A.D.D.
On this the 240th day of the Trump Administration, it’s a wonder that he can concentrate to get anything done. What’s on the menu today?
North Korea
The North Koreans launched another missile over flight of Japan, triggering air raid warnings across the northern island of Hokkaido. South Korea responded by firing short range missiles into the Sea of Japan demonstrating their ability to target North Korean missile sites. All of this brings us one step closer to a war, possibly nuclear, that would go beyond the Korean peninsula. And US Ambassador Nikki Haley states: “if diplomacy fails to rein in North Korea, (Defense) Secretary Mattis will take care of it.”*
United Nations
President Trump is scheduled to address the United Nations Tuesday. His topics: North Korea, Iran, and World Terrorism. Let’s see if he can handle that without saying something that sounds racist. In the meantime, he is having multiple bilateral talks with world leaders. Who is not at the United Nations for this summit? Putin and Xi aren’t attending (not that Russia and China could help with North Korea.) However, Sunday night Secretary of State Tillerson did meet with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. This time we hope they aren’t joking about who got fired!!
Hurricanes and Fires
The Virgin Islands are devastated. Millions in Florida still don’t have power. Everglades City hasn’t seen an emergency worker. Texas is just starting to recover. Fires in Montana have been dampened by a freak early snowstorm, four days before Fall begins. Hurricane Maria is strengthening to possibly Category 3 before it hits the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, then heads northwest towards the US coast. Meanwhile no one seems to be clear about what Hurricane Jose will do. But Climate Change: since we don’t cause it there’s not much we can do. And by the way, there are billions of tons of coal in land now designated as National Monuments and the Interior Department’s Zinke recommends that we reduce restrictions and go get it[1]!!
Healthcare
Mitch McConnell is rumored to want to try “one more time” to kill the Affordable Care Act. Bernie Sanders is further dividing Democrats as he pushes the “Medicare for All Plan” (my opinion: good idea, bad timing) and helps intensify Republican efforts. And Republican Lamar Alexander is trying to find a way to support the Affordable Care Act through the next couple of years. Kasich and Hickenlooper want to help, but this doesn’t seem like a time when reason will prevail.
DACA and the WALL
Trump has made a deal with Democrats, maybe. Trump wants DACA Dreamers to be able to stay, maybe. And we will build a WALL, maybe. There is massive confusion by everyone about what the President will or will not support regarding immigration, the border, and the Dreamers. But there is one thing we know: New York Democrat Chuck Schumer thinks the President likes him!!!
But the President and his team have much more important issues to consider than those. Are their colleagues in the White House wearing secret recording devices to get in good with the Special Counsel? Can they afford the private attorneys they hired to council them during questioning?[2] And will their “friends” cut a deal to throw them “under the bus” when indictments come down?
The Mueller investigation is getting closer to the White House and the (New York Attorney General) Schneiderman investigation is getting closer to the Trump/Kushner family jewels (investments). General Flynn’s son is now a target[3], as well as Manafort’s son in law[4]; the pressure is clearly on to get these principals to flip. As they are near the top of the pyramid, there is only one person left for them to turn on, the President.
Meanwhile the President’s own lawyers can’t seem to get their act together, as they fight over the amount of cooperation they should give the Mueller investigation. Ty Cobb, newly hired Presidential counselor, known best for his outlandish midnight tweets, can’t keep his conversation private over steak in a Washington restaurant, and the world finds out. [5]
With all of this, how is any President supposed to concentrate. Especially when there’s so much tweeting to do: re-tweeting Hillary getting hit by his golf ball, calling North Korea’s leader Kim a “rocket man”, and calling terrorists “losers” like they were caught smoking in the high school restroom.[6]
Attention Deficit Disorder isn’t the problem: a Presidency and a world sliding out of control is. And no matter how many Generals demand ATTENTION, it’s unlikely there will be much unless and until the Commander in Chief is focused.
*http://nypost.com/2017/09/17/haley-says-mattis-will-take-care-of-north-korea-if-diplomacy-fails/
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/shrink-at-least-4-national-monuments-and-modify-a-half-dozen-others-zinke-tells-trump/2017/09/17/a0df45cc-9b48-11e7-82e4-f1076f6d6152_story.html?utm_term=.eb510fcd5498
[2] http://www.newsweek.com/white-house-staff-worried-colleagues-are-wearing-wire-robert-mueller-666741
[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mike-flynn-s-son-subject-federal-russia-probe-n800741
[4] http://www.thedailybeast.com/fbi-reportedly-investigating-manafort-and-son-in-law
[5] https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/politics/trump-lawyers-white-house-russia-mcgahn-ty-cobb.html?_r=0&referer=
[6]https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/09/18/why-donald-trumps-tweets-are-only-going-to-get-worse/?utm_term=.0def65398ad5
From what I heard, Trump sounded pretty reasonable, even Presidential, at the UN today. Maybe haven’t heard full report so don’t hold me to that. I do hope you’d agree, Nicki Haley has been far & away one of the President’s best appointees. Although, I’d agree w/o prompting, that is damned by faint praise!
It has been clear to everyone who has a pulse that his position on DACA was just a stratagem. You may argue one shouldn’t use the lives of so many innocent folks as a bargaining chip. And I wouldn’t disagree. But what would you expect from a man who thinks everything is a negotiation?
No serious Republican thinks this man is a “Republican”. And, I’d bet, no serious conservative seriously believes this man is, ideologically, a conservative. He is all about the cult of Trump. Nothing more, nothing less.
And the nation was so mad w mainstream candidates, whether GoP (Bush, Kasich) or Dem (HRC) that the angries voted him in. There are a lot of angries out there. They sapped HRC w Bernie, & they nominated, then elected, The Donald. Sigh.
As to “freak snowstorms” in summer: dude, do you remember June 20, 1977 in Colorado? I wish I still had those pictures.
David – I agree that of most of the administration, Nikki Haley seems to have her act together. And clearly this is a “strategic” plan, to have everyone, including the President, talk like we are going to war, and then let Tillerson try to negotiate from the strength of that position. It still concerns me when Haley is talking about letting “Mattis take care of it,” as if that didn’t mean hundred of thousands of deaths!!
And I also agree with you (and Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post) that Trump and Sanders represented rejection of the status quo, while the 16 Republicans and Hillary became the status quo. Hard to tell what that means for the future.
And I absolutely remember waking up and seeing Mr. Coleman hanging in his hammock with 6″ of snow on top of him. That was an adventure!!!!
Ha! I was dead wrong on Trump speech: I was listening to a different speech. Sorry