US Politics Thread 2016-2020

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by August

Can you show where Conway gained anything from this endorsement?

There is a comma between those bits, you know? Which indicates a seperating section in a sentence. Which means the employee should not use the office for their own private gain OR for endorsing any product, service or enterprise, OR for the private gain of friends, relatives or person which the employee is affiliated with in a non-governmental capacity.
In other words, someone in representing the US government cannot go on stage and say 'Buy Pepsi Cola, it's really great'.
In fact, Trumps staff were reminded of this fact by the Office of Government Ethics last month. Now...am I to understand that this 'foreigner' understands the rules of government ethics better than the US government does? Because it certainly seems that way...or are Republicans just above the law now?

[August]

Originally Posted by Oberon

There is a comma between those bits, you know? Which indicates a seperating section in a sentence. Which means the employee should not use the office for their own private gain OR for endorsing any product, service or enterprise, OR for the private gain of friends, relatives or person which the employee is affiliated with in a non-governmental capacity.
In other words, someone in representing the US government cannot go on stage and say 'Buy Pepsi Cola, it's really great'.
In fact, Trumps staff were reminded of this fact by the Office of Government Ethics last month. Now...am I to understand that this 'foreigner' understands the rules of government ethics better than the US government does? Because it certainly seems that way...or are Republicans just above the law now?

Yeah it must be that. Maybe we should just apply the Clintonian standard of did she mean to do it?

Originally Posted by Oberon

..or are Republicans just above the law now?

Only if it suits them.
While some damn Democrat breaks a law, they are the first to patriotically remind you that "the law is the law" and good Americans obey the law, while It's all just liberal hysteria as soon as the tide turns

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by August

Yeah it must be that. Maybe we should just apply the Clintonian standard of did she mean to do it?

Gotcha, so basically it's as The Donald says:

Any negative polls are fake news

I think he'd get on really well with Kim Jong-un, they both seem to have the same attitude towards the media.

[Bilge_Rat]

Originally Posted by Oberon

There is a comma between those bits, you know? Which indicates a seperating section in a sentence. Which means the employee should not use the office for their own private gain OR for endorsing any product, service or enterprise, OR for the private gain of friends, relatives or person which the employee is affiliated with in a non-governmental capacity.
In other words, someone in representing the US government cannot go on stage and say 'Buy Pepsi Cola, it's really great'.
In fact, Trumps staff were reminded of this fact by the Office of Government Ethics last month. Now...am I to understand that this 'foreigner' understands the rules of government ethics better than the US government does? Because it certainly seems that way...or are Republicans just above the law now?

you are correct, blatant fragrant illegality, on the scale of Watergate or the Teapot Dome scandal.

As "Vox" quite rightly points out, this is an extremely serious matter that deserves swift and draconian justice:

The good news for Conway is that she appears to have broken the rules but probably not committed a federal crime. Criminal ethics violations are limited to financial conflicts of interest, accepting bribes, supplementing government salaries, getting involved in lawsuits against the federal government, and being paid in connection to matters affecting the government, as well as restrictions on what government employees can do after they leave office.

Still, complaints poured into the Office of Government Ethics, the independent executive branch agency charged with implementing federal ethics rules:

If the White House refuses to discipline Conway, the Code of Federal Regulations gives a few options for what can happen next:

1. If the ethics office thinks Conway did commit a crime, its director, Walter Shaub, can refer the matter to the Department of Justice for prosecution.

2. Alternatively, Shaub can recommend an investigation by a federal agency (in this case, the White House). If the investigation isn’t completed in a timely fashion, he can inform the president.

3. After the investigation, or when Shaub decides a “reasonable time” has passed without a conclusion, the matter could be dismissed or go to the Office of Government Ethics’ general counsel or to a hearing before an administrative law judge.

4. Either way, Shaub then would review the counsel’s or judge’s recommendation and could suggest (but not require) that Conway be disciplined, a decision that will be made public. (If the ethics violation is ongoing, Shaub can also order a federal employee to stop doing it.)

