Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Shalcker]

A quarter being empty isn't huge? Anyone should want those jobs, but Trump is poison. Also your attempt at saying there's no more talent is adorable.

There were plenty of jobs unfilled during Obama's term as well.

[Orbitus]

@Breccia, @Skroe, I want to @ everyone but this is just HILARIOUS when I heard it. Mark Meadows is not seeking re-election in congress, he is going to work for Trump.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4...-from-congress

FUCKING LOL.

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There were plenty of jobs unfilled during Obama's term as well.

Trump probably has the most EVER. But thanks for being a Trump apologist.

[Breccia]

Only the Best People

Fifth Pentagon official announces resignation in seven days

Trump cannot blame this on anyone but himself. He is the Commander in Chief.

Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, a longtime State Department official who began working in her Pentagon role in September 2018, resigned on Dec. 16, the Pentagon confirmed. Defense News first reported her departure.

“We appreciate her service to the department and wish her continued success. ... The department remains committed to the development and implementation of international cooperative programs and defense exportability efforts to foster cooperation with U.S. allies on research, development, production and support of weapons systems and related equipment,” a Department of Defense (DOD) spokesman said in a statement.

“The department will not provide anything further on this personnel matter,” the spokesman added.

Michael Vaccaro, the director for international armaments cooperation, will serve as the acting senior adviser.

Kaidanow’s resignation follows four other announced departures within a week.

Those include the Dec. 12 notification that top Asia policy official Randall Schriver would leave after two years on the job, the Dec. 13 announcement that top official in charge of personnel and readiness Jimmy Stewart had resigned after taking the role in October 2018 the Tuesday report that Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency leader Steven Walker will leave in January, and the news earlier Wednesday that Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Kari Bingen submitted her resignation on Dec. 5 and will leave Jan. 10.

The departing ambassador worked with “the development and implementation of international cooperative programs” to bring “cooperation with U.S. allies on research, development, production and support of weapons systems and related equipment." Hmm. What about working with Trump made international cooperation so difficult that she resigned in 15 months? Maybe we could ask Turkey. Or Ukraine.

[Shalcker]

Trump probably has the most EVER.

I bet next president (regardless of him being Democrat or Republican) will have it even worse.

As result of general collapse of competence in politics.

[Breccia]

Though 15 vacant out of 59 doesn't look that critical.

That's over 25%. It's like losing 25 Senators, over 100 Representatives, 2 SCOTUS seats and the average American family to lose over $15,000 per year. Or to put it in other terms, going from 4 turnips per week down to three, and the third one has a rotten bit.

I bet next president (regardless of him being Democrat or Republican) will have it even worse.

Projection to defend Trump. "It would have been worse" is not the rallying cry you think it is. There are 1,700 pages of this thread, many of which rotate around Trump having vacancies -- including what I just posted literally a few minutes ago. "XXX would do even worse" is an unprovable statement someone would say if they wanted to feel better about their now impeached incompetent fatass Individual-1 and his objectively demonstrable lack of results.

[Shalcker]

That's over 25%. It's like losing 25 Senators, over 100 Representatives, 2 SCOTUS seats and the average American family to lose over $15,000 per year. Or to put it in other terms, going from 4 turnips per week down to three, and the third one has a rotten bit.

Institutions functioned just fine when similar things happened during Obama's term; and Trump's team are using "acting" shenanigans and shuffling posts to keep doing things while sidestepping Congressional scrutiny (because they never were - and not necessarily ever going to be - approved by Congress).

From Fortune:
When a cabinet member departs, the law clearly defines the process: other than the White House Chief of Staff and the Vice President, all cabinet-level officials must be confirmed by the Senate.

The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, however, creates a loophole, allowing a president to temporarily fill vacancies with other top federal employees. These appointments can be made after an “officer of the Executive Agency...dies, resigns, or is otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the office.” But the president is limited to filling those vacancies with an individual who would otherwise be next in line for the position such as a deputy—or at least have served for 90 days under the secretary they would be replacing.

While this law has typically been used as a stopgap solution while the Senate is considering the president’s nomination for a permanent replacement, Trump has used the law numerous times since taking office, putting acting secretaries in place, without immediate plans to replace them with Senate-confirmed members.

The law technically limits how long someone can serve in an acting capacity at 210 days—but if the Senate rejects a nomination for a permanent replacement in that timeframe, the 210 day counter restarts, effectively allowing acting secretaries to remain in their role for more than a year. This 210 day counter can be restarted a total of three times.

“I like acting,” Trump said in January. “It gives me more flexibility. Do you understand that? I like acting. So we have a few that are acting. We have a great, great cabinet.”

