According to the Washington Post (paywall), these three words were used earlier this week by a Republican member of Congress to describe the president’s* ridiculous zero tolerance immigration policy. I’d much rather use those very same words to describe the dotard responsible for that policy!

These three words describe his morbidly-obese, laughably-flaccid appearance, his non-existent capacity for empathy and his perversely-distorted world view.

MAGA my a**…

Richard Wolffe’s opinion piece in The Guardian (looming paywall) describes a shameful Trump-induced humanitarian crisis as being far from over. Thousands of immigrant children dispersed all over the country, some arguably separated from their parents with little or no hope of reunification. Shameful indeed…

Factors? Consider the harsh reality of stagnating wages, the spiraling cost of a college degree and the unintended consequences of relentlessly chasing cheap labor and raw materials around the globe. Overt racism rearing its ugly head once again. A retreat toward tribalism where an overly-simplistic delineation between ‘us’ & ‘them’ soothes a myriad of perceived socioeconomic slights for the slighted. Try reconciling a rising sense of entitlement fully-embraced by the “…what’s in it for me?” crowd, (a.k.a. indulgent Baby Boomers, disenchanted ‘X’ers and beleaguered Millennials), with an administration that doesn’t uphold contracts, social or otherwise…

…any wonder why Cheeto-in-Chief™ desperately seeks someone to blame?!

The Editorial Board of the New York Times (paywall) berated the administration for treating the children of asylum-seekers as political pawns in yet another attempt to portray the United States as some sort of hip nightclub granting entrance to certain Slovenian prostitutes possessing an ‘extraordinary ability’ while denying entrance to the truly deserving.

…by making the immigration topic even more radioactive, Mr. Trump has made a rational legislative debate much less likely.

Hmmm… Maybe I ought to add radioactive to repugnant, reprehensible and repulsive!

First, a primer on the term “American exceptionalism”. OK, now that you’re familiar with the concept, wouldn’t you agree we have a remarkably unexceptional person in the White House?

Susan B. Glasser speculates in The New Yorker (paywall):

The President appears to have no agenda for his desired summit [with Putin] beyond the wish that it take place…

Glasser notes Trump’s affinity for despots and general disdain for our nation’s former allies, wondering why few Republicans are willing to challenge the vitriol being pedaled by the president*.

New York Times (paywall) columnist Maureen Dowd laments the preponderance of psychopaths in Washington, a claim now backed up by a recent study conducted by Southern Methodist University. Yikes!

Orange with envy – The Guardian (looming paywall) on why “…haters gonna hate…”

And I’ll close with what inspired today’s title – an article from the Washington Post (paywall), describing what one physician observed at an immigrant detention center in Texas, where children are being forcibly separated from their parents, sigh…

“America is better than this.”

Well, we used to be better than this. Not any more. America has entered an entirely unexceptional era, fueled by the misguided judgement – and policies – of an entirely unexceptional president*.

A link to .PDF version of today’s poster here.

Yeah, couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person either – in today’s New York Times (paywall) we read Paul Manafort was jailed as a result of violating the terms of his bail agreement. What an idiot! OK, so now that he’s in jail, let’s hope he stays there for a long, long time!
Meanwhile, Scott Pruitt continues to demonstrate his talent as a petty grifter, with the New York Times (paywall) revealing even more illegal behavior, (this time favors for his ridiculously-named daughter, McKenna, and prized tickets to the Rose Bowl). OK, I have to pause and ask the question… Who the f*ck names their child McKenna? What kind of pretentious moniker is that? No, you don’t get to use daddy’s job to pave your way into law school. …and daddy needs to cough up some real cash for those tickets too!

I don’t typically cite buzzy, online news sources, but I’m going to make an exception today. First, an excellent piece from Slate, making the case for choosing one’s words carefully when objectively reporting on this pathetic administration’s numerous – and embarrassing – foibles. A few tips:

1. Don’t reinforce the message. Avoid the linguistic traps being laid down before you. No, you can’t substitute the word “tough” for “murderous”. Say “murderer” when referring to the tyrant running North Korea, not “tough guy”.
2. When an administration spokesperson spits another bald-faced lie out into the world, call it a “lie”. Better yet, stop repeating the lies altogether – remove some of the oxygen from the room, so-to-speak. If lies are all that’s coming out of the White House, then just go silent and rob those lyin’ sons-a-bitches of an audience.
3. This is an extraordinarily weak president. Weak, weak, weak. Overweight, out of shape, dim-witted, mean-spirited. Describe him that way. Besides, you’ll be doing everyone a favor by reporting the truth!

The second article appeared in New York Magazine – not one of my typical sources, to be sure, though I’ll admit to being mildly intrigued by the author’s claim we’re all living in some bizarre alternate reality. Consider:

1. The president* believes Canada’s milk exports are a national security threat.
2. The president* believes North Korea doesn’t present a nuclear threat any more.
3. The president* believes sabotaging the ACA will lead to lower premiums.
4. The president* believes climate change is a hoax.
5. The president* believes Democrats colluded with the Kremlin to rig the election.

Who in their right mind would agree with any of these ridiculous assertions? Nobody with an IQ above 80, that’s for sure…

Link to .PDF version of today’s poster here.