# 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:** 1725
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34485 "2019-07-16T23:28:42Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Federal judge issues an injunction preventing the citizenship question from appearing on the census in any form. > [https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/16/politics/judge-permanently-blocks-citizenship-question-2020-census/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/16/politics/judge-permanently-blocks-citizenship-question-2020-census/index.html) You left off “So-called.” Despite the fact that Trumpankhamen has said he’s dropping the question and instead directing the relevant agencies to gather citizenship data by other means — something they’ve been doing all along, and the approach the original plaintiffs had requested — I think it’s valuable for a judge to set a marker on the issue. For one thing, all it would take is someone on Fox&Friends to suggest that the president was “weak” for him to do a 180°; for another, the temperature in the lobster pot has already been raised a degree or three, and there’s no way it should be allowed to go higher. ---
**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:** [July 16, 2019, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34486 "2019-07-16T23:36:10Z")
> [@naita](#): > > They have kids, they are both so swampy they probably see it as just her job, or leave the job outside the home, and you’ll note he had to do the republican shuffle of getting in a dig at Trump’s targets: > > > [@](#): > > > > It doesn’t matter what these representatives are for or against — and there’s plenty to criticize them for — it’s beyond the bounds of human decency. I dunno. I’m about as hard-core Dem as they come and I can find things to criticize the Squad for. If we can’t self-critic then we’re no better than the fuckheads in the GOP. Those 4 ladies need to learn that numbers matter and that the good you can do now is usually better than the perfect you want, but can’t achieve. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2019, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34487 "2019-07-17T00:12:57Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > Despite the fact that Trumpankhamen has said he’s dropping the question and instead directing the relevant agencies to gather citizenship data by other means — something they’ve been doing all along, and the approach the original plaintiffs had requested Wait one tiny[del]-fingered[/del] moment! Isn’t that, itself, illegal? Federal forms requestinginformation are required to state (a) under which law the request for information is made, (b) who will have access to the information, and (c) specifically what the information is being asked for. In short, you cna’t change your mind on who can have access to that info after you’ve stated who will. Of course I’m not a lawyer, but in my unit forms control officer role a couple of decades ago, those are the rules I had to operate under. ---
**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 17, 2019, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34488 "2019-07-17T00:18:23Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Wait one tiny[del]-fingered[/del] moment! Isn’t that, itself, illegal? Federal forms requestinginformation are required to state (a) under which law the request for information is made, (b) who will have access to the information, and (c) specifically what the information is being asked for. In short, you cna’t change your mind on who can have access to that info after you’ve stated who will. > > Of course I’m not a lawyer, but in my unit forms control officer role a couple of decades ago, those are the rules I had to operate under. [Biff Tannen] “Rules? Where we’re going, we don’t need _rules_.” [/Biff Tannen] ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34489 "2019-07-17T00:23:23Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Wait one tiny[del]-fingered[/del] moment! Isn’t that, itself, illegal? Federal forms requestinginformation are required to state (a) under which law the request for information is made, (b) who will have access to the information, and (c) specifically what the information is being asked for. In short, you cna’t change your mind on who can have access to that info after you’ve stated who will. > > Of course I’m not a lawyer, but in my unit forms control officer role a couple of decades ago, those are the rules I had to operate under. Forms control officer, I remember that. But who would be charged for that breaking of the law? Seems like that is the hard part to determine. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34490 "2019-07-17T00:32:49Z")
So they vote to condemn his remarks. Which means… what? “Our vote says the president did something bad.” Whoop-de-doo. There’s still 184 GOPers standing with him. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2019, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34491 "2019-07-17T01:32:02Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I’ll just note that you all are taking the bait. > > Trump is going all in on cages and racism because Epstein is in the news. If you allow yourselves to be distracted by political correctness, you’ve lost the best ammunition against the guy. > > You should all just finish every political comment with anyone on the Internet by mentioning Epstein, John Casablancas, George Nader, and Tevfik Arif. Keep that up in every post until 2020 and the election is yours. > > Throw in the occasional comment about Trump Foundation stealing from people who got their legs blown off and you’re golden. Or mention Kristopher Hansen. That’s another good one. Today, Seth Abramson capped off a list of newly-revealed facts about Epstein with: > [@](#): > > Seth Abramson ‏Verified account @SethAbramson 3h3 hours ago > > PS/ Imagine what it’ll mean for Trump’s international collusion if we learn that (a) he was in contact with Epstein following his June 2015 announcement of a presidential run and later adoption of a secret “grand bargain” with Saudi Arabia, and (b) Epstein worked with or for MBS. > There are a lot of slimy, stinking chickens coming home to roost in Donald’s coop. We do indeed need to keep this story from vanishing into the ‘too many scandals to keep track of’ void. > [@asahi](#): > > LOL @ the people who call Trump’s twitsyntery a ‘distraction’. You can’t tweet away a major criminal investigation into sex crimes. Now he could have his personal attorney, er, Attorney General decline to prosecute, but he can’t just make the story go away. > Trump isn’t tweeting to distract; he’s tweeting to divide. It’s both. Trump sees going full-racist as a way of delighting his base, and thus increasing his power and popularity. He also sees it as a way of keeping the conversation on all media–social and main-stream–_away from the dangerous-for-him Epstein story_. > [@Steve\_MB](#): > > IMO, the best response to “this shit” is to sweep it off the table and go into full Just Asking Questions mode on the reasons for the shit-dumping – variations on the theme “If _this_ is the _distraction_, just _ **how many** _ Epstein-brand shoes are lined up to drop on Trumpoltroon’s pointy little head?” Yes. The ugly racism is serving more than one purpose. Trump wants to ensure that the Epstein story isn’t top-of-the-fold. He wants to be sure that it’s mentioned only in the last five minutes of the news shows, if that. He wants to be sure that citations on new developments aren’t being shared online. Does that mean that anyone is saying “ignore the racism”? No. To suggest such a thing is to be a useful idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34492 "2019-07-17T02:05:14Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Maybe the way Michelle Bachman’s husband does it? By thinking of the pool boy? ---
**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 17, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34493 "2019-07-17T02:20:09Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Wait one tiny[del]-fingered[/del] moment! Isn’t that, itself, illegal? Federal forms requestinginformation are required to state (a) under which law the request for information is made, (b) who will have access to the information, and (c) specifically what the information is being asked for. In short, you cna’t change your mind on who can have access to that info after you’ve stated who will. > > Of course I’m not a lawyer, but in my unit forms control officer role a couple of decades ago, those are the rules I had to operate under. [I KNEW I hadn’t made it all up in my head!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21745526&postcount=34345) VINDICATION IS MINE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34494 "2019-07-17T03:19:06Z")
[Tweet](https://t.co/2Q7iffDwPa) from Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon: > [@](#): > > The explanation for this photo stopped me in my tracks. OIG observed hundreds of detainees in lines, surrendering their valuables to CBP. They also observed staff discarding all other detainee properties such as backpacks, suitcases, and handbags in a nearby dumpster. The photo is a pile of luggage and personal belongings. What do you think of when you see it? ---
**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 17, 2019, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34495 "2019-07-17T03:44:31Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > [Tweet](https://t.co/2Q7iffDwPa) from Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon: > > The photo is a pile of luggage and personal belongings. What do you think of when you see it? Will silver fillings and eyeglasses be next? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34496 "2019-07-17T04:34:34Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Will silver fillings and eyeglasses be next? ogdamit, now you have put that cringey scene from _Paradise Road_ in my head ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34497 "2019-07-17T04:35:08Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > So they vote to condemn his remarks. Which means… what? “Our vote says the president did something bad.” Whoop-de-doo. There’s still 184 GOPers standing with him. That’s 184 Republicans up for election who unequivocally refused to say that racist comments were bad, because they were spoken by their leader. They can wear this. I know in many cases it won’t matter, because they are elected by enough other racists in their districts. But some of them will lose if it’s pointed out repeatedly that they REFUSED to say that racist comments were bad. ---
**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 17, 2019, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34498 "2019-07-17T05:20:32Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > That’s 184 Republicans up for election who unequivocally refused to say that racist comments were bad, because they were spoken by their leader. > > They can wear this. I know in many cases it won’t matter, because they are elected by enough other racists in their districts. But some of them will lose if it’s pointed out repeatedly that they REFUSED to say that racist comments were bad. I wouldn’t make that assumption; republicans who get elected have a sufficient number of racists to get them elected. ---
**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 17, 2019, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34499 "2019-07-17T05:36:35Z")
[Go ahead: tell me this isn’t part of their starve-it-then-drown-it-in-a-bathtub strategy](https://apnews.com/ed7c7ef87a5348c59590848c50d400f6). First the USDA, now the BLM… > [@](#): > > The Trump administration said Tuesday that it can save taxpayers millions of dollars, make better decisions and trim a “top heavy” office in Washington by moving the headquarters of the nation’s biggest land agency to Colorado and dispersing scores of jobs across 11 states in the U.S. West. > > Interior Department officials said they hope to open the new Bureau of Land Management headquarters in the western Colorado town of Grand Junction and complete most of the job shifts by September 2020. The USDA move is going swimmingly well: [Many USDA employees decline to relocate to Kansas City as deadline passes](https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/many-usda-employees-decline-to-relocate-to-kansas-city-as-deadline-passes): > [@](#): > > On Tuesday, a USDA spokesperson said that after a midnight deadline Monday, 72 employees had notified the ERS they were accepting the transfer, while 99 employees either declined or didn’t provide a response. > > The department estimates that 76 ERS positions will remain in Washington. > > The numbers were more stark for NIFA, where 73 employees accepted transfers compared with 151 employees who either said no or didn’t provide a response. > > Twenty-one NIFA positions will remain in Washington. [Scientists flee USDA as research agencies move to Kansas City area](https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/453193-scientists-flee-usda-as-research-agencies-move-to-kansas-city-area): > [@](#): > > Estimates tallied by employees show 70 percent of ERS employees designated for the Kansas City office will not be moving. For NIFA, 45 percent of those surveyed said they will not move. Overall, the move was expected to impact 547 staff between the two agencies. > > But the numbers of staff refusing to move may grow. Some employees said staff at both agencies are trying not to tip their hands, saying they will move only if they do not find another job in the D.C. area. > > So far, just 27 ERS staff out of 250 have committed to moving to the Kansas City area, according to the employee tallies. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34500 "2019-07-17T05:55:02Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I’ll just note that you all are taking the bait. > > Trump is going all in on cages and racism because Epstein is in the news. If you allow yourselves to be distracted by political correctness, you’ve lost the best ammunition against the guy. > > You should all just finish every political comment with anyone on the Internet by mentioning Epstein, John Casablancas, George Nader, and Tevfik Arif. Keep that up in every post until 2020 and the election is yours. > > Throw in the occasional comment about Trump Foundation stealing from people who got their legs blown off and you’re golden. Or mention Kristopher Hansen. That’s another good one. Pointing out that Trump is a racist isn’t doing him any favors. Decent people aren’t going to vote for somebody who’s openly racist. Sure, we’ll also be sure to keep talking about how Trump rapes women. And how he takes bribes. And how he has secret connections with hostile governments. And, of course, how he’s incompetent. But racism is a serious issue that affects tens of millions of Americans. It’s not a minor thing. And Trump’s racism has gone far beyond “political correctness”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34501 "2019-07-17T06:12:22Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > A corporation is just a collection of money, real estate, contracts, patents, goodwill and other tangible and intangible assets. It’s no more a person than my car. > > And if I give Bob my car keys and he runs someone over at a crosswalk, you’e not going to say, “Bob failed in his guardianship of the car”, you’re going to say, “Bob killed a guy!”. Bob will be responsible for the death, as will I be for letting him drive in the first place. The car won’t be responsible for anything. It’s just a car. But in some legal aspects (at least here in America) this isn’t true. A corporation can be a legal person and can be held legally liable for things rather than the executives of the corporation. To use your analogy, sometimes our legal system holds the car responsible for the accident rather than the person who was driving the car. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34502 "2019-07-17T06:42:56Z")
Trump is now trying to claim that he just doesn’t like it when people say bad things about the USA. Has anyone compiled the myriad ways Trump disparaged the United States of America over the years before he became president? One that occurred to me was his campaign book from 2016: [https://twitter.com/slackerinc/status/1151379345547522048?s=21](https://twitter.com/slackerinc/status/1151379345547522048?s=21) ---
**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:** [July 17, 2019, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34503 "2019-07-17T09:43:32Z")
Didn’t he go on Russian television during the campaign to complain about how terrible America was? ---
**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 17, 2019, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/34504 "2019-07-17T11:02:36Z")
Bo, thanks for that. Actually quite a clever way to ruin an agency of government, and effectively weaken its regulatory powers - relocate its headquarters to some faraway, less-desirable-for-many place. Crap. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1724) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1726)