# Surprises coming for voters for the Leopards-Eating-Faces Party **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [November 12, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166 "2024-11-12T19:54:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 70
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1381 "2025-02-07T16:36:38Z")
The desire to “just follow orders” is strong in lots of humans. Separately, much of our bureaucracy is not used to receiving crazy orders. So all along the chain of command you have people who aren’t mere robots, but they also aren’t used to looking at every instruction passed down from their boss and critically evaluating “is this insane, or merely unusual?” One hell of a lot of government workers are going to have to learn quickly that they will now often receive malicious orders or malicious policies. And each of them will need to decide what they’re going to do about that. It’s the upper few tiers of career civil servants that ought to be the mirror, reflecting the crazy back upwards with a firm “No, and you can’t make me/us.” ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1382 "2025-02-07T16:42:39Z")
There’s also the notion of the “White Mutiny”, in which you follow stupid orders to the letter, and let the person in charge suffer the consequences. “Releasing that much water will flood farms downstream, sir.” “It’s a presidential order to “Turn on The Spigot”, soldier!” “Okay, then, you asked for it…” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1383 "2025-02-07T16:44:08Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > There’s also the notion of the “White Mutiny”, in which you follow stupid orders to the letter, and let the person in charge suffer the consequences. A.k.a. [malicious compliance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malicious_compliance) ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1384 "2025-02-07T16:57:57Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Trump shat all over that, hope those Okie farmers in the Central Valley appreciate what he’s done for them. Yeah, I really doubt that the those big signs on Interstate 5 will change from saying “Pelosi created drought” to “Trump Created Drought” ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1385 "2025-02-07T17:07:50Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > > [@Odesio](#): > > > > There are even some producers here in Arkansas who grow crops for the expressed purpose of selling to USAID. Those farmers are fucked. > > Gonna be a lotta fat and happy leopards in them there parts. Unfortunately, those farmers are going to go to their Congresspersons and probably get a government handout to make up their loss. Just like what the soybean farmers did during Trump1 when a retaliatory tariff by China dried up that market. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1386 "2025-02-07T17:16:03Z")
They’ll also probably blame the drought on wind turbines or something. We have a lot of stages of denial and insanity to go through before they could blame Trump for anything. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1387 "2025-02-07T17:31:45Z")
I’d guess he’ll blame Drought, Electric boats, and Immigrants. Hm. Needs a handy initialism. Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1388 "2025-02-07T17:54:53Z")
I should have done better: Democrats, Electric boats, and Immigrants. Harrumph! ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1389 "2025-02-07T18:01:32Z")
I’ve been trying to think of a good version of DEI, like “Diverse Economic Investments”. You know something clever (annoying) to ask when I hear about DEI hires. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1390 "2025-02-07T18:09:44Z")
Deal _Everybody_ In! [okay. I’m done ;-)] ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1391 "2025-02-07T18:26:01Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Separately, much of our bureaucracy is not used to receiving crazy orders. So all along the chain of command you have people who aren’t mere robots, but they also aren’t used to looking at every instruction passed down from their boss and critically evaluating “is this insane, or merely unusual?” I dunno. In my career, I have received countless orders which impress me as just stupid and unnecessary. Heck, last December we received a policy “Ruling” that had an absolutely unnecessary effective date which just caused considerable extra work while making zero difference. When asked who decided on that date and why, as far up as I was willing to go the answer was, **“We don’t know who chose that or why, but our Agency (who wrote the damn thing) had no choice.”** Whereas, if they had asked ANYONE who actually has to apply that policy, they woulda said, **“Wait a minute. Don’t pick THAT date - pick THIS one.”