Trump replaces chief of staff Priebus with retired General Kelly

[dunroaming]

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

Never gonna happen.

I fear you are right.  Much too much self respect 

[Jingthing]

There well could be an Obama again as president.  There's Michelle, Malia, and Sasha, .......all amazing women!  Any of those 3 would beat any Trump children in an open election.   Ok, wishful thinking on my part, but I want to have some positive outlook for the future.   It will take generations to shake off the problems that Trump is saddling the US with.

Enough with the dynasties!

[bartender100]

I thought chief of staff Doug Stamper was the best one

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, boomerangutang said:

                        Not all rednecks have sunburned necks and chew tobacco.  Lots of Americans have redneck-tendencies, buy lots of guns, feel uncomfortable if a dark-skinned family moves into the neighborhood, etc. - some do it more privately than others.   Plus, what grandchildren say  'you're full of shit' to their grandparents?  

 

                            As for the election of 2016, sure there were many factors involved - not least, Russian interference - some of which manifested from former E.Bloc countries' teenagers glued to their computers. They realized they could make decent amounts of money ($6000/month or more) by sending out fake news disguised as real news - which badmouthed HRC.  It worked, and it probably swayed a lot of (redneck-thinking) voters.  It also swayed at least some left-wing voters.  

 

You might ask, why did they send out fake news about HRC and not target Trump?   The answer is:  Right Wingers are much more gullible / easily-duped than liberals.   Scammers get paid by # of hits on their fake news websites (50,000+ hits = payments).  So, scammers targeted the audience who gave them the most hits, therefore translating to more payments.  

 

My daughter, actually volunteered for the Sanders campaign. She's far left politically.  Yet, when I met her in December, she was parroting hard-right fake news about HRC.  It surprised (and slightly saddened) me, but I didn't want to argue with her, because we don't often meet (she's based in California, I'm in Thailand).  She had believed even the ridiculous stories of the Clintons keeping sex-slaves in the WH basement.  It showed me how far-reaching and effective Right-Wing propaganda (aided by the Russkies) was in affecting voters' outlook on the candidates and issues.

 

Also, many voters who would have voted for HRC, wound up wasting their votes or not going out to the polls - because they were so sure that HRC would win.  Just in Florida, for example, the number of voters who wrote-in 'Micky Mouse' (and other cartoon names) on their ballot, for example, exceeded the # of votes Trump won the state by.

Your daughter and many others duped days a lot about gullibility and independent thinking quality in the USA.

[Thakkar]

2 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Your daughter and many others duped days a lot about gullibility and independent thinking quality in the USA.

I have a godson in California. Smart kid. Also volunteered for Sanders. Stayed home on voting day. In his case at least, less to do with stupidity than the knowledge that his vote won't change the outcome in California and also plain old youthful stubbornness.

 

T

[Thakkar]

3 hours ago, sirineou said:

Though it's merits arguable , there is no denying that Hillary had a lot of issues   spanning from the Arkansas state house, to travel gate , to private server. and  many other in between.

Though arguable , the argument distracted from the message. So while Trump promised a "Chicken in every table" 

Hillary was busy playing defence and promising she was no Trump, to which many disenfranchised voter replied .

"we know" 

 

Apologies for getting off topic, but I thought your comment deserved a considered response. I've tried to provide one.

 

Much of HRC's so-called issues were pure hogwash, including those you mention.

 

John Kerry had no "issues", was a true war hero, yet they swiftboated the heck out of him. John McCain in the primaries against Bush, same thing. It's hard when the other side fights so dirty, and when the public (especially the thinking public) get so disgusted, they stay home, while the evangelicals, and the brainwashed (there's a lot of overlap there!) dutifully show up vote party line every time.

 

I think what, more than anything, did her in was the October Surprise from Comey. In hindsight, it's quite possible that Sanders would've beaten Trump. On the other hand, the dirty tricksters could've successfully swiftboated the heck out of him too.

 

Based on everything that was known at the time of the Dem convention, HRC was the logical choice. Her primary win was convincing enough that even if there were some shenanigans involved, she would've still won the primaries without the shenanigans and so choosing her was the legitimate choice. Bernie was the true progressive choice, but just didn't have the numbers among primary voters. The sad thing is that America has moved so far right that even a moderate socialist lite like Bernie is seen as some kind of radical.

