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The [Trump Cabinet] thread

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    DeliciousTacosDeliciousTacos Registered User regular
    "...sympathetic media figures like Mr. Hannity..."
    ?????

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    Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho Ho Disconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
    Sympathetic to conservative dogma.

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    DeliciousTacosDeliciousTacos Registered User regular
    Ok, that makes more sense

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    FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    They mean people who are willing to pretend Trump is a good president.

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    MayabirdMayabird Pecking at the keyboardRegistered User regular
    I guess they finally got around to making that old worthless shit-for-brains hick Sonny Perdue Secretary of Agriculture today.

    Also Trump fired the Surgeon General on Friday for no apparent reason. Maybe it was because he was an Obama appointee. Maybe it's because he's very much a supporter of vaccination and absolutely against anti-vaxxers. Maybe it's just because Trump is stupid.

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    daveNYCdaveNYC Why universe hate Waspinator? Registered User regular
    Mayabird wrote: »
    I guess they finally got around to making that old worthless shit-for-brains hick Sonny Perdue Secretary of Agriculture today.

    Also Trump fired the Surgeon General on Friday for no apparent reason. Maybe it was because he was an Obama appointee. Maybe it's because he's very much a supporter of vaccination and absolutely against anti-vaxxers. Maybe it's just because Trump is stupid.

    Oh good. Is Martin Shkreli still looking for work?

    Shut up, Mr. Burton! You were not brought upon this world to get it!
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    CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    A top adviser being linked to a group with ties to fascism would probably be much bigger in any other administration. Instead, he is just leaving in a huff after people ask him questions about it.
    http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/sebastian-gorka-trump-adviser-linked-hungarian-right-wing-group-abruptly-n750451
    Sebastian Gorka, Trump Adviser Linked to Hungarian Right-Wing Group, Abruptly Leaves ‘Fake News’ Panel
    Another student asked if Gorka would disavow Vitezi Rend. A university researcher who attended the panel, Mobashra Tazamal, told NBC News that he didn't, and during his statement, Gorka said the organization had a single purpose: battling communism.

    After five questions, Tazmal said, Gorka stood up and said the rest of the panel should have a chance to speak.

    Then he left.

    "We're wondering how a bunch of 20-year-olds with signs and facts scared away the president's counterterrorism advisor," Meshnick said. "Why was that so intimidating to him?"

    The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
    That sounds like something a fascist would say.

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    DoodmannDoodmann Registered User regular
    daveNYC wrote: »
    Mayabird wrote: »
    I guess they finally got around to making that old worthless shit-for-brains hick Sonny Perdue Secretary of Agriculture today.

    Also Trump fired the Surgeon General on Friday for no apparent reason. Maybe it was because he was an Obama appointee. Maybe it's because he's very much a supporter of vaccination and absolutely against anti-vaxxers. Maybe it's just because Trump is stupid.

    Oh good. Is Martin Shkreli still looking for work?

    He would still be more qualified and less corrupt than like half the cabinet.

    Whippy wrote: »
    nope nope nope nope abort abort talk about anime
    I like to ART
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    klemmingklemming Registered User regular
    Couscous wrote: »
    A top adviser being linked to a group with ties to fascism would probably be much bigger in any other administration.
    Well, we can link all the advisers with the Trump cabinet, so it's hard to spot the difference.

    Nobody remembers the singer. The song remains.
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    MorganVMorganV Registered User regular
    Mayabird wrote: »
    I guess they finally got around to making that old worthless shit-for-brains hick Sonny Perdue Secretary of Agriculture today.

    Also Trump fired the Surgeon General on Friday for no apparent reason. Maybe it was because he was an Obama appointee. Maybe it's because he's very much a supporter of vaccination and absolutely against anti-vaxxers. Maybe it's just because Trump is stupid.

