The Politics Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

So are taxpayers going to have the foot the security bill for Melania and Baron to stay in Trump Tower also?

[ReddFoxx]

Legally, the President doesn't have to live at the White House, but if the President opts to live elsewhere then taxpayer dollars have to pay for extra security costs. It's an expensive mess that only Trump could create. Trump Tower is not a proper place for a President to reside, anyway. Unlike the residences that Reagan and Bush had, it's not rural and isolated enough for the Secret Service to guard it without disrupting the routine of residents.

[Fevuh]

Likely yes - because I asked this question before he even won - because I knew at least some of them would want to stay there.  And I said - so how much does it cost to do background checks on every single person that lives in that building, and neighboring buildings, and have an entire security detail?  And figure out how to fly her and the baby boy in and out of NYC when they need to?  To fly in and out as first lady, if it's not Airforce One, which it cannot be - because they fly in and out of Andrews, and Marine One lands on the White House Lawn.  To fly her in and out of NYC would be Executive One or Executive One Foxtrot.  That's not flying in or out of Laguardia or JFK on a regular basis.  So the plus for her - if she stays there in NYC she definitely will almost see him - maybe a few times per year. 

And, that's the sad part of his mentality.  He's a CEO, and the people who voted for him wanted a CEO as President of the United States.  Guess what....you don't have choices now.  You now have actual requirements for your job, and you actually didn't meet them or weren't prepared for them.  You can't just go do what you think you want and expect to be coddled.  This is actually a JOB, which you have never had. 

 

[Juliajms]

Maybe there will be so many financial conflicts of interest that he'll choose to resign over selling his interests. That's probably our only hope. People (including Ezra Klien) floated the idea that he would quit before he election. That was clearly wrong. He had plenty of opportunities to do just that. He could have used the pressure Melania and Baron were facing at any point. Now, he has a ton of staffers to do the heavy lifting for him, so I don't see it happening. He wants the power and prestige.

 

The campaign shows us that he's actually pretty resilient in the way that narcissist tend to be. When he was outright confronted as a liar, he'd just say he never said what we all saw him say and stick to that. No matter how many times he's shown to be wrong or incompetent, he comes back the next day insisting that he's right and "the only one that can fix it".  I've known a few guys in management who are like this. It's amazing how many people interpret this lack of self awareness as strength. Of course I've never encountered anyone who is as completely shameless as Trump.

 

I see Ted Cruz is willing to accept a Supreme Court nomination.

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[Khan]

 

If I haven't said this before: I want Trump to have the most f**king miserable time ever as President.  I want him to be so wrecked by the experience -- and so consumed by his own bigotry, greed, narcissism and paranoia -- that it literally leaves him at the end a drooling, catatonic mess.  It might not change anything as far as we are concerned, but (God forgive me) it's what the self-serving jackass deserves.

 

Yeah, good luck, Teddy, getting Congress to approve you. From what I understand, hating Ted Cruz is one of the few issues on which Democrats and other Republicans actually see eye-to-eye.

 

 

Again, though, that leaves Mike Pence.  No matter what scenarios others offer as a means of eliminating Trump, I come back to the same conclusion: we're still stuck with Pence.

 

Trump has just GOT to stay in there.  To hell with the potential conflicts of interest.

Edited November 20, 2016 by Khan

[ReddFoxx]

To use a soap opera analogy, he's like that one actor/actress on set that no one likes because they are too difficult to work with. There has also been rumors that he has issues with body odor, but I don't know if that has much to do with why he's disliked.

[DaytimeFan]

I think Trump will be truly miserable as President. CEO's delegate and are supported by their team of brilliant employees who can be blamed for mismanagement - the buck stops with the President and he takes the fall for every single mistake. Trump is not accustomed to that level of pressure. 

 

Melania and Barron not vacating Trump Tower is a logistical hell for the Secret Service. I can understand Melania not wanting to disrupt Barron (who, if I recall, is the youngest First Family child since the Kennedys) but it would be so much simpler, from a security perspective for them to buy a house in Greenwich, Connecticut and have Barron driven into the city daily.

 

Another issue is after Trump is president - like all past Presidents he and the First Lady receive Secret Service detail for life - Manhattan will always be one of the hardest places to secure. Even where the Reagans lived in Bel Air was hard to secure and I remember reading that after the Reagans the Secret Service changed the rules for what style and location of home Presidents are allowed to live: has to be gated, preferably on a cul-de-sac or backing onto woodland or water. You'll notice the Bushes and Clintons all live like that now. 

 

Mar-A-Lago is just the opposite - that would be the ideal place for Trump to live when he's not in the White House and perhaps that will be pointed out to him.  

 

It'll be interesting to see where Obama moves to after his daughters have finished school in Washington - thank goodness they opted to stay there, I have a feeling Obama is going to be taking many trips to the White House to counsel Trump.

[Fevuh]

It will be very interesting.  Donald Trump never knew - nor did anyone tell him - from his brilliant children or illustrious team - that if he wins the Presidency...he'll now be an Employee.  None of them saw it coming - they're all that stupid.  He's now an Employee where there are rules to follow.  Can't just go to a great dinner, or go out on a Golf Course and tell people what to do.  You can't just go to bed early because you are tired.  He'll be done before the Inauguration.  It's already on his face.  He was a CEO.  CEO's don't actually do work.

[Khan]

Um...Pence.

 

I'm serious, people.  I am not pulling for Trump to pull out.  No damn way, no damn how.

Edited November 20, 2016 by Khan

[marceline]

Debating Trump vs. Pence is like debating pancreatic cancer vs. lung cancer. For me it's a matter of risk assessment and harm reduction. For all of his evil - and he IS evil - I'm not worried that Pence will actually use nuclear weapons. I want Donald to quit just so I can point and laugh at all the people he conned.

Edited November 20, 2016 by marceline

[Khan]

I won't argue with you there!

[alphanguy74]

This piece really says it all:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2016/oct/12/west-virginia-donald-trump-supporters-mcdowell-county-poverty-video?CMP=share_btn_tw

[DramatistDreamer]

Wait until West Virginians discover that coal cannot be resurrected into the economic engine it once was, despite Trump's lofty promises. They will really be angry then.

 

Also, parts of West Virginia are being ravaged by the prescription drug and crystal meth crisis. It has rendered entire segments of the population incapacitated.  Young men and women who might otherwise have been contributing to their communities and creating jobs are in the depths of addiction and despair.

These problems are an outflow of generations of unsolved problems in education and job training gaps and a lack of solutions through decades. The best and brightest who might be the future entrepreneurs, have left for better opportunities, thus adding to the 'brain drain' and cutting off the potential for alternatlive economic engines.

It's similar to some of the New England towns in states like Maine that never emerged with ways to cope from a loss of industry 30-40 years ago and have been diminished and struggling ever since.

Edited November 21, 2016 by DramatistDreamer

[DRW50]

 

What bothers me with Pence is more that I still feel like many people out there are turning a blind eye to him because he isn't Trump. That means if Trump ever does get pushed out, he's going to get a huge free pass he doesn't deserve. He truly scares me. 

[marceline]

 

The opiate crisis is tearing Ohio apart too. As someone who remembers what the crack 90s were like, it's interesting to see Republicans suddenly decide drug addiction is a public health issue instead of a criminal one.