Aside from Comey, which was a big cut, HRC was downed by a thousand cuts, the majority of them unfair and not of her making. Hillary could certainly have run a better campaign. But among the many reasons for her electoral college loss, apart from weak strategies, is a depressingly gullible American electorate.

 

T

 

[rijb]

2 hours ago, stevenl said:

Your daughter and many others duped days a lot about gullibility and independent thinking quality in the USA.

There were plenty of people duped into thinking Trump didn't have chance.  So, they gloated and did nothing.

 

BTW:  That's a tired, and ridiculous, phrase "(...) says a lot about (...)"  It says a lot (more) about you.

[baboon]

3 hours ago, stevenl said:

Your daughter and many others duped days a lot about gullibility and independent thinking quality in the USA.

It isn't confined to the US by any means. That was below the belt.

[stevenl]

7 hours ago, rijb said:

There were plenty of people duped into thinking Trump didn't have chance.  So, they gloated and did nothing.

 

BTW:  That's a tired, and ridiculous, phrase "(...) says a lot about (...)"  It says a lot (more) about you.

It's ok if you don't understand a post, just don't react to it.

I was not referring to voting.

[stevenl]

6 hours ago, baboon said:

It isn't confined to the US by any means. That was below the belt.

Not confined, but it seems all conspiracy theories originate from the US and are much more believed in the US than elsewhere. 

 

All these Clinton stories as mentioned here, but also other more basic things like UFO sightings, alien life forms, etc. All originating and nearly exclusively believed in the US.

[thehelmsman]

Could we please stop the should have, could have, would have reports. News flash....Mr. Trump is the POTUS. Stock market rallied fri with another closing record.

 

Life is good once again.

[Scott]

23 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Not confined, but it seems all conspiracy theories originate from the US and are much more believed in the US than elsewhere. 

 

All these Clinton stories as mentioned here, but also other more basic things like UFO sightings, alien life forms, etc. All originating and nearly exclusively believed in the US.

I think we are drifting off-topic, but you can rest assured that conspiracy theories and far out material is not unique to the US.   I worked in the ME for a number of years and the conspiracy theories were very wild and far out.   Most involved politics and leaders.  

 

I also worked in Thailand with a lovely, but rather paranoid lady from Sweden, who would bring me stuff from some website in Sweden that was completely far out.   I can read a little Swedish, but it was pretty wacky stuff.  One was that everyone in Europe was being implanted with chips by the CIA to track them.   The political stuff was pretty far out as well.

 

In the ME, none of these were ever in print and Sweden is fairly small, so the English language stuff has a much greater visibility, but make no mistake, it's not unique.  

 

 

[stevenl]

1 minute ago, Scott said:

I think we are drifting off-topic, but you can rest assured that conspiracy theories and far out material is not unique to the US.   I worked in the ME for a number of years and the conspiracy theories were very wild and far out.   Most involved politics and leaders.  

 

I also worked in Thailand with a lovely, but rather paranoid lady from Sweden, who would bring me stuff from some website in Sweden that was completely far out.   I can read a little Swedish, but it was pretty wacky stuff.  One was that everyone in Europe was being implanted with chips by the CIA to track them.   The political stuff was pretty far out as well.

 

In the ME, none of these were ever in print and Sweden is fairly small, so the English language stuff has a much greater visibility, but make no mistake, it's not unique.  

 

 

As I said, not confined, as you said, not unique. 

Much more prevalent in the US and many more followers, in my firm belief yes. 

 

Not language related btw, in the UK people are imo far less gullible, except for Nessie of course.

[tonray]

3 minutes ago, Scott said:

I think we are drifting off-topic, but you can rest assured that conspiracy theories and far out material is not unique to the US.   I worked in the ME for a number of years and the conspiracy theories were very wild and far out.   Most involved politics and leaders.  

 

I also worked in Thailand with a lovely, but rather paranoid lady from Sweden, who would bring me stuff from some website in Sweden that was completely far out.   I can read a little Swedish, but it was pretty wacky stuff.  One was that everyone in Europe was being implanted with chips by the CIA to track them.   The political stuff was pretty far out as well.

 

In the ME, none of these were ever in print and Sweden is fairly small, so the English language stuff has a much greater visibility, but make no mistake, it's not unique.  

