The Trump Presidency 15

[Minoosh]

This is somewhat disturbing. If Trump doesn't like military people, he'll just have them stripped of their commendations? I'm sure that will endear himself to the military.

That's assuming Trump actually took action instead of just tweeting about it.

He probably considers Twitter an appropriate channel for military orders.

 

[Delphic Oracle]

Danger is they pick someone who is so far to the left that they alienate the moderates and swing voters who will decide this election. Thye might just sit home and vote for neither.

Remind me again what your feelings are on picking someone who is so centrist that they alienate the progressives and liberals who will decide this election, who may just sit at home and vote for neither?

 

[phiwum]

That's assuming Trump actually took action instead of just tweeting about it.

He probably considers Twitter an appropriate channel for military orders.

That's how he ordered the transgender ban, though it was ignored until a formal order was issued.

 

[Checkmite]

I am worried that the Stupid Bitch in Chief will not allow a transition and also won't allow the ceremony to take place as tradition dictates. I fully expect he won't come to the inauguration.

The outgoing president does not participate in any way in the inauguration, with the exception that historically he attends and watches as part of the crowd. There's nothing for him to "allow", or "not allow".

 

[rdaneel]

The outgoing president does not participate in any way in the inauguration, with the exception that historically he attends and watches as part of the crowd. There's nothing for him to "allow", or "not allow".

I like to imagine he'll be to busy during the inauguration being charged, cuffed and perp walked out of the White House the moment he can be indicted.
Oh, I know it's absurd to think that will actually happen, but the thought makes me smile.

 

[Aridas]

Trump Tweets

The cages for kids were built by the Obama Administration in 2014. He had the policy of child separation. I ended it even as I realized that more families would then come to the Border!
@CNN

Chris Hayes response -

WE LITERALLY DID A SEGMENT TONIGHT ABOUT HOW THEY'VE SEPARATED 900 MORE CHILDREN SINCE THEY SAID THEY ENDED IT.

In other news...

FTC Reneges on $125 Equifax Data Breach Payment

For those who don't know the whole story, in 2017 Equifax had a data breach where information on 147 million people was exposed because Equifax is basically terrible at cybersecurity 101. The company and the FTC negotiated a settlement valued at approximately $425 million. The FTC initially indicated that anyone affected by the breach could opt for (1) a one time $125 payment or (2) free credit monitoring for four years. One need not be a rocket scientist to know that $125x147,000,000 >>> $425,000,000. Indeed, as noted above, only $31,000,000 was earmarked for cash payments because the FTC and Equifax think people either (1) don't like free money or (2) would be too lazy to ask for it.

Through social media and news amplification, those opting for the $125 payment massively outpaced their assumptions. To that end, the FTC has silently posted an update to their FAQ as quoted above, hoping people won't notice, will get their $3.25 "payment" and sit down and shut up because they didn't object or opt out in time.

I'm not sure that there's much more that needs said there.

Unpaid coal miners protest, block train tracks for more than 24 hours: 'No pay, we stay'

Why this unruly behavior?

And while unemployment compensation might seem a short-term solution, it, unfortunately, isn’t. Bankruptcy makes this situation especially tricky for workers, as Cumberland Mayor Charles Raleigh admitted.

"The miners can't draw unemployment because they technically were not fired and they didn't quit," Mayor Raleigh said. "They can't get medical insurance, so they are stuck between a rock and a hard place."

<snip>

Attorney General Andy Beshear made a statement on Tuesday about the situation:

"Blackjewel failed to pay them for weeks of hard work and the way the company filed for bankruptcy prevents miners from accessing their 401ks, making it even harder for them to feed their families during this trying time. What this company is doing to them is wrong -- and I am doing everything I can through my office to help these families. Every Kentuckian should see their plight and support them."

Again, I'm not sure what more needs said.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Tweets
The people on the stage tonight, and last, were not those that will either Make America Great Again or Keep America Great! Our Country now is breaking records in almost every category, from Stock Market to Military to Unemployment. We have prosperity & success like never before..

...It will soon be time to choose to keep and build upon that prosperity and success, or let it go. We are respected again all around the world. Keep it that way! I said I will never let you down, and I haven’t. We will only grow bigger, better and stronger TOGETHER!

 

[Craig4]

The outgoing president does not participate in any way in the inauguration, with the exception that historically he attends and watches as part of the crowd. There's nothing for him to "allow", or "not allow".

The Military District of Washington plays a huge role in the inauguration as do other executive agencies. He could simply order them not to participate.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

While Trump is helping with that as a form of backlash, I suppose it's worth asking... which Democratic candidates would YOU refuse to vote for, dudalb?

Not dubalb, and not sure the size of my demographic, but I was a lifelong Republican - about to turn 70 - and right now I would vote for any of the 20 Democratic candidates just to ensure that Trump does not get a second term. Unlike 2016, I will not sit this one out - I learned my lesson.

I predict that once the internecine squabbling is over and a Democratic candidate is selected, Democrats and Independents will coalesce behind them. The alternative is too horrible to contemplate.

 

[TragicMonkey]

YOU are the only person who sees things YOUR way. That should probably be a given but you keep speaking in absolutes. There's no war going on in the Democratic Party any more than the Obama populist faction was warring against Hillary's old guard. Did that hand the election to McCain? When the Dems have an actual war, like '68 and '72(and the aftermath), they hand the White House to any old Republican they GOP chooses.

I see this preliminary season as healthy. The old guard has to come to terms with the young turks. The young turks have to find a way to get their message across to the old guard. So far, in spite of a number of more rabid supporters of both elements (ignoring that it's hard to really be "rabidly moderate"), I see no blood-letting.

