The following podcast contains explicit language.

Thursday, October 19th, 2017 from Slated to Digest.

I'm Mike Pasca, General John Kelly today,

sort of defending the president or at least tearing into those who would politicize his actions and his condolences to Goldstar families.

Although Kelly did make perhaps opaque reference to his boss's treatment of a Goldstar family at the convention.

So this whole thing around the Goldstar families around the father who the Washington Post reported who Trump promised $25,000 to and is just cutting the check since the Washington Post reported that and to the mother of LaDavits Johnson and the widow of LaDavits Johnson.

The whole reason this came up is not anything unusual though. It's of course shocking. It's so appalling because it is exactly the usual patterns that Trump exhibits.

I mean his lies are manifold and well documented and people who care to know know that they are lies, but it doesn't really get the blood pumping when he continuously says that China is a great currency manipulator.

It doesn't matter how many panochios are issued doesn't really resonate in the gut when he says that or makes a claim about the carrier plant or talks about all the reforms he thrust upon Lockheed with building certain jets.

But when he breaks faith with Goldstar families, that is an opportunity for all of us to say what the hell is going on here.

And the way he broke faith was just freelancing saying I call and console these families and you know my predecessor didn't where did this fact come from.

He later revealed well I heard or someone told me that President Obama didn't routinely do this and then a day later he injected in the conversation will ask Kelly if President Obama consoled him.

And the fact is this is very much of a piece with the sort of thing he does a sort of lie that he tells which is not based on any fact which is not based on the need to confirm a fact it's just based on an impression he gets either heard or misheard from someone who either has credibility or doesn't an exact analog to this was during his first press conference where he made reference to having the largest win total the elect largest electoral win total.

Of any republican and then in real time when pd Alexander pointed out that this was not the case he said well I was told that or somebody told me that not good enough of course when it's electoral win totals we could say wow what's up with this guy when it happens with Goldstar families oh I was told that and it doesn't matter if it was true or that person was true where I misheard it as long as someone may have said that to me when happens with Goldstar families then it's appalling I mean it should be appalling all along but then it's appalling in a real emotion.

In a sense another part of what's making this such a story is the way he spoke to the David Johnson's mother and apparently he said well he knew the risks and this did not sit well with the widow her mother or a congresswoman who was in the car

now I have to say there is a fine way to express this sentiment here is president Obama talking about one of the Dallas police officers who was killed in the last year of his presidency his mother said he knew the dangers of the job but he never shied away from his duty

that's a normal thing to say that's a comforting thing to say it's calling out someone's bravery but when you don't put words together well it does not come off well he's in cautious he's in exact and he's insensitive it was also clear that he didn't know the name la David Johnson often doesn't know names doesn't know proper facts

because he's only playing to his base because he's only trying to appeal to some forty percent of america so far he thinks it doesn't hurt him so in this case when he's talking to someone who is not already in the bag someone maybe who need something from him something other than you know blaming people for their problems when he talks to them his mistakes are immediately priced into the calculation they're not immediately excused in fact they heard sometimes his biggest supporters don't know what's going on here

his myriad mistakes they gloss over it make america great again is not actually a cogent slogan but if you want to read into it if you're willing to be deceived it makes sense if you're the mother or wife or widow of a soldier who lost his life you say to yourself wait a minute what does that mean or I don't even think he knows my son or husband's name there's one other part of this that I've been thinking about he's a horrible president probably a horrible person

but it's kind of turning all of us into horrible people and here's why I say that I've been following this story and when the part of it where the Washington Post reporter documented an offer of twenty five thousand dollars that wasn't actually given until the story came out my reaction as a good human should have been oh my god that is so appalling and I said that but there was part of me that said oh my god that is so appalling I'm glad that he's being exposed all of these things are terrible things

all of these actions are terrible things he's doing on other people and rather than actually feeling empathy for the victims most of the time I'm feeling resentment for the victimizer I don't think it's the healthiest emotion I think it's something Trump's doing to me and I think it's something Trump's doing to America anyway on the show today a right wing provocateur provokes often but not well but first a flag guy but not our normal flag guy a flag guy from across the sea

the union jack is his flag but oh the insight that Tim Marshall visits upon us

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