# The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making Part Deux (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 22, 2020, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083 "2020-06-22T03:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 42
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/827 "2020-07-11T13:03:36Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > Just draining the swamp and combating the deep state. Very little consolation but at least the conviction itself still stands. All things considered, I’m enjoying the summer but I can’t wait for November to get here. There’s no consolation. Trump acted now because Stone was scheduled to report to prison next week. Trump commuted Stone’s sentence instead of pardoning him to minimize the political impact to his own re-election chances. After the election, all bets are off. I have absolutely no doubt that he will pardon Stone before he leaves office. It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that this is ludicrously corrupt. The only reason that Trump is doing this is because Stone is his long-time associate and (much more importantly) because Stone has dirt on Trump. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/828 "2020-07-11T13:17:40Z")
> [@robby](#): > > because Stone has dirt on Trump Exactly. Good article by David Frum here (Atlantic Monthly site — no paywall if you’re under the article limit). He clearly explains the 2016 events behind this, and is eloquently astounded at how brazenly frank Stone is about his Mafia-esque situation: > **[Stone Walks Free in One of the Greatest Scandals in American History](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/roger-stone/614068/)** > > The amazing thing about the saga is how much of it happened in the full light of day. ---
**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:** [July 11, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/829 "2020-07-11T15:33:42Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > So in Trump’s telling, his doctor might also add “Trump is the most covid negative person in the world. He has the best least amount of covid, in numbers no-one has ever seen. China virus.” He’s already done this one. But because he’s an utterly moronic specimen of humanity, he thinks anything ‘negative’ in reference to himself is bad, so he tried to spin a negative COVID test into a positive test result. > [@Theoretically a Hoo-Man](#): > > And I tested very positively in another sense, this morning. I tested positively toward negative, right? So I tested perfectly this morning. Meaning I tested negative. … But that’s a way of saying it: positively toward the negative. I’ve tried, and I literally cannot emulate the damaged mental state it would require to say or write something like that. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/830 "2020-07-11T16:33:17Z")
I’m more worried about how Trump and some Republicans (governors for instance) will try to use COVID-19 to their advantage, and potentially, as an excuse to disrupt voting. Brian Kemp gave us a glimpse of the ultimate voter suppression weapon: sending out the national guard to ‘keep the peace.’ This will probably be replicated. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/831 "2020-07-11T17:20:42Z")
With all of the breaking COVID stories and the election coming up, I decided a month ago to subscribe at their $29 rate for a year. It’s been the best money I’ve spent in a long time. Plus I feel good about supporting their reporters when all newspapers are struggling. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/832 "2020-07-11T17:34:44Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Are those you who are frequently quoting the _Washington Post_ aware that all of these articles exist behind a paywall? So what? Firstly, clearing your WaPo cookies will allow you to see the article. Second, because it’s an opinion piece by a _Washington Post_ columnist, and not straight news reporting, this particular article is only available on the _Washington Post_ site, so the only alternative to a paywalled link is no link at all. Thirdly, the post by **ThelmaLou** quoted a full five paragraphs from the story, paragraphs that make very clear what the article’s central argument is. Reading those five paragraphs alone is all you really need to understand the point, so even if you don’t have access to the full article, you get enough from the quote. We’ve had this discussion on Dope board before. As long as people are willing to explain key issues in their own words, and/or quote a representative section from the article, it is completely appropriate to use paywalled or subscription articles on this message board. Refusing to use these sources would dramatically reduce the number of reliable, available repositories of news and information. In addition to paywalled sites like the Washington Post, in my years on this board I’ve provided citations from subscription news sites like LexisNexis and ProQuest, academic sites like JSTOR and Project Muse and Wiley, and a whole bunch of others. Hard as this might be to believe, the sum store of human knowledge and understanding cannot be found on CNN. I completely understand that not everyone can afford to buy a subscription to everything (and that certainly includes me), but the fact that something is paywalled doesn’t mean it becomes off-limits as a source. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/833 "2020-07-11T17:34:58Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I disagree strongly. Did they live on a desert island from, say, mid-2015\* until Election Day 2016? Most of them knew exactly what they were getting, they got it, and they want more of it even now. Yes, that’s true. They know what Trump is. At the same time, they don’t know or care about what it actually takes to be a president, or what a president actually does, or how the presidency may or may not affect them personally. They know even less about Congress. All they know is what they watch on TV–which is basically _The Apprentice_ and similar bullshit-- and they’re too mentally lazy to learn anything else. They think they’re voting for someone on or off the island in a bullshit “reality” TV show. Trump knows this. The Republican Party not only knows this, but has been cultivating it for decades. They’re both exploiting it to stay in power. It’s how we got here. ---
