***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[Belgium]

https://thehill.com/homenews/admini...ing-federal-workers-calling-for-long-shutdown
Trump shares article blasting federal workers, calling for long shutdown
President Trump on Monday shared an op-ed from a writer claiming to be an anonymous senior member of his administration who harshly criticizes federal workers as disloyal to the White House and worthy of losing their jobs.

The writer of the op-ed, published by conservative news site The Daily Caller, argues the partial government shutdown is an opportunity for Trump to greatly reduce the size of government.

“On an average day, roughly 15 percent of the employees around me are exceptional patriots serving their country. I wish I could give competitive salaries to them and no one else,” the op-ed reads. “But 80 percent feel no pressure to produce results. If they don’t feel like doing what they are told, they don’t.”

Later in the op-ed, the author states that the first goal of the shutdown should be to win better security particularly at the southern border. Uniformed border officials should be paid, but nonessential employees should be let go, the author writes.

"Furloughed employees should find other work, never return and not be paid," the op-ed states.

The second goal should be finding savings for taxpayers, according to the op-ed.

If the shutdown is just about "rhetorical bickering," it is a loss, the author states. "But if it proves that government is better when smaller, focusing only on essential functions that serve Americans, then President Trump will achieve something great that Reagan was only bold enough to dream."

Trump shared the op-ed on Tuesday, a day after it was published by The Daily Caller.

The writer of the op-ed, headlined "I'm a Senior Trump Official and I Hope a Long Shutdown Smokes out the Resistance," is described by website as a senior official in the Trump administration “whose identity is known to us and whose career would be jeopardized by its disclosure.”

The story does not indicate whether the writer is a political appointee of Trump or a civil servant.

The government has been shut down for 25 days over Trump's demand for funding for a southern border wall. Roughly 800,000 federal workers are furloughed or working without pay.

The op-ed's argument that most federal workers should lose their jobs and that the shutdown should be a way to drive them out is at odds with the public comments of Republican lawmakers and even Trump, who have cast federal workers furloughed or working without pay as a result of the shutdown as victims.

The writer claims that a majority of federal workers “do nothing that warrants punishment and nothing of external value.”

“That is their workday: errands for the sake of errands — administering, refining, following and collaborating on process,” the op-ed reads.

A long shutdown can eliminate the sabotage and waste in the government so workers can focus on the president’s agenda, the author of the story wrote.

“Most of my career colleagues actively work against the president’s agenda. This means I typically spend about 15 percent of my time on the president’s agenda and 85 percent of my time trying to stop sabotage, and we have no power to get rid of them,” the op-ed states. “Until the shutdown.”

“Federal employees are starting to feel the strain of the shutdown. I am one of them. But for the sake of our nation, I hope it lasts a very long time, till the government is changed and can never return to its previous form,” the op-ed states.

The Daily Caller, which was founded by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, in its note on the op-ed said it was publishing the story by an anonymous author because "we believe publishing this essay anonymously is the only way to deliver an important perspective to our readers.”

This isn't the first time a publication has published a story from an anonymous author claiming to be working within the administration.

The Daily Caller op-ed appears to be a response to a blistering op-ed titled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” which ran in The New York Times in September.

The writer of the Times op-ed also claimed to be a member of the Trump administration and tore into Trump's "amorality," describing a group of White House staffers working against Trump’s “misguided impulses.”

The president tore into the author of that anonymous piece, calling them “an anonymous, gutless coward.”

“You look at this horrible thing that took place, is it subversion, is it treason?" Trump asked during a campaign-style rally in Montana.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment on the latest op-ed.

 

[blastercombo]

It’s like the inauguration all over again too - but even easier to count. There’s about 36 burgers on each tray so it’s a lot nearer 300 than 1000. What an idiot.

300 and 1000 are literally the same thing. Studies show that

 

[harlemtothebronx]

We're definitely in a simulation.

 

[art vandelay]

300 and 1000 are literally the same thing. Studies show that

Fam, that’s just science, can not ever dispute science.

 

[kdawg]

Maybe he's counting each individual nugget...

I mean credit where credit is due - no-one has ever served so much fast food in the White House. That can’t be denied.

 

[Belgium]

The William Barr confirmation hearing is a bit surprising tbh. So far he's come off as pretty reasonable.
Senator Cornyn asked him about the counter-intel investigation into the president and all he could get out of Barr was that he agreed it was a bit odd but that he'd need to know the predicate to form any opinion.

 

[Belgium]

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/425403-barr-says-trump-wont-be-allowed-to-correct-mueller-report
Barr says Trump won't be allowed to 'correct' Mueller report
Attorney general nominee William Barr told lawmakers Tuesday that President Trump would not be allowed to “correct” special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report on his Russia investigation.

“That will not happen,” Barr said during his confirmation hearing.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) asked Barr, who Trump nominated to serve at the helm of the Justice Department in December, to respond to Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani’s claim that the president’s legal team should be permitted to correct the final report Mueller is expected to submit to the Justice Department at the conclusion of his investigation.

 

[blastercombo]

Fam, that’s just science, can not ever dispute science.

