# 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:** 707
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14125 "2017-12-07T18:13:49Z")
There’s been some discussion is this thread about the origin of Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. I ran into a story on Politico just now that attributes it to Kushner. > [@Politico](#): > > Trump first promised he would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital when he delivered a campaign speech — written with heavy input from Kushner — in front of the hard-line pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC on March 21, 2016. Whole story [here](https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/06/jared-kushner-trump-jerusalem-mideast-peace-283770?lo=ap_e1). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14126 "2017-12-07T18:16:51Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Political cartoonist Ann Telnaes has proposed a [new logo for the GOP](https://www.mediaite.com/trump/yikes-wapo-cartoonist-re-imagines-gop-logo-for-the-party-of-roy-moore/), after the RNC decided to go ahead and support Roy Moore. I give it a day before some GOP knockoff artist imitates it with the Democratic Donkey in their usual whataboutism. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2017, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14127 "2017-12-07T19:00:52Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Bill Clinton. > [@AK84](#): > > Oooohhhh, thats easy. Bill Clinton. And much much more than either. Not even close. I’m talking about someone hated with the pure hellish venom that have been directed at Obama and HIllary. Not even close. > [@](#): > > LBJ would be up there too. On the other hand, from what I have read, even his allies hated him. He was a first rate asshole. Again, absolutely not. (BTW, how old are you?) Y’all aren’t paying attention. I asked if any Dem has been hated with the level of apocalyptic fury that the Right has leveled at Obama and Hillary. Bill C and LBJ aren’t even in the ballpark. Sure, they were hated by their opponents, but not with the righteous, indignant passion spat at the uppity white lady and the uppity black man. Bill and Lyndon were white men and thus, whatever their crimes, they were always inside the tent. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14128 "2017-12-07T19:01:09Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Not true. If they were to express any sort of consideration about gun safety, or the rights of a woman to have control over her own body, or call for the wealthy to pay their share, they’d get booted out instantly. RINO is the new internecine insult. I see it all the time in FB posts, for example. McCain is a RINO, Flake is a RINO. They are “traitors”. They should be arrested. I think those idiots would say Goldwater was a RINO. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14129 "2017-12-07T19:04:49Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > RINO is the new internecine insult. I see it all the time in FB posts, for example. > > McCain is a RINO, Flake is a RINO. They are “traitors”. They should be arrested. > > **I think those idiots would say Goldwater was a RINO.** Compared to the current crop, he is. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14130 "2017-12-07T19:23:00Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I think those idiots would say Goldwater was a RINO. Damnit, I played it out in my head, and now I’ve got A-U, H20; Was, a, Ri-ino; stuck in my head. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14131 "2017-12-07T19:30:12Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Not even close. I’m talking about someone hated with the pure hellish venom that have been directed at Obama and HIllary. Not even close. > Again, absolutely not. (BTW, how old are you?) Old enough to have been an adult in the Nineties. I assume you were too. That’s when Fox, the VRWC, and Rush Limbaugh came into their own, you may recall. That’s when we had a special prosecutor thrashing around trying to find something, being cheered on by the right with “hellish venom”. That’s when they succeeded in a spite impeachment. That’s when we had the Clinton Chronicles tapes on sale (they still are, btw). That’s when we had the Republican leadership in the House send out memos to his members listing all of the hate words they should use against the Democrats. Remember all that? What did Obama or Hillary have that comes close - and I hope you’re not going to go with birtherism and e-mails? Sorry, your premise is just not supported by the historical record - except to the extent that Bubba was called “the first black president”, and was indeed hated to some degree for treating blacks as equals, and for wanting to help people who grew up as poor as he did, a disproportionate number of whom are black. That Obama indeed was black facilitated hatred of him but certainly wasn’t necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14132 "2017-12-07T19:40:24Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > The visceral hatred of Obama wouldn’t be nearly as strong as it is if he weren’t black. Just like the visceral hatred of Hillary wouldn’t be as strong as it is if she weren’t a woman. **Can anyone name a white male Democrat who is hated or has ever been hated by the Right as much as these two are?** Sure. Clinton, William Jefferson (“Slick Willie”) got that kind of treatment since before, during, and after his Presidential days. Remember how the right steadfastly called him a Communist because he had visited Moscow? (Tom Tomorrow had a cartoon sarcastically showing Clinton meeting Castro, one of them saying “We must reminisce about the wild days of our youth in Moscow!”) ---
