new word!
Oh yeah, well written op-ed too.
3
A grotesque, yes, he is. But the grotesque, the ur-grotesque of this era in all republican histories, is the immaculately unstomachable Party he rides in on, in every sense of the phrase. Now you beg a King for us, with faction so enfeebled, to "bear them hence." But Mueller is no Henry V, he's just our last inquisitor.
2
Where is our Churchill?
Who will stop Trump?
7
We live in this crazy world of gerrymandered districts and huge money pouring into campaigns from various elites. This democracy bears no resemblance to any normal, democratic state in the world. It would be near impossible for a man of ideas to rise in this system at the federal level. However, I can think of two very statesmanlike, brilliant, spiritual and experienced individuals that could lead the country at this moment. Jerry Brown, who has brilliantly led the largest state in the union and has gone from governor to mayor to attorney general back to governor while being a Catholic with a side of Buddhism or vice versa. Joe Biden who is a master of Washington politics while never having abandoned his Catholic and blue collar roots in Pennsylvania. Biden's tireless work on behalf of our nation while be tempered by personal tragedy while continuing to serve is very Churchillian. Either of these men could lead this nation brilliantly. They truly care about this country, and are spiritual enough to recognize a duty that is larger than themselves. Like Churchill, both bring a lifetime of public service experience to the job, and like Churchill, are considered too old by the uncreative agists. What a beautiful contrast to this fine mess we're enduring.
3
Mueller's firing would guarantee Dem control of congress & a Trump term of <=4 years. Isn't it obvious? Maybe not. Who can know how arrogant or deluded Trump really is?
2
One has to wonder what Rupert Murdock thinks about his Frankenstein.
6
"But soon, he'll be doing it Mueller's way". I hope and pray for that every day Ms. Dowd. I am still amazed and dumfound that Trump still has supporters. Something is very wrong in America.
9
Yes, you are right, having been raised by the voters to the presidency, Traitor Trump is descending into to his own mad world where honest men and women will not follow him, and he'll be left with none but the greedy and nihilistic.
7
Left with none but the greedy and nihilistic, AKA the Republican Party in all it's sick glory.
2
Trump and Sessions have turned the Department of Justice into the Department of Vengeance. This is creeping fascism. Do we really want a mad king ruling America? When is enough finally going to be enough?
1
After his bragging about feeding falsehoods to Justin Trudeau, we can now give our SCPOTUS a new and very apt moniker: "President Fake News".
3
I get sick when I read the news about Trump these days. Yet during the election all we heard from you and the New York Times was snark about Hillary Clinton, and, of course, emails, emails, emails. Trump was treated like some harmless goof ball who surely would be managed by the GOP. Now as we face the wreckage, I hope you are all proud of yourselves.
22
Seriously, Maureen, it’s a bit too late to jump on the “Dump Trump” bandwagon. You allowed your irrational hatred of the Clintons to make you complicit in the election of this dangerous, sick man.
On the other hand, Americans of all political affiliations came together to defend their nation after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Now we have another existential crisis to face, although not one as easily recognized as such - no destroyed buildings or thousands of innocent victims.
Yet the danger to our national security posed by Donald Trump is every bit as real as that posed by a massive terrorist attack. He has ignored the cyber war being waged by Russia against the U.S. and its allies. He is complicit, tacitly or in fact, with the Russian government, and possibly vulnerable to blackmail. He is incompetent, infantile and irrational, has driven our allies into other, less fraught alliances, and created a power vacuum rapidly being filled by China. He is abrogating treaties that may have averted a nuclear conflict, and accommodating North Korea when he isn’t threatening nuclear war.
This man is a menace. All of us, regardless of our party loyalties, must unite to remove him from office by impeachment. We will even forgive you, Maureen - but I hope you’ve learned a lesson. Personal vendettas are not cutesy; they are myopic and self-indulgent. Yet now is the time for all of us, even you, to save our nation from Trump.
23
’This was the week Donald Trump became president. Or at least the week he became the president we were always expecting. ’
Really? So up until now he hasn’t been a racist, misogynistic, lying, crude, divisive demagogue?
9
Good use of schnorrer.
For a ruler so tarnished as Trump by financial and sexual scandal and delusional narcissism, you have to go all the way back to Caligula.
Which begs the question, is Trump’s appointment of Larry Kudlow as his chief economic advisor any better than Caligula making his horse a consul?
4
Something I never thought I'd wish for: Please let Trump speak with Mueller. Oh, please, I want to hear the whole exchange and to have closed-captioning available. Please let Trump think he doesn't need lawyers present and that he can handle it. Please let Maureen Dowd be right (she almost always is) and let's send this Everybody's-Worst-Old-Boss south, where any statue he erects of himself will immediately be pulling down.
Malignant narcissist in chief. Very dangerous. My stepmother is one and nearly killed my father, more than once.
2
The probability of a 20 year, 363 day senior FBI official being fired by the White House, is only matched by the likelihood that a reality tv star could be elected President.
4
Maureen's biting wit is so appropriate here. Usually she's over the top, but this is right on the mark. Great job summarizing the craziest moments in the idiocy that is the Trump Presidency.
How much longer?
4
Who will become the next American hero?
It’s too late to blame Dowd or even those Americans who were conned. We New Yorkers knew. Americans not racist or conned who just wanted to give the brash businessman a chance were simply Hillary haters. It’s too late for all that. We are now in survival mode.
Who will become the next American hero?
Republicans?
5
I never thought that I would be nostalgic for Nikita Khrushchev and the Communist Menace ,but here we are.
2
They call it toxic leadership in the Army.
Disreputable Donaldo.
Lock Him Up!
3
One of the takeaways for me from the New York Times review of Cass R. Sunstein's book "Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide" was that, however unimpeachable Trump's general hideousness and malfeasance might be, the "high crimes and misdemeanors" for which he could be impeached boiled down, in reviewer Andrew Sullivan's words "...to one core idea: If the president was to start acting like a king, he could be dispatched." It seems to me Trump is increasingly abandoning all pretense of the presidency (and his presidency on its best day was only ever a pretense) in favor of a kind of straightforward monarchy. A veritable King Don (no to be confused with a Ding Dong...well, or maybe to be confused with a Ding Dong). And we can all hope recognition of that fact by a fresh new Congress in 2018 will be his undoing. (Of course, that presumes "I like conflict. I like watching it, I like seeing it, and I think it's the best way to go" doesn't involve starting a nuclear war for its rating and/or distraction value.)
4
Trump is indeed the president we expected when an obnoxious, dishonest, amoral libertine was elected.
4
Watching Trump, can't stop throwing up.
3
"The circle of sycophants, who do not care about the boss, often spurs the leader’s flameout."
Donnie is fixing to go down in the biggest ball of orange flame since a super nova. It's going to be all we can do to keep him from taking the USA with him.
3
Maureen, your years of attacks on Hillary put Trump in office, as so many have commented. Trump admits his mendacity, it would be nice if you did.
3
And I'd like to know now, what does your Trump supporting brother think?
3
Ms. Dowd, I seem to recall you attacked Hillary week after week during the election, while thinking Trump was just an old silly man. The readers of this paper knew who he was. And we were right. I hope you learned from this experience.
4
Following Mr. Trump's lead describing how the Japanese purportedly test American cars, we should drop a bowling ball on his head and see if it dents.
2
Maureen Dowd is not responsible for the election of Donald Trump. If you think ANYTHING she wrote in this column convinced ANYONE to vote your Trump you are giving her power that she does not have.
I enjoy Maureen's well written insightful columns - she seems to really being able to poke at the core of people. Can we PLEASE stop referencing the Hillary files? Enough already.
1
the things we do one by one we pay for two by two. Kipling
Trump's White House reminds me of Ricky Gervais's Office. Only Trump is way more dangerous.
1
Maureen Dowd is getting as bad as Charles Blow in her ad hominem attacks on Trump that begin every piece she writes about him. For example: "Now he finds it’s clever to be a fabulist, concocting phony facts about the trade deficit when talking to the Canadian prime minister..." yet she fails to mention that the U.S. and Canada have different statistics on the issue. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis has calculated a $7.7 billion surplus for the U.S. in 2016. But Statistics Canada data shows a Canadian surplus of $14.6 billion. A $22.3 billion spread between the two sources. How about more facts and less personal attacks?
14
Ad means to, not at. An ad hominem is an argument to a person's position, special knowledge or bias. It is not an attack on anyone.
Yes, it's listed in Merriam-Webster with the meaning you intend, Raul. During one of their demotic fad phases they threw in everything they could find, mistakes included. They don't do accuracy calls.
You don't give the sources for your claims, nor the currencies (Canadian and US dollars are about a quarter different), but http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/180206/dq180206b-eng.htm is a good place for anyone interested in the subject to start.
In general, Canada seems to run a slightly positive balance in goods sold to the US, though a good deal of this is the mark-up on American parts sold back, and huge negative balances in services. Many "Canadian" companies exporting to the US are American subsidiaries pricing stuff however they please for tax purposes.
4
not so fast depends on whose data you look at. Righ now we are about even with Canada. So cherry picking facts does not prove anything and with regards to this administration shows a lack of education. http://business.financialpost.com/news/economy/is-trump-right-about-trad...
3
The facts may be what you say but the fact is that Trump didn’t know or care about the facts when he lied to Trudeau. That’s the real issue, Trump lies all the time and doesn’t see how that’s a bad thing. In fact, he brags about lying. He is a worthless, willfully ignorant fool.
14
I expect Mueller will be fired soon, and the complicit criminals in Congress will stand by while welcoming our dictator in chief. After all, the Kleptocrats are getting richer every day that this unbalanced person is allowed to take our republic down. Remember that they did not allow a SCOTUS choice to be heard for confirmation. Do you really think they want a democratic government?
8
And the collusion between the Russian State, gangster style, terrorism and Cambridge Analytics ? Who is protecting Mueller ?
1
Mo Dowd at her best. Insightful, articulate and straight to the heart of the matter.
1
More meat for the base. I didn't read anything other than a schadenfreude laden critique of what everybody can already see. Preaching to the choir is entertaining, but doesn't do anything to move the needle.
1
In all fairness, it used to be reported that LBJ ruled from the same throne. Should this henceforth be inserted into the job description?
Surely some Democrat will hire McCabe for one week to allow him to collect his full federal pension. I know Al Franken would have.
1
We don't need Ms Dowd to tell us what we knew way back in 2016. We need to know if and how Kevin's thinking has evolved. A guest column now would be timely.
3
Still waiting for Dowd to confess to supporting Trump during the campaign.
I am many others remember.
5
Maureen, your last sentence. . .No , he won't be doing it Mueller's way. He is going to can Mueller. Soon. And he is gonna look right into a camera or tweet, and say to the Democrats, "What are you going to about it? Hah hah!
And Democrats will discover that all they can do is put Adam Schiff and Richard Blumenthal on MSNBC and Ben Cardin and Amy Klobachar on CNN to opine. Chuck Schumer will go into the rotunda and, reading with his half glasses, make a dry three sentence tut tut sttatement and take no questions. Nancy Pelosi will make a one sentence statement, and Paul Ryan will go before the cameras praising the President for his heroic action. THAT is what is coming.
4
And perhaps a Democratic wave election, which will have consequences. One might be new leadership in that party.
