Sound The TRUMPets! A Thread for Presidential Pondering 2016-2020(?)

[Baron Scarpia]

I read that 60% of the career foreign service staff quit under Tillerson, and that job applications for the foreign service are down 50% in the new administration.

Similar to the situation where Trump has failed to fill major administration positions responsible for science and technical policy. It is part of a pattern of completely discounting the value of expertise.

[Karl Henning]

Personal loyalty means ever so much more than mere expertise!  Vive la république-banane!

[Karl Henning]

Don't those Pittsburghers know that the steel tariffs will save their bacon?

[...] On Monday, Saccone seemed to lose it. [El Presidente Tupé's] opponents, he asserted, "have a hatred for our country. ... They have a hatred for God." This was not the voice of a confident candidate.

Deep in [Tupé] country, this should have been a slam-dunk for Republicans. FiveThirtyEight reminds us that before Murphy, "the Republican had won eight consecutive elections in this district by margins of no fewer than 15 percentage points. In both 2014 and 2016, no Democrat even bothered to run against Murphy. [El Presidente Tupé] carried the 18th District by nearly 20 points (58 percent to 39 percent); Mitt Romney won it by a similar margin in 2012." In other words, this race should not be close.

[Karl Henning]

It's official: The House Intelligence Committee is a joke

[lisa needs braces]

I'm not very sympathetic to the invitation of Ahmadinejad to Columbia. This piece you linked to makes the case for that invitation being some sort of opportunity. That point is a little strained.

"It was a golden opportunity for students to hear from—-and confront—someone incredibly important/powerful, someone with the potential to alter the course of world history. Now, believe it or not, Bari Weiss didn't agree."

I'm with her there.

""...the neocon/Zionist rabble...""

Yuck. One can be critical of Israel without resorting to agitprop. 
This writer tries to undermine his case by being as yucky as possible with language. However, trying to get people fired or denied positions for having legitimate differences of opinion does make her a hypocrite and wrong.

So maybe you're right that she's a bad choice. Nevertheless, they need someone to beat back the permanently outraged and hysterical anti-free speech left for it's own good, so that we can win elections again and restore competence and accountability to government.

The election was lost because a lot of people just weren't convinced to come out and vote by Hillary's implicit message of "you're on your own" while Trump was going all the over the midwest shouting "I'm on your side." After all, not voting is sometimes a fair bet when you're genuinely conflicted between two outcomes. The loss had nothing to do with college kids not welcoming Charles Murray.

[lisa needs braces]

The Democratic party establishment acts as if its owed votes and doesn't have to earn them.

[kishnevi]

Don't those Pittsburghers know that the steel tariffs will save their bacon?

[...] On Monday, Saccone seemed to lose it. [El Presidente Tupé's] opponents, he asserted, "have a hatred for our country. ... They have a hatred for God." This was not the voice of a confident candidate.

Deep in [Tupé] country, this should have been a slam-dunk for Republicans. FiveThirtyEight reminds us that before Murphy, "the Republican had won eight consecutive elections in this district by margins of no fewer than 15 percentage points. In both 2014 and 2016, no Democrat even bothered to run against Murphy. [El Presidente Tupé] carried the 18th District by nearly 20 points (58 percent to 39 percent); Mitt Romney won it by a similar margin in 2012." In other words, this race should not be close.

Saccone's auditioning for a job at Breitbart.

[BasilValentine]

Don't those Pittsburghers know that the steel tariffs will save their bacon?

[...] On Monday, Saccone seemed to lose it. [El Presidente Tupé's] opponents, he asserted, "have a hatred for our country. ... They have a hatred for God." This was not the voice of a confident candidate.

Deep in [Tupé] country, this should have been a slam-dunk for Republicans. FiveThirtyEight reminds us that before Murphy, "the Republican had won eight consecutive elections in this district by margins of no fewer than 15 percentage points. In both 2014 and 2016, no Democrat even bothered to run against Murphy. [El Presidente Tupé] carried the 18th District by nearly 20 points (58 percent to 39 percent); Mitt Romney won it by a similar margin in 2012." In other words, this race should not be close.

I don't think Pittsburgh is part of the district, is it? I checked: It doesn't include Pittsburgh. It's one of those bizarrely gerrymandered districts recently declared illegal by the PA supreme court.

Some are reporting that he was fired on Friday. There´ll be pros and cons. Since Pompeo has agreed, it must have been at least some time ago.

This was a lie. An undersecretary of state has refuted it, and has promptly been fired.

It's official: The House Intelligence Committee is a joke

A joke? Perhaps. Part of a conspiracy to aid and abet a cover up? Definitely.

