[The Final Dakar]

Reference

This wasn't entirely unexpected, but instead of Mooch getting the job it's the current head of Homeland Security and a general? How often do we get military people, let alone high ranking ones, as chief of staff?

I'm fascinated by the choice. I would think a military man is good for imposing order, but Trump is immune and that will completely undermine his work.

[The Final Dakar]

Also, I was planning on dialing back the internet news this weekend after sufferring through the health care thing, but this administration just does not let up.

I suppose subego's question might be how long til Bannon leaves. I don't think very soon given his nationalistic speeches lately.

[subego]

Whether generals were ever CoS was my question too.

[The Final Dakar]

Oh, in case you're concerned about Russia or China or NK or some other cyber-threat:

Well, the department in charge of most federal cybersecurity work needs a new leader.

I suppose that's a position to take bets on. I'm not in the know enough to make any without a list.

[The Final Dakar]

For context, list of casualties 6 months in:

Chief of Staff
Deputy Chief of Staff
FBI Director
National Security Advisor
Press Secretary
Communications Director

...and the Attorney General is on thin ****ing ice.

[subego]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I suppose subego's question might be how long til Bannon leaves. I don't think very soon given his nationalistic speeches lately.

Sorta related to this, I'm a little surprised about the emerging narrative the guy who trademarked the phrase "you're fired" is too much of a wuss to actually can people.

The relation being the rumor Mooch was hired specifically to purge any and all non-familial factions.

So yeah, Captain Limber is probably on the block.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by subego 

Sorta related to this, I'm a little surprised about the emerging narrative the guy who trademarked the phrase "you're fired" is too much of a wuss to actually can people.

I saw this narrative appear months back, when he had his private security guy deliver the letter to Comey's empty office. Yes, somehow Mr. Alpha Male doesn't like firing people. Which, honestly, would be refreshing and normal, if it weren't that he's completely passive-aggressive about it.

[subego]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

For context, list of casualties 6 months in:

Chief of Staff
Deputy Chief of Staff
FBI Director
National Security Advisor
Press Secretary
Communications Director

...and the Attorney General is on thin ****ing ice.

He only gets rid of the best people.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by subego 

He only gets rid of the best people.

That's a good point you may not have meant to make. A few of these are defensible.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by subego 

So yeah, Captain Limber is probably on the block.

...

Kelly has a warm rapport with White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who has worked closely with him on shaping the administration's border enforcement policy. They have built a connection over their families' military service. Bannon, a former Navy officer, has a daughter who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

[subego]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

That's a good point you may not have meant to make. A few of these are defensible.

I understood there were multiple angles.

In fact, I'd say Flynn is the only indefensible person.

And happens to be the only one Trump is torn up about.

[The Final Dakar]

No, I meant it the other way. A few of these are defensible oustings.

[The Final Dakar]

This makes sense. Priebus always came across as weak-willed, dating back to when Trump was bullying the RNC in the primaries. It's part of the reason I was confused with his hire. Scaramucci, purposely or inadvertently put his will to the test and he flunked.

[subego]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

No, I meant it the other way. A few of these are defensible oustings.

Well, that's the other angle. Why can't he find people who aren't ****ups?

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by subego 

Why can't he find people who aren't ****ups?

C'mon dude, that's the easiest question to answer, especially 6 months in.

[subego]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

This makes sense. Priebus always came across as weak-willed, dating back to when Trump was bullying the RNC in the primaries. It's part of the reason I was confused with his hire. Scaramucci, purposely or inadvertently put his will to the test and he flunked.

He was hired because of his Rolodex.

That's the main job of CoS as I see it. They're the liaison with the Hill.

Priebus has working relationships with everyone there.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by subego 

Whether generals were ever CoS was my question too.

From twitter:

In May 1973, as the Watergate scandal deepened, Richard Nixon took the unusual step of making a general his new White House Chief of Staff.

I'm going to have to wiki this. It's too on the nose.

[subego]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

C'mon dude, that's the easiest question to answer, especially 6 months in.

It was rhetorical.

