President Trump

[CapelDodger]

Yeah his tax policy is going to favour the rich, no surprise there. Scrapping the ACA would be a really bad idea, see also rescinding Obamas executive orders.

Bad ideas no doubt, but promises made and not obviously bad for Trump or most of his people.

I am not so sure he will be able to tear up the Paris Climate Accord.

That's a global thing, so no, but he can pull the US out of it.

I recall watching a video some time back presented by high up (presumably retired high up) US military person where they accepted that it was definitely a thing and were making contingency plans based on it.

Indeed, and Trump's people think it's a hoax made up by librul scientists and the Chinese.

There are almost certainly some very sobering realities that a POTUS learns about that are kept quiet from Joe Public, and I'd bet that Climate Change and how far advanced it is is one of those.

I don't see Trump sitting through anything like that.

Also I read today that the rest of the nations signed up are saying that they will all press full steam ahead without the US anyway, and the the process to extricate a country from the Paris deal takes 4 years, so I think he will find that, at least, harder to do than he imagines.

We'll carry on regardless out here.

I am quietly hoping that the next 4 years will pass uneventfully and Trump won't have to react to anything on the scale of 9/11, I suspect that is somewhat forlorn.

9/11 was off the scale. Trump's reactions to on-scale events is more the question, and the world today is far from equilibrium. There will be events.

I do miss the Cold War. There was order in the world in those days.

 

[Belz...]

I do miss the Cold War. There was order in the world in those days.

It's insane to think that we were safer when we thought we were on the brink of nuclear annihilation.

 

[dudalb]

Trump might not want to antagonise the party so early on. Or, of course, he might want to assert his authority right from the start.

I'm not convinced the party would push back, given the latter possibility and Bannion's lack of experience.

White House COS is not all that powerful a position on paper;the basic job description is pretty much Office Manager for the President.
It's the lack of experience that puzzles me as to why Trump would want him in that specific position. If Trump wants him around, just appoint to some kind of media advisor,but put somebody who knows about administration as the COS.

 

[dudalb]

I don't have a problem with the pictures per se, but why they are being published now. It's like say your friend marries the girl everyone slept with. You DON'T say a word. There are things people with class do or don't do. That part of Melania's life was a long time ago. They aren't publishing them now because the pics are good. They are publishing them because she will be the first lady.

I don't..so far...have a high opinion of Melania as far as intelligence goes; but I agree publishing those pictures is pretty low.

 

[acbytesla]

I don't..so far...have a high opinion of Melania as far as intelligence goes; but I agree publishing those pictures is pretty low.

That's kind of how I feel. But there is too much money in publishing them.

 

[CapelDodger]

It's insane to think that we were safer when we thought we were on the brink of nuclear annihilation.

But mostly we didn't think that at all. More to the point, we didn't worry about failed states harbouring religiously-inspired terrorists. Secularism had won : we'd passed beyond religion to ideology.

An illusion, as it transpires, but a comfortable one to live in. I miss it.

 

[Jrrarglblarg]

It's insane to think that we were safer when we thought we were on the brink of nuclear annihilation.

Standing paralyzed with fear kept the world from flailing about unpredictably.

 

[NoahFence]

English is indeed my second language.I was raised in Oklahoma.

That said, it is clear that the Post's article remains newsworthy. In fact, I'd wager that a large majority of their readers did not vote for Trump, and some non-negligible part of their readers care about this issue.

Your view is simply bizarre.

My view that people need to be educated is bizarre?

No wonder we're in this **** show.

Congrats to all the ignorant ***** out there! Don't ruin it.

 

[CapelDodger]

That's kind of how I feel. But there is too much money in publishing them.

There's nothing inhibiting it. Class is defunct. I'll go further : anathema is defunct.

 

[dudalb]

My view that people need to be educated is bizarre?

No wonder we're in this **** show.

Congrats to all the ignorant ***** out there! Don't ruin it.

Insulting and ridiculing people is not a good way to educate them.

 

[CapelDodger]

Standing paralyzed with fear kept the world from flailing about unpredictably.

