(06-04-2020, 11:23 AM)hollodero Wrote: Despite all the other obvious awfulness, I always wonder if Trump is not aware who hired all those terrible former employees in the first place.

He hired someone who is "dumb as a rock" as secretary of state, he hired a "dog" as advisor, he hired the "world's most overrated general" as secretary of defense, his chief of staff was "way over his head", his AG had "neither wisdom nor courage", his personal lawyer was someone he would not recommend to anyone who wants a good one, his communication director was "totally incapable" of handling his position, his security advisor has a history of "big mistakes", "bad judgement" and tried to lead him "into world war 6". Who is picking all those horrible poeople??? 

(06-04-2020, 11:31 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: Here is his thought process on this, though. He hired those people at the behest of the Republican leadership. They weren't people he would have personally chosen because he wants only extremely loyal people to be in his sphere. But he was pushed to hire these people because Republican leadership wanted them in the thick of things.

Quote:Donald Trump has selected the retired marine general James Mattis to serve as his first Pentagon chief, the first of his national-security appointments that will reassure the establishment defense circles Trump scorned on the campaign trail.
Trump made the announcement at an Ohio rally on the first day for his “thank you tour”.


“I don’t want to tell you to this, I refuse to tell you, don’t let it outside of this room. I will not tell you that one of our great great generals, don’t let it outside, we are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our secretary of defense and we’re not announcing it until Monday so don’t tell it to anybody.”


Mattis, has deep wells of support on Capitol Hill and in the military. Unlike Trump’s other announced nominees, Mattis is unlikely to receive a contentious confirmation hearing for the defense secretary job, even though he will need a special waiver from Congress because he has not been out of uniform for the requisite seven years.


The nomination comes after Mattis met with Trump at the businessman’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, last month.

The retired general declined to talk to the media at the time, but Trump praised him. “All I can say is he is the real deal. The real deal,” he said.
The appointment of Mattis, which had been first reported by the Washington Post on Thursday afternoon, was initially denied by Trump’s transition team. In a tweet written three hours before Trump took the stage in Cincinnati, senior communications adviser Jason Miller insisted, “No decision has been made yet with regard to Secretary of Defense. #TrumpTransition.”

Mattis’s appointment comes with much establishment hope attached. Many in Republican national security circles who opposed Trump have faith that the forceful Mattis can moderate Trump and bureaucratically neutralize Mike Flynn, the president-elect’s pick for national security adviser. But Mattis has enough points of policy agreement with Trump to make his integration with the Trump hardliners as strong a possibility.

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“Jim Mattis has a deep respect and affection for the men and women who put their lives on the line for our country, and the allies who help us. He’ll be a terrific secretary of defense,” said Kori Schake, a former defense adviser to John McCain, a prominent “never Trump” conservative, and [url=http://www.hooverpress.org/Warriors-and-Citizens-P627.aspx]Mattis’s co-editor on a recent book.

Unusually, days before the announcement, McCain released a statement that all but openly campaigned for Mattis’s appointment, calling the retired general “impressive” and an “extraordinary leader”. As the chairman of the Senate armed services committee, McCain’s endorsement will be critical to Mattis’ confirmation.

(06-03-2020, 12:26 PM)GMDino Wrote: Folks, folks...Trump was NOT "hiding" in the bunker!  Heck he wasn't even taken there by the SS!

He just did an "inspection" in case it was ever needed.



https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/politics/donald-trump-bunker/index.html




Imagine so insecure that he had to create his own reality (lie) a couple days later because he can't stand any criticism at all.

And, as a bonus, we got a "Yes, sir" story.  Classic Trump.

(06-04-2020, 10:24 AM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Does confidentiality or, "behind closed doors," account for nothing anymore?

I mean, I'm all for transparency, but this is a bit... yeah.

(06-04-2020, 06:55 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: I don't understand.  Can you explain further?

(06-04-2020, 07:04 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Transparency (in this case, his opinion of the guy) is always a good thing, but when bashing a guy's character and arguably defaming him, shouldn't you be more professional?

(06-04-2020, 07:04 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Transparency (in this case, his opinion of the guy) is always a good thing, but when bashing a guy's character and arguably defaming him, shouldn't you be more professional?

(06-04-2020, 07:37 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: Did he write anything that wasn't true?

Mattis served as a Marine for over 4 decades sworn to defend the Constitution.  He is accusing Trump of using the military to strip the Constitutional rights of our citizens.  The Posse Comitatus act makes it illegal to use active duty military forces for police actions as Trump has threatened to do.  Mattis' loyalty should lie with the nation and the Constitution, not with one person and his administration who is abusing both.  The former is patriotism, the latter is cronyism.

