Cabinet or Cabal?

[HumblePi]

If you saw the first meeting of the year of Trump's cabinet there were quite a few things that stuck out. The first thing, which was hard to miss, was the marquee-size 'Game of Thrones' meme poster of Trump laying on the table right in front of where he was seated. It was Trump's theatrical way to say there will be more sanctions on Iran. That's funny because Trump was never a fan of GoT and definitely never read 'A Song of Fire and Ice', but you know...it's all about theater and marketing. Qasem Soleimani, the Commander of the Quds Force, Iran’s external security agency compared Trump to a 'White Walker', a “fear-mongering, war-mongering, and championing division at every opportunity.”

Qasem Soleimani even posted his own GoT meme on Instagram.

Back to the cabinet......

Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, is a long time executive of Boeing which is one of the largest defense contractors in the world. What a sweet coincidence.

Andrew Wheeler who runs the EPA is a former coal lobbyist.

Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services is a former pharmaceutical lobbyist.

David Bernhardt the Acting Secretary of the Interior us a former oil industry lobbyist.

Then there were the three 'actors'. Mick Mulvaney, acting Chief of Staff, Jonathan Cohen, acting U.S. Ambassador and Matthew Whitaker, acting Attorney General who did a really excellent job of groveling and ring-kissing.

One thing that really struck me was something Trump said as he bathed in the warm glow of the servitude of his loyal swamp creatures. Regarding Syria he said, ""we don't want Syria" because it's only "sand and death - sand and death" "We're not talking about vast wealth". Give that statement some thought.

 

[Rexedgar]

There was much to analyze in 2JAN’s press “spray.”

Trump said he could be elected in Europe......

 

[Ikari]

Trump is a Corporate Insider, he was just the other side of the Corporate-State Coin. He wasn't some outsider coming to drain a swamp, he is of the swamp. I don't think it's any surprise that he would fill his cabinet with Big Corporate backers and push for policies that benefit Big Corporation over everything else. He and his buddies got to make money.

 

[HumblePi]

There was much to analyze in 2JAN’s press “spray.”

Trump said he could be elected in Europe......

That statement was so 'kanye-west-ish' that it bordered on scary. A cold fear rushed through me at that moment, 'omg!' it's too late to bring him back!' I was certain he had descended into a full time fantasy world abyss, never to return to any cognizant thinking processes.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Trump is a Corporate Insider, he was just the other side of the Corporate-State Coin. He wasn't some outsider coming to drain a swamp, he is of the swamp. I don't think it's any surprise that he would fill his cabinet with Big Corporate backers and push for policies that benefit Big Corporation over everything else. He and his buddies got to make money.

Yep, the oligarchy is still into crony capitalism - we must all express sudden shock at Trump's recent involvement in this ongoing situation. Things were surely never like this before Trump's turn at the helm - look it up.

 

[Ikari]

Yep, the oligarchy is still into crony capitalism - we must all express sudden shock at Trump's recent involvement in this ongoing situation. Things were surely never like this before Trump's turn at the helm - look it up.

Long have we run the Corporate Capitalist model of economy. I feel that if anything has really hurt or hampered our progress, competitiveness, and ingenuity, it has been that. This pre-dates Trump, and will exist long after he is gone unless we decide to elect officials willing to take on the Corporate Oligarchy and try to return some semblance of free market to our economy. I've always said that Trump is the Status Quo without brakes. Particularly in the entanglement of Corporation and State, he has moved in ways to selectively promote big corporation over all other concerns.

I don't see why anyone should be surprised that he panders to Big Corporate concerns and desires, we've been doing it for quite some time. I also don't see why anyone lauds Trump as some outsider come to destroy the DC Establishment, when Trump is of the establishment. Same ****, different day.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Long have we run the Corporate Capitalist model of economy. I feel that if anything has really hurt or hampered our progress, competitiveness, and ingenuity, it has been that. This pre-dates Trump, and will exist long after he is gone unless we decide to elect officials willing to take on the Corporate Oligarchy and try to return some semblance of free market to our economy. I've always said that Trump is the Status Quo without brakes. Particularly in the entanglement of Corporation and State, he has moved in ways to selectively promote big corporation over all other concerns.

I don't see why anyone should be surprised that he panders to Big Corporate concerns and desires, we've been doing it for quite some time. I also don't see why anyone lauds Trump as some outsider come to destroy the DC Establishment, when Trump is of the establishment. Same ****, different day.

Perhaps it's time to admit that the real (root cause of the?) problem is that the federal government is run by and for the monied elite and the more power that it is allowed to bestow upon itself then the less that we the sheeple can do about it. I am far from lauding Trump, but what ever happened to those alleged checks and balances or the constitutional limitation of the federal government to stick to its limited (enumerated?) powers leaving all else up to the several states or to the people?

