Hey, I made a meme, inspired by the troubles besetting Trump’s transition team.
In case you haven’t been following the issue, here are a few just slightly alarming quotes from a Huffington Post piece on the chaos.
Donald Trump’s transition team is nearing a state of stasis, causing concern among both Democrats and Republicans in Washington that his White House will be woefully ill-prepared once he is inaugurated. …
The disarray has left agencies virtually frozen, unable to communicate with the people tasked with replacing them and their staff. Trump transition team officials were a no-show at the Pentagon, the Washington Examiner reported. Same goes for the Department of Energy, responsible for keeping the nation’s nuclear weapons safe, where officials had expected members of the Trump transition team on Monday. Ditto for the Department of Transportation. Over at the Justice Department, officials also are still waiting to hear from the Trump team. …
According to several sources close to the Trump transition team and inside the Obama administration, the president elect and his staff have had difficulty finding able-minded Republicans willing to take on critical posts. One Democratic source, who like others would only discuss sensitive talks on condition of anonymity, said transition officials had been informally asking Obama political appointees to recommend Republicans to take over their jobs.
Yeah, that’s kind of what happens when you elect a dude who has no freaking idea what he’s doing to the highest office in the land.
OT: The WaPo is reporting this morning that Twitter has suspended a number of prominent alt-right accounts.
Democracy’s already left the barn, but at least it’s a step.
Handsome “Punkle Stan” Jack and any other who hope for the electoral college to elect someone else : I fear it would make thing even worse. For two reasons :
A – it will put the alt right in a credible seat of oppressed politically outsider. I don’t want to have sparks over that ticking bomb
B – they are still republican. I don’t think they would elect anyone better than Trump.
@ skiriki
Our (UK) intelligence services are certainly worried too. After Trump’s matey telephone call to Putin, the list of people he’s submitted for top security clearance and his general flakiness, there’s serious discussion about the future of the ‘five eyes’ agreement (whereby the Anglosphere nations share intelligence)
Our intelligence services’ legal teams have also been asked to consider the implications of Trump’s comments on how he’d allow future intelligence operations to be conducted. The US hasn’t submitted to the jurisdiction of the ICC but the UK has, and that also has implications on the consequences arising from joint intelligence operations.
On the one hand, Trump is seriously incompetent. He’s also too arrogant to realize his incompetence (or any other shortcoming). On the other hand, he’s got some scarily competent people willing to help themselves..I mean him.
I’m not entirely sure which is more worrying.
Escalation to hamburger republic continues.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-putin-talk-of-strong-and-enduring-relationship-president-elect-prepares-to-meet-today-with-vice-president-to-discuss-cabinet/2016/11/15/081b2f40-ab2f-11e6-8b45-f8e493f06fcd_story.html
A former U.S. official with ties to the Trump team described the ousters of Rogers and others as a “bloodletting of anybody that associated in any way on the transition with Christie,” and said that the departures were engineered by two Trump loyalists who have taken control of who will get national security posts in the administration: retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Rogers had no prior significant ties to Christie but had been recruited to join the Trump team as an adviser by the New Jersey governor. At least three other Christie associates were also pushed aside, former officials said, apparently in retaliation for Christie’s role as a U.S. prosecutor in sending Kushner’s father to prison.
On such a position, I bet that incompetence almost per definition does hurt people, purposely or not. And if Trump’s too incompetent, I’m sure his slightly smarter or more ”capable” lackeys make sure they accomplish their goals. I’m terrified for you Americans with a vice president like Mike Pence.
In any way, I don’t know how that works in the US: is it possible for Trump to be ”deposed” if he’s just too unfit to even remotely function properly? I’m not from the US, but it seems as though he’s already pushing the boundaries of the law, so it’s a corruption investigation waiting to happen? Or maybe he’s too easy with state secrets with his kids, other cronies and possibly Putin, and ”deposed” (what’s the word?) on that ground?
In any way, how Trump has been going about since his election, makes my heart ache for Clinton as well. She lost to fucking TRUMP (just look at the debates! dear God) and many are cheering as he’s selecting the worst of the worst to work for him. No matter how competent you are, if you’re a woman and not ‘likable’ enough (and if you’re too ‘likable’ you’re probably too informal or unprofessional or something) you lose from probably one of the most unfit candidates ever (not that I know a lot of US presidents) who appoints the most unfit staff ever…. it’s as though you can’t win from even a dog turd or something. What a slap in the face.