[Karl Henning]

I don't think Pittsburgh is part of the district, is it? I checked: It doesn't include Pittsburgh. It's one of those bizarrely gerrymandered districts recently declared illegal by the PA supreme court.

Emendation acknowledged.

[Baron Scarpia]

The Steel thing is another bizarre Trumpism. To listen to him, you would think that US steel producers have been utterly decimated by cheap imports. It is true that employment in steel production is 1/5 of what it was at its peak. But according to my quick google research, about 20% of steel used in the US is imported. Domestic producers hold 80% of the market. Job losses have been driven by increased productivity in steel manufacturing (partly because steel is now mostly made from scrap metal, not from ore) and by reduced demand for steel. Even if the tariffs were to drive down imports dramatically the great majority of lost steel manufacturing jobs are not coming back.

[BasilValentine]

President Shithole won't condemn Russia's attempted murders in Great Britain. Now it looks like they might have killed another Russian expat and Putin opponent. Russian media trolls are already exploiting the opening rift between the U.S. and Britain over this.

The Steel thing is another bizarre Trumpism. To listen to him, you would think that US steel producers have been utterly decimated by cheap imports. It is true that employment in steel production is 1/5 of what it was at its peak. But according to my quick google research, about 20% of steel used in the US is imported. Domestic producers hold 80% of the market. Job losses have been driven by increased productivity in steel manufacturing (partly because steel is now mostly made from scrap metal, not from ore) and by reduced demand for steel. Even if the tariffs were to drive down imports dramatically the great majority of lost steel manufacturing jobs are not coming back.

Automation is a primary reason there are fewer jobs in the steel industry.

[Karl Henning]

A joke? Perhaps. Part of a conspiracy to aid and abet a cover up? Definitely.

[El Presidente Tupé] on Tuesday praised a draft Republican report from the House intelligence committee that says there was no collusion or coordination between his campaign and Russia, thanking the panel for their conclusion being such tools.

[Karl Henning]

Automation is a primary reason there are fewer jobs in the steel industry.

The President's want of a clue is profound.

[André]

The Steel thing is another bizarre Trumpism. To listen to him, you would think that US steel producers have been utterly decimated by cheap imports. It is true that employment in steel production is 1/5 of what it was at its peak. But according to my quick google research, about 20% of steel used in the US is imported. Domestic producers hold 80% of the market. Job losses have been driven by increased productivity in steel manufacturing (partly because steel is now mostly made from scrap metal, not from ore) and by reduced demand for steel. Even if the tariffs were to drive down imports dramatically the great majority of lost steel manufacturing jobs are not coming back.

I thought it was a matter of national security ?  0:)

[Baron Scarpia]

I thought it was a matter of national security ?  0:)

That's right, since most of the imported Steel comes from Canada, and what is Justin Trudeau but Kim Jong-un with a better hairdo?

[André]

Not to mention more colourful costumes !

[Baron Scarpia]

Not to mention more colourful costumes !

Clearly he wants to subjugate all peoplekind to Canadian hegemony!

[milk]

The election was lost because a lot of people just weren't convinced to come out and vote by Hillary's implicit message of "you're on your own" while Trump was going all the over the midwest shouting "I'm on your side." After all, not voting is sometimes a fair bet when you're genuinely conflicted between two outcomes. The loss had nothing to do with college kids not welcoming Charles Murray.

I agree with that I guess. Perhaps I want to say, first, that the kids are just not alright as a matter of principle. But, I do think that this kind of politics really does threaten the viability of the party in the sense that it really does have influence. I'm going to lump this in with identity politics, those that are "woke" vs. those that aren't, those who are "allies" and those who aren't, intolerance for less than 100% agreement, etc. That's the stuff someone at the NYT should get on and that will impact the party.

[lisa needs braces]

I agree with that I guess. Perhaps I want to say, first, that the kids are just not alright as a matter of principle. But, I do think that this kind of politics really does threaten the viability of the party in the sense that it really does have influence. I'm going to lump this in with identity politics, those that are "woke" vs. those that aren't, those who are "allies" and those who aren't, intolerance for less than 100% agreement, etc. That's the stuff someone at the NYT should get on and that will impact the party.

Is that what they should get on? What about the substantive divisions within the Democratic party?

http://theweek.com/articles/760352/fight-soul-democratic-party

[milk]

Is that what they should get on? What about the substantive divisions within the Democratic party?

http://theweek.com/articles/760352/fight-soul-democratic-party

Well, it's one thing that needs critiquing. Interesting article. I guess I'm more with Faction #2. But, I'm open-minded for an independent as well. When Bernie got shouted down during one of his primary speeches...that's the kind of thing I think is bad for the dems.