 

[NeverTrump]

If you saw the first meeting of the year of Trump's cabinet there were quite a few things that stuck out. The first thing, which was hard to miss, was the marquee-size 'Game of Thrones' meme poster of Trump laying on the table right in front of where he was seated. It was Trump's theatrical way to say there will be more sanctions on Iran. That's funny because Trump was never a fan of GoT and definitely never read 'A Song of Fire and Ice', but you know...it's all about theater and marketing. Qasem Soleimani, the Commander of the Quds Force, Iran’s external security agency compared Trump to a 'White Walker', a “fear-mongering, war-mongering, and championing division at every opportunity.”

Qasem Soleimani even posted his own GoT meme on Instagram.

Back to the cabinet......

Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, is a long time executive of Boeing which is one of the largest defense contractors in the world. What a sweet coincidence.

Andrew Wheeler who runs the EPA is a former coal lobbyist.

Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services is a former pharmaceutical lobbyist.

David Bernhardt the Acting Secretary of the Interior us a former oil industry lobbyist.

Then there were the three 'actors'. Mick Mulvaney, acting Chief of Staff, Jonathan Cohen, acting U.S. Ambassador and Matthew Whitaker, acting Attorney General who did a really excellent job of groveling and ring-kissing.

One thing that really struck me was something Trump said as he bathed in the warm glow of the servitude of his loyal swamp creatures. Regarding Syria he said, ""we don't want Syria" because it's only "sand and death - sand and death" "We're not talking about vast wealth". Give that statement some thought.

I think it's very interesting that nov 4 is on the poster. Is he planning on damaging the legit elections in 2020??? Stay tuned!

 

[HumblePi]

Perhaps it's time to admit that the real (root cause of the?) problem is that the federal government is run by and for the monied elite and the more power that it is allowed to bestow upon itself then the less that we the sheeple can do about it. I am far from lauding Trump, but what ever happened to those alleged checks and balances or the constitutional limitation of the federal government to stick to its limited (enumerated?) powers leaving all else up to the several states or to the people?

The checks and balances are going to be doing their job starting today when democrats officially take the House. So far, in the past two years, there's virtually been no oversight whatsoever. Things are going to change fast now and conservatives will claim that the democrats are doing nothing other than more 'witch hunting' when in fact they're going to be doing oversight as they're supposed to do.

 

[Ikari]

Perhaps it's time to admit that the real (root cause of the?) problem is that the federal government is run by and for the monied elite and the more power that it is allowed to bestow upon itself then the less that we the sheeple can do about it. I am far from lauding Trump, but what ever happened to those alleged checks and balances or the constitutional limitation of the federal government to stick to its limited (enumerated?) powers leaving all else up to the several states or to the people?

I believe Daniel Webster said it best:

“I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe. Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing. Make them intelligent, and they will be vigilant; give them the means of detecting the wrong, and they will apply the remedy.”

The Congress has abdicated a disturbing amount of their power to the Executive in order to become a fundraising army for the Republocrats. We get too caught up in "well I have to vote R because D is so bad" or vice versa to understand that R and D are doing the same damned things. And each cycle, the Republic slips further from our fingers. It's not sustainable.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Long have we run the Corporate Capitalist model of economy. I feel that if anything has really hurt or hampered our progress, competitiveness, and ingenuity, it has been that. This pre-dates Trump, and will exist long after he is gone unless we decide to elect officials willing to take on the Corporate Oligarchy and try to return some semblance of free market to our economy. I've always said that Trump is the Status Quo without brakes. Particularly in the entanglement of Corporation and State, he has moved in ways to selectively promote big corporation over all other concerns. I don't see why anyone should be surprised that he panders to Big Corporate concerns and desires, we've been doing it for quite some time. I also don't see why anyone lauds Trump as some outsider come to destroy the DC Establishment, when Trump is of the establishment. Same ****, different day.

I agree.

And as long as SCOTUS continues to consider corporate campaign contributions as "free speech", we're pretty much screwed as a democracy.

 

[HumblePi]

I believe Daniel Webster said it best:

“I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe. Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing. Make them intelligent, and they will be vigilant; give them the means of detecting the wrong, and they will apply the remedy.”

The Congress has abdicated a disturbing amount of their power to the Executive in order to become a fundraising army for the Republocrats. We get too caught up in "well I have to vote R because D is so bad" or vice versa to understand that R and D are doing the same damned things. And each cycle, the Republic slips further from our fingers. It's not sustainable.

