MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE
by Michael Wolraich
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Hits of the Day
Decent People Don't March With Nazis. Decent People Can't Work in the Trump White House
By rmrd0000 on Wed, 08/16/2017 - 6:05pm |There were no decent people marching alongside the white supremacists and Nazis. Decent people cannot work in the Trump White House. If you support Trump, you support a racist. You are an enabler. If you work for Trump, you work for a Nazi sympathizer, you are an enabler. Jewish people who work for Trump are working for a man who encourages anti-Semites. Blacks who work for Trump work for a racist who is attacking the black community. Hispanics who work for Trump work for a bigot who called Mexicans racists.
There are no decent political people hired by Trump working in the White House. (General staff like maintenance, kitchen staff, etc are excluded)
URL:
https://thedailybanter.com/2017/08/trump-staff-must-now-resign/
- Add new comment
- 16370 reads
Comments
In an unprecedented move, the Joint Chiefs denounce racism in response to Trump's Charlottesville speech.
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/16/military-chiefs-comments-trump-...
by rmrd0000 on Wed, 08/16/2017 - 8:55pm
Democrats and USA Today call for a censure of Donald Trump. Paul Ryan would have to get ball rolling.
by rmrd0000 on Wed, 08/16/2017 - 9:16pm
Dr. Ben Carson says that Trump's comments are bein blown out of proportion.This is the type of person that is able to function in the Trump White House.Decent people need not apply.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/08/16/ben-carson-ca...
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 8:03am
Nicolle Wallace: "People are tainted by Trump" if there aren't mass resignations from the White House.
http://hotair.com/archives/2017/08/16/morning-joe-time-mass-resignations...
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 8:11am
The counter argument is that good people need to stay in the White House to prevent Trump from going full on crazy.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/the-flight-93-election-moment-is-now
There is no evidence that anyone can control Trump, so the efforts to stabilize the White House are futile.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 9:35am
SIlly argument in my book. The reason all self-respecting officials should resign is that their boss solicits bribes, let himself be compromised by a foreign power, demonstrates his mental and moral unfitness daily, shows no interest in protecting the constitution nor the American people.
In short, it is Congress who are shirking their duty to impeach him. Until they get their act together and do their duty, I'm happy to have people who have sworn and dedicated their lives to the protection of the constitution around the president to prevent him from causing too much harm.
by Obey on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 10:24am
If good people resign, it may force Congress to take action if Generals Kelly and McMaster stay, they provide cover for McConnell and Ryan doing nothing.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 10:30am
So if that happened, what's the plan after that, under President Pence or perhaps President Ryan?
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 2:43pm
Trump is a mentally unstable racist. Pence is the better alternative. Because the Electoral College went with Trump rather than Hillary, we have no good Constitutional options.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 2:55pm
Pence doesn't strike you as racist? Asking seriously.
He strikes me as a radical extremist when it comes to women and gay issues. And a competent one.
The choice seems to be between a mentally unstable, stupid and incompetently opportunistic bigot and a mentally stable, competent and smart extremist bigot. The former is easier to stop.
by Obey on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 5:10pm
We have no good Constitutional options. Pence is a better option than Trump.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 5:28pm
I don't see how pronouncements like that are going to convince anyone without explanation of how it would be better. Especially after lots of moderate appointees have resigned, which is your first suggestion, leaving lots of positions open for Pence to fill with ultra conservatives. And a Congress that doesn't have enough Dems to vote new appointments down and a majority GOP happy that they can now get stuff done. And an emboldened Freedom Caucus, etc. etc.
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 5:39pm
The American people and Electoral College elected an insane man. There are no happy fairy tale endings. All potions suck big time. Trump decompensated on camera. He cannot control himself. General Kelly is a competent man and he cannot get Trump to simply make a statement about infrastructure. Trump will trash the place no matter who form his support staff.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 6:35pm
If sexual assault, collusion with Russia, blatant extortion and bribery (Qatar/S.A.), mental instability and incitement of racial violence won't move them, it's bonkers to think a couple of more resignations will suddenly appeal to their patriotic sentiments.
by Obey on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 4:07pm
Military officers leaving might frighten Congress enough to act.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 4:16pm
That sounds like dangerous brinksmanship. They should leave so that everyone freaks out because no one sane stands between him and the nuclear launch button? The problem with that idea is that ... in the meantime ...