    D. All of the above.

    Wonder if he'll now bitch about not getting his appointments through. Even though he's so incredibly behind on actually nominating people. And I mean, it's not like they've actually refused to confirm a lot of people. IIRC none have failed, and only Pudzer resigned before his nomination.

    But when in doubt, throw blame regardless of how stupid it is. Because a good portion of the country will believe it. SMH.

    Just had a quick look at Cabinet style posititions (there are apparently significant other positions that need confirmations)

    Within the Executive, which most require no confirmation, of those requiring confirmation, it's 1 confirmed, 5 nominated, 6 vacant.

    Dept of Agriculture, 1 confirmed (Perdue yesterday), 8 vacant.
    Dept of Commerce, 1 confirmed, 2 nominated, 10 vacant.
    Dept of Defense, 1 confirmed, 1 carryover, 11 nominated, 24 vacant.
    Dept of Education, 1 confirmed, 3 nominated, 2 vacant.
    Dept of Energy, 1 confirmed, 1 carryover, 1 nominated, 6 vacant.
    Dept of HHS, 2 confirmed, 4 nominated, 1 vacant.
    Dept of Homeland, 2 confirmed, 1 appointed, 6 nominated, 13 vacant*
    Dept of HUD, 1 confirmed, 1 vacant.
    Dept of Interior, 1 confirmed, 4 vacant.
    Dept of Justice, 1 confirmed, 1 carryover (Comey!), 5 nominated, 2 vacant.
    Dept of Labor, 0 confirmed (because Pudzer pulled out), 1 nominated, 3 vacant.
    Dept of State, 1 confirmed, 2 carryover, 1 nominated for two roles, 1 nominated, 13 vacant.
    Dept of State Ambassadors, 2 confirmed (UN and Israel), 7 nominated, 32 vacant.
    Dept of Transportation, 1 confirmed, 2 nominated, 4 vacant.
    Dept of Treasury, 1 confirmed, 1 appointed, 9 nominated, 17 vacant.
    Dept of VetAffairs, 1 confirmed, 1 appointed, 5 vacant.
    Indep Intel, 2 confirmed, 1 carryover, 1 appointed, 2 vacant**
    Indep Other, 2 confirmed, 2 carryover, 1 reappointment, 2 appointed*** 6 nominated, 20 vacant,

    * including Secret Service Director and FEMA, cause nothing could go wrong there. When was the last time a competent FEMA director was needed?

    ** the CIA General Counsel, because who needs legal oversight for the CIA, and Counterproliferation, because what's the chances of a country expanding their nuclear arsenal? That's (Kim Jong) Un-possible.

    *** Found Chris Christie! Apparently Chair of the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission. No confirmation needed, and didn't Trump announce Kushner for solving the problem? Poor Chris Christie. Even when he's given a shitty appointment, he gets crapped on.

    So by my counting, 23 confirmed, 8 carryovers (not including the Surgeon General), 1 reappointed, 58 nominated, and 167 vacant, more than three months into his term. Using some math, that means that 12.45% of positions are properly staffed, and if the Senate wrapped up the nominations (and the reasons for not nominating doesn't appear to all be on the Senate side, with failure to lodge the necessary disclosure paperwork being one big factor), that puts it at a fraction over 30%.

    I think you need to remove the actual cabinet, because they're too important to sit idle (though the Trump Admin doesn't seem to care about rushing Labor or Agri). So subtracting those 15 postions (14 confirmed, and 1 nominated), we get 20 filled positions (or about one every 5 days), and 57 nominated (or about one every two days) for 242 positions. Some more math means that at the current rate of progress, it will take approximately 324 days to nominate everyone, and 1110 days to confirm everyone.

    Putting that date at Saturday, May 9, 2020. Or about six months before Trump's bid for re-election.That's assuming there's no more resignations or firings between now and then.

    Admittedly, the Trump Administration has said they don't plan to fill every position. But there's still a laziness and/or an inability to get people to serve that's just staggering.

