US Politics Thread |OT| SAD TRUMP

[chronovore]

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/02/opinion/america-becomes-a-stan.html

(...) (C)ults of personality are actually the norm in the “stans,” the Central Asian countries that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union, all of which are ruled by strongmen who surround themselves with tiny cliques of wealthy crony capitalists.

Americans used to find the antics of these regimes, with their tinpot dictators, funny. But who’s laughing now?

[Samson Manhug]

Using "stan" as a pejorative

 

[Mandark]

I saw that earlier, and initially thought the headline meant "stan" the way you'd see it in rap discussions.

[Trent Dole]

Ok, somebody with some audio editing software and a tuning plugin need to make the don sing dido's part of that song now.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Don't look at me I ain't got Auto tune or Melodyne.

[close]

[El Babua]

Using "stan" as a pejorative

 

Blame Nas

[Syph]

I saw that earlier, and initially thought the headline meant "stan" the way you'd see it in rap discussions.

Dear Megyn, I wrote you but you still aint callin

[bluemax]

https://twitter.com/NPR/status/816321983914704896

[benjipwns]

since when are press conferences an "uncontrolled environment"?

[Joe Molotov]

God is always in control.

[benjipwns]

Only for 16 more days, then we'll have a humble President again.

[Joe Molotov]

[Great Rumbler]

[I'm a Puppy!]

It's so odd to see republicans now praising protectionism in same breath that they say their prayers to Reagan. I don't get it.

[recursivelyenumerable]

I saw that earlier, and initially thought the headline meant "stan" the way you'd see it in rap discussions.

fits both interpretations.

[Take My Breh Away]

https://twitter.com/AnnCoulter/status/817022914004447232

[Joe Molotov]

It's a sheriff's salute.

[Mandark]

It's so odd to see republicans now praising protectionism in same breath that they say their prayers to Reagan. I don't get it.

There's a range of issues where people seem to mostly take cues on what's the correct position for their side. The Republican candidate spent a lot of time talking shit about trade agreements, so.

[Trent Dole]

Ann's posted pro nazi/hitler shit before. More than kind of upsetting but hey at least they're openly admitting to what their party is and has been for decades now.

[benjipwns]

[benjipwns]

  rip fox news

[zomgee]

(Image removed from quote.)

You went through her twitter too, huh?

[Phoenix Dark]

(Image removed from quote.)

The road from the liberal plantation is paved with adhesive.

[Syph]

Ann's posted pro nazi/hitler shit before. More than kind of upsetting but hey at least they're openly admitting to what their party is and has been for decades now.

yea settle down there big guy
"what their party is and has been for decades now" smh it's ann coulter breh don't let her rope you in
she's irrelevant
her name is is only as big as her shit-stirring

[Great Rumbler]

Day 2 of the new Congress:

House Republicans this week reinstated an arcane procedural rule that enables lawmakers to reach deep into the budget and slash the pay of an individual federal worker — down to a $1

[Human Snorenado]

Day 2 of GOP-controlled Congress:

House Republicans this week reinstated an arcane procedural rule that enables lawmakers to reach deep into the budget and slash the pay of an individual federal worker — down to a $1

Asking for those lists of people working on climate change and women's issues starts to make "sense" now...

[Syph]

(Image removed from quote.)

holy shit i thought this was a joke lol

"bernie would've won" 

[Great Rumbler]

This is what the next 4 years will look like, Syph.

[thisismyusername]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C1SCBzFXAAAWm6O.jpg

Why are you posting photos of A_I_A?

[toku]

https://twitter.com/DanRather/status/817176659484876801

[Syph]

This is what the next 4 years will look like, Syph.

i know man...
at least it'll be funny sometimes...? fuck

[I'm a Puppy!]

Trump really going in against the intelligence establishment. I mean, it seems like a really smart move. It's worked so well for every other president that's done it in the past

[benjipwns]

https://twitter.com/DanRather/status/817176659484876801

But Dan, you left out your expertise on leaked documents from suspect sources!

[Phoenix Dark]

Trump really going in against the intelligence establishment. I mean, it seems like a really smart move. It's worked so well for every other president that's done it in the past

:jfk

[Human Snorenado]

Conservatives have literally executed mentally challenged people with less evidence against them than now exists tying Russia to the hacking.

