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Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:33 pm
by Holman
I don't which state LM calls home, but I'm sure there are organizing groups to be found. Often what they need most are a few people willing to spend an hour or two phone-banking at critical times. Usually they provide snacks, but the camaraderie is the reward.

I've contributed a little of my time, and it always feels great. It's what democracy is.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:35 pm
by Skinypupy
Rip wrote: Tue Mar 13, 2018 3:44 pm I spend most of my time in R&P grinning and laughing.
Thisisfinedog.jpg

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:34 pm
by malchior
How Mike Pompeo Could Save the State Department. Read if you want a view into a career diplomats thoughts on how to fix State. However, despite the title it is reasonably clear that she does not think Pompeo will do any of these things.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:24 pm
by Holman
Trump's comments on the Tillerson firing singled out the Iran deal.

Even Rex Tillerson thought it was a good thing, so Trump has to dump him for an ideologue like Pompeo in order to bring State to heel.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 11:00 pm
by Kraken
On the bright side, six months from now someone else will have the job.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 11:11 pm
by RunningMn9
Zarathud wrote:Meh. It's nothing like The Treatment anymore.
Ain’t nobody got time for that anymore. :)

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 11:55 pm
by PLW
If tonight's race in PA tells us anything, it's that every state is going to have competitive races this fall. Get involved in the closest one to you.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:05 am
by Daehawk
Which is a little scary for the US. As bad as Trump is and as bad and all he and the GoP has done you'd think an election would be a blow out for the Dems and they never are.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:48 am
by gbasden
Daehawk wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:05 am Which is a little scary for the US. As bad as Trump is and as bad and all he and the GoP has done you'd think an election would be a blow out for the Dems and they never are.
They often are, in blue states. One would think that the incompetence levels being shown would lead to only a few cranks voting R even in red states, but as we've seen party over country is a thing. And nobody wants to admit they've been conned.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:17 am
by Chaz
The GOP's also been working for a decade or more to ensure that they have an advantage at the polls, either through redistricting after 2010, or through efforts to suppress the vote that's least likely to go their way through. The fact that Dems have had the success they've had in deep red districts and states despite those efforts effectively is a blow out for them. In a lot of areas, elections aren't being held on an even playing field.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 9:25 am
by pr0ner
More cabinet shakeups incoming? Trump looks to replace VA Secretary David Shulkin with Rick Perry.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:32 am
by ImLawBoy
RunningMn9 wrote: Tue Mar 13, 2018 11:11 pm
Zarathud wrote:Meh. It's nothing like The Treatment anymore.
Ain’t nobody got time for that anymore. :)
The Treatment was different, though. It was one-on-one, generally well thought out, and while there was usually some snark, it was kept at a reasonable level.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:33 am
by Smoove_B
Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Mar 01, 2018 1:04 pm "I was as surprised as anyone to find out that a $31,000 dining set had been ordered," Carson said in a statement.
I guess he didn't remember sending the email. I'm sure he's been busy and it slipped his mind.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:50 am
by RunningMn9
ImLawBoy wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:32 am The Treatment was different, though. It was one-on-one, generally well thought out, and while there was usually some snark, it was kept at a reasonable level.
The Treatment(tm) had two important elements. I used it to address every single point that a poster made, sentence-by-sentence if necessary. And I used it to almost always address every single poster that was disagreeing with me.

It wasn't an intentional thing by the way, it was the result of responding to a post, as I read it. Nothing annoyed me more than making five points, and having someone ignore four of them to focus on the one they thought they could win. So I tried to not do that to other people. It wasn't always interpreted that way though. ;)

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 11:15 am
by ImLawBoy
RunningMn9 wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:50 am
ImLawBoy wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:32 am The Treatment was different, though. It was one-on-one, generally well thought out, and while there was usually some snark, it was kept at a reasonable level.
The Treatment(tm) had two important elements. I used it to address every single point that a poster made, sentence-by-sentence if necessary. And I used it to almost always address every single poster that was disagreeing with me.

It wasn't an intentional thing by the way, it was the result of responding to a post, as I read it. Nothing annoyed me more than making five points, and having someone ignore four of them to focus on the one they thought they could win. So I tried to not do that to other people. It wasn't always interpreted that way though. ;)
I never had a problem with how you responded to people, and I at times used a similar (if perhaps less formal) way of responding. Now, if I were arguing an unpopular opinion and I had 5-10 people doing a version of the treatment, that's when it becomes exhausting and makes it not necessarily worth my time to continue. Not because the other people are being unfair or because I don't believe that my opinion is right, but it's just really, really hard to keep up that battle and stay employed and married.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 11:23 am
by Moliere
Image

Only 2 out of 10 people working in the top jobs at the State Department. Only the best people means they do the work of 3 or 4?