On a personal level I missed the paralysis, perhaps because of drink and drugs. There was a thing in the Reagan days, but frankly we didn't give it much never-mind. The IRA was more of a thing : I heard two of their bombs go off, but never a Soviet one.

 

[Regnad Kcin]

CNN is reporting that Trump wants Bannon as chief of staff, according to unnamed sources.

This is seriously demented.

No, no, you don't understand. He was playing a role but is actually a reasonable, good guy. He'll pivot now for sure! I mean, didn't you see his wonderful acceptance speech?

Please. Trump was Trump is Trump.

 

[NoahFence]

Insulting and ridiculing people is not a good way to educate them.

We tried tact.
Didn't work for obvious reasons.

These common clay of the new West people.

 

[newyorkguy]

...scrapping Obamacare is a different matter. 22 million people will be disenfranchised, including myself. I'm not poor, but I am self-employed, and have a pre-existing condition (diabetes) so I will go back to uninsured status shortly.

It's tragic that the Republicans ignore this kind of reality. Which is how Hillary Clinton answered Trump during the debate. Saying, okay yes, Obamacare is not perfect but 22 million Americans have gained health insurance because of it, so let's work together to make Obamacare better, but let's not throw it out.

I don't have any words of wisdom, either, sorry to say. I worked for over thirty years, yet when my company moved and I was between jobs, finally collecting unemployment for the first time in my life, I lost almost half of my eligibility when the Republicans in Congress shutdown the federal government. They then followed up by refusing to renew the federal part of the unemployment program.

 

[Distracted1]

I don't..so far...have a high opinion of Melania as far as intelligence goes; but I agree publishing those pictures is pretty low.

Low, indeed.
The kind of action I would not find out of character for our new president.

 

[CapelDodger]

White House COS is not all that powerful a position on paper;the basic job description is pretty much Office Manager for the President.

It's those sketchily defined roles wich are crucial in the game.

It's the lack of experience that puzzles me as to why Trump would want him in that specific position. If Trump wants him around, just appoint to some kind of media advisor,but put somebody who knows about administration as the COS.

Trump is not nearly as clever as Bannion. Bannion has (according to CNN) convinced Trump that he's his best shield against the system Republicans - whose sincerity is in question, lets face it - making him their tool.

 

[trustbutverify]

It was a surprisingly good speech.

there have been a few moments during this campaign that have made me step back and wonder a bit. Trump is a showman - he always has been. He knows how to play an audience, he knows how to negotiate. From the perspective of an average person, it's pretty ruthless negotiation... but it's also successful. I end up wondering if his campaign has been mostly show and bluster because that's the anchor point he needs to weaken his opponent's position. I have on occasion wondered if he might be a bit more Machiavellian that I give him credit for.

Which campaign was he prosecuting when he savagely beat and raped his first wife because he didn't like the results of the scalp reduction her recommended doctor performed?

What negotiation was he engaged in when he slapped his name on a fake "real estate university" designed to bilk the gullible out of their hard earned savings?

I understand an average person like me can't really comprehend the rough and tumble of high octane success- but I'm still curious.

 

[phiwum]

My view that people need to be educated is bizarre?

No wonder we're in this **** show.

Congrats to all the ignorant ***** out there! Don't ruin it.

I wasn't aware that you were advocating education. Funny way to do it. Someone posts a link to a Post article and you responded thus.

So what?

The time for outrage and education is over. Ignorance won.

This is your pro-education plea, is it? Well, good luck. Not quite sure I get the strategy, but good luck.

 

[Jrrarglblarg]

I don't have a problem with the pictures per se, but why they are being published now. It's like say your friend marries the girl everyone slept with. You DON'T say a word. There are things people with class do or don't do. That part of Melania's life was a long time ago. They aren't publishing them now because the pics are good. They are publishing them because she will be the first lady.

Hence, my suggestion she should own them.

 

[Travis]

I don't..so far...have a high opinion of Melania as far as intelligence goes; but I agree publishing those pictures is pretty low.

It seems like hypocritical slut shaming.

I mean aren't we supposed to be in favor of a woman having the power to have nudes of herself or not? Of having agency to show off her body or not?