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[HotHamBoy]

Great read.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/18/opinion/sunday/president-trump-resignation.html

As the worst week in a cursed presidency wound down, I spotted more and more forecasts that Donald Trump would resign, including from Tony Schwartz, who wrote “The Art of the Deal” for Trump and presumably understands his tortured psyche.

They struck me not as wishful or fantastical.

They struck me as late.

Trump resigned the presidency already — if we regard the job as one of moral stewardship, if we assume that an iota of civic concern must joust with self-regard, if we expect a president’s interest in legislation to rise above vacuous theatrics, if we consider a certain baseline of diplomatic etiquette to be part of the equation.

By those measures, it’s arguable that Trump’s presidency never really began. By those measures, it’s indisputable that his presidency ended in the lobby of Trump Tower on Tuesday afternoon, when he chose — yes, chose — to litigate rather than lead, to attend to his wounded pride instead of his wounded nation and to debate the supposed fine points of white supremacy.

He abdicated his responsibilities so thoroughly and recklessly that it amounted to a letter of resignation. Then he whored for his Virginia winery on the way out the door.

Trump knew full well what he should have done, because he’d done it — grudgingly and badly — only a day earlier. But it left him feeling countermanded, corrected, submissive and weak, and those emotions just won’t do for an ego as needy and skin as thin as his. So he put id before country and lashed out, in a manner so patently wrong and transcendently ruinous that TV news shows had to go begging for Republican lawmakers to defend or even try to explain what he’d said.

Those lawmakers wanted no part of him. The same went for the corporate chieftains he considers his peers. And for the generals he genuinely reveres. The heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines all went out of their way to issue statements condemning the hatred that Trump wouldn’t take on. A soft coup against a cuckoo: It confirmed how impotent Trump had become.

On Tuesday he “relinquished what presidents from Roosevelt to Reagan have regarded as a cardinal duty of their job: set a moral course to unify the nation,” wrote The Times’s Mark Landler, in what was correctly labeled a news analysis and not an opinion column. Landler’s assessment, echoed by countless others, was as unassailable as it was haunting, and it was prompted in part by Trump’s perverse response to a question that it’s hard to imagine another president being asked: Did he place the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Va., on the same “moral plane” as those who showed up to push back at them?

“I’m not putting anybody on a moral plane,” Trump answered.

Indeed he wasn’t. And if you can’t put anybody on a moral plane, you can’t put yourself on Air Force One.

On Friday Trump finally dismissed his polarizing chief strategist, Steve Bannon. That’s excellent. And irrelevant. A president’s team doesn’t matter when he himself is this lost.

In Axios, Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei noted that the president had “systematically damaged or destroyed his relationship with — well, almost every group or individual essential to success.” They then listed these “methodically alienated” constituencies: “the public,” “CEOs,” “the intelligence community,” “every Democrat who could help him do a deal,” “world leaders,” “Europe,” “his own staff.”

Applause. Greater brand exposure. A new layer of perks atop an existence already lavish with them. Utter saturation of Americans’ consciousness. These were his foremost goals. Governing wasn’t, and that was obvious in his haziness and dishonesty before Election Day and in his laziness and defiance after.

He made clear that conflicts of interest didn’t trouble him, drawing constant attention to Trump properties and incessantly pointing out that nothing in the law of the land compelled him to divest his business interests.

A president is supposed to safeguard the most sacred American institutions, repairing them if need be. Trump doesn’t respect them. He has sought to discredit and disempower the judiciary, the free press, the F.B.I., the Congressional Budget Office. He even managed to inject politics into, and pollute, the Boy Scouts. This is the course of a tyrant.

I haven’t mentioned Russia. How astonishing that it can be left out and there’s still a surfeit to rue.

Trump hasn’t been exercising the duties of his office. He’s been excising them, one by one. The moral forfeiture of the past week was the capper.