Projection to defend Trump. "It would have been worse" is not the rallying cry you think it is. There are 1,700 pages of this thread, many of which rotate around Trump having vacancies -- including what I just posted literally a few minutes ago. "XXX would do even worse" is an unprovable statement someone would say if they wanted to feel better about their now impeached incompetent fatass Individual-1 and his objectively demonstrable lack of results.

Everything points to that it will be worse as time goes by, Trump or not.

[nonameelf]

Institutions functioned just fine when similar things happened during Obama's term; and Trump's team are using "acting" shenanigans and shuffling posts to keep doing things while sidestepping Congressional scrutiny (because they never were - and not necessarily ever going to be - approved by Congress).

What? Positions are confirmed by the Senate, not the House. Any candidate that Trump sent to the senate for confirmation would be pretty much rubber stamped. Even if they're someone horrible like Bill Barr.

[Shalcker]

What? Positions are confirmed by the Senate, not the House. Any candidate that Trump sent to the senate for confirmation would be pretty much rubber stamped. Even if they're someone horrible like Bill Barr.

They aren't though; plenty were rejected.

[nonameelf]

They aren't though; plenty were rejected.

Well, if he can't get appointments past his own party in the senate then he needs to appoint better people. And as I said, the bar is really low considering they approved Barr.

[Shalcker]

Well, if he can't get appointments past his own party in the senate then he needs to appoint better people. And as I said, the bar is really low considering they approved Barr.

He doesn't have to though.

He can act just fine without it and keep rolling through "acting" people or shuffling them from one post to another when their "final" possible extensions expire.

Edit: there is also the point that Republicans are actually laser-focused on rushing as many judges as they can rather then cabinet appointments.

They apparently already appointed more judges in Trump's 3 years then through entire 8 years of Obama.

And this stacking is likely to pay off massively for Trump's second term (and years to come).

[Levelfive]

Is it the senate's call? Trump said it, so I assume not.

Also, *night.

It's not the Senate's call, it's Pelosi's, which will enrage him. And Pelosi denying him his foregone conclusion sham acquittal for however long is washing over me like a healing balm.

[Kujako]

It's not the Senate's call, it's Pelosi's, which will enrage him. And Pelosi denying him his foregone conclusion sham acquittal for however long is washing over me like a healing balm.

As I've said before, the GOP is both crying that the Democrats are rushing the impeachment and that they're taking too long. It's almost as if they just cry a lot.

[Orbitus]

I bet next president (regardless of him being Democrat or Republican) will have it even worse.

As result of general collapse of competence in politics.

I guarantee they won't.

[Levelfive]

I kinda knew it was up to her, but wanted to make sure lol At least he can cry about "Do Nothing" a bit more, I suppose.

McConnell is crafty enough to come up with something to get his way without conceding anything to Democrats, but we have today, friends, we have today.

[Kujako]

On the upside, it looks like our trade dispute with Wakanda has been resolved! Now we can start importing vibranium again!

[solinari6]

Another notch in the attempt to sell the idea that Democrats are actually trying to attack Americans, instead of the impeached person in the White House.

Well, he's kind of right. Everyone one has been saying that Trump is just a symptom of the problem ... the real issue is the people who are so willing to blindly follow him.

[Noxx79]

Trump supporters:

“Trump is like Jesus!”
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us...-during-debate


Trump:
https://www.axios.com/trump-mocks-de...be2f36180.html

These so called Christians have no more credibility. They can moan and whine all they want, but their lies and true colors have been exposed for all to see.

[Varvara Spiros Gelashvili]

Well, he's kind of right. Everyone one has been saying that Trump is just a symptom of the problem ... the real issue is the people who are so willing to blindly follow him.

No Trump is the problem as well. I don't believe in the enabler mentality. Trump can go in a different direction than the gop.

[Captain N]

So apparently the Trump Administration listed Wakanda (yes the home nation of Black Panther) as a Free Trade Partner of the United States...and was later removed by US Officials.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...-black-panther

Trade talks between Captain America and Black Panther didn’t quite pan out, it seems. Wakanda, the fictional home of the Marvel superhero, is no longer listed as a free trade partner of the US.

[Kiri]

So apparently the Trump Administration listed Wakanda (yes the home nation of Black Panther) as a Free Trade Partner of the United States...and was later removed by US Officials.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...-black-panther

Trade talks between Captain America and Black Panther didn’t quite pan out, it seems. Wakanda, the fictional home of the Marvel superhero, is no longer listed as a free trade partner of the US.

Well, he did rip off his Captain America mask and revealed that he was Thanos like a week ago, after all. Wakanda is probably still a bit miffed about that whole Snap thing.