Author Topic: The Trump Transition/Administration (Read 146707 times)

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #400 on:** March 01, 2018, 06:46:51 AM »

The White House Family Business
Jared and Ivanka have to decide if they’ve become political liabilities.
By The Editorial Board
Feb. 28, 2018 7:33 p.m. ET
377 COMMENTS

Politics is blood sport, as presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner is learning the hard way. The 80% of Washington that wants Donald Trump out as President is now targeting Mr. Kushner as a means to that end.

Hiring family for high-profile jobs is always high political risk. Proximity to the throne means they may intimidate dissenting views that need to be heard. Their loyalty can be an asset, but they inevitably become high-profile political targets. Above all they are hard to fire even when they become liabilities. Exhibit A is Hillary Clinton, who brought scandals like Travelgate and cattle futures and the debacle of HillaryCare as first lady.

Mr. Kushner is merely an in-law, but he poses some of the same political risks. The latest uproar concerns the loss of his interim “top secret” security clearance on Friday as the FBI continues its clearance investigation. After the fiasco over former White House aide Rob Porter’s clearance, chief of staff John Kelly has put a limit on interim clearances. Mr. Kelly is right not to make an exception for Mr. Kushner, which would have inevitably leaked and looked like family favoritism. This is another example of Mr. Kelly’s value to the President.

Mr. Kushner’s enemies piled on Tuesday with an egregious leak to the Washington Post that foreign countries including China and Mexico have discussed how to exploit Mr. Kushner’s vulnerabilities in negotiations. Imagine that: A foreign country trying to exploit the weaknesses of American counterparts. The leak gave away to the foreign officials who discussed this that the U.S. was spying on them. Let’s hear no more complaints from the media about compromising “sources and methods.”

However outrageous, the leak is proof that the long knives are out for Mr. Kushner, and they’ll keep slashing. Without a top-secret clearance Mr. Kushner will lack crucial information that could be helpful in his role as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians. He also won’t be able to see the President’s daily intelligence briefing. While Mr. Kushner has other policy portfolios, such as prison reform, his value as a formal White House adviser will be diminished.

The larger problem is that—thanks to another leak—we know Mr. Kushner is on special counsel Robert Mueller’s subject list. This includes his personal business dealings. Last year Mr. Kushner offered the House and Senate Intelligence committees an account of what he said were his complete dealings with Russians during the presidential campaign. But only he and his lawyers know if there are other vulnerabilities. If there are, he and President Trump would both better off if Mr. Kushner were out of the White House before they become public.

Giving up their White House positions would be a bitter remedy, but Mr. Kushner and first daughter Ivanka could still offer advice as outsiders. Every President needs loyal counselors detached from the White House hothouse, and George W. Bush sometimes played that role for George H.W. Bush. There are specific and significant diplomatic roles the two could perform, or projects they could lead, such as Ivanka’s admirable performance at the Olympics.

Mr. Trump’s second year could determine his presidential fate as Mr. Mueller’s probe rolls on and midterm elections give Democrats a chance to take the House and impeach him. Mr. Trump needs the discipline that Mr. Kelly has imposed, and the White House announced Wednesday that communications aide Hope Hicks plans to resign after she became a political target.

Mr. Kushner and Ivanka have to decide if they’d serve themselves and the President better by walking away from their formal White House roles.

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #401 on:** March 03, 2018, 05:58:58 PM »

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/jared-kushners-conflicts-of-interest-reach-a-crisis-point?mbid=nl_Daily%20030218&CNDID=50142053&spMailingID=13042107&spUserID=MjAxODUyNTc2OTUwS0&spJobID=1360205227&spReportId=MTM2MDIwNTIyNwS2

DougMacG · « **Reply #402 on:** March 07, 2018, 06:43:16 AM »

Who knew Trump's top economic adviser was a lifelong Democrat until he left?

Not to be single issue here but what accomplished economist, liberal or conservative, is going to take the job and sign on to the economic agenda that includes economic suicide on trade?

"The President likes to hear dissenting views" - up to a point. Then those voices seem to disappear.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/06/us/politics/gary-cohn-resigns.html

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #403 on:** March 07, 2018, 12:08:58 PM »

https://www.dailywire.com/news/27918/trump-meets-former-un-ambassador-bolton-white-hank-berrien

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #404 on:** March 13, 2018, 06:23:36 AM »

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/13/us/politics/trump-tillerson-pompeo.html?emc=edit_na_20180313&nl=breaking-news&nlid=49641193&ref=cta

DougMacG · « **Reply #405 on:** March 13, 2018, 07:54:02 AM »

Quote from: Crafty_Dog on March 13, 2018, 06:23:36 AM

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/13/us/politics/trump-tillerson-pompeo.html?emc=edit_na_20180313&nl=breaking-news&nlid=49641193&ref=cta

It looks like chaos but this means Democrats(?) from Exxon and Goldman Sachs who were not on the same page as the President are out of top spots. Bannon and Manafort are also long gone and that's good. Pompeo is very good and we don't want final policy decisions set by the Sec State anyway. Kelly seems to be doing fine for now; he won't last forever either. Sanders is doing a good job with Trump's message. New CIA Director was deputy director, presumably qualified and he will get some mileage out of appointing a woman. I thought Reince Priebus with party ties had a role to play but they got their bills through Congress after him than with him.

Pence was a great pick. Gorsuch, the best we could hope for (even if I turn on him later). The other judges are good. Markets are up this am. Not much new to worry about, just the same old problems, challenges and opportunities that we faced yesterday and the day before.

ccp · « **Reply #406 on:** March 13, 2018, 08:49:42 AM »

For God's sake can we please leave GS on Wall Street and not the White House revolving Wall Street revolving turnstyle!

Is there NO one other the GS ?

DougMacG · « **Reply #407 on:** March 13, 2018, 10:07:17 AM »

Quote from: ccp on March 13, 2018, 08:49:42 AM

For God's sake can we please leave GS on Wall Street and not the White House revolving Wall Street revolving turnstyle!

Is there NO one other the GS ?

Small world but even with our purist conservative(?) Ted Cruz, his wife works for Goldman Sachs. She is superbly qualified but consistent with criticism of Michelle Obama at U of Chicago and Hillary all the way back to Rose Law Firm, these organizations buy influence because they can.

We can appoint them to high posts but as ccp says isn't a bit weird that so many come from the same places. All 9 Justices on the Supreme Court attended Harvard or Yale. (Ginsburg graduated from Columbia.) We aren't as diverse a nation as we sometimes think we are.

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #408 on:** March 13, 2018, 02:34:21 PM »

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/03/12/heres-why-progressives-hate-betsy-devos.html

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #409 on:** March 13, 2018, 11:44:23 PM »

https://www.daybydaycartoon.com/comic/healthy/

DougMacG · « **Reply #410 on:** March 14, 2018, 05:46:58 AM »

Tillerson disagreed with Trump on ....
Paris Accords, Climate
North Korea
Russia, Qatar
Tariffs?
Pretty much everything.
The "moron" controversy.
The kicker on policy was the Iran deal.
Trump on Tillerson: "When you look at the Iran deal, I think it's terrible. I guess he thinks it was OK. I wanted to break it or do something, and he felt a little bit differently. So we were not thinking the same."
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/13/trump-and-tillerson-disagreed-on-key-diplomatic-issues.html

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #411 on:** March 14, 2018, 09:36:56 AM »

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/378353-rand-paul-to-oppose-pompeo-haspel?userid=188403

DougMacG · « **Reply #412 on:** March 14, 2018, 10:10:21 AM »

Kudlow opposed the tariff increases if that gives us a clue where Trump is headed with that.

A very good, supply-side pick if they can get along and he survives.

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #413 on:** March 15, 2018, 10:15:49 PM »

I didn't know this about Kudlow in 2007-8

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/larry-kudlow-may-have-been-more-wrong-about-the-economy-than-anyone-alive/2018/03/14/a98f2292-27ce-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html?undefined=&utm_term=.418be1454998&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

============================

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-cabinet-members-accused-of-living-large-at-taxpayer-expense/2018/03/14/9f9476c4-27a7-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html?undefined=&utm_term=.51acd873f010&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

ccp · « **Reply #414 on:** March 16, 2018, 05:40:26 AM »

I am not a huge fan of Kudlow as I have posted in the past.
for every single problem in the universe his answer is and always has been tax cuts and economic growth. ( Just not for ME!) I distinctly remember him saying someone like me does not need a tax cut - while I read his net worth is 75 million!

Listening to him speak of this is like listening to Hannity for more then 10 seconds - he gives me a pounding headache

when he talks about anything else I like listening! Just tired of the words "tax cuts" and "growth"[economic] the most spoken 3 words in his vocabulary.

Not that being a capitalist is wrong just that it is not that simple.

That said Milbank is leftist propagandist who can be taken with a grain of salt.

Oh Kudlow did not see the dip in 2008 -9. Like most everyone else did! How about blaming the crats like Dodd Frank and Clinton who pushed the high risk mortgages?

DougMacG · « **Reply #415 on:** March 16, 2018, 07:51:52 AM »

Quote from: ccp on March 16, 2018, 05:40:26 AM

I am not a huge fan of Kudlow as I have posted in the past.
for every single problem in the universe his answer is and always has been tax cuts and economic growth. ( Just not for ME!) I distinctly remember him saying someone like me does not need a tax cut - while I read his net worth is 75 million!

Listening to him speak of this is like listening to Hannity for more then 10 seconds - he gives me a pounding headache

when he talks about anything else I like listening! Just tired of the words "tax cuts" and "growth"[economic] the most spoken 3 words in his vocabulary.

Not that being a capitalist is wrong just that it is not that simple.

That said Milbank is leftist propagandist who can be taken with a grain of salt.

Oh Kudlow did not see the dip in 2008 -9. Like most everyone else did! How about blaming the crats like Dodd Frank and Clinton who pushed the high risk mortgages?

I don't watch cable so I miss how annoying certain people are. Now Bezos / Wash Post won't let me see articles so i miss how annoying leftist propagandists like Milbank are. ) Yes, optimists like Wesbury missed the call of the crash but I believe warned plenty of the dangers of the government interventions in markets that led to the financial collapse. (CRAp, letting the federal government take 90% market share on mortgages, zero interest rate policy, loans to 100%, 125% of equity!)

Hard to imagine how much talk there was about tax cuts and growth during the Obama years, none happened. Must have been an opposing view! )

It isn't that "someone like you" "needs" a tax cut. It is just the right thing to do on moral grounds and to grow the economy(!) and grow revenues to the Treasury in order to help poor people and support national security.

I have an idea for them that doesn't require constant talk about tax cuts and growth, cut government spending!

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #416 on:** March 16, 2018, 11:51:55 AM »

https://www.nysun.com/editorials/the-promise-of-pompeo/90214/

DougMacG · « **Reply #417 on:** March 21, 2018, 12:50:17 PM »

https://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Hr0kebN1G0yeVrdAvZpEfQ.aspx

Was there no Kennedy derangement syndrome?

ccp · « **Reply #418 on:** March 21, 2018, 02:36:45 PM »

walter cronkite would likely never have reported this.

did these things even get into the news 55 yrs ago?

That said you point is otherwise well taken.

Trump didn't say we can do more after the election like the corrupt Obama

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #419 on:** March 23, 2018, 08:39:57 AM »

Bolton articles in the WSJ:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/bolton-in-the-wsj-1521814530

=====================================

The editorial board's reaction today:

By The Editorial Board
March 22, 2018 8:06 p.m. ET
175 COMMENTS

President Trump has said he is at last assembling a Cabinet team to his liking, and late Thursday he announced that John Bolton will replace General H.R. McMaster as his National Security Adviser. It is a solid and experienced choice.

General McMaster, like others, reportedly had fallen out of favor with Mr. Trump. But there should be no doubt that General McMaster helped the President through a challenging first year, which included an array of problems inherited from the Obama Administration, not least the North Korean nuclear threat.
John Bolton in the WSJ

John Bolton, President Trump’s new national security adviser, has been a regular contributor to the Journal for many years. Here are a few examples:

The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First, March 1, 2018
Beyond the Iran Nuclear Deal, Jan. 18, 2018
America Needs a Post-ISIS Strategy, June 29, 2017
The New Foreign Policy, Same as the Old, May 22, 2017
A Resolute Message for China, April 6, 2017
Trump’s New Start With Russia May Prove Better Than Obama’s, Feb. 14, 2017

Mr. Bolton’s critics often accuse him of belligerence and reactive saber-rattling. He is indeed direct. No listener comes away from a conversation with John Bolton in doubt about where he stands. That must include Mr. Trump, who had Mr. Bolton under consideration to be his first Secretary of State last year and has discussed foreign issues often with him since.

The charge that Mr. Bolton can be an unguided missile misconstrues his ideas and experience. He served in the State Department during both Bush Presidencies. Under George W. Bush he created the multinational Proliferation Security Initiative in 2003, a useful effort explicitly designed to deter North Korea’s efforts to smuggle weapons materials.

Those wanting an understanding of John Bolton’s thinking on security issues should read the many essays he has written for these pages in recent years—most recently “The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First” on Feb. 28.

Mr. Bolton’s first job will be to prepare the President for an historic meeting with Kim Jong Un. We may assume Pyongyang knows now that bluffing the U.S. won’t work.

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #420 on:** March 23, 2018, 08:45:24 AM »

second post

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/us/politics/bolton-cambridge-analyticas-facebook-data.html&ref=cta&nl=top-stories?nlid=49641193-stories

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #421 on:** March 25, 2018, 09:52:07 AM »

http://carolineglick.com/boltons-appointment-is-a-brilliant-america-first-move/

Mattis leery of Bolton
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/380185-mattis-isnt-sure-he-can-work-with-bolton-report

G M · « **Reply #422 on:** March 25, 2018, 10:14:06 AM »

Quote from: Crafty_Dog on March 25, 2018, 09:52:07 AM

http://carolineglick.com/boltons-appointment-is-a-brilliant-america-first-move/

Mattis leery of Bolton
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/380185-mattis-isnt-sure-he-can-work-with-bolton-report

He is free to resign.

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #423 on:** March 25, 2018, 11:16:40 AM »

Sorry, but I find that entirely too glib.

President's Trump selection of Sec Def Mattis was greeted around here with universal acclaim.

Mattis is accorded great respect throughout the Congress, even Dems, and generally with the country as a whole. For many people, his presence at Trump's elbow is a source of reassurance that Trump will be soundly advised. Around the world Mattis has the credibility that if he says that somebody/something positively absolutely has to be blown the fk up that the US has both the will and the capability to do so. Were he to walk away it would be a very negative thing.
===================================

https://pjmedia.com/claudiarosett/john-bolton-reagan-realist-brilliant-choice/

G M · « **Reply #424 on:** March 25, 2018, 04:42:27 PM »

Quote from: Crafty_Dog on March 25, 2018, 11:16:40 AM

Sorry, but I find that entirely too glib.

President's Trump selection of Sec Def Mattis was greeted around here with universal acclaim.

Mattis is accorded great respect throughout the Congress, even Dems, and generally with the country as a whole. For many people, his presence at Trump's elbow is a source of reassurance that Trump will be soundly advised. Around the world Mattis has the credibility that if he says that somebody/something positively absolutely has to be blown the fk up that the US has both the will and the capability to do so. Were he to walk away it would be a very negative thing.
===================================

https://pjmedia.com/claudiarosett/john-bolton-reagan-realist-brilliant-choice/

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/09/mattis_attempts_to_normalize_a_severe_mental_disorder.html

DougMacG · « **Reply #425 on:** March 26, 2018, 06:37:14 AM »

"He is free to resign"

I would add to that, he is free to run for president and make all the top appointments himself. But I share Crafty's sentiment. I hope that both of these great men stay on and serve together. They don't have to agree on everything and press reports about grumbling in private are as likely to be wrong as right.

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #426 on:** March 29, 2018, 07:43:34 AM »

https://www.easyreadernews.com/john-thunder-bolton-warns-obama-of-limits-to-diplomacy/?utm_source=Daily+News&utm_campaign=b2adca703e-Daily_EMAIL_NEWSLETTER&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b41a925468-b2adca703e-286697493

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #427 on:** March 31, 2018, 11:06:57 AM »

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/381068-pentagon-braces-for-john-bolton?userid=188403

DougMacG · « **Reply #428 on:** April 02, 2018, 08:36:29 AM »

[Crafty] "what to make of Trump's out of left field comments yesterday about leaving Syria soon? WTF? "

There is just no way to accurately decipher all the utterances of this President. On the Optimistic side, let's assume he means with a leave-behind force, but isn't that all we have right now.

Except for the really stupid stuff, most of these statements are designed to leverage someone or something else. In this case, maybe he wants the 'boots on the ground' in the Middle East to be someone else's, to come from the gulf states for example.

G M · « **Reply #429 on:** April 02, 2018, 08:53:51 AM »

Watch what he does, rather than what he says.

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #430 on:** April 02, 2018, 09:02:50 AM »

General Keane was on FOX this morning approving how President Trump is holding out on a promised $200M -- apparently until Saudi Arabia (and other Sunnis?) kick in their promised $4B.

OTOH he was disapproving of the President's words here and spoke quite well of the importance of winning the peace.

Perhaps the President's words are simply aimed at getting allies to do their part? If so, they could have been far better chosen , , ,

DougMacG · « **Reply #431 on:** April 02, 2018, 10:45:29 AM »

"Perhaps the President's words are simply aimed at getting allies to do their part? If so, they could have been far better chosen , , ,"

Yes. He keeps shocking people with his words. Some of it is just testing to see the reaction and for ohter purposes. I think he enjoys having the media and adversaries think he is nuts, but some of it is quite hard to take for his should-be supporters. He doesn't want a US ground war in the Middle East but he also hired Bolton and (hopefully) isn't about to surrender to a rising Iran, a fall of Israel, or a resurgence of ISIS.

As terrible as his words can be and some of his personal behavior, he only has to improve a little bit to achieve a lot. As G M points out, people are learning to wait and see what he means and will actually do, and pretty soon the results will speak for themselves, for better or worse.

No one else from the right could pull off the disconnect between what he says and what he does.

I suppose his next really big gaffe is coming but I don't think that was it. People like hearing that he isn't heading the US into a new Middle East ground war.

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #432 on:** April 05, 2018, 06:28:07 AM »

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/381713-the-memo-kelly-said-to-be-losing-influence-with-trump?userid=188403

ccp · « **Reply #433 on:** April 09, 2018, 08:39:03 AM »

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/nikki-haley-john-boltons-disdain-for-u-n/

G M · « **Reply #434 on:** April 09, 2018, 09:06:04 AM »

Quote from: ccp on April 09, 2018, 08:39:03 AM

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/nikki-haley-john-boltons-disdain-for-u-n/

This is a great thing.

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #435 on:** April 09, 2018, 10:18:01 AM »

https://clarionproject.org/john-boltons-diary-day-one-natl-security-advisor/

DougMacG · « **Reply #436 on:** April 27, 2018, 05:35:08 AM »

Someday, a thread of her own.

I predicted, if something happened to Trump she would be Pence's VP pick.

Now this, in a world of upside down political popularities Nikki Haley has a 63-17 approval rating.
https://ntknetwork.com/poll-americans-love-nikki-haley/

Better messaging, better messengers.

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #437 on:** April 27, 2018, 06:47:08 AM »

I like Nikki a lot exactly where she is, but somehow do not (yet?) see her being at that level-- not only would her selection would smack too much of Dem logic but we need to remember how aggressively anti-Trump she was during the presidential campaign.

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #438 on:** May 12, 2018, 07:24:59 AM »

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/387367-pompeo-off-to-fast-start-as-trumps-top-diplomat?userid=188403

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #439 on:** June 16, 2018, 03:56:08 PM »

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/392640-trump-to-nominate-budget-official-as-next-consumer-bureau-chief

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #440 on:** June 23, 2018, 07:45:23 PM »

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/393501-mulvaney-aims-to-cement-legacy-at-cfpb-by-shepherding-successor-through

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #441 on:** June 25, 2018, 12:18:08 PM »

By The Editorial Board
June 24, 2018 6:09 p.m. ET
321 COMMENTS

Key positions throughout the federal government remain vacant more than 500 days into Donald Trump’s Presidency. The President hasn’t put forward enough nominees, a mistake the media have focused on. Yet Senate Democrats—and the occasional Republican—have held up qualified nominees at a scale unprecedented in recent history.

No one understands this better than Brian Benczkowski, who was nominated more than a year ago to lead the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. Mr. Benczkowski is a highly qualified choice for Assistant Attorney General: He has held five leadership positions at Justice, including chief of staff to former Attorney General Michael Mukasey. Obama and Clinton appointees have praised his selection, yet Senate Democrats have treated Mr. Benczkowski as if he were Vladimir Putin’s personal attorney.

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats sent a letter to President Trump in May—11 months after receiving the nomination—regarding the nominee’s “Russian connections.” They urged the president to drop Mr. Benczkowski over his “representation of the Putin-allied Alfa Bank and his refusal to recuse himself from Russia-related matters.”

