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thelawlorfaithful

Trump's First 100 Days

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100 Days is a stupid and arbitrary number with which to judge Presidents, but what the hell? The others got it just the same.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/26/trump-first-100-days-president-rating-accomplishments-215071

The indelible takeaway from those first 100 days is that Trump’s assault on political norms has continued. In fact, he has violated Washington norms so casually and constantly that his norm-breaking is becoming normalized. That shattering of protocol and expectations may turn out to be more consequential than any of his massive policy promises or modest policy achievements to date.

Some of Trump’s he-did-what? provocations have been consequential in their own right, like his explosive accusation that President Barack Obama wiretapped him, which he refused to retract even after it was debunked, or his conspiracy theory about 3 million illegal voters, which many see as a prelude to a push to restrict voting rights. He’s flouted democratic norms with banana-republic attacks on journalists, judges, protesters, the Congressional Budget Office and other critics beyond his control. He’s flouted anti-corruption norms by refusing to divest his business empire, spending almost every weekend at his own clubs, and making little apparent effort to avoid conflicts of interest. He’s defied the Washington hypocrisy police with incredibly brazen flip-flops on Syria, Medicaid cuts, China, NATO, Goldman Sachs and the nefariousness of presidential golf. And even though he had no experience in government, he’s shocked Washington by surrounding himself with aides with no experience in government: his son-in-law, his daughter, the former head of a right-wing website and a Goldman executive.

What’s also shocking is what’s no longer shocking, like the president getting his news from "Fox & Friends," or calling the Senate minority leader a “clown,” or obsessively trashing Hillary Clinton months after he beat her, or congratulating Turkey’s leader for rolling back democratic rules, or repeatedly threatening to let the individual health insurance market collapse to score political points, or suggesting his speech to Congress was the best speech ever given to Congress, or appearing to suggest he thinks his “good friend” Luciano Pavarotti and even Frederick Douglass are still alive. Trump’s Twitter feed is a through-the-looking-glass jumble of baseless allegations, over-the-top boasts and all-caps reactions to whatever he just saw on TV. Even more amazing: Trump’s national security adviser was fired after just three weeks in office for lying about his contacts with Russia, and his White House aides apparently helped engineer a charade where the House Intelligence chairman pretended to uncover evidence supporting the president’s impulsive wiretapping tweets. The thing is, whenever there’s amazing news, new amazements soon overshadow it, and the national conversation moves along.

The point is that the unprecedented is becoming commonplace. Imagine how the media would have reacted if Obama had signed a party-line bill to let oil companies hide their payments to foreign governments, or if his spokeswoman had urged Americans to buy products from his daughter. Imagine how Fox News would have reacted if Obama’s White House had released (and defended!) a Holocaust remembrance statement that didn’t mention Jews, or if his wife had decided to live in Manhattan instead of the White House. In the Trump era, it all blends into Trump-being-Trump background noise. We barely notice when he promises to negotiate bilateral trade deals with European countries that are legally prohibited from negotiating bilateral trade deals, or when his administration puts out a press release consisting entirely of administration officials praising him. It wasn’t a big story when Trump’s nominees for Army secretary, Navy secretary and deputy commerce secretary withdrew because they couldn’t unwind their financial conflicts, even though their would-be boss didn’t even try to unwind his. Remember his trash talk about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ratings at the National Prayer Breakfast? Did his White House really accuse the British of spying on him, too? The bar for surprise rises every day.

Trump’s critics complain that his constant envelope-pushing distracts from more important news, like the Russia scandal, his failure to deliver on his campaign policy agenda, and his unwillingness to drain the Washington swamp he once railed against. And yes, it’s important to focus on issues that matter. Trump’s “Contract with the American Voter” listed 10 pieces of legislation in his “100-day plan,” and it’s a big deal that he and the Republican-controlled Congress have passed zero of the 10. He keeps saying he’s achieved far more in his first 100 days than any previous president, but other than the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and a tougher approach to undocumented immigrants, he hasn’t implemented many tangible changes to federal policy. It’s just as important to recognize that he’s proposed some radical shifts for the future—lower taxes, less regulation of businesses, a reversal of Obama’s climate and civil rights policies—and installed movement conservatives in positions where they could help make them happen. Presidents also have a lot of power to affect the world, and Trump has already begun talking tough with nuclear North Korea, sending missiles into Syria and dropping mega-bombs on Afghanistan.

