Is Donald Trump Deliberately Making the Worst Possible Cabinet Choices?

[MineralMan]

It certainly appears so to me. It is as though he is looking hard to find the worst possible people to appoint to every Cabinet position. Even considering Petraeus for SoS or Director of National Intelligence is mind-boggling. The man is on probation for the crime of releasing classified information to an unauthorized person.

Trump seems to be saying, "Here's another jab of my stubby finger in your eye, America."

It's truly mind-boggling that he is taking these steps.

[treestar]

1. Yes, he is still searching for a way out of this

He did not want to win and now he's stuck with a responsibility he can't and doesn't want to handle. He never dreamed he would win and in fact from his view it is a miracle he did, winning all those EC votes from unexpected states.

He would have preferred to insult Hillary from the sidelines.

He is also capable of blaming others no matter what to keep his ego intact. So if everything goes wrong and he is hated, he will find a way to do that but get out of the job.

[MineralMan]

4. I don't think so. I think he will take office and

slowly, but surely, destroy every bit of progress we have made since the 1960s. It may even be a deliberately vindictive plan to get back at people for something in his life. It seems to me to be a manifestation of some terrible flaw in his world view.

I reject the idea that he does not want the office. I think he wants it, but for some strange purpose that is roiling in his brain.

[eShirl]

8. "every bit of progress we have made since the 1960s"

or 1860s

[RKP5637]

33. Bottom line, he wants to destroy the US and turn it into a third rate dystopian dictatorship.

I am dead serious. He has significant character flaws and America losing would be Trump winning.

[underpants]

7. I completely agree

He clearly undermined his own campaign every time he got close in the polls or caught a break. As you pointed out he wanted to just rule/grift his base from the side and even his dumbass (he isn't very bright) had to know that his business details would be exposed.

[Txbluedog]

10. 10000000000

[HughBeaumont]

18. 10000

He has absolutely NO idea what he's getting himself into.

[Shrek]

21. But he did last-minute campaigning in those unexpected states

Why bother if he didn't hope to win?

[treestar]

40. He probably did want to win to say he won

for his ego's sake. He does not want to do the job though. I bet he thought it was going to be easy.

[NightWatcher]

2. It's called Republican-ing.

Immediately take the asshole position on everything. Department of Fresh Water...appoint a fracker. Department of School...pick the woman who burns them down in her free time.

[Blanks]

19. I hadn't heard of republican-ing...

But now that I see it used, there's no doubt that it's a real thing.

I see that kind of attitude and behavior appealing to my conservative friends and family on Facebook. Until there is a problem that is important to them and the conservatives piss all over it, I expect the mean-spiritedness will continue to appeal to them.

[KittyWampus]

3. Part of it is neither Trump nor Bannon nor Jared know quality people

and too many first stringers want nothing to do with him.

Then there's the loyalty issue.

They don't want to consider people who opposed Trump vocally.

[MineralMan]

5. Well, that's certainly true. Sensible people

walk away from such as Trump and Bannon. Scary.

[madaboutharry]

6. I don't think that Trump is making these cabinet choices.

I think the people around him are making these choices. People like Steve Bannon.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

25. and Pence

He is bringing in somebody from Indiana who helped set up our Medicaid Expansion (HIP 2.0). Price is probably Pence's idea as well from the House (where Pence served prior to being elected Indiana Governor)

[mopinko]

41. and putin.

[rzemanfl]

9. Also, he's fat.

[11 Bravo]

13. And smells bad.

[rzemanfl]

20. I would never want to get that close to him.

Mineral Man doesn't believe in body shaming the Drumpfenfuerher. I have no qualms about it.

[RKP5637]

34. Fatter by the day too! n/t

[FSogol]

11. Nah, he just can't tell the difference between good quality and poor quality.

That's why his family's personal style is so tacky. He equates money with good qualities and the lack of money with poor qualities. To him, the higher price or someone who sucks up to him is the best. His properties are build from cheap Chinese laminate covered in gold leaf. He doesn't have a clue what makes a good leader. He doesn't have a clue what makes a good product.

[randr]

12. Trump has huge problem in finding qualified people

First, no one who is not an ass kissing toady would work for him.
Second, intelligent people with any scientific are academic qualifications are not considered.
Third, no one wants to work for a loser.

[Txbluedog]

14. Trump is business man

He enjoys the business world and his plan was to grift of his supporters and then launch Trump News Network and make billions off it (he would be a real billionaire at last). Every day he is giving people more and more proof that he is not qualified to be POTUS.

