michael harley

Trump signaled he plans to take a combative approach to the upcoming NATO summit, questioning the value of the alliance and warning Germany during a raucous political rally in Montana last week that “I don’t know how much protection we get by protecting you.”

I’m not really surprised by anything anymore but it’s still pretty frustrating. Ok sure, it’s not exactly cool that EU countries do not fulfill their NATO obligations to funding the alliance but I think it’s simple-minded to dismiss how much influence we have in the world because of our military presence. While not always the case, I still think we’ve generally been a force for good. And if not us, then who? China?

“They make it impossible to do business in Europe, and yet they come in and they sell their Mercedes and their BMWs to us,” Trump said. “So we have $151 billion in trade deficits with the E.U. And on top of that, they kill us with NATO. They kill us.”

Again, this strikes me as a pretty simple-minded, zero sum game attitude.

Pretty great example of why a business person isn’t the best person to run a country. Business attitudes just don’t apply to running a country.

President Donald Trump reportedly gave out his personal cell phone number to foreign leaders shortly after taking office.

White House officials were shocked after a summary of a conversation was released without their knowledge.

US officials reportedly had to rely on Trump’s memory of the call for details.

Following the incident, US officials insisted Trump adhere to the federal records law and route all calls with foreign leaders through the Situation Room.

Oh FFS. But her emails.

I’ve not been feeling celebratory on this Independence Day. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve really cared about the 4th. It’s mostly just been an exercise in frustration as we try to get ourselves close enough for a good viewing spot of the Nashville fireworks display.

I’m not proud of our country. I’m not proud of our President. I’m not proud of the people who elected the President.

I want our country to be such so that everybody wants to stand for the anthem and the principles our country stands for. I have a distain for those who would try to shame people into standing when the country doesn’t work as well for a significant percent of our country. Women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, minority rights and environmental protections are under attack by this administration. He’s dismantling the institutions from the inside and it concerns me greatly.

Only 19% of the total population voted for Trump. Let that sink in for a minute. Our country is making a dramatic turn to the right because 19% of the population wants it that way.

I anticipate people will say imagine how conservatives felt during Obama’s terms and they think this is just politics as normal. I think that’s a false equivalency. Conservatives seem to think that giving other groups equal rights, somehow takes away from their rights. If looked at through a certain lens I can understand. Kim Davis is unable to use her official government office to deny gay couples a marriage license because of her religion for instance. They say religious freedom is under assault. It’s not but you don’t get to use religious freedom to withhold rights from others.

Our country survived a civil war but it’s under assault from within now by a narcissistic, small minded, unprincipled man who has no regard or understanding of our countries principles. You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t feel like celebrating that.

WASHINGTON — President Trump acted lawfully in imposing limits on travel from several predominantly Muslim nations, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday.

The vote was 5 to 4, with the court’s conservatives in the majority.

Emphasis mine.

Isn’t it really cool how a minority of our country – the people who elected POTUS45 – is getting what it wants against the will of the majority?

Isn’t it cool how the Republican Congress was able to postpone a vote on President Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee?

Trump, in a Monday morning tweet, said that The Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia “should focus more on cleaning its filthy canopies, doors and windows (badly needs a paint job) rather than refusing to serve a fine person like Sarah Huckabee Sanders.”

What? Trump does this all the time and reminds me of dudes who respond to women rejecting them by calling them sluts or fat. Sad. (lol)

President Trump is repealing a controversial executive order drafted by former President Obama that was meant to protect the Great Lakes and the oceans bordering the United States.

I don’t think anybody is surprised by this shit. Yeah, POTUS45 is a giant piece of shit, awful human being but it’s par for the course.

I think a big take-away that the next Democrat/Progressive/Liberal President is that they can’t rule by executive order. You have to work with Congress to get shit done and pass laws because otherwise the asshole coming after can just undo all the shit (good or otherwise) you’ve done.

Even if the Congress is a Republican one and their only concern is obstruction, you still have to try to work with them and publicize the shit out of the fact that they’re being obstructionists.