no one sane will be standing between him and hte nuclear launch button
You are clearly a gambling man. ;0)
by Obey on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 4:30pm
We are playing Trump roulette as we speak.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 4:38pm
Sounds like you want to make things even more interesting.
by Obey on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 4:39pm
Trump lost it regarding Charlottesville. He was completely unhinged. Before his flare up, aides had tried to rationalize why he should make a response condemning the white supremacists. Initially, he simply modified the speech from condemnation to "both sides". As he simmered, he grew angrier. He lost control and his spontaneous presser. There was no real mention of infrastructure. He said there were good people amongst the Nazis. He is still tweeting about the loss of Confederate monuments.
Trying to control an unstable person like Trump over the long term could lead to an outburst in other situations including military situations. Trump can screw up on his own or Trump can screw up because he feels advisers are boxing him in.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 5:35pm
YEAH
It is not as if cable news ignored this principle.
To your right is a Confederate Flag. (Why should I capitalize these words?)
To your left is a NAZI Flag.
by Richard Day on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 10:52am
There are probably many decent people working in the WH, like Mattis and McMaster, who see as part of their job moving Trump towards rational policy and more important stopping Trump from doing something crazy. I hope these people don't resign. If either of them resigned people like John Bolton would relish the chance to replace them. If you can't see the difference between McMaster and Bolton you haven't been paying attention.
by ocean-kat on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 3:03pm
This 7 min. from last night was superb on topic of "Stay or Quit?", from the increasingly excellent Joy Reid @ MSNBC, soliciting the opinions of two who been there done that rather than those of us who have not. Both men: paragons of public service:
Both of their answers, summed up: it's complicated! You take an oath to the Constitution. You feel that seriously, you feel obliged to stay as long as you can affect good (or even sign on for a new job with that in mind) and it is very hard to figure the point where leaving will do more good than harm.
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 3:39pm
There is a clear difference between McMaster and Bolton. There is no evidence that Trump would listen to either man. John Kelly does not seem to have control.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 3:48pm
No one has control over Trump but there's evidence they have an effect. For example the Iran deal is still in place. Reports claim the effort to convince Trump to maintain the Iran deal was long and hard. Trump wanted out and Bolton would have encouraged him. Does it matter? Is this just a meaningless short term victory that will soon be overturned? No one knows. But the longer we can maintain even a modicum of stability the more we can hope it won't spin totally out of control. The longer we can avoid Trump starting a war or wars the more we can hope he'll be gone before he has a good enough excuse.
by ocean-kat on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 7:40pm
We will see what happens at the next review
http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/07/21/trump-assigns-white-house-team-to-ta...
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 4:46pm
In a reply to Obey. I note that Trump became unhinged when aides tried to control his verbal response to Charlottesville. He tried the advised toned down message, but he lost it because he felt trapped. I worry about the powder keg. Trump will screw up with or without rational advisers because Trump is Trump.
by rmrd0000 on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 5:39pm
Your comment just hit me like this: they have much more than an effect! "They" are running the place. He's not even paying attention to what they are doing all day, he's spending all his time doing supposed P.R. He bounces from photo ops with visitors to twitter and TV to planning rallies to fighting demons and ruminating on enemies (very like Nixon), Whatever is on Fox News and Drudge he's paying attention to, anything hot that's getting a lot of buzz, the rest he leaves up to "them" unless it's big in the news. He's still basically in campaign mode.
Hits me now the WaPo article from yesterday on Kelly's changes, seems like Kelly is organizing so that things basically run without him except for the P.R. stuff he wants to do and one staff meeting in the morning. For example, Chao and Mnuchin had to humilitate themselves coming to do P.R. with him at Trump tower, they spend a few minutes getting appalled and go back to their departments and get to work and talking with Congress about what Trump was supposed to talk about but didn't.
What we are really dealing with is that he is filling the role of like the queen of England! Except very very badly. To promote himself rather than the nation and the constitution. (Well maybe sometimes comparable, she didn't handle the Diana thing that well, hah!)
We don't really need a president as much as we think to do actual stuff if there are good people running the White House. They can choose to be active and involved rather than just a figurehead, role model, head of their party, commander in chief, but they don't have to. He's not been doing much except campaigning badly. Hence all the infighting, i.e., Bannon vs. Kushner, that's where all the power is.
