The strong unitary executive theory was first explicitly mentioned by a sitting President by Reagan, and it defined GW Bush's Presidency, and simultaneously GW Bush's presidency solidified the definition of it - it was a particular pet theory of Cheney, John Yoo, and Scalia. I don't think anything has switched.

Art Schlesinger wrote the book in 1973.

The book was about Nixon :lol:

and LBJ and Truman and Washington


The Imperial Presidency, by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., is a book published in 1973 by Houghton Mifflin. This book details the history of the Presidency of the United States from its conception by the Founding Fathers through the latter half of the 20th century. The author wrote the book out of two concerns: first, that the US Presidency was out of control and second, that the Presidency had exceeded its constitutional limits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Imperial_Presidency

Demonstrably false on three points, Fobble. (Though all points are very heavily, monomaniacally advertised by the nakedly prejudiced and evilly partisan.)

Misogyny? Last I heard, Trump's empire employs, and evidently quite pays, more women than men -- are they fleeing his employ? An honest reading of the Access Hollywood recording shows it is much less misogyny than it is a remark on the sheer power of celebrity -- and that is not a one-sex thing. You will not get an honest reading from Trump's prejudiced persecutors. They're not in it for the honesty. Have you recently seen any pink pussy hats in public?

Racist? Not at all, except in the unethical minds of the vilely prejudiced, so warped as to hardly deserve the name American. It is never, and cannot become, racist to bar access to hostiles from foreign parts, nor is it so to make barriers against people trying their hearts out to, well, downright break in from south of the border. What we're at now *does* have the disadvantage of not striking at the root problems in Central America those people are flying from -- you feel for 'em in their sufferings, but... well, we're not killing the cartels and hanging the corrupt, are we? Without striking the root, we shall not solve the problem up here.

Narcissism doesn't add up to an unforgiveable thing either. The guy's a billionaire tycoon, FFS. Do you really think successful tycoons are going to be as detached as elderly Buddhist monks? What is this? I see no sense.

Old? Realest thing you said. Experienced would be another word -- Ronnie Reagan used it, to effect. All in all, things came out better than some people would credit Ronnie for. Even Trump's unfortunate and essentially anti-American socialist predecessor had a couple bright spots to his tenure -- that's maybe for another (and brief) post.

Declining cognition? Trump's persecutors, actuated by prejudice only and therefore made vile, devoutly hope for it, but he's been medically proven sharp as a tack, pace yourself. He might have good genetics.

He knows the true value of our politicoes, and we do too. It's not as great as they tell us it is. Trump sees pols as essentially a line-item expense in a business model -- unsurprising in a New York real estate billionaire. One who is not enriching himself by the Presidency: Trump's net worth has declined, for reasons well publicized, by 1.2 billion since 2016. He's got it to lose, but the sacrifice answering the country's call is appreciable.

The Trump personal era will span a maximum of eight years. As did those of Obama and Clinton. Thus this Republic allocates spans of power. I consider that the free Republic now needs forty thousand Trumps, greater or lesser, within the Beltway to continue shrinking the Federal footprint and enhance thereby all of the American economy; you know what good effects a good American economy has on that of the world. At least, you should. When the world's making a living, everything else pretty much falls into place. We also want forty million Trumps spread over the American landscape to offset the antilibertarian faction that has grown to infect us. The wannabe oligarchs must fall and be ashes and dust. That way, we get to live. And to love.

Cool, cool. How many kids do I have? What do I do for a living? What do you do for a living?

I sell expensive knives, doing my work in people's kitchens.
That's how I increase the wealth around me -- I sell a knife to make somebody's life that much better. They pay me a commission to sell the knife, but the customer gets to have the knife. They last; people have been known to will their Cutco to a particular heir.

And no remorse over people who bleed to death. http://cellar.org/2012/bwekk.gif





Just kidding.

You forget what Putin, Kim, Erdogan, and Xi use to so easily manipulate him. His ego.

He left the NATO Summit early like a hurt child because American allies made fun of him. He could not even have enough respect for other waiting leaders. Instead he spend 40 minutes with reporters promoting himself. That is his ego.

The Don routinely insults people. And cannot withstand anything as gentle as criticism even about his massive disrespect for all other NATO leaders - who are suppose to be America's closest allies. That was his ego rather than his adult brain; wasting time in a press conference while 28 other leaders waited for him. That is his ego running home in a huff because other allies criticized him - and rightly so.

Canadian Justin Trudeau, UK's Boris Johnson, France's Emmanuel Macron, Netherlands's Mark Rutte and Princess Anne made fun of a guy whose power and support only comes from constantly demeaning others. It was only chiding. He can dish it out is buckets. And cannot even withstand a teaspoon in return.

Meanwhile Kim is testing long range missiles again because Trump will not do anything. And said that was OK. A brain dead president has no strategy - other than to protect his ego and wealth. And actually said all that illegal testing is acceptable for any nation.

Kim is probably building nuclear weapons. The Don will not even answer that question. American foes and adversaries are the good guys. They praise his ego. American allies do not.

The Don promised trade deals with China last October. Anyone who is informed also know even China did not know what he was talking about back then. The Don is making so many bogus demands that trade talks, months overdue, may be on the verge of collapse. At the start of December, he said a deal was almost done. As usual and because of his ego, again, he lied. He now says that deal might happen after November 2020. IOW he admits there will be no deal.

His lies are constant. And in the first day of that NATO Summit, reality hit. NATO leaders said or implied they cannot trust anything that the egotist says.

So yes, he has long been a misogynist, racist, and narcissist. But he did not lose touch with reality. He never had to. His entire history is defined by his own statements. He could murder someone on Fifth Ave and still get elected. Because what he does is loved by people such as KKK, Nazis, and White Supremacists. That is his reality.