Even in actual wars allied nations and leaders and generals argue about what to do and how to go about doing it. Nobody thought Churchill was at war with FDR when they disagreed. Nobody thinks a general who argues for attacking Point A instead of Point B mistakes him as working for the enemy.

The fight amongst the Democrats is essentially who will be best able to fight the Republicans.

 

[TofuFighter]

This is somewhat disturbing. If Trump doesn't like military people, he'll just have them stripped of their commendations? I'm sure that will endear himself to the military.

That was my first thought too, but it seems there is more to the story, and more to understanding the way that military personnel see these kinds of awards. Link

 

[Paul2]

The Military District of Washington plays a huge role in the inauguration as do other executive agencies. He could simply order them not to participate.

Maybe the military and other agencies play a role in past inaugurations, but my understanding that all that is needed to make a new President is for the Chief Justice of the SCOTUS to administer the oath of office.

 

[newyorkguy]

I like to imagine he'll be too busy during the inauguration being charged, cuffed and perp walked out of the White House the moment he can be indicted...

...

 

[Ladewig]

The FTC initially indicated that anyone affected by the breach could opt for (1) a one time $125 payment or (2) free credit monitoring for four years. One need not be a rocket scientist to know that $125x147,000,000 >>> $425,000,000. Indeed, as noted above, only $31,000,000 was earmarked for cash payments because the FTC and Equifax think people either (1) don't like free money or (2) would be too lazy to ask for it.​

.

Expected response rate 0.17%.
I guess if one believes that this is the best economy ever and believes that the economic benefits are evenly split among all economic levels, then a response of 1 out of 588 seems right.

Or

If you don’t give a rat’s ass about consumers, then 1 out of 588 is probably a little too generous.

 

[newyorkguy]

Tuesday night during the Democratic debate, CNN's Don Lemon asked Sen. Amy Klobuchar about "voters who prioritize the economy over the president's bigotry," which seems to be an eminently reasonable question but of course, Trump blasted him.

Donald J. Trump: CNN’s Don Lemon, the dumbest man on television, insinuated last night while asking a debate “question” that I was a racist, when in fact I am “the least racist person in the world.” Perhaps someone should explain to Don that he is supposed to be neutral, unbiased & fair,.....

Donald J. Trump:..or is he too dumb (stupid} to understand that. No wonder CNN’s ratings (MSNBC’s also) have gone down the tubes - and will stay there until they bring credibility back to the newsroom. Don’t hold your breath! Link

Supposed to be neutral, unbiased and fair? Looks to me like Lemon gets it quite well.

Don-nee!

 

[Ladewig]

...

The photo is obviously photoshopped. President Trump’s mouth is closed.

He’s not really a “face embarrassing adversity with a quiet dignity” kind of guy.

......
I will not present a counter argument to posters who assert embarrassing and dignity are two of the many words he does not know the meaning of.

 

[Segnosaur]

The Military District of Washington plays a huge role in the inauguration as do other executive agencies. He could simply order them not to participate.

Maybe the military and other agencies play a role in past inaugurations, but my understanding that all that is needed to make a new President is for the Chief Justice of the SCOTUS to administer the oath of office.

I don't think it even has to be the Chief justice that does the swearing in. I think someone mentioned LBJ got sworn in by a federal district court judge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_inauguration_of_Lyndon_B._Johnson

That doesn't mean that Trump couldn't cause all sorts of problems. Simply ordering staff not to cooperate with the transition would cause lots of headaches. He could also issue court challenges regarding the election validity (even though they would likely be unsuccessful, they might still gum up the works.)

 

[newyorkguy]

...
Unpaid coal miners protest, block train tracks for more than 24 hours: 'No pay, we stay'

"The miners can't draw unemployment because they technically were not fired and they didn't quit," [Cumberland Mayor Charles] Raleigh said. "They can't get medical insurance, so they are stuck between a rock and a hard place."

<snip>

Attorney General Andy Beshear made a statement on Tuesday about the situation: "Blackjewel failed to pay them for weeks of hard work and the way the company filed for bankruptcy prevents miners from accessing their 401ks, making it even harder for them to feed their families during this trying time.

I thought Trump promised he was going to do all kinds of amazing things for coal miners? They certainly seemed to believe him and voted for him overwhelmingly. Where is he? This is from Esquire magazine, published last Fall:

When a boisterous con-man comes to town and sells some balloon juice about how he, alone, can bring all of it back, they vote for him because they literally are at the end of their tethers. Of course, he gets in and he makes the job more dangerous, the water more foul, the air more gritty, their healthcare more tenuous, and then he comes back and tells them that they've never been better off. Link

 

[ponderingturtle]

I thought Trump promised he was going to do all kinds of amazing things for coal miners? They certainly seemed to believe him and voted for him overwhelmingly. Where is he? This is from Esquire magazine, published last Fall:

Did they really think it was going to be different? I mean when did miners interests and mine owners ever align, and which did they think would be better represented?

 

[Segnosaur]

It's being reported that the White House is looking to move forwards on a new tax cut

This cut will reduce income from taxes by $102b, and 86% of the benefit will go to the wealthiest 1%.

That is so... bizarre.

The last round of tax cuts didn't have the impact on the economy that they had expected, and it spiked the deficit. They also aren't getting much political benefit from them, since many political polls show that most people disapprove of the tax cut (seeing them as a give-away to the wealthy).

Yeah, I know... the republicans are mainly concerned with helping the rich people anyways, but there's not much you can do to benefit the rich if you lose the next election.