If you're right, I'll have to research whether my far-removed Irish and/or Italian ancestry qualifies me for citizenship in Ireland or Italy. (I'm especially concerned that Ireland may be my only shot -- since my Italian ancestry is Genoan, which my Brooklyn-childhood buddies of Italian descent, accepting shared ancestry only with Neopolitans and Sicilians -- not that they 'favored' each other -- denied me compatriot status ... offering, aggressively and w/o sarcasm: "That's not even Italy." Moreover, my maternal grandpa's family left Genoa before Garibaldi 'constituted' the State of Italy.)
As an Australian looking on I would concede to a level of despair. Michael Bloomberg called Trump out for what he is ("a con") and boy did he get it right! Maureen Dowd write brilliantly as usual but the conclusion is dismally apparent. The US is in a dark period where the wishes of a tiny minority of billionaires and unemployed impoverished white folks outrank the views of a substantial majority of the country.
6
Who has R. Mueller's back ? in these infamous times when anything and everything is possible. Such as collusion between the Russian State, gangland style terrorism and Cambridge Analytics ?
1
Hopefully sooner than later Mueller's way!
2
Ms. Dowd:
Mean girls are mildly entertaining, for awhile. But during great strife or an oncoming disaster, not so much. You were warned, many, many times.
Regards,
HRC
6
Trump will fire Mueller by the end of the month - perhaps even by the end of next week.
Jeff Sessions will be involved.
Democrats and Republicans who value justice must prevent this from happening. The recent murders by nerve agents of former Russian spies and oligarchs now living in England are a measure of what could happen all over the United States if Donald Trump is not soon removed from office.
This is not funny. Picturesque Yiddish scolding words to describe Trump and his appointees/family members are are not funny. They couldn't fight the Nazi's in 1940 with dark humor, and we can't fight the Nazi's in 2018 with Yiddish insults. This will not make a good musical (well maybe 50 years from now if the US still exists...), This is no time for levity. This is the time for serious analysis, action, and fighting back.
The CIA will be compromised by the Lady Torturer (Haskell?); the State Department is already compromised by a science- and reality-denying Koch/Kansas minion, Mike Pompeo. Russia controls and can bring down our entire power grid including the nuclear plants attached to it.
We are at war and we can't even find the voices to recognize and discuss it. Black humor has been Maureen Dowd's go-to solution for column material. The situation at hand is far too consequential to disguise with ridicule.
5
Aren’t you just a little ashamed to have played up your interviews back in the day with Donald Trump while taking aim at both Clinton’s for the past few decades? And going after the best president of modern times, Barack Obama?
Since you knew who Trump was and want us to consider why it isn’t surprising how he is now governing, why didn’t you alert readers in 2015 and 16 of a looming disaster that the Trump presidency can be for America?
11
Great question, Maureen definitely helped get this monster elected, NOW she plays innocent??
Ms. Dowd this isn't the week that Trump became the president this is the week that Trump begins his march to Iran. Obviously since America cannot simultaneously fight a two front war, Trump will agree to allow North Korea to make his red ties and MAGA ball caps (all presently made in "Chyyna") in exchange for not giving them a "bloody nose" ---an entirely weird way to characterize the potential destruction of Seoul and its 10 million residents.
Once North Korea is placated Trump will then take his "A-Team" (actually America's D Team), made up of Neocons and Zionists to pump up the volume for war with Iran. American blood for Israel's imperialism Part II is the new norm especially when Lebanon's gas fields need to be expropriated. The Saudi's just recently called Iran's leader a "devil" and not in a good way. Lebanon's alliance with Iran is the only excuse needed. Hezbollah, once again an army possessing no ships, fighter planes, tanks, or submarines threatens Israel's "existence" heard that same nonsense with Bush-Cheney.
1
'Trump thinks he’s a fabulously devious manager creating “great energy,” with great ratings coming from his talent for theatrical twists and turns. But he’s really inhumane, playing people against one another and widely discussing successors for officials who haven’t even been officially informed that they’re walking the plank." Gimme a break. This kind of nonsense is beneath your excellent ability to write, compare, and contrast. You need your "deplorable brother Kevin now to write an article to get you back on track while you take a break. HRS
1
Trump may be flush with power but the recent chaos has less to do with power than boredom. We're looking at ennui that's beyond epic.
His Attention Deficit Disorder is legend. Synaptic sparks in his head isn't his intellect at work. It's the growling beasts of boredom, starved for action, thrills, a bigger spotlight, a bigger bang. Trump needs his I'm a winner fix.
Wait, he's POTUS, the most powerful person in the world. No way he's bored or restless.
A year of bill signing photo-ops, staff drama, rides on Air Force 1, Saudi sword dances, insulting allies and hailing brutal dictators and white racists, now feels old and tedious. All those rules to follow. The first year was so boring he's cranked up his reelection campaign and staged rallies.
Trump wasn't elected to uphold the Constitution, manage the federal government, read briefing papers, develop policy, propose laws, act as Commander in Chief. That's worse than eating broccoli.
Trump got elected to be King.
King Trump can have fun. Do whatever he feels like. Never be told "you can't do that" or "It's illegal". Build a wall, banish immigrants, repeal libel laws, jail Hillary, seize the NYT and Post, grab anyone anywhere. He makes the rules.
What's the point of a big button on your desk if you can't use it?
3
"President Trump is doing it his way now. But soon, he’ll be doing it Mueller’s way."
Wishful thinking. Because Trump can fire Mueller by firing Sessions, Rosenstein, and co, just like he fired McCabe.
And who is going to stop him? The Congressional Republicans? Like they did Nixon after the Saturday night massacre?
Fat chance. Better start preparing for civil war or the klepto-populist-white supremacist dictatorship.
2
I hate to throw a wrench into this Trumpian love fest but polls indicate sixty million Americans think Trump is the great President. Last night I saw a tape of a room full of well-heeled, very well dressed Republicans cheering wildly for self-confessed felon and possible traitor.
Understanding Trump is to understand the people in that room. I believe it means fascism is a very real political movement in America. Trump is merely the cult leader.
3
I remember Maureen glowing after her private interview with Trump during the campaign, And her Hillary bashing never let up. Slow learner, this one - and now we all pay.
4
I just can't believe what is going on in the United States. Is this "the home of the brave and the land of the free"? A President as a model of incompetence and bad character, surrounded by his creatures licking his boots, a Congress paralyzed by shame(?) or fear, a GOP destroyed - how long will this continue?
The Emperor is as naked as can be, Americans, don‘t keep your eyes closed!
Rise to defend your Constitution and America's democracy!
5
If you don’t want an American government then why employ anyone competent, or why employ anyone at all? Duh. This is part of the plan, people!
2
Trump is being run around by a hooker, imagine what Putin is doing.
Every sentient being in America knew that publishing #45's taxes was all that was needed. Also every sentient being in America knew #45's was NEVER going to publish his taxes. It has taken a lot time and effort to build a case, but finally Mueller is going to pry out and expose #45's sleazy business dealings, especially the dealings where he accepted money from the mob currently running and fleecing Russia. Although 2 years too late to avoid severe damage to America's reputation and standing in the world, it will finally bring an end to the worst disasters since the invasion of Iraq and the republican caused crash of 2008.
4
"As though Omarosa filling a top White House job between reality shows was not weird enough,..."
Actually, Trump being President is a lot weirder and a heck of a lot more catastrophic, among many other things.
And at least she had the gumption, albeit in a fairly unconvincing and self serving manner, to throw some shade at the Trump White House and what she observed while there.
If this collection of words is meant to serve as some kind of "don't look at me, I'm just an op-ed columnist who tried to warn you" moment, you can relax now.
I'm not buying, and neither is anybody else who reads this column.
We all know what you did by not doing your job.
4
Ella Wheeler Wilcox: “To sin by silence, when we should protest, makes cowards out of men.” (and women)
2
Trump is really no different from all other presidents starting with George Washington’s lies about the Indian “problem”, The job can best be defined as Lier in Chief. Don’t forget Nixon’s lies about almost everything, Regan’s lies about Iran-Contra, the Kennedy brothers, all of them, and their lies about their affairs, Johnson’s whoppers about Vietnam, and the monumental exceptions of the Bush family members which led to the senseless deaths of so many people on both sides, and then there was lying Bill Clinton. Trump is actually a gift to the American people because his lies are so transparent. Thank you Donald Trump!
1
Republicans, who brought us this disaster, into the dustbin of history in November.
1
You could have been much sharper in your analysis. You helped give us this; never forget it.
When will anyone say that the POTUS is crazy? That he is completely deluded, thinking he is great, wonderful, terrific and that anyone who doesn't agree is the enemy. Even when they are fired, these people don't speak because they are afraid to. What could be worse? At least if they don't have a job to protect you would think they would talk and talk loudly. No. They hide. Is it because they don't want to be sued or something even worse? If Rupert Murdoch owns FOX and FOX has an agenda then why is no one talking about Murdoch and what he chooses to put on FOX? Follow the money. Greed. Follow the greed. Creepy. If the average person who also gets his information from FOX continues to believe any and everything they put on, the whole country will be in trouble for a long time, assuming of course that Trump and Kim don't blow up the planet sometime soon. Ms. Dowd doesn't quite know what to do with DJT now that he is president. Would that she would have written like this before he was elected. She did actually know him but obviously she had more invested in hurting Hillary than in stating the truth about Trump. Too bad.
1
The far right in America, including the evangelical Christians, have made it clear they don't care of Trump "lies with every breath", if he decimates environmental protections, if he gives away another trillion in tax cuts for the super rich, builds an ugly, offensive and useless wall between us and Mexico, sleeps with or tries to silence porn actresses who know him as well as his three wives or that he once consorted with and praised convicted high school student molester Jeffery Epstein as a guy who is "a lot of fun to be around". They don't really care about anything except putting points on the board for their causes.
While Trump said he could shoot someone and not lose votes in 2016, the stark truth his he could be holding satanic rituals in the Lincoln bedroom and they would look the other way. That's how far they are into the mud, buried in the swamp Trump literally crowed he would drain.
Outrage fatigue has set in like a cancerous organ deep in the body. We now know, not to our general benefit, how much one side wants to win at any cost. Loyalty to the nation, bare patriotism, has no place here. It is not merely about winning, but trying to eviscerate the opposition. What is being sought is not merely to modify or lessen policies favored by Democrats and moderates, but a permanent victory over them.
What is required is not merely the slapped hand of gains by Democrats, but a tidal wave that makes clear America will not be ruled by oligarchs and the mega rich.
2
Not much to comment on here but for the use of a word that hasn't yet, to my knowledge, been used to describe Trump, though utterly apropos: INHUMANE.
1
One might quickly get an idea where Trump is leading USA if you read Benito Mussolini bio. He was also backed by certain Oligarchs and others mute being left alone in comfort of status quo and physical security. He too was a showman and intellectuals thought of him as a clown. Also like Trump, who is preparing for war with either North Korea and or Iran, he liked wars and authoritarianism.
Our national media having enabled this catastrophe to take over government are still myopic to his intent thus not sounding alerts to this Republic’s possible demise. What’s it going to take for media see that some things cannot be undone by another election -like even our flawed ethos which gave most hope for a better day. There are already “Blackshirts” disguised as ‘ICE’ listen and carefully and you may hear sounds of Jackboots -oh, maybe on Veterans Day⁉️
1
Tic Toc Donnie. Your time in the world spot light will soon be over. It’s only a matter of time before truth and decency catch up with your obscene con game. You thirst to be taken seriously, but history will rightly see you for the farce that you are.
1
The past week has been dizzyingly frightening. We now know not only did the Russians meddle in our democratic elections (along with elections of our allies). We have also learned that they’ve assaulted our power grid through cyberwarfare — and unleashed nerve agents to to murder Putin’s political enemies living in Britain.
