Trump at 100 Days

[cernjSHU]

Well, his performance as President has been a "disaster". His lie about Obama "wire tapping" him leaves his credibility at zero. His boasts about repealing Obamacare and replacing it with something better was an utter failure. His Presidemcy has been a failure.

There is currently a FBI investigation into Russian links to members of the Trump campaign. It is very likely that there was some collusion between the campaign and the Russians. This would mean that Donald Trump, our President, is a traitor.

This is not hyperbole. He needs to step down as President for the good of the country.

 

[shu09]

Trump has only been president for 66 days.

 

[Section112]

Fake post-lol

 

[cernjSHU]

Trump has only been president for 66 days.

damn but it feels so much longer.

 

[Merge]

Trump has only been president for 66 days.

Since it is the standard measure for new presidents, not really too early to start a first 100 days thread unless you see things getting better over the next 34?

If I were placing a wager, I would assume it will most likely be far worse by then.

 

[HALL85]

Well, his performance as President has been a "disaster". His lie about Obama "wire tapping" him leaves his credibility at zero. His boasts about repealing Obamacare and replacing it with something better was an utter failure. His Presidemcy has been a failure.

There is currently a FBI investigation into Russian links to members of the Trump campaign. It is very likely that there was some collusion between the campaign and the Russians. This would mean that Donald Trump, our President, is a traitor.

This is not hyperbole. He needs to step down as President for the good of the country.

Making more leaps in that post than an Olympic triple-jumper....he's not stepping down...makes you look silly.

Not a fan of Trump and the EO on immigration was badly played. Don't think we've seen last of healthcare proposal, but that's my opinion. Gorsuch is a great choice....the other stuff is noise that plays to both sides of the MSM. Will defer until there is any actual proof.

 

[cernjSHU]

Making more leaps in that post than an Olympic triple-jumper....he's not stepping down...makes you look silly.

Who said he is stepping down? I said that is what he should do for the good of the country.

Making leaps? What is not factual in my post? Fact - The Russians interfered in our election on behalf of Trump. Fact - Despite early denials from Trump and other members of the campaign like Manfaort, there were not only contacts with the Russians but also business deals with high staff members of the Trump campaign. If you consider this noise, I don't know what to tell you. Because I think it is bordering on treason.

This has nothing to do with politics. There is more than just smoke here. There is fire. The question is how much fire.

 

[knowknow456]

Like the word "dictator", "treason" is a strong word and should not be thrown around lightly. Illegal activity should be punished but personally I would set the bar pretty high for treason. Even if Manafort, Flynn or Kushner broke the law, there would need to be a clear and direct link to the President. From what I have seen so far, that is not the case.

 

[cernjSHU]

Like the word "dictator", "treason" is a strong word and should not be thrown around lightly. Illegal activity should be punished but personally I would set the bar pretty high for treason. Even if Manafort, Flynn or Kushner broke the law, there would need to be a clear and direct link to the President. From what I have seen so far, that is not the case.

"Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States."

Treason is a strong word. That is why I said bordering. But, clearly there are connections between the campaign and Russia. There is also the change of language within the Republican convention platform with regard to Ukraine. There is the Manafort memo in which he is being paid millions of dollars to effect change in the US government's position towards Russia. If for example, it can be proven that Russia hacked Hillary's campaign on behalf of Trump changing the US's position on Russia and Ukraine, would this not be bordering on treason? Maybe not all the way there but dangerously close. Moreover, is this scenario more likely or not being accurate? This is not a stretch or some conspiracy theory. This is what the Russia probe is about.

Suffice to say, the President of the United States is under a dark cloud and the President should never be under this cloud.

 

[shu09]

Russia is not an "enemy" of the United States, so legally I don't think that would hold up.

 

[Bobbie Solo]

not just "millions of dollars", his salary was reportedly $10 million/year for four years.

I don't want to be distracted by this Russia mess as much as the next person who is against the Republican agenda. That's much more important. The executive order yesterday rolling back Obama's small attempts at combating climate change for example, is chilling and must be stood against firmly. Couple that with the reversal on DapL, Keystone XL, the clean streams rule, and just the overall fact that SCOTT FRIGGIN PRUITT is in charge of the EPA, and we are going backwards on my #1 issue.

