Wiretap: Taunting Trump, mortifying Mitt and sticking with the Dems status quo

Faint praise

The Office of Government Ethics has praised Donald Trump for saying he will divest himself of his interests in Trump Org. One problem: He never said it. Via the New York Times.

Joke’s on us

Another problem: It seems that the OGE was only kidding when it congratulated Trump. It was sarcasm. From the Office of Government Ethics. Anything is possible. Via Vox.

For keeps

From Frank Rich: And yet another problem. Trump will never walk away from his businesses. Via New York magazine.

Holy kowtow

How humiliating was Mitt Romney’s complete and utter humiliation at the feet of Donald Trump? Even more humiliating than that. Via the New Yorker.

No shade

Frank Bruni says it’s easy to make fun of Romney for groveling, but he may be America’s best chance. Via the New York Times.

Just fantastic

Now we ask, how humiliating is this: If you haven’t seen the readout of Trump’s conversation with the Pakistani prime minister, you’ve come to the right place. Where else can you see the president-elect of the United States saying Pakistan is a “fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people”? Fantastic. Via the Washington Post.

No savior

Trump may have saved some American jobs. But unless he plans to personally intervene with every company, it’s hard to see where his success translates into policy. Via the Los Angeles Times.

Pressure cooker

How much and what kind of pressure did Trump put to bear on Carrier to back down? Via the Atlantic.

Status quo

Democrats, facing a clear message from voters that change needs to come, respond by sticking with the same team that got them there. Via Vox.

Full circle

From the National Review: After all the fireworks, it’s still Romney and Pelosi. Go figure.

And taketh away

How Macomb County created and then killed the Clinton machine. It was, says Dem pollster Stan Greenberg, “political malpractice.” Via the Daily Beast.

Photo credit: Sarebear:), Creative Commons, Flickr