I also agree with Mineral Man that he will be sworn in kicking and screaming and then proceed to destroy everything as pay back for him being "forced" to be POTUS. The small part that will be fun will be they ways he takes his anger out on his base, you know the ones that got him into this mess to being with

[RKP5637]

35. In short, he has no F'en idea what he's doing. Unqualified and significantly stupid as POTUS.

But his supporters don't give a damn. He's ignorant and stupid, just like them!

[randome]

15. Trump has been a 'coaster' for most of his life. Getting by with bluster and nonsense.

He wants to be a national hero without having to work for it. That's why so many trial balloons are getting floated. First it's Giuliani for SOS, then Petraeus, then Romney. Just like the GOP itself, no one is making coordinated decisions -especially the man at the top- so everyone starts making decisions.

The result will be 4 years of utter confusion. I think that's the best outcome to hope for at this point.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[Else You Are Mad]

16. I think the real reason is..

Simply that the rational and most qualified do not want anything to do with Trump and his administration. I think anyone that has anything to do with the disaster that is about to occur will be blacklisted politically.

[MoonRiver]

17. He doesn't know what he's "doing."

Other people are making the decisions for him. As long as he's allowed to tweet, he can be controlled. And this is NOT sarcasm.

[RKP5637]

36. Yeah, he seems to feel tweeting is all he needs to do as POTUS. The guy is so far out there's no

recovery for him.

[SaschaHM]

22. His cabinet appointments are a big "F you" to the whole "both sides" notion...

It has become the boogeyman that so many on the left and the right tried to build Clinton up to be.

Benghazi/Emails = David Petraus is now being considered.

Goldman Sachs speeches = Goldman Sachs executives are in the running for top treasury posts.

"super predators"/crime bill/marijuana = Jeff fuck*ng Sessions is your new AG and that sheriff who has had 4 people (including an infant) die in his jails is up for Sec. of Homeland Security.

Single payer doubts/concerns = Tom Price as your new Heath and human services Sec.

Influence/Student loan debt doubts = Betsy Devos as Ed. Secretary.

The ridiculous claim that she suppressed votes during the primary = Kris Kobach, of cross check fame, is also in the running for DHS.

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if his Secretary of the Interior is a huge fan of the Keystone Pipeline or DaPL with a history of racist comments against Native Americans.

[emulatorloo]

26. Thanks, you nailed it.

[Solly Mack]

42. Yep

[subterranean]

23. He appears to be forming a kakistocracy.

Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens.

[Johonny]

24. It is sort of amazing. He will be remembered by history. He could try to be remember as great

instead he seems to want to be remember as the worst possible president ever. Granted you could look at it as his inner circle guaranteeing they will influence him totally since the cabinet will be filled with weak vassalating people. Trump appears oblivious to the actual need to have good people in positions in his white house. No doubt the people he trusts are telling him A) he's great B) these people are great C) its going to be great. Think of the insulation of yes men W lived under and multiply it by ten.

[OregonBlue]

27. My exact thought. He seems to be looking for the very most deplorable authoritarians in the country.

I am shocked by the really ugly choices.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

28. It does seem that way, doesn't it?

It's almost like he's going out of his way to find the most spectacularly unqualified, unsuitable people. The loony right-wingers are probably Bannon's suggestions; Trump isn't an ideologue and probably couldn't care less what the government agencies do as long as he can effectively monetize the presidency for his own benefit. Petraeus is a stunning choice. While he was a reasonably competent general (being competent at anything seems to be an unusual attribute for this bunch), how is it possible to even consider someone who was convicted of the crime of releasing classified information? Wouldn't he have lost his security clearance?

I'm gobsmacked at all of this.

[Skidmore]

29. He just bought McConnell by

giving his wife a cabinet appt if reports are true. The swamp expands.

[Bucky]

30. Trump's key to success, in my opinion...

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/trump-files-donald-recommends-always-be-around-unsuccessful-people

"You'll find, when you become very successful, the people that you will like best will be the people that are less successful than you," he said, "because when you go to a table, you can tell them all these wonderful stories and they'll sit back and listen. Does that make sense to you? Okay? Always be around unsuccessful people, because everybody will respect you."

Ironically, a popular businessman had once warned people about the dangers of only being able to hang around lesser lights. The businessman's name? Donald Trump.

"Some of the most successful people, I've noticed, can associate only with people less successful than themselves," he wrote in Surviving at the Top, his 1990 book. "When they're around someone who gets more attention than they do and has accomplished more than they have, they display a major personality complex, acting nervous and uneasy—and I'm sure they say vicious things behind the more successful person's back."

