Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #46

Tuesday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #45

Natalie Dickinson writes for Occupy Democrats: "Dan Rather just wrote an urgent L'Orange post, 'We will answer to future generations.'" Here is his post:

At some points words fail, or they are starting to fail me. We have an Administration in freefall. Have we passed through the circle of chaos? Are we at the circle of havoc?

The real Overlord L'Orange has stood up, once again. Let no one ever be fooled. Let there be no doubt. The man who sends out a twitter tirade accusing a former President of crimes for which he provides no evidence, the man who doubles down when everyone with any sense pushes back, that man is our Commander in Chief.

Every one who normalizes Mr. L'Orange now, or has in the past, will have to answer to future generations for their acquiescence, silence or sophistry—if, indeed, not outright cowardice.

How hollow do all those pundit plaudits (including from many progressives) sound now for an average and disingenuous speech of someone else’s words read from a teleprompter to Congress and the nation a week ago?

A “presidential” L'Orange is a punchline to a joke no one wants to have told. Conspiracy theories are corrosive in society at large. When they dictate national policy, they can be lethal.

This is a man who challenged the citizenship of President Obama, with lies, innuendo, and no evidence. This is a man who claimed widespread voter fraud with lies, innuendo, and no evidence. This is a man who has taken a rhetorical blowtorch to our Constitutional principles with lies, innuendo, and no evidence.

Those who rose in Congress to applaud his turns of phrase bear responsibility. Those who cynically use his presidency to push forward unpopular giveaways to the rich and well connected bear responsibility. Those in the press who meet insults with explanations bear responsibility.

Even the most grounded of presidents must fight to keep themselves moored to the real world. The Oval Office can be a bubble. Power attracts sycophants and cynics. But I have never seen anything like this. The sheer level of paranoia that is radiating out of the White House is untenable to the workings of a republic.

I have a real question if President L'Orange actually believes what he is saying. Even Richard Nixon, the most paranoid president to date, ruled for years with a relatively calm hand. This Administration has been an off kilter whirlwind since the inauguration, and news reports suggest that seething anger from Mr. L'Orange is only getting worse. There is a growing consensus that the President may be “unhinged.” It’s a serious allegation, but even if it is not the case, Mr. L'Orange only has himself to blame.

To call a drama Shakespearean or operatic is usually an overreach. But I imagine artists of the future, and even the present, will find ample inspiration in our moment in history. Doesn’t Steve Bannon strike you as an Iago whispering in the ear of an Othello-like L'Orange, consumed by jealousy and paranoia?

As the questions mount around Russia, as the circles of defense begin to falter, the determination to create diversions will escalate. But if the President hoped he could create a distraction, I think he misjudged the will of the American people. We have woken. We are paying attention. And we love our country too much to let it falter without a fight.

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #44

Sh*t is hitting the fan today.

James Devinne writes for Occupy Democrats: "A Republican Senate Judiciary member just gave L'Orange terrible wiretap news." And: "Anyone who respects the sovereignty of this country and the dignity of the office of President should strongly support Sen. Sasse’s call for Mr. L'Orange to, in the service of full transparency, order the release of the FISA authorization. It is only a matter of time before L'Orange's web of lies begins to collapse and the full extent of his treason is exposed."

Brett Bose writes for Occupy Democrats: "L'Orange just gave the press disturbing news regarding his Russian wiretaps." And: "Having implicated himself in the Russia investigation, L'Orange's staffers are now scrambling to figure out their options and it seems they’ve gone for a media blackout. What’s worse is the administration is trying to blame this on former President Obama, arguing that there may have been a political motive behind the wiretaps. This behavior is reminiscent of a child caught stealing a cookie and trying to pretend like it never happened, except that this child just happens to be the President."

Grant Stern writes for Occupy Democrats: "The F.B.I. just shot down L'Orange's claims that Obama ordered his wiretaps." And: "The New York Times reports that controversial FBI Director James Comey just made a very public move to shut down President L'Orange's outrageous allegations against President Obama in an early morning tweetstorm this weekend."

"The F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, asked the Justice Department this weekend to publicly reject President L'Orange's assertion that President Barack Obama ordered the tapping of Mr. L'Orange's phones, senior American officials said on Sunday. Mr. Comey has argued that the highly charged claim is false and must be corrected, they said, but the department has not released any such statement."

"Mr. Comey made the request on Saturday after Mr. L'Orange leveled his allegation on Twitter. Mr. Comey has been working to get the Justice Department to knock down Mr. L'Orange's claim because there is no evidence to support it and it insinuates that the F.B.I. broke the law, the officials said."