But, there is obviously a major problem with this admin and Putin. Just b/c some contrarian asshole on this meaningless board act like it's not a big deal (and yes, bordering on treason until we see otherwise) doesn't make it true.

 

[HALL85]

Who said he is stepping down? I said that is what he should do for the good of the country.

Making leaps? What is not factual in my post? Fact - The Russians interfered in our election on behalf of Trump. Fact - Despite early denials from Trump and other members of the campaign like Manfaort, there were not only contacts with the Russians but also business deals with high staff members of the Trump campaign. If you consider this noise, I don't know what to tell you. Because I think it is bordering on treason.

This has nothing to do with politics. There is more than just smoke here. There is fire. The question is how much fire.

How about we wait until the investigation is completed? If parties are found guilty, they should suffer the consequences. And suggesting that he step down is also silly.

 

[Merge]

How about we wait until the investigation is completed? If parties are found guilty, they should suffer the consequences. And suggesting that he step down is also silly.

Nothing wrong with opining beforehand... assume for a moment that the Trump admin is guilty of everything being rumored right now. What would it look like if they were trying to cover it up?

I'm not saying they are guilty, but they sure are acting like it!

 

[knowknow456]

I would fully expect Russia would try to interfere with our elections with or without help from the Trump campaign. For them, that is good sound policy. The investigation is important to understand what was done, so we can at least try to prevent it from happening again. Personally, I think Nunes should recuse himself. Whether it is true or not, he definitely gives off the appearance of being compromised.

Treason is a serious charge and it is a big deal so before I go down that road I would need to see more.

 

[shupat08]

Just b/c some contrarian asshole on this meaningless board act like it's not a big deal (and yes, bordering on treason until we see otherwise) doesn't make it true.

I remember people on this board telling me that the Republicans were without a doubt going to give Merrick Garland his committee hearings and the committee would vote him up or down and that Dems were going crazy for no reason.

We see how that turned out. Those same posters never brought it up ever again.

A lot of people on this board like to act like they are "above the fray" and "fair and balanced" it usually does not come off very well after all is said and done. No point in pretending, imho.

 

[Bobbie Solo]

The fact that Dems aren't united in filibustering Gorsuch (sp?), whether it destroys the nuclear option or not, shows me why I have no faith in them as a party. They should all vehemently be out there opposing this guy based on what happened to Garland alone (not like I loved Garland as a pick, but on principal). His qualifications don't even factor into it, just like Garland's didn't for the right last year.

If you want to win against these assholes, you have to play in the dirt with them. It sucks, but they've left no choice. Fight hard. Most of the Dems have shown little will to actually do that.

 

[shupat08]

The fact that Dems aren't united in filibustering Gorsuch (sp?), whether it destroys the nuclear option or not, shows me why I have no faith in them as a party. They should all vehemently be out there opposing this guy based on what happened to Garland alone (not like I loved Garland as a pick, but on principal). His qualifications don't even factor into it, just like Garland's didn't for the right last year.

If you want to win against these assholes, you have to play in the dirt with them. It sucks, but they've left no choice. Fight hard. Most of the Dems have shown little will to actually do that.

Not sure I agree with this line of thinking.

Short term satisfaction vs long term nightmare.

What if RBG or Kennedys seat is up in 2 years with a Rep controlled senate? They'd be able to put ANYONE on the court that they want.

Then you are talking about a permanent conservative court for a long time.

 

[HALL85]

Nothing wrong with opining beforehand... assume for a moment that the Trump admin is guilty of everything being rumored right now. What would it look like if they were trying to cover it up?

I'm not saying they are guilty, but they sure are acting like it!

Ok to opine as it's ok to opine on that opinion. There is so much partisan noise out there right now, it's impossible to weed throughout what is real and what is fake. I'm more interested in where the investigation leads.

 

[Bobbie Solo]

Not sure I agree with this line of thinking.

Short term satisfaction vs long term nightmare.