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 8:22pm
I think that's true. He doesn't care about most of what they're doing so doesn't take the time to get even a summery of it to make a cursory decision. When he does care, like leaving the Iran deal, sometimes they can talk him out of it. Other times his tweets and outlandish behavior make it harder to get legislation he cares about passed.
There are going to be some absolutely fascinating books on this WH when it's over, or possibly sooner if one of his fired aids talks.
by ocean-kat on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 8:22pm
So of all those who are really running the executive branch, I would think that Sessions, he's the one most dangerous to liberal concerns? (immigration, civil rights, law enforcement, terrorism....) He's got his agenda I am sure and synchs totally with Pence. Pence would keep him!
He gets picked on by Trump, acts like it's no big deal, dust off shoulders, carry on.
I have an inkling bad stuff is going on with the depts. that apply to environmental issues but I have to be honest and say I don't pay that much attention.
Just an example, today this piece in the NYTimes caught my eye that suggests how someone like (Democrat) Cohn staying in office could work a deal with Dems and some Republicans to get the carbon tax many have long wanted stuck in tax reform: Some Democrats See Tax Overhaul as a Path to Taxing Carbon,
and in the sidebar on the site, I saw further evidence under "Related Coverage" Exxon Mobil Lends Its Support to a Carbon Tax Proposal JUNE 20, 2017; ‘A Conservative Climate Solution’: Republican Group Calls for Carbon Tax" FEB. 7, 2017. I thought wow, Rex Tillerson might get behind that, too. Without Trump even noticing probably.
When and if they do a tax bill, whatever Trump says about it isn't going to be correct, haven't we learned our lesson about that yet? He doesn't even understand what they are doing.
If people like Cohn resigned, you instead get some idiot now (who else would take it on) who surely wouldn't know how to do such a thing, if Pence was installed, you'd get a right winger who wouldn't either.
Yes, the moderates can do stuff under Trump. They are doing it now
Does anyone notice that Janet Yellin is still running the Fed?. while King Trump is focusing on Confederate statues and scaring people?
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 9:28pm
I just read a lot mostly because my job leaves me with lots of free time with little to do but read. I closely follow most of the stories in the news but I haven't really studied all the details of government. I don't even know what every one of the committees do. Dangerous things could come from surprising places.
Like you I'm most worried about Sessions. He has so much power that he can wield indiscriminately. Pruit at the EPA is dangerous though slightly less so as he's a bit constrained by the rule making process. I'm also worried about Ajit Pai, chairman of the FCC, who is a stanch foe of net neutrality.
It's not just the WH. Congress could do a lot of damage if they ignore Trump and get their shit together. Trump will sign anything that comes to his desk. He wouldn't understand it and he doesn't care. All he cares about is a win. If congress sent him a blank stack of paper with a cover page saying Tax Reform he'd sign and call it a win. A great unprecedented win. If congress sent him a Pink Floyd album he'd sign it and claim it fulfilled his promise to build The Wall. If congress remains in republican hands after the 2018 election and the senate ends the filibuster they could do a lot of damage until 2020.
by ocean-kat on Fri, 08/18/2017 - 3:17am
I think that really is our situation in general, and my interaction with you helped me get there more quickly!
Side note: that's why I have become addicted to his place. It wouldn't happen with a bigger place but one does have to have a variety of of high quality voices for it to happen, people willing to challenge analysis without wasting time on lecturing one another or preaching.
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/18/2017 - 10:36am
oceankat, it's right here, basically the whole shebang we are talking about:
CEOs to move their White House talks underground
Still eager to work on tax reform, infrastructure and health care, business leaders will focus on Trump aides and agency officials.
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/18/2017 - 11:26am
Not saying it's going to happen, but. Thinking after reading the whole discussion, it strikes me that the ideal scenario for the majority of the country who voted for Hillary would be: moderates do not resign but stay in place, Trump is forced to resign for increasing craziness together with Mueller investigation, and there is a slow transition into the Pence presidency with moderates in place. The threatening danger of Pence slowly replacing with his people, or even those people resigning in protest over Pence plans, helps Dems win the 2018 elections.
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 5:57pm
Pence may not be able to unhitch his wagon to this star.
