# 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:** 804
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16065 "2018-01-29T19:10:52Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > “Diplomacy is the art of saying ‘Nice doggie!’ until you can find a rock.” - Will Rogers Now THAT quote, I like 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16066 "2018-01-29T19:13:52Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Forget about superhero movies - it’s that damn rock n’ roll misic people are listening to. Anyone who prefers Jimmy Page to Mahler is obviously a simpleton and should not be allowed to vote. Mahler? MAHLER? With his hippity-hoppity Kindertotenlieder? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16067 "2018-01-29T19:24:18Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > So when Trump crows to the public about how it was his idea and he made it happen… what? Are you thinking that the POTUS can be manipulated _and kept ignorant of the manipulation_, while the general public knows about it, so Trump’s claims will ring hollow? > > No, the public would eat it up and vote for him again: “just look at all the good things that even Democrats like that Trump did!” > > Your thoughts here, IMO, are misguided and are sacrificing long-term stability for (possible) short-term gain. You’re going to have to come up with some pretty fantastic arguments to make me believe that for every potential decent thing Trump might do in office, he wouldn’t have already done at least 20 bad things and so the prospect of a second term isn’t that bad an idea. Frankly, I don’t think such an argument can be made, but I’ll read it if you try. > > And note, it’s not just about getting rid of Trump: we need to make sure as little gets damaged as possible while he’s still in office. Can’t do that if we’re just letting him do what he wants and right now, Trump and the GOP are doing whatever they want. I have to agree with this. > [@enipla](#): > > I second that. I hope that ALL republicans that are up in 2018 are replaced with democrats or unaffiliated. Be it a mayor, county commissioner or sheriff. > > That may show congress that trump is not a good horse to bet on. I have to agree with this too, even though I am not a “straight ticket” type. We need to have a purge and send a message. I think the reason some top Repubs are “retiring” is exactly because they suspect this is coming. I understand what kb9friender is saying, but I disagree - letting that orange bastard slide even ONE more day is too bitter a pill to swallow. Besides, any deal or agreement with him is worth absolutely nothing anyway. There is nothing to work WITH. Only against. Further, why should the Unites States (Congress, the people, any of us) work with the traitor who sold us all out to Putin? In fact, if Congress was worth a damn, they have the power to marginalize and steamroll him. They can pass laws/bills, override vetoes, etc etc etc. But they won’t. And Dems should NEVER pay for that wall. Make Trump choke on it. After all, whenever he goes whining to the Mexican president for support on the wall, he tells HIM t isn’t that important. So fuck the wall. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16068 "2018-01-29T19:32:13Z")
> [@wonky](#): > > Mahler? MAHLER? With his hippity-hoppity Kindertotenlieder? Unfortunately Trump can whine louder than a symphony of a thousand. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16069 "2018-01-29T19:41:10Z")
> [@wonky](#): > > Dude, you are sneering in contempt and you want other people to be nice to you? You sound like a Trump voter. I don’t see him holding anyone in contempt, though. Well, not until people started going after him, at least. He pointed out something as a general trend, and then one person came in and acted like their one example disproved the trend. A bunch of people took a comment not meant to be personal as a personal attack. Superhero movies are, beneath it all, a fantasy about how some strongman is going to come in and save the day. If not, then why would they be the heroes? That doesn’t mean that everyone who watches them supports an authoritarian mindset, but the large popularity does suggest that people enjoy this fantasy. And, yes, I could do rock music the same way. Rock was a rebellion, and the fact that it was so well liked was an indication that there was a rebellious spirit, which we can actually see if we go through history. No, it doesn’t mean only the rebellious can appreciate rock, but it does show a general trend. We live in a world where Trump is president. If people didn’t like strongman authoritarians, that could not have happened. And the fact that fiction about strongman authoritarians is popular correlates with the trend. **I actually enjoy a good superhero movie myself.** I’m not against them in the slightest. But the odd popularity at a time when authoritarianism is on the rise is not something I can ignore. I don’t even agree with **Snowboarder Bo** ’s underlying point. It’s true that the trend is there, but it doesn’t mean that it’s a majority. And it doesn’t mean that liberals can’t leverage the same mindset of a strong leader coming in and fixing things. Treat Trump as a supervillain who the superheroes defeat. We can appeal to those who are in the middle, who like some authoritarian ideas, but hate Trump and how evil he is. We can hit the people who are more practical minded, showing how bad Trump has been for us. We can just get out the base, who were suppressed by stuff against Clinton last time. We have a chance, and his hopelessness is not called for. But his idea that superheroes are an authoritarian fantasy is a pretty common and well-backed idea. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2018, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16070 "2018-01-29T20:07:56Z")