 

We’re all sitting in the dugout. Thinking we should pitch. How you gonna throw a shutout when all you do is bitch.

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Well we survived! Only 1,361 left. 

thelawlorfaithful, on 31 Dec 2012 - 04:01 AM, said:One of the rules I live by: never underestimate a man in a dandy looking sweater

 

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I'm happy with Trump not getting things done. Why would we let 1 man warp our entire country in 100 days?  To even consider grading someone on the first 100 days is trivial and petty at best.

The Wall will always fail.  All that's needed is control over the border instead of open borders, which will ultimately cost nothing that we're not already spending.

Government involvement in any service public service is a failure, that includes healthcare.  Glad to see people read it this time though.

 

Two things I'm happy to see, mob groups without substance are no longer part of the ruling class (BLM/Occupy/college kids offended by freedom), and all levels of government being called out for picking and choosing which laws to enforce and which laws they pretend they didn't see.  Ultimately, I think the pressure is going to force congress to open up discussion about real immigration reform and drug policy.

 

Kinda where I thought we'd be. Politico is about the weakest link you could've used for a 100 day observation though.

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51 minutes ago, MCDigger said:

I'm happy with Trump not getting things done. Why would we let 1 man warp our entire country in 100 days?  To even consider grading someone on the first 100 days is trivial and petty at best.

The Wall will always fail.  All that's needed is control over the border instead of open borders, which will ultimately cost nothing that we're not already spending.

Government involvement in any service public service is a failure, that includes healthcare.  Glad to see people read it this time though.

 

Two things I'm happy to see, mob groups without substance are no longer part of the ruling class (BLM/Occupy/college kids offended by freedom), and all levels of government being called out for picking and choosing which laws to enforce and which laws they pretend they didn't see.  Ultimately, I think the pressure is going to force congress to open up discussion about real immigration reform and drug policy.

 

Kinda where I thought we'd be. Politico is about the weakest link you could've used for a 100 day observation though.

He has had practically no effect on anything other than immigration. Perhaps you enjoyed the Obama error more than I suspected. Trump has continued it as best he could.

We’re all sitting in the dugout. Thinking we should pitch. How you gonna throw a shutout when all you do is bitch.

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1 minute ago, thelawlorfaithful said:

He has had practically no effect on anything other than immigration. Perhaps you enjoyed the Obama error more than I suspected. Trump has continued it as best he could.

That's pretty much what I said.

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6 minutes ago, MCDigger said:

That's pretty much what I said.

So you're happy he has accomplished nothing to change practically any of Obama's policies?

We’re all sitting in the dugout. Thinking we should pitch. How you gonna throw a shutout when all you do is bitch.

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31 minutes ago, thelawlorfaithful said:

He has had practically no effect on anything other than immigration. Perhaps you enjoyed the Obama error more than I suspected. Trump has continued it as best he could.

Well said. Everything Barry did was an abomination. 

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30 minutes ago, thelawlorfaithful said:

So you're happy he has accomplished nothing to change practically any of Obama's policies?

In the first 100 days, yea. You didn't really think he could wipe out 8 years within the first 100 days, did you? But these EOs are a start

An order revoking Obama-era executive orders on federal contracting

An order directing the Treasury secretary to review the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial regulatory law.

A memorandum to restructure the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council.

there are a couple others that affect the Obama er.a.

 

 

Some other ones that I like.

An order instructing agencies that whenever they introduce a regulation, they must first abolish two others.

An order to lengthen the ban on administration officials working as lobbyists. There is now a 5 year-ban on officials becoming lobbyists after they leave government, and a lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government.

Two orders reviving the Keystone XL pipeline and Dakota Access piplines

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48 minutes ago, MCDigger said:

In the first 100 days, yea. You didn't really think he could wipe out 8 years within the first 100 days, did you? But these EOs are a start

An order revoking Obama-era executive orders on federal contracting

An order directing the Treasury secretary to review the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial regulatory law.

A memorandum to restructure the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council.

there are a couple others that affect the Obama er.a.

 

 

Some other ones that I like.

An order instructing agencies that whenever they introduce a regulation, they must first abolish two others.

An order to lengthen the ban on administration officials working as lobbyists. There is now a 5 year-ban on officials becoming lobbyists after they leave government, and a lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government.

Two orders reviving the Keystone XL pipeline and Dakota Access piplines

Fair enough on some, but others don't do really do anything. Trump walked back his changes to the NSC into a more traditional model. The review of Dodd-Frank is nothing more than requesting a report be written. The only developement on Keystone is that it is exempt from the requirement to buy U.S. steel, there has been no movement towards making it a reality.

