The Former Trump Presidency Thread

[Chaz]

I get a big smile when these idiots think the background check wont pick up stuff and expose them. Do they simply think they can say Ive done nothing and get a job?

At least a dozen significant WH figures (including Jared) are said to lack security clearances. This is not normal and was never the pattern in previous administrations.

More than a year in, it's now assumed that these people lack clearances because they simply can't get them. They are all compromised in ways that make them vulnerable to blackmail or other exposure.

Yup, yet they somehow still get to stay on, with temporary security clearances. Jared was, and may still be, on the list to receive the President's Daily Brief, one of the most closely-held documents the intelligence community produces. That same one that Trump can't be arsed to read, preferring to get the Cliff's Notes versions in a verbal brief exclusively.

[Max Peck]

I get a big smile when these idiots think the background check wont pick up stuff and expose them. Do they simply think they can say Ive done nothing and get a job?

At least a dozen significant WH figures (including Jared) are said to lack security clearances. This is not normal and was never the pattern in previous administrations.

More than a year in, it's now assumed that these people lack clearances because they simply can't get them. They are all compromised in ways that make them vulnerable to blackmail or other exposure.

Do we really believe that they are being denied access to information simply because they lack clearances? Rule of law doesn't matter for the rulers and lawmakers anymore.

[Kraken]

Trump is briefed in a puppet show featuring sharks and gorillas. The rest of the WH staff is probably invited to those, too.

[Skinypupy]

Trump's tweet this morning, bemoaning the "mere allegations" that took down Rob Porter (and others):

Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused - life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?

Let's set aside (again) his complete lack of regard for the women who actually had to deal with Porters abuse and jump into the wayback machine to see how Dear Leader deals with "mere allegations". Surely he wouldn't stand for them!

Sad!! Must be stopped!

[Daehawk]

Anyone else see this as what Trump types his tweets up on?

[$iljanus]

Trump's tweet this morning, bemoaning the "mere allegations" that took down Rob Porter (and others):

Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused - life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?

Let's set aside (again) his complete lack of regard for the women who actually had to deal with Porters abuse and jump into the wayback machine to see how Dear Leader deals with "mere allegations". Surely he wouldn't stand for them!

Sad!! Must be stopped!

Those "mere allegations"... and pesky photos... and inconvenient restraining orders. The injustice of it all.

[Daehawk]

The President's word for today is - uncouth.

[Max Peck]

The WaPo has a plausible take on why the Trump administration was so reluctant to cut Porter loose.

The simple answer may be that Porter was one of only a few people over on Pennsylvania Avenue who knew how to do anything. For one, he’s well connected in Republican circles. His father, Roger Porter, worked in three administrations and was, I’m told, top drawer. The younger Porter, 40, is a Rhodes scholar who worked for Republican Sens. Mike Lee (Utah), Rob Portman (Ohio) and Orrin G. Hatch (Utah), for whom he was chief of staff.

Moreover, he was at Harvard at the same time as Jared Kushner, who took a class from the senior Porter on the American presidency.

Washington, if you haven’t heard, is a small town.

Most likely, Rob Porter was deemed too valuable to the White House given that he, and virtually no one else, including the president and Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, understood how the legislative branch of government works. Whatever his military achievements, Kelly may be the least-qualified chief of staff in recent history, including his lackluster predecessor, Reince Priebus, who is James A. Baker III by comparison.

[Holman]

What was Porter's job exactly?

The Staff Secretary's principal role is to review the incoming papers and determine which issues must reach the President. Secondary to this, Staff Sec determines who else in the administration should comment on the issue to give the President a full picture of the situation. Staff Sec then compiles the documents with the relevant commentary for the President's consumption.

Traditionally, the Staff Secretary is a position of great trust due to the influence it can wield over which information is allowed to reach the President, and who is given the opportunity to comment on those issues.

Given Trump's practical illiteracy and his short attention span, this is a hugely consequential job. Trump seemed genuinely to regret letting him go, so presumably Porter was a popular teacher at Trump Elementary School (student population: 1).

I don't envy his replacement one bit.

