Most of the Trump Administration’s key positions have been
filled and it is a pretty scary group in composite. I will highlight the key
figures and a little on their relevant background tomorrow, but today I wanted
to consider the Trump transition over the past few weeks beyond the figures
that will lead us into 2017 and beyond.
A lot more has happened over the holiday season regarding Trump
and his future plans and much of it appears to be bad news for the average
American … though possibly better for Russia. There is too much to cover in one
post, but I thought I would summarize some of the lowlights over the festive
period, beyond the growing collection of corporate lackeys, climate change
deniers, racists, homophobes and crackpot conspiracy theorists that will now
populate the corridors of power in DC come January 20. Yes, that’s right, a
mere 14 days until the most arrogant, megalomaniacal and ill-prepared President
in history takes office.
Fake vs. Real Policy
Like the fake news that is so beloved by Trump and his supporters,
it appears fake policy has entered the fray even before Trump officially enters
the office of president. A few weeks ago, Trump was first lauded and then
criticized in certain circles after “saving” 800 jobs with Carrier. The facts
surrounding the case are open to interpretation and employees themselves made
it clear they were less than impressed. He has also taken credit for other
companies keeping jobs in the U.S., including hyping Ford’s decision to add 700
jobs (The
Economist) even as those jobs and the ones at Carrier came with huge tax
reduction windfalls for the company that essentially hurt average Americans
more than they help the few workers who have kept their jobs, at least for the
short term. Paul Krugman provides an interesting analysis of what he calls
“fake policy” and its relationship to the more substantive and real policy
prescriptions we need to turn around the slumbering economy for most American
workers (NYT).
As Krugman points out, the push for “fake policy” is the natural corollary for
the fake populism that ultimately vaulted him to the presidency, along with
more than a little help from his friends in Russia and a certain FBI official.
Speaking of Russia
Another story that has been getting big coverage for well over
a month is the intervention of Russia in our election and the assistance they
gave to Trump, which almost certainly helped to get him over the hump. Trump,
of course, refuses to accept the conclusions of the FBI and CIA (NYT),
instead claiming that it is a “witch hunt” (). In fact, the most recently
released information suggests Putin himself ordered the hacking and fake news
spreading that supported Trump’s surprise victory (WP).
I assume this is just the start of a trend that will continue with Trump as
president, ignoring or refuting any story that is inconvenient to his standing
or the policies he pursues. Sure the experts have probably studied the issue
under examination a lot more than me, but as a megalomaniac who doesn’t really
care much about facts, my opinion is not only AS valid as theirs, but MORE
valid. That appears to be his stance on everything from climate change and the
war on terror to intelligence and the election results themselves.
Conflicts of Interest No
Longer an Issue
That appears to be the position of Trump, who cancelled a news
conference a few weeks ago where he was going to explain how he would tackle
the very real, and troubling conflicts of interest that could beset his
administration right from the onset. The idea of a “blind trust” run by his
children appears to have been abandoned, even as the possibility of that
actually being a blind trust was as suspect as his claims about Russian
hacking, climate change or most of his policy prescriptions. At one point he
actually had the audacity to say he could run his business and the country at
the same time, but has been smart enough not to repeat those troubling claims.
But with Ivanka and the rest of the family setting up shop in DC, and sitting
in on meetings with top executives from technology companies and foreign
leaders, it appears the Trump clan assumes that either the media will tire of
the story or that their supporters are so deafened by the echo chamber of false
news that they won’t bother to care as he makes business decisions in his own
interest that could damage the country and its rather larger interests.
Fact Checking Trump
Following on a theme, Trump continues to have a precarious
relationship with the truth in the information he spreads to his twitter
followers (though we can’t speak to his relationship with the media, since he
has been ignoring them for months). The Washington
Post has started a nifty series to fact check Trump’s twitter account on a
weekly basis (WP).
Just this week, they report the following inaccuracies and downright lies: a)
Reported that Chicago murder rate in 2016 was record-setting. It was high, but
not record level high, a tendency we have seen rather frequently from our
future Commander and Thief, b) Trump claimed Chevy was sending their Cruze line
from Mexico to sell in the U.S. That is false on two levels – first, the cars
sold in the U.S. are made right here in Ohio and the majority of those made in
Mexico are actually sold abroad. c) Trump tweeted “People must remember that
Obamacare just doesn’t work, and it is not affordable – 116% increases
(Arizone). Bill Clinton called it ‘crazy.’” There are a lot of errors in this
statement, including the 116% increase. It was actually 25 there and some
states have seen decreases in premiums. Those who premiums increased, like
mine, are not eligible for subsidies. And Clinton’s quote? It was only for the
tax subsidies, not the entire plan. d) As mentioned above, Trump took credit
for Ford scraping a Mexican plan due to “Trump Policies,” even as he is not
even President and thus does not yet have “policies.” But the truth is even
further afield, as Ford abandoned that plan because they do not see the future
in small cars but in electric vehicles, though they did give some credit to
their outlook under a Trump presidency. e) Going back to Russia for a second,
Trump sent two tweets that are especially suspect, one falsely claiming the
intelligence briefing had been moved to Friday (and that it was quite
suspicious) and the other backing up the lies from Wikileaks founder Julian
Assange about Russian help with his hacking of the DNC.
Tidbits
Trump has been unpleasant to downright vociferous in taking on
enemies real and perceived. But others are already suffering under his rather thin-skinned
approach to opposition. The latest appear to have done nothing other then the
work they were assigned to during their stay as foreign ambassadors. The
general policy is to give these officials some time to clear out their desks
and get family business in order, but Trump has ordered all of them to vacate their
posts and return home by the day of his inauguration (WP).
Classy guy!
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