Trump DoE pick didn't know what the DoE does.

[Redwyrm]

"I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub." Grover Norquist

Unfortunately, this is the Republican attitude towards the Federal Government. They claim government doesn't work. Then when they cut funding or appoint people whose compass is 180 degrees from what the position needs, they can claim that "See, government will always fail. And we must rely on the private sector" (See public education, federal post office, etc.)

[alexw]

Most Presidents are "unknowledgeable". Obama was Senator for only two years and is a lawyer with no real accomplishments. We have typically elected people with Executive experience (State Governors) who have experience with budgets and working with State Senators and House Members. Most Presidents surround themselves with political "hanger-ons" it isnt much different here. It is just sad that Trump will just be more of the same.

Although I do wonder how much these appointments are a function of people not willing to accept the job because they dont want to be associated with Trump so he is left with these clowns.

Errr what???????

Obama was an expert on governmental affairs and constitutional law at the university of Chicago. He was a state senator for a number of years. Then a congressional senator.

Moreover he is/was a very very smart man who showed himself capable of rapidly learning what he didn't know (the presidency is a learning experience for any incoming president).

Whereas Trump has shown himself to be of very low intelligence, disputes know facts, and makes up crazy shit to fill the heads of people like you. Even worse he has shown absolutely no ability or desire to learn, as witnessed by how he hardly ever attends pre-presidential briefings. This also explains why all the capable people are running for the hills. Those capable people don't want to work for a total idiot who will screw things up, and then smear them with the shit from his failures (with Trump its always someone elses fault).

[petej0]

Errr what???????

Obama was an expert on governmental affairs and constitutional law at the university of Chicago. He was a state senator for a number of years. Then a congressional senator.

Exactly, no accomplishment. A career politician born from Academia.

Moreover he is/was a very very smart man who showed himself capable of rapidly learning what he didn't know (the presidency is a learning experience for any incoming president).

I never questioned his intelligence.

Whereas Trump has shown himself to be of very low intelligence, disputes know facts, and makes up crazy shit to fill the heads of people like you. Even worse he has shown absolutely no ability or desire to learn, as witnessed by how he hardly ever attends pre-presidential briefings. This also explains why all the capable people are running for the hills. Those capable people don't want to work for a total idiot who will screw things up, and then smear them with the shit from his failures (with Trump its always someone elses fault).

I would agree with you, but people like Martin Luther King III, Kanye, Jim Brown etc.. prominent black leaders or figures who had private talks with him didnt have anything bad to say about him. So it would seem Trump has two personas. Just sad we get to see the ego driven one, but I guess that is driven by his ego.

[alexw]

I can shorten that for you....community organizer.

Yup right wing reality denial, about what I expected in reply, and its exactly what I got. The extent to which you Trumpists act as apologists for him and his picks boggles the mind. It's not like he's actually God you know, it IS possible for you to criticize him and not get struck by a shower of golden lightning.

- - - Updated - - -

Exactly, no accomplishment. A career politician born from Academia.

What else do you expect from a high level politician except political experience? Would you say that a brain surgeon shouldn't have prior experience of the medical profession?

[petej0]

Yup right wing reality denial, about what I expected in reply, and its exactly what I got. The extent to which you Trumpists act as apologists for him and his picks boggles the mind. It's not like he's actually God you know, it IS possible for you to criticize him and not get struck by golden lightning.

You know it is possible to be against Obama and against Trump. Just because we dont like one means we have to like the other. The Democrats with Trump are as bad as the Republicans with Obama and the before that the Dems with Bush...It is all fear mongering to shake up the base and win the mid term elections. I am so over it.

[Teebone]

The Trump Administration is like a Key Party -- Everyone gets randomly paired with something they know nothing about and in the end everyone gets screwed.

Quote of the next fours years, right here.

[NYC17]

I dont see anything wrong with that. It may have been unwise to publicly admit it, but I dont see anything wrong with someone wanting to abolish or cut spending on something and once educated on the what the department does changes their mind. Is it wrong to change their mind?

I dont see Perry cutting anything or deliberately doing anything to ruin his chances of staying the head of the Department. He is now plugged into the Washington Political Machinery. If he screws this up he wont get any more Washington Posts, so he has an incentive to just continue the Status Quo.

- - - Updated - - -



Except that isnt the truth.

It tells you the mindset of the person. It tells you their thought process, and his is extremely lacking. This isn't entry level. This is advanced shit, and his history on this specific subject alone suggests he is woefully unprepared to manage the department...that he didn't know the function of...and that he couldn't remember.

[Deleted]

Wait what? Why does the Nuclear arsenal fall under the Department of Energy?



Then again, logically speaking as Nuclear power can be used to generate energy the department of energy should have knowledge on how to store it while the military has the knowledge on deployment

[Shalcker]

Yeah, I mean, its crazy how out of control immigration is into Russia. The country is so awesome, has such a great track record *cough*Ukraine*cough* everyone wants to move there.

