Lots of grandstanding on both sides then.

Pence has every right to do whatever he wants, but I'd also argue that he took an oath to govern the entire country and shouldn't be going out of his way to
publicly take sides on pop culture boolshit, especially when he had to know it was coming and he could've so easily chosen to make any kind of more reasonable, more direct & less infantile response to the issue beforehand.

Love it. I predict comedians are going to have fun next week.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/08/politi...ets/index.html

He wasted at least a quarter million in taxpayer money over a publicity stunt.

His own office mentioned that he had to be at a California fundraiser @6:30, meaning that it was planned in advance.

They supported a man who denigrated John McCain's service and belittled a gold star family. Can't play the patriotism card anymore. Not buying it.

Only one of which is in an official position associated with governing (the whole) country. It's most decidedly not the Government's or it's members job to essentially protest the protest.

I don't care if he speaks out on pop culture shit but don't waste a ton of taxpayer money doing it.

Was Pence even actually at the game!?

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports...est/744447001/

I think we can find precedence where members of government of both parties in the Executive and Legislative branches "protested the protest" in the past.

I would agree that its not government members job to be "full time " (or spend the majority of their time) protesting the protest.

Now if you want to say its wasting tax payers dollars, that is an angle I can maybe support (but don't know all the details yet).

There's another picture of him at the game and he's in different clothes.

The first tweet where he used the picture was sent this morning saying he was excited to go to the game. It's weird to use the same picture but I don't think he was trying to pawn it off as live action.

Some reporters have said they were told to wait outside because Pence wasn't going to be there for long. So if true this was an orchestrated move on his part because he knew Niners would kneel, which is much different than a genuine (which this fucking administration knows nothing about) and spontaneous response to an act that offended his patriotic sensibilities. In other words just as fake as his boss.

This whole thing is like a magician telling you to look over here while they do the trick where you aren't looking. This administration is great at this.

They're purposefully beating this dead horse because it draws the most attention. In the meantime, its less time that people are talking about the failures in Puerto Rico, the failures with repealing Obamacare, the ridiculous tax reform that they are trying to push, and anything else they don't want you scrutinizing too hard.

That's how the Repubs obtained their base and how Trump eventually took over that base as he's been the master of that tactic for decades.

I don't think it's some magic act. His base cares more about the racist stuff than it does anything else.

It’s not the cost of Pence’s trip that was galling. It was the preparation for it. - The Washington Post

So Lindsey Graham tweeted that Trump shot a 73 in windy and wet conditions.

We really are becoming North Korea.

Well, he's certainly had enough practice time.

It was only a 9 hole course :p

It's really really sad isn't it? Who in the world would read that tweet and be like "fuck yeah the Donald tore it up"? Not even republicans could they?

I always look for a conspiracy/other side is it possible Graham was sent out there to golf and told to tweet to stroke his ego and push off World War III for another couple weeks?

Looks like Corker was right about adult day care:

White House aides lean on delays and distraction to manage Trump - POLITICO

Don't worry, he's still focused on the important issues, like seemingly taking to Twitter to change the NFL's tax-exempt status that was already changed two years ago.

From what I've heard, Trump is actually a really good golfer. 73 does not seem improbable if that's true.

And don't forget comparing IQ tests with his Secretary Of State!

Whatever Corker said a couple of days ago about the White House babysitting crew seems doubly true this morning.

It's possible - he appears to be a pretty good golfer, from all accounts ... although I've a feeling he's only logging the better scores for public consumption, the article says as much when it mentions he's only played '20' rounds since 1999 ...

That's a bit like me making a soccer highlight reel from clips of 20 matches over the last 20 years when I play 2-3 matches a week on average, even I manage to do something half decent now and again ;)

How Good is Donald Trump the Golfer? - Golf Digest

PS - There are also various reports that his score recording is a little dubious at times in friendly games which seems self defeating to me tbh, but it would probably be in line with his other public behavior, its obvious he doesn't like to be told he's not been a success at anything.

but then again...

https://www.salon.com/2017/08/02/com...-his-handicap/

Can we just hit fast forward already?

If an overweight, 71 year old man is regularly shooting par, that would be extraordinary.

