2017 Trump Presidency Thread

[EbowTheLetter]

Thank you, good sir. That is the approach I'll take.

 

[Scrofula]

There are a surprising number of [strong-right folks] around here, and yet it's actually pretty peaceful in that thread. Then I realized the NRA-GOP marketing tentacles stop at our borders, and what a difference that really makes.

 

[nuttynutskin]

Donald Trump Helps Suffering Puerto Ricans By Throwing Paper Towels At Them
We never thought we’d write this headline.

By Sebastian Murdock

In his first visit to Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricane Maria, President Donald Trump tossed paper towels at suffering survivors Tuesday.

A small number of the more than 3 million residents in Puerto Rico still without power were gifted paper towels, which Trump apparently thought was the most pressing need for those in the crowd.

Video of the event shows him tossing the paper towels like a child trying to play basketball. It’s all very underwhelming.

After Puerto Rico’s governor told Trump that only 16 people had been reported dead, Trump said the storm wasn’t a “real catastrophe” like Hurricane Katrina.

“Everybody watching can really be very proud of what’s taken place in Puerto Rico,” he added.

Later on Tuesday, the government revised the death count to 34. The number is likely to go up again as more information about the storm’s destruction emerges.

During Tuesday’s visit, Trump also lambasted Puerto Rico for creating a budget strain.

“I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack,” he said.

The comments follow a public lashing Trump gave to San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz after she begged the U.S. government for help. Instead, Trump attacked her on Twitter while at his New Jersey golf resort.

Retired Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré tore down the president’s tweets.

“The mayor’s living on a cot, and I hope the president has a good day at golf,” Honoré told CNN.

At least now the people of Puerto Rico have some towels to help clean up the mess Trump has exacerbated.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...er-towels-at-them_us_59d3db64e4b0218923e5b4f7

 

[alasdairm]

his entire response to the disaster in p.r. has been shameful and has insulted and degraded the office of the president.

alasdair

 

[Erikmen]

I have read that Puerto Rico has had a successfull history in agriculture and services, they contribute with more soldiers to the US armed services per capita than any state. Besides Puerto Rico residents also pay federal payroll taxes among other taxes, including social security, etc.

As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico is treated like a state under many U.S. laws, but it is not a state. There is no requirement that Puerto Rico be treated equally, and often it is not. Federal funds are often distributed unequally to Puerto Rico, and the people of Puerto Rico don’t have the same access to some tax credits as the people living on the mainland do.

 

[cduggles]

Who among us has not wondered about how federal law applies to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico?

Why Posse Comitatus is Not Immediately Applicable to the Military’s Mission in Puerto Rico
By Mark Nevitt
Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at 12:53 PM

Also links to the Jones Act.

Article is great! Really!

 

[cduggles]

I don't know what's worse, that 54% don't know, or that I'm a little impressed that 46% do.

Jess, I got mixed up somehow. Apparently last year, 43% of people did know Puerto Ricans are Americans, and this year 54% knew (at survey time).

So 46% didn't know Puerto Ricans are Americans this year, which is an 8% difference.

Apologies, cduggles

p.s. Hopefully now even more are aware that Puerto Ricans are American citizens!!

 

[JessFR]

Well really I think almost everyone should know that. But gotta be realistic about western educational standards. They suck.

They suck in America, they suck in Australia, I suspect they suck in the entire western English speaking world.

Fucking trump, at least with Katrina I don’t recall bush accusing Louisiana of asking for a handout. It’s appauling.

This isn’t some third world country. These are other Americans for Christ sake. They need help, what the fuck do we pay taxes for if not exactly this?

Trump sure has a lot of nerve to talk about protesters being unpatriotic. How patriotic is leaving other Americans suffering from a natural disaster then saying they want shit handed to them by asking for help. And if that’s not bad enough, suggesting this is their fault.

I never thought I’d wish so badly we’d seen president Clinton again.

 

[Scrofula]

Ms. Duggles, are you saying that the excuse for slow aid is they can't declare martial law in Puerto Rico? Posse comitatus, like how the military are forbidden from policing civilians here?

Trump still thinks it's some banana republic that'll mob the rescue supplies (is it a banana republic?).

 

[cduggles]

Actually Mr. Scrofula, the posted article explains that posse comitatus and waivers for the Jones Act, which involves shipping, are not applied any differently to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, despite what the Trump administration claims are excuses for a delay in much-needed aid.

Currently, the military is assisting with logistics and humanitarian efforts as opposed to policing the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The way the law is written, posses comitatus applies only to occupation by the Army and the Air Force while taking an active role in domestic law enforcement efforts.

The Marines, Navy, National Guard, and the Coast Guard are not specified.

While much of the legal discussion has focused on common-sense waivers for the 1920 Jones Act that would facilitate shipment of humanitarian assistance to Puerto Rico, one of the reasons given for the initial slow response was complications stemming from the Posse Comitatus Act (PCA), which limits the role that active military personnel can play in responding in U.S. territories.

..................