I should know. I actually went to school to create numbers. I have multiple degrees in number creation and actually specialize in the numbers 300 and 1000

 

[Kimchi Papi]

The food was cold... It was ordered hours before & it was never reheated...

If you have to eat it, there is nothing worse than cold fast food.

 

[youngogjosh]

Fam was so cheap that he didn't even buy some of those food warmers that are at every big gathering where food is served.

 

[bigrockford]

O come on, you always struck me as someone who posts with such conviction! Dont fail me now!!!!

In all seriousness, it is clear that there are varying levels of care applied to these forums and certain threads ... I dont take things as seriously as you do and it may come across as humorous or humorless ...

But let's have an honest discussion about this thread and the propensity to allow certain viewpoints more leniancy than others ... At least admit that the minority opinion within this thread is not only curbed, but sought out and piled on ...

This is what I have issue with ... you're so convinced that every aspect of the right is wrong and every differing opinion is founded in racism and white supremacy ...

As a minority WORKING IN THE ACTUAL FIELD THAT CHANGES POLICY TO HELP MINORITIES, I cant tell you how quickly people with one-track minds are dismissed ... I ask that you consider the alternatives to your views as more than just a nuisance you must deal with on Niketalk ...

This is ******* GOLD!

 

[aepps20]

Libs and Dims are totally out of touch with America. The meal our President Elect served was the BEST working man's food money could buy. Our President Elect can relate to the federal workers that are currently on strike because he eats common food. DLK shared his dorm room with his mother. You BETTA believe a fancy dinner out for DLK included the AMAZING dollar menu items from BK. More name calling from the left. The players were pumped and got hyped when they saw the spread.

 

[Belgium]

Conveniently ignoring that time and again, numerous people who happen to identify as Trump supporters found themselves getting a permanent ban because they couldn't stop themselves from posting some blatantly racist nonsense. Followed of course by some people like Ninja decrying those suspensions as policing opposing political views. It was pointed out to no avail that such a defense would need to argue that racism is a valid opposing political view.

This thread would have a pretty equal balance of opposing political views if just a small fraction could have contained their urge to make explicitly racist statements. The list of permanent bans for racism is pretty extensive at this point. That long list of race-related permanent bans just happens to be composed almost entirely of people from a certain political affiliation, resulting in a further imbalance of opposing political views.

 

[bigrockford]

Conveniently ignoring that time and again, numerous people who happen to identify as Trump supporters found themselves getting a permanent ban because they couldn't stop themselves from posting some blatantly racist nonsense. Followed of course by some people like Ninja decrying those suspensions as policing opposing political views. It was pointed out to no avail that such a defense would need to argue that racism is a valid opposing political view.

This thread would have a pretty equal balance of opposing political views if just a small fraction could have contained their urge to make explicitly racist statements. The list of permanent bans for racism is pretty extensive at this point. That long list of race-related permanent bans just happens to be composed almost entirely of people from a certain political affiliation, resulting in a further imbalance of opposing political views.

Racism only counts toward blacks. Not even real racism, just any criticism toward anything any black person has done.

 

[Mark Antony]

When put to visuals some things make perfect sense.

 

[art vandelay]

 

[boris]

Racism only counts toward blacks. Not even real racism, just any criticism toward anything any black person has done.

Nah, but stay ignorant. You fragile.

 

[Belgium]

Status update on Rick Gates. He first served as Manafort's business deputy, then went on to become the deputy Trump Campaign chairman. After Manafort left the campaign, Gates stayed on in that role. In the Trump Transition, he took on the role of deputy chairman of the Trump Inaugural Committee.
Gates is still cooperating in "multiple investigations" and is still not ready for sentencing. He entered his cooperation agreement on February 23 2018.

Unlike Manafort, Gates immediately revoked his joint defense agreement with Trump when he started cooperating. Manafort on the other hand is still in a joint defense agreement with Trump even after Manafort's felony convictions and his guilty plea to one count of conspiring to obstruct the Mueller investigation with Kilimnik. Giuliani defended the agreement during Manafort's cooperation and said Manafort's attorney Kevin Downer had been briefing the Trump defense on his interactions with Mueller.

Gates' next status update is scheduled for March 15.

 

[RustyShackleford]

2019 is too much already mane

 

[art vandelay]

Long question short, will he be impeached or imprisoned, I need this hope to be realized.

 

[blastercombo]

That was deleted? Those were posted with intentions of being seen to help make money. Racist statements are ok though?

 

[aepps20]

2019 is too much already mane

Feels like the year should be over.

 

[getback]

 

[Belgium]

Normally we should get a new court filing from Mueller today too. The judge set a January 14 deadline for Mueller to lay out the evidentiary basis for determining Manafort breached his cooperation agreement with a variety of lies. The D.C. courthouse was closed due to snow yesterday and there has been no record of Mueller's expected filing so it should be coming today.

It will probably be filed under seal anyway but perhaps the accidental disclosure by Manafort's lawyers in their filing that displayed all the redacted material could have some impact on what prosecutors are comfortable publicizing, if anything.

 

[bigrockford]

When put to visuals some things make perfect sense.

Please explain.