TRUMP'S use of TAX $$ for a POLITCAL RALLY is ILLEGAL & it is UNAMERICAN.

**Centerleftfl** · 07-05-2019, 08:11 AM

Okay, I'll answer the question posed by the article. It is BOTH! One is illegal, the other is a question of CLASS, tradition and the OBVIOUS. Why in the hell does
THIS ONE feel the need to tell the world, we are the biggest and baddest? When one is intelligent, powerful and 'the best', you never need to tell anyone!!

The event, titled "A Salute to America," drew both praise and heavy condemnation in advance. Some spectators were excited to see the military flaunt its equipment and Trump give a speech, while others accused the president of co-opting what was supposed to be a holiday celebrating America's history and national unity.

INTELLIGENCER CHATS
Is Trump’s Fourth of July Spectacle Un-American?

By Benjamin Hart, Sarah Jones, and Eric Levitz

I’m your host, Benjamin Hart, and today I’m talking with Intelligencer writers Sarah Jones and Eric Levitz about President Trump’s latest norm violations.

Ben: The Trump administration is planning what sounds like a jingoistic lovefest at the July 4th parade, an event that will include tanks on, or at least near, the streets, military flyovers, and a rousing speech from President Trump (which will likely devolve into a stump speech). All this has drawn a lot of opprobrium from those who despair that our wannabe-dictator president is planning an event more in keeping with the spirit of North Korea than the United States.

But in a culture in which we revere veterans in a largely unquestioning manner, in which not standing for the national anthem has become a culture-war flash point, in which military spectacle (including flyovers) is tightly wrapped up with our most popular sport — is that criticism actually correct?

Eric: It’s not un-American. Perhaps it’s a bit uncouth.

Sarah: I think that’s exactly the right question to ask. There really isn’t anything un-American about this display at all, at least in my mind; Trump, as he usually does, amplifies rather than invents certain tendencies.

Eric: The military and the police are the only governing institutions that a majority of Americans have “a lot” of confidence in. “Kamala Harris Is a Cop” would probably be a winning general-election slogan.

Ben: What about Trump injecting politics into the proceedings? (I assume he will do so, though it’s not totally clear.) His administration is giving out VIP tickets to RNC donors, which, again, is very unseemly. That to me seems like possibly a bigger violator of norms than the military-hardware stuff.

Sarah: It’s very unseemly, but I’m not sure how much it violates existing norms. Trump didn’t invent corruption or partisanship, either. He’s just open about it all.

Eric: Yeah. Although, all the rules prohibiting the use of government funds for political purposes are kind of silly, in that they proceed from the premise that the president of the United States can, theoretically, give a public speech that is not political. Competently performing the role of head of state — without injecting any partisan vitriol into the mix — would be a savvy political move for Trump...

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/...-american.html

**CFM** · 07-05-2019, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by Centerleftfl

Okay, I'll answer the question posed by the article. It is BOTH! One is illegal, the other is a question of CLASS, tradition and the OBVIOU. Why in the hell does
THIS ONE feel the need to tell the world, we are the biggest and baddest? When one is intelligent, powerful and 'the best', you never need to tell a anyone!!

The event, titled "A Salute to America," drew both praise and heavy condemnation in advance. Some spectators were excited to see the military flaunt its equipment and Trump give a speech, while others accused the president of co-opting what was supposed to be a holiday celebrating America's history and national unity.

INTELLIGENCER CHATS
Is Trump’s Fourth of July Spectacle Un-American?

By Benjamin Hart, Sarah Jones, and Eric Levitz

I’m your host, Benjamin Hart, and today I’m talking with Intelligencer writers Sarah Jones and Eric Levitz about President Trump’s latest norm violations.

Ben: The Trump administration is planning what sounds like a jingoistic lovefest at the July 4th parade, an event that will include tanks on, or at least near, the streets, military flyovers, and a rousing speech from President Trump (which will likely devolve into a stump speech). All this has drawn a lot of opprobrium from those who despair that our wannabe-dictator president is planning an event more in keeping with the spirit of North Korea than the United States.

But in a culture in which we revere veterans in a largely unquestioning manner, in which not standing for the national anthem has become a culture-war flash point, in which military spectacle (including flyovers) is tightly wrapped up with our most popular sport — is that criticism actually correct?

Eric: It’s not un-American. Perhaps it’s a bit uncouth.

Sarah: I think that’s exactly the right question to ask. There really isn’t anything un-American about this display at all, at least in my mind; Trump, as he usually does, amplifies rather than invents certain tendencies.

Eric: The military and the police are the only governing institutions that a majority of Americans have “a lot” of confidence in. “Kamala Harris Is a Cop” would probably be a winning general-election slogan.

Ben: What about Trump injecting politics into the proceedings? (I assume he will do so, though it’s not totally clear.) His administration is giving out VIP tickets to RNC donors, which, again, is very unseemly. That to me seems like possibly a bigger violator of norms than the military-hardware stuff.