Daniel Webster was ahead of his time, wasn't he? I think in modern times Nikita Kruschev's words were almost prophetic when he said; “We will take America without firing a shot. We do not have to invade the U.S. We will destroy you from within....”

That moment came at the Helsinki summit conference when Trump sided with Putin saying that Russia is not tampering with our elections. “No collusion”. He denigrated our Justice Department and our entire intelligence community, to the delight of Putin.

 

[HumblePi]

I think it's very interesting that nov 4 is on the poster. Is he planning on damaging the legit elections in 2020??? Stay tuned!

Maybe it was a retroactive doomsday threat on Iran? Who the hell knows, he's so messed up. The Washington Post had an observation regarding November 5th reference, "Jon Snow, literally led a caravan of refugees through a border wall in Season 5." :giggle1:

 

[DaveFagan]

Daniel Webster was ahead of his time, wasn't he? I think in modern times Nikita Kruschev's words were almost prophetic when he said; “We will take America without firing a shot. We do not have to invade the U.S. We will destroy you from within....”

That moment came at the Helsinki summit conference when Trump sided with Putin saying that Russia is not tampering with our elections. “No collusion”. He denigrated our Justice Department and our entire intelligence community, to the delight of Putin.

It appears to me that Trump was right. Russian collusion is slipping away like a bad acid trip.
/

 

[ttwtt78640]

The checks and balances are going to be doing their job starting today when democrats officially take the House. So far, in the past two years, there's virtually been no oversight whatsoever. Things are going to change fast now and conservatives will claim that the democrats are doing nothing other than more 'witch hunting' when in fact they're going to be doing oversight as they're supposed to do.

Pelosi stating that there will be no "wall" funding ever is not a check or balance it is insisting that demorats get their way. It's now time for the republicants to play the resist, resist, resist game.

 

[HumblePi]

I'm confident that the House Oversight Committees will bring back some not-so-fond memories of the past two years that have come and gone without much ado. There's the whole Scott Pruitt, Tom Price and Ben Carson raiding of government tax dollars. There's will be renewed questioning under oath and under subpoena of Don Jr., Corey Lewandowski, Hope Hicks. Roger Stone and others. All those people who refused to answer questions claiming 'executive privilege' which was horse ca-ca anyway. Now they're going to be forced to answer the hard questions under oath.

Then there's the House Intelligence Committee of which Devin Nunes obstructed and covered up for Trump. Adam Schiff is going to uncover all those things they concealed during their farce of an investigation. Retaking of the House by democrats is finally going to be government running as it should with checks and balances of the president and his entire administration. Winter isn't coming, for republicans winter is really a reality and they're going to have to come up with some real answers.

Adam Schiff, Maxine Waters, Jerrold Nadler and Elijah Cummings are going to make their lives miserable and very insecure. Campaign finance reform, voting rights and ethics investigations are among their priorities. Trump may rue the day he mocked Adam Shiff by accidentally-on purpose misspelling his name 'Adam Schitt' and he might live to regret referring to Maxine Waters as "Low IQ". first order of business will be to end the reckless Trump shutdown and re-open the government.

:rwbdonkey:rwbelepha

 

[jghiretire]

I agree.

And as long as SCOTUS continues to consider corporate campaign contributions as "free speech", we're pretty much screwed as a democracy.

The money aspect is included in HR1. Going to start lobbying today with the state level.

 

[HumblePi]

Pelosi stating that there will be no "wall" funding ever is not a check or balance it is insisting that demorats get their way. It's now time for the republicants to play the resist, resist, resist game.

Republicans are sort of between a rock and a hard place. If they rescind the demand of 5 billion for the wall, Trump's base will turn fast, Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh's support will shrink faster than a $4 Fruit Of The Loom T-shirt. If they stick with their demand of 5 billion then it's going to hurt their 800,00 republican constituents who are federal employees and will soon be leaving their support for Trump in the dust once the rent comes due again.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Republicans are sort of between a rock and a hard place. If they rescind the demand of 5 billion for the wall, Trump's base will turn fast, Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh's support will shrink faster than a $4 Fruit Of The Loom T-shirt. If they stick with their demand of 5 billion then it's going to hurt their 800,00 republican constituents who are federal employees and will soon be leaving their support for Trump in the dust once the rent comes due again.

The funny thing is that Trump has been able to avoid any cause to veto any congressional 'budget' bills - by simply saying what he wants he has congress critters unable to agree on any of the remaining 'budget' bills resulting in a partial government shutdown. This appears to be a binary (R vs. D) showdown and, so far, remaining 100% a congressional problem - congress can either add the $3.4B that Trump wants or risk passing a bill that Trump might veto (again placing the ball back into congressional hands).