 

 

 

10 minutes ago, thehelmsman said:

Could we please stop the should have, could have, would have reports. News flash....Mr. Trump is the POTUS. Stock market rallied fri with another closing record.

 

Life is good once again.

The Dow Jones Industrial average representing 30 companies made a new high. The Nasdaq Composite, the SP-500 and the Russell 2000 all declined, representing a Friday decline of the broader market, which is composed of more than 5000 issues.

[tonray]

2 minutes ago, stevenl said:

As I said, not confined, as you said, not unique. 

Much more prevalent in the US and many more followers, in my firm belief yes. 

 

Not language related btw, in the UK people are imo far less gullible, except for Nessie of course.

That's because in the UK when people are implanted with chips it usually comes with a side of Cod.

[baboon]

2 hours ago, Scott said:

I think we are drifting off-topic, but you can rest assured that conspiracy theories and far out material is not unique to the US.   I worked in the ME for a number of years and the conspiracy theories were very wild and far out.   Most involved politics and leaders.  

 

I also worked in Thailand with a lovely, but rather paranoid lady from Sweden, who would bring me stuff from some website in Sweden that was completely far out.   I can read a little Swedish, but it was pretty wacky stuff.  One was that everyone in Europe was being implanted with chips by the CIA to track them.   The political stuff was pretty far out as well.

 

In the ME, none of these were ever in print and Sweden is fairly small, so the English language stuff has a much greater visibility, but make no mistake, it's not unique.  

 

 

Pah, that's nothing! 

Did you know there is this vegetable Jews in Russia grow that prevents them becoming alcoholics, so they can control the country? That's a fact, that is...

[Scott]

No, that's a new one, but the point is made.   Now let's get back on topic.  

[Thakkar]

7 hours ago, thehelmsman said:

Could we please stop the should have, could have, would have reports. News flash....Mr. Trump is the POTUS. Stock market rallied fri with another closing record.

 

Life is good once again.

Just who is life good for?

The millions living in fear of losing their healthcare?

The Transgender people in the military worried about their jobs?

The coal miners still waiting for their jobs to return?

The laid off manufacturing workers still waiting for their high-paying jobs?

The many minorities who live in fear of intimidation?

The white supremacists who can now openly strut their stuff?

 

Oh, wait...

 

T

[dunroaming]

8 hours ago, thehelmsman said:

Could we please stop the should have, could have, would have reports. News flash....Mr. Trump is the POTUS. Stock market rallied fri with another closing record.

 

Life is good once again.

I fear the helmsman has lost his sense of direction.  Not good for someone with that handle.

[ilostmypassword]

5 hours ago, dunroaming said:

I fear the helmsman has lost his sense of direction.  Not good for someone with that handle.

But he has a first rate sense of distraction.

[thehelmsman]

9 hours ago, Thakkar said:

Just who is life good for?

The millions living in fear of losing their healthcare?

The Transgender people in the military worried about their jobs?

The coal miners still waiting for their jobs to return?

The laid off manufacturing workers still waiting for their high-paying jobs?

The many minorities who live in fear of intimidation?

The white supremacists who can now openly strut their stuff?

 

Oh, wait...

 

T

My life is good, you're saying I don't count.

 

There is no guarantee for anyone's employment, including the confused transgender folks in the military. It's all about the mission, not popular opinion.

 

I'm assuming the minorities you speak of are the illegal aliens. You enter a country illegally and you can expect a certain degree of fear.

 

I'm also assuming the folks you incorrectly call white supremacists are the folks who are in favor of securing the borders. They are Americans.

 

You seem to believe Trump can reverse the decline in manufacturing jobs in a few months. Any reasonable person understands this won't happen overnight. Hard to reverse decades of bad policy making.

 

As for the healthcare mess, let's remember the memorable words "If you like your healthcare you can keep your healthcare"

 

 

 

[Credo]

2 hours ago, thehelmsman said:

<snipped>

As for the healthcare mess, let's remember the memorable words "If you like your healthcare you can keep your healthcare"

It seems you have a lot of trouble staying on topic, but this does require a response.   

 

And now, thanks to the Idiot in Charge, anywhere from 16 - 30 million will not get to keep their healthcare and most premiums will rise by 20%.   