Sarah: It’s very unseemly, but I’m not sure how much it violates existing norms. Trump didn’t invent corruption or partisanship, either. He’s just open about it all.

Eric: Yeah. Although, all the rules prohibiting the use of government funds for political purposes are kind of silly, in that they proceed from the premise that the president of the United States can, theoretically, give a public speech that is not political. Competently performing the role of head of state — without injecting any partisan vitriol into the mix — would be a savvy political move for Trump...

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/...-american.html

Trump, alone, has more class than can be mustered by your entire family.

**Heff** · 07-05-2019, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by Centerleftfl

Okay, I'll answer the question posed by the article. It is BOTH! One is illegal, the other is a question of CLASS, tradition and the OBVIOU. Why in the hell does
THIS ONE feel the need to tell the world, we are the biggest and baddest? When one is intelligent, powerful and 'the best', you never need to tell a anyone!!

The event, titled "A Salute to America," drew both praise and heavy condemnation in advance. Some spectators were excited to see the military flaunt its equipment and Trump give a speech, while others accused the president of co-opting what was supposed to be a holiday celebrating America's history and national unity.

INTELLIGENCER CHATS
Is Trump’s Fourth of July Spectacle Un-American?

By Benjamin Hart, Sarah Jones, and Eric Levitz

I’m your host, Benjamin Hart, and today I’m talking with Intelligencer writers Sarah Jones and Eric Levitz about President Trump’s latest norm violations.

Ben: The Trump administration is planning what sounds like a jingoistic lovefest at the July 4th parade, an event that will include tanks on, or at least near, the streets, military flyovers, and a rousing speech from President Trump (which will likely devolve into a stump speech). All this has drawn a lot of opprobrium from those who despair that our wannabe-dictator president is planning an event more in keeping with the spirit of North Korea than the United States.

But in a culture in which we revere veterans in a largely unquestioning manner, in which not standing for the national anthem has become a culture-war flash point, in which military spectacle (including flyovers) is tightly wrapped up with our most popular sport — is that criticism actually correct?

Eric: It’s not un-American. Perhaps it’s a bit uncouth.

Sarah: I think that’s exactly the right question to ask. There really isn’t anything un-American about this display at all, at least in my mind; Trump, as he usually does, amplifies rather than invents certain tendencies.

Eric: The military and the police are the only governing institutions that a majority of Americans have “a lot” of confidence in. “Kamala Harris Is a Cop” would probably be a winning general-election slogan.

Ben: What about Trump injecting politics into the proceedings? (I assume he will do so, though it’s not totally clear.) His administration is giving out VIP tickets to RNC donors, which, again, is very unseemly. That to me seems like possibly a bigger violator of norms than the military-hardware stuff.

Sarah: It’s very unseemly, but I’m not sure how much it violates existing norms. Trump didn’t invent corruption or partisanship, either. He’s just open about it all.

Eric: Yeah. Although, all the rules prohibiting the use of government funds for political purposes are kind of silly, in that they proceed from the premise that the president of the United States can, theoretically, give a public speech that is not political. Competently performing the role of head of state — without injecting any partisan vitriol into the mix — would be a savvy political move for Trump...

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/...-american.html

There was no politics.

**Centerleftfl** · 07-05-2019, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by CFM

Trump, alone, has more class than can be mustered by your entire family.

White trash with all the gilting in the world, will never have CLASS. He is a pretentious fop.

**CFM** · 07-05-2019, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by Centerleftfl

White trash with all the gilting in the world, will never have CLASS. He is a pretentious fop.

Don't be mad about you and your kind not having class. You never could no matter how hard you tried. Some things are simply impossible.

Don't be jealous of your superiors.

**Earl** · 07-05-2019, 08:25 AM

It was not a political rally. It was a love fest for America.

The radical Democrat Socialists hate love fests for America and patriotism.

**Centerleftfl** · 07-05-2019, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by CFM

Don't be mad about you and your kind not having class. You never could no matter how hard you tried. Some things are simply impossible.

Don't be jealous of your superiors.

I'll share a story! 30+ years ago when Trump was starting to come to Florida to buy shit, he rankled all the OLD GUARD of Palm Beach. I had heard a big part of their problem with him was he bought a club and he let in anyone that could pay the fee. Mar A Lago wasn't 'RESTRICTED'. I took it at face value, that's why they 'hated' him! GO DONALD! FAST FORWARD 30 years when the SCUM was running for President. Between NY news sources, Vanity Fair, and Florida papers that dug down to give us his actual dealings here, I realized that Palm Beach elite didn't like him because he was a MANIPULATIVE POS that robbed people blind, FRIVOLOUSLY sued their county over and over and over and didn't pay his bills! (That's the short list.)

Sorry it took me 30 years to know that!