# The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 7, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070 "2016-12-07T00:25:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1569
**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:** [March 25, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31365 "2019-03-25T17:18:54Z")
It all goes back to tribalism. No matter how egregious one’s tribe may be, one must defend it against opposing tribes no matter what. Republicans may seek to limit the damage Trump does but they won’t openly oppose him for fear of giving comfort to the Democrats. ---
**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:** [March 25, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31366 "2019-03-25T20:59:30Z")
Can somebody bring me up to speed? Are we still in a National State of Emergency as Declared by Our Doofus of a President? Has he and have we forgotten all about that? Should I be stockpiling cases of beans and sacks of rice in the basement? And digging a basement? ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31367 "2019-03-25T23:43:00Z")
I came very close to starting a new “Stupid Autocrat News of the Day” for this news but decided it fits here well enough. The Trump Campaign sent a [letter](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/25/trump-campaign-issues-memo-to-tv-producers-after-mueller-report.html) to “Television Producers” warning about ‘credibility’ of six Trump critics who it says spread false claims about collusion. The six are: [ol] [li]Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.[/li][li]Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the chair of the House Judiciary Committee[/li][li]Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez[/li][li]John Brennan, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency[/li][li]Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chair of the House Intelligence Committee[/li][li]Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who has floated a potential bid for president[/li][/ol] The two-page letter, which was distributed to producers for all the networks and cable outlets, cited comments that the guests made on air alleging that there was evidence of collusion. > [@Trump Campaign](#): > > “Moving forward, we ask that you employ basic journalistic standards when booking such guests to appear anywhere in your universe of productions,” wrote Tim Murtaugh, the campaign’s director of communications, in the memo. The campaign wrote that the producers should “begin by asking” the following question: > > Does this guest warrant further appearances in our programming, given the outrageous and unsupported claims made in the past? > > “At a minimum, if these guests do reappear, you should replay the prior statements and challenge them to provide the evidence which promoted them to make wild claims in the first place.” I am sure that this was accepted with all the good grace it warrants… ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31368 "2019-03-25T23:48:29Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > I came very close to starting a new “Stupid Autocrat News of the Day” for this news but decided it fits here well enough. > > The Trump Campaign sent a [letter](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/25/trump-campaign-issues-memo-to-tv-producers-after-mueller-report.html) to “Television Producers” warning about ‘credibility’ of six Trump critics who it says spread false claims about collusion. The six are: > > [ol] > [li]Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.[/li][li]Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the chair of the House Judiciary Committee[/li][li]Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez[/li][li]John Brennan, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency[/li][li]Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chair of the House Intelligence Committee[/li][li]Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who has floated a potential bid for president[/li][/ol] > > The two-page letter, which was distributed to producers for all the networks and cable outlets, cited comments that the guests made on air alleging that there was evidence of collusion. > > I am sure that this was accepted with all the good grace it warrants… Yeah, they should just drop the collusion BS and call it what it is. Conspiracy. Don’t forget to sprinkle it with treason. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31369 "2019-03-26T00:35:54Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > I came very close to starting a new “Stupid Autocrat News of the Day” for this news but decided it fits here well enough. > > The Trump Campaign sent a [letter](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/25/trump-campaign-issues-memo-to-tv-producers-after-mueller-report.html) to “Television Producers” warning about ‘credibility’ of six Trump critics who it says spread false claims about collusion. The six are: > > [ol] > [li]Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.[/li][li]Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the chair of the House Judiciary Committee[/li][li]Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez[/li][li]John Brennan, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency[/li][li]Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chair of the House Intelligence Committee[/li][li]Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who has floated a potential bid for president[/li][/ol] > > The two-page letter, which was distributed to producers for all the networks and cable outlets, cited comments that the guests made on air alleging that there was evidence of collusion. > I am sure that this was accepted with all the good grace it warrants… Many speculated that with Trump’s relief at feeling he dodged a bullet, he’d want to pull out that dog-eared copy of _The Fascist Playbook_ and try out a few of its recommendations. “Silence dissent” is such a golden oldie! Of course if media were to exclude guests who make “outrageous and unsupported claims” in earnest, there would be few right-wing voices left on air. We’d have seen the last of Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kellyanne Conway, to name but two. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31370 "2019-03-26T02:02:35Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Of course if media were to exclude guests who make “outrageous and unsupported claims” in earnest, there would be few right-wing voices left on air. We’d have seen the last of Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kellyanne Conway, to name but two. This. I am ALL in on the policy as outlined. Of course, it has to be applied to ALL guests by ALL networks (Fox News can run Married with Children reruns in all the empty airtime they’ll have). ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31371 "2019-03-26T02:31:54Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > I came very close to starting a new “Stupid Autocrat News of the Day” for this news but decided it fits here well enough. > > The Trump Campaign sent a [letter](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/25/trump-campaign-issues-memo-to-tv-producers-after-mueller-report.html) to “Television Producers” warning about ‘credibility’ of six Trump critics who it says spread false claims about collusion. The six are: > > [ol] > [li]Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.