What if RBG or Kennedys seat is up in 2 years with a Rep controlled senate? They'd be able to put ANYONE on the court that they want.

Then you are talking about a permanent conservative court for a long time.

They're doing that now anyway.

 

[shupat08]

They're doing that now anyway.

Much worse out there than this guy. Need to save the filibuster to keep the 4 (Thomas, Roberts, Alito, Gorsuch)- 4 (Kagan, RBG, Breyer, Sotomayor)- 1 (Kennedy) split. IMHO, Roberts will even swing on occasion ie. Obamacare, etc.

Imagine how different rulings regarding Roe, Obamacare, etc would be if the court looked like...

Thomas, Roberts, Alito, Gorsuch, Someone else... Kagan, Breyer, Sotomayor... Kennedy.

 

[knowknow456]

Much worse out there than this guy.

Overall, the Democrats have done a poor job of explaining why Gorsuch would be a bad choice (other than he is not Garland or a Liberal).

I happen to agree there are much worse options out there but am wondering if there is information out there that explains more clearly what Gorsuch is about. Do you have a link?

What was done to Garland was naked partisan nonsense but even still I would have serious concern about daring the Republicans to go nuclear over Gorsuch.

 

[shupat08]

Overall, the Democrats have done a poor job of explaining why Gorsuch would be a bad choice (other than he is not Garland or a Liberal).

I happen to agree there are much worse options out there but am wondering if there is information out there that explains more clearly what Gorsuch is about. Do you have a link?

What was done to Garland was naked partisan nonsense but even still I would have serious concern about daring the Republicans to go nuclear over Gorsuch.

I have not heard much one way or the other about Gorsuch... Was reassured by his comments during the hearings and during private meetings about Trump's judicial over reach... Also was somewhat reassured when I heard from a POTUSBlog writer on MSNBC that he is much truer to his word about looking at the "Constitution as a straight forward document" (i know I'm not using the proper phrasing here) as opposed to Scalia who said he did that but who twisted stuff to fit his political opinion whenever he felt like it... He is a conservative's conservative in many senses from what little I've heard. But as long as he won't rubber stamp this president, I will be happy. A rubber stamped Trump could be scary.

 

[SnakeTom]

Trump has only been president for 66 days.

It really does not matter if it is 66 days or 100 days. Nor is it a Republican-Democrat issue. It's obvious to anyone who looks at this objectively that Trump is way over his head in this office. Have we ever had a President who ruled by insult before. It won't happen at this point in time but it would be best for our nation for VP Pence to assume the Presidency ASAP. Now I am not a fan of Pence and do not agree with him on most issues, but at least he knows how to act Presidential.

Tom K

 

[shu09]

It really does not matter if it is 66 days or 100 days. Nor is it a Republican-Democrat issue. It's obvious to anyone who looks at this objectively that Trump is way over his head in this office. Have we ever had a President who ruled by insult before. It won't happen at this point in time but it would be best for our nation for VP Pence to assume the Presidency ASAP. Now I am not a fan of Pence and do not agree with him on most issues, but at least he knows how to act Presidential.

Tom K

No, it's not obvious. Over his head because he "rules by insult?" LOL! You're reading too many left wing talking points. He is unorthodox because he is disruptive by nature. That's WHY he was elected, to break up the good old boys club in Washington.

He deserves a chance to succeed. If he doesn't, he won't win another term and that's fair enough.

 

[SnakeTom]

What is obvious is that he doesn't know how government works, he can't answer a question accurately, he responds by making stuff up, mis-stating facts and insulting anyone who disagrees with him. Is that what you want in a President. What we have now in the White House is a made for TV clown show. America deserves better.

Tom K

 

[HALL85]

Performance?
- Cabinet/Advisors: B- (Flynn, DeVos were obviously poor, but Mattis, Kelly, Tillerson, etc., I thought were very good choices)
- Acting Presidential: D- (enough said, awful..exception was his address to Congress)
- Meeting with world leaders: A (can't criticize that he hasn't dove in and spent meaningful time with several important ones)
- Outcome of those world leader meetings? Incomplete
- SCOTUS: A+ Gorsuch great resume
- Healthcare reform: C While it never got to a vote, it is now breaking up the freedom caucus and paving the way for a bipartisan solution.
- Executive orders: D EO's are more bluster than anything else.

