[Beren]

Sivad is still a young 'un, jimjam. He still has the flame of passion shining in his heart - a pure, burning hatred of oppression, injustice and corruption.

And he also has the arrogance.

[jimjam]

Trump’s bumbling incoherence, coupled with his declining political fortunes since the midterms, makes him seem less frightening than he once did. But, two years in, the jaded weariness many of us have developed might obscure how bad things are. We’re living through an unprecedented breakdown in America’s ability to function like a normal country.

The shutdown throws our crisis into high relief. For the first two years, Trump destroyed American norms, standards and conventions. Now he’s cavalierly destroying American lives.

[One Degree]

My life hasn’t changed a bit under Trump except my Social Security actually increases unlike under Obama.
I see absolutely nothing that anyone should be overly concerned with. He’s just another man like all the ones before him. He has some good ideas and not so good ideas just like all the rest and depending on your view. I can understand the young people who haven’t gone through the parties changing power, but we have been through this all before and we are still here.

[blackjack21]

Trump’s bumbling incoherence, coupled with his declining political fortunes since the midterms, makes him seem less frightening than he once did. But, two years in, the jaded weariness many of us have developed might obscure how bad things are. We’re living through an unprecedented breakdown in America’s ability to function like a normal country.

The shutdown throws our crisis into high relief. For the first two years, Trump destroyed American norms, standards and conventions. Now he’s cavalierly destroying American lives.

Maybe Trump is just hitting stride. Consider this...

Trump's shutdown trap?

Has President Trump suckered Democrats and the Deep State into a trap that will enable a radical downsizing of the federal bureaucracy?

Now that's my kind of a rhetorical thesis statement!

In only five more days of the already "longest government shutdown in history" (25 days and counting, as of today), a heretofore obscure threshold will be reached, enabling permanent layoffs of bureaucrats furloughed 30 days or more.

Don't believe me that federal bureaucrats can be laid off? Well, in bureaucratese, a layoff is called a RIF – a Reduction in Force – and of course, it comes with a slew of civil service protections. But, if the guidelines are followed, bureaucrats can be laid off – as in no more job.

Sweet Jesus that would be brilliant!

The purported senior official makes the case that devotion to "process" eats up most of the time of federal bureaucrats and is also used by enemies of President Trump's initiatives to stymie the legitimate orders issued by his senior officials:

Ahhh!! With RIF procedures, he can legally fire all of Obama appointed staffers who were converted to civil servants! Why? They have the least tenure, which is the #1 criteria (performance on the job being #4). Fucking brilliant! Keep it shut down!

I say lay off the entire TSA and shut that down and revert control of security back to airports.

If this was the plan all along, it would explain why President Trump goaded Chuck and Nancy in his televised meeting with them last year, boasting that he would claim credit for the shutdown. How could they resist a prolonged shutdown when he made it so easy to blame him?

If this is the case, Trump is crazy like a fox. MAGA!

[jimjam]

Consider this...

That has occurred to me. It could be but I doubt it. The price to Trump and his deep state would be way too high. Of course his "base" would be entertained and thrilled but an already hurting economy would be further damaged and his non base would not be inclined to join his base. Off topic but i'll try to slide it in. It seems to me that the ultimate deep state action started on 11/22/63. Even more amazing to me than the event itself was a cover up that involved many many players.

[Hindsite]

That has occurred to me. It could be but I doubt it. The price to Trump and his deep state would be way too high. Of course his "base" would be entertained and thrilled but an already hurting economy would be further damaged and his non base would not be inclined to join his base. Off topic but i'll try to slide it in. It seems to me that the ultimate deep state action started on 11/22/63. Even more amazing to me than the event itself was a cover up that involved many many players.

The economy was hurting under Obama, but not now. No one really knows what the shutdown will do to the economy yet, other than put many on Wall Street in a panic because of the uncertainty. The Democrat left-wing media have already gone into a panic that can be seen in the insanity in their political coverage.

[Godstud]

Trump is crazy

You heard it here first! Finally, a real admission from a right-winger!

[Hindsite]

You heard it here first! Finally, a real admission from a right-winger!

Another stupid comment from a foreigner living in Thailand.

[Godstud]

Another stupid comment from a foreigner living in Thailand.

Sorry, but you've cornered the market on stupid statements. It must infuriate you to know a foreigner living in Thailand knows more about your government than you do, doesn't it?

Again... Where I live... Not an argument.

[Hindsite]

Sorry, but you've cornered the market on stupid statements. It must infuriate you to know a foreigner living in Thailand knows more about your government than you do, doesn't it?

The truth is you don't know more than I do about what is going on here. That is why you make so many stupid statements.

[Godstud]

You ignore ANY information that doesn't conform to your predetermined bias that Trump is the greatest things since sliced bread, so that makes you already far behind in keeping up with current events.

That is why you make so many stupid statements.

You ONLY make stupid, and uneducated, statements.

[Drlee]

The truth is you don't know more than I do about what is going on here. That is why you make so many stupid statements.

Actually he is very well informed on US politics. Far more than you are.

[blackjack21]

Again... Where I live... Not an argument.

Where you live is a choice. You choose to live under a military government while lamenting Trump as some sort of threat to democracy. In other words, you appear to be insincere.

The simile, "crazy like a fox", means that you are being outwitted and you don't realize that you have been outsmarted. If Trump keeps the government shutdown and lays off Obama-era civil servants, he wins. If Pelosi caves and gives him his funding, he wins.

[Drlee]

The simile, "crazy like a fox", means that you are being outwitted and you don't realize that you have been outsmarted. If Trump keeps the government shutdown and lays off Obama-era civil servants, he wins. If Pelosi caves and gives him his funding, he wins.

I don't think that this is what is happening. First of all, it would not work. It is a solution in search of a problem. There is no power to be replaced. Secondly, I do not believe he is that deeply involved in anything and since Steve Bannon left completely rudderless. Bannon was the Trump kingmaker. There is no doubt about that.

The smartest thing that Trump could do is get Bannon back and do exactly what he says to do. That will never happen. If Trump were savvy enough to pull off so sophisticated a plot he would not be in the graveyard spiral that he is in now.

[Stormsmith]

Trump won the presidency, but lost by 3 million votes. Now he's risking another 800,000 people plus their spouses plus their adults kids. Putting people and their homes and car loans, health care etc under this much stress is exactly what it takes to get people to switch parties completely.

[Drlee]

True.

And in Trump's shallow view (and he said this) he thinks all government workers are democrats. He is hurting people in the red states who have supported him in the past. He will pay an additional price for this. So will the down-ballot folks.

[One Degree]

Like the voters remember anything for two years. Lol

[Drlee]

LOL?

Hide and watch. People who have been put out of work and had their homes and families jeopardized remember much longer that two years.

[Stormsmith]

Dr Lee
I doubt he believes that. He's gaming that Republican voters will buy it, though, and the good Lord knows Republican voters buy into no end of his inane ideas

One Degree
This is exactly what people remember. And the more stress they're forced to endure, the greater the likelihood they'll find someone else to elect.

[Istanbuller]

He prevents millions of refugees and migrants from gathering citizenship. He doesn't want to repeat Reagan and Bush's mistakes.

He is already a a hero. His efforts to save Anglo-American lifestyle will not be forgetten. Every single Conservative and Libertarian person should grateful to Trump.

He should keep the government shutdown as much as possible. No more government spending for two years. Libertarians will like it. Trump the saviour of liberty!