 

[Great Rumbler]

Obama...dude...you know that's not how Trump operates.

[benjipwns]

At a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday morning, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper indicated that Trump’s criticism of U.S. intelligence has crossed over from skepticism into disparagement, even alarming American allies.

“I’ve received many expressions of concern from foreign counterparts about, you know, the disparagement of the U.S. intelligence community, or I should say what has been interpreted as disparagement of the intelligence community,” said Clapper, who earlier in the hearing distinguished “a difference between skepticism and disparagement.”

Why is Mike Lee even there if he's not going to ask why they should believe him on this when he's lied to Congress before?

[Trent Dole]

Obama...dude...you know that's not how Drumpf operates.

I think Obama's basic take is kind of 'Yeah whatever I'm outta here' at this point. He could stop Don taking office somehow if he really wanted but it'd just result in riots.

[benjipwns]

OAKLAND — As Washington grapples with health care policy again, the head of the 185,000-member National Nurses United is turning her attention to a seemingly unlikely advocate for a single-payer system. "The one I’m counting on the most is Trump,” RoseAnn DeMoro said,

DeMoro, who serves as executive director of both the Oakland-based National Nurses United and the California Nurses Association, told POLITICO California on Thursday that she is “disgusted” with Democrats like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and believes that the president-elect may actually get action.

“He’s a businessman, he has an international perspective — and his wife comes from a country where they have single payer,’’ said DeMoro, who also is an AFL-CIO national vice president and executive board member. “I think that Donald Trump is not about either party; he’s about something very different. He’s the one who can actually rise above this and do what’s right, and he knows as a businessman, it’s the most cost effective,’’ she said.

[VomKriege]

Trump blanket demoting of Obama appointed ambassadors : Is this normal and is there a precedent ?

Genuine not rhetorical question.

[benjipwns]

What I got from the NYT story on this, the State Department informed them all to have resignation letters dated for January 20th the very day after the election since the GOP candidate won and they are mostly Democrats. (Though they may have done this anyway for all I know.)

What's "UNPRECEDENTED" is that the Trump transition team said to expect no exceptions to be granted. A few (I think I counted nine for Obama's transition but couldn't confirm these were extensions or if they were those kind of bipartisan appointments as some Bush appointees stayed until 2011) ambassadors ask for and get an extension when a new administration comes in for various reasons (family stuff, business, moving schedules, world events, etc.) and Trump's team said on December 23rd that there would be none. Though I suppose they could still go back on it if any ambassadors do apply for the extensions.

This, like the handwringing over Voice of America and Radio Free Europe BECOMING TRUMP PROPAGANDA STATIONS seems to me more like people are actually finding out about all the shit that happens when administrations switch for a change. Which I suppose is good in that they're actually finding out, and will I suspect find out, what the federal government does. But it all comes with an air of TRUMP BLARGLE BLARGLE.

EDIT: The examples in the story aren't entirely sympathetic after looking them up and seeing that nearly every single one is a Obama campaign bundler and one's complaint is that he doesn't way to pay for his kids private schools and claims to still be searching for housing in Prague when he was appointed in 2014 especially when their priority is technically supposed to be...ya know, ambassadors of Trump's policies and all which I assume they oppose.

[VomKriege]

Reading more into the story, I can't seem to get the exact number of ambassadors involved... It apparently doesn't concern career diplomats, just political appointees.
Looking at the list of French ambassadors, all but 8 ambassadors (out of 163 or so) have been nominated by François Hollande after May 2012 (and only one is there since before 2011 : Ambassador to Saudi Arabia), but the thing is the nominations are much easier (Foreign Affairs mionister proposes names in Cabinet meetings, President agrees, that's pretty much it). Having those jobs need to be confirmed by the US Senate by itself increase the risk of longer vacancies.

Also Obama (and others I guess) really seem to have gone overboard with using it as a reward. There's always talk of clan/partisan politics in the diplomatic nominations in France but to my knowledge it's fairly rare to see those awarded to anything else than someone with some sort of diplomatic career.

[benjipwns]

I can't find it now, but there was an article not taking just Obama but Bush and Clinton to task for their appointees that noted that no other Western nation has directly political appointees as ambassadors, they're all people who worked their way up and are familiar with the country with the internal politics deciding things as you noted. Meanwhile, all our plum posts (Western nations or good vacation spots) are given to donors while the career people get Somalia or something.

