so much for draining the swamp

[Dill]

(11-15-2016, 04:59 PM)JustWinBaby Wrote: That's highly unlikely to happen.  Everyone says they're going to do change this or that with respect to foreign policy, but in the words of Obama "it's different once you actually sit in the chair".  Which is to say career staffers have, and will continue, to dictate foreign policy.  They all have their ideas, but then they take office and get a real education on the issues.

Trump, like any other POTUS, could choose to ignore that (although there are still plenty of checks & balances).  But there's no real evidence to believe he'll be any different.  As a businessman, he's certainly not inexperienced with making decisions on the basis of staffer recommendations.

Sure. No real evidence.

He paraded four Clinton accusers before the world at a Presidential debate, then showed little command of policies discussed in that debate. He publicly wanted to know why we can't use nukes, claimed he would use torture, and insists he would have taken Iraq's oil had. He vowed to put the other party's candidate in jail and sue all his female accusers. He banned members of the press from his rallies. Most of this AFTER everyone predicted he would "pivot" for the general election and leave the erratic, aggressive and vulgar behavior behind.

As a businessman he bankrupted four times, was bailed out of bad business behavior by a multimillionaire father, and acquired a reputation as someone who stiffs contractors and can't get loans and puts his name on buildings he doesn't really own.

And why ever do you say "career staffers have and will continue to dictate foreign policy"? The new president chooses a cabinet and a completely new White House staff, with which he sets forth the policy goals of his administration. (That was partly what went wrong with the Bush 43 administration). THIS president was elected to shake things up.  Now Trump is considering names like John Bolton and Rudy Guiliani for Secretary of State. And Steve Bannon is appointed his chief advisor along with the woefully unprepared Reince Pribus as chief of staff. He has asked for TOP SECURITY CLEARANCE for his children who will advise him on Foreign policy, even as they continue to run his business.

So what sort of "checks and balances" do you think will apply here. The War Powers Resolution requires that he get Congressional consent to continue a war--60 days AFTER he has begun it. Obama is handing him a virtually unrestrained drone program. He has threatened to ditch TPP, NAFTA, scrap the Iran Deal and pull out of the Paris Agreement. Some of his appointments will have to be confirmed, and it's doubtful someone like Bolton ever could be, but the chaos of a succession of bad choices is not without cost, even if he eventually gets positions filled with minimally competent people.  Most of the foreign policy establishment is holding him at arms distance. The extreme fringe is moving forward for the chance they would never have had otherwise. There's your "career staffers." CHAOS.

The one check that may really surprise him is when finds out that an executive order only applies to the executive branch.

Seriously Justwin, what counts as REAL EVIDENCE he'll be different if the above does not qualify??