[Kraken]

Have they installed a revolving door at the WH yet? I'll betcha whoever replaces Porter doesn't last 6 months.

[Skinypupy]

Republicans want to fix DACA far more than the Democrats do. The Dems had all three branches of government back in 2008-2011, and they decided not to do anything about DACA. They only want to use it as a campaign issue. Vote Republican!

Um, DACA wasn't even a thing until 2012, you fucking dolt.

P.S. The "three branches of government" are executive, legislative, and judicial. Not the White House, Senate, and the House.

[Daehawk]

Trump tweets he was victimized by the Obama administration. Fox news has shown him the way.

https://nypost.com/2018/02/10/trump-quo ... -by-obama/

President Trump claimed victim status Saturday in a tweet that quoted a Fox News report.

Tom Fitton of right-leaning Judicial Watch defended Trump on “Fox and Friends” Saturday morning — leading Trump to post two tweets on Saturday afternoon that were lengthy quotes from Fitton’s interview.

[Daehawk]

Trump always believes men....unless they are Democrats.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/10/politics ... index.html

[Chaz]

Trump always believes men....unless they are Democrats.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/10/politics ... index.html

See, Democrats aren't real men. They're liberals.

[Defiant]

Republicans want to fix DACA far more than the Democrats do. The Dems had all three branches of government back in 2008-2011, and they decided not to do anything about DACA. They only want to use it as a campaign issue. Vote Republican!

Um, DACA wasn't even a thing until 2012, you fucking dolt.

P.S. The "three branches of government" are executive, legislative, and judicial. Not the White House, Senate, and the House.

And Democrats only controlled all of those for two years, not four years.

[malchior]

This is the usual Trump bullshit. The facts are the Dream Act passed the house and had the votes in the Senate. The Rs filibustered it. End of story.

[Fitzy]

DACA may not have existed in 2009 as an executive order, but the issue and the Dreamers did. The Democrats did have a filibuster proof majority from Obama's swearing in until Ted Kennedy's death, that's not 2008-2011, but a subset of that time. For whatever reason they did not do any major immigration changes.

Picking apart Trump is fun and often funny, but in this case the underlying facts do support him. Even if the political reality does not.

Our political reality is that certain issues are not emergencies or important until they can be used as a wedge against the other side. The Democrats could have dealt with immigration, they chose not to. The Republicans could have made debt reduction their main issue, they've chosen not to. Whether it's hypocrisy or smart politics depends on your point of view (and which side you support).

[GreenGoo]

You are out of your God damned mind if you think this is a reasonable criticism from a responsible politician.

Your neighbour who constantly calls in bylaw violations about your dog and noise that are complete fabrications suddenly is making a lot of sense when your tree limb is technically on his side of the fence?

While what he says may be technically true (although given who's saying it, probably not), this somehow puts him on the side of right?

The truth only exists if it serves his needs, otherwise he just substitutes his own. He is not deserving of support even on the rare moments he admits reality exists.

He is not a political or partisan problem. He's the worst example of a human being that has ever held that office in modern times, and that supercedes his "politics".

Fuck that guy until he goes away.

[Blackhawk]

Yes, but we still need to be careful that our mocking of him doesn't likewise ignore the truth.

[Combustible Lemur]

You are out of your God damned mind if you think this is a reasonable criticism from a responsible politician.

Your neighbour who constantly calls in bylaw violations about your dog and noise that are complete fabrications suddenly is making a lot of sense when your tree limb is technically on his side of the fence?

While what he says may be technically true (although given who's saying it, probably not), this somehow puts him on the side of right?

The truth only exists if it serves his needs, otherwise he just substitutes his own. He is not deserving of support even on the rare moments he admits reality exists.

He is not a political or partisan problem. He's the worst example of a human being that has ever held that office in modern times, and that supercedes his "politics".

Fuck that guy until he goes away.

+1

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Fitzy]

There is no question in my mind that Trump needs to go. None. The long term damage he has done to our country is going to haunt us for decades unless we get some incredible leaders to step up over the next few years.