Grant Stern writes for Occupy Democrats: "CNN just confirmed a major part of L'Orange's Russian blackmail dossier." And: "CNN’s Jim Acosta just reported that former L'Orange foreign policy advisor J.D. Gordon told him that it was Overlord L'Orange himself who ordered the abrupt change in language to the Republican Party’s official policy platform regarding the Russian Federation’s invasion of the Ukraine, the annexation of the Crimean peninsula, and support for the pro-Moscow 'rebels' in Donetsk and Luhansk."

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #43

I'm recovering from the flu and have fallen behind this week, but here is today's news (BIGLY news):

Brett Bose writes for Occupy Democrats: "L'Orange just implicated himself in Russia collusion investigation with his own Tweets." And: "President L'Orange definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. The president unleashed a barrage of tweets early Saturday morning that are going to come back to haunt him in a big way."

"In a petulant tantrum, President L'Orange openly accused President Obama of 'wiretapping L'Orange Tower before his election victory, calling it 'McCarthyism.'”

Colin Taylor writes for Occupy Democrats: "Dan Rather just said what we're all thinking about L'Orange's wiretap scandal." And: "Today, President L'Orange was hoisted by his own petard when his Twitter attacks on President Obama backfired in a spectacular way."

"By accusing President Obama of wiretapping L'Orange Tower during October 2016, he inadvertently appeared to confirm the existence of a suspected Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant that provided for the monitoring of communications out of L'Orange's campaign headquarters (which were based in L'Orange Tower so that L'Orange could funnel campaign funds into his own pocket) due to suspected collusion with Russian agents."

"Legendary journalist Dan Rather took to Facebook this afternoon to share his thoughts on the events in a heartfelt and thought-provoking essay:"

It is understandable that Overlord L'Orange's twitter attack on President Obama early this morning would immediately be consumed by the churning political hurricane that is America today.

The deepening divisions that are pulling at the fabric of our nation are on raw display. On one side we see understandable outrage, with many questioning the mental fitness of our Commander and Chief. On the other side we see L'Orange's allies rallying under their shared hatred of our previous President.

Perhaps it is my age or experience, but I feel no schadenfreude or eagerness to say, “I told you so.” I feel only a deep and abiding sadness. This is my country that I love with all my heart. We are a weakened nation, in our own estimation, and that of the world. If this was happening in some distant land, we would shake our heads and thank our lucky stars that we are Americans. But this nightmare is happening here, and we have no choice but to confront that disorientating truth.

My reporter’s instincts make me wonder at L'Orange's actions. It has the feeling of a classic smokescreen. What is he hiding? Is this a kind of trap? Does he have something he is about to drop? Or does he know something else is about to drop on him and his administration, which is facing a withering crescendo of scandal?

We must carefully separate what we know to be true, from what we think to be true, from what we do not yet know. And in the early days of a story like this, what we do not know will far outpace the other two. We do know that there were numerous contacts between close aids to Overlord L'Orange and senior Russian officials at a time when all indications point that the Kremlin was actively trying to undermine the integrity of our election.

What we don’t know is what these discussions were about. We do not know what is in Mr. L'Orange's tax returns, which he seems so hell bent on hiding. We do now know all the other suggestions of links between Mr. L'Orange and people close to him and Russia. And then, of course, we do not know what else there is to know.

It is long past time that we have a complete and independent bipartisan investigation, especially since the director of the FBI is under such a cloud of political manipulation. Now is the time to breathe the cool winds of impartiality and facts. We need statesmen of steady head and temperament, willing to put country ahead of politics. We cannot afford for our democratic institutions to be consumed by a bonfire of lies, innuendos, and conspiracy theories.

We can all work ourselves into fervers of indignation. But the only antidote to these deep and understandable anxieties is the truth. We are the people of the United States. Our great nation is in a perilous moment, and the world is watching with great unease. We want the truth. We demand the truth. We can handle the truth.

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #42

Friday, March 3rd.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #41

Thursday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #40

Wednesday, March 1st.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #39

Lou Colagiovanni writes for Occupy Democrats: "L'Orange was just asked if he's ever deserved criticism. His answer is stunning." And: "The temperament of President L'Orange is one of the many aspects of his personality his critics have pointed towards as evidence of him being unfit to be the leader of the free world. His recent comments during an interview highlight the problem in a way which a publication never could. Instead, L'Orange was allowed to dig his own hole."

"Not that he’d admit he dug a hole, and would rather claim he did so because it is cooler whilst underground, and then perhaps add that paid protesters had, in fact, dug the hole for him. and he has no idea how he found himself in the hole. The spin never ends."

 "While a guest on 'Fox & Friends', which has not been ceremoniously described as an 'enemy of the people' because all they do is perform softball journalism on L'Orange's behalf. Host Brian Kilmeade asked L'Orange, 'Can you give me an example of a time when someone was critical of you and you thought to yourself, ‘I deserved that hit, I deserved that column?'”

"L'Orange, true to form, showed his unbelievably thin skin working in conjunction with his imperviousness to criticism. L'Orange, being always perfect in his own mind, cheerily replied:

'No, probably I could never do that.'"

