Aw, Bibi won’t play.
Speaking to “Bibi” on the phone in the Oval Office earlier today, Trump tried to goad Netanyahu into attacking Joe Biden.
“Do you think Sleepy Joe could have made this deal, Bibi?” Trump asked Netanyahu, referring to Biden by an insulting nickname. “You think he would have made this deal? Somehow, I don’t think so.”
Very appropriate. Just what heads of state are supposed to do – try to draw other heads of state into insulting a rival for the office. “Bibi” will have to work with Biden if we succeed in putting a stake through Trump’s gut, but Donnie Two Scoops can’t be bothered with details like that when they’re about other people.
But Netanyahu did not go along with Trump’s attack, instead saying, “Well, Mr President, one thing I can tell you, is, um, uh, we appreciate the help for peace from anyone in America, and we appreciate what you have done enormously.”
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8 responses to “Sinking ship”
A week after Election Day,
Trump: “Hey, Bibi, can you believe this rigged election? They’re claiming that Sleepy Joe actually won!”
Bibi: “New phone, who dis?”
It’s like listening to some two-bit street thug trying to rope in Michael Corleone. They’re both evil bastards, but only one of them is smart.
I’ve just read a report on the Independent site which, if I understood it correctly, could spell disaster for America regardless of how the election goes.
Late on Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order without all the usual fanfare, allowing it to slip under the radar. If what is contained within that order comes to fruition then Ophelia’s fears of a Trump coup will in all likelihood have been realised.
The changes outlined in the order are planned to come into effect 90 days from the date of signing, which will be Jan. 19th. On that day, the civil service as you know it may cease to exist.
Fucking scary stuff that puts Trump in a win-win situation. If re-elected, he will be able to pack the civil service with people whose loyalties are with Trump rather than America, and with Barr in place and SCOTUS in his pocket this November may be the last presidential election America will see for a long time.
If Trump loses, he still gets to purge the civil service of any and all civil servants who are seen as disloyal, plus he could cripple a Biden administration by re-categorizing as many experienced civil servants as he wants, which would mean they have to leave when Trump leaves on the 20th, and putting his cronies into all the top positions without replacing the rank and file. This would effectively leave Biden without a working civil service.
Clearly, the above is a worse-case scenario, but none of the people quoted in the article see things going in any other direction.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-executive-order-civil-service-biden-election-schedule-f-b1255692.html
What can be done by executive order can be undone by executive order. Biden can re-hire anybody Trump fires, order them reinstated with full seniority. The “burrowed-in” people may present some problems, but honestly, how many of those people are going to want to actually do the jobs they’re supposed to be doing, without any kickbacks or grifting as they’ve become accustomed to? And how many of them haven’t already incriminated themselves in a manner that will be revealed when the new administration controls the records? My inclination would be to act aggressively to fire anyone who steps out of line, and dare them all to sue.
I don’t doubt the potential for chaos, but it’s fixable chaos. Hell, Biden might be able to find some Republicans to cooperate on a legislative fix, and turn it in to a triumph of his bipartisan bona fides.
Screechy, it will be fixable if Biden is elected but it will take time to put right, and in the meantime a seriously weakened civil service with Trump’s goons in place – however temporarily – will severely restrict the new administration in all departments. Right now, Biden could have a detailed, effective plan to start dealing with COVID, for example, but without a fully-functioning civil service he won’t be able to implement the plan. So maybe Biden could undo the damage but it will likely be chaotic for weeks or even months, and that’s time that America can ill afford.
The biggest concern would be a Trump re-election, leaving him clear to gut the civil service – something the conservative movement has long wanted to do because they see the ‘largely unionized, highly educated, racially diverse federal workforce as a hostile occupying army loyal to the more reliably pro-union Democratic Party’. Given four more years he can do a thorough job on the civil service at his leisure and without any attempts at restraint by the Republican party.
With the potential for damage that this executive order carries, after Jan. 20th. it is likely that things will either get worse before they get better, or they’ll get worse and go downhill from there.
Screechy, that is the only thought that allowed me to get to sleep last night. I need to quit reading B&W right before bed; I have enough problems sleeping as it is.
AoS,
I agree it can be a temporary problem, and at a time when you don’t want a disruption. I’m just saying that the article seems a little over-wrought in implying that this is some permanent, irreversible change.
Screechy, I am by nature an optimist and, on balance, share your opinion that it would be only temporary (as long as Biden is elected. I hardly dare consider the alternative) but just to play the pessimistic doom-monger: am I correct in thinking that SCOTUS can over-rule an executive order? And that by Jan. 20th. the Republicans will enjoy a 6 justices to 3 advantage over the Democrats?
I can’t quite shake the feeling that Trump’s people have been working on this for a long time, and likely with help from outside experts – maybe from a country whose government does control its civil service and can best advise on how it’s done, and that’s not to mention what had to have been a small army of lawyers and constiution experts. I certainly suspect that they have been working on it for long enough to ensure that once it is put into action it will not be easy to shut down.