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[San Bernardhinault]

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Bollocks. Why can't I embed a tweet?

Anyway...

The thing the dystopian novels could never predict was the sudden rebellion of the national park social media managers

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Trump's Card

Great speech by Marty Walsh telling trump to go and get fucked, and that undocumented migrants can hide out in Boston city hall.

Then again nearly 30% of the city are immigrants, and nearly half of all people born in boston have at least one immigrant parent, so I'm not sure we should be too surprised by this stand.

[Wouter D]

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Reginald Christ wrote: I'm sorry to ask a question that's no doubt been asked millions of times already but what does everyone think is the likelihood that he won't serve a full term as president? That some scandal will bring him down or popular opposition will force him from office, as unprecedented as that may be.

There's a separate thread for that.

[anton pulisov]

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This Mahty Wahlsh has a serious Boston accent.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

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he has a connemara accent when he speaks Irish

[anton pulisov]

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ah right, so he's an irish citizen as well

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

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There's a big Election sign for him at the turn off for Carna. I really enjoy using him as a weapon against my frighteningly conservative american aunt. There is the pride in the son of a contemporary of hers from carna being mayor of Boston, but there was also his refusal to march in the St Patrick's day parade, or to provide any support from the city until they dragged their attitudes towards homosexuals into the second half of the twentieth century. And then there's probably going to be this as well.

[Ginger Yellow]

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Between that Bernhard Langer story and this gobsmacking ABC interview, I'm finding it very difficult not to give in to abject despair.

[Guy Profumo]

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Crivens!

Entire senior cadre of State Department resigns.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2017/01/26/the-state-departments-entire-senior-management-team-just-resigned/?utm_campaign=buffer&utm_content=buffer9062c&utm_m edium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_term=.03a8 4601ec28

[ursus arctos]

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As the article notes, this is completely unprecedented.

These are all career Foreign Service Officers, a number of whom had publicly expressed an interest in staying on.

[San Bernardhinault]

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So, what's our guess? Told to resign by the Trump team, or chose to resign because the Trump team are so anathema to normal behaviour?

[ursus arctos]

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My guess is that one or more of them were told that their services were no longer needed, and that the others saw the writing on the wall and/or resigned in protest (most likely both).

These are not really policymaking positions, rather they are senior management roles that are essential in having the place work effectively. They are particularly important because the large majority of Foreign Service Officers change postings every three years or so, thus rendering continuity and institutional knowledge at Foggy Bottom even more important than it is in most agencies.

[Ginger Yellow]

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Especially when all your ambassadors have been fired without replacements, I'd have thought.

[Tubby Isaacs]

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Trump's base aren't going to get the idea of neutral civil servants, are they? To the extent that it applies in America.

No wonder Theresa May wants to get over there. They'd love this to happen and get Policy Exchange in. Albeit with a few arms being twisted first so Policy Exchange supported grammar schools.

[ursus arctos]

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CNN reporting that four of senior officers were asked to resign and that the others followed.

This is the current org chart for State



The Red Xs are those who have resigned; the blue ones are political appointee slots that Trump has yet to fill.

[Satchmo Distel]

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Amid the other madness, how long can Trump maintain the lie that Mexico is going to for the wall? Will he still be campaigning in 2020 on that promise?

This is also another test of whether Congress has any courage or credibility, as I assume (correctly?) that Trump can't build it unless Congress agrees the budget.

The Langer story: I'm wondering how mad you have to be to buy it? Langer had the psychic powers to know that illegals were voting when he couldn't, or something. And he's the only witness to this blatant fraud, which was being done in broad daylight.

[Incandenza]

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Spicer told the press pool that Trump plans on paying for the wall with a 20% tax on all imports from Mexico. That's...not going to happen...

[San Bernardhinault]

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Trump just said that he decided to not have the meeting with Nieta, when in fact it was the Mexicans who cancelled. Trump tried afterwards to spin it as "not worth his while" if the Mexicans were "going to be like that". The maniacs in the press decided to report Trumps statements without adding any journalism, like saying that it was complete bullshit.

I'm looking forward to how the Trump voters react when all their food imports from Mexico cost 20% more. Because I'm pretty sure lettuces and avocados grown in December in Oaxaca are not undercutting hard working blue collar jobs in Ohio and West Virginia.

[Hot Pepsi]

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We might find that people don't make that connection and blame government environmental regulation or Obama or some other bullshit when everything costs more.

After all, the people in West Virginia, etc don't seem to care or understand that everything at WalMart is currently cheap because it's made by foreigners, so they won't notice or care if that disappears.

[Incandenza]

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CNN had video of Trump riding on Air Force One. He has the TV blaring, and you can hear the Empire Carpet commercial in the background.

https://twitter.com/_MarcusD2_/status/824715058311794691

If only it had been followed by a Cellino & Barnes ad for maximum jingle earworminess.

[Tubby Isaacs]

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Actually, of course there is, it's expected.

But could this cause Trump a problem, properly in the open?

[Tubby Isaacs]

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Hot Pepsi wrote: We might find that people don't make that connection and blame government environmental regulation or Obama or some other bullshit when everything costs more.

After all, the people in West Virginia, etc don't seem to care or understand that everything at WalMart is currently cheap because it's made by foreigners, so they won't notice or care if that disappears.

Is the protectionism happening properly? Or is it going to be a media operation concentrating on a few places allegedly talked out of moving to Mexico, possibly with tax freebies?

[Satchmo Distel]

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Import taxes would still mean the American consumer paying the taxes, so "Mexico pays for the wall" it would clearly not be.

[Hot Pepsi]

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Exactly. And whatshisfuck got up there and said a 20% tax on $50b in trade would yield $10b in revenue. As if there's no such thing as price elasticity.

Ironically, it's usually the Republicans who always point out that taxes reduce sales and harm consumers.

[Hot Pepsi]

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Tubby Isaacs wrote:

We might find that people don't make that connection and blame government environmental regulation or Obama or some other bullshit when everything costs more.

After all, the people in West Virginia, etc don't seem to care or understand that everything at WalMart is currently cheap because it's made by foreigners, so they won't notice or care if that disappears.

Is the protectionism happening properly? Or is it going to be a media operation concentrating on a few places allegedly talked out of moving to Mexico, possibly with tax freebies?

We'll see