And what does our commander in chief do in the face of these attacks?
He fires the Secretary of State. He plays musical chairs with cabinet secretaries. He auditions television personalities for key roles in his next, newly improved cabinet. He protects sycophants who charge the American people for travel on military jets, private planes, new dining rooms sets, and more. He helps his buddy Carl Icahn get a multi millionaire windfall in steel stocks.
Did I mention anything about his defending the country against Russia?
Oh, that’s right. I didn’t. Because he didn’t.
Nada.
Or, as his bromance partner would say, Nyet.
Paul Ryan. Mitch McConnell. Wake up from your year-long slumber.
This is not a reality show — filmed courtesy of the White House TV Productions.
This is reality.
The current commander in chief has broken his oath of office. He is not defending the country or the American people. We’re under attack — and he’s aiding the enemy. Providing comfort to Putin by not retaliating with sanctions and dismissing Russian diplomats from our country.
The GOP will pay for their own treasonous behavior in the midterm elections.
2
Before the election, candidate Trump would politicize and discuss the contents of his briefings from the intel agencies (he was really good at reading their body language supposedly). He doesn’t read anything anymore, for the rest of his term he’s going to just shoot from the hip. Pew pew!
1
"Trump thinks he’s a fabulously devious manager creating “great energy,” with great ratings coming from his talent for theatrical twists and turns. But he’s really inhumane, playing people against one another and widely discussing successors for officials who haven’t even been officially informed that they’re walking the plank. And, far from the A-team he promised, he’s hired a bunch of pathetic, disgusting swamp schnorrers who can’t stop using taxpayer money to fund their office furniture or office redesign or luxury plane trips with their wives."
Maureen, now you see what many of us have seen from the beginning. It is good to see your claws out once again, this time for the proper target.
The latest round of news can only portent an awful ending. We have a psychopath as President throwing his weight around with reckless abandon, and the only one capable of stopping him (Mueller) may very well be on his way out too. There is no opposition from the GOP, and Trump's base applauds as he goes after those liberals, oblivious to the fact that our institutions, freedoms, environment, and basic human dignity are disappearing before our very eyes. I am at a loss as to how this disaster continues to be applauded by many otherwise decent people. Venting one's spleen may feel good in the near term, but there is always a price to be paid.
1
The term "lickspittle" keeps crossing my mind. When will someone in the Trump orbit put on adult clothing and inform the emperor he has no clothes.
This might be entertaining as a TV series but in the real world, it is cause for grave concern.
1
I don't consider President Trump a "Joke." He, being the role model, many of us thought a President should be, has ushered in a certain mean spiritedness that is permeating other areas of our society! From the treatment of patients in our hospitals, to arrests, to interactions in schools, to how we treat each other in our daily lives, it's becoming nasty time in America! The chutzpah that he was going to end the so called chaos and breakdown in law and order (all of which didn't exist!), that he fed his supporters, has been poisoning our culture, and his actions since the day he was sworn in has enabled that! That's no Joke! That is an American Tragedy! And Donald Trump owns it!!!
2
Don't pay attention to Maureen Dowd. Where was she during the campaign? Back then she was careful not to say negative anything about Trump because he was a fellow New Yorker, and she didn't want to get cut off from post election interviews (had he lost and come back to NYC).
1
How could Trump not think he's great after triumphing over the "greatest field of candidates ini history," featuring such national leaders as Ben Carson and Ted Cruz. Garbage in, garbage out.
ted Cruz
1
Predict Mueller will be fired....soon, real soon.
One of the greatest and most important parts about being an adult is owning up to our own mistakes. Has Ms. Dowd owned up to helping to inflict Trump on us?
1
Every morning greets this hapless president with bad headlines:
---Unhinged and unglued are words used to describe him.
---The fired McCabe kept perfectly copious notes on his meetings.
---The fired Comey toyed with Trump in a tweet, plus indicts him in his book.
--- ObamaCare's flourishing despite Trump's complete sabotage.
---His campaign's data firm helped Russia push fake news to U.S. voters and stole personal data from over 50 million of us.
---Shakeups with staff embolden Democrats to block his picks.
---The world got heard him lie to a popular Canadian prime minister, while displaying his disturbing ignorance on trade and tariffs.
---Don Junior's meeting in Trump Tower is front + center for collusion.
---Storm clouds keep emerging from Stormy Daniels and Muller Time.
1
Maureen, you finally did it and stated the obvious about your 'old friend'. This article could have been written in the fall of 2016. However, I'm glad you wrote it now...
With trump's lawyers demanding that Muller's investigation should be stopped, we all need to be vigilant and demand our congress stop this Machiavellian monster. A constitutional crisis is about to happen and 'we' have all had it with this consummate liar. If allowed to fire Muller & team 'we' are in for a very dark moment in our history.
PS: McCabe should be given his full pension, even if congress has to pass legislation to enforce it. Firing someone, days before he retires and on his B-Day weekend, is beyond the pale for this troglodyte that occupies the White House. It's up to the country now to act!
282
>>>>It's up to the country now to act!>>>
Don't hold your breath. First, they came for the immigrants...
2
Yes, he fired McCabe to send a message that anyone who supports Comey and those whose oppose him are going to be punished. Even in this upside down world of Trump, this will not help him. He only knows how to lash-out and attack. He is incapable of leadership.
6
It is funny how people like Maureen can talk about, wish and dream that Mr. Mueller will in some way hall off Trump. Article after article, column after column and editorial after editorial. Yet they never use the phrase "thank goodness when we have President Pence." It's almost like they can't acknowledge what their prayers lead to: a doctrinaire conservative with a boy scout personal life and no drama I guess they can't say that because it would end hopes for a blue wave in 2018.
41
That "boy scout" is bought and paid for by the Koch Brothers.
2
Woah - It isn't just Trump, it is the way the GOP Congress has acted to support his actions and what they have done (see: Taxes that benefit the rich mostly) or the eroding of the benefits of the ACA (not that it is perfect, but it is better than the nothing the GOP is replacing it with). That the GOP Congress enables his worship of Russia is beyond my imagination. I never thought they had no integrity at all.
1
And someone (Pence), were it up to him, who would install a theocracy in the U.S.
1
If you couldn't see how incompetent Trump would be as president a month into his campaign, you missed all the warning signs that were plain to see.
20
As Lincoln said, you can fool all the people some of the times.
The lure of the demagogue like Trump is strong especially after brain dead reality shows have dumbed down America coupled with a do nothing Congress and a identity obsessed , never met a trade agreement, war, or Wall Street banker I did not like candidate like Hillary while blue collar jobs in Mich, Pa, Wisc. are going to slave labor countries.
Perfect formula for what we have now.
1
Dowd, Joe Scarborough, Chris Matthews et al, slurping at the ratings trough helped put this clown show in office.
Someone else fostered rivalry among his flunkies as a way of ensuring that none of them would be able to threaten his position. Of course, in the end he and his whole rotten regime perished in the ashes of the bunker in Berlin. If past is prologue, Trump (or Spanky) will go down too.
8
All I have to say is that you spent the better part of two years doing everything you could to get him elected. You deserve him.
22
It will be a great day for democracy when Donald Trump lifts off in a helicopter that is no longer called Marine One.
9
Rocky, I'll have takevthat thought a bit further. It'll be a great day for America
Rocky, I will take that thought a step further. It will be a great day for America and the world when Trump is hauled off to prison.
2
Every single word you wrote about Clinton after she clinched the nomination helped bring about the Trump disaster. You helped cause this. I am not getting past that, ever.
27
" I did it my Way " Donald is dancing his way into the Big(ly) House. But, he's truly too dumb to realize that fact. Imagine a lifetime of living as you please, never suffering consequences for horrible behavior, never knowing what real work is like. When your greatest pleasure is cheating others, grabbing shocked Women, and appearing on gruesomely tacky and contrived "reality" TV. The gig is nearly up, Donald. The next show:
" The Federal Penitentiary Apprentice ". Guaranteed 8 to 10 year run,
Renewal optional. Huuuuuge ratings. Award winning. Beautiful.
18
What are your brother's thoughts now, Maureen? (None of us might be around next Thanksgiving to find out.) Is he coasting along on dreams of his 2019 tax refund? Salivating at the prospect of 35 years of Gorsuch-determined high court decisions?
His is the opinion that counts. Unless -- with the help of all that's holy (including St. Patrick) -- the rest of us start working immediately to turn out huge local, statewide and national vote totals.
Mueller may indeed provide a knock-out reckoning, but I think it will be much safer to have Mueller plus the ballot box.
16
Honestly Ms. Dowd, I wish you had used your very clever and skillful pen to warn us about the perils of a possible Trump Presidency, in the months leading up to the 2016 election. The reports describing your meetings/ interviews with Trump then, always had a slightly flirtatious, indulgent tone to them as if you were talking about the charming rascal of an 18th Century romance novel. Not the vulgar, creepy, sadistic, ignorant and mean-spirited creature currently sitting in the White House. Meantime, you could never resist the opportunity to jab at Hillary every chance you got and even at President Obama who, while not perfect, didn’t deserve your often puzzlingly snide remarks. Well, I guess you got your wish. The Clintons got their comeuppance and we got stuck with Trump.
28
You are right. I don't think I will be reading her columns anymore
1
Isn’t it time for us to be marching in the streets demanding his impeachment?
Don’t we have enough on him already?
10
You actually have nothing on him. What do "we" actually have? Seriously, name something.
Follow the money from Russia to Trump Organization.
1
I am utterly fed up with living in the global reality show led by our president. What a sweet pleasure it would be to see him taken down by Stormy Daniels.
10
Great column, and finished off with a BRILLIANT punchline.
1
My wife and I bought a bottle of champagne today that we will keep cold until trump is indicted/impeached. When he is we will open the bottle and enjoy the best beverage we ever had. Please hurry Mr. Mueller.
9
The Democrat establishment, including Ms Dowd, continues to hope that Mueller will save them and the country from the man they can't save themselves from or deserve to be saved from. I hope so too.
2
Not even a smidgeon, a dash, a dab of "truthiness!" The Trumpification of our poliitics continues apace. What's next -- the Second Coming? The Rapture? If the world is coming to an end, perhaps it's time to get out of town.
1
When is Maureen going to quit pretending that she had always been against Trump and that she had always been expecting him to be the joke that he is. She is the same person who would make sure to use any critique of Trump as an opening to tar Clinton with the same brush. She was a Trump enabler as much as any McConnell or any Ryan.
18
Can't wait for Mueller Time!
4
So our government is run by Donald Trump mirroring Fox News and Fox News mirroring Donald Trump? No reality need get in the way of the Grand Double Narcissism.
Can a president be removed for absurdity?
3
Some plans for the summit are deliberately leaked.
The Donald's strategy for the Korean peninsula is resorts.
Korea as a tourist mecca.
Putin and Xi are envious.
Major league soccer and beach badminton.
Pork Chop Hill becomes a barbecue restaurant.
Daily lottery for Kia Soul.
1
Randy Newman predicted today 50 years ago:
No one likes us
I don't know why
We may not be perfect
But heaven knows we try
But all around
Even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one
And see what happens
We give them money
But are they grateful
No, they're spiteful
And they're hateful
They don't respect us
So let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one
And pulverize them
Asia's crowded
And Europe's too old
Africa's far too hot
And Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us
We'll save Australia
Don't want to hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an all American amusement park there
They've got surfing, too
Boom goes London
And boom Paris
More room for you
And more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it'll be
We'll set everybody free
You'll have Japanese kimonos, baby
There'll be Italian shoes for me
They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
Let's drop the big one now
Who has any doubt that the locker room Romeo (& fans) isn't intensely proud of his now celebrated affairs. The covering up he delegated to legal staff, he begrudgingly did not sign docs & return money. Still all arrows point to him. This grifter style management of his affairs, the manipulation through lying, the love of fame and self, appeals to his cult. Let's call it what it is. The Cult of Trump.
