# 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:** 929
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18565 "2018-03-28T19:12:28Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Today’s CNN headline. > **The President can’t find a lawyer** > > I know this is exactly the sort of thing the moron-in-chief deserves. But maybe a law student will step forward to help him? Bueller? Anyone? Do I have to pass the bar exam first? I doubt I could Mike Ross it, but who knows? ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18566 "2018-03-28T20:23:49Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Why would you say that? Because the COE is not the only method of procuring military construction, and when a project goes to them you can usually count on the costs going up. They are good at building large projects, but not cheaply. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18567 "2018-03-28T21:06:53Z")
wrong thread ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18568 "2018-03-28T21:41:38Z")
Shulkin is [out](http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-va-shulkin-out-20180328-story.html). ---
**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:** [March 28, 2018, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18569 "2018-03-28T21:52:38Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > Shulkin is [out](http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-va-shulkin-out-20180328-story.html). And a doctor who can’t even weigh someone accurately is in. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18570 "2018-03-28T22:01:53Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > And a doctor who can’t even weigh someone accurately is in. So, odds are that his ‘physical’ was more of a job interview… ---
**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 28, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18571 "2018-03-28T22:05:24Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > … I see this particular woman stand at the podium to tell people stuff. Her brow it knit and her eyes are glaring and she looks totally overmatched by the job (the sound is muted because, well, we want to keep this wallpaper on the walls). She looks for all the world to be a post turtle. > > Now, I could see someone like Kelley thinking, “_We need to keep her, right up front like that. People see her and it makes them sad. That little bit helps. It is not like we are drowning in public empathy here._” > > So I am wondering if this could be a ploy. Is this spokeswoman a genuine post turtle, is it a pure sympathy play, or maybe a bit of both? … I had never heard of “post turtles” before this (thanks!) Looking at the images on Google, it appears the term has been used mainly by those on the right in recent years (lots of anti-Obama stuff), so that may be why it was new to me. Anyway: as another poster said, Sarah Huckabee Sanders has her job mainly because she’s willing to lie freely and often, and apparently feels no pangs of conscience because…well, something to do with The Lord, no doubt. But, yes. She does achieve a certain level of Teflon-ness due to her being, clearly, a person who’s not precisely physically “normal.” Sean Spicer’s appearance was pilloried constantly, but that was partly because he was a person in the realm of physical normality who was overweight. SHS is overweight, too, but escapes being ridiculed for it because any observer can see that if she lost the weight she’d still be physically atypical. In olden days she would have been called “ill-favored.” The left tends to pride itself on possession of the kind of decency that avoids mocking people who have unfortunate genetic or other abnormalities. That’s why SHS escapes a lot of criticism. People who deplore her facility with deceit, still feel sorry for her. eta: not the professional opinion you were looking for, but an opinion nonetheless. ---
**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 28, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18572 "2018-03-28T22:25:15Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I had never heard of “post turtles” before this (thanks!) Looking at the images on Google, it appears the term has been used mainly by those on the right in recent years (lots of anti-Obama stuff), so that may be why it was new to me. > > Anyway: as another poster said, Sarah Huckabee Sanders has her job mainly because she’s willing to lie freely and often, and apparently feels no pangs of conscience because…well, something to do with The Lord, no doubt. > > But, yes. She does achieve a certain level of Teflon-ness due to her being, clearly, a person who’s not precisely physically “normal.” Sean Spicer’s appearance was pilloried constantly, but that was partly because he was a person in the realm of physical normality who was overweight. SHS is overweight, too, but escapes being ridiculed for it because any observer can see that if she lost the weight she’d still be physically atypical. > > In olden days she would have been called “ill-favored.” The left tends to pride itself on possession of the kind of decency that avoids mocking people who have unfortunate genetic or other abnormalities. That’s why SHS escapes a lot of criticism. People who deplore her facility with deceit, still feel sorry for her. I hadn’t noticed any hint of anybody feeling sorry for her, or even any restraint in criticism of her failings at her job and morality. If liberals are holding back on insulting her appearance, I would speculate it’s just because there’s so much more legitimate stuff to criticize her for - and, well, she doesn’t actually look all that bad, objectively speaking. (Keep in mind that any objective analysis would include an awareness of Trump, and how pretty much everybody else looks normal by comparison to him.) ---
**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:** [March 28, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18573 "2018-03-28T22:56:27Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I had never heard of “post turtles” before this (thanks!) Looking at the images on Google, it appears the term has been used mainly by those on the right in recent years … Who borrowed it from the previous decade, not surprisingly. I first heard it used by the Great Miss Molly when describing her former governor in the WH. The right just thought, “oh, tit-for-tat,” even though it was not vaguely applicable. It shows their lack of comprehension (e.g., _‘why isn’t “honky” as offensive as “jigaboo”?’_). ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18574 "2018-03-28T23:08:15Z")
[Trump ousts Veterans Affairs chief Shulkin](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-ousts-veterans-affairs-chief-david-shulkin-in-administrations-latest-shake-up/2018/03/28/3c1da57e-2794-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html?utm_term=.f1376b346fbd), nominates personal physician to replace him. Does Trump own any racehorses? What are the chances that Trump with emulate Caligula who proposed appointing his favourite horse, Incitatus as a consul! (history indicates he didn’t actually do it, rather was a calculated insult). ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18575 "2018-03-28T23:20:52Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > _White House Probes Kushner Business Loans After Ethics Questions_ > > [White House Probes Kushner Business Loans After Ethics Questions | HuffPost Latest News](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/white-house-probes-kushner-business-loans-after-ethics-questions_us_5ab9b3bae4b0decad04d3f58) > > Tomorrow: _White House Concludes “Everything Just Fine”_ From the article > [@](#): > > “I have discussed this matter with the White House counsel’s office in order to ensure that they have begun the process of ascertaining the facts necessary to determine whether any law or regulation has been violated,” Apol added. “The White House informed me that hey had already begun this process.” “Oh yes!”, they said, “We started shredding documents some 3 weeks ago!” > [@Chisquirrel](#): > > Do I have to pass the bar exam first? I doubt I could Mike Ross it, but who knows? Will you sign a NDA and a Loyalty oath, agree to tell any lies requested by Mr. Trump, whether or not the contradict your previous lies, up to and including felony perjury and obstruction of justice with the understanding that in exchange you will at some point within the next 6 months be thrown under a bus and stiffed on your retainer? If so, then you’re just the person they are looking for. ---
**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 28, 2018, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18576 "2018-03-28T23:42:38Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Who borrowed it from the previous decade, not surprisingly. I first heard it used by the Great Miss Molly when describing her former governor in the WH. The right just thought, “oh, tit-for-tat,” even though it was not vaguely applicable. It shows their lack of comprehension (e.g., _‘why isn’t “honky” as offensive as “jigaboo”?’_). Sounds about right. (And the wikipedia article on the term agrees with you about Ivins having been an early user.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18577 "2018-03-29T01:08:42Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > 1-The White House has hired a 22-year-old former Disney Channel star named Caroline Sunshine to work in the Press Office. > [Disney Alum Caroline Sunshine Joins White House Press Team](http://people.com/tv/former-disney-star-caroline-sunshine-white-house-press-team/) After a week in her new job, she’ll undoubtedly rename herself to Caroline Fever. ---
**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:** [March 29, 2018, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18578 "2018-03-29T01:58:53Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > 1-The White House has hired a 22-year-old former Disney Channel star named Caroline Sunshine to work in the Press Office. > [Disney Alum Caroline Sunshine Joins White House Press Team](http://people.com/tv/former-disney-star-caroline-sunshine-white-house-press-team/) Argh, I cannot handle the cog-dis. She fellates the AEI (figuratively) and then the article has a posting of hers on social media where she urges us to get out and vote _by quoting a line from the Lorax_. Obviously her reading comprehension is “oh, look, colorful pictures!” ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18579 "2018-03-29T02:02:28Z")
> [@simster](#): > > So, odds are that his ‘physical’ was more of a job interview… Yup - say nice things - get a job - [QUOTEhttps://www.cnn.com/2018/03/28/politics/ronny-jackson-medical-exam-trump/index.html] Washington (CNN)White House physician Ronny Jackson’s performance during an extended grilling over President Donald Trump’s health and cognitive fitness played a part in his nomination for secretary of Veterans Affairs, a White House official told CNN Wednesday. The official said Trump liked the way Jackson handled himself with reporters during the briefing in January. [/QUOTE] Now - granted, he may be an excellent choice for the role - but seriously… ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18580 "2018-03-29T02:11:35Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Yup - say nice things - get a job - > > > [@](#): > > > > [https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/28/politics/ronny-jackson-medical-exam-trump/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/28/politics/ronny-jackson-medical-exam-trump/index.html)]Washington (CNN)White House physician Ronny Jackson’s performance during an extended grilling over President Donald Trump’s health and cognitive fitness played a part in his nomination for secretary of Veterans Affairs, a White House official told CNN Wednesday. > > The official said Trump liked the way Jackson handled himself with reporters during the briefing in January. > > Now - granted, he may be an excellent choice for the role - but seriously… He failed to weigh properly and started the Girther controversy… but then, a waist is a terrible thing to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18581 "2018-03-29T02:13:00Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > [Trump ousts Veterans Affairs chief Shulkin](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-ousts-veterans-affairs-chief-david-shulkin-in-administrations-latest-shake-up/2018/03/28/3c1da57e-2794-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html?utm_term=.f1376b346fbd), nominates personal physician to replace him. > > Does Trump own any racehorses? > What are the chances that Trump with emulate Caligula who proposed appointing his favourite horse, Incitatus as a consul! (history indicates he didn’t actually do it, rather was a calculated insult). The replacement, a former WH physician no managerial experience, has the douchey name Ronny L. Jackson. I believe that’s a first - a name where the first name is a “y” version, followed by the middle initial, like Davey H. Lawrence or Hunty S. Thompson. ---
**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:** [March 29, 2018, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18582 "2018-03-29T02:29:32Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > The replacement, a former WH physician no managerial experience, has the douchey name Ronny L. Jackson. > I believe that’s a first - a name where the first name is a “y” version, followed by the middle initial, like Davey H. Lawrence or Hunty S. Thompson. [Ron!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=495672) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18583 "2018-03-29T03:41:54Z")
I thought Shulkin being on the ropes was fake news? ---
**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:** [March 29, 2018, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18584 "2018-03-29T03:45:03Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I thought Shulkin being on the ropes was fake news? That was _so_ a few hours ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=928) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=930)