**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:** [July 11, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/834 "2020-07-11T17:51:54Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > because he’s an utterly moronic specimen of humanity, he thinks anything ‘negative’ in reference to himself is bad, so he tried to spin a negative COVID test into a positive test result. Genuinely I’m shocked that my attempt at satire turns out to have been beaten by reality. I shouldn’t be shocked by now, but I still am. > [@JKellyMap](#): > > I disagree strongly. Did they live on a desert island from, say, mid-2015\* until Election Day 2016? Most of them knew exactly what they were getting, they got it, and they want more of it even now. Yeah I was thinking about this recently. Many trump voters get some strange kind of glee out of being _wrong_. I know how weird that sounds. Surely no-one thinks of themselves as wrong? But it started with the “deplorables” thing and people deciding to wearing t-shirts with _deplorable_ on them. And now with things like roger stone, there are people celebrating it. Granted, many will reference “fake news” and claim the inquiry was a “witch hunt”, so implying they disagree about the legitimacy of the verdict. But a lot of people seem to find enjoyment in the fact that this commutation upsets a lot of people, and that’s the beginning, middle and end of it for them. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/835 "2020-07-11T18:27:07Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > > [@Broomstick](#): > > > > Are those you who are frequently quoting the _Washington Post_ aware that all of these articles exist behind a paywall? > > So what? So please help people out by quoting the relevant part of the story that you want people to see, instead of forcing people to read the whole story to try and figure out what the important part is, especially when it’s behind a paywall. And clearing cookies doesn’t always work, FYI. My desktop computer somehow re-installs certain cookies immediately after I remove them; WaPo is one of the sites that does this. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/836 "2020-07-11T19:00:01Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > > [@mhendo](#): > > > > It’s worth noting that Clarence Thomas dissented from the ruling in this case, arguing that “Congress has no power to issue a legislative subpoena for private, nonofficial documents.” But he also argued that, if they had requested these documents as part of an impeachment process, it probably would have been OK. > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > Congress may be able to obtain these documents as part of an investigation of the President, but to do so, it must proceed under the impeachment power. > > > > This suggests pretty strongly that the subpoenas were _ **not** _ issued as part of the impeachment process. > > Thanks for that detailed answer. Makes sense. > > But now I’m left with the unsettling idea that I actually agree with Clarence Thomas about something. 🙃 I don’t get his argument that legislative subpoenas can’t compel one to produce private nonofffcial documents. Isn’t that how you close loopholes? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/837 "2020-07-11T19:08:27Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > So please help people out by quoting the relevant part of the story that you want people to see, instead of forcing people to read the whole story to try and figure out what the important part is, especially when it’s behind a paywall. Will you look at the fucking post she’s complaining about? As I pointed out, that post did, in fact, quote extensively from the article, and made very clear what the relevant argument was. You did not even need to click on the link to get the idea. Here’s [the post in question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux/911083/819), if you’re too lazy to scroll up about 20 posts to find it yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/838 "2020-07-11T19:53:46Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > So what? > > Firstly, clearing your WaPo cookies will allow you to see the article. Actually, I have WaPo access through my Kindle via my Amazon account, it’s just a pain in the but to go look things up on my Kindle when I’m already at my computer. But really, **Snowboarder Bo** said it already: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > So please help people out by quoting the relevant part of the story that you want people to see, instead of forcing people to read the whole story to try and figure out what the important part is, especially when it’s behind a paywall. > > And clearing cookies doesn’t always work, FYI. My desktop computer somehow re-installs certain cookies immediately after I remove them; WaPo is one of the sites that does this. > [@mhendo](#): > > Will you look at the fucking post she’s complaining about? My comment was not directed towards just the one post. It strikes me as polite to mention “Oh, by the way, there is/might be a paywall. Here’s the most relevant bit” followed by a quote. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/839 "2020-07-11T20:12:18Z")
Shocked! > **[Tucker Carlson's top writer resigns after secretly posting racist and sexist...](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/10/media/tucker-carlson-writer-blake-neff/index.html)** > > Editor's note: This article quotes racist, homophobic and sexist language, much of which has not been censored. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/840 "2020-07-11T20:18:15Z")
ICE is starting a series of classes around the country teaching private citizens how to arrest immigrants they find suspicious. The class includes the use of firearms. > **[ICE to offer class in Chicago on how immigrants are detained](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8503219/amp/ICE-offer-class-Chicago-undocumented-immigrants-detained-removed-U-S.html)** > > The course, which begins on September 15 and will run one class a week for six weeks at ICE's Chicago field office, will train non-agents in defensive training and how to make 'targeted arrests.' I’m sure all the Karens will be signing up immediately. ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/841 "2020-07-11T21:25:51Z")
Man, that sounds creepy. Sounds like a breeding ground for a whole new crop of George Zimmermans. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/842 "2020-07-11T23:48:37Z")
Well, Trumpy finally wore a mask in public! What a learning curve. [Trump wears a mask during visit to wounded service members at Walter Reed | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/11/politics/trump-walter-reed-visit-mask/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/843 "2020-07-11T23:50:04Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > Well, Trumpy finally wore a mask in public!! What a learning curve. [https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/11/politics/trump-walter-reed-visit-mask/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/11/politics/trump-walter-reed-visit-mask/index.html) Time to notify the Nobel committee. 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/844 "2020-07-11T23:53:05Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Time to notify the Nobel committee. 🤨 Medicine or Peace? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/845 "2020-07-11T23:57:36Z")
Heck, both. I’m sure trump isn’t picky. We know he’s going to want some kind of award for wearing the mask. Actually, upon reflection, it would not surprise me if he denied that he ever DIDN’T wear a mask. What if he says he’s been wearing a mask all along, in fact, it was his idea that people should wear masks, but the lying fake MSM refused to print pictures of him in the mask because they were trying to discredit\* and smear him. Yeah, I can see him doing this. \*Of course, he wouldn’t use a fancy-schmancy word like _discredit_. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/846 "2020-07-11T23:59:39Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Medicine or Peace? Medicine. Not to Trump but whoever put him together in a lab. Who thought he’d rum amuck? “Putin’ on the Riiiiiitz”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=41) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=43)