What Did President Trump Do Now?

djchameleon · 12-10-2016, 11:17 AM

I feel like this thread title perfectly fits the tone of what's leftover from the donald trump 4 prez thread. I don't know why it bothers me to continue posting in that thread but it does. Maybe the fact that the election is over. He is already president and now it's time to criticize and nitpick every decision he makes like was done with Obama. It it our civic duty to do so. Well more so the people that actually voted but it's fine the hear the opinions of those abroad that don't have to deal with the immediate ramifications but the broader ramifications that come from him screwing the pooch on foreign relations.

I want to break down all of his cabinet picks so far and why they will become devastating.

Andrew F. Puzder as Labor Secretary.
He is the CEO of CKE Restaurants a big time donor to Trump's campaign who has criticized the Obama administration’s labor policies.

If you don't know what the US Labor Department does here is a quick rundown.

Quote:

The Labor Department enforces rules that protect the nation’s workers, distributes benefits to the unemployed and publishes economic data like the monthly jobs report. The new secretary will be in charge of keeping Mr. Trump’s promise to dismantle many Obama-era rules covering the vast work force of federal contractors.

So all those places that are pushing for a better wage, the entire fight for 15 which is in itself kind of futile while be even more ignored on a federal level when this guy takes his position. He's in charge CKE Restaurants which is basically the parent company of Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Green Burrito, and Red Burrito quick-service restaurant. I'm never eating Carl's Jr. or Hardee's again. It's already hard for me to even find a Hardee's locally so that's not that big of a deal.

Linda McMahon as head of the Small Business Administration. She is a failed Sentate candidate from Conneticut and was also one of the biggest donors to Trump's campaign along with her husband Vince McMahon.

The agency guarantees loans for small businesses, helps them get government contracts and supports their interests on Capitol Hill.

Scott Pruitt is an Oklahoma attorney general, who is a close ally of the fossil fuel industry put in charge of EPA.

The Environmental Protection Agency, which issues and oversees environmental regulations, is under threat from the president-elect, who has vowed to dismantle the agency “in almost every form.”

Now we are going to have an EPA Admistrator that's basically a climate change denier and wants to favor getting rid of certain regulations so that the fossil fuel industry can thrive and continue to reek havoc on the environment even more so than currently.

John F. Kelly is a retired four-star Marine general, whose son was killed in combat in Afghanistan.

Homeland Security Secretary
This agency was basically formed after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Trump plans to use it in guarding the United States’ borders. If Trump is able to make good on his promises of widespread deportations and building a wall without backpedaling this secretary will have to carry them out.

James N. Mattis led a Marine division to Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and led the United States Central Command from 2010-13. General Mattis, now retired, has been a critic of the Obama administration. He would need a waiver from Congress to lead the Pentagon because he has been out of uniform for less than seven years.

As Defense Secretary, he will shape the fight against the Islamic State while overseeing a military that is struggling to put in place two Obama-era initiatives: integrating women into combat roles and allowing transgender people to serve openly. Both will most likely be rolled back.

Steven Mnuchin served as Trump's campaign finance chairman. Mr. Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive, has deep roots in Hollywood but no government experience which goes hand in hand with some of the other candidates that have been appointed to positions. This lack of experience is alarming to say the least.

The Treasury Secretary will be responsible for government borrowing in financial markets, assisting in any rewrite of the tax code and overseeing the Internal Revenue Service. The Treasury Department also carries out or lifts financial sanctions against foreign enemies — which are key to President Obama’s Iran deal and rapprochement with Cuba.

Elaine L. Chao was the labor secretary under President George W. Bush. Ms. Chao, who is married to the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has been a fixture of the Republican establishment in Washington. Draining that swamp I see.

The next transportation secretary will oversee Trump’s campaign pledge to increase infrastructure funding to rebuild America's roads, bridges, airports and transit systems. Good luck with that. I feel like her track record speaks for itself on what she will get done.

Tom Price is a six-term Republican congressman from Georgia and orthopedic surgeon who has led opposition to the Affordable Care Act. Mr. Price has said the law interferes with the ability of patients and doctors to make medical decisions.