However, nitpicking his arguments, attacking him even when he may be right, all that does is feed into the narrative from the right that he is under siege. There are so many good arguments against Trump, I hate seeing pathetic ones.

Trump did push the Dreamer issue into an emergency. His actions on this are ludicrous. Congress should step up and do their job. They should have done so years ago as well. Both can and are true.

[Isgrimnur]

There are only so many issues that can be addressed at a time, only so much political capital to spend. We as a nation spend so much time lurching from crisis to crisis that anything that's not ready to fall down around our ears doesn't get addressed.

I don't like it, I don't agree with how our leaders handle it, but I understand that it's how our broke-ass system works.

[Kraken]

There are only so many issues that can be addressed at a time, only so much political capital to spend. We as a nation spend so much time lurching from crisis to crisis that anything that's not ready to fall down around our ears doesn't get addressed.

I don't like it, I don't agree with how our leaders handle it, but I understand that it's how our broke-ass system works.

During the window of time being discussed, the Democrats were focused on universal healthcare. That was kind of a big deal, and they were punished politically for succeeding.

Maybe they could've/should've tackled comprehensive immigration reform instead. They couldn't do both at the same time, though.

[Max Peck]

International, splinternational...

The Trump administration wants to turn the International Space Station into a commercially run venture, NASA document shows

The Trump administration wants to turn the International Space Station into a kind of orbiting real estate venture run not by the government, but by private industry.

The White House plans to stop funding the station after 2024, ending direct federal support of the orbiting laboratory. But it does not intend to abandon the orbiting laboratory altogether and is working on a transition plan that could turn the station over to the private sector, according to an internal NASA document obtained by The Washington Post.

“The decision to end direct federal support for the ISS in 2025 does not imply that the platform itself will be deorbited at that time — it is possible that industry could continue to operate certain elements or capabilities of the ISS as part of a future commercial platform,” the document states. “NASA will expand international and commercial partnerships over the next seven years in order to ensure continued human access to and presence in low Earth orbit.”

I'm sure that this is as well thought out as all the other initiatives rolled out by this administration. Besides, Trump Orbital does have ring to it, no?

[Zarathud]

Subleased to Russia and billionaires? Trump is so transparent.

[Kraken]

That's been unofficial policy for a long time, predating Trump anyway. ISS has already had several lifetime extensions. It doesn't do critically significant science or offer any other important capabilities, yet it sucks down about 1/4 of NASA's annual budget, so the agency can't undertake any other crewed spaceflight initiatives without major funding increases.

That said, the ISS is hardly without value, and provides a major launch market for SpaceX and others. If it were abandoned, the private launch industry would suffer. SpaceX would have scant incentive to develop its human-rated Dragon capsules, for instance, if there was no place to send them.

So privatizing the ISS makes good sense, if it can be coordinated with our international partners. Sorry, not a Trump-bashing opportunity here IMO.

[Max Peck]

That's been unofficial policy for a long time, predating Trump anyway. ISS has already had several lifetime extensions. It doesn't do critically significant science or offer any other important capabilities, yet it sucks down about 1/4 of NASA's annual budget, so the agency can't undertake any other crewed spaceflight initiatives without major funding increases.

That said, the ISS is hardly without value, and provides a major launch market for SpaceX and others. If it were abandoned, the private launch industry would suffer. SpaceX would have scant incentive to develop its human-rated Dragon capsules, for instance, if there was no place to send them.

So privatizing the ISS makes good sense, if it can be coordinated with our international partners. Sorry, not a Trump-bashing opportunity here IMO.

"If it can be coordinated with our international partners" is a might big if for this administration. My expectation is that it will be handled in an inept and arbitrary manner that further damages America's standing in the international community. But maybe Trump will surprise me.

[Alefroth]

DACA may not have existed in 2009 as an executive order, but the issue and the Dreamers did. The Democrats did have a filibuster proof majority from Obama's swearing in until Ted Kennedy's death, that's not 2008-2011, but a subset of that time. For whatever reason they did not do any major immigration changes.

Picking apart Trump is fun and often funny, but in this case the underlying facts do support him. Even if the political reality does not.

