Most Explosive Thing to happen right when Trump Assumes Office?

[Buck_Godot]

@RickJay

Unemployment, for example. Unemployment in the USA is going to rise, a lot, under a Trump presidency, largely because his economic and trade policies are stupid and self-serving, and to a lesser but significant extent just because it’s low right now and usually goes up from here. **PROTIP: This is something you absolutely should bet on if someone will take your wager. ** It’ll take at least a year and probably two for this to take hold but it’s going to happen. Trumpists will absolutely deny it. It will not matter what numbers you show them. It won’t matter what authoritative source you use, and it won’t matter what the truth is. If the BLS says unemployment has doubled they will say the BLS numbers are published by lying liberal elites. Or they’ll claim the unemployment rate is inaccurate, or compare two different numbers (e.g. they will compare the U6 now to the U3 in 2019.) Or they will simply deny they can see the evidence. “Here is the link to the Department of Labor.” “It doesn’t work for me. You must be lying.”
.

I agree with the spirit of this but not necessarily the letter. I think it is entirely possible that the BLS number may in fact show that unemployment has gone down. The Republicans and Trump are experts in the art ofprojection. They accuse the Obama administration with cooking the books because they know that if they were in power that’s what they would do. It is quite likely that the political appointees in charge of the BLM will understand that their reports must come out looking rosy and that any civil service member who contradicts this account will find his salary reduced to $1 per annum.

[WordMan]

@WordMan

Yes, probably. The NYTimes had an article this morning stating that a key next step is for the G.S.A. to declare the Trump Organization to be in breach. Apparently the G.S.A. has stated that is won’t have an update until “Friday after the inauguration.”

If / when they declare the T.O. to be in breach, it begins a process that is unclear but also unprecedented. If it happens this same day as the inauguration - well, that’s a big deal to my mind.

NBC is reporting that the lawyers are suing: Ethics Lawyers to Sue Trump Over Continuing Business Interests

[RickJay]

@Buck_Godot

I agree with the spirit of this but not necessarily the letter. I think it is entirely possible that the BLS number may in fact show that unemployment has gone down. The Republicans and Trump are experts in the art ofprojection. They accuse the Obama administration with cooking the books because they know that if they were in power that’s what they would do. It is quite likely that the political appointees in charge of the BLM will understand that their reports must come out looking rosy and that any civil service member who contradicts this account will find his salary reduced to $1 per annum.

They don’t need to, really. Irrespective of what the BLS says, Trump will say unemployment is down. It’s an alternative fact.

The cool thing about alternative facts is you need not bother doctoring anything to hide the real facts.

[F.U.Shakespeare]

@RickJay

I still remember the crowd who insisted, prior to the Iraq War, that Iraq was filled to the brim with WMDs. Many of them vanished when it became apparent nothing of the sort was true. Brutus, remember him? **There was another guy, too, who claimed he was in the service and knew the proof was there. I don’t recall his name offhand but he vanished without a trace.
**

Bluesman.

[BrerRobert]

@BobLibDem

When the big hand is on the twelve and the tiny hand is on the Bible, it may burst into flames. Hopefully a fire extinguisher is on hand.

I hope the protests are long and raucous but not violent. The only violence will be instigated by those who follow the Orange Fuhrer.

It’s not surprising that you are wrong. Nor is it surprising how exactly you are wrong. Anyone paying attention to the election would be able to predict, based on previous behaviors, that the violence would come from anti-Trumpers and be directed at Trump supporters.

But how specifically your comments about fire and fire extinguishers relate to the violence that occurred is damn impressive:

On Friday anti-Trumpets decided to commit a little recreational street arson in an attempt to disrupt the post inauguration parade. A Trump supporter turns up with a fire extinguisher and puts out the fire, all the while lecturing the adult children around him, and is then attacked for his efforts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT9CJtQSagw

Also on Friday, an anti-Trump protestor sets fire to a Trump supporter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMkNqQlsEso

Elections have consequences. And so does hate speech about Trump supporters.