As the Health and Human Services Secretary, he will help Trump achieve one of his central campaign promises: to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The department approves new drugs, regulates the food supply, operates biomedical research, and runs Medicare and Medicaid, which insure more than 100 million people. Trump himself has already stated to the press that he wants to keep parts of the ACA and get rid of other parts which is actually good. Get rid of the parts that aren't working and keep the parts that are. When Medicaid/Medicare was first introduced, it wasn't a smooth introduction either and needed to be tweaked.

Wilbur Ross is an investor whose fortune is estimated by Forbes to be $2.9 billion. Mr. Ross has said the United States must free itself from the “bondage” of “bad trade agreements,” and has advocated threats to impose steep tariffs on China.

The Commerce Department has been a perennial target for budget cuts, but the secretary oversees a diverse portfolio, including the census, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Betsy DeVos is a former chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party and an education activist who is a passionate believer in school choice.

Trump has said he wants to drastically shrink the Education Department and shift responsibilities for curriculum research, development and educational aid to state and local governments. Betsy has no teaching experience and firmly believes in charter schools and private schools. She hasn't even been to a public school in her life and none of her kids to go Public School. She's also part of an activist group that believes teachers are overpaid as it is. She doesn't personally believe that but she's just been guilty by association. There are memes of her track record floating around saying she thinks that but it's not true or there is no documented proof of her saying it.

Nikki R. Haley is a governor of South Carolina, as his nominee. The daughter of immigrants from India, she was a prominent and frequent critic of Mr. Trump early in his run.

The U.N. Ambassador is second to the secretary of state, the United States ambassador to the United Nations will be the primary face of America to the world, representing the country’s interests at the Security Council on a host of issues, from Middle East peace to nuclear proliferation.

Ben Carson is a former neurosurgeon and presidential candidate picked to lead HUD. Mr. Carson had previously said he did not want to work in government. Apparently he changed his mind and all of a sudden he wants to work in government. Does he have the experience to be the head of HUD? Hell no but that's not going to stop him like it's not going to stop a large majority of Trump's cabinet choices that don't have experience either.

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development oversees fair-housing laws, the development of affordable housing and access to mortgage insurance. As a real estate developer, Trump is attuned to the tax breaks for housing development.

Mike Pompeo is representative of Kansas and a former Army officer. Mr. Pompeo is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and was a sharp critic of Hillary Clinton during the congressional investigation into the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

Trump takes over at a time of diverse and complex threats to American security. The new C.I.A. director will have to decide whether to undo a C.I.A. “modernization” plan put in place this year by Director John O. Brennan, and how to proceed if the president-elect orders a resumption of harsh interrogation tactics — critics have described the tactics as torture — for terrorism suspects.

Jeff Sessions is a senator from Alabama. Mr. Sessions is a strong proponent of strict immigration enforcement, reduced spending and tough-on-crime measures. His nomination for a federal judgeship in 1986 was rejected because of racially charged comments and actions, which are very likely to become an issue as he faces another set of Senate confirmation hearings. It will be really interesting to see if they even let this guy take the seat.

The nation's top law enforcement official will have the authority for carrying out Mr. Trump's “law and order” platform. The nominee can change how civil rights laws are enforced. He also is extremely anti-marijuana to the point of saying that it's dangerous and he needs to show people how dangerous it is by cracking down on it heavily. There is also talk of him overturning an executive order that Obama passed that ended up releasing inmates early with drug charges that got swept up in the "War on Drugs" on mandatory minimum sentencing.

Michael T. Flynn is a retired Army lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. General Flynn has been outspoken about his view of the threat posed by Islamist militancy and was an ardent supporter of Trump during the campaign.

The national security adviser, although not a member of the cabinet, is a critical gatekeeper for policy proposals from the State Department, the Pentagon and other agencies, a function that takes on more importance given Trump's lack of experience in elective office.

Reince Priebus is the chairman of the Republican National Committee selected to be the White House Chief of Staff.

The White House Chief of Staff manages the work and personnel of the West Wing, steering the president's agenda and tending to important relationships. The role will take on outsize importance in a White House run by Trump, who has no experience in policy making and little in the way of connections to critical players in Washington. He will lean on this guy and Pence's connections heavily to those critical players.

