Don't hold your breath Eric...

[oldr_n_wsr]

This is how weird it gets...

For decades, my party (rightly) accused the Democrats of being "soft" on the Russkies...

Now the Democrats are (rightly) accusing the Republican Presidential nominee of being pro-Russian...

And if that weren't enough, we're past the All Star Break, and The Chicago Cubs and The Cleveland Indians are in first place in their divisions...

We don't have to worry about climate change...

The Earth has left its orbit and is hurtling into the sun....

At last, some good news.

[Lord Jim]

Such a deal...

Subject: I'm signing this for you, Friend

Jim,

It’s hard to believe. It’s been almost 30 years now since my first book, The Art of the Deal, was published in 1987.

You may remember how it became an instant sensation, reaching #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List and staying on the list for 51 straight weeks. To this day it remains one of the best-selling business books of all time, with more than a million copies sold.[a million copies would make it anywhere near "one of the best-selling business books of all time", if that's even true]

It’s a book about thinking big and taking action to succeed – its lessons are more true than ever, and exactly what our nation needs in this time of crisis and hardship.

Jim, I’ve signed an out-of-print, hardcover copy of The Art of the Deal just for you, because I want you on board with Team Trump! JOIN the movement today, with a contribution of $184 or more, and my assistant will drop it in the mail to you.

This is a special opportunity – there are a very limited number of these books I was able to sign. I hope you will claim your copy without delay.

Today we have elected and appointed political leaders who are not very smart. They think small, and have made terrible deals for our country.

As a result, we’ve lost MILLIONS of good-paying jobs and our middle class has been decimated. Wall Street, the special interests and their bought-and-sold career politicians have conspired to take away so many families’ means of making a living.

The American people are fed up! That’s why we’ve surged past Crooked Hillary in recent polls, [uh, not so much lately] and continue to build tremendous momentum all across America.

Join our movement today, and we’ll get your signed copy of The Art of the Deal in the mail right away.

Jim, I am taking on the rigged political system, the failed career politicians and the lying liberal media to put America First.

If elected, I will always think big and take action to get the deals we need, so that together we can Make America Great Again!

One of the key success lessons from The Art of the Deal is “get the word out” – and as it is true in business, it is equally if not more true in running a campaign.

That’s why your involvement is so important to me. Every bit of financial support we gather helps get our message in front of more voters… and when we do that, we win!

Join Team Trump today to fight for a better future for our country and our people.

Thank you.

Best Wishes,



[That's right, it's "signed" with his picture]

[Lord Jim]

Trump Offers Art of the Deal in Fundraising Email After Author Called Him ‘Sociopath’

In a fundraising email sent to supporters [and many non-suporters] Tuesday, Donald Trump solicited donations by touting signed copies of the 1987 tome The Art of the Deal.

This despite the fact that the book’s ghostwriter (and credited co-author) Tony Schwartz broke his silence earlier this month in an interview in The New Yorker, and claimed that the book was “full of falsehoods.” Schwartz added that Trump himself was a “sociopath.”

Schwartz told ABC News that Trump was “a man who has more sociopathic tendencies than any candidate in my adult life that I’ve observed. And so, yeah, I do regret writing the book.”

Curiously, Trump’s email and website also says that “The Art of the Deal is now out of print, so this is a very limited edition issue and only available through this special offer through my campaign.” In fact the book was reissued in paperback just last October.

“In 18 months of following Trump around, I cannot remember any acts of care or generosity, unless to promote himself,” Schwartz said in a recent tweet.

In any event, a signed copy of the book Schwartz brought into the world is yours for a mere $184.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/trump-of ... sociopath/

[Bicycle Bill]

LJ, that looks to me to be what is called a bookplate.  I've got a couple of "limited edition" books in my collection with these attached/included, signed by the authors, and usually containing a "#___ of _____" notation meant to emphasize their special status or collectability.  They certainly don't say "CERTIFIED BY (the author)".

I'm willing to bet that the signature is a printed facsimile and is about as authentic as a four-dollar bill; or if it is a "written" signature it was done by autopen.  Save your money, Jim; if you reeeaaallllly want one of these "out of print" hardcover copies of his book they're available through Amazon starting around $15 new or $12 used.

-"BB"-
  

[Lord Jim]

I think I'd prefer a copy signed by Tony Schwartz...

[Big RR]

I do have a signed copy of his other book The America we Deserve in excellent condition (never been opened other than to check the signature--it's personalized to me and says something pithy like "Best Wishes"). I got it as a "gift" at a corporate function when we had dinner a Mar a Largo a few years back. I figured it might be worth something if he withdraws or loses big or gets shot, and I'll burn it if he somehow wins.

[BoSoxGal]

I read The Art of the Deal when it first came out and I was still living in Arizona, so that was pre-1989; I recall distinctly that I bought it because it was cheap, on the discount book shelf at the grocery store. (I was a voracious reader in those days and many of the books I read, I bought only because they seemed like they might be interesting and were cheap to buy.) I remember even then thinking he was a shallow person, the way he talked about himself and his 'work'. I never liked him after reading the book, for what that's worth. My copy ended up in a recycle bin - so I can't check, but I'm pretty sure it was 'signed' and that was one of the reasons I considered it a special bargain of a bargain book.

