Trump is the president of his shrinking base

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Amadeus

Verified User
The Muslim travel ban, his attacks on the mayor of London after a terrorist attack, and pulling America from the Paris Accords (voluntary standards set by each country) have something in common. They are all disastrous as policy and as political decisions, utterly erode America's international credibility and distance America from its traditional allies. They are also sweet candy to his shrinking base of troglodytic CHUDs. Trump can't get anything accomplished except in matters where he can make an executive order (which conservatives and Trump criticized Obama for). Trump undercuts his own communications team on a daily basis. They have no credibility, and he has even less. It's also clear that Trump has no respect for his administration, because he doesn't listen even to them, and doesn't care that he makes them look like lying fools.

People think that Trump is winning, but this is a short-sighted freeze-frame of reality. It's like saying, "Hey, I'm flying!" when you jump off a building.

I'm skeptical that the next president can clean up what Trump has done just these past few months. No one has faith in America anymore (again, except the CHUDs that emerged from America's dark underbelly to support him).
 
Sailor said:
Hopefully it will be a continual drain so there is always a turnover. Wishful thinking, but could happen.
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How is he draining the swamp? Just curious. He has issued over a dozen lobbyist wavers to people within his administration.
 
Amadeus said:
How is he draining the swamp? Just curious. He has issued over a dozen lobbyist wavers to people within his administration.
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Only around a dozen? When he gets up into Obama territory let me know. Might be time to be get worried then.
 
Another takeaway from Trump's waivers is that they appear to be far less restrictive than Obama administration waivers. Many Obama waivers (there were only 10 total granted to White House employees during his administration) were very narrowly tailored. For example, James Jones, Obama's national security adviser, was granted a waiver to allow him to introduce Bill Clinton at an event for the Atlantic Council, even though Jones had previously worked for the group. John Brennan, at the time one of Obama's deputy national security advisers, had previously worked for The Analysis Company, and he was granted a waiver to use the company's data while investigating the so-called "Underwear Bomber" incident. Brennan was not cleared to talk to any of the company's employees, however.

Trump's waivers, on the other hand, are broad.

For instance, Trump granted a waiver to Michael Catanzaro, who is the president's most senior energy policy aide, allowing him to work freely on "broad policy matters and particular matters of general applicability relating to the Clean Power Plan, the WOTUS [Waters of the United States] rule, and methane regulations." Catanzaro worked as a registered lobbyist for several oil and gas companies as recently as January, which made the waiver necessary. On his most recent lobbying disclosure form—filed on behalf of one of his clients, natural gas company Noble Energy—Catanzaro wrote that he was working on "EPA and BLM's proposed and final regulations covering methane emissions from new and existing oil and gas facilities." Nearly identical language appears in his most recent lobbying disclosure on behalf of another natural gas company, Encana. In other words, Catanzaro is now making policy on the very issues he was paid by corporations to lobby on. There are no restrictions in Catanzaro's waiver relating to his previous clients.
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http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/06/donald-trump-ethics-waivers
 
Amadeus said:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/06/donald-trump-ethics-waivers
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"Catanzaro wrote that he was working on "EPA and BLM's proposed and final regulations covering methane emissions from new and existing oil and gas facilities." Nearly identical language appears in his most recent lobbying disclosure on behalf of another natural gas company, Encana. In other words, Catanzaro is now making policy on the very issues he was paid by corporations to lobby on. There are no restrictions in Catanzaro's waiver relating to his previous clients. "

Things like this are a problem. He may be good as a senior energy policy aide but their should be restrictions on his abilities to keep open ties with previous clients. Even if the man is pure as the driven snow, temptation is right there beckoning.
 
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