Stephen K. Bannon is a right-wing media executive and the chairman of the president-elect’s campaign. Many have denounced the move, warning that Mr. Bannon represents racist views.

Chief Strategist
Stephen K. Bannon was also considered for chief of staff, but Trump instead named him chief strategist and senior counselor in the White House, saying that he and Mr. Priebus would be “working as equal partners” in the administration.

So the last three roles were already appointed but the rest of the roles need Senate Confirmation. There are also some other roles that haven't been filled yet. I'm going to list them off right now and maybe later on will discuss some of the rumors of people that have been tapped to potentially fill those roles.

Secretary of State
Rex W. Tillerson is the president and chief executive of Exxon Mobil, whose ties with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin is drawing scrutiny during the confirmation process. He divested from Exxon with a nice severance in the millions.

Director of National Intelligence
The person who holds this post is the president’s principal adviser on intelligence and oversees the entire military and civilian intelligence apparatus. The coordination between the intelligence agencies of the military and civilian wings will be vital for the war on the Islamic State.
Dan Coats is a former Indiana senator. He served on the Senate intelligence and armed services committees and would be stepping into a position that some in Trump’s orbit believe is superfluous.

Interior Secretary
The Interior Department manages the nation’s public lands and waters. The next secretary will decide the fate of Obama-era rules that stop public land development; curb the exploration of oil, coal and gas; and promote wind and solar power on public lands.
Ryan Zinke is a Montana freshman representative, a former Navy SEAL commander who was an early supporter of the president-elect and ran for office largely on a national security platform.

Energy Secretary
Despite its name, the primary purview of the Energy Department is to protect and manage the nation’s arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Rick Perry is a former Texas governor, who in 2011 proposed scrapping the Energy Department while he was seeking the Republican nomination for president.

U.S. Trade Representative
The president’s chief trade negotiator will have the odd role of opposing new trade deals, trying to rewrite old ones and bolstering the enforcement of what Trump sees as unfair trade, especially with China.
Robert Lighthizer is an international lawyer who served as a trade official under President Ronald Reagan. Mr. Lighthizer has been harshly critical of China, and in a 2010 Op-Ed article in The New York Times, he presaged some of Trump’s talk on trade.

Senior Adviser to the President
A senior member of the White House staff who serves as a confidant in the president’s inner circle.
Jared Kushner is Trump's son-in-law being appointed to a senior White House role. The appointment of Mr. Kushner, a major real estate developer in New York who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, could test anti-nepotism laws.

Homeland Security Adviser
A position that will be equal in status to national security adviser, it will focus on homeland security and counter terrorism.
Thomas P. Bossert was a top national security aide to President George W. Bush. Mr. Bossert runs a risk management consulting firm in Washington and is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council research institution, working on its Cyber Statecraft Initiative.

Counselor
A close adviser who will help set the president’s agenda and formulate his message.
Kellyanne Conway is Trump's former campaign manager, confidante and spokeswoman. Conway also has a pollster background and therefore may rely on this skill set to keep tabs on public sentiment.

Director of Trade and Industrial Policy
A new position that will oversee trade and industrial policy in the White House and direct an internal council that will run alongside the National Security Council, the National Economic Council and the Domestic Policy Council.
Peter Navarro is a professor at the University of California, Irvine, who holds a doctorate from Harvard and is the only credentialed economist in Trump’s inner circle. Navarro has been a staunch critic of current Chinese economic policies.

Special Adviser on Regulatory Reform
This new position will oversee the president’s promised effort to unwind as many regulations on business as he can.
Carl Icahn is a billionaire investor and famed “corporate raider” who buys large stakes in companies and then forces policy changes to benefit shareholders. Icahn, who was an economic adviser during the campaign, is a longtime friend of Mr. Trump.

Press Secretary and Special Assistant to the President
The press secretary is the face of the White House and representative for the president, framing messaging, responding to stories of the day and briefing the press.
Sean Spicer is the longtime spokesman for the Republican National Committee and top aide to Reince Priebus, who is the incoming chief of staff and pressed for his selection. While Spicer will be the face of the communications team, he will work with Jason Miller, director of communications, and Hope Hicks, director of strategic communications.