[subego]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

From twitter:


I'm going to have to wiki this. It's too on the nose.

Well, lookie there.

[The Final Dakar]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Haig

Haig served as White House Chief of Staff, while still retaining his Army commission, during the height of the Watergate affair from May 1973 until Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974. He took over the position from H.R. Haldeman, who resigned on April 30, 1973, while under pressure from Watergate prosecutors.

Haig has been largely credited with keeping the government running while President Nixon was preoccupied with Watergate,[1] and was essentially seen as the "acting president" during Nixon's last few months in office.

I am not comforted by this thought.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by subego 

It was rhetorical.

Sorry man. Sometimes text fails us, and sometimes the mind is too preoccupied to notice.

[Cap'n Tightpants]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

For context, list of casualties 6 months in:

Chief of Staff
Deputy Chief of Staff
FBI Director
National Security Advisor
Press Secretary
Communications Director

...and the Attorney General is on thin ****ing ice.

and it's not even close to being a record for a newly-minted president.

[The Final Dakar]

Jesus, he first offered Kelley the job in May. Wonder how that squares with rumors Preince was leaving.

[subego]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Sorry man. Sometimes text fails us, and sometimes the mind is too preoccupied to notice.

No worries.

My idea was Trump has sort of boxed himself into a corner on this. If these are the best people, there's apparently some aspect of best personage which involves them taking a hike. It's either that, or these aren't the best people he promised us.

That said, it's not like he's blowing out just anyone, he's quite pointedly blowing out the career professionals. He can use that as cover if this purge stabilizes his administration.

Perhaps this is an overly simplistic analysis, but I posit whether it does hinges on whether it stops the leaks.

[subego]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Jesus, he first offered Kelley the job in May. Wonder how that squares with rumors Preince was leaving.

This implies a surprising amount of forethought.

[subego]

WaPo dirt...

Trump (allegedly) called Priebus into the Oval Office to kill a fly for him.

[subego]

Guess who just got accused of having a side piece?

What a bunch of unseemly mother****ers.

[Cap'n Tightpants]

For real, Bubba needs to get them sorted out on stealthing.

[andi*pandi]

I'm just happy that at least the Onion knows the difference between podium and lectern.

According to onlookers, as the unseen force tugged him toward the puzzle box, Priebus clutched desperately to the lectern and cursed the fate that awaited him...

Capn, how many other presidents have fired this many of their own hires this far in? Let's not count administration transitions.

[subego]

One of the best scenes in cinema is the villain of Hellraiser II getting turned into a cenobite. It's of course appropriately horrible. Among other things, his face goes through an egg slicer.

What makes it the best though is his line after it's over.

"And to think I hesitated."

[The Final Dakar]

Multiple sources saying Mooch put as comms director, but the wording makes me think he's still in the admin.

So I guess SHS is now running the show?

Was Moochs mission to get rid of Priebus so now he's being sent home?

Edit: Kelleys call?

[subego]

Something told me that grade of entertainment was too good to last.

[The Final Dakar]

Sources seem to be confirming it was Kelleys call. He didn't know the guy, didn't like his schtick and wasn't going to have a comm director that didn't report to him.

[The Final Dakar]

Ohhhh Spicer isn't officially out yet. This should be interesting

[Cap'n Tightpants]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Capn, how many other presidents have fired this many of their own hires this far in? Let's not count administration transitions.

Lincoln was pretty bad about that, he sacked something like 6 members of his original cabinet during his first 6 months.

[The Final Dakar]

Well, I actually feel bad for Mooch. He did the right thing and properly divested himself from his business but apparently taxes will hit him like a hammer if he's not in an admin position when the time comes. Guess he should have take a page from the admin and waited until weeks after he was officially hired.

[The Final Dakar]

[subego]

The Kellyanne is uncanny.

The second Bannon is really good, but (on mobile) the subtitle interfering with his jacket detracts from it. I was probably on my third view before I even really looked at the head.

[Cap'n Tightpants]

It literally didn't get old.

[besson3c]

You know, Trump is a good life lesson that kind of parallels a recent real-life experience I've had.