I also know from other articles, discussions, readings, etc. that the career civil service doesn't think too highly of the politically appointed ambassadors even when they're in agreement and mostly works around them with their foreign counterparts who also often don't care for them.

Also, the ambassadorships are often left vacant even with favorable Senates. For example, we haven't had an Ambassador to the Netherlands for four of the last six years. And the only actual one rather than an interim recess appointment had to withdraw his appointment the first time because he was facing DUI charges before he got those dropped and Obama re-appointed him.

From someone in the GAF thread:

[benjipwns]

George Tsunis, a hotel magnate, was slammed in the Norwegian media for displaying a "total ignorance of Norway" in his Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in January.

Tsunis: Thank you, Senator. It's a very seminal question. Generally Norway has, and is very proud of, being a very open, transparent, democratic parliamentary government. One of the by- products of being such an open society and placing such a value on free speech is that you get some fringe elements that have a microphone, that spew their hatred. And although I will tell you Norway has been very quick to denounce them, we're going to continue to work with Norway to make sure -

McCain: The government has denounced them? The coalition government - they're part of the coalition of the government.

Tsunis: Well, I would say - you know, what? I stand - I stand corrected.

McCain: I doubt seriously if they-

Tsunis: The - I stand corrected and would like to leave my answer at they are - it's a very, very open society and that most Norwegians - the overwhelming amount of Norwegians and the overwhelming amount of people in parliament don't feel the same way.

One of the examples I had remembered and dug up to post in same thread: http://foreignpolicy.com/2012/02/23/another-obama-fundraiser-turns-out-to-be-a-bad-ambassador/

According to a new State Department inspector general’s report on the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas, Ambassador Nicole Avant presided over “an extended period of dysfunctional leadership and mismanagement, which has caused problems throughout the embassy” since she was appointed by the president in 2009. Prior to being America’s envoy in the Caribbean, Avant was Southern California finance co-chairwoman of Obama’s presidential campaign and vice president of Interior Music Publishing.

According to her glowingly positive Wikipedia page, Avant spent her time in the Bahamas “focused on five priority initiatives: Education, Alternative Energy, Economic and Small Business Development, Women’s Empowerment and Raising awareness of the challenges facing people with disabilities.”

But according to the State Department’s internal investigation, Avant was away from the embassy an inordinate amount of time — mainly shuttling back and forth to her home in Los Angeles — and when she was in town, she worked from her residence most of the day.

Avant was absent from the embassy 276 days between September 2009 and November 2011, including 102 “personal” days and 77 “work travel” days to the United States, of which only 23 were on official orders.

“Her extensive travel out of country and preference to work from the Ambassador’s residence for a significant portion of the work day contributed to a perception of indifference,” the report states. “The frequent absences of the Ambassador contributed to poor mission management.”

Avant was out of touch partly because she didn’t interact often with the State Department or anyone else in Washington, according to the inspector general. She left that to her deputy chief of mission, whom the report identified as also being poor at management and administration.

“The Ambassador had not had frequent policy-level interaction with the Department or other Washington agencies. At the beginning of her tenure, she relied unduly on her former DCM to attend to day-to-day contacts with the desk and other offices in the Department,” says the report. “Interviews in Washington likewise revealed that the front office of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and other Washington agencies were not in regular contact with the Ambassador about the conduct of her mission. This lack of regular contact contributed to the Ambassador’s sense of isolation from the Department.”

And another link: https://www.publicintegrity.org/2017/01/04/20577/barack-obamas-ambassador-legacy-plum-postings-big-donors

During his second term, Obama named 31 campaign "bundlers" — supporters who raised at least $50,000 to fund his presidential campaigns — as ambassadors. Obama tapped nearly all of these bundlers to serve in Western European nations or other highly developed and stable countries such as Canada and New Zealand.

Another 39 of Obama's second-term ambassador nominees are political appointees who either gave his campaign money or are known political allies. They, too, largely enjoyed postings to wealthy and peaceful nations — Ireland, Denmark and Australia, for example — or high-profile countries such as China and India.

Career diplomats, meanwhile, largely represent the United States in less developed (and sometimes, more violent) nations, from El Salvador and Haiti in North America to Somalia in Africa to Afghanistan and Pakistan in Asia.

