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People who know Trump said the same things Woodward said about Trump long before the man was elected. People have continued to say the same things after he was elected.
I haven't read "Fear" yet, but I'm sure Woodward only explained in minute detail some incidents that show just how unstable and unfit for his office our President is.
I have read several of his earlier books, and they are all the same; he always goes into great specifics and detail, and time has always proven the events he described as being true.
Woodward does go off-track sometimes when he makes assumptions or predictions, but his facts always come first-hand, from direct interviews with the people he questions. He checks their accuracy, compares what one person says to another person's, and uses all the best journalist's methods of digging out the truth as can be found.
He always records his interviews while taking notes at the same time, always records the time and place, and his subjects all know this up-front before it ever begins. Whenever possible, Woodward likes to have a 3rd person who observes silently and takes notes. This is sometimes one of his staff, or sometimes one of the subject's staff.
His subjects are all interviewed several times, and on request, Woodward sends copies of the interview to them. Or discussed it on the phone with them, after the last interview. Truth lies in consistency of testimony.
When he makes assumptions, he says so, and does not claim they're true; he expects they will be eventually found to be true.
Sometimes he has been wrong in them, but most times, he's been right.
This is why he has 2 Pulitzers, many best-sellers, and the best reporter's reputation that can be gained. Part of that reputation comes from protecting his sources. His sources aren't all anonymous, but if they choose to be, he protects them, and he keeps his sources secret forever.
All good reporters do just the same. It's an integral part of keeping our press free.
Do people remember the large number of "never-Trumpers" there were in the Republican Party, many in elected positions, during the 2016 campaign? When Trump got the nomination, most of them receded into the background, because he was their only chance of continuing the republican charade.
But it's likely that Woodward has talked to a lot of them and they may be many of his anonymous sources. If they were identified now, they'd lose a lot of supporters. Later, they might be pleased to be identified as enemies of Trump. In fact, it's going to be entertaining in the future, how many of them will claim to have been his enemies, all along. I'm thinking of one in particular, close to home here, who may have been the only avowed Trump supporter among elected politicians, above the city and county level, in our entire state.
To our shame in Oregon, almost the entire, sparsely-populated eastern half is redneck country, which is why we have him among our otherwise democratic congressional contingent.
Do people remember the large number of "never-Trumpers" there were in the Republican Party, many in elected positions, during the 2016 campaign? When Trump got the nomination, most of them receded into the background, because he was their only chance of continuing the republican charade.
But it's likely that Woodward has talked to a lot of them and they may be many of his anonymous sources. If they were identified now, they'd lose a lot of supporters. Later, they might be pleased to be identified as enemies of Trump. In fact, it's going to be entertaining in the future, how many of them will claim to have been his enemies, all along. I'm thinking of one in particular, close to home here, who may have been the only avowed Trump supporter among elected politicians, above the city and county level, in our entire state.
To our shame in Oregon, almost the entire, sparsely-populated eastern half is redneck country, which is why we have him among our otherwise democratic congressional contingent.
There is a long "verbatim" conversation ( in the sense that there are specific quotes attributed to Steve Bannon and David Bossy--two names that should be very familiar to people who are following the crash and burn of American democracy and the traditional Republican Party) in the first part of "Fear" where David Bossy takes Steve Bannon to meet Donald Trump for the first time--well before 2016--
To see if Bannon and Bossy think they can make Trump into a viable candidate for the GOP nomination--
They wanted him to run against Obama's 2nd term
One of them had to have talked to Woodward about that event--maybe both...
Trump is quoted as well and numerous issues that were not favorable to Trump making a run for the nomination were listed and discussed...
I note that neither Bannon nor Bossy have claimed they were misquoted or not interviewed by Woodward...
Anyone who has read some history of WW2 knows the lable "Quisling"...and how it became a metaphor for a traitorous syncophant...
I wonder what the term will be for Trump lovers after Mueller has exposed this school of remoras...
