Trump campaign claims it fired top adviser -- who says he quit

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Last edited Sat Aug 8, 2015, 04:22 PM - Edit history (4)

Source: CNN



Donald Trump's campaign said Saturday it has fired top political adviser Roger Stone -- who promptly said he had quit.

"Mr. Trump fired Roger Stone last night. We have a tremendously successful campaign and Roger wanted to use the campaign for his own personal publicity. He has had a number of articles about him recently and Mr. Trump wants to keep the focus of the campaign on how to Make America Great Again," a campaign spokesperson told CNN.

Stone, however, told CNN that he quit, and provided what he said was his resignation letter.

"Unfortunately, the current controversies involving personalities and provocative media fights have reached such a high volume that it has distracted attention from your platform and overwhelmed your core message. With this current direction of the candidacy, I no longer can remain involved in your campaign," the letter says.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/08/politics/donald-trump-campaign-roger-stone/index.html

---

Stone is an old Nixon dirty trixter and a proud veteran of CREEP.

(and utterly lacking in self awareness)


(Sadly, not a photoshop)


More recently, you may know him as the leader of the Brooks Brothers Riot, in which a mob of GOP operatives and Tom DeLay office staffers, hired by Jim Bakker, stormed the vote count in the Florida 2000 mess and got it shut down.
----
I guess Stone forgot to advise Trump not accuse the female debate moderator of being on her period. What does this loser think he's being paid for, anyway?

Are we getting near total implosion and withdrawal from the race time? With top advisors fleeing, this has shades of Ross Perot's crackup before pulling out. Or will Trump go full Katherine Harris and keep on crazying til the end?

This is easily the most hilarious season of GOP Clown Car ever!




(Yes, people like this still exist, and are pretty common in the GOP. See also: Pat Buchanan, Ben Stein, Gordon Liddy)

[BeyondGeography]

1. What's the core message?

The best I can discern is "America needs to win again," in a Charlie Sheen kind of way.

[Fred Sanders]

3. Trump had a platform, it was Fox, but Fox pulled the platform away deploying a way over made-up Fox media tramp as bait, too delicious.

[Laurian]

4. I think this has just been an ego trip for Trump and he's about

ready to give it up and move on to something else. I've never felt he was seriously seeking the Presidency. He's totally self absorbed and just likes to be the center of attention.

If he lasts another week, I'll be surprised.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

5. Of course, if he withdrawals, we get one year+ of him pretending to contemplate an indie run

causing GOP to have to beg and grovel to him.

Either way, great news for Dems.

[DawgHouse]

6. I agree.

[leftynyc]

11. I don't think so

This man gives narcissism a whole new meaning. NYers have been watching him for over 3 decades and this man really believes he's the only one that can do the job. And he surrounds himself with people who tell him he hangs the moon. I don't see him dropping out so soon. I don't think he'll be the nominee - or even win a primary (although it'll be interesting to see his poll numbers after this Megyn Kelly kerfuffle). but it's his ego that will keep him IN the race. I think it's just as likely he runs as a third party than it is he drops out.

[moonscape]

16. He's such a delusional narcissist, that he'll be showing up

January 20, 2016 to be inaugurated no matter who wins the election.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

7. In January 2008, Stone founded Citizens United Not Timid (CUNT) opposing Hillary

And, yes, that was intentional on his part.

So it seems a bit odd he's suddenly needing smelling salts re:Trump and Kelly.

Given Stone's history of shady activity, might this resignation have been a planned-out sabotage from GOP insiders, timed for just the right moment?

A sleeper operative, ready to embarrass when the party's had enough? Stupider things have happened.

[Dopers_Greed]

8. His campaign is already derailing

Too bad. The longer this shitshow goes on and the more support he gets, the better chance it gives the Dems next year.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

9. Comedy gold from Politico:

Getting into Charlie Sheen levels of crazy:

The next morning, Stone had to fight Trump’s handlers to meet with him for 15 minutes, prompting the following exchange that both of Stone’s friends tell POLITICO happened:

Stone: “Donald, stop with the Megyn Kelly shit. It’s fucking crazy. It’s killing us.”
Trump: “What do you mean? I won the debate. People loved it.”
Stone: “You didn’t win the debate.”
Trump: “Yes I did. Look at the polling. Look at Drudge.”
Stone: “The Drudge Report poll isn’t a scientific poll. You won’t give me the money to pay for a scientific poll. And you’re off-message.”
Trump: “There are other polls.”
Stone: “Those are bullshit polls, Donald. They’re not scientific polls. We need to run a professional campaign and talk about what people really care about.”
Trump: “We’re winning.”

(...)
“He is losing his grip on reality,” Stone told them. “He has these yes-men around him. And now he’s living in a parallel world.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/sources-roger-stone-quit-wasnt-fired-by-donald-trump-in-campaign-shakeup-121177.html#ixzz3iFwyq9K9

Oh, the post-interviews are going to be hilarious!
If only Jon Stewart had stuck around for one more week...

[David__77]

12. Is it?

I haven't been following very closely. The derailing didn't occur when Trump made the John McCain comment. I watched some clips of Trump at this last debate, and he seemed very confident and in a certain manner "authentic" in a way that none of the other "front runner" Republicans could possibly match. I'm not so sure that this is the last of Trump at all.

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. This whole Trump situation is bizarre beyond description

What in the world?

[rocktivity]

13. Roger Stone!!! Damn, but he pops up in the weirdest places!

Last edited Sun Aug 9, 2015, 01:37 AM - Edit history (2)

VillageVoice.com: ...Some of Stone's sordid history:

- exposed in the Watergate scandal for infiltrating the McGovern campaign

- registered as the agent for Ferdinand Marcos and a Bahamian prime minister alleged to be involved in the drug trade

- partnered with Lee Atwater, who conceived the Willie Horton race-baiting commercials for the Bush 1988 presidential campaign.

Stone has been a player in virtually every major GOP scandal, from aiding the contras to the mob shutdown of the Miami/Dade County canvassing board during the 2000 recount...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=221x166589

Roger Stone, an adviser to Carl Paladino, marched in the gay pride parade that the New York gubernatorial candidate has called a “a terrible thing.”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5971409

His towel frontal pic here is from his Swinger advertisement during the Bob DOLE "Family Values" campaign, in which Rog asked for dudes to join him and Nikki in hot pursuits.

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/sleeping-with-the-gop-6408419

Roger Stone, the longtime Republican dirty-tricks operative...is financing, staffing, and orchestrating the presidential campaign of Reverend Al Sharpton...(They) are, in a sense, brothers under the skin, outlandish personalities too large to be bound by the constraints that govern the rest of us.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2376346

The hot rumor in New York political circles has Roger Stone, the longtime GOP activist, as the source for Dan Rather's dubious Texas Air National Guard "memos." Anyone ever heard of him?

On edit:
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/sources-roger-stone-quit-wasnt-fired-by-donald-trump-in-campaign-shakeup-121177.html

The two clashed after Stone – known universally in political circles as a Nixon-era “dirty trickster” – helped bring down Trump friend and New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer in a prostitution scandal. But soon Stone and Trump were back and working together.

VillageVoice.com: Stone (has)...never been involved in a Democratic campaign, vowing publicly: "You can't work both sides of the street."

Well, morally speaking, that gives Stone a big leg up on Trump -- if you'll pardon the expression...


rocktivity

[Heather MC]

14. Give it time More and More People will be "Quit/Firing" his Campaign

I bet it's going to get so bad, he will have to import Undocumented Mexicans to run his campaign for him

[Jeb Bartlet]

15. Sounds like

the first of the rats to leave the sinking ship.