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:03 pm
by RunningMn9
ImLawBoy wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 11:15 am Now, if I were arguing an unpopular opinion and I had 5-10 people doing a version of the treatment
I was the one with the unpopular opinion that had 5-10 people telling me that I was wrong. That provided sufficient motivation. ;)

But yeah, I can't do it anymore. Just don't have the time (nor do I really care anymore in my old age).

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 1:43 pm
by Moliere
Rand Paul being a stinker again.
"I cannot endorse his nomination of people who loved the Iraq war so much that they want an Iran war next," Paul says. "President Trump sought to break with the foreign policy mistakes of the last two administrations. Yet now he picks for secretary of state and CIA director people who embody them, defend them, and, I'm afraid, will repeat them."

Paul sits on the crucial Senate Foreign Relations Committee, giving him significant leverage over these nominations. If the committee's 10 Democratic members also oppose Pompeo's or Haspel's appointment, Paul would be the swing vote on the 21-member committee. If either nominations make it to the Senate floor via a different route (Senate leaders could bypass the committee process, Politico says), Republicans could face another close vote with a slim 51–49 majority.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 4:20 pm
by Blackhawk
I think I only got The Treatment once that I recall.

It royally pissed me off, as it made me look stupid in front of people I wanted to respect me, and refuting it all required a ton of time, thought, and research.

Of course, by the time I got halfway done refuting it, I realized that I actually was full of shit, and learned to A) check my claims, B) be honest with myself when it came to thinking I was knowledgeable, and C) don't yap when I don't know what I"m talking about. I'm not always successful, but it has improved my thought process. It's also one of the reasons that, while I read almost every post in R&P, I rarely speak up myself. I'm just not that politically savvy.

Unless I have an unpopular opinion (like 'only mock Trump for things Trump has actually done' or 'attack real issues instead of just going for childish name calling'), in which case I throw all I learned out the window, speak up anyway, and the suffocate under the dogpile. But that's OK, as it is usually worth it.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 4:56 pm
by Pyperkub

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 5:21 pm
by Sepiche
Rand Paul says he won't vote to confirm Pompeo or Haspel
"My announcement today is that I will oppose both Pompeo's nomination and Haspel's nomination," Paul said.

Paul was the only Republican to vote against Pompeo for CIA director. And his decision on Wednesday complicates, but doesn't unilaterally sink, Pompeo's path to leading the State Department.
Republicans have an 11-10 advantage on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, making Paul a key vote.

If Paul votes no during the panel's deliberations and every Democrat opposes him, committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) will be forced to decide if he'll move Pompeo's nomination to the floor anyway.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:27 pm
by Enough
Sepiche wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 5:21 pm Rand Paul says he won't vote to confirm Pompeo or Haspel
"My announcement today is that I will oppose both Pompeo's nomination and Haspel's nomination," Paul said.

Paul was the only Republican to vote against Pompeo for CIA director. And his decision on Wednesday complicates, but doesn't unilaterally sink, Pompeo's path to leading the State Department.
Republicans have an 11-10 advantage on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, making Paul a key vote.

If Paul votes no during the panel's deliberations and every Democrat opposes him, committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) will be forced to decide if he'll move Pompeo's nomination to the floor anyway.
Lynn Cheney just called him a terrorist sympathizer for this.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:36 pm
by RunningMn9
Blackhawk wrote:It royally pissed me off, as it made me look stupid in front of people I wanted to respect me, and refuting it all required a ton of time, thought, and research.
I can assure you that was not my intent!

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:41 pm
by Blackhawk
RunningMn9 wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:36 pm
Blackhawk wrote:It royally pissed me off, as it made me look stupid in front of people I wanted to respect me, and refuting it all required a ton of time, thought, and research.
I can assure you that was not my intent!
Mind the rest - it turned out to be justified. I don't even remember what the post was about (and it was probably on OO), but I have a feeling my internal response was just a defensive reaction.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 9:48 pm
by Zarathud
Hell, the Treatment kept people on their toes. It has merit, and I believe everyone should expect to be called on their bullshit.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:30 pm
by GreenGoo
As someone who used the Treatment long before it had a name or Rmn9 got his greedy little tm on it, this whole discussion annoys me.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:36 pm
by Max Peck
"The Treatment."

You're talking about waterboarding, right? :coffee:

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:37 pm
by GreenGoo
It felt like that sometimes. :D

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:47 pm
by gbasden
Smoove_B wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:33 am
Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Mar 01, 2018 1:04 pm "I was as surprised as anyone to find out that a $31,000 dining set had been ordered," Carson said in a statement.
I guess he didn't remember sending the email. I'm sure he's been busy and it slipped his mind.
I'm to the point that I assume everything is a lie. Their followers don't care and nothing matters, so why not lie even about easily verifiable things?

