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Posted with permission.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/unwilling-focus-substance-trump-sidelines-policy-team
Unwilling to focus on substance, Trump sidelines policy team
12/06/16 11:28 AM
By Steve Benen
Before the election, Donald Trump and his team made a deliberate decision to avoid substance and policy details. One of the Republican candidates top policy advisers said after the conventions that the typical American voter would be bored to tears if the campaign focused on substance a sentiment Trump himself endorsed in June when he said the public doesnt care about public policy.
In May, Politico quoted a campaign insider saying Trump didnt want to waste time on policy. The Trump source added at the time, It wont be until after he is elected
that he will figure out exactly what he is going to do.
Well, the election has come and gone, and as Politico reports today, Trump still isnt focused on what, exactly, hes going to do.
But so far, Trump and his inner circle have largely ignored those plans as they focus on top appointments and lean on the advice of politicians, CEOs and donors, rather than on their transition staff, say sources close to the transition.
The president-elect, meanwhile, has been more likely to set policy on Twitter than through consultation with his D.C. advisers.
The article quoted a Republican official involved in past transitions who said Team Trumps approach is not a recipe for smooth governance.
Politico added that Trumps focus is on personality over policy.
In theory, one can imagine a team of seasoned veterans, who bring vast experience in government and management of massive institutions, investing less time in governing plans during the transition phase because theyre confident in their expertise.
But with Trump, its largely the opposite. The president-elect has no governing experience, and neither does his chief of staff. The same is true of his chief strategist. And his Treasury secretary. And his HUD secretary. And his Education secretary. And his Commerce secretary. And some of his deputy cabinet officials.
In other words, Trump and many of those hes surrounded himself with have no idea what theyre doing, and about a month from now, theyll be running the executive branch of a global superpower. These are the same folks, however, whove decided to largely ignore detailed governing plans.
Theyre led by a president-elect who seems deeply interested in Saturday Night Live and self-indulgent, self-congratulatory victory-tour rallies, but who tends to tweet more than he attends policy briefings.
Politicos piece added that former transition officials say Trumps operation is unusual in the way its leaving so much of the policy and second-tier personnel appointments to D.C. transition team members, many of whom are volunteers with little power and no connection to Trumps key advisers.
The article added that its becoming harder for policy experts to get the attention of Trumps inner-circle.
What could possibly go wrong when the most inexperienced and unprepared presidential amateur takes office in six weeks?
Ilsa
(61,695 posts)SammyWinstonJack
(44,130 posts)secondwind
(16,903 posts)NoMoreRepugs
(9,423 posts)only when they feel the pain themselves will they give a rats ass
SharonAnn
(13,772 posts)that there was no policy analysis of any decision, it was all political, run by Karl Rove. Everything was evaluated in how it helped/hurt the next election (Congress and presidency).
mwooldri
(10,303 posts)... of his policy vacuum.
I can't remember the exact phrase the guy on BBC World Service NewsDay programme said. But it was something along the lines of an "Experience-free Presidency" where being experienced in a particular policy area counts for nothing.
This guy (Trump) makes George W Bush look like a genius. It'll be nice if I'm wrong but oh well...
It'll be another fine mess for the Democrats to clean up in 4-8 years time.
Maru Kitteh
(28,340 posts)benld74
(9,904 posts)world wide wally
(21,743 posts)That's the arrangement. So if you want to figure out where we're headed, talk to them.
neeksgeek
(1,214 posts)In a sane world, a normal campaign season, this quote could have cost him the election:
"It wont be until after he is elected
that he will figure out exactly what he is going to do."
(Never mind all the insane and offensive things he said and did.)