[Bicycle Bill]

I read The Art of the Deal when it first came out and I was still living in Arizona, so that was pre-1989; I recall distinctly that I bought it because it was cheap, on the discount book shelf at the grocery store. (I was a voracious reader in those days and many of the books I read, I bought only because they seemed like they might be interesting and were cheap to buy.) I remember even then thinking he was a shallow person, the way he talked about himself and his 'work'. I never liked him after reading the book, for what that's worth. My copy ended up in a recycle bin - so I can't check, but I'm pretty sure it was 'signed' and that was one of the reasons I considered it a special bargain of a bargain book.

Do you know why he is "giving" away the signed copy of the out-of-print book?
It's because the paperback version that was re-issued last fall had four Chapter 11s.

-"BB"-

[MajGenl.Meade]

[BoSoxGal]

[Burning Petard]

I have a signed copy of the Illiad by Homer.

Yeah. This 'signed copies' with the signature via auto pen and the page tipped into a bound copy are a rip-off. Amazon was selling some by a couple of my favorite authors a few years ago and I took the bait.

snailgate.

[Lord Jim]

Junior has invited me to climb aboard The Train Wreck Express:

Subject line: I am sick and tired of the biased, liberal media

Jim,

The media are trying to stop the momentum of the campaign and they are failing badly.

You know everything the media says about my father is ALL lies and spin – and they are all objectively FALSE. Yet the liberal media are pushing this narrative 24 hours a day!

They are DESPERATE to stop the Trump movement.

So we are going to go DIRECTLY to the people. This week, we launched a one-week “Power the Trump Train” goal to fight back, and we hope you will JOIN us.

The attacks and lies are nothing new, Jim – my father has been a target from Day One, because they know he’s strong enough to stand up to them and put the American people first.

But the depth of their bias and dishonesty now is beyond anything we’ve ever seen before. Since Mrs. Clinton’s coronation in Philadelphia, it has been a constant barrage.

So this week, with less than three months to go until Election Day, we launched our one-week “Power the Trump Train” push to smash through the liberal media filter and connect directly with voters.

As you know, my father thinks big. That’s why we decided to set a huge goal to raise $1 million each day over the next week.

We’re counting on your help to hit this aggressive number, so that we can make key campaign technology investments and WIN.

Will you stand with my father and Governor Pence in this race, and prove the liberal media wrong, with a $250, $100, $50 or $35 “Power the Trump Train” contribution?

Your support is so important as we seek new ways to connect with voters. But we can’t do it without your help. Please join us today.

Sincerely,

Donald J. Trump, Jr.

P.S. I am sick and tired of the biased, liberal media LYING about my father, and I know you are too. That’s why this one-week “Power the Trump Train” push is so important. We can prove them wrong about our fundraising and make key investments to SHOCK them again in November when we win. Thank you for ANY help you are able to provide today.

I'm sorry Junior, but I'm not in the habit of sending my hard earned money to Super Villain billionaires to further their fiendish plans...

Whatever happened to "I'm going to completely self finance"?

Drumpf had a big fund raising month in July...

He raised 80 million dollars, (Hillary raised 90 million) including 36 million in small donations from his Trumpanzee sucker list...

But he has spent almost none of it...

He runs no commercials and has virtually no campaign field staff...He's counting on the Republican Party to provide him with that...

(Yeah, I can just see local GOP officials and activists in Ohio out busting their asses for The Donald...let me know how that works out for you...)

Call me cynical, but my personal suspicion is that he's spending very little of the money he raises because he knows he's going to lose, and he's trying to figure out ways to put it in his own pocket, or failing that, rout it to his far flung business interests or to his children...

[Burning Petard]

Where did all these books come from that are now special gifts to his loyal followers? The Donald bought a gazillion cases of the book himself when it first came out to get this dreck on the NY Times best seller list. {now that sort of thing rates a special footnote on the Times list indicating lots of bulk sales. Not doing that back when Deal came out] Those cases have been sitting around every since with some used this way--'special' gifts for his special friends.

snailgate

[Guinevere]

The S.S. Trumptanic....

[BoSoxGal]

[Bicycle Bill]

Found a link to a page asking people to volunteer to be a "Trump Election Observer" in order to

"Help me stop Crooked Hillary from rigging this election!"

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/lp/volunte ... n-observer

So what the hell is an election observer, and exactly what do they do?  And how can you be an observer *FOR* a given candidate?  If anything, I should think an election observer is supposed to be more of a neutral party, an unbiased witness to the proceedings as it were, rather than being *for* one candidate or another.

And does this mean that if Trump can send "election observers" out, then the other candidate(s) for POTUS such as Hillary, Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party), Dr. Jill Stein (Green Party), or Darrell Castle (Constitution Party) can do the same?  And how about down-ballot candidates for such offices as Congressional or state legislature seats?  I can see how you could easily end up with a half-dozen or more "observers" all milling around, getting in the way, and generally bollixing up the works.

