Trump's Skeletal Key Staff

[MineralMan]

So, Donald has been in office for about a month. By now, you'd think he had make tons of appointments to build up his staff. You'd think. But, no. You'd be thinking incorrectly. The Washington Post has an appointment tracker that is updated daily to keep everyone informed about his appointments. So far, it looks like this:

Of the 549 key positions that must be confirmed by the senate, so far he has named just 34 appointees. 14 of those have been confirmed, and 20 are somewhere in the confirmation process.

That leaves 515 key posts vacant and awaiting an appointment. So, it appears that The Donald is operation with little more than a skeleton crew of staffers. What's that about, I wonder? How is the work of government going to get done, I wonder? What's he thinking, I wonder?

On the other hand, he has appointed one "Skeletor" to a position, that being Kellyanne Conway, who hasn't been heard from much lately.

That doesn't even count the other staff people he can appoint without Senate confirmation. People like the Chief of Protocol, who helps the President avoid embarrassing gaffes with regard to international relations. There are over 4,000 such positions that he must appoint people to fill. What's he waiting for, I wonder?

If you wonder about such things, too, you can track the current state of the Trumpster's on the staff at this link. There's a complete list of positions waiting for an appointment at the link, too. It's updated on a daily basis:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-administration-appointee-tracker/database/

[lpbk2713]

1. The man has a lot of tweeting and golfing to do.

He's got his priorities after all.

[MineralMan]

4. Well, I suppose so...

The thing is, I think, he simply doesn't know very many people who have the capacity to fill those positions. Neither does his Chief of Staff, etc. They won't appoint anyone they don't know and trust, and they don't know very many people at all. Further, many people qualified and suited for various positions probably would not be willing to work for The Donald.

It's really interesting to look at the list of appointments to be made. Even in the Executive Office of the President, almost none of the positions have been filled or even anyone appointed. The State Department is a long list of unfilled ambassadorships and other positions. There are a number of departments for which a head of the department has not been named.

The bottom line is that nobody knows what the Hell they're supposed to be doing, because there's no leadership that has been appointed by this President.

How long can this situation continue, I wonder?

[atreides1]

29. It's more then him knowing people!

Someone like Trump is looking for people who are completely loyal to him, not the government, not the country! Bannon is the guard at the gate, that anyone has to pass, before being allowed to prostrate themselves at the feet of Der Fuhrer!

[Else You Are Mad]

2. Trump's handlers...

Don't want him to fill those positions because they want the government to fail. That is, if the various government departments fail, then that just 'proves ' that they should be privatized. Thus, that makes Bannon and his ilk less likely to encourage Trump to appoint people to these positions. This is also why Bannon has been vetting those that will be working as the higher ups that would be working immediately under the new cabinet members. He wants to make sure they are all on board with the plan to make sure everything fails.

[MineralMan]

6. Also, they don't actually know many people who are qualified

for leadership positions. They have no connections to government, so they're completely clueless, and don't trust anyone to recommend people for positions. It would be comical if it didn't mean that whole departments are without any leadership. The civil service folks can run the day-to-day stuff, of course, but they pretty much do nothing unless they are authorized to do something.

It's alarming, really. Not that I'd trust anyone Trump appointed, but stuff does have to get done.

[Else You Are Mad]

14. Exactly. nt.

[BannonsLiver]

3. Given the caliber of people he's selected for the cabinet jobs

I'm not going to complain too much about him not filling these spots. His picks have been hot garbage, a bunch of sociopaths.

[MineralMan]

5. Yes, and a number of people have withdrawn their names

from consideration.

[niyad]

7. nobody competent or ethical will work for the apricot asshole.

[niyad]

8. this article on the state department is a companion to your own:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028692658

[briv1016]

9. I think you mean "Skeleton Crew."

A skeleton key is a type of master key.

[MineralMan]

12. I chose my words carefully, thanks.

Skeletal was the one I was looking for, exactly. It means all bones and no flesh. It means that it is not alive. It means that it cannot do anything, because it lacks life and vitality.

I know what the words I use mean, and I meant to use the adjective, skeletal, but thanks for your reply.

[rug]

27. Bannon doesn't look emaciated to me.

Conway does.

Definitely not Spicer.

[MineralMan]

30. Metaphors. Look into them, rug.

Uff da!

[rug]

36. Adjective Agreement. Learn it, MineralMan.

And clear your throat.

[MineralMan]

10. Frankly, it looks to me like Trump will be a do-nothing President.

Clearly, he thinks that sitting in the White House and issuing Executive Orders is what the job entails. I doubt he knows, or even cares, what the departments under the Executive Branch actually do, or why they are needed. I further doubt that anyone in his immediate staff, except maybe Pence, knows much more than Trump does about such things.

I do know that the United States most surely doesn't run on Executive Orders from the President. It runs on legislation and budget allocations. Trump doesn't seem that interested in either of those things. Congress, for its part, seems to be completely helpless without some sense of direction from the President. Everything in Congress also appears to be stalled.

So, what happens next? That's the most interesting question I have. Donald Trump spends his weekends in Florida and his weeks sitting in an empty White House with nothing really to do that he understands. In some ways, that benefits us, but in others it leaves a vacuum of leadership in Executive Departments that really do need leadership to function.

Resign, Mr. Trump. You're in way the Hell over your head. You're clueless, brainless and devoid of any concept of what being President requires. Just resign, already. You'll still go down in the history books as the 45th President. What else will be said about you shouldn't concern you too much.

Just resign and let us get on with the business of America. There's a good lad.