And as I watched the Bushes and the generals and Trump’s former rivals for the Republican presidential nomination step into the public square to enunciate their own principles about murderous bigots and domestic terrorists, I realized that they weren’t going through any typical this-is-what-makes-us-Americans motions. They weren’t preening.

They were, in the words of The Washington Post’s James Hohmann, “filling the void.” If Trump wasn’t going to do his job, others had to.

I kept coming across variations on the verdict that he had “failed to lead,” and that phraseology is off. “Fail” and “failure” imply that there was an effort, albeit unsuccessful.

Trump made none. He consciously decided that he didn’t care about comforting or inspiring those Americans — a majority of them — who weren’t quick and generous enough with their clapping. He was more interested in justifying himself.

So he picked division over unity, war over peace. And make no mistake: He didn’t merely shortchange the presidency. He left it vacant.

 

[jelly]

Too true, He has never been the President and doesn't care or work. Bare minimum effort to further the Trump brand and skim off tax payers.

Off to read the rest...

 

[Vagabundo]

Yup. Now to see what the fall out of all this will be. Impeach him should be the answer.

 

[Nafai1123]

Straight ether.

 

[WinFonda]

damn... complete evisceration

no lies detected

 

[roknin]

Damning.

 

[Loxley]

Right on the money. Trump is the absentee Commander in Chief.

 

[To Far Away Times]

Every word was a truth dagger.

 

[Kinitari]

Yeah, holy shit. This is so thorough, it tries to be high brow, but every once in a while they get in there.

He abdicated his responsibilities so thoroughly and recklessly that it amounted to a letter of resignation. Then he whored for his Virginia winery on the way out the door.

I think is my favourite line

 

[TheJollyCorner]

That was great. Deservedly scathing.

 

[BlazingDarkness]

He has made a mockery of the presidency since day one. It's awful that America has let it go on this long.

 

[Fancyarcher]

Excellent article. It's clear he doesn't actually give a shit about being president.

 

[Neuromancer]

Damn. This is why I'm a proud subscriber to NYT, in addition to their reporting of course

 

[jon bones]

ethered

 

[Bobby Roberts]

America filled a void with a void.

It's as remarkable as it is disillusioning and maddening. He was able to fill a hole left open despite multiple opportunities to specifically prevent his ascendance.

We're a country that simultaneously believes that we cant do the things we should do until we're put in the position of absolutely NEEDING to do them, and that there's no point in trying to do anything that hasn't already been done.

So we basically stand still until someone hurts us so bad that we are shocked into remembering we can do anything.

And almost always the someone hurting us is us.

Its like we refuse to move forward unless its a response to laying ourselves low first.

So the void fills the void and we watch.

 

[Shoeless]

That is some of the most amazing failing I have ever read. If only more news outlets could fail as hard as the failing NYT. Journalism needs more of this kind of epic failure.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

NYT dropping truth bombs

 

[cakely]

Great read. Completely accurate, with some really amazing turns of phrase.

 

[Trouble]

Truth

 

[Yoshimitsu126]

I'm still amazed many GOP have failed to asked Trump to resign or called him unfit to rule. This will backfire them in the next election.

 

[shintoki]

You know what he could have done.

Ran, Won, then... resign, not accept, whatever.

He would of had his victory against Obama and the rest and everything would have been behind, while all his business would be booming and Clinton or Pence would have the seat, doing the work.

 

[Dalek]

Really spot on and well written. The prick has checked out and I believe won't resign out of spite.

 

[Username1198]

The heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines all went out of their way to issue statements condemning the hatred that Trump wouldn’t take on. A soft coup against a cuckoo: It confirmed how impotent Trump had become.

I said godamn

 

[Viewt]

100% correct. The US is without a leader for the first time in its history. Even our worst presidents, and there are so many to pick from, knew how to lead. They'd lead us the wrong way, or they'd lead to serve other interests, but they knew how. Trump seems to rejoice in his ignorance. It's fucking pathetic.