-"BB"-

[Lord Jim]

I guess since I didn't pony up after that missive from Junior, The Big Dawg himself has decided to lean on me:

Subject: Help us keep proving them wrong

Jim,

You’ve seen it – the liberal media can’t stop telling outrageous lies about me.

They are really a disgrace to journalism, and they’re so desperate to mislead the American people about our campaign!

Yet at every stage we continue to prove them wrong, including:

Smashing the Republican primary vote record by 1.4 MILLION votes;

Pulling off an incredible Republican National Convention, with much higher viewership than the Democrats’ disastrous convention;[ that's actually not true Donald; your acceptance speech had slightly higher ratings than Hillary's, but the Democratic convention won the ratings competition every other night, and had overall higher viewership.]

Packing stadiums everywhere we go;

Now we must continue to build on our great momentum all across the country.

As you know, I always think big. That’s why we set an ambitious goal this week to raise $7 million by Monday at midnight.

Please help us hit this critical goal with a $250, $100, $50, or even $35 contribution to “Power the Trump Train” – we now have just 87 days until Election Day, and I need every supporter on board.

We know the Clinton campaign will cheat to win – just like they did in the race for the Democratic nomination.

And we know the liberal media will continue to say and do ANYTHING to put Crooked Hillary Clinton in the White House!

Day in and day out they attack me, our campaign, our Republican friends down the ticket and supporters like you [I'm sorry Donald, but you obviously have me confused with somebody else... with "supporters like me" you don't need enemies...]all across the country...

...while giving Crooked Hillary a free pass on her terrible policies and long record of failure and cronyism!

Don’t let them get away with it, Jim – help me prove our opponents and the liberal media wrong about the Trump movement, by growing our team and WINNING on Election Day!


Thank you!

Best wishes,



Donald J. Trump

[BoSoxGal]

Found a link to a page asking people to volunteer to be a "Trump Election Observer" in order to

"Help me stop Crooked Hillary from rigging this election!"

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/lp/volunte ... n-observer

So what the hell is an election observer, and exactly what do they do?  And how can you be an observer *FOR* a given candidate?  If anything, I should think an election observer is supposed to be more of a neutral party, an unbiased witness to the proceedings as it were, rather than being *for* one candidate or another.

And does this mean that if Trump can send "election observers" out, then the other candidate(s) for POTUS such as Hillary, Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party), Dr. Jill Stein (Green Party), or Darrell Castle (Constitution Party) can do the same?  And how about down-ballot candidates for such offices as Congressional or state legislature seats?  I can see how you could easily end up with a half-dozen or more "observers" all milling around, getting in the way, and generally bollixing up the works.

-"BB"-

I was an election observer for Obama in 2008, watching at the polls in the racist 'border' (of the Rez) town where I lived, ensuring that resident Indians weren't turned away from the polls for unlawful reasons, and making sure folks knew how to get same day registered so they could vote.

It's a standard part of a ground campaign, but most campaigns don't make a bunch of baseless statements about widespread fraud as the reason for it. It's actually to avert voter suppression and or to help voters navigate the process. You don't wear any paraphernalia and you don't talk about which campaign has you there, that would be illegal and the clerk would remove you.

[Lord Jim]

It's standard practice for the two major parties to have a "poll watcher" assigned to the polling places. (I was a Republican poll watcher a couple of times)

Technically you could make a challenge, but it almost never happens...it was a pretty mellow gig at the polling places I was at...

I suspect what Trump has in mind however are bully boys to intimidate people at polling places where he doesn't figure to do well...

(Trump doesn't have a monopoly on this tactic; the last time around the New Black Panther Party pulled this stuff...)

ETA:

most campaigns don't make a bunch of baseless statements about widespread fraud as the reason for it.

This is going to be Trump's parting "gift" to the American people...

Undermining confidence in the basic integrity of our electoral process, (more voter fraud of the type I've outlined before goes on then some care to admit, but it's rarely enough to be decisive....and given his poll numbers it certainly wouldn't be in his case)

Lately he's been focusing on Pennsylvania, making the absurd claim that the "only way" he could lose the state is if the vote is "rigged"...

The Bloviating One has been down by double digits in the last four polls done in the state since late July:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls ... -5633.html

and no Republican Presidential nominee has carried the state since 1988... so if he loses it, it won't be because the election was "rigged"...

All this garbage about a rigged election is Trump trying to lay the groundwork to explain the thumping he is likely to receive...

His narrative is that the only way Donald The Great could lose is because the fix was in, and the election was stolen...

Trump shows yet again that he is much more concerned about his BS reputation as a supposed "winner" than he is about the political well being of the country...

[RayThom]

Election rigging -- Drumpf may be right.

A few days ago my local voting precinct officer asked me if I wanted to sit in a gutted optical scanner machine and erase all Trump votes and pencil in Clinton. It's hard to resist the $2000 for 14 hours of work they're offering. I'm on the horns of a dilemma.