This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. The following is an excerpt from “Sinking in the Swamp: How Trump’s Minions and Misfits Poisoned Washington.” (Penguin Random House, on sale Feb. 11, 2020).
At the risk of overusing…
Winston Churchill once said of John Foster Dulles "He’s the only bull I know who carries his own china closet with him."
Back many years ago in junior high a friend and I became obsessed with playing chess. We played as often as we could and somewhere along the line came up with an idea for a chess like battle field board game based on the concept of chess. We submitted it to Milton Bradley as well and got the rejection slip back similar to this story. A few months later MB released the Stratego board game. Maybe based on our idea, maybe not but I’ve always been suspicious.
The only reason this guy owns the GOP is that they are craven and gullible and have caved to 45.
They don’t care, they got their tax cuts.
Whatever happened to standing up to a bully?
Donny Don still at it, threatening ‘heads on pikes’
The only remedy seems to be VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO. That is what the craven GOPpers did and now are trying to float the ‘help us help us we think he’s horrible’ defense…of course, all in private so Donnie doesn’t hear…
Jersey UK? No self respecting mob boss would admit to knowing this girly man.
Real mafia guys would have eaten tRump alive.
If Trump were a real mobster, the Russian mob wouldn’t have chosen him to launder a bunch of money for them.
If their game came out only a few months after you submitted your idea theirs was most likely already in the works. Maybe they didn’t want to help create competition for theirs though.
Little Donnie Dunce’s dad knew he produced an idiot.
Since he could not use his brain he was taught to use his mouth with his dad’s money to back him up.
If you cannot talk or threaten your way out, buy your way out.
Why would they stand up to the bully? really? His crass, corrupt craven behavior is getting them virtually everything they want.
Think - “Back to the Future” - Trump is Biff … the rest of the Republican party is all of those pimple faced snot-nosed jerks who hang on as part of Biff’s posse - - they have no real minds of their own - no sense of integrity - they would lie & deny the truth for Biff - and they gleefully absorb Biff’s abuse and insults to be able to ride around in the back of his car. … but never forget - when there comes a time that Biff is getting the crap kicked out of him -the sycophants turn tail and run like hell …
Think Newton & Leibniz. There’s some facts in the Wikipedia article on the game which can put your suspicions to rest.
The game is a slightly modified copy of an early 20th century French game named L’Attaque . It has been in production in Europe since World War II and the United States since 1961.
The name Stratego was first registered in 1942 in the Netherlands. The United States trademark was filed in 1958 and registered in 1960…
Congrats on your good idea!
And this is a surprise? To anyone?
At best, the man is an unethical, immoral bully with a father complex and a hatred of women. At worst, he’s the President of the United States with the all the levers of power that includes. As to the Republican Party, they were castrated years ago when they surrendered to faith-based politics and racists. At best, they’re cowards of the lowest kind…they wield some kind of power. At worst, they’re dishonest sycophants who enable the sorry guy in the Oval Office. A pox on all their houses.
Nothing could be more despicable than what Trump did when his nephew challenged his father’s will. Although the will essentially left out Donald’s brother, Fred Jr., the father’s company continued to provide health insurance for his family. This took on added importance when Fred Jr’s grandson was born with health issues that included seizures and later developed into cerebral palsy. Shortly after they filed their objections to the will, Trump had the insurance cut off, leaving a seriously ill infant without coverage. There is no bottom to Donald Trump.
So he was even a failure as a mobster.
Trump does more despicable things than that before breakfast.
In tRump land, blood may be thicker than water, but money and pettiness trump all.
found within in the long list of reasons to despise Trump is his & his companies’ near endless number of instances where he has bullied / strong armed / abused individuals & small businesses - frequently simply for his own amusement …
the suppliers that fulfill large orders - but never get paid & then are offered $0.25 on the dollar - take it or sue us in court
the craftsmen / contractors who get stiffed in similar ways
the normal everyday people who got positively F$cked by Trump University
neighbors who were subjected to abuse by litigation because their presence stood in the way of something that Trump wanted to do .
people who were coerced into making life choices / critical career choices purely because of a whim of Trump’s - and then swiftly were screwed & left in a disastrous situation because Trump pivoted to another whim.
Characters like Trump have been known to show up in mob movies, usually some Mafia analog to Walter Mitty who winds up getting whacked. Go find “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” or the movie “Atlantic City”, both of which deal with this sort of character.