There is disarray in Trump Tower in Manhattan, and massive traffic issues below in midtown Manhattan.
Donald Trump seems to want to live in Trump Tower a lot of the time, rather than the White House, which creates major traffic, economic, and security issues.
Fifth Avenue and 56th Street is now barricaded, and traffic will become impossible, and trying to protect the President-Elect is a security nightmare, as it requires tremendous manpower of New York City Police and the Secret Service, and is creating problems for businesses, auto traffic, and pedestrians, which will only get worse.
But also, Trump seems totally disorganized, and rumors are spreading of some candidates for different positions in the government who are totally dangerous or ridiculous!
For Secretary of State, the candidates seem to include former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton; South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley; and former Massachusetts Governor and 2012 Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney. The first two named are dangerous for the State Department, as they have no sense of personal diplomacy, and are both loud mouths, with Bolton being the more scary. Haley adds good looks and a woman to the list, but no real qualifications to be Secretary of State. Mitt Romney is the most credible, but really has no diplomatic experience to speak of. And Haley and Romney were bitter opponents of Trump, and did not endorse him.
Then we have the crazy idea of Sarah Palin being Secretary of Interior or Secretary of Energy!
Already, we have Stephen Bannon as Chief Counselor and Senior Adviser in the White House, despite his racist, nativist, antisemitic, Islamophobic, homophobic, and misogynist behavior and utterances. And we have General Michael Flynn, fired by Barack Obama from the Defense Intelligence Agency leadership in 2014, who has also shown elements of antisemitism, and suggested that Hillary Clinton be jailed, to be National Security Adviser. These two appointments do not require Senate confirmation, but it is clear with the chaos in Trump Tower, that Donald Trump will have problems with confirmation of some of his cabinet and other appointments.
Eww….Latest appointments….
Jeff “Elmer Fudd” Sessions chosen for Attorney General
Michael Pompeo, a Tea Partier tied to the Koch Bros and previously on the Benghazi witch hunt, chosen for CIA Director
These appointments have Bannon’s finger prints all over them.
Trump has agreed to a settlement in his Trump University lawsuit.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/25-million-settlement-reached-trump-university-lawsuit-n686026
The whole spectacle seems to be the plot for either a sitcom or he is lining up candidates for a revamped reality TV
series called The Cabinet Apprentice.
Just imagine the newly inaugurated President Trump waltzing into his first meeting with his cabinet appointees and look Mitt Romney in the eyes and proclaim, ” Mitt, I’ll show you what fraud is– You’re fired!,”
Paul, that is precisely what I said to my colleagues today, that Mitt Romney, if he were to accept a post from Trump, would never last, and Trump would fire him, as he always did on The Apprentice!
A reporter on MSNBC this afternoon also mentioned that it’s like a reality TV show lineup.
I am a former student of the progressive professor (I took two courses with him in 2009-2010ish), and I still read this blog from time to time. I rarely comment, but the latest election has left me shaken, to say the least. I am a lawyer these days, specializing in health law, and I credit Dr. Feinman for sparking my interest in politics, which ultimately lead me to apply to law school after undergrad.
I have heard rumblings in the Healthcare world that trump is attempting to assemble legislation to sign on January 20th that will change and overturn many aspects of the PPACA, specifically in terms of privatization of more aspects of Medicaid More troubling to me, however, is that the most prophetic and savvy judge I have met thus far in my young career is convinced that Ted Cruz will be nominated and appointed to the Supreme Court.
I would be curious to hear my old professor’s opinion on these potential developments.
It is so wonderful to hear from a former student!
I have been very shocked and stunned over the turn of events these past ten days.
I am very worried about the dangers to Medicaid, which so many people, who are poor, sick, disabled need as a lifeline. It is unconscionable what is happening, and particularly more so now that Hillary Clinton’s popular vote margin continues to mount.
As far as Ted Cruz, there is no one more terrifying for the Court, as I thought that Cruz was the only GOP nominee in 2016 who was actually more scary and horrifying than Donald Trump, as the man is overwhelmingly hated by all of his Senate colleagues, so I hope he is not nominated, and if he is, that he is repudiated, so that he will truly know just how much he is undesirable as a member of the Senate. Only three GOP senators, with the 48 Democrats are needed to defeat him.
But almost any appointee by Trump might make us look at Antonin Scalia as not as evil as Scalia was, in my opinion.
Professor,
I listen to POTUS on Sirius/XM when traveling. They had Cruz’s speech to The Federalist Society yesterday.
In the Q.&A afterward,Cruz almost said he was not interested. Cruz is such a political being that I don’t see him campaigning for the slot.
This is troubling: http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/21/media/donald-trump-meeting-tv-networks/
Watching the major news networks marching into Trump Tower to have an “off-the-record†meeting with the president-elect who played them over and over again during the campaign is problematic.
Follow-up by the Washington Monthly regarding Trump meeting with the press. http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/11/22/the-breakdown-of-trust-in-the-media/#.WDRic-s9cWI.facebook
I, too, think the fact that his closest advisors are going to great lengths to shield him from the press is disturbing.
http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/11/22/president-elect-not-ready-for-prime-time/#.WDSvKUQdhEk.facebook
Nikki Haley has been picked for UN Ambassador. http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/23/politics/nikki-haley-picked-for-un-ambassador/index.html
The Trump con continues, nominating for Education Secretary a billionaire child of privilege who has worked for decades to destroy public education and undermine public school teachers.
http://www.alternet.org/education/trumps-disastrous-education-pick-billionaire-heir-right-wing-dynasty-and-champion-school