Our political reality is that certain issues are not emergencies or important until they can be used as a wedge against the other side. The Democrats could have dealt with immigration, they chose not to. The Republicans could have made debt reduction their main issue, they've chosen not to. Whether it's hypocrisy or smart politics depends on your point of view (and which side you support).

So do you think that Republicans want to fix DACA more than Democrats?

[Kraken]

That's been unofficial policy for a long time, predating Trump anyway. ISS has already had several lifetime extensions. It doesn't do critically significant science or offer any other important capabilities, yet it sucks down about 1/4 of NASA's annual budget, so the agency can't undertake any other crewed spaceflight initiatives without major funding increases.

That said, the ISS is hardly without value, and provides a major launch market for SpaceX and others. If it were abandoned, the private launch industry would suffer. SpaceX would have scant incentive to develop its human-rated Dragon capsules, for instance, if there was no place to send them.

So privatizing the ISS makes good sense, if it can be coordinated with our international partners. Sorry, not a Trump-bashing opportunity here IMO.

"If it can be coordinated with our international partners" is a might big if for this administration. My expectation is that it will be handled in an inept and arbitrary manner that further damages America's standing in the international community. But maybe Trump will surprise me.

I would hope and expect NASA's administrator will have a leading role in that. Oh, snap.

[Fitzy]

So do you think that Republicans want to fix DACA more than Democrats?

I should have differentiated between the parts of the tweet. I do think Trump was "right" that the Democrats could have fixed it years ago had it been a priority at the time. I don't believe Obama had the power to do what he did with DACA, it should have been a Congressional issue. I don't like agreeing with Trump and I don't like the way he phrased it.

I suspect he was right that Republicans want it "fixed" more, if fixed means go away. Otherwise no. I'm certain that Democrats want a "fix" far more than Republicans in the sense that there should be a path to citizenship, which I am in favor of. I know the Republicans are split about it, so there are probably some who want that version as badly. Some would probably be thrilled if Dreamers were deported.

I'm also cynical enough to believe there are Democrats who would rather have it as an election issue in 2018 rather than "fix" it now.

[GreenGoo]

You have a cancer in the white house and you have time to question the motivations of those trying to fight it.

My point is "who gives a shit?". Once the cancer is gone you're free to go back to politics as usual.

[milo]

DACA may not have existed in 2009 as an executive order, but the issue and the Dreamers did. The Democrats did have a filibuster proof majority from Obama's swearing in until Ted Kennedy's death, that's not 2008-2011, but a subset of that time. For whatever reason they did not do any major immigration changes.

The reason is probably that your claim is false. The Democrats did not have a filibuster proof majority until Senator Al Franken was seated on July 7, 2009. That majority lasted no more than 49 calendar days, ending with the death of Senator Kennedy on August 25 of the same year.

[Blackhawk]

You have a cancer in the white house and you have time to question the motivations of those trying to fight it.

There is nothing that shouldn't be questioned. Hell, if the Trump supporters would just follow that one bit of advice, a lot more problems than Trump would disappear.

[GreenGoo]

You have a cancer in the white house and you have time to question the motivations of those trying to fight it.

There is nothing that shouldn't be questioned. Hell, if the Trump supporters would just follow that one bit of advice, a lot more problems than Trump would disappear.

Yawn. We've been over this. Rome is burning and you want to know whether the firefighters are in it for the money. Feel free to audit them AFTER the fire is out.

[Fitzy]

The reason is probably that your claim is false. The Democrats did not have a filibuster proof majority until Senator Al Franken was seated on July 7, 2009. That majority lasted no more than 49 calendar days, ending with the death of Senator Kennedy on August 25 of the same year.

Interesting. I was wrong. I thought Kennedy died in 2010, not far before the elections. Though not getting it done in those 49 days was kind of lazy

You have a cancer in the white house and you have time to question the motivations of those trying to fight it.

My point is "who gives a shit?". Once the cancer is gone you're free to go back to politics as usual.

I know it's crazy, but I have enough time to contemplate multiple things, including the motivations of those trying to pass a bill. I can also, during the same time period, consider if Trump is ever right (mostly no), how would I like to see Trump removed, what's going on in Syria and a whole bunch more.

