DOD had no idea this was coming, of course. Purely a WH maneuver.  Desperate to try and deflect RW criticism re: his attacks on Sessions.

 

Lots of people care. The problem is making it make a difference in the Congress. We're reaching a tipping point.

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

In the latest shiny object and distraction game, and more pandering to the part of his base that will be forever loyal, Trump has banned transgender people from serving in the military in any capacity.

 

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-announces-ban-transgender-people-serving-military

 

Trump also issued this announcement while the Secretary of Defense is on Vacation (because when are these Trumpsters not on vacay?)

And here comes the topper:

This announcement comes on the very date in history that Truman issued a proclamation integrating the Armed Services.

How's that for irony?

 

Yes, it is a distraction but it is not only malicious but precisely crafted and timed- much better than any of the lousy shambolic, piss poor healthcare replacement bills that they've been trotting out.

 

Priorities, I guess.

Edited July 26, 20178 yr by DramatistDreamer

He's trying to get cover for firing Sessions - trying to make the hard right which likes Sessions happy.

 

He's just winging it tbh. It's not a grand master plan. It's not tactical genius.

Edited July 26, 20178 yr by Vee

12 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

 

Trump also issued this announcement while the Secretary of Defense is on Vacation (because when are these Trumpsters not on vacay?)

And here comes the topper:

This announcement comes on the very date in history that Truman issued a proclamation integrating the Armed Services.

How's that for irony?

 

Yes, it is a distraction but it is not only malicious but precisely crafted and timed- much better than any of the lousy shambolic, piss poor healthcare replacement bills that they've been trotting out.

 

Priorities, I guess.

you didn't mind when Obama was on his numerous vacations

1 minute ago, Vee said:

He's trying to get cover for firing Sessions - trying to make the hard right which likes Sessions happy.

 

He's just winging it tbh. It's not a grand master plan. It's not tactical genius.

 

Did I say it was? Trump and genius are two words that you will never hear me utter in the same sentence.

 

Of course, it's a distraction...still the timing of the tweet is quite the coincidence.  malicious intent and active distraction are not necessarily mutually exclusive. 

I didn't mean you.

He's going to lean in to culture war the more threatened he feels and it will get far far uglier.

— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 26, 2017

And again let's raise a glass to all the lefty purity ponies who sat home and voted third party. They turned innocent people into collateral damage for their precious revolution and Hayes is right, as Donnie unravels more and more he will double down on attacking the marginalized while the alt-left calls civil rights "identity politics."

16 minutes ago, Vee said:

I didn't mean you.

 

Oh, okay, my bad...but  it did get me thinking that Trump, if not actually reading "the failed New York Times", could've at least, looked at the picture and noticed the Truman note.

Since he likely doesn't even know what integration means (unless he's being sued for discrimination, which he has been), I could see his addled mind only taking military from the whole thing and deciding that a tweet on the military might take the heat off his DOA and non-existent policy making.

 

 

3 minutes ago, marceline said:

And again let's raise a glass to all the lefty purity ponies who sat home and voted third party. They turned innocent people into collateral damage for their precious revolution and Hayes is right, as Donnie unravels more and more he will double down on attacking the marginalized while the alt-left calls civil rights "identity politics."

 

Funny that you should mention the purity ponies.  It seems that there are some widening rifts and in-fighting among the Bernie coalition folks.

 

1. So, there's a bit of a civil war on the Bernie Alt Left, over if & how best to team up with racist rapist Mike Cernovich & the Alt Right pic.twitter.com/YWSUbOsxsQ

— T. Fisher King (@T_FisherKing) July 26, 2017

Edited July 26, 20178 yr by DramatistDreamer

17 minutes ago, marceline said:

And again let's raise a glass to all the lefty purity ponies who sat home and voted third party. They turned innocent people into collateral damage for their precious revolution and Hayes is right, as Donnie unravels more and more he will double down on attacking the marginalized while the alt-left calls civil rights "identity politics."

 

Most of them never cared anyway as most of them are white and in a bubble. They will only care if they're poor and their benefit checks stop. 

36 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

 

Oh, okay, my bad...but  it did get me thinking that Trump, if not actually reading "the failed New York Times", could've at least, looked at the picture and noticed the Truman note.

