One reads that Trump has a new theory about Russian involvement in the November 2018 elections – he’s contending that the Russians plan to help the Democrats: I’m very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming Election. Based on the fact that no President has been tougher…
Mendacity
Babbittry, CDA, City, Development, Economy, Local Government, Marketing, Mendacity, Negligence, Poverty, Public Relations, State Capitalism, That Which Paved the Way, WEDC
Whitewater Listed as the Poorest City in Wisconsin
by JOHN ADAMS • • 4 Comments
Samuel Stebbins and Michael B. Sauter, from 24/7 Wall Street, report Which town in your state is the poorest? Here is the list @ Gannett’s USA Today. For Wisconsin, they contend it’s Whitewater: Town median household income: $30,934 State median household income: $54,610 Town poverty rate: 38.2% Town population: 14,840 Whitewater has both the lowest median household income and the…
City, Conflicts of Interest, Corporate Welfare, Economics, Economy, Ethics, Gov. Walker, Local Government, Mendacity, Paul Ryan, Politics, State Capitalism, That Which Paved the Way, Trump
The Price of Trumpism is Ruin
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Craig Gilbert looks at the careers of Priebus, Ryan, and Walker: They led the “Cheesehead Revolution,” the GOP’s audacious conquest of Wisconsin. They offered a model for bridging Republican frictions between establishment and base. They became national figures. They ran into Donald Trump. They suffered. They bent to his rise. Now one (Priebus) has left…
America, Mendacity, Politics, Trump, Trump-Russia
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) on Trump
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
CORKER UNLOADS: He would NOT support Trump again; says Trump NOT a role model; won’t say if he trusts Trump w nukes https://t.co/oAGIWVZ8P9 — Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 24, 2017 Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee might have delivered these accurate, critical remarks earlier; it’s still worth hearing them now.
Mendacity, Press, Television, Trump
‘This is an Apple’
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
“Some people might try to tell you that it’s a banana.” #FactsFirst pic.twitter.com/LbmRKiGJe9 — CNN (@CNN) October 23, 2017 I haven’t watched CNN in years, to be honest, but their promotional advertisement about Trump’s alternative facts outlook is spot on. It’s more common for me to read than to watch cable news, but my two…
Film, Mendacity, Putin, Russia, Sports
Film: Icarus
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
When Bryan Fogel sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his story from a personal experiment into a geopolitical thriller involving dirty urine, unexplained death and Olympic Gold-exposing the biggest scandal in sports history. Readers who have Netflix can catch Icarus, a documentary that…
Authoritarianism, Kakistocracy, Mendacity, Trump
‘Trump is never going to be a proper president’
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Architecture, Fashion, Mendacity, Television, Trump
How The Apprentice Manufactured Trump
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
The first season of The Apprentice re-introduced Donald Trump to the world as an incredibly successful and intelligent businessman—it was a hit show in 2004 and boosted the Trump brand. The show was a major opportunity for producers to create his persona and sell his image to America. How did they pull this off? And…
City, Mendacity, Trump
A Reminder on Dealmaking
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
David Frum, writing about Trump’s failure to advance health care legislation, observes the truth about Trump: Regular reminder that Donald Trump’s core competency is not dealmaking with powerful counter-parties. It is duping gullible victims. — David Frum (@davidfrum) March 24, 2017 That’s right, and cannot be said enough: Trump’s a confidence man, and he preys…
Kakistocracy, Law, Mendacity, Trump
Axl Rose on Jeff Sessions
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Mendacity, Trump
Why Trump’s Staff Lies
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Tyler Cowen, writing at Bloomberg, offers an explanation of Why Trump’s Staff Is Lying: By requiring subordinates to speak untruths, a leader can undercut their independent standing, including their standing with the public, with the media and with other members of the administration. That makes those individuals grow more dependent on the leader and less…
Conway, Mendacity, Trump
Ridiculing Kellyanne Conway’s Claim of ‘Alternative Facts’
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Authoritarianism, Mendacity, Press, Trump
Why Trump Press Secretary Spicer Lies
by JOHN ADAMS • • 2 Comments
Anna Rascouët-Paz relates an explanation (from someone who worked in a past administration) for Trump press secretary Spicer’s repeated lies about inaugural crowd size. It’s spot on: For more on a disinformation strategy based on insisting that nothing is knowable, see The Russian Conspiracy on Behalf of Conspiracy Theorist Donald Trump (“there is a coherent pattern…