To answer your question, I give a shit. If Trump is removed in the wrong manner there won't be a return to politics as usual. Lack of long term thinking is a huge problem with the government, I'd very much prefer Trump isn't replaced with a "progressive" version.

[Blackhawk]

Yawn. We've been over this. Rome is burning and you want to know whether the firefighters are in it for the money. Feel free to audit them AFTER the fire is out.

Yes, I do. I want to know things. It's how I work. And when people do things, I want to know why.

That doesn't mean that I stop them from putting out the fires, but I still take it into consideration when I'm passing them the buckets. And if they're in it for the pay and setting the fires, or reaching for the naphtha instead of the water, I want to know that. I can do both.

[malchior]

If Trump is removed in the wrong manner there won't be a return to politics as usual. Lack of long term thinking is a huge problem with the government, I'd very much prefer Trump isn't replaced with a "progressive" version.

Trump is the outcome of the broken process. McConnell blocked the SCOTUS nominee hoping for any Republican. The Republicans have spent years waging political warfare all across the country. There are too many example of Republicans being completely illiberal for years to think normal is a reasonable goal near term. In other words, however Trump is or isn't removed would be akin to removing a localized tumor when you have Stage 4 cancer.

[Pyperkub]

If Trump is removed in the wrong manner there won't be a return to politics as usual. Lack of long term thinking is a huge problem with the government, I'd very much prefer Trump isn't replaced with a "progressive" version.

Trump is the outcome of the broken process. McConnell blocked the SCOTUS nominee hoping for any Republican. The Republicans have spent years waging political warfare all across the country. There are too many example of Republicans being completely illiberal for years to think normal is a reasonable goal near term. In other words, however Trump is or isn't removed would be akin to removing a localized tumor when you have Stage 4 cancer.

Trump is the outcome of a broken electorate and fractured country. His election had nothing to do with process.

[Max Peck]

That's been unofficial policy for a long time, predating Trump anyway. ISS has already had several lifetime extensions. It doesn't do critically significant science or offer any other important capabilities, yet it sucks down about 1/4 of NASA's annual budget, so the agency can't undertake any other crewed spaceflight initiatives without major funding increases.

That said, the ISS is hardly without value, and provides a major launch market for SpaceX and others. If it were abandoned, the private launch industry would suffer. SpaceX would have scant incentive to develop its human-rated Dragon capsules, for instance, if there was no place to send them.

So privatizing the ISS makes good sense, if it can be coordinated with our international partners. Sorry, not a Trump-bashing opportunity here IMO.

"If it can be coordinated with our international partners" is a might big if for this administration. My expectation is that it will be handled in an inept and arbitrary manner that further damages America's standing in the international community. But maybe Trump will surprise me.

I would hope and expect NASA's administrator will have a leading role in that. Oh, snap.

Appointing a competent administrator to head up NASA (to head up any department, really) would fall into the "Trump surprises me" category. His signature move so far seems to be appointing people who are ideally suited to destroy their demesnes.

[GreenGoo]

I can do both.

No you can't. Well, the American public can't. Every time there is a "drumpf was right this time" headline, the American public loses sight of all the wrong he has done, or at least the wrong is diminished in their eyes because hey, sometimes he's right, sometimes he's wrong, he's only human.

So every time we discuss how Drumpf is right, even when he's not right, it reduces the impact of discussions about when he is wrong, which is all the time except this one time (or that other time. Like once in thousand lies he says something that sounds true), by luck and political expediency when someone with 1/2 a brain in their head whispers into his empty head.

It's distracting, it changes the American public's focus at the moment and reduces Drumpf's perceived wrongness.

I know this is true because all the evidence that Drumpf was a subhuman monster has been available for decades, yet the American people elected him the freakin' potus. Don't distract them with meaningless hand ringing about Dems motivations.

So no, you can't do both, and that goes for Fitzy too.

There is a 500lb gorilla in the room and you guys want to know if Democrats *really* care about DACA or are just using it for political gain. Who gives a fuck. The gorilla is destroying your freakin' country.