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    BlindPsychicBlindPsychic Registered User regular
    Actual first lady Ivanka Trump (whose mere presence in anything official makes my blood boil) was getting roasted this morning in Germany


    And this article by Sarah Kendzior explains why her presence is so maddening
    https://thecorrespondent.com/6591/the-tale-of-the-dictators-daughter-and-her-prince/1864265121147-43ede0f9
    Adult children of authoritarians are useful in three ways: first, they tend to be trustworthy confidants in regimes rife with paranoia, as corrupt authoritarian states usually are. Second, they are excellent vessels for laundering money, creating enough distance that assets stolen from the state are harder to track. Third, they tend to have a warmer public profile which offsets the brutality of the dictator by distracting the population with pictures of their happy families or glamorous lifestyle.

    For nearly two years, Jared and Ivanka have been peddled by the press as a “moderating influence” on her vulgar, bigoted father. They have done nothing to merit this characterization.

    When hate crimes rose in tandem with the Trump campaign, Ivanka and Jared were silent. When xenophobes like Michael Flynn – the former NSA head revealed to be a foreign agent – screeched tirades at the Republican National Convention, Ivanka and her siblings dutifully followed on stage. When Trump filled his cabinet with white supremacists like Steve Bannon, Nazis like Seb Gorka, and racists like Jeff Sessions, Ivanka and Jared did not distance themselves, but joined the team.

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    Mx. QuillMx. Quill I now prefer "Myr. Quill", actually... {They/Them}Registered User regular
    Good. The Trump brand/name deserves to be dragged through the mud after all this bullshit.

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    honoverehonovere Registered User regular
    I really want to see into Merkel's head to know what she thought about that. As far as I know she got Ivanka to go there?

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    SleepSleep Registered User regular
    honovere wrote: »
    I really want to see into Merkel's head to know what she thought about that. As far as I know she got Ivanka to go there?

    Possibly because she knew what the reception would be?

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    BlazeFireBlazeFire Registered User regular
    Sleep wrote: »
    honovere wrote: »
    I really want to see into Merkel's head to know what she thought about that. As far as I know she got Ivanka to go there?

    Possibly because she knew what the reception would be?

    It's pretty clear that if you have Ivanka's ear, you're in a better position than having the President's ear. I expect Merkel would have preferred a warmer welcome.

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    Martini_PhilosopherMartini_Philosopher Registered User regular
    Seems like the most appropriate place to post this little gem since it has to do with the people running the joint as much as the man himself.



    I feel like we can continue to call them incompetent because, frankly, lying about what they can and cannot do is directly relevant to their jobs.

    But more Trump and his campaign was the perfect storm of useful idiots, deconstructive jingoism, and opportunistic bottom feeders to see this to where we are now. It is going to take decades, if we are lucky, to repair the image of this nation and the institutions we once were proud of.

    All opinions are my own and in no way reflect that of my employer.
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    ForarForar #432 Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRegistered User regular
    The Pod Save America team commented on that, and it really is galling.

    Suffice to say, they were... rather put off by the attitude expressed.

    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
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    MarathonMarathon Registered User regular
    .
    Forar wrote: »
    The Pod Save America team commented on that, and it really is galling.

    Suffice to say, they were... rather put off by the attitude expressed.

    Human Boat-Shoe, Tommy Vietor was especially upset. I believe he said he used to work in the communications department and remarked that he would have been fired on the spot for doing something like that.

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    OghulkOghulk Tinychat Janitor TinychatRegistered User regular
    To say Tommy is livid about it is a uh understatement

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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    What does 'good color' mean in that context?

    There's no plan, there's no race to be run
    The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
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    VishNubVishNub Registered User regular
    MuddBudd wrote: »
    What does 'good color' mean in that context?

    "color" in the same sense as "color" commentary. Background, maybe personal details incidental to the story.

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    TastyfishTastyfish Registered User regular
    VishNub wrote: »
    MuddBudd wrote: »
    What does 'good color' mean in that context?