3
All I can say is that If he makes it to the next presidential election and he wins again... I will be ashamed to be an American. America is allowed to make a mistake and be fooled once.... But twice would be beyond tragedy. Please AMERICA... EVERY ELECTION IS IMPORTANT. VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION!
6
If G-D has a sense of humour, then all parties at the upcoming summit re Korea win-win-win, and I'll be a Trumpy.
No more POTUS bashing shall be allowed until we find out it was faked.
What if the negotiation is on live television--the medium is the message?
If a miracle occurs, we shall be Trumpies.
At least until the booby hatch is reinstated for the delusional.
Meanwhile North Korea's landscape is enriched with hotels and resorts.
No more deprivation like starving.
There's one thing that Canadian's can agree on. Don't bash our country and our Prime Minister for lies Mr Trump.
6
Hopefully, he'll soon be doing time.
5
Trump is a TV personality. He should understand that if your ratings are low, you will not be renewed.
5
Ms. Dowd, this is what you wrote on Nov. 5, 2016, 3 days before the election of Donald Trump. Your final statement regarding the two candidates before the voting started:
"The problem with Donald Trump is: We don’t know which of the characters he has created he would bring to the Oval Office.
The trouble with Hillary Clinton is: We do know. Nobody gets less paranoid in the White House."
For months (years really) you painted Hillary Clinton as a monster, a Nixon, a [w]itch, and a money-grubbing a liar. In contrast, you gave Donald Trump an enormous, morally inexplicable pass. Occasionally you might chirp negative things about him, but not in the lacerating, eviscerating, relentlessly dismissive tone you used on Hillary Clinton. Please don't pretend that you are one of the millions of Americans--in both parties--who anticipated the horror of a Donald Trump presidency. Politically, you share a lot more with your brother Kevin than you have the conscience to recognize.
23
Best statement on Dowd’s complicity that I’ve ever read.
The true test of the health and viability of our Republic will come if Muelller uncovers impeachable offenses and submits his Referral. If that should that happen and Congress does nothing and sits on their partisan tribalism God help the future of this country.
2
I told you it would just get worse.
PS. It’s going to get worse.
2
Is this similar to how Cubans felt when corrupt Batista was in power?
Better late than never.
Yes, of course, this travesty of poppycock was given greater clarity when Billy Bush described Trump's #1 principle: "Say anything, they will believe it !"
He is, in truth, a successful con artist & fraud. Examining his books, his debts and his phony claim of business savvy is his Achilles heel.
Boasting may generate a fleeting fume of belief, but the hard facts will trump the smoke & mirrors. Firing Rod, Bob or underlings will not stop federal prosecutors in NY.
Too bad DJT has lawyers who don't really understand that US government is not a hucksters' family business. That POTUS is accountable; that's the job: serving the American people, not vice versa.
2
Trump is headed due South. The problem is he's taking the entire country down along with him... As a failed real estate con man, an active money launderer for Russian oligarchs, and a grade-C "Reality" TV "star", Trump was OK when he was a private citizen. Amusing tabloid cover fodder, the scandal-a-week supermarket checkout aisle cover-boy. But our big problem is Trump's brought the whole 'scandal-a-week' thing into the White House, and tried to govern the country like he was running a 'reality' TV show. As he degrades the future for 325-milion Americans while conning 30% of them into liking it, he's destroying our future to benefit his cronies and line his own pockets. Trump is an abomination, this week is just the latest week of an unending parade of proof.
"President Trump is doing it his way now. But soon, he’ll be doing it Mueller’s way." And Mueller's way is the rule of law, which can't come soon enough. As any New Yorker can tell you, the immoral, unethical, unfit and illegitimate president has always played by his own rules and has never been held to account. It is this despicable man who should be locked up and to borrow from a recent Trump tweet it will be "a great day for democracy" when he is.
And now we head into Trump's reign of terror.
To bring a different meaning to Dylan Thomas:
Democracy, do not go gentle into that "goodnight" ...
... Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
2
I don't understand the objection. This is what you wanted, Maureen, and worked so hard for: a Clinton-free White House.
1
This election and the chaos that followed Trumps victory are rapidly turning into a Shakespearean tragedy. The antagonist of this drama might not turn out to be Trump himself. McConnell and Ryan are favorites to take up that roll. As for the hero, the protagonist, that is still a mystery to be determined. Is there any Republican brave enough to call out the President. " Mr. President, have you no decency?" Rosenstein or Mueller could emerge in the final act as the hero. Maybe even Stormy Daniels, or her lawyer? Melania after she files divorce papers? Et tu Brutes (Mike Pence?) God help us!
2
My prediction (w/thanx to K.M.) What today is farce will soon repeat itself as tragedy.
I keep expecting the headline : Martial Law Declared.
That's when we realize we've let this go on for too long.
1
Millions of Americans think he’s doing a fabulous job. Is this how democracy dies?
None of this ever deserved the media attention it's been receiving since 2015. No intelligent person should be paying attention to anything this elderly con-manbaby says or tweets. The rest of the world considers this sideshow irrelevant. We should realize they're right. It's just not worthy of the attention of any thinking person anywhere - kind of like the O.J. trial, but with none of the wit.
As he stated, Trump loves conflict. He likes watching it, fomenting it, relishing the stress conflict causes across America. I honestly believe he would like to start not just a foreign war, but an American civil war. The ultimate conflict to sate the aberrant appetites of this truly twisted man.
1
I really am no longer interested in the opinion of M Dowd but I do care what her readers have to say. I am now really frightened. I thought I was alone & imagining what was happening and I was living in a bad spy novel. But all of you have confirmed the reality and horror of the situation. He is “the Mad King” surrounded by thugs. Congress won’t stop it and Mueller may not be able to!
333
45 doesn't spend *all* of his time watching Fox News. He all spends a lot of time golfing - more than 100 rounds in less than 14 months. Add in the time for eating overcooked steak, traveling to NY, NJ and Mar-a-Lago, campaigning for reelection, tweeting, sleeping, tying his tie (badly), and performing necessary bodily functions. Then you have accounted for almost all of a week's 168 hours. None of this parenting stuff for The Donald.
From Kennedy through Obama, I always thought that being President was a lot of work involving legislation, diplomacy, public appearances, and ceremonial duties. But this president (not mine) makes the job look like something you can do in your spare time, while continuing to run your real business as needed. As I write this, I picture him in the private area of the White House studying the moves of Putin, Duterte, Xi, and other autocratic leaders in hopes of emulating them.
273
I don't think he "studies" anything. He has the attention span of a gnat.
4
What you have said in your first paragraph 1 defines a complete dereliction of presidential duty. So, then, is that not an impeachable offense?
2
He would never study anything. He doesn’t need to, he already knows everything. Just ask him.
2
I believe with the firing of Andrew McCabe, an obvious attempt by Trump to discredit the Mueller investigation, we are seeing a tipping point. Comments by former CIA Director Brennan today on Trump that when the "full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history" and Four Star General Barry McCaffrey's comments yesterday, stating "reluctantly I have concluded that President Trump is a serious threat to US national security...refusing to protect vital US interests from active Russian attacks," then you know Trump is toast sooner rather than later. I am quite certain that Trump is about to find out how deep the "deep state" really is. And for the survival of America, that is a very good thing indeed. The best and brightest and most informed intelligence and military personnel are stating essentially that our President is a traitor and his actions are treasonous. This cannot continue.
820
If this dictator is a “traitor”, what does that say about those in Congress who support him, cover for him, lie for him?
What have they done that makes them appear so guilty?
It isn’t just the current occupant who is a serious threat to our nation.
12
gee i thought the FBI INTERNAL REVIEW SAID FIRE THE CROOK
NO?
1
I so hope you are right. I truly fear for our country.
3
To everyone in this comments thread bashing Ms Dowd for her respective treatment of the 2016 candidates - Trump as an amusing lightweight, Clinton as the Devil’s daughter - I think we can assume that Dowd made the same disastrous miscalculation as James Comey: she assumed Clinton had a lock on the election and wanted to maintain her position of critical distance from the coming Democratic administration. With that in mind, Dowd is likely telling the truth when she says that she always knew Trump would make an awful, viscous president. She knew it, but she didn’t think she needed to say so, because she didn’t think it possible he could actually *become* president.
231
You raise a good point but what was Ms Dowd's excuse for the constant snarking at President Obama - that the criticisms wouldn't stick to such a moral, intelligent and honorable man?
7
You are saying, @Aaron, just as Trump people suspended thought to get Trump elected, we should have suspended thought to get Hillary Clinton elected. Interesting thesis. But the stochastic nature of the electoral process, along with its Electoral College, determined that election. We shall not continue to litigate it, other than to expose the Trump campaign's collusion with Russian operatives.
1
Maureen Dowd's politics have peculiar for a long time. She relished bashing Clinton, Obama, and many other decent politicians. Whlle Clinton had troubles with Monica Lewinsky, he was a good president who put the needs of the country first and foremost. Same with Obama, though he might have been more assertive in certain aspects of his leadership. Ms. Dowd has now fully climbed aboard those who have recognized the disaster that Trump is...perhaps a day late and a dollar short...but at least the's got the direction right.
1
Now that MD has gone full anti-Trump, as any sane person would, I still can't forgive or forget her outlandish pettiness towards Hillary Clinton. Of course, she wasn't alone in the media in inflating Clinton's errors, but she seemed particularly catty.
18
What a flippant and not caring article about the state of America under Trump. Deep down I suppose the Dowds of this world love what he is doing. His behaviour is no surprise to most people. It can't be a surprise to someone who actually knows him. His depravity was always there to see. You have to be depraved yourself to ignore it. Is a brutal and cruel judge like Gorsuch worth the amusements the Dowds of this world get out of it.
If Hillary Clinton had done anything like this your article would been hateful and not playful. It would have been destructive.
You are still very nice to this monstrosity of a president.
18
I so completely cannot stand Maureen Dowd. Will never forgive her flip, constant nagging and venomous belittling of Obama & Clinton. None of this is even remotely funny. It’s horrifying & deadly serious & she just continues to try and spin a phrase.
22
As an Australian I am sorry to have inflicted Rupert Murdoch on you. His father was an honourable man - not a money loving grub. Many of these issues can be traced back to `Fox....
18
Trump’s destruction has been weeks away for three years. The national media is now falling all over themselves for porn star promoting her stripping tour. Denial has turned to psychosis. Who’s honestly surprised a billionaire playboy ran around with a porn star? Frankly, it be more surprising if Trump hadn’t.
We have Andrew McCabe’s wife accepting $650 large from a Clinton pack and two FBI lovers sending suspicious texts. And, to make matters worse, we haven’t seen any sexts – such a boring affair.
Mueller cannot build an impeachment case with these clowns yet Maureen and the bulk of the Democratic party talk about him like a protective Father, praying he’ll call the teacher and tell them to make the mean kid stop. Depressing.
2
First, Ms. Dowd, Happy St. Patricks Day!
I noticed some folks attacking you for "creating" this ... whatever, etc. I think you are just having fun (via your sarcasm?) in one of the ugliest and darkest period in the US history.