Funny. The biggest movie of the year is **Wonder Woman** , about female empowerment. And one of the biggest superhero movies of all times is **Captain America Civil War** , about people who stand up to governmental overreach. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16071 "2018-01-29T20:53:08Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Funny. The biggest movie of the year is **Wonder Woman** , about female empowerment. And one of the biggest superhero movies of all times is **Captain America Civil War** , about people who stand up to governmental overreach. Wonder Woman is about Wonder Woman. It’s about a superhero who beats the shit out of bad guys, making it just like most superhero movies. There is no particularly discernible “Female empowerment” theme in it beyond the fact that the attractive principle actor in a silly suit is a woman. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16072 "2018-01-29T20:56:29Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I don’t see him holding anyone in contempt, though. Well, not until people started going after him, at least. > > He pointed out something as a general trend, and then one person came in and acted like their one example disproved the trend. A bunch of people took a comment not meant to be personal as a personal attack. > > Superhero movies are, beneath it all, a fantasy about how some strongman is going to come in and save the day. If not, then why would they be the heroes? That doesn’t mean that everyone who watches them supports an authoritarian mindset, but the large popularity does suggest that people enjoy this fantasy. > We live in a world where Trump is president. If people didn’t like strongman authoritarians, that could not have happened. And the fact that fiction about strongman authoritarians is popular correlates with the trend. > > **I actually enjoy a good superhero movie myself.** I’m not against them in the slightest. But the odd popularity at a time when authoritarianism is on the rise is not something I can ignore. > We have a chance, and his hopelessness is not called for. But his idea that superheroes are an authoritarian fantasy is a pretty common and well-backed idea. I think you’ve got it backwards. I’ve been reading a lot of the very first Superman comics and comic strips recently. Superman is the guy who comes in and rescues you from the corrupt strongmen who are in power. Superheroes are fantasies for the powerless who want to circumvent the system to help their situation. It’s not a fantasy by the in-their-own-minds-downtrodden Trump supporters to have their own guy save them. After all, he’s the guy who now controls the levers of power. The superhero fantasy is more suited to the people who think they’re being downtrodden by Trump and the establishment, and they want the fantasy figure to single-handedly make things right. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16073 "2018-01-29T21:00:41Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Wonder Woman is about Wonder Woman. It’s about a superhero who beats the shit out of bad guys, making it just like most superhero movies. There is no particularly discernible “Female empowerment” theme in it beyond the fact that the attractive principle actor in a silly suit is a woman. That’s ridiculous. There are multiple occasions when people ignore her or tell her she can’t do something because she’s a woman only for her to prove them wrong. It’s an extremely obvious theme. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2018, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16074 "2018-01-29T21:14:08Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Wonder Woman is about Wonder Woman. It’s about a superhero who beats the shit out of bad guys, making it just like most superhero movies. There is no particularly discernible “Female empowerment” theme in it beyond the fact that the attractive principle actor in a silly suit is a woman. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16075 "2018-01-29T21:31:12Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > I understand what kb9friender is saying, but I disagree - letting that orange bastard slide even ONE more day is too bitter a pill to swallow. Besides, any deal or agreement with him is worth absolutely nothing anyway. There is nothing to work WITH. Only against. Further, why should the Unites States (Congress, the people, any of us) work with the traitor who sold us all out to Putin? > In fact, if Congress was worth a damn, they have the power to marginalize and steamroll him. They can pass laws/bills, override vetoes, etc etc etc. But they won’t. And Dems should NEVER pay for that wall. Make Trump choke on it. After all, whenever he goes whining to the Mexican president for support on the wall, he tells HIM t isn’t that important. So fuck the wall. The reality though is that refusing all cooperation means: 1. What the Republicans can pass without Dem support gets zero Dem input and has to be pushed sufficiently to the right to please the various loony caucuses. 2. What they can’t pass without the Dems won’t get passed at all and the Dems are crushed in the mid-terms. DACA for instance has support, but not “shut down the government for weeks and let federal employees beg on the street corners”-support. It might be a lose-lose choice for the Dems in the end, but only one approach, zero cooperation, truly guarantees a defeat. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16076 "2018-01-29T21:38:00Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Wonder Woman is about Wonder Woman. It’s about a superhero who beats the shit out of bad guys, making it just like most superhero movies. There is no particularly discernible “Female empowerment” theme in it beyond the fact that the attractive principle actor in a silly suit is a woman. > [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > That’s ridiculous. There are multiple occasions when people ignore her or tell her she can’t do something because she’s a woman only for her to prove them wrong. It’s an extremely obvious theme. More fundamentally, the whole point of the story’s resolution is that she’s _mistaken_ in her original belief that she just needs to find and beat up the Bad Guy and then everything will be copacetic – the problems are more complicated than that and are caused by lots of people doing lots of things that mostly seemed like a good idea at the time. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16077 "2018-01-29T21:40:30Z")