 

[AlimNassor]

Good read but, I will continue to be a negative nancy until I see him lose next election. This election has me jaded. I hope people aren't complacent.

 

[Neuromancer]

I'm still amazed many GOP have failed to asked Trump to resign or called him unfit to rule. This will backfire them in the next election.

They are afraid to piss off his base and the average Fox viewer. Hard to say if that's smart or not until the time comes.

 

[Astral/H3X]

I said godamn

It's absolutely beautiful to see his infantile vocabulary used to actually write something with wit.

 

[aeolist]

Trump resigned the presidency already — if we regard the job as one of moral stewardship, if we assume that an iota of civic concern must joust with self-regard, if we expect a president’s interest in legislation to rise above vacuous theatrics, if we consider a certain baseline of diplomatic etiquette to be part of the equation.

so "if you're a dumbass" then.

the presidency is about power, not ethics or niceties or all of the little things we've expected from these people who smile and wave at us as they continue to use the systems of this country to grind us into the dirt. if nothing else trump has torn away all of the gilded pretenses that people like new york times op-ed columnists cling to. he's shown us that the emperor was always naked, even before trump.

even "alienating" the CEOs and generals and senators means absolutely nothing. those people will still do everything in their power to advance his agenda, they'll still donate money to his PACs, and they'll happily pull the lever for him again in 2020 if he hasn't eaten himself to death by then.

The heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines all went out of their way to issue statements condemning the hatred that Trump wouldn’t take on. A soft coup against a cuckoo: It confirmed how impotent Trump had become.

yeah, we'll see how long that lasts when trump issues another order to bomb someone who never attacked us. something tells me those people will all be jumping over each other to follow orders then.

 

[JC Lately]

Good read but, I will continue to be a negative nancy until I see him lose next election. This election has me jaded. I hope people aren't complacent.

Basically where I'm at.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

The President has proven what we said before the election. He is incompetent and not fit for office. He does not respect the American institution or its people.

He deserves to rot in jail for the rest of his sad life, but I will settle for resignation and continued public shaming if he wants to hurry the fuck up and let someone competent do the job.

 

[Mortemis]

America filled a void with a void.

It's as remarkable as it is disillusioning and maddening. He was able to fill a hole left open despite multiple opportunities to specifically prevent his ascendance.

We're a country that simultaneously believes that we cant do the things we should do until we're put in the position of absolutely NEEDING to do them, and that there's no point in trying to do anything that hasn't already been done.

So we basically stand still until someone hurts us so bad that we are shocked into remembering we can do anything.

And almost always the someone hurting us is us.

Its like we refuse to move forward unless its a response to laying ourselves low first.

So the void fills the void and we watch.

This is great and I agree. Sadly it feels like progress brings indifference. So whenever things are going well it's only inevitable for something to bring us down.

As for the article, it really gets to the point. Trump gave up on being a president, or more likely never wanted to be one. Just wanted the title and all the ego stroking.

 

[RangerX]

Great article. I still find it absurd the man is where he is. He is certainly denigrating the office he holds. I completely agree that he never wanted to be president either, it was all ego fuel.

 

[Luschient]

Damn, all the news orgs are KILLING it with their artwork. From this to TIME's cover of his white hood boat....excellent work.

 

[Zolo]

Just wanted the title and all the ego stroking.

And instead, he ended up being the biggest clown on Earth.

 

[Slayven]

That was amazing

 

[Spartancarver]

This is the most accurate and beautifully written article I have ever read

The line about scaramucci's nanosecond of fame was incredible

 

[hawk2025]

so "if you're a dumbass" then.

the presidency is about power, not ethics or niceties or all of the little things we've expected from these people who smile and wave at us as they continue to use the systems of this country to grind us into the dirt. if nothing else trump has torn away all of the gilded pretenses that people like new york times op-ed columnists cling to. he's shown us that the emperor was always naked, even before trump.

even "alienating" the CEOs and generals and senators means absolutely nothing. those people will still do everything in their power to advance his agenda, they'll still donate money to his PACs, and they'll happily pull the lever for him again in 2020 if he hasn't eaten himself to death by then.



yeah, we'll see how long that lasts when trump issues another order to bomb someone who never attacked us. something tells me those people will all be jumping over each other to follow orders then.