Isn't it astonishing this ridiculous buffoon has become unquestionably the most important and powerful person on the planet?
4
Mr. Chump has decided to OWN it. He's smart enough to know that he's way over his head, and that his only hope is to create as much chaos as possible.
The idiot is hiring idiots, and the people who can actually function, generals and the like, are being fired for telling the truth.
Truth is OUT, it's so passe.. Confusion and authoritarianism are IN.
It has worked before, and not so long ago.
2
Well written Maureen Down. About as good a piece written re this ego maniac demagogue.
This is coming from a frequent critic of you re your silence on enabling co dependent women re the me too movement.
1
So what? Let him go; give him his full head. Icarus will fly into that fireball on his own...(in the meantime just keep him away from that big button)
2
May I suggest an alternate headline?
Trump. Flush with extreme prejudice.
1
Rip Van Dowd suddenly awakens to witness Trump horrors, which he never failed to hide from day one.
Who could forget his rant about imaginary "Mexican rapists" storming across borders to endanger patriotic GOP women?
2
So as he dissolves into his mirror, hopefully there's a silvered lining, and he'll choke on it.
2
It was certainly good that for years Maureen Dowd thought it more important to attack Hillary Clinton than tell the truth about Trump.
8
But Maureen, Hillary wore pants suits and Al Gore wore earth tones. Isn’t that what really matters?
12
Flush, twice, he's a floater.
6
"When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but will not destroy America... America will triumph over you."
John Brennan's accurate appraisal should be emblazoned on Lady Liberty as she waves good-bye to the Russian puppet and his sleazy family aboard the "trump toxic waste barge" headed out to sea, destination Moscow, sarah huckster and sean hannity in tow.
7
Awww shucks, Maureen. I so admire your ability to cut deep (to the marrow) while keeping a civil tongue. “Swamp schnorrers” indeed! Every time I read your words, I take comfort, realizing again that the truth is being spoken. Spoken well.
just read Maureen Dowds excellent article.I just have one thought does he remind you of Caligula With his orgies and his accumulating all the sycophants.
It is disgusting that he and the fox channel are trying hard to make this country into a third world country.
1
If this writer hadn't been so busy during the 2016 election trash-talking Mrs. Clinton, maybe people - such as friends of mine - would have voted for her, instead of saying, "There's just something about her I don't like." No credibility here.
12
She says now, after helping to elect him. Let’s hope the end of trump will be the end of dowd as well. All the hair dye in the world won’t cover up her duplicity.
4
Firing a guy a day before he can quality for his full retirement benefits - all for poilitical show - is so repugnant, I have no words.
WAKE UP AMERICA. This disgusting imposter must be removed from office. He is the most dangerous threat to our national security in the world.
6
Sorry Ms. Dowd, your words are hollow. It was obvious to anyone with a modicum of common sense that trump was a narcissistic, unprincipled fool unsuited to serve on a school board much less as our President, long before he won even the Republican primary. It was also easier to accept that a frog could turn into a prince, than to believe that this 70 year old buffoon could morph into a real president.
You chose not to use your platform to highlight the truth about trump and you failed to add your voice to the warnings of others. You are complicit in this disastrous nightmare and shameful stain on our country. Shame on you.
15
Our only hope is Mueller.
The Washington Post did an incredible parallel lives of Mueller and Trump. Lordy. An idiot -/ the Donald — vs a truly honorable public servant, Mueller.
I no longer watch any TV in case I hear trump’s voice or some toady defending him.
I even find it painful to read articles that recount the dismantling of our democracy.
I quickly turn on a Morse series or old Sherlock Holmes to escape into a world that has more honesty and humanity and TRUTH than exists in the White House and among cowardly, anti- American republicans.
This horrible nightmare must end soon.
5
Every time I read your column I want to hear you take responsibility for all you did to smear Hillary during her campaign
What did you think would happen if she lost?
Well now you have it.
12
Maureen, I look forward to next week's column after he fires Mueller. I hope you will atone for your previous support of this deeply mentally ill man and do everything you can to maintain our quickly dying democracy.
15
Hail, the Foxification, the John Boltonfication, the Joe McCarthyfication, the whole vomitrocious ball of wax that is our power-mad President in this horrendous hinge of history. May Mueller - sooner than we can imagine - silence Donald Trump from here to eternity. Till then, may the lordamighty protect him and Trump's go-to porn star, Stormy Daniels from danger. These two people are now holding the keys to our kingdom without Trump.
3
It’s as if, rather than explicitly apologize to NYT readers for your nonchalant attitude toward the Churchillian “fire” while piling on the “fire brigade”, you are choosing now to exercise your journalistic talents by placating us with lamely constructed arguments about how, well, maybe we should be putting out that fire after all.
So disappointing.
4
Ms. Dowd skewered Hillary Clinton in column after column. Just before the 2016 election she wrote a column the gist of which was that Trump was really just a nice guy, especially compared to you-know-who.
It was sickening at the time and even more sickening now.
Do NY Times columnists ever have to admit error?
13
Ugh. When will this cancer be excised?
1
Trump is trying to cover up two major crimes at the same time: collusion with an adversary country and paying hush money to a porn star.
He’s doing so by obstructing Justice , which is a crime in of itself.
If this country is not capable of removing him from office for this criminal hat trick, it deserves his presidency.
6
Maureen Dowd:
James Comey and you unfairly dealt with Hillary Clinton and thereby played major roles in electing Donald Trump.
Trump’s win is a big part of your and Comey’s career legacy. Hope you learned something.
11
We have arrived at the point where three FOX airheads with a right wing agenda sitting on a couch babbling nonsense every morning can dictate US policy.
6
Time for the NYT headline 2018 :
Stormy Mueller extinguishes Fire and Fury.
2
"Good looking guy"???
Mr. Trump is a funny bunny!
1
"He is even willing to overlook his distaste for the yeti mustache of the warmongering John Bolton." But wait, Maureen? I'm confused--wasn't Hilary a hawk and Donald a dove?
13
Maureen, your recent columns can never redeem your complicity in electing this abomination to the Presidency of our beloved US of A. Nice try!
24
The blob did not come from outer space. The blob was born here, on this planet. As the years passed, the blob grew and developed an orangish glow. The blob always sought attention in any way it could, and mostly got it. The blob was narcissistic beyond any measure and never hid it. The press loved the blob for its antics. The blob did vile things like hounding our first black president over his birth certificate. The press loved the blob some more for that. Then the blob decided to grow bigger and started spreading towards the White House. This seemed like a miracle to a large minority of Americans who stood in front of the blob and worshipped it. You, Maureen, let slip your admiration in your columns too. Now the blob has taken over our country and its gelatinous pieces are dropping everywhere and choking off our democracy in a myriad ways. It feels like we are hurtling towards a black hole, all rockets firing. A redeeming column from you is not what we need now, Maureen. It’s way too late for that.
16
Bad Title. It should be "FLUSH TRUMP, WITH POWER!"
6
Spot on, Ms. Dowd. Don't you wish Hillary were President? At least then the GOP might have a shred of integrity left.
But there are too many words and commas in your headline. "Trump Flush" would have been sufficient.
10
"Flush with power" is an appropriate phrase to apply to Trump and his cesspool of an administration. Instead of draining the swamp as he promised to his faithful followers, he's restocked it and is now in the process of blocking up the sewers around 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW and it stinks to high heaven.
6
Trump and his den of thieves have been like one horrible reality show that won't shut off.
7
Yes. I would flush him with gusto, too.
4
Maureen:
Shut up and go away. You will never be able to redeem yourself for your collaboration with Trump during the 2016 election cycle.
20
Ms. Dowd, this entire disaster of a presidency and administration is “on the toilet.” Next time, please tell us something we don’t know.
2
Trump isn't growing into his Presidency, he is growing more fully into the disaster any rational human being could have told you he would be in that role. His tweet about the firing of McCabe being a great day for democracy is particularly hypocritical, considering he benefited from the influence that the Russians had in his winning the election, considering the 30 million his campaign received from the NRA, money that also may have come from the Russians. Mueller is getting closer to the truth and Stormy Daniels apparently has some damning evidence of her own to share. With any luck, our philanderer and liar in chief will be out of a job by the end of the year.
3
I will never forget the furious invective of Maureen Dowd against Hillary Clinton in column after column before the election. The professional "Hillary hating" was so enjoyable that she didn't seem to care if this awful man got elected. How the chickens have come home to roost.
21
It is frightening that Dowd’s brand of acerbic hyperbole in this case is just a recount of facts.
5
I wish he gets indicted, possibly impeached, and goes to prison for treason, money laundering, perjury and SO many other crimes he’s probably committed outside office! I also wish he gets places in gen-pop
4
“I like conflict,” Trump said this month at a press conference with the Swedish prime minister, smacking his fists together and adding, “I like watching it, I like seeing it, and I think it’s the best way to go.”
Hitler (in)famously encouraged conflict among subordinates and Nazi state and party apparatuses (e.g., SS vs. SA) because he wanted the cream of the most ruthless to rise to the top.
4
Dog bits man. Again. And again. Someone please do something, quickly.
Trump isn't a "fabulist," he's a fascist.
Corrupt and treasonous, he belongs in prison — he and his "swamp schnorrers" deserve to be flushed. Innocent leaders don't spend time projecting and deflecting, but the guilty certainly do.
5
Why, oh why, Ms. Dowd, were you so virulently anti-Clinton? Did you really not see this coming? We, the American people, are suffering under this so-called leader who is dangerous. Dangerous, I say! May we survive his miserable office.
14
"President Trump is doing it his way now. But soon, he’ll be doing it Mueller’s way."
From your keyboard to God's ear; please make it so. I cannot take much more of this. I cried the night he won the election because I couldn't believe my country would be so reckless to elect a man whose raison d'etre is cruelty and greed. Even when he's off the world's stage, I will never feel the same way about my country because the world knows the Emperor USA has no clothes. NO other country but Russia has ELECTED a man this evil.
We are way beyond the watered down words of "learning curve," "unconventional," and "divisive" to describe the swamp creature in the WH. We are in full blown teenage animal torturer mode now. (Thank God the Trump Crime Family doesn't own any pets!) And are we surprised? The story of his childhood was there for everyone to read! Neighborhood bully. Liar. Cheater. Then he grew up: Abuser. Rapist. As POTUS: Sadist. And I have no doubt: a Frank Underwood who will start war to "distract" from Mueller.
5
Flush? That is what is going to happen to Trump and his gangsters
1
yes, yes, yes....but what does you brother think?
9
Undoubtedly Ms Dowd has a hand in the current mess of a country we face daily, but I think that maybe it's time to cut her some slack. Her latest articles smack of a mea culpa, and I, for one, will welcome anyone who has recognized the truly egregious and sycophantic error of her ways.
2
The presidency is a wash, congress likewise, and The court is around the bend with more appointments before too long to look forward (?) to. Kind of interesting if you think about it but best to just go fly a kite, if the wind still works?
How did it happen?
Answer: It’s all about Money.
10
McConnell and Ryan have gone all but silent. They know this whole bloody mess is about to get dropped into their lap when they have to evaluate impeachment proceedings. Let's hope they'll have to stand up to the 100 lb silverback gorilla in the room. Somewhere Harambe must be smiling. He is a better man than our neanderthal of a President ever will be.
10
And yet, Maureen, during the campaign season you attacked HRC giving your tacit approval to this train wreck of a President. Thanks a bunch!
35
Oh Mo!
Yes, Trump is now flailing in the wind with Cat Steven's Tea for the Tillerson plying in his head on a loop.