I had a boss that is REALLY good at the smoke and mirrors thing, and he has fooled a lot of people in a lot of different ways into basically thinking that the company, and virtually all events and decisions have been a string of successes. However, after this stops working people get really turned off and don't feel any sense of loyalty whatsoever.

I honestly think that if Trump were to say "look, things didn't go very well this week, I'm learning as I go" he might invite some empathy, and with that patience and loyalty. He seemed to fool a number of people with his "I necromancy gold" rhetoric, and that every thing he'd do would be fantastic (believe me). Not only was this smoke and mirrors, but it was also insulting to people's intelligence, which is another way that whole smoke and mirrors thing can blow up in one's face.

I don't mean this as yet another way to pile up on Trump, but just to say that some humility, honesty, and transparency can go a VERY long way.

[subego]

Trump doesn't see it as smoke and mirrors.

[Cap'n Tightpants]

Originally Posted by subego 

Trump doesn't see it as smoke and mirrors.

He truly doesn't. Plus he's already voiced that he's "learning as he goes" numerous times already. Do people really need to hear this every week?

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Cap'n Tightpants 

He truly doesn't. Plus he's already voiced that he's "learning as he goes" numerous times already. Do people really need to hear this every week?

Why do you feel the need to apologize for him? I thought you didn't vote for him?

He has confessed to not being a politician and thus having to learn some stuff, but he continually makes the claim that everything of his is fantastic and is going to be fantastic. You'd agree with that, right? I think it was clear that what I was getting at was a concession that maybe something isn't so fantastic.

Instead, he tries to cover over his mistakes. Right now there is no chaos in the White House, for example.

[andi*pandi]

Obfuscation is the shell game he plays.

Apologizing is also the manner in which you say something. Saying, "who thought healthcare would be this hard?" is not admitting you are an ignoramus. It still comes off as bragging - implying that the reason you are having difficulty is that it is much harder than anyone thought. The fact that EVERYONE knew it was actually difficult, because HELLO, becomes obscured by this type of talk.

It's not saying, "I'm sorry we haven't sorted out this healthcare, I'm still learning what I should have learned on the campaign or by reading documents written by experts."

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Obfuscation is the shell game he plays.

Apologizing is also the manner in which you say something. Saying, "who thought healthcare would be this hard?" is not admitting you are an ignoramus. It still comes off as bragging - implying that the reason you are having difficulty is that it is much harder than anyone thought. The fact that EVERYONE knew it was actually difficult, because HELLO, becomes obscured by this type of talk.

It's not saying, "I'm sorry we haven't sorted out this healthcare, I'm still learning what I should have learned on the campaign or by reading documents written by experts."

Exactly, so the question is how long the smoke and mirrors act is going to work with 300 million +.

Obama, for example, eventually conceded problems with the health care rollout, particularly the website. I'm sure there are those that would argue that he didn't make enough concessions about his mistakes and failures, and maybe this is so, but I have a feeling that had Trump resided over this website rollout he would have tried to spin it as fantastic, or else point fingers down the line, or else quietly and discreetly fire people without ever making it seem that he was culpable for any blame.

He's also squandering a good opportunity. I honestly think that people would give him a lot of rope as an obvious business guy that is working his way through politics, making some understandable mistakes as he goes. The public wanted a non-politician, so maybe this rope is actually not a liability at all? Just own up to mistakes and pledge to learn from the mistakes and move on. At least don't spin them.

Maybe this is something that Republican leaders aren't comfortable with doing? I don't remember W. Bush owning up to mistakes either. To this day he'll claim that Iraq was the right thing to do.

[subego]

While he certainly obfuscates, these are examples of narcissism.

He genuinely believes he hasn't made a mistake.

[subego]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

if Trump resided over this website rollout he would have tried to spin it as fantastic

He would say that because that would be what he really believes.

Everybody seems to think he knows he's a ****up and he's hiding it. That's not how narcissism works. He really believes it's everyone else who's the ****up.

Source: I used to be exactly this.