This is an awful, awful take.

If you don't see the difference between an incompetent, overt racist and what came before, you've lost the thread.

 

[TimeLike]

And his supporters are loving every second of it. Trump's behavior and articles like this make them dance with glee. There's no hope.

 

[aeolist]

This is an awful, awful take.

If you don't see the difference between an incompetent, overt racist and what came before, you've lost the thread.

literally the only difference between trump and any other modern republican president is tone and dementia (though a lot of them have that too)

they wouldn't be "both sides-ing" nazi marches but they would be cracking down harder on counter-protestors. they wouldn't be telling cops outright to beat up the people they arrest but they would fight to prevent them from seeing consequences if they did. they wouldn't call all mexican immigrants rapists but ICE would still be just as dehumanizing and cruel.

sorry if i fail to see much of a difference. this writer put out a puff book about how george w bush wasn't such a bad guy and how he grew into the presidency post-9/11 so i think i have a good grasp on where he's coming from.

 

[TheOfficeMut]

And his supporters are loving every second of it. Trump's behavior and articles like this make them dance with glee. There's no hope.

They're his supporters for a reason. Don't forget that there are many of us who don't support him, who find articles like this confirming what we already know to be comforting. His supporters aren't the only voters that exist.

 

[nintendoman58]

And his supporters are loving every second of it. Trump's behavior and articles like this make them dance with glee. There's no hope.

Don't worry about what his base thinks of him.

 

[Netherscourge]

He abdicated his responsibilities so thoroughly and recklessly that it amounted to a letter of resignation. Then he whored for his Virginia winery on the way out the door.

This is the part that really sums it all up.

"Fuck everyone who opposes me, but buy some of my wine."

 

[BoogieWoogie]

This is the part that really sums it all up.

"Fuck everyone who opposes me, but buy some of my wine."

It was really fucking surreal that part.

"You're all fake news! BOTH SIDES ARE THE SAME! Oh yes did you not know I owned a winery in Virginia? The best in the world."

 

[ebullientprism]

On Tuesday he “relinquished what presidents from Roosevelt to Reagan have regarded as a cardinal duty of their job: set a moral course to unify the nation,” wrote The Times’s Mark Landler, in what was correctly labeled a news analysis and not an opinion column.

The sad part is that he didnt do this out of planning or thinking. He just isnt compassionate and ethical enough to do it naturally and he isnt smart enough to do it calculatingly.

He divided a nation just because he is petty.

 

[Eusis]

They are afraid to piss off his base and the average Fox viewer. Hard to say if that's smart or not until the time comes.

Might well be a life support move; most everyone on the left WANTS to see them suffer due to the last few decades (especially that bullshit posturing for the Obama years), and the right may be increasingly torn apart or at least those in the middle are seriously questioning this.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

I wonder, if he is still around, if Trump will pardon the traditional Thanksgiving Turkey or if he'll just order it deep fried since Obama pardoned the turkeys.

 

[fushi]

This was beautiful. The phrases, imagery, subtle alliterations, all superbly realized into one brutal put down.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

Great read.

 

[Eusis]

I wonder, if he is still around, if Trump will pardon the traditional Thanksgiving Turkey or if he'll just order it deep fried since Obama pardoned the turkeys.

He's probably ignorant of the tradition and will stay willfully ignorant.

Or do as you said, yes. And ignore this started under Republican tenures.

 

[Joe]

He's lived his entire presidency by watching it through the TV and then commenting on it.