[Gothmog]

31. Your theory or observation has merit

Trump is really picking some extreme losers for his administration

[Calculating]

32. It's really bad honestly

His choices are making those by GWB look downright reasonable. It's like he's made a point of looking for all the most ignorant, corrupt, unqualified, unscientific, bigoted and all around deplorable people possible.

[Amishman]

37. These aren't his real picks

These are sacrificial picks to clear the field for his real choices.

He puts forth a 10/10 maximum right-wing nut. We block in the Senate, he makes a fuss about bipartisanship and puts forth his real picks. They are more 8/10 on the right-wing nutjob scale. We approve them and feel like we won something. Trump gets exactly what he originally wanted and America loses.

[loyalsister]

38. Endgame...

His great victory will be turning half the country into followers of an irrational leader and scaring the rest of us. Nothing about his candidacy ever revealed anything resembling service to country, or anything other than self gratification.

[octoberlib]

39. Well, Bannon has said countless times he wants to destroy everything. This is one way to do it.

The question is whether Trump wants to do the same or is just Bannon's pawn.


Maggie Haberman ‏@maggieNYT Nov 27
During the campaign I asked two ppl close to Trump if he wanted to be potus or just wanted to win. Both replied it was a good question.

Maggie Haberman ‏@maggieNYT 1h1 hour ago
Trump is a screamer as a boss. And a blamer of others. Will ask someone to take a public line and not always defend it privately.

https://twitter.com/maggieNYT

[mopinko]

43. especially petraeus.

like he is begging for article 25.
count me among those who think he never intended to or thought he would win. he is out of his depth by fathoms.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

44. No. Nor was he running a campaign intended to lose,

a meme I saw a lot of.

He ran to win. Now that he's won, he's selecting cabinet members he honestly thinks are good choices. Although his idea of a good choice is quite different from ours.

[RobinA]

47. I Agree

If you think Trump is a narcissist, that is not compatible with him picking people that he knows are bad. His judgement (such as it is) may be skewed, but narcissists don't dive. His picks should be taken as an indication of his acumen at running the country. May some god help us all.

[riversedge]

45. Every single Trump cabinet member so far opposes LGBT rights-updated list...

Current Affairs
Every single Trump cabinet member so far opposes LGBT rights

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/11/29/every-single-trump-cabinet-member-so-far-opposes-lgbt-rights/

Nick Duffy
29th November 2016, 5:58 PM


These are the people who will be in the room where it happens (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Every single cabinet member appointed by Donald Trump so far opposes LGBT rights.
...........

So far the billionaire – who claimed he would “protect our L-G-B-T-Q citizens” while running for election – has appointed a string of politicians who oppose LGBT rights.


With many spots still up for grabs, here’s a run-down of Trump’s cabinet so far:




Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions is known as one of the most conservative and anti-LGBT members of Congress, holding a 0 percent rating on the Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard on LGBT rights.

He fought vocally against equal marriage and discrimination protections for LGBT people, and opposed lifting the ban on openly gay people serving in the military.

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos

Betsy DeVos is a prominent donor to the anti-gay marriage lobby. She previously donated $200,000 in a successful bid to add an anti-gay marriage amendment to the Michigan ballot.

DeVos family organisations have also made large donations to anti-gay marriage causes – $500,000 to the National Organization for Marriage, and $100,000 to Florida4Marriage.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price

.............more.........

[sofa king]

46. I know these guys.

More than I can admit. Everything--and I mean all of it--that you heard about him is true of him, and of the subordinates he picks. Trump is the classic narcissist who hit it big, and everything and everyone around him is some reflection of his completely self-absorbed, totally amoral self.

This should not surprise you. History is replete with tyrants who grasp power and then fill the offices with street thugs, goons, yes-men and killers. Today's list of nominees will be the future's Nuremberg trial docket.

And he'll do the same thing that every incompetent tyrant in history has done: stage an incident to start a fight with someone abroad to distract from the problems at home, accuse the ethical, honest, and pacifistic among at home of subversion and lack of patriotism, and use the climate of fear to secure the reigns for as long as they can get away with it or until their nation is defeated and destroyed.

These guys won't have the finely tuned evil finesse of the last guys, and they're not going to give it back when they fuck it all up, like the last guys did. They fear us more than world war or global catastrophe, and from the first day they they'll be committing felonies that only eternal power will prevent from coming to light.

The time to stop them was at the beginning of November. Now we just gotta try not to get taken down with them as they wreck it all beyond repair. Some of us will survive to rebuild. Some good people always do.

[RandiFan1290]

48. Republicons play for keeps

They are not trying to "get along"