1
Wrong person in the wrong job in the wrong country. Mr. Trump, please
resign and take your spawn and families to Russia. You should be
greeted and treated like royalty there. Please stop ruining our
precious country.
11
Trump is simply a bully coward and a cowardly bully.
He cannot protect himself from the truth since he is deeply disturbed and delusional. Why else would a money laundering bankrupt real estate operator and a
serial sexual abuser and philanderer run for President?
He has no real insight into his life. He has no talent for leadership, no ability to craft policies and negotiate for the good of all Americans. He is truly deplorable and will not survive any exposure to the truth. As former CIA director tweeted, he is a demagogue headed for the dust bin of history.
15
I can suggest to those Japanese where they might want to drop that next bowling ball.
10
Great sum-up of the Trump presidency! Should become Required Reading for all his supporters, especially the GOP leaders in the U..S. Congress, the only ones who can (must!) do something (anything!) about what he's doing to our nation.
4
Trump needs to hear his own line.
You are fired Donnie, go home to the golf cart house.
Oh and leave the salary in the tax payers pockets already.
5
What a monster we have as President.
When will his adversaries start ending up mysteriously disappearing or found dead?
8
Dear Donald, you really want to hope that they dont catch you, because if and when they do, every last one of the yellow, intellectual light weights who support you in office now will turn on you like a pack of dogs and shriek the loudest for your foul hide to locked away or strung up, apart from that, have a good day Mr President
7
"Trump & Friends" includes a certain columnist at the NYT.
11
This vile, disgusting man has essentially gone to war with his own nation. Isn't Trump County as sad, exhausted and ashamed as the rest of us?
4
I just wish James Bennet would realize what is at stake and get serious. We need more than more snarky puns and clever zingers from Ms Dowd, or the pompous lectures from Stephens, or Bari Weiss.
Brennan this morning for example: “When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America...America will triumph over you.” 3/17/18 Brennan
I hope.
8
Oh, dear Lord, somebody help us!
4
“David was a scoundrel and yet he became King of Israel.
Julius Caesar bribed voters and yet he was the greatest man of his time.
William Shakespeare was a libertine and a thief and yet he wrote “King Lear."
Christopher Columbus thirsted for the gold of the East Indians—and got immortality.
Samuel Johnson was a lickspittle—and the world has forgotten it.
Richard Wagner was one with the swine—and his fame is secure.
Edgar Allan Poe drank himself to death—and the virtuous weep over his grave.”
H.L. Mencken wrote these words in 1905. So yes, great men who are fundamentally flawed and even ordinary men can sometimes change, grow and rise to particular occasions and improve themselves and the world.
Regrettably for him, and tragically for us, Mr. Trump is neither a great man or an ordinary man.
He is simply an ignorant lout.
10
“When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history.," tweeted former CIA director John Brennan.
Brennan sure got that right!
10
Honestly Maureen
All of your Hillary bashing probably fueled by Putin’s trump-bots.
It’s another case of too little too late.
17
I suspect that Trump will soon appoint you to his cabinet. After all, few did more for him than you. You and Kellyanne Conway would make a great pair.
17
Thanks Maureen, for all the lovely columns slandering Hillary Clinton.
18
Trump is not normal, he's a bully made whole by power and wealth he created by conning others.
The man is insane and deserves to be treated so. When he is tossed from the WH, will he tweet goodbye or will he have to be dragged shouting and screaming?
How much longer to we have to put up with this coward?
4
If one took the time to watch the C-SPAN book-signing Dowd did in Miami in November 2016, it would be obvious what a marginal intellect she is, or perhaps she was still traumatized by Trump's sudden victory, or it was simply the white wine "talking".
Only in the NYT "Opinion Kingdom" could she survive, a useful tool for the Editorial Board in its Neo-Marxist assault on the ethos of American culture.
2
Special Counsel Robert Mueller please start smoking the hole before you are smoked by Novichok. Comey was fired. McCabe is fired. Soon they will be joined by Rod Rosenstein. Expecting any scruples or due process with this administration is asking for the moon. Desperate times call for desperate measures and these times are way beyond desperate.
6
"Trump & Friends"
"foxification"
"fabulist"
Haha!
2
How Trump has survived even this long in office is beyond belief - his list of atrocities before and after his election is so long and ugly. Congress, both sides, is gutless. He should have been impeached a long time ago or at least the effort made to try and impeach this sick stupid fool. Why is the party of family values silent about Porngate? They are cowardly hypocrites. Get some guts already and take action against our con man president.
4
I hope Trump keeps up his act, all the way to the November elections. The best thing right now for our democracy is Trump out stumping for every GOP candidate, House or Senate, this fall. Look how well it worked for Saccone and Moore the Molester.
1
When are you going to own your part in getting this criminal elected, Ms. Dowd? Your groundless criticism of Clinton during the election was shameful! You own this disaster. You helped take your own country down.
9
Last year, Trump declared that his Cabinet had the highest IQ of any, ever. Fast forward to this week, when Trump said that he and Tillerson didn't think alike. Tillerson should take up Trump's old offer for comparing their IQs. The winner would undoubtedly be the one who called the other "a moron."
Anyhow, appointing people to power means entrusting them, not undermining them. Tillerson's job was to utilize diplomacy. Yet when Tillerson did just that, trying to utilize personal channels in North Korea to diffuse an explosive situation, Trump publicly mocked him as 'wasting his time.' Tillerson, like McMasters, wanted to uphold the Iran Nuclear Deal, because the consequences of America reneging on its word were themselves dire. And Trump made a fool of himself at the United Nations, referring to those accords, worked out delicately between multiple countries, as a bad deal he got stuck with. Imagine Trump trying to hammer out one himself!
Tillerson, as a CEO, was, ahem, not a logical fit for governmental leadership. But he was no-nonsense and far from a flamethrower. That disqualified him from working for a pyromaniac. Some difference of opinion!
We are so far past, “If a Democrat did this...” It’s now, “If any other Leader anywhere, at anytime did even a few of these things...”
Congress has far more than they need to End This Now - to save the nation, as well as their places in History - with a hope of being somewhat better than the 21st Century version of “Feckless Nazi Goons.”
They said Trump needed more time to grow into the Job: and so they gave it to him. All he’s done with it is promote his brand, watch TV, play golf... and destroy any remaining decency and viability the Presidency and the nation has got. Make no mistake: he’s getting worse with every passing day! Why do they let it continue?
Trump is one illiterate unbalanced, ignorant Buffoon: one of anything we can excuse. Congress is many, and an Equal and Separate Branch Of Government. They are completely inexcusable! Over the last 14 months, much has been made about Trump’s failures and excessives, and the dangers of normalizing the indefensible. He is not the problem, severe as it is. Those that will not fix the problem - that’s the nation’s true crisis! When will indefensible failures of Congress become the true national focus? They should never have become normalized. Our entire media focus should be their collective failure!
2
Total SLEEZE!!! describes our disgusting president, his every thought and action and all those who serve him will also be consigned to the dustbin of history.
2
We have a brainless moron, Donald Trump out of control. The situation is grave, and if there aren't ANY courageous persons left in Washington D.C. willing to stand to this maniacal moron, he will destroy this country. Paul Ryan, and the entire Republican Senate are shameless, complicit cowards. This will not end well. It will come to the point, where an insane Donald Trump will barricade himself in the White House, and he will have to be forcefully removed and dragged to prison. Mark my words, without true checks and balances, this will not end well.
3
I dig the gist of what you're saying here. But implying that Larry Kudlow and John Bolton are both glorified Survivor contestants is a bridge too far in the direction of Fox News-ish spin. Kudlow was chief economist for Bear Sterns and Bolton was Ambassador to the U.N., in addition to a number of State and Justice Department positions. They both have pretty alarming points of view and have made pretty questionable decisions. Let's focus on that. We don't need hyperbole with this President and his posse. The facts are damning enough.
This dumpster fire down in Washington is sucking all the oxygen out of the environment and making reasonable discourse impossible. Tillerson was not a good Secy. of State, and I doubt any of his subordinates care about his departure except for the tweet on the toilet. But Trump the short-attention infant is the most dangerous person on earth if there are not enough adults in the room. He thinks the gut in his enormously fat belly is all the Cabinet he needs, and I fully expect him to fire McMaster, Mattis and Kelly as soon as the furor dies down over Tillerson. Then on to Sessions, Rosenquist and (if there's a handy Bork around) Mueller. Pretty soon we'll have Saturday Night Massacre redux, and I'll be searching around for my copy of the folk hit of 1973, "Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell and Dean," and breaking out my "I'm not a crook" t-shirt.
3
And above all else, thanks so called “Green Party”. W. and the war in Iraq didn’t create enough amusement for you? You had to go at it again with the nincompoop Jill Stein who freaked out at what she wrought in 2016 and demanded a pointless recount effort. Gee, thanks for that moment of clarity Jill!
You think Vladimir Putin’s invited the good Dr. Stein to Moscow in 2015 to hear about her goofy vaccine conspiracies? No. Vlad thinks ahead. He needed a “Green” party candidate on the ballot in several key states. And Dr. Jill obliged!
Shame.
4
Trump will purge his critics! He will hire his toadies. Where have we seen this play before? Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini? They were quite expert at purging their critics. By the millions. Congress: Read your history! Can’t you see where this madman is taking us? Do you think it can’t happen here? Do you even care?
The unimaginable possibility that Fox “News” and reality tv nutcases could be running our government is now a reality show no one wants to see played out except those who will gain money, power and the slimy smiles of the orange Destroyer. And those too ignorant to read a history book will cheer. Congress, Act while you can! Honor your pledge, if you have any honor left. At this rate, November may even be too far off.
592
My boyfriend and I studied Hitler's rise and Mussolini's rise and we are very frightened. The fact that the Republicans have not found a backbone frightens us even more. Trump won the delegate vote, not the people's vote. But if Trump is out we will have Pence who does not believe in separation of church and state; he believes this is a Christian country and no one else need apply. Trump chose well and to our detriment.
6
Their collective honor was checked at the cloakroom.
1
So, once again, where are the Republican leaders who could stop him if they only would?
3
All the readers who blame Ms. Dowd for helping to elect Donald Trump are delusional. Most Trump voters don't read the NYT, and if they did, a Times columnist bashing Trump would have made them only more devoted to him. Clinton brought herself down by acting like the Queen of England when she was running to be President of the United States.
6
Well Ms. Dowd, President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama don't look so bad now, do they? And don't you wish you hadn't bashed Hillary as hard and as often as you did? I'm not blaming you for Trump's winning the presidency, but I don't recall your being as hard on him as you were on "Barry" as you flippantly referred to President Obama.
With each new obnoxious episode of the "White House Apprentice" our country sinks deeper and deeper into the swamp that Trump vowed to drain. But planning and carrying out the firing of Andrew McCabe just before he would qualify for his pension is so low, so petty, so evil, that words fail me. There must be a portion of Trump supporters who are revolted by this mean, vindictive, bullying tactic. We'll see.