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politi...rump-nordstrom

serious stuff indeed.

However do not worry my friend, justice has been meted out and an appropriate sentence handed out:

At his daily press briefing, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Conway had "been counseled on that subject, and that's it," declining to further elaborate on whether or not the White House believed the counselor to the president had crossed a line.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/0...rdstrom-234838

In other words, she has been told not to do it again.

[Skybird]

Conways advertises for Ivanka Trump and calls Americans to buy her collection.

The White House Stage Show degenerates much faster into the expected nepotistic Muppets Show than even I have forseen. It seems I have overestimated them all.

Will the American people be called to distribute pans and cooking pots as Führergeschenke in the coming near future?

I apologize for having demanded some weeks ago to give Trump a chance, the benfit of doubt, the opportunity to show that we assessed him wrong. I must have lost my marbles when doing that. I mean I knew he would and never expected him to not mess it all up - but he simply stomps me into the ground with the rapid pace by which he brings the White House down. I thought we could afford to try to keep a last, remaining sense of fairness, those ominous first 100 days. But it shows that 100 hours is all that was needed, it seems.

Planet of Apes has become reality. And they have greed, and weapons.

At least I now know why I never liked J.R. He was a scruples-ridden dilletantee by comparison.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

you are correct, blatant fragrant illegality, on the scale of Watergate or the Teapot Dome scandal.

As "Vox" quite rightly points out, this is an extremely serious matter that deserves swift and draconian justice:



http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politi...rump-nordstrom

serious stuff indeed.

However do not worry my friend, justice has been meted out and an appropriate sentence handed out:



http://www.politico.com/story/2017/0...rdstrom-234838

In other words, she has been told not to do it again.

I hope at the very least she got a waggled finger!
Nah, I know it's not exactly Watergate (despite the medias fondness for putting -gate on the end of everything these days) but she should at least apologise on air for overstepping the mark.
I wonder what blistering tweet Donald is going to make about it? At the moment he's busy blast McCain for criticising the Yemen raid. Apparently McCain has been 'losing so long that he doesn't know how to win anymore.'

[August]

Not Planet of the Apes

[Bilge_Rat]

personally, I find the past 2 1/2 weeks have been a trainwreck, between the tweets and the EOs.

However, despite what the media keeps blaring, his approval rating keeps going up, at least among Republicans its in the 90% + now and a majority of Americans approve of his actions:

https://morningconsult.com/wp-conten...ve_order-1.png


https://morningconsult.com/2017/02/0...rt-travel-ban/

obviously, there is a method to the madness.

The only thing I am trying to figure out is whether he has the "luck of the Irish" or is the smartest politician ever.

[Onkel Neal]

Kellyann Conway was out of line. This is going to be a recuuring problem for this administration.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Conways advertises for Ivanka Trump and calls Americans to buy her collection.

The White House Stage shows degenerates much faster into the expected nepotistic Muppest Show sthaneven I have forseen. It seems I have overestimated them all.

Will the American people be called to distribute pans and cooking pots as Führergeschenke in the coming near future?

I apologize for having demanded some weeks ago to give Trump a chance, the benfit of doubt, the opporutnity to show that we assessed him wrong. I must have lost my marbles when doing that. I mean I knew he would and never expected him to not mess it all up - but he simply stomps me into the ground with the rapid pace by which he brings the White House down. I thought we could afford to try to keep a last, remaining sense of fairness, those ominous first 100 days. But it shows that 100 hours is all that was needed, it seems.

Planet of Apes has become reality. And they have greed, and weapons.

At least I now know why I never liked J.R. He was a scruples-ridden dilletantee by comparison.

That's patently riduculous. Obama as executive in charge of enforcing law, decides that immigration law will not be enforced, stops deporting illegal border crossers, tells all border guards to stand down, lets "sanctuary cities" choose to defy the law and shelter criminals. That's just hunky dory.