Speaking of memes, I saw this
http://www.refinery29.com/2016/11/129667/joe-biden-obama-trump-prank-memes?utm_source=tumblr.com&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=h3
with Biden supposedly planning for the Trumpton arrival. (you’ve probably seen these around?)
@Margot: the term you’re looking for is ‘impeached’. And yes, it is very possible that Trump will be impeached within the year.
Which would make Mike Pence president. I don’t think that’s a good trade.
@Skiriki
Flynn? Old Flynn-Flam? The guy who couldn’t pick what pair of damned socks to wear if you gave him the choice of two black pairs?
He’s deciding? (I had the dubious pleasure of working with him, well, despite him about 60% of the time, in Afghanistan.)
Hoo-boy. We’re screwed. Completely and utterly screwed.
@Opposablethumbs: thanks for that. I needed the laugh.
Ah right, thanks. So if Trump is impeached, and Pence becomes president, is that for the remaining years of his term, or would that only be for a transitionary period where they write out new elections?
I bet the amount of conspiracy theories would be through the roof if it were to actually happen, because ”TPTB” just fear Trump so much….
I want to laugh at this. But considering everything else that’s happening and what’s likely to come next, there are reasons to cry. I’m just watching this with morbid curiosity.
Just got to work and saw this on CNN. Apologies if someone’s already posted it.
From Glenn Beck;
No, lie, dipshit!!! Would’a been nice if YOU hadn’t added fuel to the dumpster file with YOUR false reporting, too.
@Margot: If impeached, I believe Pence would serve out the remainder of Trumps term, just as if Trump had died in office. As I recall, when Nixon was impeached, Ford served out the rest of his term, and then lost his re-election bid.
Wow. That is serious nightmare fuel.
TO ALL PUBLIC SERVANTS: From – Office of Really Stupid Tweets
The Officer of Social Media Stupidity wished to reiterate that it is NOT ok to make bigoted comments on Social Media, even though the president-elect says it is.
Thank you.
@Shadowplay
I think this is the same person, yes.
Or if it isn’t, it is definitely someone who fits your description as well.
All;
Re: impeachment
It’ll be a really YUUUGE impeachment!! The GREATEST impeachment in history!!!
I’m kinda hoping for a national meme similar to the one we had in 1973 for Noxin: “Impeachment With Honor” (a play on his Vietnam blather about “peace with honor”)
@Margot: yep.
Oh, and Dork Tower goes straight for the jugular and hits where it hurts:
http://www.dorktower.com/2016/11/15/go-back-to-normal-dork-tower-15-11-16/
@Skiriki
It is. Just did a little digging. Christ. A living embodiment of the Peter Principle in it’s most malignant form. Credit stealer too, how the hell he ever got past Lieutenant I’ll never know. At least someone cottoned on to his ways, he didn’t even get the courtesy star on retiring.
He was outside my chain, thankfully. Just had to deal with him for logistical support, and that was bad enough.
Of course, he’s going to decide he is the most qualified candidate for SecDef. He’s arrogant enough.
Sorry, rambling a bit. 🙂
I don’t think Glenn Beck had a David Brock style change of heart. This looks more like a feud between him and Trump. I think it’s more about two massive bloated egos clashing.
The probability of Trump being impeached, let alone convicted is just about 0 with Republicans controlling the house and Senate. They care about party than country and will not want to air in public just how fractured the GOP is. It would take immense public pressure.
It’ll be interesting to see if there’s a big rift between intelligence professionals and the administration. I think we’ll be increasingly seeing the Democrats become the more trusted party on national security. Which is odd.
On the mid terms, it’s true that the left usually doesn’t turn out, but they did in 2006. There’s a very real possibility of a huge backlash turnout. It’s going to mean we all have to do what we can though.
@Weird (and regrouping quickly) Eddie
I read about that yesterday. How did she even think she could plausibly deny the racism in that statement?!
I can’t stop hoping for the Electoral College thing. If the electors voted Clinton in, they would bring about an actually democratic result (assuming she keeps her lead in the popular vote); and they would, at the same time, get lefties and righties and everybody to agree that the Electoral College is undemocratic (because the Constitution says the electors can do whatever they want).
And the fallout—I really can’t stress this enough—the fallout could not possibly be worse than it will be if we just “give him a chance.”
It’s too much to hope for, I know, but hope dies last.
Bannon might have hell of a time trying to get the security clearance he needs in his job: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/16/is-trump-s-man-steve-bannon-too-shady-to-handle-secrets.html