16
Between Stormy Daniels and the toilet-tweeting humiliating firing of Rex Tillerson, we seem to be entering the Trumpverse of Bed Bath & Beyond. The "purge" by presidential evacuation has taken us beyond the "rabbit hole," beyond the "swamp," and into the cesspool of degradation and depravity. With a Reality TV president hiring a Reality TV prognosticator as chief economic adviser; bringing in a man with no diplomatic experience who, like Donald Trump, doesn't believe in diplomacy over military muscle; and is on the verge of firing his National Security Adviser (who has received his tweet alert), Gen. H. R. McMaster, for someone like Yosemite Sam impersonator, John Bolton, who also shares his "mind-set" to flush the Iran Nuclear Accord down the drain and support giving Little Rocket Man a "bloody nose" when he refuses to get rid of his nuclear weapons. But, that may all be a prelude to another "Saturday Night Massacre" presaged by his stab in the back of FBI Assistant Director, Andrew McCabe by firing either Rod Rosenstein who controls the Mueller investigation or even Mueller himself. Mr. Trump is "a narcissistic boss" (and that, by the way, is a mental illness) who craves incessant admiration, loyalty and praise for all his grandiose ideas no matter how truth-challenged and dangerous they may be. And, the danger is palpable.
9
One can hope the health of our government will be restored when Trump is finally ousted, but when you look around at all the creeps, enablers, criminals, and "apprentices" that will remain, it's clear that more will be required. An exorcism, perhaps. Or the hope that voters will start to connect with the real world.
With that in mind, an exorcism is likely to be more successful.
9
Trumps "love" for chaos is not as calculated as he would have us believe. It is a lack of intellectual curiosity to understand issues as much as it is his hiring loyal despots to get him what he wants at any cost. All while keeping them at arms length and getting rid of them when they no longer serve his purpose.
8
There's another more appropriate TV program he should look at...Stranger Things!
2
Thank you Maureen Dowd for putting the past week 's insanity so succinctly. We have recently had 3 major power outages here on Cape Cod and it was quite relaxing to lose cable television and the trump clown show for those days. i was greeting the return of power with mixed feelings but am happy to have the NYT and your column back on my computer screen. Putting the orange baboon out of my mind for a few days was quite rejuvenating!
4
Let's hope so. It is frankly terrifying how he has debased this country. He's a mountebank, and a disgrace to the nation, having so intimidated the entire executive branch of the Administration and the entire Republican party as well which kisses his ring and remains silent in the most cowardly fashion.
You tell it Maureen with some humor, but with armed dictators like Putin and Erdogan running riot invading other countries, not to mention nuclear warfare being threatened and his walking away from the international structures created to plan for a reasonable future, Trump is throwing the world into chaos, while disregarding norms, akin to smashing toys in a play room, without regard of the consequences, so long as he assured that only he remains the center of attention. Somehow he must be removed from office.
7
"We've always known that Trump makes stuff up." Isn't that what you said when Trump said he had been wire tapped?
3
Trump's worldview is uncivilized by today's standards. His barbarity would have been at home in the civilization of ancient Rome. He obviously views himself as a Roman emperor, giving the thumbs up or down on gladiators. Truly horrifying. He is a monster with the mind and the hands of a child. I hope his supporters are enjoying every minute of his reign. Somebody should.
4
That line about Switzerland from The Third Man is a nice joke but as an intellectual construct it is completely false and misleading and just like the rest of the swill coming from those usually so called conservative hypocrites who think they care about such things as "western" or "Hebrao-Christian" civilization all the while showing that they are reasoning mainly from financial convenience rather than from any knowledge or respect for their culture. They self evidently have read nothing of substance and show no understanding of any of the important thinkers of the last few centuries. In any case if they had read anything they would know that a large number of writers thinkers and scientists thought of as French, German or Italian were actually Swiss who had moved to Paris or Berlin to join an intellectual community or a university. Two that immediately come to mind are Jean Jaques Rosseqau and Einstein. As a mathematician I know a large number of Swiss mathematicians who are thought of as French. If you want to play this game Switzerland probably produced more great minds per capita than anyone else.
Too little, too late, Mo. But Trump is not our teacher. We're not vindictive nor do we hold grudges. Welcome. Climb aboard.
Is it surreal to wish that Kiefer Sutherland was the US president instead?
1
Thank You, Ms. Dowd, for a nice column, and getting the subject of saidcolumn where he is today, thereby making today's column necessary.
3
What I find so interesting is that Trump (as mentored by Roy Cohn - brains behind Joe McCarthy's Search for Communists in America) has adapted the Red Scare strategy to the 21st Century.
Obviously we can't hunt communists anymore since, according to Trump, Russia is our friend. Instead, Trump hunts for the Deep State actors to appeal to the anti-government denizens of the fringe right.
For example, Andew McCabe was identified by Trump as a member of the deep state. Why? Trump bases McCabe's guilt on the fact that McCabe's wife is a democrat.
Ridiculous? Sure. But no more ridiculous than the conspiracy theories hatched by Joe McCarthy.
This strategy is effective in the short term, especially when you have spineless leaders in the Congress. But it won't work in the long-term. Mueller will see to that. I get the sense Mueller is not persuaded.
4
Here we have a POTUS whom only a drug lord could consider much a role-model.
He's mean. He's coarse. Occasionally he charms, but only when he thinks to do so will serve him. He insults with abandon - men, women, judges, journalists, Latinos, Africans, past Presidents, whole states, whole institutions, whole federal departments, members of his own administration. Name-calling is one of trademarks. He relishes insulting people publicly. He's petty - his tweet celebrating Andrew McCabe's firing being the most recent of too many instances. He flouts ethical norms. Whether he has broken the law I don't know; but it seems clear that he has played, and plays, very fast and loose with it.
Support Trump if you want American kids to grow up thinking real men are like drug lords.
5
It's unfortunate that such surreal editorials warrant writing let alone discussion. But, all but a few sychophanatics are on to this con man. Mueller hasn't uttered a word but already has garnered my deep respect and trust that he'll layout the facts and truth for all Americans interested in such old-fashioned values.
4
The fact that under his watch Trump has allowed Russia's cyber fingers deep into control of our power plants and nuclear plants is beyond horrifying. Trump must have known this was going on, yet he did nothing. The fact that Russia can wreck havoc of this magnitude on us is terrifying. Write about that Maureen.
4
So this is where America's obsession with celebrity has brought us. Voting into office a con unknown as a vindictive, corrupt and not terribly intelligent outside of New York. Remember Michael Bloomberg's words at the Democratic convention: " I'm a New Yorker and I know a con. If he runs the country like he runs his businesses , God help us" In hindsight, if a celebrity is who the rabble wanted a Kardashian would probably have done a better job!
All sarcasm aside, I fear for what might happen next. Even if evidence is found of collusion or criminal activity can we rely on the Justice Dept. to act? Will the sniveling AG do his job?Will his enablers and sycophants in Congress do their duty to the Nation? Until there is a drastic seating change in both Houses, I fear that this maniacal cretin will continue to hold office. The more closely Mueller gets to unmasking the truth the more desperate trump becomes.He will not stop at mere firings, he is quite capable of creating some cataclysm to ensure his tenure, be it a War with N. Korea or Iran.
3
When Trump starts to worry about his reelection, will he start a war as a diversion?
2
That Vladimir Putin and other enemies of this country are enjoying this should surprise no one.
That some who call themselves patriotic Americans are enjoying this should greatly concern the rest of us and our allies.
4
The Roman emperor Caligula appointed his horse to the Senate. Things did not turn out too good for the emperor. Or for Nero or Commodus either. (Although I do not see our President playing the violin or fighting as a gladiator.)
It appears for now that we have not yet reached that level. But the Don has until January 20, 2021 to rise to new lows.
2
I read this with mixed feelings. A subscriber well before the election, I know Maureen Dowd's articles on Hilary Clinton were rather vicious, while she offered excuses and soft phrases for Donald Trump.
And before the election she helped Trump by writing columns claiming Hillary as the hawk against Donald the dove.
She called her granny (despite Trump's own older age) and most articles were negative, referencing Hillary as an annoyed queen. power-hungry and unlikeable. And said she killed feminism.
As Trump displayed zero knowledge of governance or the presidency during the debates, Maureen called Hillary a "debate dominatrix."
70% of Dowd's articles dissed and destroyed Trump's female opponent.
Not helpful, Maureen. Not helpful at all.
13
I don't know, Maureen. If there's anything that Trump is good at, it's getting out of things. He's like Houdini. Look at all the wrong he has done in his life, and what happened? He got rewarded by becoming president. Tragically, in that capacity NO ONE has been able to stop him one little bit, from the beginning of the campaign until now. Yes, the GOP are like the people in Germany who claimed they didn't know what was going on when they saw their neighbors beaten, killed, and taken away in the Holocaust. While I would like to believe Mueller, the only hero in this sad story, will show up like Indiana Jones or Wyatt Earp and rescue us with criminal charges, I think it's just as likely Trump will find some way out. No less than Andrea Mitchell said on the air that he could take the Fifth if made to testify, and then pardon everyone that Mueller convicts. I hope this has a good ending -- I can think of a few -- but I have no certainty about this.
4
"Roger Ailes would be so proud if he were still alive and harassing women."
Not to worry Maureen. Murdoch is alive and very happy.
Trump is his gift to America.
3
When this POTUS asks “who’s next” who but his stooges can vow that it won’t be Trump?
North Korea then Russia...what next? His word, whether diversion, threat, or promise...nominally or otherwise, is abjectly ineffectual and meaningless.
Pompeo indeed will persist in propping him up, one a cartoonish blustery afterthought of the other.
Their electoral base, the GOP, the SC puppets of corporate politicos have neither a clue nor care where any of this falls or may lead, just as none of them had anticipated Trump as POTUS, so disruption and destruction have become synonymous.
67% of registered Democrats actually voted in southwestern PA.
1
I think of my friends who are "good people" who could not get over Hillary staying with Bill and said they could not trust her. I should have asked what they did not trust her about and what they were worried she would do.
Maureen as a fellow Irish American woman I strongly recommend that you go to public confession and confess your sins regarding the Clintons and do your penance. It will give you a lot more credibility.
5
RUPERT RULES! Not Trump. Fox 'News' acolytes are now in the White House propped up by the Wall St. Journal, the NY Post and Murdoch's daily advice via phone calls with Trump. Murdoch has achieved US power beyond his wildest dreams. Stop him.
3
McCabe is simply the latest man/person who knew too much - “I have been an FBI Special Agent for over 21 years. I spent half of that time investigating Russian Organized Crime as a street agent and Supervisor in New York City...”
There is a very good reason this was the first line of his rebuttal to an all-caps Twitter rant.
The president is not winning. And neither is the United States. He’s delaying the inevitable, and making it worse for everyone with each ham-fisted attempt to “take off the pressure.”
1
Perhaps Warren Buffett should offer $1 million to anyone who can accurately predict the White House staff come the end of March Madness. (A $10 million bonus if the winner's bracket doesn't include Trump!)
26
"Now he finds it's clever to be a fabulist." He has always been a fabulist but one with victims, long before he fired Secretary of State Tillerson with a tweet, fired Mr. McCabe (involved with the Russian investigation and a witness against Trump) hours before his retirement, and bragged about lying to the head of state of a close ally. Look at his real victims who are no laughing matter:
1) A 13-year-old girl, who was reportedly raped by Trump at an Epstein party with a witness nearby and with a 12-year-old girl also raped by Trump who disappeared. She has twice tried to get justice through civil suits, but has been harassed, threatened, and forced back into silence.
2) The 14-, 15-, and 16-year-old black and Hispanic boys who were called the Central Park Five and charged with rape and assault. Trump took out a full-page ad in the Daily News before they were tried and called for the death penalty of the children. The boys were years later completely exonerated through DNA and the confession of the actual rapist. This was part of a tabloid lynching.
3) Victims of Trump's thousands of lawsuits -- companies and workers who were never paid by Trump, workers who were injured on Trump projects, minorities and women who were mistreated, condo buyers and 'students' at Trump U who thought Trump's name meant his personal involvement and actually believed him.