I think Mattis has probably had to face a crisis of conscience due to a moral dilemma.  Does he remain silent as you suggests?  Or does he speak out against his former chain of command when what they are doing is illegal or immoral?  If he believes what they are doing is illegal or immoral he has a duty to speak out and not remain silent.  In that case, remaining silent would be unprofessional. In his estimation of the situation, Mattis has reached the point remaining silent is no longer an option and his duty is to speak out.

(06-04-2020, 08:50 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: I meant Trump

(06-04-2020, 08:50 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: I meant Trump

(06-04-2020, 09:48 PM)bfine32 Wrote:

.

Quote:G.O.P. Platform, Rolled Over From 2016, Condemns the ‘Current President’
The party’s 2020 platform includes more than three dozen unflattering references to those in power at the White House, after the Republican National Committee chose not to change its language from four years ago.




The Republican Party has found itself in an awkward bind because of President Trump’s decision to move the location of his convention speech.Credit...Damon Winter/The New York Times


WASHINGTON — When Republicans read the platform their party is using for the 2020 campaign, they may be surprised to see that it is full of condemnations of the sitting president.

“The survival of the internet as we know it is at risk,” the platform reads. “Its gravest peril originates in the White House, the current occupant of which has launched a campaign, both at home and internationally, to subjugate it to agents of government.”

The warning about speech online is one of more than three dozen unflattering references to either the “current president,” “current chief executive,” “current administration,” people “currently in control” of policy, or the “current occupant” of the White House that appear in the Republican platform. Adopted at the party’s 2016 convention, it has been carried over through 2024 after the executive committee of the Republican National Committee on Wednesday chose not to adopt a new platform for 2020.


The platform censures the “current” president — who in 2016 was, of course, Barack Obama — and his administration for, among other things, imposing “a social and cultural revolution,” causing a “huge increase in the national debt” and damaging relationships with international partners.


“The Middle East is more dangerous now than at any time since the Second World War,” the platform reads. “Whatever their disagreements, presidents of both parties had always prioritized America’s national interests, the trust of friendly governments, and the security of Israel. That sound consensus was replaced with impotent grandstanding on the part of the current President and his Secretaries of State. The results have been ruinous for all parties except Islamic terrorists and their Iranian and other sponsors.”

The Republican Party has found itself in this awkward bind because of President Trump’s decision last week to move the location of his nominating speech. Under the R.N.C. rules, the convention will adjourn with the old platform serving as the official party platform until 2024.


That move came after the president reached a stalemate with Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, a Democrat, over what kinds of safety precautions would be put in place in Charlotte to protect attendees from the spread of the coronavirus.

Before the convention was overhauled, Trump campaign officials, along with Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, had been looking at a menu of options for a new party platform, including a slimmed down, one-page rewrite as well as a reworking of the 66-page document the party passed in 2016.

When Axios first reported on efforts to rewrite the party platform that involved Mr. Kushner, grass-roots activists were livid, and some of those discussed organizing an effort to resist what they viewed as his changes — even though the options had been drafted primarily by the campaign, a person familiar with the process said.

The decision to simply let the current platform stay in effect, rather than try to pass any new platform, was ultimately driven by logistics, officials said. Republican officials decided it did not make sense to ask about 5,000 delegates and alternates to pay to fly to Charlotte, N.C., when the speeches and most of the action of the convention, including the hallmark speeches by the president and the vice president, would be happening in another city altogether.

Melody Potter, an R.N.C. member from West Virginia who sat on the party’s platform committee in 2016 and planned to run for a seat on it this August, said she was pleased the platform was being rolled over for 2020.

“The 2016 platform is the best one we’ve had in 40 years, so I’m fine with renewing it and extending it to 2024,” she said. “As a matter of fact, and you can quote me on this, I think it is a ray of sunshine in this whole messy storm.”





Image
Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and a senior White House adviser, tried to rewrite the party platform in a closed process.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times
But what was perceived by some of the grass-roots activists as Mr. Kushner’s attempt to circumvent the people who helped elect Mr. Trump four years ago hurt efforts among other Republicans to update the platform.

Now, the party is stuck with a platform with positions that already seemed outdated to a large segment of its members four years ago. Meanwhile, Republican officials have discussed with the White House the possibility of putting out Mr. Trump’s vision for America and the platform he would have pushed for if the committee had been able to meet, and blaming Governor Cooper for making it impossible to do so.



Campaign operatives, for their part, defended the old document. “President Trump won in 2016 with this platform and he’ll win again in 2020 with this platform,” said Justin Clark, senior counsel to the campaign.

Candidates from the president down to municipal officials are under no obligation to hew to their party’s platform, and few make a point of abiding by all points of it. But a platform does serve as a party’s guiding principles, even though the document tends to be most useful for political opponents who weaponize elements of it in attack advertisements.