You think it's sarcasm, but in fact Russia is world #2 by immigration, right after US.

And one of biggest groups is Ukrainians.

[Moralgy]

Nothing could go wrong with putting people in charge of things they know nothing at all about!

*looks at the FEMA issues after Hurricane Katrina.* Oh right.

All I can say is, I really, really, REALLY hope nothing big happens in the next four years that some organization with a clueless idiot as the new head has to deal with.

[Edge-]

Considering he couldn't even remember the name of the department in 2008, and it was one of three departments he wanted to cut from the government, did anyone expect anything different?

This is the caliber of nominee's we get, folks. Welcome to giving the "liberal elite" the middle finger and sticking with "small town common sense". Because really, that's all you need when you're overseeing a multi-billion dollar department responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the US nuclear arsenal and power grid, and that's only part of the job.

I mean, Banon is one of the top advisers to Trump, what the fuck did anyone else expect?

[petej0]

What else do you expect from a high level politician except political experience? Would you say that a brain surgeon shouldn't have prior experience of the medical profession?

Not even close to the medical field or any other field for that matter.

We can have a President who served in the military and one term as governor. We can have a President who was a Dr who was a senator. Now all we get are lawyers who like to argue and win. It would be nice to have a president who wasnt tainted by the machinery, but in this day in age i dont think you can. We have people so far removed from the normal everyday voter that they dont know their struggles.

I suppose thats why Obama beat Hillary, he was a fresh face, he wasnt seen as deep inside the political game as she was.

- - - Updated - - -

Nothing could go wrong with putting people in charge of things they know nothing at all about!

*looks at the FEMA issues after Hurricane Katrina.* Oh right.

All I can say is, I really, really, REALLY hope nothing big happens in the next four years that some organization with a clueless idiot as the new head has to deal with.

Yea, because that is what happened, sigh... And here I thought Bush just hated black people.

[alexw]

You know it is possible to be against Obama and against Trump. Just because we dont like one means we have to like the other. The Democrats with Trump are as bad as the Republicans with Obama and the before that the Dems with Bush...It is all fear mongering to shake up the base and win the mid term elections. I am so over it.

Yes it is. Except the Trumpists are utterly in denial about the extreme flaws in their candidate.

Yesterday one of them was defending the fact that Trump picked someone for education secretary who has absolutely no background in education, or expertise of it, by saying "our education system is poor anyway". As if having a poor education system excuses choosing someone who is utterly clueless on the subject. That should make you want to choose the best of the best to bring it up rather than the near worst of the worst.

And no its not the same. Prior presidents have generally chosen competent people to head up departments. Guess who headed up the DOE under Obama? A professional nuclear physicist. Yes there have been some stupid picks in the past but the sheer number of stupid picks under Trump is unprecedented.

[Breccia]

I thought this would be about Education and was about to leave in disappointment. Then I read

it IS possible for you to criticize him and not get struck by a shower of golden lightning.

and, well, I pee what you did there.

[Garnier Fructis]

I can shorten that for you....community organizer.

If senators are community organizers, then we've got a whole Congress full of community organizers. I guess that explains why these dipshits are getting confirmations, then.

You try way too hard to be a partisan hack.

[petej0]

Yes it is. Except the Trumpists are utterly in denial about the extreme flaws in their candidate.

I dont think they are in denial, I just dont think they care. They are more concerned with jobs.

Yesterday one of them was defending the fact that Trump picked someone for education secretary who has absolutely no background in education, or expertise of it, by saying "our education system is poor anyway". As if having a poor education system excuses choosing someone who is utterly clueless on the subject. That should make you want to choose the best of the best to bring it up rather than the near worst of the worst.

Again, not the first person appointed to the post without a background in education.

And no its not the same. Prior presidents have generally chosen competent people to head up departments. Guess who headed up the DOE under Obama? A professional nuclear physicist.

Yeah, guess who ran it under Clinton 3 lawyers, What about Bush? A lawyer and a Chemical engineer.

An example of how highly the position is considered, the first Secretary of the DoE was an Economist

[satimy]

She's arguably worse than Perry, since her plans would objectively hurt the education system.
At least Perry doesn't have any plans, so at worse no progress will be made.

I'm pretty sure you couldn't make the education system worse if you tried.

[Belize]

I'm pretty sure you couldn't make the education system worse if you tried.

I wouldn't bet any money on that if I were you...

[Hellrime]

In fairness, none of the ones before them did either. The American education system is among the worst in the world, and unless you study outside of standard academics you never get anywhere career wise. They spoke about fraud and corruption in the school system, but it isn't like this is a new thing in this country. It most likely wouldn't have been any better if Hillary won. I'm saying this as someone who did not vote for Trump, by the way. I'm sorry but when someone goes to school to get a 4 year degree to get a career but then has to pay back fees that are more than what they would make in 8 years there is a serious problem. Not to mention the teachers are underpaid, so really where is the money going?

[Edge-]

I'm pretty sure you couldn't make the education system worse if you tried.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.4d8f7930a391