Clearly learning on the job...I expected no less. Next six months will be telling.

 

[Merge]

You're grading is comical. A for meeting with world leaders?

I mean maybe A for effort but executuon? Just provided more examples of Trunp looking pathetic next to Shinzo, Merkel, netanyahu etc...

C for healthcare reform? Nice spin but viewing it as anything but an utter failure is crazy. He didn't push "paving the way to a bipartisan solution" (absolutely no evidence of this btw) he pushed immediate repeal and replace. how is that not an F?

Next 6 months will indeed be telling though. Michael Steele is advising his clients that Trump won't make it to the end of his term, and if you're following the rumors around the Russian probe he could be gone in the very near future.

 

[shu09]

Performance?
- Cabinet/Advisors: B- (Flynn, DeVos were obviously poor, but Mattis, Kelly, Tillerson, etc., I thought were very good choices)
- Acting Presidential: D- (enough said, awful..exception was his address to Congress)
- Meeting with world leaders: A (can't criticize that he hasn't dove in and spent meaningful time with several important ones)
- Outcome of those world leader meetings? Incomplete
- SCOTUS: A+ Gorsuch great resume
- Healthcare reform: C While it never got to a vote, it is now breaking up the freedom caucus and paving the way for a bipartisan solution.
- Executive orders: D EO's are more bluster than anything else.

Clearly learning on the job...I expected no less. Next six months will be telling.

Although I think it's crazy to be grading a president who hasn't even served three months of a four year term yet, this is a pretty fair and balanced take on what he has done to date.

 

[HALL85]

You're grading is comical. A for meeting with world leaders?

I mean maybe A for effort but executuon? Just provided more examples of Trunp looking pathetic next to Shinzo, Merkel, netanyahu etc...

C for healthcare reform? Nice spin but viewing it as anything but an utter failure is crazy. He didn't push "paving the way to a bipartisan solution" (absolutely no evidence of this btw) he pushed immediate repeal and replace. how is that not an F?

Next 6 months will indeed be telling though. Michael Steele is advising his clients that Trump won't make it to the end of his term, and if you're following the rumors around the Russian probe he could be gone in the very near future.

I guess you missed the "Incomplete" I gave him for actual accomplishments with the world leader meetings....Michael Steele is an idiot. Google his appearance on Jeopardy..

 

[Merge]

I guess you missed the "Incomplete" I gave him for actual accomplishments with the world leader meetings....Michael Steele is an idiot. Google his appearance on Jeopardy..

Nah, I saw you had incomplete but you are giving him an A on the optics of meeting with world leaders which I think i s crazy because Trump looked like a buffoon next them.

Obviously results are all that really matters, so I would agree on the incomplete, just really not a good look to have other world leaders rolling their eyes at the president of the United States.

 

[donnie_baseball]

Even though I'm conservative, he's an embarrassment. It wouldn't bother me one bit if he was impeached. I can't take reading any more NY Times op-ed pieces. I would be pleased, however, to see a more conservative SCOTUS; agree with Pat about "saving" the filibuster for a more extreme candidate than Gorsuch, who by all measures is a qualified, reasonable choice. What was done with Garland was pretty much unacceptable, but we need another justice on the court. Dems will filibuster, Repubs will go nuclear and force his confirmation, and then there will be screaming from the left about the situation that the Dems created in 2013. What a mess.

President Pence sounds good to me, but expecting a Democratic tidal wave in the next four years, and that won't be pretty, either.

 

[SnakeTom]

Even though I'm conservative, he's an embarrassment. It wouldn't bother me one bit if he was impeached. I can't take reading any more NY Times op-ed pieces. I would be pleased, however, to see a more conservative SCOTUS; agree with Pat about "saving" the filibuster for a more extreme candidate than Gorsuch, who by all measures is a qualified, reasonable choice. What was done with Garland was pretty much unacceptable, but we need another justice on the court. Dems will filibuster, Repubs will go nuclear and force his confirmation, and then there will be screaming from the left about the situation that the Dems created in 2013. What a mess.