He is the healthiest person ever elected president.

I also hear he gave up a career as a pro golfer because he wanted to serve his country

I hate it when you misquote the facts. The complete quote.....

"He is the healthiest person on any country ever elected president, wonderful, abundant, health, many doctors have never seen a person in such great, great health"

Tillerson only has one move here, counter challenge Trump to a Billy Madison style academic decathlon.

In the year 2017 Mensa has offered to host an IQ duel between the President of the United States and his Secretary of State.

Seriously?

Really, what the hell is going on?

State Department on Tillerson's IQ: 'It's high' | TheHill

Well, we already covered hand size during the primaries. This is just the next logical step.

“He made a joke. Maybe you guys should get a sense of humor and try it some time,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday.

Says the woman who probably only laughs when small animals are tortured.

And penis size.

How has there been no response yet to Eminems diss?

I have to say though that when this admin makes an obvious joke it is heavily reported on and articles are written and there is mass anger. Obama made a joke and the media would stand there lapping it up like a blushing schoolgirl. I get it... Trump's policies and governing are very sub par and when they do make a joke its like the awkward uncle making a joke at Christmas. But it sure doesn't help with the "fake news" aspect that Trump's followers actually believe in when stuff like the golf score and IQ are "BREAKING NEWS". Go after him for the heavy stuff but just give up trying to bust him on everything its only going to get him reelected. Blame the Russians or other things all you want but Trump's election was partially in part to this lopsided media coverage.

So, you feel that Trump challenging Tillerson to an IQ test after being publicly referred to as a "moron" is a joke?

From a man whose ego is so large that he is tweeting us into WWIII due to name calling of a deranged leader of another nuclear nation?

Obama also had high ranking Cabinet members publicly calling him out as being incompetent? When was that? I forget.

But this is just us being sheeple. Got it. We're definitely the problem here.

The problem is that's the excuse his staff and Trump use all the time to explain away his behavior and tweets. The Tillerson IQ test seemed like a joke to me and more obvious than most, and shame on the media in this case for not realizing that and trying to make a bigger issue out of it. But when you need a staff to explain his every word, then maybe you need to stop with the jokes?

But the thing is-he's not a very good joke teller, and half the time I think he's testing the response to see what he can't get away with/really believes. You are the leader of the free world, maybe save the jokes for private or the Correspondents Dinner (or yeah you won't go to that anymore).

Or maybe it is hard to tell when they are making a joke since so much utter nonsense comes out of the WH.

I think it's more like they are half jokes, half serious. Like when somebody picks on somebody else, then they turn around to whip the bully's ass and they're like "hey, I was just joking man!"

Like that.

I think that sums it up quite well, always leave yourself a two way go. Kind of risky though when you play that game with the maniacal leaders of isolated countries that have nukes.

How do you guys not see this for what it is?

This is How To Be a Bully:101.

A bully pulls as much shit on someone as he thinks he can get away with. When he crosses the line and he gets called into the principals office or to the parent he denies, laughs it off, or says he was just kidding.

Trump has done this exact thing over and over. It's no mystery what it is. He can't help himself. He is a bully who has used his power to bully contractors, women and anyone else he decides isn't worth standing in the same room as he is. He is every bit the asshole that Weinstein is. They are both power hungry, egotistical men out to get people to serve them and damage anyone who dares deny them what they want.

This is no shock. It's not a joke. He's a bully at heart and he can't change who he is.

Yup. Could not have said it better.

Source close to WH tells me Trump was not joking when he said he and Tillerson should compare IQ tests, contrary to comments at briefing.

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 10, 2017

Source: "he spouted off about the IQ test because he was mad." https://t.co/vPuyqIXBYi

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 10, 2017

Anyway, guess I'll just wait to find out whether this one is a joke or not before reacting to it.

With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2017

Same goes for what to think after he decides to nuke North Korea. Wouldn't want to get to upset if it was just a prank rather than something he really meant.

Anyone who voted for Trump because "LIBRUL MEDIAZ SO UNFAIR" was going to vote for Trump anyway.

Excellent Op-Ed by Brian Klaas, a fellow in comparative politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...umn/746119001/