Cont: The Trump Presidency Part IV

[Stacko]

He still gets his good news folder.

Aides in the White House often show Trump polls designed to make him feel good, according to aides and advisers. Usually they’re the ones that focus just on voters who cast ballots for him in 2016 or are potential Trump supporters —Trump’s base—but occasionally include public polls like Rasmussen, depending on what the numbers say.

“You know, I thought that he’d be a little less in campaign mode than he’s been. I think he’s never really kind of gotten out of campaign mode and I thought he might,” said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Trump adviser. “I guess it’s his judgment that that’s what he has to do but that’s surprised me a little bit.”

Keeping track of polls while in office isn’t unusual. President Bill Clinton infamously had his pollster Dick Morris survey voters about where to go on vacation before the 1996 election—the data led the Clintons to Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, after previously summering on Martha’s Vineyard—and President Barack Obama asked his pollster Joel Benenson to collect public opinon data as the 2009 stimulus bill took shape.

...

When the White House sent internal poll numbers to about 15 legislators last month in hopes of pressuring them to support tax reform, it wasn’t the usual approve-disapprove.

Instead, the polls delineated by the president’s base, steady Trump voters, soft Trump voters, lean Dem independent voters, white working class men, suburban women. For example, in New Jersey’s seventh congressional district, a wealthier stretch that includes Trump’s Bedminster golf club, 72.7 percent of the president’s base approves of him, while 67.9 percent of Republicans approve, internal polls obtained by POLITICO show. There was no data on his approval rating overall.

The numbers came from the Republican National Committee. An RNC spokeswoman said the data is available to show “the priorities and sentiments of voters in a way that traditional polling does not.”

 

[Cl1mh4224rd]

Not sure what you mean.
He got talked into relaxing the ban ("Sure thing Junior, no problemo.")... then saw the pushback.

He's a damned windsock.

Fair analogy, I think. It's not uncommon for people to praise the wind for blowing in the direction they desire, but I don't think anybody praises the windsock. The person or people who played the part of wind here deserve the praise, not Trump.

ETA: You could maybe make this argument for every President, but I feel like previous Presidents were more capable of actively seeking out or requesting relevant information. Trump, not so much...

 

[varwoche]

I assume you refer to the sons? That's highly disrespectful hence I fixed it for you

But seeing the light and making an informed decision is what a real president does. There's nothing about him to indicate he makes either principled or informed decisions. He was throwing a bone to his two dogs Uday and Qusay, and he took face shots from left, right and center so he changed his mind.

 

[Andy_Ross]

In the UK the Prime Minister gets a Cabinet Minister to announce things. Then, when it proves unpopular they can step in and reverse it making the minister look like the idiot.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

Many of my right-wing friends and acquaintances were exactly as knee-jerk in their reactions to anything Obama said or did.

I found that equally closed-minded.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

Fair analogy, I think. It's not uncommon for people to praise the wind for blowing in the direction they desire, but I don't think anybody praises the windsock. The person or people who played the part of wind here deserve the praise, not Trump.

Sorry, but I had to be reminded of this:

As a reminder, the right made hay of that one!

 

[pgwenthold]

Many of my right-wing friends and acquaintances were exactly as knee-jerk in their reactions to anything Obama said or did.

I found that equally closed-minded.

Your right-wing friends criticized Obama for making mindless, impulsive decisions?

 

[Fast Eddie B]

Your right-wing friends criticized Obama for making mindless, impulsive decisions?

For everything.

 

[pgwenthold]

For everything.

Do you think it is inappropriate to criticize the president for making mindless, impulsive decisipns?

 

[Fast Eddie B]

Do you think it is inappropriate to criticize the president for making mindless, impulsive decisipns?

No, of course not.

But when every single action gets criticized, said criticism loses some of its weight in my book.

 

[Lurch]

No, of course not.

But when every single action gets criticized, said criticism loses some of its weight in my book.

But what if most every action has at its core mindless impulsivity?

 

[chrispy]

But what if most every action has at its core mindless impulsivity?

This.

When a candidate/President waffles and flip flops on himself with every decision and action, then fair game as far as I am concerned.
When a President continuously posts people to positions they don't deserve and are unqualified for, fair game.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

No, of course not.

But when every single action gets criticized, said criticism loses some of its weight in my book.

Or maybe you are still grasping at that 'he'll start to act Presidential now' straw.

 

[Civet]

No, of course not.

But when every single action gets criticized, said criticism loses some of its weight in my book.

There's something to that but I'm generally disinclined to give any leader credit for simply addressing a problem he himself created. Now, if I see Trump fixing some legacy problem from created by a previous non-Obama president, I'll happily give him credit for that. I'm not aware of any examples, but I'll consider any you'd like to offer.

 

[quadraginta]

No, of course not.

But when every single action gets criticized, said criticism loses some of its weight in my book.

You're saying that since he screws up nearly all the time, some of the screw-ups shouldn't count as much?

Okay.

Weird, but whatever floats your boat.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

Or maybe you are still grasping at that 'he'll start to act Presidential now' straw.

No. I was maybe a little hopeful right after the election, but very quickly gave that up.

There are mountains of things to rightfully criticize him for. I do all the time.

But reconsidering a poor decision is something I would expect a leader to do. Calling him cowardly for doing so is what I objected to.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

You're saying that since he screws up nearly all the time, some of the screw-ups shouldn't count as much?

Okay.

Weird, but whatever floats your boat.

That would be weird.

I was just saying reconsidering a poor decision is not, in and of itself, a screw-up.

But time for me to move on. I don’t relish being painted as a Trump apologist.

 

[Craig4]

He still gets his good news folder.

Oh good, so if he gets his nap, blankie, watches his favorite show and his good news he won't blow civilization all to hell.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

Maybe deserves its own thread, but here’s another example*.

A couple days ago I watched the Morning Joe hosts of MSNBC chastise Steve Mnuchin and his wife for this photo:

Look, I doubt I’ll ever live to see my signature on a dollar bill. But if I ever did, I’d probably want to pose for a goofy photo or two with me and my wife holding a sheet of them.

The expression is “keeping your powder dry”. Hold your outrage for the truly outrageous or it just gets kind of numbing, is all.

*Before I move on, of course!

 

[phiwum]

That would be weird.

I was just saying reconsidering a poor decision is not, in and of itself, a screw-up.

But time for me to move on. I don’t relish being painted as a Trump apologist.

I take your point, for what it's worth.