[/li][li]Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the chair of the House Judiciary Committee[/li][li]Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez[/li][li]John Brennan, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency[/li][li]Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chair of the House Intelligence Committee[/li][li]Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who has floated a potential bid for president[/li][/ol] > > The two-page letter, which was distributed to producers for all the networks and cable outlets, cited comments that the guests made on air alleging that there was evidence of collusion. > > I am sure that this was accepted with all the good grace it warrants… Yep. But, hey, it’s not an actual dictatorship without a “hit list”/“permitted list” of journalists, right? What? We don’t need no stinking constitution! Yet again, I say, “Cry the Beloved Country”. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31372 "2019-03-26T03:02:21Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Many speculated that with Trump’s relief at feeling he dodged a bullet, he’d want to pull out that dog-eared copy of _The Fascist Playbook_ and try out a few of its recommendations. My, my, the administration is feeling cocky today. Now the DOJ has decided to go along with the much questioned Texas District Court decision that the **entire** ACA is [unconstitutional](https://www.vox.com/health-care/2018/12/17/18145400/obamacare-lawsuit-mandate-texas-supreme-court-voxcare). In a surprising about face, the DOJ has decided that it [does not object](https://www.axios.com/justice-trump-court-affordable-care-act-unconstitutional-ab8bf281-65fc-4b91-8606-d1f3f65818d6.html)to the ruling and is filing a brief with the 5th Circuit in support. ---
**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:** [March 26, 2019, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31373 "2019-03-26T10:02:30Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Something I’ve been wondering: Trump has pissed off a lot of people ostensibly on his side, usually by actually showing them what he’s like. At what point does it start to interfere in any way with his ability to get things that he wants done done? Obviously, there will always be people who will want to work for him, and the party in general will prop him up for fear of going down with him, but is there a point where he’s alienated enough people, either directly or secondhand, that he has problems, at the least, with agenda items that the party in general isn’t already enthusiastic about? 10-15% unemployment and 50% shaved off the stock market. Maybe a disastrous war, which would probably cause a disastrous economy. Short of that, congratulations on a second term, president Trump. ---
**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:** [March 26, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31374 "2019-03-26T15:27:54Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > 10-15% unemployment and 50% shaved off the stock market. Maybe a disastrous war, which would probably cause a disastrous economy. Nah. It will be the Democrats’ fault-- Obummer & Crooked Hillary. Not Teflon Don. > [@](#): > > Short of that, congratulations on a second term, president Trump. This, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31375 "2019-03-26T16:24:32Z")
He’s still got time to screw the pooch beyond all recognition. If Justice gets its way with the ACA, all Hell will break loose. I don’t have enough cold ass _realpolitik_ to rejoice over that, people will suffer. People I know, people I love, people I am. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31376 "2019-03-26T16:49:30Z")
So why do they want to eliminate the ACA? Who benefits by doing so? Who wants to return to the days when those with pre-existing conditions were unable to buy insurance in the individual marketplace (to mention only one benefit of the law)? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31377 "2019-03-26T16:57:23Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > So why do they want to eliminate the ACA? Who benefits by doing so? Who wants to return to the days when those with pre-existing conditions were unable to buy insurance in the individual marketplace (to mention only one benefit of the law)? Because it was an Obama/Democratic accomplishment. And because the Republican Party consists of sadists and masochists only at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31378 "2019-03-26T16:59:48Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > So why do they want to eliminate the ACA? Who benefits by doing so? Who wants to return to the days when those with pre-existing conditions were unable to buy insurance in the individual marketplace (to mention only one benefit of the law)? My guess is that there’s a fair number of insurance providers who have little interest in covering chronic illnesses. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31379 "2019-03-26T17:13:51Z")
Based on this bit from the New York Times [coverage](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/us/politics/democrats-trump-affordable-care-act.html) of the Trump decision, it sounds like the insurance companies don’t want to see the act repealed. Remember that the law requires that people buy health insurance from private companies, so the ACA is a boon to their business. “The government’s position ‘puts coverage at risk for more than 100 million Americans,’ said Matt Eyles, the president and chief executive of America’s Health Insurance Plans, the industry lobbying [group].” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31380 "2019-03-26T17:23:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > So why do they want to eliminate the ACA? Who benefits by doing so? Who wants to return to the days when those with pre-existing conditions were unable to buy insurance in the individual marketplace (to mention only one benefit of the law)? I’m pretty sure that it has to do with someone making money. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31381 "2019-03-26T18:21:43Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I’m pretty sure that it has to do with someone making money. Contrariwise I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with making money and everything to do with courting those who think that everything any democrat has ever done should be burned to the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31382 "2019-03-26T19:01:41Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Contrariwise I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with making money and everything to do with courting those who think that everything any democrat has ever done should be burned to the ground. Well, _modern_ Democrats. Those good ol’ boy Democrats pre Civil Rights Act had some solid ideas. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31383 "2019-03-26T19:45:23Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I’m pretty sure that it has to do with someone making money. This, and making sure that money does not go to anyone with less or no money. ---
**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:** [March 26, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31384 "2019-03-26T20:43:32Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Can somebody bring me up to speed? Are we still in a National State of Emergency as Declared by Our Doofus of a President? … I guess this answers my question. **[House Fails to Override Trump Veto, Preserving National Emergency Order](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/us/politics/house-veto-override-trump-wall.html?partner=rss&emc=rss)** Thump must be feeling like he has the biggest hands in the world right now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1568) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1570)