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:21 am
by Rip
Zarathud wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 9:48 pm Hell, the Treatment kept people on their toes. It has merit, and I believe everyone should expect to be called on their bullshit.
Be careful it made me sterile.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 8:45 am
by pr0ner
Because there's always a tweet:


Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:58 am
by RunningMn9
GreenGoo wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:30 pm As someone who used the Treatment long before it had a name or Rmn9 got his greedy little tm on it, this whole discussion annoys me.
If you were using it here (or on OO) before 2001, then you were likely doing it without my dramatic flair and snark. That's why I get to hold the (tm). ;)

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:07 am
by Isgrimnur
Stigler's law of eponymy
Stigler's law of eponymy is a process proposed by University of Chicago statistics professor Stephen Stigler in his 1980 publication "Stigler’s law of eponymy".[1] It states that no scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer. Examples include Hubble's law which was derived by Georges Lemaître two years before Edwin Hubble, the Pythagorean theorem although it was known to Babylonian mathematicians before Pythagoras, and Halley's comet which was observed by astronomers since at least 240 BC. Stigler himself named the sociologist Robert K. Merton as the discoverer of "Stigler's law" to show that it follows its own decree, though the phenomenon had previously been noted by others.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:14 am
by Carpet_pissr
Rip wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:21 am
Zarathud wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 9:48 pm Hell, the Treatment kept people on their toes. It has merit, and I believe everyone should expect to be called on their bullshit.
Be careful it made me sterile.
Your extreme levels of bullshit made you sterile? I guess I can see that, though I would be interested in seeing some kind of scientific backup data on it.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:18 am
by Carpet_pissr
Blackhawk wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:41 pm
RunningMn9 wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:36 pm
Blackhawk wrote:It royally pissed me off, as it made me look stupid in front of people I wanted to respect me, and refuting it all required a ton of time, thought, and research.
I can assure you that was not my intent!
Mind the rest - it turned out to be justified. I don't even remember what the post was about (and it was probably on OO), but I have a feeling my internal response was just a defensive reaction.
A very wise, now deceased Jesuit in Argentina once told me that when you find yourself getting unusually angry about something when arguing, that should be a red flag to do a hard check of your own self. Often, the other person has brought up something that is true that you dislike about yourself, or that you are simply wrong, and aren't willing to bring your own self to admit it.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:21 am
by LawBeefaroni
Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:07 am Stigler's law of eponymy
Stigler's law of eponymy is a process proposed by University of Chicago statistics professor Stephen Stigler in his 1980 publication "Stigler’s law of eponymy".[1] It states that no scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer. Examples include Hubble's law which was derived by Georges Lemaître two years before Edwin Hubble, the Pythagorean theorem although it was known to Babylonian mathematicians before Pythagoras, and Halley's comet which was observed by astronomers since at least 240 BC. Stigler himself named the sociologist Robert K. Merton as the discoverer of "Stigler's law" to show that it follows its own decree, though the phenomenon had previously been noted by others.
See sig.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:29 pm
by Holman
McMaster is out.
President Trump has decided to remove H.R. McMaster as his national security adviser and is actively discussing potential replacements, according to five people with knowledge of the plans, preparing to deliver yet another jolt to the senior ranks of his administration.
The turbulence is part of a broader potential shake-up under consideration by Trump that is likely to include senior officials at the White House, where staffers are gripped by fear and un­certainty as they await the next move from an impulsive president who enjoys stoking conflict.

For all of the evident disorder, Trump feels emboldened, advisers said — buoyed by what he views as triumphant decisions last week to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum and to agree to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The president is enjoying the process of assessing his team and making changes, tightening his inner circle to those he considers survivors and who respect his unconventional style, one senior White House official said.
Trump recently told White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly that he wants McMaster out and asked for help weighing replacement options, according to two people familiar with their conversations. The president has complained that McMaster is too rigid and that his briefings go on too long and seem irrelevant.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:39 pm
by GreenGoo
Nothing says professional like firing someone with only a vague idea of who you might replace them with.

Hilarious that he wants to fire McMaster because his intelligence briefings are too long and boring and have very few puppets in them.

I freakin' hate Drumpf so very, very much.

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:04 pm
by Kraken
I look forward to seeing Trump unfettered and surrounded by yes men. He's been so timid and tentative so far....

Re: Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:08 pm
by Smoove_B
Hmm...did McMaster say anything today? Anything at all that would make this look bad?
“Russia is also complicit in [Syrian dictator Bashar] Assad’s atrocities,” McMaster, President Trump’s national security adviser, said Thursday during an appearance at a discussion of the Syrian civil war held at the U.S. Holocaust memorial museum.

His voice raised, McMaster used harsher and more moralistic language than his boss does in characterizing Russia’s geopolitical influence, and unequivocally blamed the Kremlin for “the abhorrent nerve agent attack” on a former double agent, Sergei Skripal, and proposed “serious political and economic consequences” for Russian aggression.
And then:
“It is time to impose serious political and economic consequences on Moscow and Tehran. Assad should not have impunity for his crimes, and neither should his sponsors,” an animated McMaster said, hours after the administration placed new economic sanctions on entities associated with the St. Petersburg-based “troll farm” that impersonated Americans on social media to spread Russian propaganda during the 2016 election.