Random Politics & Religion #14

A former George W. Bush administration official who once encouraged recalcitrant Republicans to serve in the incoming Trump administration is now issuing a warning against getting on board, cautioning that those Republicans "would probably have to make excuses for things that are inexcusable and defend people who are indefensible."
Eliot Cohen, who served as a State Department counselor from 2007 to 2009, wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post published Tuesday explaining why he had changed his mind after engaging with the Trump transition team.

Earlier Tuesday, he had tweeted: "After exchange w Trump transition team, changed my recommendation: stay away. They're angry, arrogant, screaming "you LOST!" Will be ugly."

Cohen, part of the #NeverTrump conservative coterie, recounted his experience working with a friend on Trump's transition team -- despite his personal opposition to Trump, Cohen had still hoped to discreetly "steer good people to an administration that understandably wanted nothing to do with the likes of me."
But Cohen explained that a contentious exchange led to his friend "seething with anger directed at those of us who had opposed Donald Trump," and that "the episode has caused me to change my mind about recommending that conservatives serve in the administration."
"This was a tipping point. The tenor of the Trump team, from everything I see, read and hear, is such that, for a garden-variety Republican policy specialist, service in the early phase of the administration would carry a high risk of compromising one's integrity and reputation."
"In a normal transition to a normal administration, there's always disorder," Cohen wrote, but "this time may be different. Trump was not a normal candidate, the transition is not a normal transition, and this will probably not be a normal administration."
Cohen savaged the team assembled around Trump -- "The President-elect is surrounding himself with mediocrities whose chief qualification seems to be unquestioning loyalty" -- and argued that "by all accounts, (Trump's) ignorance, and that of his entourage, about the executive branch is fathomless."
The former Bush official warned that as a result of the disarray and the people involved, "their mistakes -- because there will be mistakes -- will be exceptional," and that the new administration "will smash into crises and failures"
"My bottom line: Conservative political types should not volunteer to serve in this administration, at least for now," Cohen wrote. "They would probably have to make excuses for things that are inexcusable and defend people who are indefensible. At the very least, they should wait to see who gets the top jobs."
"I hope that I am wrong. I hope that the administration will settle down and that I can cheer it when it is right and offer temperate criticisms when it is wrong. But the auspices here are disturbing."

Former Bush official warns against serving in Trump admin
CNN

Crying about "double standards" doesn't change the facts about the current dysfunction going on in Trump Tower today.

Cohen, part of the #NeverTrump conservative coterie,

Cohen is just echoing what I said yesterday

I guess you missed the quotation marks, but that's not surprising. Cohen is just echoing what I said yesterday, nobody wants any part of this administration.

My favorite unhinged meme of the day.

Trump didn't tell the media he was going to dinner so his presidency will be all cloak and dagger.

Seriously, this is starting to get sad.

My favorite unhinged meme of the day.

Trump didn't tell the media he was going to dinner so his presidency will be all cloak and dagger.

Seriously, this is starting to get sad.

Seriously, this is starting to get sad.

Exactly. The president elect decides to go off and eat without a cadre of press following him around (), and suddenly he's the least transparent president ever.

The solution? Everyone gets their way! I can't wait until my daughter grows up and gets crowned as the prom queen... along with the 317 other girls there. Well, no, wait.... By then it'll be "prom person", as gender-based titles and titles that imply royalty will be politically incorrect. But still, It'll bring a tear to my eye.

My favorite unhinged meme of the day.

Trump didn't tell the media he was going to dinner so his presidency will be all cloak and dagger.

Seriously, this is starting to get sad.

I wish they would just go away, seriously

lol come on man, he's not the only one out there making videos/reports

Then we will have to rely on Alex Jones for the news.

I have 2 words for that:

Galka Mayo
***
NO!

There's a video out there of a Young Turks guy losing his mind and shouting at Alex Jones after the Republican convention (Alex Jones implied someone in YT was a jihadist, and so another YT guy made a comment about Alex Jones and lizardmen, and shouting ensued).

Interesting reddit post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/5d8zop/serious_people_who_have_met_or_dealt_with_donald/

Maybe it will quell some peoples fear of Trump, I personally found the read very comforting.

It almost seems counterproductive though because as president we're not getting Donald, the man. We're getting DONALD, the Public Ego.

^

That said, you're right. It's nice to remember even the most famous or powerful of people are just people. At least some of the time.