> [@naita](#): > > The reality though is that refusing all cooperation means: > > 1. What the Republicans can pass without Dem support gets zero Dem input and has to be pushed sufficiently to the right to please the various loony caucuses. > > 2. What they can’t pass without the Dems won’t get passed at all and the Dems are crushed in the mid-terms. > > DACA for instance has support, but not “shut down the government for weeks and let federal employees beg on the street corners”-support. > > It might be a lose-lose choice for the Dems in the end, but only one approach, zero cooperation, truly guarantees a defeat. One thing they CAN do, is drag their feet and delay and cock block on appointments (and keep showing how grossly inadequate Trump’s appointees are). That they can definitely do. Face it. Any thing they give, Trump will steal credit for. Whether he contributed or they had to lock him out of the damn room, makes no difference. And he will do his damnedest to take back whatever they thought they would get - or sabotage it out of spite. He needs to be rudely reminded that he is ONLY a president, not the _God King OF Dune_. ---
**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:** [January 30, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16078 "2018-01-30T00:05:55Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Andrew McCabe stepping down, NBC News reports. He was scheduled to leave in March, but has decided to leave soonest. > > [x.com](https://twitter.com/JesseRodriguez/status/958028232372219905) > [@silenus](#): > > CNN is reporting that it “wasn’t his choice.” So Trump out and out fired him. All I know is what I learn from the Straight Dope Message Board. From the Mueller Investigation thread, we have: > [@A Thread for the Mueller Investigation Results and Outcomes (Part 1)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/2098): > > My understanding is McCabe is stepping down from his appointed Deputy Director position but will remain an FBI employee until he can take his full retirement in March. ---
**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:** [January 30, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16079 "2018-01-30T00:08:52Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > He needs to be rudely reminded that he is ONLY a president, not the _God King OF Dune_. Well, Leto was a huge worm. You cannot deny the superficial resemblance. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16080 "2018-01-30T00:18:11Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > \I have to agree with this too, even though I am not a “straight ticket” type. We need to have a purge and send a message. I think the reason some top Repubs are “retiring” is exactly because they suspect this is coming. Yup. And while I did vote for Hillary, I would have seriously considered John Kasich instead. When trump got the nomination, there was obviously no choice but to vote for Clinton. Over a year later, I’m still stunned that anyone could vote for that bastard. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16081 "2018-01-30T01:21:22Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > That’s ridiculous. There are multiple occasions when people ignore her or tell her she can’t do something because she’s a woman only for her to prove them wrong. It’s an extremely obvious theme. A film about female empowerment that still has her in a costume that shows off her tits and legs? “She might be powerful, but above all else, she is a hottie!” ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16082 "2018-01-30T01:31:42Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > A film about female empowerment that still has her in a costume that shows off her tits and legs? “She might be powerful, but above all else, she is a hottie!” Some women are empowered by their clothing choices. Some are empowered by modesty. Some are empowered by nudity. Do not judge. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16083 "2018-01-30T01:35:10Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Some women are empowered by their clothing choices. Some are empowered by modesty. Some are empowered by nudity. Do not judge. Except the basic fact of human nature is that you’re going to be judged by your appearance and the clothing you choose to wear. Don’t like it? Good luck with that. ---
**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:** [January 30, 2018, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16084 "2018-01-30T01:45:37Z")
[It loooks likee nooone porfread the Stat of the Uniom ticketts](https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/mbp87a/it-loooks-likee-nooone-porfread-the-stat-of-the-uniom-ticketts)! > [@](#): > > Anticipation is building for President Trump’s first State of the Union address after his tumultuous first year in office. > > But the tickets for Tuesday’s event are already gaining attention. > > On Monday, several lawmakers noticed an embarrassing spelling error on their blue invites: State of the Union was spelled “State of the Uniom.” 😛 Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there! What a clusterfuck this administration is! It’s hilarious! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=803) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=805)