dagblog - Comments for "Trump's War Cabinet - AWOL, invisible, gutted"

Makes sense especially

artappraiser — Sat, 25 Apr 2020 21:55:00 +0000

In reply to Jan-Werner Müller makes an

Makes sense especially because those currently in the main government power positions are the ones living in a fantasy world! They don't get much real done, Trump really doesn't do or accomplish anything much that is real, it's all fantasy narratives pretending to accomplish something in order to feed fans, he really is the first postmodern president as one op-ed put it. It's almost all kabuki show. And the GOP in Congress of varying aims and goals, they are stuck following Trum's kabuki, having to be part of the play to keep their place, hoping someday to be able to accomplish whatever they want, they can't right now. Mitch McConnell is about the only one who can try to do some real things.

Usually it is the opposition that is partly living in a fantasy world, trying to sell memes, pie in the sky, while those in power got to deal with reality and getting stuff done. The usual has been flipped on it's head here. People actually running the government behind the main kabuki show actually have to sort of run and hide what they are doing....

Jan-Werner Müller makes an

moat — Sat, 25 Apr 2020 21:26:14 +0000

In reply to I for one was thinking quite

Jan-Werner Müller makes an argument along these lines. His call to find a way to work around the present dysfunction is what I have been saying. In that vein, he says:

The dissidents stopped talking to state leaders and resolved instead to “talk past them” (as the historian Tony Judt put it), trying to reach as many citizens as possible in spite of restrictions on speech. They also started to create what Václav Benda called a “parallel polis” – a world in which one tried to act as if one was already free. These civil society initiatives undermined the regimes without ever confronting them head-on.

"Parallel polis" is the term I have been looking for.

Good it's a loaded gun is

artappraiser — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 19:51:01 +0000

In reply to It looks like Joe got your

Good it's a loaded gun is what it is. I do like the idea of people being given the choice of electing a government instead of a man.

It looks like Joe got your

moat — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 14:12:58 +0000

In reply to I for one was thinking quite

It looks like Joe got your memo:

Biden says he’s already choosing a presidential transition team

Biden said he “would consider announcing some cabinet members before the election,” but clarified that he hasn’t “made that commitment” yet. Still, he signaled that he has a good idea of who would fill the positions.

“If the Lord Almighty said ‘Joe, I tell you what. You have to decide in three hours what your cabinet is or you’re going to be bounced out of the race,’ I could write down who could be in the cabinet,” He said. “There are at least two or three people qualified for every one of those positions.”

there's upsides and downsides

artappraiser — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 21:35:29 +0000

In reply to Biden was the Senator from

there's upsides and downsides to having a president with that kind of experience, though, Rog. Someone who knows the kind of pressure that individual congresspeople are under from er, paid constituents, also knows exactly what kind of horse trading needs to be done to get one to change their vote on any one thing. Think Bill Clinton working the phones all night to get something passed or the classic, LBJ the threatener...

I have been thinking along

moat — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 21:33:29 +0000

In reply to I for one was thinking quite

I have been thinking along similar lines but am not savvy on the dangers involved with doing that too soon.

I for one was thinking quite

artappraiser — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 21:31:11 +0000

In reply to Biden should make the goal of

I for one was thinking quite some time ago: he should announce cabinet appts ASAP. But I'm no expert political operative on timing.

Biden was the Senator from

jollyroger — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 18:12:02 +0000

In reply to While I agree mostly and if I

Biden was the Senator from MBNA...

And, boy, howdy, did he come through when the Bankruptcy Bill was being marked up (leaving some must see TV interaction with then Bankruptcy prof. E. Warren..

While I agree mostly and if I

ocean-kat — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 17:01:18 +0000

In reply to There is a what I think is a

While I agree mostly and if I had to choose I'd rather democrats controlled the senate than the presidency I think you're downplaying the power of the president. It doesn't just matter what party control the presidency it matters which democrat controls it. I'll go back to the story of the Bush tax cuts. They were passed with a sunset clause to expire in ten years. Every one was in favor of keeping some of those tax cuts. The republicans wanted all of them, democrats just the tax cuts that affected the lower and middle class.Ried and McConnell were locked in negotiations and Obama got impatient. Biden told Obama to let him talk to McConnell, that he could get a deal. And he did. It was reported the Reid was so pissed to be uncut in this way it told Obama he wouldn't lead negotiations with McConnell ever again unless Obama promised not to send in Biden. Reid reportedly said he could have gotten a much better deal.

This isn't some left wing analysis from the intercept or another left wing site. This was the main stream analysis at the time. While the president can't decide what gets passed or what deals are made in congress they can push the line to the left or the right. All the evidence I've seen is that Biden will be pushing it to the right. Farther right than Obama or Clinton.

Biden should make the goal of

moat — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 13:31:12 +0000

In reply to There is a what I think is a

Biden should make the goal of rehabilitating the Executive Branch a major part of his effort to assemble a team and develop that work into his campaign. In the face of the present crisis, hitting the ground running is going to be important. Such an approach will also appeal to voters. We are tired of all the winning.