The investigation into the Trump campaign may uncover complicity in nefarious acts.
Pence continues to defend Trump without qualification. If he becomes POTUS, he won't be able to claim he was kidnapped by thugs in a van.
If Trump goes down, I bet he pulls something to make sure Pence joins him on the escalator. Trump doesn't like others succeeding at his ex-Pense.
by moat on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 7:27pm
interesting point! I ran across articles today blathering stuff about possible evidence of trying to keep quiet "Pence 2020" prep activity, but I didn't read them.So I went back to google for something like that and the first thing I got is this op-ed @ TheHill saying the same thing you are.
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 7:46pm
I agree with the points made there but I don't think the administration is going to last till the next election. This team will go out to buy cigarettes one day and never come back.
by moat on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 9:07pm
And they'll have to go to the Seneca Indian reservation in Canada to do that, as the FDA (that whole place is still infested with nanny staters, Trump has done zilch on cleaning them out!) is up to no good on that.
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 9:19pm
an important seer is with you, moat:
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 10:15pm
What does Trump do after that? White supremacist rallies? TV station for the alt-reich? Attacks on whoever is in charge? Move to Turkey with his $$$ & buddy Erdogran? Pigs blood bullets company? Confederate statues theme park?
by NCD on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 10:22pm
Some of your ideas are quite good (especially like pig blood bullets company) but sorry, I still like mine best: terror car crash spectacular promoter:
because
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 10:44pm
Many sides, many sides on which way he could go.
Of course, the ISIS car would always lose, unless it was going against the Liberal Limo Car, the Hillary or Mueller Car, or the Diet Drinker Coke Car.
by NCD on Thu, 08/17/2017 - 10:50pm
the ISIS car would always lose, unless it was going against the Liberal Limo Car,
lol! The ISIS car would need to win a small percent of the time, less TrumpGaming.com have no odds for people to bet on.
But more seriously what our terribly black humor is playing up is that his whole shtick draws all the extremists like ISIS, white nationalists, armageddonists like flies precisely because he loves to speak their good vs. evil language. He was very drawn to professional wrestling precisely because saw it's demagogic capabilities.I think of the biographical articles that mention his love of big spectacles, inherited from his mother. I even think of how he was drawn to handling the problem of the Syrian use of nerve gas because they killed "little babies, little innocent babies." It's the simplistic "good vs. evil" picture.
And he is a true troll, he loves roiling people's emotions more than anything else. Feeding him is the real Faustian danger. But what else can one do when he has the presidential pulpit? I am starting to come around to a realization that some of the GOP congress is doing mealy mouthed public denunciations because they don't want to get drawn into his trolling, they want to ignore him and get on with their own program. That is where liberals should be worried at the same time they drawn into his trolling and his choice of topics for the public water cooler.
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/18/2017 - 10:07am
NCD, looks like Trump's decided which way to go, classy, we're gonna go bigly classy like the Franch, learned something from this presidential gig, there's more to this spectacular thing than Wrestlemania and beauty pageants, crowd's gonna be major yuge, big ratings
Inspired by French military display, Trump has the Pentagon planning a large-scale parade in Washington
At a meeting last month between President Trump and top military officials, “The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France,” one official said. “This is being worked at the highest levels of the military.”
by artappraiser on Wed, 02/07/2018 - 1:05am
AA, Trump should have it at night on the D.C. mall. They could use spotlights from The Apprentice like this rally....in France....? It would be the biggest huuooge....!
by NCD on Wed, 02/07/2018 - 1:33am
“Everybody feels oppressed during a Wagner performance. That is part of the appeal.”
― Richard Taruskin, The Danger of Music and Other Anti-Utopian Essays
next up, we're gonna best the North Koreans on those card-flipping extravaganzas.
The parade's been a real big hit on Twitter already, I noticed while over there.
I like this one, not the least of which it reminds me of Shriner's parades with the clown costumes:
by artappraiser on Wed, 02/07/2018 - 2:08am
@ Axios.com Sunday: There's lots of punditry about why people like Gary Cohn, Rex Tillerson, Dina Powell, Steve Mnuchin and many others don't quit the Trump White House in protest over Charlottesville. but they give summary and a link to the most trusted and combine it with original reporting compiled from their leakers.
by artappraiser on Sun, 08/20/2017 - 11:57pm