Marisa Manfredo writes for Occupy Democrats: "House Republicans just voted to keep you from seeing L'Orange's tax returns." And: "The partisanship and cowardice that led nearly every House Republican to vote against seeing L'Orange's tax returns is disgusting. They suspect, like every mildly informed American, that L'Orange has something to hide and they are unwilling to deal with the fall out because it might reflect poorly on themselves."

"And so they become complicit in L'Orange's deceit of their own constituents, the hardworking Americans that they are supposed to protect. When L'Orange inevitably falls, they all must fall."

Colin Taylor writes for Occupy Democrats: "Washington Post just dropped a new F.B.I.-L'Orange-Russia bombshell." And: "The Washington Post has just announced that the Federal Bureau of Investigation ordered former MI6 agent Christopher Steele to continue his investigation into the notorious 'golden showers' dossier following the confirmation that the Russians had interfered in the United States 2016 election on behalf of Republican Overlord L'Orange."

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #38

From Monday February 27th:

Brett Bose writes for Occupy Democrats: "Twitter explodes after Sean Spicer's hunt for leakers is leaked." And: "White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is cracking down on his staff for the persistent stream of leaks that have come from his department. Last week Spicer summoned White House press office staff to his office, where he expressed his frustration with them for being behind a number of embarrassing leaks. He is reported to have informed them that using encrypted messaging apps such as Signal and Confide was in violation of the Federal Records Act."

"Spicer then demanded they place their government issued and private mobile phones on his desk so that he could check they had nothing to hide and weren’t using said apps to privately talk with journalists. This was supposedly overseen by White House lawyers, and Spicer followed up on this check with the threat that there would be 'more problems' if anyone leaked this phone check to the media."

"Well, now there are definitely 'more problems' as Spicer’s disgruntled staff leaked this development to the press."

Natalie Dickinson writes for Occupy Democrats: "L'Orange just admitted he is clueless about how to replace Obamacare." And: "Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated. I have to tell you, it’s an unbelievably complex subject."

"L'Orange's words are an unintentional rebuke of the grandstanding fools of the Republican Party, who have had six years to come up with some kind of reasonable replacement that isn’t political seppukku but who have utterly failed to do so and are now making fools of themselves as their backroom squabbles leak out into the public."

Natalie Dickinson writes for Occupy Democrats: "L'Orange just slandered American troops, proved he's unfit to be Commander-in-Chief." And: "Overlord L'Orange, the man who is supposed to be carrying out the duties of Commander-in-chief, took the opportunity today to attack American officers and troops for not 'fighting to win.'”

"Now, L'Orange is arguing that the disastrous wars in the Middle East begun under George W. Bush have been largely unsuccessful because our troops 'don’t fight to win.'”

And lastly:

 

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #37

Oscar Sunday.

Tim Nudd writes for Adweek: "L'Orange lashes out at New York Times ad set to air on the Oscars tonight." And: "The New York Times was hoping to start a dialogue with its new brand campaign from Droga5. But it couldn’t have expected that the president himself would weigh in just three days after the work broke."

"Overlord L'Orange on Sunday morning posted a tweet slamming the Times’ ad campaign—which is focused on the importance of the truth, and independent journalists’ role in finding it—calling a TV spot from the campaign 'bad' and implying it was a waste of resources."

Peter Overby writes for NPR: "Ethics watchdog has big impact on Federal workers, but not on L'Orange." And: "On Monday, the Senate will vote on Wilbur Ross' nomination as the U.S. commerce secretary. As required by the Ethics in Government Act, the billionaire businessman has reached an agreement with the Office of Government Ethics to sell off most of his holdings."

"That divestiture will once again underscore the impact of the tiny agency that actually has no power to enforce federal ethics laws. It simply provides guidance on how to comply with laws, and helps work out solutions, as it has with Ross."

"But while OGE has been shaping the holdings of President L'Orange's appointees, it has so far had no real impact on L'Orange himself."

"L'Orange correctly notes that federal conflict-of-interest laws technically do not apply to the president and vice president, although previous holders of those positions have voluntarily observed the rules."

Grant Stern writes for Occupy Democrats: "L'Orange just announced he's bailing on the White House Correspondents' dinner." And: "Overlord L'Orange is at war with the media, and he just upped the ante again, announcing this afternoon that he plans to skip the White House Correspondents’ dinner. Ironically, the annual event planned for late-April is a chance for the President to roast the media."

"Maybe, L'Orange is skipping out because the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) put out this statement about his regime’s blatant censorship this week when they blacklisted every outlet with meaningful reporting on Russia:

"The WHCA board is protesting strongly against how today’s gaggle is being handled by the White House. We encourage the organizations that were allowed in to share the material with others in the press corps who were not. The board will be discussing this further with White House staff."

And lastly: