Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

[Zarathud]

Putting the CIA in charge of State is stupid and gives Russia a major propaganda victory about the department always being part of American intel operations. Stupid.

The secret is out. The foreign policy of the country is run by the deep state intel branches of Russia.

Fixed that to say what you mean.

Not the puppet! You're the puppet!

[GreenGoo]

Does that mean Drumpf is deep state now?

That didn't take long.

[Kraken]

Are we so sure that firing Tillerson was Trump's idea?

According to one news commenter (and I know, one should never read comments), Tillerson was Putin's pick for the job, but then showed a disturbing independent streak. Criticizing Russia for the poisoning in England was the last straw. Trump is just doing Putin's bidding.

I'm ordinarily skeptical of any conspiracy theory, but I can believe that nearly anything about the Putin-Trump connection is at least plausible. The commenter didn't have anything to say about how Pompeo fits into Putin's cabinet (if he does).

[Sepiche]

I wonder why Tillerson was fired now?

A couple possibilities...
a) This was planned for a while and they thought it might distract from the potential disaster in Pennsylvania later tonight
b) Drumpf was upset that Tillerson publicly backed May after her speech yesterday (these are the only public comments I saw Tillerson making leading up to his firing)

If not for the fact that Drumpf has yet to comment on Russia's use of a weapon of mass destruction in one of our closest ally's cities I wouldn't even think B, however...

[Moliere]

If not for the fact that Drumpf has yet to comment on Russia's use of a weapon of mass destruction in one of our closest ally's cities I wouldn't even think B, however...

Trump: Russia likely poisoned ex-spy, 'based on all the evidence'

US President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that he believes the British government's theory that Russia was likely responsible for the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in England earlier this month.

"It sounds to me like it would be Russia based on all the evidence they have," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "It sounds to me like they believe it was Russia and I would certainly take that finding as fact."

Trump added: "As soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them, we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be."

[Holman]

Pompeo seems to have walked a fuzzy line on Russian interference. At times he has downplayed it, at other times he has said that he stands by the intelligence community's assessment that Russia attacked us.

He can hardly be called a long-time intelligence guy, though. He had no experience at CIA before Trump made him Director, and before that he was a standard-issue climate-change-denying, gun-loving, Obama-deranged House Republican (Kansas).

[pr0ner]

Well, for all of Tillerson's failings, I think it's safe to say things are going to get worse at State under Pompeo.

[malchior]

I wonder why Tillerson was fired now?

A couple possibilities...
a) This was planned for a while and they thought it might distract from the potential disaster in Pennsylvania later tonight

Why would you do it before it happens? It might not actually happen.

b) Drumpf was upset that Tillerson publicly backed May after her speech yesterday (these are the only public comments I saw Tillerson making leading up to his firing)

If not for the fact that Drumpf has yet to comment on Russia's use of a weapon of mass destruction in one of our closest ally's cities I wouldn't even think B, however...

Maybe this is the reason but you'd think they'd be a little smarter about timing. Well I guess you can't avoid Russia since something new is pretty much happening every day.

[Holman]

link

Wow. AP is reporting John Kelly called Tillerson on Friday, but only told him to expect a possible tweet from the president in the near future.

[Enough]

link

Wow. AP is reporting John Kelly called Tillerson on Friday, but only told him to expect a possible tweet from the president in the near future.

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/sta ... 9362044930

[malchior]

Can anyone remember when a Secretary of State or any other Cabinet officer has been treated *anything like this*. Trump is not just a low-life dirt bag. He is a complete coward. He is almost certainly the worst human being to inhabit this office by a long-shot.

Working in the White House is supposed to be an honor of a life time and he has managed to cover it all in shit.

[El Guapo]

I wonder why Tillerson was fired now?

A couple possibilities...
a) This was planned for a while and they thought it might distract from the potential disaster in Pennsylvania later tonight

Why would you do it before it happens? It might not actually happen.

b) Drumpf was upset that Tillerson publicly backed May after her speech yesterday (these are the only public comments I saw Tillerson making leading up to his firing)

If not for the fact that Drumpf has yet to comment on Russia's use of a weapon of mass destruction in one of our closest ally's cities I wouldn't even think B, however...

Maybe this is the reason but you'd think they'd be a little smarter about timing. Well I guess you can't avoid Russia since something new is pretty much happening every day.

Why would you think that Trump would be smarter about timing (or anything else)?

[malchior]

I wonder why Tillerson was fired now?

A couple possibilities...
a) This was planned for a while and they thought it might distract from the potential disaster in Pennsylvania later tonight

Why would you do it before it happens? It might not actually happen.

b) Drumpf was upset that Tillerson publicly backed May after her speech yesterday (these are the only public comments I saw Tillerson making leading up to his firing)

If not for the fact that Drumpf has yet to comment on Russia's use of a weapon of mass destruction in one of our closest ally's cities I wouldn't even think B, however...

Maybe this is the reason but you'd think they'd be a little smarter about timing. Well I guess you can't avoid Russia since something new is pretty much happening every day.

Why would you think that Trump would be smarter about timing (or anything else)?

Read that with a heavy dose of sarcasm. In reality he is so impulsive that you can't ascribe any strategy to the man. He is the fucking worst in every possible way.

[Enough]

So what's the over-under on more major personnel shifts this week?

[malchior]

So what's the over-under on more major personnel shifts this every week?

[Remus West]

Like a big boy!

BREAKING: Trump says he made decision to oust secretary of state 'by myself,' says Tillerson will be 'much happier now' .

At least he is tacitly admitting that working in his WH makes people unhappy.

[Holman]

BREAKING: Officials: White House fires top Tillerson aide who contradicted account of secretary of state's dismissal.

[Moliere]

The Presidency really has turned into a reality show.

[Enough]

So what's the over-under on more major personnel shifts this every week minute?

https://twitter.com/cjf39/status/973594354303586306

Goldstein is the dude who just said that Tillerson had "every intention of staying" and that Rex "did not speak to the President and is unaware of the reason."

Edit: Good lord, I can't even type bbcode quick enough to keep up with the circus.

[hepcat]

At this rate, we're all going to get a chance to work in the WH.

[$iljanus]

So what's the over-under on more major personnel shifts this every week minute?

https://twitter.com/cjf39/status/973594354303586306

Goldstein is the dude who just said that Tillerson had "every intention of staying" and that Rex "did not speak to the President and is unaware of the reason."

Edit: Good lord, I can't even type bbcode quick enough to keep up with the circus.

Don’t undermine the Tweeter in Chief...

[Carpet_pissr]

Why is that statement remarkable?

Pretty remarkable that Trump would fire Tillerson without telling Tillerson why, isn't it?

Honestly? No. Nothing that Trump does surprises me anymore. And it's not just about "precedent-breaking". I really don't hold to that like some people do, as if tradition is holy by its mere existence. It's the ways in which he is breaking precedent, in almost all cases, that is the concern (for me). A stupid, small example: flag pin. That's a relatively recent presidential precedent that I couldn't care less about. If President X wants to break that decades-long precedent and NOT wear a flag pin? FINE. I don't even really have a problem with his "unprecedented" use of Twitter. Except that he's a moron, and the vile shit he spews on there makes him look like a childish boor.

So you're okay with normalizing behavior like firing a cabinet member via twitter?

No?

Shitty, cowardly, petulant behavior is par for the Trump course, not remarkable, that's all I'm saying. I can assure you there are plenty of people out there applauding this move, and even the way it was done, just because he's "theirs".

[Carpet_pissr]

At this rate, we're all going to get a chance to work in the WH.

Imma put in for a job that has a shift between 11pm and 3am so I can walk in on him eating Cheetos, watching late night, right-wing talk shows, and angrily tweeting in response. Then I could throw something heavy at him and yell "WHAT. THE. FUCK. ARE YOU DOING?!". And then just walk out.