[VomKriege]

There was a rather long vacancy with the Mexico embassy too, I believe, which sound pretty bonkers given her importance as a neighbor and a partner. I mean yeah you'll probably have subordinate career diplomats doing all of the real work anyway but it's kind of self defeating.

That being said, Trump first two nominations aren't that great on the front of diplomatic experience. Branstad for China is at least a career politician with some friendly (if superficial) ties to the current leader I guess but Friedman doesn't seem to have held any public job ? Given Trump cabinet appointments, I'm not too optimistic...

[benjipwns]

I don't doubt he'll make shitty appointments with lots of them being buddies, bundlers, etc. probably even more so than Obama and Bush who did a lot of promoting of "non-partisan" party members who were at least civil service to the less glamorous positions. He may rely on some of them to fill out the roster, especially if it's places like Afghanistan.

I just was reacting more to the overblown reactions elsewhere, especially from people who read none of the story past the headline and first paragraphs about TRUMP KILLS ALL OBAMA DIPLOMATS and took it out on this thread. Which is dumb of me, I'm shitty like that though. Ask Mandark. Or Jack Remington.

I guess it's weirder to feel you're defending or spinning for Trump somehow by not being outraged that they expect the opposing parties appointees to leave when they take office. Or I guess more accurately just that you expect it and outrage is better spent on the whole appointment thing in the first place? Especially after that pathetic show by the Obama appointees.

The funniest thing of that period for me was, it was like the one thing the GOP didn't really obstruct him on, let all these through while blocking weirder posts just to be dicks. And some of those people were like a level where even Senate Democrats and stuff would probably say "yeah, maybe he should appoint someone else." Like the DUI guy, how do you just reappoint him and nobody in the opposition even cares*.

I guess that shows the actual value of some of these posts to our political culture.

*edit: just checked, it was a voice vote, no opposition lol

the guy was a lawyer for a Chicago law firm, no diplomatic anything ever, even worse he's from Detroit, and no Republican scored brownie points by opposing him

[benjipwns]

Unrelated, I kinda get why they included her to say who that group is, but it's weird still seeing Kim Davis (who is still in office until 2019) up there with all these other big national names of continued and long term relevant power:


Actually, looking at it again, where's Chick-Fil-A?!? One just opened not too long ago in the area and there was supposed to be people were camping out overnight for the opening. Which is arguably more offensive than any possible bigoted stances of the CEO or whoever it was. No wonder Michigan voted for Trump.

[benjipwns]

NO NEGATIVE, STILL HOPE PLZ, PERSONALLY I LOVED ROGUE ONE: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/trump-electoral-victory-democratic-challenge-233224

Several House Democrats are weighing a formal challenge to Donald Trump’s election on Friday, when Congress meets in joint session to certify Trump’s Electoral College victory.

Reps. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, Bobby Scott of Virginia, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan and Jamie Raskin of Maryland are among a group of Democrats eyeing challenges.

Early Thursday afternoon, Perlmutter's office issued a statement "in advance of the Electoral College vote count" on Russia's involvement.

"This is not about trying to stop Donald Trump from becoming President," he said. "This is about the fact that our liberty, freedom and democracy were compromised by Russia’s intrusion into America’s election. We cannot allow a foreign nation to ever influence our elections because it harms our liberty, freedom and independence. This is bigger than just one election, and for the sake of our democracy, we must remain vigilant."

Perlmutter, Scott and other lawmakers were encouraged to file challenges by progressive groups who described three grounds to lodge a protest: foreign interference by Russia in the election, voter suppression and a more technical claim that dozens of electors of both parties were ineligible to serve.

Raskin told POLITICO he had heard from various “voter protection” groups urging him to file a challenge and was strongly considering one on voter suppression grounds. But he said he’d push forward only if he sees compelling “evidence of technological tampering, ballot stuffing or the illegal purging of people from the rolls or exclusion of voters from the polls.” He also said he intends to wait until he has assurances of support from at least one senator.

Raskin said claims of foreign interference were less compelling as a rationale to challenge the Electoral College vote. “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin undoubtedly polluted our electoral environment, but did he steal the election?” he said. “Even if he stole big chunks of the campaign, can we say that he stole the entire election? It’s tricky.”

