Trump the Autocrat.

[Sparko]

In case anyone cares, here is the transcript of Mueller's testimony from yesterday:

https://www.rev.com/blog/robert-muel...onal-testimony

[carpedm9587]

Not memes. It actually happened, and it was all recorded for posterity. General consensus across party lines is that it was a bad day for Mueller and the Democrats. Only difference is that only one side is happy about it

Oh I'm not disagreeing that Mueller's testimony was a bad idea, as I've already said. It was a political blunder anyone who actually listened to Mueller when he spoke a few weeks ago could have seen coming. What I'm specifically calling out is the various and sundry references from the right to Mueller as some kind of doddering fool. They arise from some serious cherry-picking and looking at various exchanges from a very jaundiced view, AFAICT.

[Cow Poke]

Well, I want to thank you for confirming that you care nothing about those fact thingies you always claim to be waiting for.

What an totally ignorant statement. At least you're consistent!

[Cow Poke]

Were you watching the same thing I was watching? Did you watch the whole thing or just the edited bits on conservative media? There was no one bombshell moment but no one expected that since Mueller was restricted to the confines of the report. But it was damning.

I watched the Democrats respond - and be visibly disappointed by the whole performance.

[Zymologist]

From the 15 minutes that I caught, Mueller looked like he was either distracted or bored, or having trouble paying attention.

He kind of reminded me of myself in a typical work meeting, in other words.

[Cow Poke]

Not that Trump is directly responsible but do you think Trump bears any responsibility at all as the POTUS to use measured words and to make sure his words are accurate?

First, there seems to be an abundance of Jims these days, and I'm trying to be careful not to confuse you for the other two, where hostility has been frequent. I apologize if I've goofed in that area with respect to responding to you.
Second, I have made no secret of the fact that I think somebody should take Trump's Twitter account from him, and I really wish Trump could tone it down.

Next?

[Cow Poke]

Yes, he looked like an elderly gentleman of impeccable manners expecting to be bullied by Republican thugs. And he got what he expected; hence the unsteady voice.

So, he's a very gentlemanly wimp, in your estimation?

[Cow Poke]

Yeah - pretty much. A bunch of cherry-picked snippets from hours of testimony isn't going to cut it. Anyone can be made to look bad by taking their worst moments in 7 hours and gluing them all together. It's a cheap trick and pointless. I saw one or two of these moments and what I saw was a man being very careful about his answers, sometimes appearing to "buy time," as he framed a response, and being careful not to fall into any verbal "traps." The Dems were clearly pandering to him, and the Reps clearly gunning for him. The whole thing was political theater he did NOT want to be part of (and made that clear). He was only there because of a subpoena.

You are representing your echo chamber quite well.

[Cow Poke]

Oh I'm not disagreeing that Mueller's testimony was a bad idea, as I've already said. It was a political blunder anyone who actually listened to Mueller when he spoke a few weeks ago could have seen coming. What I'm specifically calling out is the various and sundry references from the right to Mueller as some kind of doddering fool. They arise from some serious cherry-picking and looking at various exchanges from a very jaundiced view, AFAICT.

I watched a panel of mostly Democrats sadly commenting that this wasn't the Mueller they knew. They were clearly disappointed in his performance, and though the never said "something's wrong with him", that appeared to be the implication.

[Cow Poke]

From the 15 minutes that I caught, Mueller looked like he was either distracted or bored, or having trouble paying attention.

He kind of reminded me of myself in a typical work meeting, in other words.

At a meeting you attend against your better wishes...

[carpedm9587]

You are representing your echo chamber quite well.

Actually - no. First, what you think is my echo chamber (I'm pretty sure) is not really saying much in support of Mueller, and wouldn't be happy to hear me call them "fools" for engaging in this exercise to begin with. Second, I actually don't HAVE an echo chamber. I work pretty hard to make sure I am listening to news and analysis from across the political spectrum - far right to far left. My podcast mix is balanced across the spectrum, from "Pod Save America" on one end to "The Conservative Conscience" on the other, with pretty much everything in between. I follow a variety of people on Twitter, from Trump to Hannity to Obama and even Sanders. And I engage in a variety of fora from right to left, hence my presence here. If I had an "echo chamber," I wouldn't be here.

But I'm fairly sure none of that will be believed, so I'll leave the last word on that topic to you.

[carpedm9587]

I watched a panel of mostly Democrats sadly commenting that this wasn't the Mueller they knew. They were clearly disappointed in his performance, and though the never said "something's wrong with him", that appeared to be the implication.

As I said, I am aware Democrats are disappointed. They should be - they screwed up. But your ability to derive "implications" in an unbiased fashion given the cherry-picked video you just posted, is a bit suspect.

[Sparko]

Actually - no. First, what you think is my echo chamber (I'm pretty sure) is not really saying much in support of Mueller, and wouldn't be happy to hear me call them "fools" for engaging in this exercise to begin with. Second, I actually don't HAVE an echo chamber. I work pretty hard to make sure I am listening to news and analysis from across the political spectrum - far right to far left. My podcast mix is balanced across the spectrum, from "Pod Save America" on one end to "The Conservative Conscience" on the other, with pretty much everything in between. I follow a variety of people on Twitter, from Trump to Hannity to Obama and even Sanders. And I engage in a variety of fora from right to left, hence my presence here. If I had an "echo chamber," I wouldn't be here.

But I'm fairly sure none of that will be believed, so I'll leave the last word on that topic to you.

Oh I actually think you do listen to conservative sources. You just dismiss them.

[JimL]

In spite of your misportrayal, it is not just "on the right" that is characterizing Mueller's testimony in this fashion. Even MSNBC described him as "seem[ing] lost at times." Joy Reid was even trying to spin how an "old and feeble" Mueller was good news for the left since it "makes the Republicans yelling at him look more absurd."

Mueller leads a huge team, he was not a one man show. He was testifying for the whole team who each individually investigated different aspects of the case. He was also under DOJ, i.e Atty Gen Barrs, guidelines which he agreed to abide by which limited what he could and couldn't talk about. That makes for a difficult testimony. But all that doesn't matter, that's just the kind of thing the republicans and their talking head allies want you to focus on, just as you are all doing now, rather than focusing on the actual substance of the testimony. Mueller strongly made the point that the President and his administration was guilty of many crimes, not to mention unethical, unpatriotic behavior. Try focusing on that!

[JimL]

How, precisely, does that confirm your allegations? This appears to be nothing more than typical "ape the other guy's charges in hopes he'll go on the defensive" JimL-speak.

How? Because he is not focused on the facts that Mueller made clear in his testimony, he is focusing on characteristics of Mueller himself.