Watching the Immigration Meeting, and you can see everybody in the room realize they can get the President to agree to anything they want as long as they say nice things about him.
It's like when I coached a t-ball team, except there's a dozen coaches and one player.
He seems so happy. This is all he ever wanted. Presiding over a meeting, hearing compliments, saying things, people nodding in agreement. It's what he thought the job would be. That and parades.
Just got to the Feinstein moment, when the GOPers see that isn't just a dumb show, the President is actually agreeing to things they don't like, and they forget the cameras are there... Amazing.
This may the most revealing thing ever broadcast about the Trump Presidency. The way he so easily assumes the role of Guy In Charge without actually knowing anything about what's being discussed.
He constantly says, "It's easy, go do the thing." And people try to say, "It's not so easy..." and he doesn't understand or care. He told them to go do it, so, go do it.
Everybody should watch it. c-span.org/video/?439527-…
At around :46, Rep Henry Cuellar tries to actually introduce contrary evidence about the wall, is immediately shot down by POTUS, who simply denies it, shifts to praising himself.
At :51, POTUS having answered one press q, calls for another "Yes, ma'am, go ahead."
She says, "Mr President, I'm Senator Hirono from Hawaii.."
Trump: "I know that."
She says, "Mr President, I'm Senator Hirono from Hawaii.."
Trump: "I know that."
I've met this guy. I've worked for this guy. So have you! He (it's an exclusively male type) knows one thing: he's in charge. Anything he says is important. Anything you say is too, if you agree with him.
The upside is that since he doesn't really know or care about the details, and if you let him take the credit for "managing" you, and "delegating," you can do what you want.
That's what he did at the meeting! "You all go negotiate a deal, and whatever it is, I'll sign it." He said that!
But the problem with these types is they can't be contradicted, ever. If he says there has to be a wall, then there has to be a wall.
So the trick to it is promise him the moon, but make sure it's a very vague moon. "Yes, sir, I promise you, it'll be a terrific [vendor/script/building/lunch]. Just as you've asked."
But if he says (eg) "all really fine lunches start with a shrimp cocktail," then whatever else you do, you better make sure it starts with a shrimp cocktail. Afterwards, he'll say: "You see that? People loved the shrimp cocktail. Good job."
I'm going to stop now because I have work to do but that was really amazing.