    "color" in the same sense as "color" commentary. Background, maybe personal details incidental to the story.

    "A familiar face at the local soup kitchens and food banks, Mr X, has always been a keen yachtsman" hopefully he'll bring these new perspective to the department he's just joined...etc etc

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    SpoitSpoit *twitch twitch* Registered User regular
    So bascially, you need to go back to that...AP? Reuters? guidelines, and treat the White House like a 3rd world dictatorship, where you basically trust nothing they say?

    steam_sig.png
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    HandgimpHandgimp R+L=J Family PhotoRegistered User regular
    Spoit wrote: »
    So bascially, you need to go back to that...AP? Reuters? guidelines, and treat the White House like a 3rd world dictatorship, where you basically trust nothing they say?

    Reuters

    PwH4Ipj.jpg
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    VeeveeVeevee WisconsinRegistered User regular
    edited April 2017
    Handgimp wrote: »
    Spoit wrote: »
    So bascially, you need to go back to that...AP? Reuters? guidelines, and treat the White House like a 3rd world dictatorship, where you basically trust nothing they say?

    Reuters

    And yes, good news or bad, named official or not, operate on the assumption they are lying at all times.

    Veevee on
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    Dark_SideDark_Side Registered User regular
    edited April 2017
    Seems like the most appropriate place to post this little gem since it has to do with the people running the joint as much as the man himself.



    I feel like we can continue to call them incompetent because, frankly, lying about what they can and cannot do is directly relevant to their jobs.

    But more Trump and his campaign was the perfect storm of useful idiots, deconstructive jingoism, and opportunistic bottom feeders to see this to where we are now. It is going to take decades, if we are lucky, to repair the image of this nation and the institutions we once were proud of.

    These people seem to keep forgetting that they're not on the internet anymore, lies on the world stage have consequences (look at how Kelly was stashed in the basement somewhere when she lost all credibility with cable news), and this shit isn't a game. Will be a fascinating exercise to see if Trump's gaggle of morons can successfully gaslight an entire country.

    Dark_Side on
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    Crimson KingCrimson King Registered User regular
    obviously gorka was late for his interview with chapo trap house

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    GaddezGaddez Registered User regular
    Mr Khan wrote: »
    Or that he's in a genuine time warp of sorts. Same reason why he feels like pot-smokers must be crushed. Guy's just 30 years misplaced.

    Somebody should help him get back to his own time.

    Late to the party but:

    It occurs to me that if he hot boxed hard enough with strong enough ganja he might at least feel like he's back in the 80's.

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    MayabirdMayabird Pecking at the keyboardRegistered User regular
    Gaddez wrote: »
    Mr Khan wrote: »
    Or that he's in a genuine time warp of sorts. Same reason why he feels like pot-smokers must be crushed. Guy's just 30 years misplaced.

    Somebody should help him get back to his own time.

    Late to the party but:

    It occurs to me that if he hot boxed hard enough with strong enough ganja he might at least feel like he's back in the 80's.

    So...if he's in the 80s, but in a permanent time-warp, he thinks he can turn back the Civil Rights Movement and bring back segregation?

    This still fits Sessions.

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    ViskodViskod Registered User regular
    edited April 2017
    In a statement last night Trump said being President was harder than he thought it would be. He thought it'd be easier than his old job.

    Then he handed out electoral maps to the reporters so he could once again talk about what a big electoral win he ( thinks he ) had.

    http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5902b2c6e4b0bb2d086c6c09?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

    Viskod on
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    OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    From the Reuters article on the same subject;
    "I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump told Reuters in an interview. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."

    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
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    HevachHevach Registered User regular
    Viskod wrote: »
    In a statement last night Trump said being President was harder than he thought it would be. He thought it'd be easier than his old job.