Source

djchameleon · 12-10-2016, 11:37 AM

The Carrier deal that the right wing media has been going around bragging about because they all think he's actually sticking to his word and saving jobs immediately is such a farce.

First of all they were given a huge tax break for decades to come that guess who is going to have to take up the slack? The same people that they supposedly saved their jobs.

Then it is being reported that Carrier took that money to use to automate their plant so that they don't need humans working there. Some of those same jobs are still getting cut anyways.

https://thinkprogress.org/carrier-au...297#.ojy9mksg6

djchameleon · 12-10-2016, 11:42 AM

Quote:

American intelligence agencies have concluded with “high confidence” that Russia acted covertly in the latter stages of the presidential campaign to harm Hillary Clinton’s chances and promote Donald J. Trump, according to senior administration officials.

They based that conclusion, in part, on another finding — which they say was also reached with high confidence — that the Russians hacked the Republican National Committee’s computer systems in addition to their attacks on Democratic organizations, but did not release whatever information they gleaned from the Republican networks.

In the months before the election, it was largely documents from Democratic Party systems that were leaked to the public. Intelligence agencies have concluded that the Russians gave the Democrats’ documents to WikiLeaks.

He still continues to deny that Russia helped him out. He thinks it was just some 400 lbs fat guy laying on his bed that did it.

OMFG. Batlord? Was it you?

Sauce

Ol’ Qwerty Bastard · 12-10-2016, 12:19 PM

i only read a little bit of what you said about his cabinet picks but the fight for a better wage is pretty pointless once you understand inflation and how it works.

Chula Vista · 12-10-2016, 12:39 PM

I actually think Mattis is a good pick. Everyone else? Good lord.....

Ol’ Qwerty Bastard · 12-10-2016, 12:41 PM

i've heard a lot of ****ty stuff about Linda McMahon but i just love the fact that both her and the Donald have stood in the WWE ring before and are now in these positions.

djchameleon · 12-10-2016, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qwertyy

i only read a little bit of what you said about his cabinet picks but the fight for a better wage is pretty pointless once you understand inflation and how it works.

Elaborate please.

I'll give you my take after you explain a bit more what you mean by that.

Ol’ Qwerty Bastard · 12-10-2016, 01:43 PM

"Inflation is defined as a sustained increase in the general level of prices for goods and services. It is measured as an annual percentage increase. As inflation rises, every dollar you own buys a smaller percentage of a good or service."

basically by making mcdonald's (as an example) pay their employees more, you're making mcdonald's raise their prices which then means you're just paying more for your mcdonald's and these people aren't actually gaining all that much with their increased wage. obviously if it was just one company that did it we wouldn't have a huge issue, but if everyone gets an increase in pay (i.e up minimum wage) there will be inflation across the board. it's kind of like asking "why doesn't the government just print more money?"

Tristan_Geoff · 12-10-2016, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qwertyy

"Inflation is defined as a sustained increase in the general level of prices for goods and services. It is measured as an annual percentage increase. As inflation rises, every dollar you own buys a smaller percentage of a good or service."

basically by making mcdonald's (as an example) pay their employees more, you're making mcdonald's raise their prices which then means you're just paying more for your mcdonald's and these people aren't actually gaining all that much with their increased wage. obviously if it was just one company that did it we wouldn't have a huge issue, but if everyone gets an increase in pay (i.e up minimum wage) there will be inflation across the board. it's kind of like asking "why doesn't the government just print more money?"

What I've never understood about this is how the companies come to a decision about how much people are now making and how they know to raise the prices? I've never got a direct answer on this.

Ol’ Qwerty Bastard · 12-10-2016, 01:57 PM

i guess profit projection and analysis. if you look at your yearly sales and see that you've moved just as much product but haven't made more money it probably means you're going to start charging more because you're paying too much (in their eyes.) i also think the more you sell the more you're going to charge because of demand, you know? if mcdonald's (sorry to keep going with this example but w/e) have a ridiculous year of selling big macs, they'll probably raise the price because they know it's popular and will sell regardless.

12-10-2016, 12:39 PM	#5 (permalink)
Chula Vista Toasted Poster Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: SoCal by way of Boston Posts: 11,332	I actually think Mattis is a good pick. Everyone else? Good lord..... __________________ “The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”