Media Bubbles

A glance at Memeorandum demonstrates a problem that we’ve mentioned numerous times over the years.

The Link Between Trump And The Tea Party

Trumpism is a direct by-product of the poisonous populism of the Tea Party movement, and they’ve both taken over the Republican Party.

Let’s Face It, Donald Trump Is A Pathological Liar

Donald Trump has been in office just over 600 days, and he’s proven beyond any doubt that he doesn’t care if what he says is the truth or not.

Trump Administration Pressured National Park Service To Edit Inauguration Day Photos

A new report says that the Trump Administration lobbied the National Park Service to edit photos of the crowd at President Trump’s Inauguration.

Washington Bids Farewell To John McCain

Washington said farewell to John McCain today in a service that both remembered his spirit and his heroism, and stands as a sharp rebuke to what politics has been reduced to in America today.

New Reading Environment?

Social media has altered the way writers and readers interact in odd ways.

Mike Pence Used To Think Presidential Morality Mattered

There was a time when Mike Pence believed that a President’s personality morality and trustworthiness mattered. He clearly doesn’t believe that anymore.

Trump Is Still Lying, And The Truth Is Still Dying

The frequency and ease with which this President lies is, to say the least, alarming.

Trump’s Top Financial Man Called To Testify Before Grand Jury

The man who knows all of Donald Trump’s financial secrets has been called to testify before the Grand Jury investigating Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.

E.P.A. Administrator Scott Pruitt Resigns

After months of allegations regarding improper use of taxpayer dollars and the use of agency resources and personnel for personal needs, he is finally out.

Michael Cohen Sends A Shot Across Trump’s Bow

In a new interview, former Trump attorney and ‘fixer’ Michael Cohen gives the strongest signal yet that he’s ready to cooperate with investigators.

Canada Is One Step Closer To Marijuana Legalization

Pending the mere formality of approval by the Governor-General, Canada will soon become the largest nation in the world where recreational use of marijuana is legal.

John Kelly Has Basically Given Up Trying To Manage Trump

John Kelly is nearing the end of his first year as White House Chief of Staff, and it’s becoming apparent that his mission to bring order to a disordered White House has failed.

Corruption, Thy Name is ‘Trump’

Both President Trump and Ivanka Trump are profiting handsomely from their time in the White House.

Trump Routinely Shreds Documents He’s Required to Preserve

The President tears up every piece of paper he touches. A whole department is taping them back together for the National Archives.

Trump Administration Still Won’t Commit To Putting Harriet Tubman On The $20 Bill

The plan to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill appears to be running up against President Trump’s bizarre affinity for Andrew Jackson.

The Presidency Of Exhaustion

More than a decade ago, Donald Trump revealed one of his secrets to success. Exhaust your enemies. It explains much of what has happened since he took office.

Giuliani Admits “Spygate” Allegations Meant To Undermine Russia Investigation

With the President’s “Spygate” allegations standing largely discredited, his attorney and at the moment chief spokesperson Rudy Giuliani admits that the entire conspiracy theory was created to discredit the Mueller investigation.

Donald Trump’s Deplorable Memorial Day Tweet

Donald Trump chose to mark Memorial Day by talking about himself.

WordPress Commenting Bug: Name Field Edition

If you have a non-alphanumeric character in your name, your comment goes into moderation.

Mike Pence Thinks A Year Is Long Enough For The Russia Investigation

Mike Pence’s obsequiousness to his master knows no limits.

McCain Doesn’t Want Trump At His Funeral

John McCain continues to bravely battle an aggressive form of brain cancer, but he’s already made clear that he doesn’t want the 45th President of the United States at his funeral.

Trump Knew About Payment To Stormy Daniels Before He Denied Knowing About It

The facts in the Stormy Daniels affair continue to move in a direction that doesn’t look good for the President.

Trump Continues To Lie, The Truth Continues To Die

President Trump has told an astonishingly large number of lies since taking office.

The Case Of Trump’s Strange Doctor Just Gets Stranger

Remember Donald Trump’s strange doctor? Well, things just got stranger;.

Report Says John Kelly Called Trump An “Idiot.”

More signs of tension between President Trump and his Chief of Staff.

Ronny Jackson Unlikely To Return To Duty As President’s Doctor

Despite the fact that President Trump’s continues to praise him, Ronny Jackson will not be returning to the White House as the President’s personal physician.

John Kelly Headed To Veterans Affairs?

President Trump may be looking to push Chief of Staff John Kelly aside by giving him a next to impossible job.

RedState Purges Trump Critics

There has been a massive layoff at the Republican website. Everyone who criticized the President is gone.

Ronny Jackson Withdraws Nomination As Veterans Affairs Secretary

Not unexpectedly, Ronny Jackson has withdrawn his nomination to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

OTB Goes Secure

Overnight, we moved to content encryption. Here’s what that means for you.

The Perks Of Being A Friend Of Vladimir

Membership has its privileges.

Server Move 9-10pm Eastern

Expect possible down time, site wonkiness.

Trump Unloads A Tweetstorm On The Eve Of James Comey’s Book Tour

President Trump is on the attack against James Comey as the former F.B.I. Director begins his book tour.

Trump Job Approval Improves Slightly, But It’s Still Historically Low

President Trump’s job approval numbers remain historically low.

Trump Supporters Surprised To Find That Donald Trump Is Acting Like Donald Trump

In the wake of the latest attack on Syria, some of the President’s strongest supporters seem shocked to discover that the unprincipled egomaniac they supported is, in fact, an unprincipled egomaniac.

There Literally Is A Trump Tweet For Everything

For every Trump tweet, there is literally something that says exactly the opposite.

OTB’s Engage Feed

You many have noticed the array of images and links under the footer of post pages. Here’s what it is.

The Continuing Humiliation Of John Kelly

After eight months in office, the pressures on Chief of Staff John Kelly continue to mount under a President who cannot be controlled and whose behavior will not change.

Confirmation Bias, Hidden Agendas, and the Challenges of Conversation

A blog post and resulting Twitter exchange point to a larger problem in our political dialog.

David Shulkin Insists He Was Fired, That Could Be Legally Significant

The Trump Administration says David Shulkin resigned as Veterans Affairs Secretary. Shulkin says he was fired. Which one of them is right could be legally significant, but probably won’t ever be heard in Court.

Toensing and diGenova will not Join Trump Legal Team

So, not conspiracy theory lawyer after all.

Republicans Are Failing The Profiles In Courage Test

Profiles in courage? With Republicans in the Trump Era, it’s more like profiles in cowardice.

Trump’s Attorney Has Been Trying To Keep Stormy Daniels Quiet Since At Least 2011

New reports indicate that Donald Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen has been involved in efforts to keep Stormy Daniels from telling her story for at least the past seven years.

Stormy Daniels Interview To Air On 60 Minutes On March 25th

The Stormy Daniels/Donald Trump story will break open wide on 60 Minutes next weekend.

To Ban or Not to Ban

On OTB’s subjective, inconsistent enforcement of its policies designed to promote civil discussion.

Site Notes

The microdevelopment of the site continues apace.

John Burgess, 1947-2016

I’ve made the sad discovery that longtime friend of the blog John Burgess passed away on February 16, 2016.

Quick Takes?

Does OTB’s Quick Takes section still serve a useful purpose?

Ben Carson Spends $31,000 On A Dining Room Table For His Office

Ben Carson has expensive taste in office furniture.