Lying is nothing to brag about. Nor is abuse of power, casual cruelty, treason or financial crimes.
156
Before Larry Kudlow gets overly amused that Trump calls him handsome, he should remember that Trump declared himself better looking than Conor Lamb.
55
Trump, Flush !
In Russia tomorrow another election for Trumps hero Putin who is guaranteed to be re-elected.
Putin will feel emboldened to push with further crimes and state ordered crimes in whatever way he wishes with no condemnation from Trump whatsoever!
The world wonders what has Putin got on Trump ? Why is Trump afraid to stand up to Putin ? The USA is no longer the great nation it was whilst Trump is in the White House. Another 2 years of a cable news directed presidency must be terrifying for Americans as it sure is terrifying the rest of the world.
48
A great day for American democracy will be the day that President Donald Trump is removed from the Presidency of the United States. God speed Mr. Mueller.
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"He decided to totally own the whole, entire joke that he is." Well, the joke that he is is putting our entire country in peril, stressing out the populace, and dragging the country down the toilet he tweets from. More and more every day I marvel (and in not a good way) how this can continue to go on. How can we be so powerless as to let this horrendous excuse for a human being (never mind a president) taint everything in his wake, and possibly bring us to ruin? I'm starting to feel like a sheep to the slaughter and I have no idea what can be done to remove this travesty from office before our country, one of the greatest experiments in human history, is ruined beyond repair and he is allowed to cravenly play Supreme Leader.
86
Sorry Maureen, Mueller will never get to complete his investigation. Trump on an ego bender night, after already laying the groundwork, will fire Mueller. Fox and Trump's Republican friends in Congress, on that democracy destroying day, will be front and center following his lead in laying the rationale for the final curtain act. And in the rural areas of American Trump's pitch fork and torch crowd will be marching the streets ala Charlottesville.
40
To me Trump and his minions represent real life. Rich people who were born under the luckiest of stars and who never pay for any sins. EVER! Look at the pure smugness on Putin's face, as he poisons people anywhere he wants.
The rest of us who believe in the rule of law, justice and some fairness will be bitterly disappointed.
47
There is a truth about Con Men. They always have an advantage. Most of us simply can't believe the depths they will go to accomplish their sociopathic goals. Trump is the classic con and his supporters are ideal pigeons. They like black and white answers to their real problems. Loss of jobs, the opiate crisis, ect. Trump identified the vulnerable among us and uses them daily keep his con going. When it ends it always ends badly, but some victims never get it. Thanks Maureen for this reminder. To beat a Con Man you have to keep him in a small box, a box called truth.
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The big, burning, question is when is this horrible disaster of a reality TV president show going to be canceled?! When are the Republicans in Congress and the Senate going to wake up from their stupor and remember that it's their job to save our country from a disaster like this so-called-president Trump? Once the Fox and Fools are in the White House it's going to be too late.
48
Trump is a liar and his supporters really have to ask "what are we being right about here"?
There is a lot of sickness in this culture.
32
Doing it his way is exactly why he went bankrupt four times. Now his moral bankruptcy is going to be felt by the middle class of our country. But let us remember that DJT is a Republican, nominated for the presidency by the Republican Party, elected by Republicans and supported by Republicans in the US House of Representatives and Senate. This is a Republican government.
Remember THAT on election day in November of 2018. Is this really the way you want your country run? Vote for sanity in 2018. Kick the Republican Bums out of office at all levels of government.
79
We are getting closer to becoming a banana republic and the spineless Republicans are the enablers of this crisis.
When will enough be enough?!
Will it be when Rosenstein is fired?
Will it be when Mueller is fired?
I am not sure anything this autocratic demagogue does will move this sycophant republican congress to stop him.
The Pennsylvania loss was not enough, all the firings, the crazy bullying tweets, the hush money and all the "best people" who were indicted have not moved this congress to stop this madness!
Voting in November might even be too late.
42
Maureen, great analysis. Truth continues to fight against the absurdity of this ridiculous presidency and your writing sets the record straight. Inhumanity, as you so accurately defined it, from his insane communication through tweets to his fabrications and delusions. As always, you say it better than anyone.
14
I hope your last sentence is more than wishful thinking. & -unrelated - snorers are people with their hands out & are very annoying. Trump's folks are thieves.
8
I just hope America can make it to the mid-terms without our dear, deluded leader lobbing a nuclear bomb at Canada or Mexico. I mean, the man says he likes chaos. He clearly still thinks he's still on some kind of reality show, where there's no such thing as bad publicity so long as you're getting the eyeballs/ratings.
19
...and Republicans act like he's a genius because he moved a bunch of money to the power brokers.
18
Donald is a self-destructive, money, power, and status addict in the process of manifesting his biggest fear. That's he's exactly what his father detested most - a world class loser. He doesn't lie, cheat, and steal because he believes he's a winner. He does it because it's the only way he can pretend he is.
If the phonies and frauds in charge of the Atlantic City casino commission had done their jobs, the U.S. wouldn't be stuck with a fake POTUS. But they folded, looked the other way, and gave him the opportunity to do what he does best - con fools who believe his flimsy hype. Going public saved him from failure by sticking suckers with his loses. When U.S. bankers finally smartened up, Putin and his gang of mobsters jumped at a golden opportunity to add Donald the stooge to their payroll.
BTW. DT claimed his lying to Trudeau was a conscious decision after he realized how incredibly stupid he looked on TV when he was challenged. His self-serving deception was right up there with his claim that he would run into a school building, unarmed, to stop a shooter wielding an automatic rifle. Anyone who believes either story would probably be willing to invest in a section of a border wall.
28
I'd feel safer if Mr Trump was dissuaded from the North Korea meeting. I'm worried over his seeming inability to negotiate. I hope someone can stop it.
20
Were Donald Trump CEO of any American public company he would have been sent packing 3 months into the job, for no board of directors could afford such behavior. Since taking office we have been forced to live tweet by ugly tweet. Our lives are in the hands of 3 year old, very unstable child filled with delusions of grandeur. If wallowing in the sewer with Trump makes America great again, congratulations we're there. Ladies and gentlemen, this is no laughing matter.
27
Trump is going to make a dictatorial power play, probably off a manufactured (or if he gets lucky real) International incident that will be inflated into a national security crisis. When the good people take to the streets to protest his power grab, will he call out the Nat Guard? Will they carry out orders to disperse what will be described on Fox news as out of control Socialists attacking law and order? Will the gun nuts respond with their own counter marches, but also armed to the teeth, which will be described on Fox as Amesrican patriots defending "democracy?" Which way will the militarized police go? Will the military itself get involved, and if so on whose side? This is how democracy falls apart. Personally, I think we will prevail, but I am far from sure. Stay tuned, this does not end well!
34
The prevailing view seems to be that Trump is some combination of ignorant, childish and greedy. But doesn't it make more sense to see him as irredeemably evil?
33
Odd, this is the president Trump we all expected--except that 16 months ago, happy with your access to Don the Con, you were pretty easy on him and happy to join the media scrum piling on Hillary.
Have you accepted that, like much of the news media, you were sure Clinton would win and, therefore, felt that it showed your chops if you used her like a punching bag. You didn't call out Don the Con back then because you were sure he wasn't really dangerous and, in turn, you became his enabler.
41
And to think that Jeff Roe, former campaign manager for Ted Cruz, has a guest opinion piece on this same page ("Don't Run from Trump"), urging fellow Republicans to hang in there and stay the course for the midterms, speaking in terms that marginalize Trump's damage: "Ignore the persona issues and concentrate on the substantive and positive policy enactments and successes."
Really? Where is my magnifying glass? Roe, in particular, points to the tax bill, which as everyone (including Repubs) knows was front-loaded with a sunset provision to *briefly* help the middle and working classes in advance of the midterms; a buy-off, in the most naked terms. Beyond that? Nada. Oh... what's that? The job increases? Those are thanks to an economy that has been on the rise for eight years. But, of course, Trump and his Master Fabricators take credit for that, knowing full well the portion of the populace that prefers this fantasy.
Dream on.
27
It's almost as if a non-violent coup had taken place.
Right?
15
Don't be sure sure he'll soon be doing it Mueller's way. He seems to be preparing the ground for Mueller's firing--why else would John Dowd make the comment that the investigation must end now. Maybe he's giving Mueller a head's up that Trump is about to decapitate him. This is going to end really badly. He will fire Mueller, I fear, and his lackeys that are the body of the Republican Party will do nothing but justify the firing with "witch hunt" commentary. Then what? Where goes the nation after the Republicans do nothing? What Constitutional crisis? What can the Democrats do? The only way for Mueller to survive is drag this thing out slowly without giving his hand away that Trump, Kushner, Don Jr., and maybe even Ivanka are in his net until the Dems are in power.
11
While this is a condemnation of Trump, does it even come close to acknowledging how sad the situation is? This is someone who aspires to be like Putin and is antithetical to not only our American founding fathers but democracy itself.
5
And yet if the Republican Congress had just a modicum--the least hint--of not courage but simply sense of duty and love of country, the damage caused by this lazy, weak and truly evil--evil insofar as the carnage he wreaks--individual, who is to say that the damage could not at least be circumscribed.
7
The only reason Trump likes "chaos" is to feed his ego...all these people fighting for his attention.
We're doomed.
9
Any time I read about Donald Trump and his decisions, my heart drops into my boots - I didn't think it could drop any further, but now it has.
How is it that this vile man can continue to destroy everything that the people of the United States hold dear?
I hope that the United States and the world will be able to wake up and recover from this nightmare.
20
Ms. Dowd predicted that Trump would end up in a mental hospital after the election. Now she predicts Robert Mueller will bend Trump to his will. As they say in Nebraska "show me". Maybe fatigued voters will throw him out or Congress will impeach him but one thing is for sure, whatever happens to him will be on the front page for the rest of his life and that might the greatest tragedy of all for our country.
3
I have to wonder recently what did Trump do to Ms Dowd for her to be dishing out so much scorn to a man she used to brag about knowing and being friends with. Who he is was all there to see before. She helped him get here. In part to her constant Clinton bashing, but also cause she legitimized him. Even more than that she praised him. It would nice for Ms Dowd to just say I was wrong, I blew it, I am sorry. But she is not that honest.
25
"President Trump is doing it his way now. But soon, he’ll be doing it Mueller’s way."
Soon, he'll be doing it the warden's way, hopefully.
14
This is what you get when you want to "shake things up" and hire a second-rate businessman rather than someone who understands politics and the law of the land to run the country: continual chaos except on weekends when Trump is either playing golf or acting like a big shot at Mar-a-Lago. People being fired, edged out, bad mouthed, or ignored are the rule rather than the exception. Drama rather than progress is leading the news every day. Scandals surfacing, lies being told on the record to foreign leaders, and Russia smirking behind the scenes for all of the damage they've helped to unleash on the American public.
There have been numerous demonstrations and walkouts following key moments of inaction and contradiction. We've written to our congressmen, senators, friends and family members and suffer from writer's cramp. Holidays and mealtimes have been ruined (or at least appetites have been) buy the continuing discussion of what can be done to stop this insanity.
I suggest that everyone who's thoroughly disgusted find the names of businesses who support Republicans and Trump-named properties; who are associated with financing this numbskull and his family; and who pay for ads on Fox News. Begin boycotting and refuse to patronize them immediately, then spread the word on Facebook and other social media. Write letters to these businesses and tell them why you will no longer be a customer.
Republicans, Trump and his handlers only understand money.
12