    Then he handed out electoral maps to the reporters so he could once again talk about what a big electoral win he ( thinks he ) had.

    http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5902b2c6e4b0bb2d086c6c09?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

    No lies, being president is motherfucking HARD, but you've got those hundreds of appointed jobs to do a lot of it FOR YOU. So, you know. Maybe try filling them and see what a difference it makes.

    Problem is, once Trump sees the difference, he'll learn the wrong lesson and expand everything into the kind of bureaucratic nightmare career bureaucrats fear.

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    XaquinXaquin Right behind you!Registered User regular
    Hevach wrote: »
    Viskod wrote: »
    In a statement last night Trump said being President was harder than he thought it would be. He thought it'd be easier than his old job.

    Then he handed out electoral maps to the reporters so he could once again talk about what a big electoral win he ( thinks he ) had.

    http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5902b2c6e4b0bb2d086c6c09?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

    No lies, being president is motherfucking HARD, but you've got those hundreds of appointed jobs to do a lot of it FOR YOU. So, you know. Maybe try filling them and see what a difference it makes.

    Problem is, once Trump sees the difference, he'll learn the wrong lesson and expand everything into the kind of bureaucratic nightmare career bureaucrats fear.

    well, at least we don't have to worry about that

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    Crimson KingCrimson King Registered User regular
    something i wonder is how easy is it to get prostitutes into the white house

    there's probably a back entrance at mar-a-lago but i bet he hates having to wait for the weekend. and you'd worry about the girls selling their stories

    i guess he's old. maybe his dick doesn't work

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    MayabirdMayabird Pecking at the keyboardRegistered User regular
    OptimusZed wrote: »
    From the Reuters article on the same subject;
    "I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump told Reuters in an interview. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."

    I would play my violin but I don't have a microscope powerful enough to locate it.

    I wonder what Trump's hardcore insane/stupid supporters have to say about him whining like a child that he has to work for a living. Probably would make excuses for him.

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    JavenJaven Registered User regular
    OptimusZed wrote: »
    From the Reuters article on the same subject;
    "I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump told Reuters in an interview. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."

    Bear in mind he says this while doing maybe 10% of the work of most previous Presidents, while taking every single weekend off at a luxury golf resort.

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    Crimson KingCrimson King Registered User regular
    edited April 2017
    he can't really do cocaine any more either

    this sounds like a predictable trump joke but it's something i'm genuinely curious about

    edit: i thought this was [chat], these posts are probably more suitable for [chat]

    Crimson King on
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    davidsdurionsdavidsdurions Your Trusty Meatshield Panhandle NebraskaRegistered User regular
    something i wonder is how easy is it to get prostitutes into the white house

    there's probably a back entrance at mar-a-lago but i bet he hates having to wait for the weekend. and you'd worry about the girls selling their stories

    i guess he's old. maybe his dick doesn't work

    My sources indicate he just likes to watch these days.

    https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3259984-Trump-Intelligence-Allegations.html

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    ArbitraryDescriptorArbitraryDescriptor changed Registered User regular
    Mayabird wrote: »
    OptimusZed wrote: »
    From the Reuters article on the same subject;
    "I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump told Reuters in an interview. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."

    I would play my violin but I don't have a microscope powerful enough to locate it.

    I wonder what Trump's hardcore insane/stupid supporters have to say about him whining like a child that he has to work for a living. Probably would make excuses for him.

    I read a book in which an advanced alien species informed us that, in an effort to not corrupt our development, they had left us the instructions to develop FTL travel on a planet a few light years away.

    I suspect that the instructions for the optics you require would be left written on a quark held in suspension on the same planet.

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    MarathonMarathon Registered User regular
    Viskod wrote: »
    In a statement last night Trump said being President was harder than he thought it would be. He thought it'd be easier than his old job.

    Then he handed out electoral maps to the reporters so he could once again talk about what a big electoral win he ( thinks he ) had.

    http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5902b2c6e4b0bb2d086c6c09?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

    I thought the quip about the maps was a joke. But, nope! It's as pathetic as it is true.

This discussion has been closed.