[Nigel Garvie]

20 hours ago, tonray said:

That's because in the UK when people are implanted with chips it usually comes with a side of Cod.

This is amusing, but I would like to point out that it is Haddock and chips in Scotland, Cod is only good enough for the English!

 

Then again there is "The piece of Cod which passeth all understanding", which I assume was rather tasty!

 

Hopefully not too far off topic here.

[Scott]

10 minutes ago, Nigel Garvie said:

This is amusing, but I would like to point out that it is Haddock and chips in Scotland, Cod is only good enough for the English!

 

Then again there is "The piece of Cod which passeth all understanding", which I assume was rather tasty!

 

Hopefully not too far off topic here.

I was going to hit the LIKE button, but it disappeared during the forum maintenance.

[Thakkar]

12 hours ago, thehelmsman said:

My life is good, you're saying I don't count.

 

There is no guarantee for anyone's employment, including the confused transgender folks in the military. It's all about the mission, not popular opinion.

 

I'm assuming the minorities you speak of are the illegal aliens. You enter a country illegally and you can expect a certain degree of fear.

 

I'm also assuming the folks you incorrectly call white supremacists are the folks who are in favor of securing the borders. They are Americans.

 

You seem to believe Trump can reverse the decline in manufacturing jobs in a few months. Any reasonable person understands this won't happen overnight. Hard to reverse decades of bad policy making.

 

As for the healthcare mess, let's remember the memorable words "If you like your healthcare you can keep your healthcare"

 

 

 

 

It seems that, as far as you're concerned, you're the only one that counts. Typical Trump supporter. The evangelicals who support Trump, and whose lives are fine should maybe remember what the man they claim to pray to said: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

 

Nobody is asking for "a right to be employed". Transgenders and every other minority are demanding the right to be considered for employment, and, if they meet the requirements, then to be employed. They're not saying, "because I'm transgender, so you must employ me." They're saying, "you can't reject me *just because* I'm transgender."

 

Try to understand the difference.

 

Many minorities feel threatened, not because they are illegal aliens but just because they are brown, or Muslim, or Mexican, or speak Spanish, or black because it's now open season on profiling. A white American wouldn't feel, see or experience any of this and be blithely unaware. Hence their life might feel good, assuming they have a decent job and healthcare and that their loved ones (assuming they cared about their loved ones or had any) also had decent jobs and healthcare.

 

NOBODY, absolutely nobody is arguing that borders shouldn't be secure.

 

It was Trump himself that promised a quick fix to manufacturing and mining jobs. After six months, has he even started? Any legislation? Any jobs program? Any new training program? Any new coal mine opening announced? Only more closures announced so far.

 

Obamacare flawed, but much much batter than the disgraceful situation it replaced. Dems and Obama himself accept that Obamacare needs fixing. They are willing to work with Republicans on the fix. Is Trump fixing it? No, instead he is sabotaging it and replacing it with nothing, after trying to replace it with something worse failed.

 

T

 

[Andaman Al]

12 hours ago, Scott said:

I was going to hit the LIKE button, but it disappeared during the forum maintenance.

Is it going to appear back?

[stevenl]

Just now, Andaman Al said:

Is it going to appear back?

It is back :). And you have choice now, you can also be sad, laugh, be confused or thank.

[Andaman Al]

10 minutes ago, stevenl said:

It is back :). And you have choice now, you can also be sad, laugh, be confused or thank.

Cool, but I think we don't need the 'sad' button we could replace it with BS, and we could have a 'bolleux' button as well. Those two would prove very popular between the warring factions on here.  

[Opl]

"By limiting information, and making it go through proper channels, Kelly is “ensuring Trump doesn’t make his decisions based on some bullshit he watched at midnight or on Breitbart,” said Chris Whipple, who recently wrote a book on the chief-of-staff role."

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/02/john-kelly-trump-west-wing-241268?lo=ap_a1

[boomerangutang]

Kelly has been on the job several days now, and he's not doing his job.  One basic tenet for being Chief of Staff, is making sure each staff member has a security clearance.   Neither Kushner; Ivanka and Jared, have security clearances of any validity.

 

Kelly has proved that he can't do his job.   Nothing has changed.   Trump is still the Dufus in Chief, and the WH will continue to be as screwed-up and chaotic as it's been since Jan 20.