Since he likely doesn't even know what integration means (unless he's being sued for discrimination, which he has been), I could see his addled mind only taking military from the whole thing and deciding that a tweet on the military might take the heat off his DOA and non-existent policy making.

 

 

 

Funny that you should mention the purity ponies.  It seems that there are some widening rifts and in-fighting among the Bernie coalition folks.

 

 

Dear Gawd. Of course this is no surprise to those of us attacked by Berners in the past but they really have just gone full Pepe. These people would be so dangerous if they were actually capable of any real organizing.

3 hours ago, DRW50 said:

In the latest shiny object and distraction game, and more pandering to the part of his base that will be forever loyal, Trump has banned transgender people from serving in the military in any capacity.

 

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-announces-ban-transgender-people-serving-military

 

Caitlyn Jenner must be thrilled - it means she gets to have more TV time. 

 

I wonder how long it will be before they push the other lines that Vicky Hartzler types probably want, and will get, like banning women from combat, banning gays and lesbians from service, banning Muslims from service, etc. And no one will care as no one really cares about anything Trump does.

Does he have the power to just tweet it and make it so? Every day we wake up to see 45 trying to screw over more people's lives.  I keep seeing people say things like "it's going to take decades" to undo all the damage he's doing". Maybe I even said that kind of thing myself four or five months ago, but it's slowly sinking in that it can't be undone. The policies can be changed, but you can't give individuals back what they've lost or take away the trauma some people are going through.

10 minutes ago, Juliajms said:

Does he have the power to just tweet it and make it so? Every day we wake up to see 45 trying to screw over more people's lives.  I keep seeing people say things like "it's going to take decades" to undo all the damage he's doing". Maybe I even said that kind of thing myself four or five months ago, but it's slowly sinking in that it can't be undone. The policies can be changed, but you can't give individuals back what they've lost or take away the trauma some people are going through.

 

Tweeting is what passes for working toward actual legislation these days.

 

Funny how when the obstructionist GOP dominated Congress tried to block Obama at every turn, they simultaneously criticized him for using Executive Order as a last resort but no one says a mumbling word now that Trump, with a Republican majority Congress and right leaning judiciary, uses EO as a first resort, without bothering to work toward consensus.

 

Trolls want to try to reach and criticize Obama for vacations but if you look at what legislation Obama passed and was actively working toward passing in his first seven months and what Trump has done (without Executive Order), Trump doesn't even rate.

But Trumpians are never interested in facts unless they're alternative ones, I guess.

 

Interesting that the Pentagon has issued a statement that they had nothing to do with the transgender decision, so whether Trump can actually accomplish this ban by fiat (his perferred method- like I said previously, he's lazy) or not, is a legit question.

 

 

Pentagon statement on transgender rules changes:

"We refer all questions about the President's statements to the White House"

— Leo Shane III (@LeoShane) July 26, 2017

Edited July 26, 20178 yr by DramatistDreamer

The part that gets me is that I've seen a number of senators who likely would support this policy (Joni Ernst, McCain, Richard Shelby) having to do a little dance around it because he handled it so terribly. Seeing him repeatedly shooting at the feet of Congress is the only moment of entertainment to get out of anything he does.

2 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

The part that gets me is that I've seen a number of senators who likely would support this policy (Joni Ernst, McCain, Richard Shelby) having to do a little dance around it because he handled it so terribly. Seeing him repeatedly shooting at the feet of Congress is the only moment of entertainment to get out of anything he does.

 

Yeah, when you force Orrin Hatch of all people to come out in favor of transgender rights that's gonna leave a mark.

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

The part that gets me is that I've seen a number of senators who likely would support this policy (Joni Ernst, McCain, Richard Shelby) having to do a little dance around it because he handled it so terribly. Seeing him repeatedly shooting at the feet of Congress is the only moment of entertainment to get out of anything he does.

I think it's really hard to turn back the clock on this kind of thing.  What's next is he going to try to ban women and gay people? I wish these leaders would spend as much time trying to solve the military's problem with rape as they do worrying about soldier's gender and sexual identity.