** Have that occur every couple of years - absolutely unforced errors - and you just get used to following stupid and inexplicable directives. How many workers are willing to give up their livelihood by refusing to follow a stupid decision? How immediate and direct would the likely harm have to be before something rises to a “whistleblower” situation. The line between _routine stupid_ and _actionably insane_ can be hard to discern. So the dam operator is sitting there thinking, **“This is really stupid, and is going to cause a lot of people a lot of hardship later. But I asked my boss and they insist I have to release the water. Sure, the future hardship will suck, but I need to keep collecting my paycheck. Not a lot of open “dam operator” positions paying what I make…”** Same goes for the dam operator’s boss. And likely their boss… ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1392 "2025-02-07T18:53:16Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > One hell of a lot of government workers are going to have to learn quickly that they will now often receive malicious orders or malicious policies. And each of them will need to decide what they’re going to do about that. I’m reminded of the opening scene from the movie _WarGames_ (although that’s a test of compliance with a seemingly real order to launch nukes and not just something stupid pulled out of Trump’s ass). I imagine Musk would like to replace the majority of federal workers with a modern-day version of the WOPR. At least the WOPR could learn in real-time. I’m sure we’ll be hearing soon that a lot of positions will be replaced by an AI associated with Musk. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1393 "2025-02-07T18:59:19Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Unfortunately, those farmers are going to go to their Congresspersons and probably get a government handout to make up their loss. Just like what the soybean farmers did during Trump1 when a retaliatory tariff by China dried up that market. Yes. I fully expect a replacement program to be created, even if under a different dept However, since USAID used those materials to feed hungry people in other countries, I do wonder what they will DO with the surplus ag products they buy. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1394 "2025-02-07T19:02:15Z")
Maybe give them to a disguised branch of trump org instead and then trump org will sell them to other countries at market price. I suspect we’ll see a lot of this sort of thing on the government procurement side of things. Either the feds buying stuff at inflated prices from trump-owned middlemen or the feds giving stuff to trump-owned middlemen to sell on. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1395 "2025-02-07T19:04:57Z")
I would think that Trump would use any surplus food to feed the pardoned J6’ers, and all the US white supremacist/SovCit/Neo-Nazi/paramilitary groups they can identify. Consider it the MAGA ~~Welfare~~ Rewards Program. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1396 "2025-02-07T19:10:09Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > Yes. I fully expect a replacement program to be created, even if under a different dept I kind of doubt it. Either USAID gets restored to some semblance of what it was or they’re shit out of luck. The thing is, the leopards know, better than us apparently, that denial runs strong in the heartland. Those farmers? They aren’t going to blame Trump to any real degree. It’ll be denial all the way. Something like “Surely my government handout (err…benefit) was not wasteful. They should be targeting the real waste” and/or “I’m sure this is a mistake. Once he realizes they’re hurting the wrong people, he’ll fix it!” And even if they get screwed, at no point in the foreseeable future will there be any introspection or remorse over their own choices or actions. They will always say it was _other_ leopards (probably Musk in this case but maybe DEI or something, who can really figure out that level of mental dysfunction?) or that the leopards made some kind of honest mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1397 "2025-02-07T19:20:15Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > I imagine Musk would like to replace the majority of federal workers with a modern-day version of the WOPR. I understand that Trump prefers McDonalds. No WOPR, please. We need the BGMAC. Fun IMDB fact: The computer name, WOPR, was a joke based on BRGR, a real computer NORAD once used to predict war strategies. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1398 "2025-02-07T19:23:38Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > What boggles me is that it was the Army Corps of Engineers doing it, who _really_ ought to know better. I’ve work with (not for) USACE for several years. I am not surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1399 "2025-02-07T19:25:49Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > I’ve work with (not for) When it comes up, I have to explain I worked _with_ NASA (on the Space Shuttle Support Team), not for them. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166/1400 "2025-02-07T20:23:09Z")
> **[Trump-backing Latino evangelicals now feel 'devastated and abandoned' by him:...](https://www.rawstory.com/trump-evangelicals-2671116416/)** > > President Donald Trump made big strides among Latino voters in the 2024 presidential election thanks in large part to the influence of evangelical Latino churches.However, the Associated Press reports that many of these churches already feel... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166.md?page=69) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprises-coming-for-voters-for-the-leopards-eating-faces-party/1010166.md?page=71)