[guillaumeb]

15. A do-nothing President for know-nothing voters. eom

[MineralMan]

17. Pretty much.

This entire administration may well simply grind to a halt before long.

[guillaumeb]

18. Imagine the sound of many hands clapping.

A full stop is better than going in reverse.

[MineralMan]

19. Yes, well, maybe.

The federal government is an enormous bureaucracy that has incredible inertia. It will plod on. With no leadership and no direction, it will continue doing what it has been doing, unless cuts remove enough employees to bring it to a halt.

If the federal government comes to a halt, the repercussions would be far more significant than most people realize. Nothing can happen without a functioning bureaucracy completing paperwork, printing checks, and doing all the other things we take for granted. Every month, for example, the Social Security Administration processes millions of payments, removes people who have died from the rolls, and sets up the system for those who have reached eligibility. Same with Medicare. Same with the Department of Defense and every other Department under the Executive branch.

The bureaucracy that is the federal government is crucial for all of us, even if we don't realize its importance. If it grinds to a halt, everything goes to Hell, basically. Sheer inertia will keep it moving for a long time, but eventually entropy will create a chaotic situation that disables its functions.

Now, maybe that's what Bannon and some others want to happen, but it's not what I want to happen. I can envision it happening and the results are not pretty at all.

For government to function, either well or badly, it requires leadership at the top and down the chain in a huge range of operations. If you remove the leadership from the top, you decapitate the organization that lacks leadership. That's just how it works - or doesn't work.

[guillaumeb]

20. Having worked for the Federal Government for 37 years, I know

and agree with you.

But far too many voters, even seniors, have very little idea of what benefits they receive from government programs.

[MineralMan]

22. That's certainly true.

The federal government is involved in so much of what happens, one way or another. We're affected daily by what all those bureaucracies do. There won't be any large, immediate changes, but if things slow down or get erratic, we'll sure notice.

[RKP5637]

28. Well said!!!!!!! "Resign, Mr. Trump. You're in way the Hell over your head. You're clueless,

brainless and devoid of any concept of what being President requires. Just resign, already. You'll still go down in the history books as the 45th President. What else will be said about you shouldn't concern you too much."

[randome]

11. When Spicer started blathering about how this is no different from past administrations...

...reporters should have pointed out that all previous Presidents came prepared to work and fill key positions on Day One. Dolt45 is way behind trying to play catch-up and I don't think he will succeed.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[MineralMan]

16. Exactly. Spicer has no point of reference, really.

I don't think anyone attached to this White House actually has studied what Presidents do. Maybe Pence knows, since he was a Governor, but he apparently has little influence on Trump.

You're right. Trump entered into that office without a clue and is completely unprepared to fill the shoes of those who came before him. Worse, he doesn't even know what former Presidents did. He's not a student of history.

He should resign now, and set a record for the shortest term in office. He'll go down in history as the most non-functional President ever to hold that office.

[Jim Lane]

24. It's already too late for your proposal

You write:

He should resign now, and set a record for the shortest term in office. He'll go down in history as the most non-functional President ever to hold that office.

William Henry Harrison was inaugurated on March 4, 1841 and died on April 4, 1841. Trump would have had to resign before February 20 to set the record, or resign on February 20 to tie.

As for non-functional, that's more subjective, but poor old President Harrison certainly didn't accomplish much. He didn't even send a single tweet.

[MineralMan]

25. Thanks for that information!

I'd forgotten about Harrison.

[guillaumeb]

13. Golf relaxes him.

And given the horrible caliber of his appointments so far, one hopes he will never fill all of the positions.

[dembotoz]

21. perhaps hire mexicans? they seem to be jobs white people do not want

[MineralMan]

23. Well, maybe Trump could outsource some functions

to India or Indonesia, too. I mean, that would save lots and lots of money, right?

Maybe he could put all those undocumented people in work camps or something and send out chain gangs.

[RKP5637]

26. Trump, says he's the smartest, the greatest! He probably feels with his vacant mind he can rule

the universe with no staff/support anyplace.

[MineralMan]

31. No doubt about it.

He hasn't a clue.

[underpants]

32. AND on Thursday 6 WH staffers failed their background checks

http://www.politico.com/blogs/donald-trump-administration/2017/02/white-house-failed-background-checks-dismissals-235112

[MineralMan]

33. Yes. I remember that. I also noticed that none of those

were named. They might have been part of his private Praetorian Guard. I don't know, though.

[underpants]

34. One was but she's a legacy so she'll be okay.

Among those who won't be working at the White House was President Donald Trump’s director of scheduling, Caroline Wiles, the daughter of Susan Wiles, Trump’s Florida campaign director and former campaign manager for Governor Rick Scott. Wiles, who resigned Friday before the background check was completed, was appointed deputy assistant secretary before the inauguration in January. Two sources close to Wiles said she will get another job in Treasury.

She's among others who failed to pass the intensive background check, which includes questions on the applicant's credit score, substance use and other personal subjects.

[MineralMan]

35. Yes. The others weren't named, though. I'd be very interested to

know what positions they were in. I suppose we will not be given that information, though.

[underpants]

37. Gerrit Lansing - WH Chief Digital Officer - conflict of interest

Chief digital officer steps down from White House job over background check

White House Chief Digital Officer Gerrit Lansing was among the six staffers who were dismissed from the White House last week after being unable to pass an FBI background check, according to sources.

A source close to Lansing said the issue with the background check was over investments.

Lansing previously led the digital department for the Republican National Committee.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/donald-trump-administration/2017/02/gerrit-lansing-trump-digital-chief-ousted-235268