**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:** [December 7, 2017, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14133 "2017-12-07T20:03:29Z")
I guess the New York Times is getting defensive about being called the “Failing New York Times”. Times reporter Adam Goldman just tweeted, “Breaking news: @nytimes now has more than 3.5 million paid subscriptions and more than 130 million monthly readers, more than double our audience just two years ago.” [https://twitter.com/adamgoldmanNYT/status/938773782902255616](https://twitter.com/adamgoldmanNYT/status/938773782902255616) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14134 "2017-12-07T20:05:18Z")
Defensive, or just goading him. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14135 "2017-12-07T20:10:53Z")
It would have been better if they included Trump’s approval rating and then said “Who’s failing now?” ---
**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:** [December 7, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14136 "2017-12-07T20:21:54Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Old enough to have been an adult in the Nineties. I assume you were too. Honey, I was an old lady in the Nineties. > [@](#): > > Sorry, your premise is just not supported by the historical record … Yeah, it is. You just haven’t gone back far enough. I guess you had to be there. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14137 "2017-12-07T20:23:45Z")
Erik Prince’s plan to privatize the Afghan War includes mining Afghanistan’s minerals to pay for it. > **[Private War: Erik Prince Has Got His Eyes On Afghanistan's Rare Metals](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/aramroston/private-war-erik-prince-has-his-eye-on-afghanistans-rare)** > > BuzzFeed News is publishing the slide presentation by the founder of Blackwater to privatize the Afghan war and mine Afghanistan's valuable minerals. He pitched the proposal to the Trump administration. Prince told BuzzFeed News, "You're a fucking... ---
**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:** [December 7, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14138 "2017-12-07T20:23:47Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > I guess the New York Times is getting defensive about being called the “Failing New York Times”. Times reporter Adam Goldman just tweeted, “Breaking news: @nytimes now has more than 3.5 million paid subscriptions and more than 130 million monthly readers, more than double our audience just two years ago.” > [x.com](https://twitter.com/adamgoldmanNYT/status/938773782902255616) Not sure i’d describe that as defensive. It could just as easily be interpreted as “Pointing out yet another way that the President is wrong.” One of the interesting and rather salutary effects of the current presidential clusterfuck is a growing number of people recognizing the need for quality journalism. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14139 "2017-12-07T20:38:26Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > One of the interesting and rather salutary effects of the current presidential clusterfuck is a growing number of people recognizing the need for quality journalism. …Just as the quality of journalism has taken a steep dive. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14140 "2017-12-07T20:40:27Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > …Just as the quality of journalism has taken a steep dive. I don’t accept your premise. Some is terrible, but there’s also some excellent journalism being done right now. Even the top outlets can be uneven in their quality, but there is some outstanding political analysis, investigative journalism, and plain old day-to-day reportage going on. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14141 "2017-12-07T20:48:06Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > You just haven’t gone back far enough. I guess you had to be there. How far back does one have to go before the Clinton Administration didn’t happen? You’re not making sense, Grandma. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2017, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14142 "2017-12-07T20:52:29Z")
Sarah Huckabee on US participation in the Winter Olympics; “no official decision has been made on that, and we’ll keep you posted as the decisions are made.” Half an hour later: “UPDATE: The U.S. looks forward to participating in the Winter Olympics in South Korea. The protection of Americans is our top priority and we are engaged with the South Koreans and other partner nations to secure the venues.” ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14143 "2017-12-07T21:03:45Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Not sure i’d describe that as defensive. It could just as easily be interpreted as “Pointing out yet another way that the President is wrong.” > > One of the interesting and rather salutary effects of the current presidential clusterfuck is a growing number of people recognizing the need for quality journalism. Make Investigative Journalism Great Again! ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14144 "2017-12-07T21:07:14Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Sarah Huckabee on US participation in the Winter Olympics; “no official decision has been made on that, and we’ll keep you posted as the decisions are made.” > Half an hour later: “UPDATE: The U.S. looks forward to participating in the Winter Olympics in South Korea. The protection of Americans is our top priority and we are engaged with the South Koreans and other partner nations to secure the venues.” I thought they’d say if Putin can’t go, we’re not going either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=706) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=708)