We’re all sitting in the dugout. Thinking we should pitch. How you gonna throw a shutout when all you do is bitch.

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1 hour ago, MCDigger said:

An order to lengthen the ban on administration officials working as lobbyists. There is now a 5 year-ban on officials becoming lobbyists after they leave government, and a lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government.

This one is pretty laughable given his appointment of financial industry insiders to important positions and the ethical conflicts posed by family members running his businesses having positions in the Administration. Oh yes and a former Cabinet member lobbying for a foreign government before he even got a job. 

Thay Haif Said: Quhat Say Thay? Lat Thame Say

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3 hours ago, MCDigger said:

I'm happy with Trump not getting things done. Why would we let 1 man warp our entire country in 100 days?  To even consider grading someone on the first 100 days is trivial and petty at best.

The Wall will always fail.  All that's needed is control over the border instead of open borders, which will ultimately cost nothing that we're not already spending.

Dude we are SO far from open borders your statement is laughable. 

3 hours ago, MCDigger said:

Government involvement in any service public service is a failure, that includes healthcare.  Glad to see people read it this time though.

Education? Sewage? Water? Transportation? Electrical? Criminal Justice? Civil disputes? 

There are lots of things that government does well and lots of things that government fails at. To say "government involvement in any public service is a failure" is as retarded as being full communist. 

 

1 hour ago, MCDigger said:

 

Some other ones that I like.

An order instructing agencies that whenever they introduce a regulation, they must first abolish two others.

How is this a good thing? Seriously? 

I don't think "over regulation is good" but I do think all this will do is prevent agencies from being able to change with the times. 

 

Remember that every argument you have with someone on MWCboard is actually the continuation of a different argument they had with someone else also on MWCboard. 

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1 hour ago, happycamper said:

Dude we are SO far from open borders your statement is laughable. good

Education? Sewage? Water? Transportation? Electrical? Criminal Justice? Civil disputes? All these things with the exception of public roads, are better off left to private industries, especially when gov keeps their tentacles out of regulation.  Is there anybody out there that believes our criminal justice system is winning?

There are lots of things that government does well and lots of things that government fails at. To say "government involvement in any public service is a failure" is as retarded as being full communist.  To say that our government does a good job at anything compared to private.....do you even live in America!?

 

How is this a good thing? Seriously? I'm for freedom, not against it.

I don't think "over regulation is good" but I do think all this will do is prevent agencies from being able to change with the times. 

 

 

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Just now, MCDigger said:

 

You think that privatizing criminal justice is "for freedom"?

Remember that every argument you have with someone on MWCboard is actually the continuation of a different argument they had with someone else also on MWCboard. 

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27 minutes ago, MCDigger said:

 

You live in Idaho right?  Remember private prisons and parole agencies and the humanitarian crises they were?  Privatizing criminal justice would open a can of worms full of evil and corruption.  Holy shit balls dude. 

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7 minutes ago, halfmanhalfbronco said:

You live in Idaho right?  Remember private prisons and parole agencies and the humanitarian crises they were?  Privatizing criminal justice would open a can of worms full of evil and corruption.  Holy shit balls dude. 

I literally never said that privatizing criminal justice is a good thing or even a thing at all.  I was simply referring to the other 5 items previous to criminal justice.  But if you want to compare a Public Defender to a hired lawyer, let's do it.  I said is there anybody that thinks our criminal justice system is a winning item for the US Government?

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Just now, MCDigger said:

I literally never said that privatizing criminal justice is a good thing or even a thing at all.  I was simply referring to the other 5 items previous to criminal justice.  But if you want to compare a Public Defender to a hired lawyer, let's do it.  I said is there anybody that thinks our criminal justice system is winning?

"Education? Sewage? Water? Transportation? Electrical? Criminal Justice? Civil disputes? All these things with the exception of public roads, are better off left to private industries, especially when gov keeps their tentacles out of regulation.  Is there anybody out there that believes our criminal justice system is winning?"

Why would I want to compare a public defender to a hired lawyer?  Do you hate the constitution?  Do you think defendants who can not afford a lawyer do not have a right to be represented?  Not sure what you are getting at there.

The criminal justice system needs reform, not privatization which would only amplify it's problems for obvious reasons, greed being the foremost as we saw right here in Idaho. 

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