Though he acknowledged that Republicans would almost certainly refuse to consider any electoral vote challenges, he said potential challenges would be worth pursuing if a strong case could be made. "Democracy has to have a foundation in the truth,” he said. “I know we are living in what people are calling a post-factual society, but there has to be a basic accounting to the people for how our process works. Strong democracy requires trust and verification whenever possible.”

The group is now encouraging lawmakers to disqualify electors on technical grounds. Working with attorneys, the group identified 50 Republican electors who they say were ineligible to cast ballots, some because of residency requirements and others because of state-level restrictions on dual office-holders. Those restrictions would disqualify dozens of state lawmakers and officials who were tapped as electors, they argue.

"Whether it’s Russians hacking our democracy, unprecedented voter suppression, and new evidence of Republican Electors voting illegally, this election is simply illegitimate,” said Ryan Clayton of Americans Take Action, one of the groups pushing the effort to disqualify GOP electors.

https://www.uniteforamerica.org/

WILL THIS STOP TRUMP?
It's possible in theory, but it would require the new Republican-led Congress to sustain all of the objections. This would bring Trump's electoral count below 270, and the House would then immediately vote for president out of the top 3 candidates with the highest electoral counts: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, or the highly-respected General Colin Powell, who received 3 electoral votes.

The fact that even ONE electoral vote was knowingly cast in direct violation of our laws is the final slap in the face to our democracy. Regardless of what happens, we must tell our elected officials TODAY that their dirty election practices end now. Any Congress member that does not object to these blatantly undemocratic votes on Friday has neither the spine nor the moral compass to hold office.

Unite for America is a post-partisan grassroots action network formed in the wake of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Crisis.

While we may differ in political views, our members share a commitment to three core issues: cleaning up our elections, disrupting partisan culture to find innovative solutions, and promoting historic American values of liberty, justice, and equality for all.

OUR MISSION » Using headline-grabbing tactics and powerful coalitions to transcend party lines, we help forward-thinking local activists and national organizers mobilize their communities leading up to the 2018 midterm elections and beyond.

A new dawn for American politics is on the horizon. Will you join us?

JOIN THE RESISTANCE »

On Jan. 20 Donald Trump will be sworn into office, marking the beginning of a dangerous new era in America. This will have unprecedented and unpredictable consequences.

Establish a "small resistance group" or "SRG" and join the resistance. Create a group of 5-10 friends and family who will contact elected officials with you and attend nearby UFA demonstrations at the first sign of trouble.

https://twitter.com/uniteamericaorg/status/817196160070852608

Where are you @BernieSanders @SenWarren? When do these dirty election practices end - on BOTH sides of the aisle?

[VomKriege]

https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/817348644647108609
https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/817350726800306177

[benjipwns]

i like that straight forward honesty, you rarely see executive producers shit talk their own show and hope it gets cancelled

feels good to have a president you can trust again, one you can share the same side of the sidewalk with until his security removes you from it

[benjipwns]

https://twitter.com/Schwarzenegger/status/817386622299705349

[Great Rumbler]

The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of speed), will be paid back by Mexico later!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2017

[Syph]

lol don lemon

[TakingBackSunday]

I am absolutely terrified by this man.

[Phoenix Dark]

https://twitter.com/Schwarzenegger/status/817386622299705349

This is all a distraction from the fact that Donald Trump will be sworn in as president on January 20th. Please contact Twitter support and tell them to stop falling for these tweets.

[Boredfrom]

The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of speed), will be paid back by Mexico later!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2017

Mexican politicians are chicken shit scared of anything that would make them lose international interests (like telling Trump to Fuck Off) but they are the first ones that will say: "with what fucking money?"

[Take My Breh Away]

https://twitter.com/AP/status/817478288495017985



Trump's going to have more asterisks beside his name in the history books than the majority of MLB MVP's in the 00's

Full Document here

[toku]

https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf

"We assess with high confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election, the consistent goals of which were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump."


all 3 intelligence agencies brehs

[Brehvolution]

And yet, in Russia, if the CIA planted a pro-US president there they would shoot him.

[toku]

https://twitter.com/VicenteFoxQue/status/817480450285375488

[VomKriege]

Well, it's our Zimmerman telegram.