[Moliere]

Tillerson Has 180 Million Reasons Not to Return to Oil Industry

It isn’t clear where Rex Tillerson goes from here, but he has 180 million reasons to avoid the oil industry.

The freshly ousted secretary of state’s exit package from former employer Exxon Mobil Corp. stipulates that if Tillerson returns to the private sector to work for a competitor, he could forfeit roughly $180 million in deferred compensation.

Exxon created a payout plan in January 2017 for Tillerson, who had led Exxon since 2006 before serving in the Trump administration, to compensate him for more than 2 million unvested shares and stock units while removing any conflicts of interest. Tillerson surrendered his stock awards in exchange for a cash payment to an independently managed trust -- the trust then distributes money to Tillerson according to a schedule that mirrors Exxon’s long-horizon vesting schedule.

A provision of Tillerson’s ethics agreement says that he must give up any undistributed assets in the trust if he becomes employed by or provides services to “a company in the oil and gas industry or the oil and gas services industry.” The terms cover being a consultant, contractor, director or paid employee.

[malchior]

So what's the over-under on more major personnel shifts this every week minute?

https://twitter.com/cjf39/status/973594354303586306

Goldstein is the dude who just said that Tillerson had "every intention of staying" and that Rex "did not speak to the President and is unaware of the reason."

Edit: Good lord, I can't even type bbcode quick enough to keep up with the circus.

Wow - only the best people are going to want to sign up to work for people this awesome. This is another watershed day that'll get lost in the shuffle of incompetence.

[pr0ner]

Why is that statement remarkable?

Pretty remarkable that Trump would fire Tillerson without telling Tillerson why, isn't it?

Honestly? No. Nothing that Trump does surprises me anymore. And it's not just about "precedent-breaking". I really don't hold to that like some people do, as if tradition is holy by its mere existence. It's the ways in which he is breaking precedent, in almost all cases, that is the concern (for me). A stupid, small example: flag pin. That's a relatively recent presidential precedent that I couldn't care less about. If President X wants to break that decades-long precedent and NOT wear a flag pin? FINE. I don't even really have a problem with his "unprecedented" use of Twitter. Except that he's a moron, and the vile shit he spews on there makes him look like a childish boor.

So you're okay with normalizing behavior like firing a cabinet member via twitter?

No?

Shitty, cowardly, petulant behavior is par for the Trump course, not remarkable, that's all I'm saying. I can assure you there are plenty of people out there applauding this move, and even the way it was done, just because he's "theirs".

To say it's not remarkable is normalizing the behavior. It's very remarkable that, regardless of his prior actions, POTUS fired his Secretary of State via TWITTER.

[ImLawBoy]

And now we're back to chastising each other for not being sufficiently virulent toward Trump. I guess we need some form of conflict on an R&P forum when we agree on 90%+ of things.

[malchior]

If you read between the lines - there is something interesting there. Kelly reached out on Friday to tell Tillerson there'd be a Tweet about him forthcoming. Tuesday he is fired via Tweet. So much for Kelly being a stabilizing force. He is right there in the center supporting this non-professional nonsense.

[Moliere]

I guess we need some form of conflict on an R&P forum when we agree on 90%+ of things.

How much does that 90%+ silence opposing views? I'm certainly going to hesitate on posting something that I know 90% of the people around here will disagree with.

[ImLawBoy]

I guess we need some form of conflict on an R&P forum when we agree on 90%+ of things.

How much does that 90%+ silence opposing views? I'm certainly going to hesitate on posting something that I know 90% of the people around here will disagree with.

I'm sure it stifles a lot, but that's probably a discussion for another thread . . . .

[pr0ner]

And now we're back to chastising each other for not being sufficiently virulent toward Trump. I guess we need some form of conflict on an R&P forum when we agree on 90%+ of things.

Heh, sorry, I'm not sure why that particular take set me off.

[Remus West]

I guess we need some form of conflict on an R&P forum when we agree on 90%+ of things.

How much does that 90%+ silence opposing views? I'm certainly going to hesitate on posting something that I know 90% of the people around here will disagree with.