What did Mr. Benczkowski’s representation entail? In 2016 news reports surfaced of connections between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank. At the behest of one of his law partners, in 2017 he hired cybersecurity firm Stroz Friedberg to examine some of Alfa Bank’s electronic records. Mr. Benczkowski testified that the limited investigation he oversaw turned up no connections between the bank and Mr. Trump’s business.

Democrats nonetheless demanded that he recuse himself from anything related to Russia. Given the absence of a conflict, Mr. Benczkowski declined to commit to a broad Russia-related recusal, though he said he would recuse from anything involving Alfa Bank.

Democrats now claim Mr. Benczkowski would undermine the Robert Mueller investigation. Never mind that the nominee made clear that he supports the probe and explicitly rejected Mr. Trump’s “witch hunt” characterization. Mr. Mueller reports to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who supports Mr. Benczkowski.

Democrats also cite his “dearth of courtroom experience” as a reason to oppose someone for a position whose work involves setting policy priorities, not trying cases. Three Criminal Division chiefs under Barack Obama signed a letter backing his nomination, noting “he respects the role of the Justice Department and will work hard to protect the integrity and independence” of the institution.

The worst of this Democratic harassment began after the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Mr. Benczkowski’s nomination along party lines last September. A Senator can’t stop a nominee but he can drag out confirmation. And Senate Democrats have done so at a record pace during the Trump Administration.

After a nominee is confirmed by committee, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell asks for unanimous consent to take up the nomination. If a Senator objects, this triggers a cloture vote, which requires 30 hours of debate on the Senate floor. With limited floor time Senate leaders might have to choose between passing a farm bill or approving a State Department official.

Some Republicans have also abused the rule. In January Senator Cory Gardner vowed to hold every Justice Department appointment until Attorney General Jeff Sessions took a softer stance on marijuana. Three months later, after the President promised the feds wouldn’t interfere with Colorado’s legal marijuana industry, the Senator lifted his hold. Senate leaders still want to get Mr. Benczkowski and other Justice officials a floor vote, but they’ll have to keep waiting as the Senate is forced to triage nominees.

Through June 21, Trump nominees have taken an average of 87 days to confirm, according to the Partnership for Public Service. Obama appointees had to wait an average of 67 days. Among 670 “key executive branch” positions—agency heads, ambassadors and other leadership roles—147 Trump nominees are still awaiting Senate action.

This is largely because as of June 5 Mr. Trump’s nominees had faced 101 cloture votes. In the first two years of every administration going back to Jimmy Carter, there were only 24 such votes for judicial and executive nominees. Mr. Obama’s nominees faced only a dozen cloture votes in his first two years.

Top jobs at Treasury, Justice, Defense and State remain unfilled as an understaffed Trump Administration grapples with a host of international challenges. These jobs are being filled on a temporary basis, but that’s no way to run a government—even if you don’t like the guy at the top.

Appeared in the June 25, 2018, print edition.

ccp · « **Reply #442 on:** August 14, 2018, 04:44:54 AM »

I never would have dreamed it was legal to covertly tape the President of the United States

How can this be?
Must be due to advent of cell phones. I would bet people near Obama were searched .

Well when you bring in people who are more from the entertainment industry a back stabbing self serving group of narcissists I guess this is what we get.

Left wind media sees no problem with taping high government officials without their knowledge or consent but sees a problem with nondisclosure agreements.

as usual they turned every thin ass backwards to fit their agenda..........

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #443 on:** August 14, 2018, 07:45:42 AM »

Trump needed some black faces around him and she was conveniently at hand. He knew she was a snake when he gave her a ride.

ccp · « **Reply #444 on:** August 14, 2018, 08:02:46 AM »

" Trump needed some black faces around him and she was conveniently at hand. He knew she was a snake when he gave her a ride."

CD I believe you hit the nail squarely on the head . Sadly she knew this too and fully took advantage of being black and female for her own ends.

Just goes to show how far MSM will glamorize even snakes if they think it will hurt Trump . This along with the likes of Clifford & Avanetti .

DougMacG · « **Reply #445 on:** August 14, 2018, 08:55:32 AM »

Here we go again, a fight with someone we never heard of until they were gone, of no known accomplishment or significance.