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Published on Sep 16, 2018Bob Woodward, author of the best-selling book, "Fear: Trump in the White House," explains why he uses anonymous and confidential sources in his reporting and why the American public should be concerned about the chaos that surrounds President Donald Trump.
Then go to the polls this Fall and think about GOP apologists.
Wow. Just wow.
Thank you for posting this. It's terrifying to think so much power is in the hands of someone who simply and steadfastly refuses to believe facts, probably because they contradict the BS he hears continuously from Fox and Breitbart and Alex Jones.
We've been lucky we haven't had anything like a 911 or a 2008 financial meltdown since he's been in office. I shudder to think how, to quote Tillerson, "a f-ing moron" would react. I hold the Republican Congress (who, after almost two years of dealing with him, know Woodward's account is accurate) directly responsible for putting the country in harm's way by sitting by and doing nothing. I hope their tax cut was worth it.
Since the 2 Generals have straight up said their quotes were made up I have little reason to believe it's anything but bought and paid for propaganda, and anonymous sources, as used in today's world, are just another way of saying "I can make this up and you can't prove otherwise". I'll probably read it once Trump is out of office though.
See, he's doing a better job than anyone has in decades and he's the biggest cheerleader America has had in my lifetime....while also not being in collusion with Russia or a crazy racist or any of those other ists and isms people like to pin on him. Basically he's a good POTUS and the country is benefiting from him being in office. But it wasn't part of "the plan" so it's thrown powerful people into a tailspin and the common folk are being played.
Re the "never Trumpers"
I thought Graham was one of those -- he has certainly changed his POV re Sessions lately
Kascish has kept to his opposition pretty much
But Trump would not hire anyone for the WH who WAS a never-Trumper
If they were suggested for a post and given a tacit OK but discovered to have said negative things about Trump they were out
Nikki Haley is the only one I can really think of who managed to be anti-Trump pre election, then be wooed by Trump, given a high role, and still be in it after this long...
And she has disagreed several times w/WH foreign policy or Trump's tweeted policy and gotten away with it
Thank you for posting this. It's terrifying to think so much power is in the hands of someone who simply and steadfastly refuses to believe facts, probably because they contradict the BS he hears continuously from Fox and Breitbart and Alex Jones.
We've been lucky we haven't had anything like a 911 or a 2008 financial meltdown since he's been in office. I shudder to think how, to quote Tillerson, "a f-ing moron" would react. I hold the Republican Congress (who, after almost two years of dealing with him, know Woodward's account is accurate) directly responsible for putting the country in harm's way by sitting by and doing nothing. I hope their tax cut was worth it.
We had 3 hurricanes in 3 separate geozones and Puerto Rico had a death toll as significant as 9/11...
I think counts as a significant event that Trump failed to deal with appropriately...
He won't even acknowledge it happened
And his FEMA head is backing him up because that is to LONG'S benefit as much as Trump's...
We had 3 hurricanes in 3 separate geozones and Puerto Rico had a death toll as significant as 9/11...
I think counts as a significant event that Trump failed to deal with appropriately...
He won't even acknowledge it happened
And his FEMA head is backing him up because that is to LONG'S benefit as much as Trump's...
You're right, I had forgotten about Puerto Rico. I think many Americans don't realize how bad things still are down there. Which in itself is a real travesty.
We had 3 hurricanes in 3 separate geozones and Puerto Rico had a death toll as significant as 9/11...
I think counts as a significant event that Trump failed to deal with appropriately...
He won't even acknowledge it happened
And his FEMA head is backing him up because that is to LONG'S benefit as much as Trump's...
BS, I'll wager that most of those "3,000" can be found on the welfare rolls in Florida. How the hell did PR not know that that many people died until a year later ? To lazy to count them or just needed the headlines to get more aid ? Just read where they found a bunch of water sitting in the airport that the locals were too lazy to distribute.
I finished reading Fear on Saturday night. I inhaled it over a 3-day period.
I love the last sentence of the book, which pretty much sums up Trump. It's from Trump's former lawyer John Dowd:
"He's a f***cking liar."
Enough said.
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