But Trump decides it's sensible to have a 90 day moratorium on immigration from seven countries identified by the Obama administration as state sponsors of terrorism and you start apologizing for saying to give Trump a chance. This is lunacy.

And you say somehow that Conways was so far out of line, how about Obama when he shilled for a ripoff bustout scheme by phony green power daisy companies who declared bankruptsy, grabbed all the money in sight and fled the scene. With OUR tax money.

How about the billions the Clintons have collected from foreign interests interested in our harm through their Clinton Foundation, contributing a miserly 5% toward the so-called beneficiaries of their "cause" and 95% to the Clintons? And what is that Foundation anyway but selling future influence in their proposed reign, interrupted fortunately by Donald Trump. They took hundreds of millions of dollars from countries where women are not allowed to vote, drive or attend school. These are countries where equal pay for women is not an issue. They are lucky just to survive. Hundreds of millions from active, enthusiastic tormentors of women. But that's just FINE! She's a liberal and rules are for other people.

Thank God she is not president. We're at a turning point where we will become irrelevant or recover some of our resolve and ability to be a positive force in the world. Trump isn't perfect, but he's the only game in town. Compared to the crass disregard for humanity exhibited by the liberals, Conways is an angel.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

personally, I find the past 2 1/2 weeks have been a trainwreck, between the tweets and the EOs.

However, despite what the media keeps blaring, his approval rating keeps going up, at least among Republicans its in the 90% + now and a majority of Americans approve of his actions:

https://morningconsult.com/wp-conten...ve_order-1.png


https://morningconsult.com/2017/02/0...rt-travel-ban/

obviously, there is a method to the madness.

The only thing I am trying to figure out is whether he has the "luck of the Irish" or is the smartest politician ever.

You'll note that he's the first president in modern times to actually make good on his promises, doing EXACTLY what he said he would do. If you're surprised you're not too smart. This man is an administrator. He gets things done. He is a bit of a bulldozer though.....

But it's a remarkable and praiseworthy change from what has come before from both Republicans and Democrats who ran the gamut from "No new taxes" to "middle class tax cut" to "like your doctor--keep your doctor" to "each family will save $2500 a year under my plan." They promise to help our inner cities while they give them just enough to keep up the energy to continue to kill each other. Home ownership is at its lowest percentage of households since the early 1950s and the economy is supposed to be booming.

Give me a bulldozer who does what he says any day, even if I don't like everything he's doing. I don't have to like him.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

Kellyann Conway was out of line. This is going to be a recuuring problem for this administration.

Yup, I mean on one hand you can understand it in some regards, they're mostly first-timers, they've not done this kind of thing before...but they're surrounded by people who have and know what you can and can't do or what you should and shouldn't say. Now either the advisors aren't advising which is a problem, or the administration isn't listening which is a bigger problem because sooner or later they will shoot themselves in the foot with a big enough round that it will cost them, if not amongst their own powerbase (who as Bilge_Rat says, seem quite happy with them) then amongst the world community. Of course, the first response of the Trump powerbase will be 'To hell with the world', but how often has isolationism worked out for the US in the long term? It just doesn't work because sooner or later the world comes to call, just ask Commodore Perry.
They really need to shape up, get better script writers and for the love of all that is good and holy in the world, TAKE AWAY DONALDS PHONE.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Oberon

TAKE AWAY DONALDS PHONE.

No, take away his CELL PHONE. Nothing wrong with his communications style that a 1960's rotary dial corded phone wouldn't cure.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

No, take away his CELL PHONE. Nothing wrong with his communications style that a 1960's rotary dial corded phone wouldn't cure.

Fair point...although depending on some of his decisions it might not be a bad idea to reserve the right to take away the rotary dial too...just in case.

Man, I miss those phones...drrrrrrrrrr-clickclickclickclick drrrrrrrrr-clickclick drrrrrrrrrr-clickclickclickclickclick, took a while to dial but looked and sounded great.