Why? I'm not meaning that snarkily but as a serious question.

[ImLawBoy]

I guess we need some form of conflict on an R&P forum when we agree on 90%+ of things.

How much does that 90%+ silence opposing views? I'm certainly going to hesitate on posting something that I know 90% of the people around here will disagree with.

Why? I'm not meaning that snarkily but as a serious question.

Because it can be exhausting to argue a contrary opinion around here. You've got 5-10 people to respond to if it's a controversial opinion, and while it would be a good discussion one-on-one, it's much more difficult when you're fighting the battle on multiple fronts. Plus, while most people are making good faith arguments and playing nice, you almost inevitably deal with one or two people who try to get needlessly snarky or use logical fallacies or put words in your mouth. It's not arguing contrary opinions with (most of) the individuals that is problematic - it's arguing contrary opinions with the group.

[Zarathud]

Meh. It's nothing like The Treatment anymore.

Defending or even rationalizing Trump should be exhausting IMO. It's certainly exhausting just following the dumpster fire.

And I hear you can't be considered upset if you're not protesting in the streets.

[LordMortis]

And I hear you can't be considered upset if you're not protesting in the streets.

That's where I'm beginning to feel guilty. We've hit a point where I should be politically active but I'm ashamed to say I'm just as bad a toll raging at the keyboard with my only civic duty being to vote.

This recognition is why Meal's March post struck such a chord.

Oh, and ILB, that's one opinion. Really, I agree though. Conversations that separate the people's front from the popular people's front do less than little from me.

[Holman]

And I hear you can't be considered upset if you're not protesting in the streets.

That's where I'm beginning to feel guilty. We've hit a point where I should be politically active but I'm ashamed to say I'm just as bad a toll raging at the keyboard with my only civic duty being to vote.

This recognition is why Meal's March post struck such a chord.

But I think Z was referring to Rip's recent post where he claimed that is never angry about politics because he doesn't throw money at candidates or get out marching in the streets.

[Rip]

And I hear you can't be considered upset if you're not protesting in the streets.

That's where I'm beginning to feel guilty. We've hit a point where I should be politically active but I'm ashamed to say I'm just as bad a toll raging at the keyboard with my only civic duty being to vote.

This recognition is why Meal's March post struck such a chord.

But I think Z was referring to Rip's recent post where he claimed that is never angry about politics because he doesn't throw money at candidates or get out marching in the streets.

Anyone who is angry and not doing those things is just an angry person. I dare you to find anyone who has met me that would describe me as an angry person.

I spend most of my time in R&P grinning and laughing.

[LordMortis]

Anyone who is angry and not doing those things is just an angry person. I dare you to find anyone who has met me that would describe me as an angry person.

I spend most of my time in R&P grinning and laughing.

I don't know that I concur with this but I feel guilty. I am not doing those things whatever they may be and I have become an angry (and more importantly frightened) person. I can't broaden my lack of political effort beyond using my vote to other people though. Even if I do feel a sense of shame to along with fright and anger.

It is time. I'm not sure how. But it is time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rxWPEdYCnI

[Fitzy]

Make a sign, stand in front of your capital building. It's pretty easy.

If you want other people around, watch for the big marches and go hang out when they gather.

For example:

March for our lives It's March 24, find the local version. Show up. No excuses!

PS

There's a March for Science on April 14th (I think). That might be more comfortable, if you need an excuse.

[El Guapo]

Anyone who is angry and not doing those things is just an angry person. I dare you to find anyone who has met me that would describe me as an angry person.

I spend most of my time in R&P grinning and laughing.

I don't know that I concur with this but I feel guilty. I am not doing those things whatever they may be and I have become an angry (and more importantly frightened) person. I can't broaden my lack of political effort beyond using my vote to other people though. Even if I do feel a sense of shame to along with fright and anger.

It is time. I'm not sure how. But it is time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rxWPEdYCnI

Also, you live in a swing state. Find a local competitive race and do what you can to help the democratic candidate, even if it's donating and making social media posts encouraging others to donate.