Imagine a few years ago, I'd come to you with the following prediction/offer…
Within in a year after the next president is inaugurated, it'll be revealed that he cheated on his wife with a porn star — and probably other women, as well. What's more, during the presidential campaign, he paid a six-figure amount to the porn star to keep quiet about it. But as this comes out, his supporters really won't care much about it. A lot of them thought Bill Clinton was unfit for office just because of Monica but they'll be fine with their boy doing what he did and there'll be no real outrage over it.
How much money could I have won from you if we'd bet? You could have cleaned me out if you'd told me that and I don't even get that they're ignoring it because they don't believe it. It's more like "We're in power. That's all that matters." So forget about that and let's look at some links…
- Fred Kaplan discusses America's place in the world under Trump. As Kaplan notes, other countries question whether America will honor its commitments. Why do they do this? Well, maybe it's because the president keeps saying he's not sure if he will honor our commitments.
- William Saletan discusses the "shithole" matter and the squabble over did he say it or didn't he say it? I'm amazed and maybe amused about Lindsey Graham who, when asked if Trump had used the "s" word, refused to say because "I want to make sure that I can keep talking to the president." Do we think that Trump would stop talking to someone who said, "I agree with the president's account"?
- Here's Ezra Klein on where we stand at this moment in the battle to get a continuing resolution that will fund the government and keep the lights on and the doors open. This story may be obsolete by the time I finish this post and put the whole thing up. Oh, if only we could have a continuing resolution of our continuing resolutions.
- Jonathan Chait notes how little Trump's inaugural address — you know; the one that a bazillion people filled the National Mall to hear — has to do with anything he's done since.
- As Joe Conason notes, polls say that by pretty lopsided margins, Americans view Robert Mueller and his investigation as fair. And they'll continue to feel that way until he tells them something they don't want to believe.
- And lastly for now: Doug Bandow reminds us that Republicans once preached Fiscal Responsibility and said how awful it was that our nation was in debt. Yeah, remember that time? It was any time a Democrat was in the White House.
I have nothing to say about Trump's medical report except that isn't it amazing that we don't even trust it when someone tells us what this guy weighs?