In sum, the National Guard is conducting the bulk of the humanitarian assistance effort in Puerto Rico, clearly not prohibited by the PCA. And the National Guard is heavily assisted by the maritime services, who fall outside the text of the law itself. Thankfully, there is not a clear security and law enforcement need at this time. The military should continue to play a robust role in the military response to Puerto Rico. Hopefully, the assistance will alleviate the crisis in Puerto Rico, and the U.S. citizens residing there will get the help they so desperately need and deserve. And understanding when and when not to apply the PCA should ensure the military response is timely and not thwarted by any restrictions, real or perceived.

The claims of the Trump administration regarding waivers for the Jones Act and the applicability of posse comitatus are baseless.


A couple of other interesting facts:

• Puerto Ricans on the island cannot vote in US presidential or federal congressional elections, although they do vote in the presidential primary.

If they move to the US, they can participate in federal elections.

• Puerto Ricans can move as freely as mainland Americans from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to any American state without a passport or visa.

• Currently Florida is experiencing a large influx of Puerto Ricans. So many Puerto Ricans are fleeing the disaster area of the island that Florida might turn purple (swing state for Republicans or Democrats) or solid blue (Democratic).

A solid majority of Puerto Ricans usually vote Democrat. I'm guessing that the Puerto Rican Republicans have also been converted...

 

[aihfl]

• Currently Florida is experiencing a large influx of Puerto Ricans. So many Puerto Ricans are fleeing the disaster area of the island that Florida might turn purple (swing state for Republicans or Democrats) or solid blue (Democratic).

A solid majority of Puerto Ricans usually vote Democrat. I'm guessing that the Puerto Rican Republicans have also been converted...

As a Florida resident I can tell you this has already happened in my area around Orlando. When I moved here in the 90s, it was solidly Republican territory. My congressman was Bill McCollum, one of the House prosecutors in the Clinton impeachment. The other area congressman was John Mica also Republican, though less of a firebrand than McCollum. Glenda Hood was the Republican mayor of the City of Orlando.

Nearly 25 years later, after the gerrymandered congressional map was ordered redrawn by the Florida Supreme Court, nearly the entire Central Florida congressional delegation are Democrats and Orlando's current and longest serving mayor is a Democrat. Clinton beat Trump in Orange County by about 20 points.

Long story short, this area has gone from extremely red to solidly blue in just 20-25 short years.

 

[cduggles]

Pro-life congressman who reportedly pressured mistress to have an abortion announces resignation

Self-explanatory

 

[spacejunk]

wow - classy guy.

“It was Dr. Murphy’s decision to move on to the next chapter of his life, and I support it,” Ryan said in a statement. “We thank him for his many years of tireless work on mental health issues here in Congress and his service to the country as a naval reserve officer.”

his own, or mental health issues generally, i wonder?

 

[aihfl]

What's with these doctors in Congress pushing their mistresses to have abortions? And why did he actually resign? Rep.Scott Desjarlais MD from Tennessee dug in his heels and is still in office.

 

[alasdairm]

he resigned because he's a massive hypocrite and it was the right thing to do.

alasdair

 

[cduggles]

With Tropical Storm Nate coming toward Louisiana, I hope the loss of life and damage to vital infrastructure is minimal. The area continues to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

I also hope Puerto Rico, an island chock full of millions of American citizens, isn't forgotten. Half of the people have drinking water and 5% have electricity.

I'm just relieved that climate change is a hoax!! (sarcasm)

 

[David Wooderson]

I hope people that work their ass's off for nothing get somewhere someday.

Can I claim my good guy badge and get my well deserved applause, head nod and maybe a fist in the air now?

What's with these doctors in Congress pushing their mistresses to have abortions?

They're no differant then their heels.

It's very much like......

 

[Scrofula]

Dave, cartoon gifs are great, but maybe a NSFW or spoiler tag next time so I don't have a seizure every time the page loads.

he resigned because he's a massive hypocrite and it was the right thing to do.

Sadly, only one of the hypocritical 'bortion hatin' except-when-it's-your mistress/girlfriend/patient resigned. Doctor Rep DesJarlais still remains huffpo goes deep!

 

[cduggles]

What's with these doctors in Congress pushing their mistresses to have abortions? And why did he actually resign? Rep. Scott Desjarlais from Tennessee dug in his heels and is still in office.

With regard to Murphy, he was in some major pro-life House group (I'm not implying that some of the other members aren't hypocrites, just that they didn't get caught) that had just voted to ban abortions after 20 weeks, so the righteous need to purge him prevailed.

At first he wanted to finish out his term despite the scandal. Then Paul Ryan announced his retirement.

He comes from a Republican stronghold and would likely not be too vulnerable in 2018, which would have been his 9th term (I think - definitely major incumbent).

It's really hard to say if he'd face a challenger, as some of those Congressional districts are really that devoted to their cause (I'm trying to be polite).

Just read about Desjarlais. Unbelievable. I won't go into the whole thing about him being forgiven because he's a Christian. How is he still a doctor after sleeping with patients? So gross.

 

[aihfl]

Sadly, only one of the hypocritical 'bortion hatin' except-when-it's-your mistress/girlfriend/patient resigned. Doctor Rep DesJarlais still remains huffpo goes deep!

Thanks for posting that article. Looking at the timeline, the Desjarlais scandal broke when Boehner was still House speaker. Paul Ryan seems to have marginally better control over his caucus whereas chaos ruled toward the end of Boehner's term.