Does he have to call her a dog and a low life - heading into the midterms, while Melania works on cyber bullying? Couldn't he just ignore her and and stay on message, it's the economy, people.

I watched her on Meet the Press Sunday and Chuck Todd pretended to be tough on her while giving her generous airtime to push her message and her book. She didn't land a punch. Why respond? It just feeds his enemies to call a black woman a low life and a dog, obviously, but does it help him with his supporters and with the Independents and undecideds? Taken literally, isn't explaining the dog tag insulting to dogs and dog lovers? To me it shows weakness, lack of focus and attracts from his strengths and accomplishments, again, especially in the eyes of the would-be persuadable.

https://www-foxnews-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/14/trump-calls-omarosa-dog-as-war-over-salacious-memoir-explodes.amp.html?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQCCAE%3D#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fpolitics%2F2018%2F08%2F14%2Ftrump-calls-omarosa-dog-as-war-over-salacious-memoir-explodes.html

ccp · « **Reply #446 on:** August 14, 2018, 02:48:46 PM »

"Does he have to call her a dog and a low life - heading into the midterms, while Melania works on cyber bullying? Couldn't he just ignore her and and stay on message, it's the economy, people."

right Doug

if we lose the House in the midterms I am convinced it will be his fault because he cannot keep control of his anger.
he is truly a mixed bag as President . I hope he does not destroy the *integrity* office of the presidency permanently .

he puts the rest of us who support him, in the same party all at risk because of his emotional immaturity.

the worse part is he does not learn from it but looks to rally's for fuel for his ego which then enables him to be the same.

not being able to have insight and to learn from one's problems is to me a sign of a personality disorder .
That said he keeps getting away with this . half the country including me support him anyway because overall I like his policies

ccp · « **Reply #447 on:** August 23, 2018, 06:08:34 PM »

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/23/jeff-sessions-senate-support-republican-leaders-trump-794870

My opinion he needs to go
we need to fight this totally political attempt to take Trump down and if Sessions won't put a stop to it or at least some deadline he needs to be replaced.

nothing Trump can do otherwise will stop the left frenzy to get rid of him.
So the right needs to stand up and say enough

Anyone who argues against just think how the LEFt with its corrupt media collusion had NO problem when the then Deep State let Hillary walk and continue to use double standards every step of the way

I like Jeff Session s and admirable man but he allowing the Leftist DOD walk all over him. You can't talk about the law having any meaning when it is OBVIOUSLY applied differently to different people.

my armchair opinion

Crafty_Dog · « **Reply #448 on:** September 05, 2018, 06:36:22 AM »

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/405070-conservatives-rattled-by-floated-names-for-wh-counsel-position?userid=188403

DougMacG · « **Reply #449 on:** September 05, 2018, 08:26:51 AM »

No particular link to share, I'm sure you can get plenty of the preview highlights at the Washington Post today. No named sources as usual, The credibility or lack thereof all falls on Bob Woodward.

It's quite devastating material in the soap opera sense. My guess is that this changes nothing.

Mattis allegedly thinks Trump has the foreign policy understanding of a fifth or sixth grader. Someone else took letters off Trump's desk to keep him from signing orders that would bring down the country or the world, and so on.

Unless they have more, this kind of thing energizes his detractors and hardens his support. How will that affect the midterms? Presumably it hurts him and hurts him badly, but energizing his detractors makes them go even more batshit crazy when it should make them want to lbecome the sane alternative. Does the sight of energized activists and 93% negative news coverage going further negative really win more votes?

Does the rest of the book cover the accomplishments of his presidency? Or does the consummate historian that Woodward purports to be skip all that and stay with the reality show perspective. See our thread on accomplishments. He doubled the growth rate of the largest economy in the history of the world, brought China, Mexico, North Korea, European Union and Canada to the bargaining table, filled the court with great judges and justices, secured our defenses and brought a level of transparency to the White House that hurts our eyes and ears.

Whatever the truth is about what he said about Assad after the chemical weapons attack, kill the bastards, all of them, just strengthens his position in negotiations with Kim Jeong Un and the Ayatollahs. It also strengthens his hand with Xi that he will take any step and is not afraid of the backlash.

Which do the people want to hear about this election season, the accomplishments or the behind-the-scenes in-fighting? Don't know, we'll see.

News:

Author Topic: The Trump Transition/Administration (Read 146707 times)