President Pence sounds good to me, but expecting a Democratic tidal wave in the next four years, and that won't be pretty, either.

We don't agree often Donnie but here I agree with most of what you say. Trump is an embarrassment and it is not a Dem/GOP issue. I'm certainly not a Conservative but I'd gladly prefer Pence to Trump as our POTUS. At least he knows how government works and acts like a President. It's sad that we have a President who was so unprepared for the office and feels it necessary to avoid issues by insulting anyone who questions him. In the Primaries was there any excuse for his attacks on John McCain, or Ted Cruz wife and father or women in general? Is this the image we want in the White House?

The biggest problem facing our nation is POLARIZATION. No one knows what the word compromise means any more. As to the Supreme Court both Garland and Gorusch are eminently qualified. What the two parties in their political zeal have done to block the nominations is disturbing.

Tom K

 

[donnie_baseball]

No argument there, Tom. POLARIZATION benefits the congressmen and women, and no one more. I'm amazed when I read someone singing the praises of the Democratic party, and painting the Republicans as self-serving liars. They all are! If the Democrats had their house in order, maybe they could have vetted a candidate to defeat the worst candidate (D or R) in history. The Republicans are a mess, and that's why expect the pendulum to violently swing, and soon. But let's keep people divided along social issues, and as long as they have brand loyalty, the masses will tear each other to shreds over whose "team" is that of the moral high-ground.

 

[HALL85]

Trump getting elected just demonstrates how broken our two party system has become. The polarization IMO is a result of both parties and the public. Pure partisanship to me is a sign of public laziness and both parties play on that and continue to advance to protect their establishment. If you don't support the entire platform, you are a traitor. How many times have you seen a politician blindly support "their" side even if the facts don't support it.

 

[knowknow456]

Well we almost made it - 100 days! Time flies. Now if we can pass the bill to keep the country running, we can work on the next 100.

 

[HALL85]

Well we almost made it - 100 days! Time flies. Now if we can pass the bill to keep the country running, we can work on the next 100.

Tell me about it. Not sure if you saw that CNN poll yesterday that showed that most voters felt Trump was "out of touch", but that the numbers for Congress (both parties) were even worse than Trump and finally that if the election were held today more people would vote for Trump than Hillary.

 

[SnakeTom]

Tell me about it. Not sure if you saw that CNN poll yesterday that showed that most voters felt Trump was "out of touch", but that the numbers for Congress (both parties) were even worse than Trump and finally that if the election were held today more people would vote for Trump than Hillary.

If the election were today Hillary would not be the Democratic candidate.

TK

 

[cernjSHU]

In a stunning display of arrogance and incompetence, Donald Trump trumpeted out his new tax plan. Absent much specificity, yet boasting about this plan. Corporations and pass through getting a huge tax break from 35% to 15%. Clearly benefiting the wealthy. Then, to make matters worse, cutting tax brackets to three, 15%, 25% and 35%. He did not say what income levels trigger which bracket however I would say upper middle class people are going to get hit hard and see an increase in their taxes if this plan goes through. Moreover, deductions such as your property taxes will no longer be deductible which will hit a state like New Jersey incredibly hard.

 

[shu09]

On the surface, I'm a big fan of this tax plan. We do need to see where the income brackets are set, however.

The tax code must be simplified. Reducing the brackets from 7 to 3 is a great start. Eliminating most, if not all, deductions and increasing the standard deduction is even better. I hope they can work this out and pass it, would be great for the country and economic growth.

 

[Bobbie Solo]

plan has very little chance of actually passing, thank god. Transparent blowjob to the uber-rich and big corporations under the insulting guise of pretending it will benefit small business & regular people. The guy who trotted this nonsense out used to RUN Goldman. Who the hell do they think they're fooling with this crap? Nevermind there's no way to pay for all the lost revenue that this would cause.

How any middle class or poor person could look at this administration and think they're looking out for them in almost any way is baffling. The appeasement to big monied interests is staggering, moreso than it would have been with Hillary, which is saying alot.