Whether a child or a dictator, then wag the dog. He now imposed tariffs on Argentinian and Brazilian steel and aluminum. What was never a problem suddenly is. Turning more friends into adversaries only for personal gain. Which is what impeachment is about. More American friends he disparages so that he will look good to the least educated - extremists. Suddenly right wing extremists are now calling those nations foes. They never were until Trump needed to invent new evil to boost his popularity.

Another American industry has been punished to make a dumb Don popular. We know tariffs only do bad things to business. The American small farm Apple industry is a latest victim.

A scumbag president walked into that NATO Conference praising himself. He took credit for America's reduction of money to NATO - intentionally ignoring that the deal had been negotiated by Obama years ago. No problem. He is preaching to people too brainwashed to learn facts. He said it is true. That proves it must be.

That first day, almost every other NATO leader was criticizing him. French President Emmanuel Macron accurately accused him of lying about America doing a defeat of ISIS. Reality, ISIS still have some 18,000 soldiers, that war is still ongoing, and the fighting was being done by American allies, such as the Kurds. Who he now surrendered to be ethnically cleansed.

"We have captured 100% of the caliphate." Also a lie as anyone who is informed clearly knows. Meanwhile we did not do the fighting. Does not matter to an egotists who is popular because he lies.

Macron also said, "We find ourselves for the first time with an American president who doesn't share our idea of the European project, and American policy is diverging from this project." When it comes to brain dead, well how does a misogynist, racist, and narcissist do any thinking when every decision comes from his ego? Erdogan literally played on that so that America would surrender the Kurds in Syria. Brain dead - except in his ego.

Boris Johnson, in blunt terms, ordered Trump to stay out of UK politics. Trump has no ethics. It explains his entrenched extremist support. Ethics would get in the way of his ego. And result in less extremist support. Trump's open endorsements of Johnson is threatening Johnson in UK polls. Since two-thirds of Brits have that much contempt for The Don. Johnson even refused to shake hands or have his picture taken with The Don. Doing whatever he can to distance himself from that egotist.

Johnson was careful to not be photographed with The Don. He did not even greet Trump and Melania at the door when they arrived at 10 Downing Street.

George Conway, Kellyanne Conway's husband, described that first day in a tweet. Posting "you are the laughingstock of the planet. The world thinks you are an incompetent, ignorant, dumb, deranged buffoon—and they are right. And you prove it to them every day."

Who is next on a list to be fired. That tweet attacks the only thing that matters. His ego.

NATO nations decided to extend NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg's term by two more years. Reasons clearly stated by anonymous NATO officials: Trump. They worry that any change to its leadership in 2020 would mean Trump would subvert NATO leadership. All across NATO, Trump is a greatest concern. All but tried to negotiate Ukraine into Russian hands. Especially since he recently handed to Russia major victories in the Middle East. Russia has clearly replaced America as a major broker - now that Trump surrendered there and sold out key allies.

More brain dead comments at the NATO conference. When asked about US-Russia relationships, he said, "I think it's a good thing to get along with Russia. I go to big stadiums and people like it." When did Russia become a stadium? Why is his popularity relevant to international relations? Ego.

When asked if he supported ongoing protests in Iran, he said he did not want to comment. Then said "No." And then said that he did, in fact, support the protesters. I guess he was looking for some way to promote himself and could not find it.

For some reason, in a meeting with Trudeau, Trump called Committee Chairman Adam Schiff "A maniac. I think Adam Schiff is a deranged human being. I think he grew up with a complex for lots of reasons that are obvious." Guess what was more important than NATO or American relations with Canada.

Meanwhile, who is now threatening to withhold aid to Lebanon. Just another victory for his close friend Vladimir Putin.

Fundamental to NATO is Article 5. It states that if any member of NATO is attacked, then all of NATO will rush to defend that country. No American President has ever contradicted or even questioned Article 5 - until The Don. He said, Article 5 was merely a "question." Then said he was going to discuss that question in the NATO meeting. Another victory for Putin against those evil American allies. And plays right into Erdogan comments. Turkey might not contribute to the defense of Baltic States should his new friend, Russia, attack them. Article 5 is fundamental to everything NATO stands for. So Trump wants to change it.

It was a bad week for NATO. Much of what was decided was to be put off until 2020. For one obvious reason. The Don's ego is considered a serious threat to NATO.

Only extremists would deny all this.

Meanwhile even American White House advisor's jaws reportedly dropped to the floor when The Don said a next NATO meeting would be at Camp David. Why? He ego was so contained that, like a hurt child, he took his 747 and ran home in a huff one day early.

Cloddfobble, anything less than blunt targeted honestly about the scumbag is support for The Don. You were not specific enough. Please be concise in your every comment about this threat to America. And the just as dangerous supporters in The Cellar. Yes, he is a misogynist, racist, and narcissist, braggart, unreliable, untrusted by allies, self centered egotist, surrenders American interests for his own personal gain and ego, violated Article II Section 1 of the US Constitution, and is maybe mentally deranged (based upon definitions in DSM5).

It was a bad week for NATO. The adult child went running home early because others laughed at him.

Yet, despite all that, Ivanka is still looking good which will carry the dirty old man vote in the Electoral College and give The Donald another 4 years.

Re-election seems more likely every day.

I have called every Presidential election since Johnson beat Goldwater when I was in the second grade. And I see four or more years of trump.
I'm Scared.

You guys seem to have forgotten Trump lost the popular vote, winning only because of playing the electoral college. It wouldn't take all that many votes to switch, or just show the fuck up at the polls this time, to bounce him out.

Get a dog.

He’s still losing rural PA.