The 2016 platform that is being renewed was the result of messy debates in Cleveland, the host city of the Republican convention four years ago, during which a group of renegade delegates tried but failed to strip out language opposing gay marriage and condoning conversation therapy for L.G.B.T.Q. youths.

“We support the right of parents to determine the proper medical treatment and therapy for their minor children,” the platform reads. “We support the right of parents to consent to medical treatment for their minor children and urge enactment of legislation that would require parental consent for their daughter to be transported across state lines for abortion.”

The platform made a steadfast case against same-sex marriage and called for a constitutional amendment overturning the 2015 Supreme Court decision that struck down laws defining marriage between one man and one woman. And it blames “the current President” for seeking to expand workplace protections to include L.G.B.T.Q. people.

“That same provision of law is now being used by bureaucrats — and by the current President of the United States — to impose a social and cultural revolution upon the American people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation or other categories,” the platform reads. “Their agenda has nothing to do with individual rights; it has everything to do with power.”

Giovanni Cicione, a Rhode Island lawyer who as a 2016 platform committee delegate led a faction of delegates who fought to strip the anti-L.G.B.T.Q. language from the party platform, said he believed Mr. Trump would oppose the language condemning gay rights.



“I do think it’s unfortunate that they’re not giving the party a chance to evolve its thinking on these issues,” Mr. Cicione said Thursday. “I honestly believe that this president is probably more forward-thinking on gay rights than the party is, but I’m not sure it’s in his interest to make that public.”


The R.N.C., meanwhile, has been eager to highlight that on some of the issues, especially gay rights, the platform is hardly the only way of showing the party’s movement on a policy area. On Thursday, for instance, the R.N.C. released a memo detailing how “President Trump Has Taken Unprecedented Steps to Protect the L.G.B.T.Q. Community,” noting that he has appointed L.G.B.T.Q. people to prominent judicial and administration positions.

Quote:The Trump campaign is requiring people to sign a waiver acknowledging the risks of COVID-19 when they register to attend his Oklahoma rally

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• The Trump campaign is requiring people to sign a waiver and "assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19" before attending an upcoming Make America Great Again rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 
• The disclaimer appears at the bottom of a registration form on [url=https://events.donaldjtrump.com/events/tulsa-oklahoma-rally-june-19]Trump's official 2020 campaign website.
• Current CDC guidelines warn that "large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19" and encourage event organizers "to prepare for the possibility of outbreaks in their communities."
• Trump previously had to cancel several other campaign rallies due to restrictions put in place to stem the coronavirus spread.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
  

The Trump campaign is requiring people to sign a waiver and "assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19" before attending a Make America Great Again rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

The disclaimer appears at the bottom of a registration form on Trump's official 2020 campaign website for an upcoming Make America Great Again rally to be held at the Bank of Oklahoma Center.

"By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present," the disclaimer notes. "By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.; BOK Center; ASM Global; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers liable for any illness or injury."

According to the BOK Center website, several major events and concerts have had to be canceled due to the coronavirus.

Trump previously had to cancel several other reelection rallies due to restrictions put in place to stem the coronavirus spread.



The US has the largest number of coronavirus cases worldwide and the highest death toll. As of June 11, the virus has infected over two million people and killed over 113,000 in the US.


Still, experts have warned about a potential resurgence of the virus as the country moves towards lifting restrictions and reopening its economy. 


According to Associated Press, coronavirus cases are rising in nearly half of all US states, which has alarmed experts monitoring the virus spread. 

A spokesperson for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that it was closely monitoring "protests and other large gatherings," which "make it difficult to maintain our recommended social distancing guidelines and may put others at risk."



Current CDC guidelines warn that "large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19" and encourages event organizers "to prepare for the possibility of outbreaks in their communities."


Trump's upcoming rally is significant because it is slated for June 19 — also known as Juneteenth — which marks the emancipation of the last remaining enslaved African Americans in the Confederacy at the end of the Civil War. 


The location of the rally is also significant — some have noted that the Oklahoma city was the site of the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921, where mobs of white Americans attacked Black residents and businesses in one of the worst incidences of racial violence in American history. 



Discussions about systemic racism in the US have been thrust to the forefront of the national agenda in the wake of George Floyd's May 25 death. 

Floyd, a Black man, was killed after being knelt on by a white police officer for several minutes. His death has sparked protests across all 50 states and around the globe. 


Trump has previously called Floyd's death a "grave tragedy" but has not spoken out against police brutality or improving race relations in the US. 

(06-12-2020, 03:26 PM)Nately120 Wrote: How the hell are you going to catch a liberal hoax at a Trump rally?