The unrestrained, raging, delusional narcissist-in-chief

benfell

Updates

  1. Originally published, March 21, 1:46 pm.
  2. March 21, 7:47 pm:
  3. March 22, 1:08 am:
    • There is another new research journal entry, entitled, “Theory.”
  4. March 22, 8:20 pm:
    • One of Uber’s self-driving cars made a boo-boo and Jalopnik’s Patrick George, in a blistering opinion piece, says its program should be shut down.[1] The trouble is that it needs to get these things running before venture capitalists turn off the taps. And “[t]rue to form, Uber cut corners before the Tempe accident,” writes a somewhat more temperate Michael Coren, who fears that a few more incidents like this could threaten the entire autonomous vehicle industry.[2]
    • And now H. R. McMaster is out, to be replaced by John Bolton.[3] (Donald Trump)
  5. March 23, 2018, 2:22 pm:
    • Apparently, Donald Trump did approve his now ex-lawyer’s statement calling for the Mueller probe to end.[4] Also unsurprising and hardly an original insight: Trump will hang himself. (James Comey)

James Comey

On March 17, I critiqued the headline on a Hill article, saying,

For an article that cites the outrage of four Democrats, James Comey obliquely, and John Brennan, the Hill attaches the headline, “McCabe firing roils Washington.”[5] Funny, I thought Washington, D.C., was a bigger place than that, and that it had a few Republicans.[6]

Now, albeit a little slow off the mark, we’re hearing from Republicans. But it should be clear to everyone by now that it is folly to speak for Donald Trump or to try to forecast that he will not do what, virtually unanimously, everyone else, that is, outside the Faux News bubble, tells him not to do. So if you trust Republican, including White House, assurances that Trump will not fire Mueller,[7] I have a bridge to sell you.

Alexander Bolton, “GOP leaders to Trump: Leave Mueller alone,” Hill, March 20, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/379419-gop-leaders-to-trump-leave-mueller-alone

Niall Stanage, “Republicans fear disaster if Trump fires Mueller,” Hill, March 20, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/the-memo/379230-the-memo-republicans-fear-disaster-if-trump-fires-mueller

Melanie Zanona, “Ryan: I’ve ‘received assurances’ Mueller won’t be fired,” Hill, March 20, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/house/379289-ryan-ive-received-assurances-mueller-wont-be-fired

Brett Samuels, “Outgoing lawyer says Trump approved statement calling for end to Mueller probe,” Hill, March 22, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/379876-trump-approved-of-lawyers-statement-calling-for-end-to-mueller-probe

Donald Trump

For me, there are two critical points in Eric Levitz’s essay. First, he points out that Donald Trump is less restrained than ever before. Second, he shows how events have moved in the opposite direction from my expectation that come August, Republicans will be in a full panic about their prospects come November, and will move to, some way, somehow, get Trump out. This second point is a judgment call—and he acknowledges this.[8] But at this juncture, I not only cannot tell you he’s wrong but must acknowledge that as the “adults in the room” leave the administration, prospects for a 25th amendment “solution,” in which the vice president and cabinet declare Trump unfit, grow dimmer.

Eric Levitz, “Donald Trump Has Never Been More Dangerous Than He Is Now,” New York, March 21, 2018, http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/03/donald-trump-has-never-been-more-dangerous-than-he-is-now.html

John T. Bennett, “Trump Replaces McMaster With Hawkish Bolton,” Congressional Quarterly Roll Call, March 22, 2018, https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/trump-replaces-mcmaster-hawkish-bolton/

Uber

Uber’s dicey reputation makes it likely that the entire industry could slam on the brakes with only a few more bad incidents, argues Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina, who studies the implications of autonomous vehicles. “This incident [an accident killing a homeless woman in Tempe, Arizona] was uncomfortably soon in the history of automated driving,” writes Smith. “In the United States, there’s about one fatality for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled, and automated vehicles are nowhere close to reaching this many real-world miles. This arguably first fatality may not tell us much statistically, but neither is it reassuring.”[9]

Michael J. Coren, “Uber’s need for self-driving cars before running out of money may endanger the entire industry,” Quartz, March 21, 2018, https://qz.com/1233951/ubers-need-to-deploy-self-driving-cars-before-it-runs-out-of-money-may-endanger-the-entire-industry/

Patrick George, “Uber Has No Damn Business Testing Self-Driving Cars,” Jalopnik, March 22, 2018, https://jalopnik.com/uber-has-no-damn-business-testing-self-driving-cars-1823982487

  1. [1]Patrick George, “Uber Has No Damn Business Testing Self-Driving Cars,” Jalopnik, March 22, 2018, https://jalopnik.com/uber-has-no-damn-business-testing-self-driving-cars-1823982487↩
  2. [2]Michael J. Coren, “Uber’s need for self-driving cars before running out of money may endanger the entire industry,” Quartz, March 21, 2018, https://qz.com/1233951/ubers-need-to-deploy-self-driving-cars-before-it-runs-out-of-money-may-endanger-the-entire-industry/↩
  3. [3]John T. Bennett, “Trump Replaces McMaster With Hawkish Bolton,” Congressional Quarterly Roll Call, March 22, 2018, https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/trump-replaces-mcmaster-hawkish-bolton/↩
  4. [4]Brett Samuels, “Outgoing lawyer says Trump approved statement calling for end to Mueller probe,” Hill, March 22, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/379876-trump-approved-of-lawyers-statement-calling-for-end-to-mueller-probe↩
  5. [5]Max Greenwood, “McCabe firing roils Washington,” Hill, March 17, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/news/378971-mccabe-firing-roils-washington↩
  6. [6]David Benfell, “Justice cannot prevail when, as it has, ideology displaces inquiry,” (Supposedly) Daily Bullshit, March 18, 2018, https://parts-unknown.org/reading/2018/03/18/justice-cannot-prevail-when-as-it-has-ideology-displaces-inquiry/↩
  7. [7]Alexander Bolton, “GOP leaders to Trump: Leave Mueller alone,” Hill, March 20, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/379419-gop-leaders-to-trump-leave-mueller-alone; Niall Stanage, “Republicans fear disaster if Trump fires Mueller,” Hill, March 20, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/the-memo/379230-the-memo-republicans-fear-disaster-if-trump-fires-mueller; Melanie Zanona, “Ryan: I’ve ‘received assurances’ Mueller won’t be fired,” Hill, March 20, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/house/379289-ryan-ive-received-assurances-mueller-wont-be-fired↩
  8. [8]Eric Levitz, “Donald Trump Has Never Been More Dangerous Than He Is Now,” New York, March 21, 2018, http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/03/donald-trump-has-never-been-more-dangerous-than-he-is-now.html↩
  9. [9]Michael J. Coren, “Uber’s need for self-driving cars before running out of money may endanger the entire industry,” Quartz, March 21, 2018, https://qz.com/1233951/ubers-need-to-deploy-self-driving-cars-before-it-runs-out-of-money-may-endanger-the-entire-industry/↩

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