Team of Rivals, Or Just Rivals?

The Trump camp’s statement naming Reince Priebus chief of staff and Steve Bannon chief strategist refers to them as “equal partners.”

This sets up two White House power centers, Priebus for the establishment insiders and Bannon for the pitchfork crowd.

Juggling rival underlings can work well for the boss, ensuring that:

  • neither side builds a power base undermining his own
  • differing constituencies at least get some of what they want
  • all sides seek and depend on the boss’ favor

Or it could all be a dysfunctional mess.

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Author: craigcrawford

Trail Mix Host. Lapsed journalist, author & retired pundit happily promoting nothing but the truth for Social Security checks.

62 thoughts on “Team of Rivals, Or Just Rivals?”

  1. I dedicate this to Katherine Graham Cracker: Kellyanne Conway the new RNC Chief?

    ****

    Interesting comments last night from Whskyjack, xrepublican, solar. The future DNC head should focus on the importance of people over polling & numbers. No star-studded galas the night before the election – that was a tone deaf move that played right into the opposition’s hand.

     

     

  2. The Ambassador appointments are always a hoot. How much you contributed = the size of your country & a handy way to banish obnoxious annoyances to the outer limits of the globe.


  3. Published on Nov 13, 2016

    Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. How did we get to this point? And what do we do now?

  4. From the November 14, 2016 MSNBC Morning Joe show during the Howard Dean interview.
    During the Obama administration, Democrats have lost:
    11 Senate seats
    60 House seats
    14 Governorships
    900 State legislative seats.

    I also heard last week, but have not verified, that Democrats have 5 States where they have a combined Governor and legislative majorities and the Republicans have 26 States.

    I think that, maybe, the Democrats have real problem with their message and candidates.

  5. purple, so it looks like the gopers are now completely in charge and should be held accountable for all that happens from here on out. they’ve got the ball, it’s their home game, they’ll own the referees and their field tipped in their favor.

  6. To quote one of the trail folks.  Trump’s transition team is fourteen white guys, his daughter, and a black man who doesn’t believe in dinosaurs.

    Welcome to Breitbart Land. If you aren’t a straight white male Christian you are really going to hate the rides.

  7. Watching this unfold will be interesting – and I doubt it will be in the good sense of the word.

    Steve Rattner pointed out the trump tax plan, which is agreed to by Ryan, gives the lowest income earners an additional $300 per year in tax relief, the middle to upper middle (up to about 80%ile) $1000, and the rest goes to the top 20%, with 50% going to the top 1%.  It increases the debt to revenue ratio from 84 to 110%.  Sound economics there, but it ain’t anything like a populist plan.

  8. Trump has named Michael Torrey, a lobbyist for the American Beverage Association and Dean Foods, to help set up the new team at the Department of Agriculture.
    The hypocrisy is astounding. And what they end up with will probably be horrifying.

    And Trump is now onboard with ending social security wonder how all those angry white people are going to feel about that

    one word for anybody but a racist or a hedge fund manager who voted for Trump– sucker

  9. The GOP’s national and local resurgence under the Democratic-controlled White House is not surprising, in part, because of the historical trend for two-term presidencies. Political analysts say it’s a sure thing that a political party prospers when it wins the White House but loses its influence across the country soon after. Remember that before the 2010 and 2012 elections, Democrats made positive gains in the 2006 and 2008 elections, said Larry Sabato, a political expert at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

     

    There is nothing wrong with Dem candidates or the message

    facts  in context are always helpful

  10. Pogo

    me too  I haven’t read his post election analysis yet but am looking forward to it.

    Trump governing….I vote for dysfunctional mess
    Trump cheated to win and Comey actions did make a difference
    so STFU about how she missed the angry white voters and listen up — they cheated to win therefore they do not have a mandate or a special understanding of anything.
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-10/trump-s-data-team-saw-a-different-america-and-they-were-right

  11. I used to think the charges against Assange were false but since he is an admirer of the gropping king

    I have changed my mind.  Just like any other entitled white guy – he probably did it and doesn’t think it was wrong.

    Oh boy home for the holidays deportations begin immediately

    Skeletor Guiliani thinks the Trumps kids shouldn’t have to give up their income/businesses just so Donald can avoid conflicts and this is the thinking of a
    potential US attorney general — I wonder if he thinks a uniform comes with the job. And I wonder if Christie will sit on Rude -eee to get the job or maybe even eat him

    Ana Navarro: It’s hard to give Trump a chance when he staffs his White House with racists

  12. XR, im with you all the way with Elizabeth Warren…..or any one that is not seen as an elitist….what the elitist dnc doesnt want to realize is that most of America is not one of them….they are working class people…

    Bill Clinton was not seen as an elitist…he was seen eating greasy hamburgers and dough nuts at midnight……(not what i would recommend) but hey, he was a good ol boy……Hillary weather it was fair or not….was seen very much like Dukakis, Gore and Kerry….they seemed to be only for those that ate caviar………Hillary fairly or not was thought off as that she thought that she had the divine right to be potus………So my 2nd piece of advise for the dnc,……start grooming someone that can talk like Joe Biden (a women)…..wonder if he  would have won??? people like his style of talking….which is what (one of the things) that i like E. W.

    That Anna Navarro is right…..im not going to give the racist trump any slack…….or anyone out here in the real world that is a racist…..

     

  13. So now the line on Bannon is — he’s not that guy.  He’s a good guy just doing his job

    and of course now that is the media’s line — give him a chance.  Well I hope they come for the media first..and in Trump world that is not such a far out threat.

  14. Whether it was message or delivery, Hillary’s message didn’t bring the voters out in MI, WI or PA in anything like in the past.

  15. Trump game plan

    Depress Dem voter turnout and incite I mean encourage Goops to turn out   this is the RNC too all the new state laws.  There is plenty of evidence to show deliberate attempts to not let people vote who were entitled to in Wisconsin.  Again Trump and Republicans have cheated to win. Can’t do anything about it but it is important to remember they do not have a mandate.

     

  16. Solar, Jack and XR are being constructive in looking for what can be done by the Democratic Party to correct a big problem. Most of the Hilary Fan Club just wants to fight against any negative comment about Hilary, Bill or Obama. Me, I am just a Florida no party affiliation (NPA) voter and I held my nose and voted for Hilary.

    Bill Clinton did come across as a “good old boy” as part of his con job.  Bill is a master because many still believe it.  Do not forget Bob Woodward’s 1994 book ‘The Agenda’ has Bill Clinton saying in a 1992 post-election meeting, that Woodward was sitting in on:
    What we’re doing now is turning against the people that voted us in and supporting the bond market and Wall Street.

    Ellison very well may be “establishment” but I do not think he is an elitist.  Dr. Dean is both establishment and elitist.

    Solar said it best, “hell even Michael Moore predicted trumps win.”

  17. I agree that they have engaged in dirty tricks to suppress the vote and do not have a mandate – they lost the popular vote and lost seats in the house and senate. Wisconsin is the poster child for voter suppression.  I expect Scott Walker on the short list for a plum position in drumpf’s administration. Vox lays out the numbers. Wisconsin is a gimme – it was stolen through voter suppression.  Michigan and PA don’t appear to have been, and her numbers were up in FL.

  18. When the NY Times uses the word ‘provocateur’ rather than ‘white nationalist anti-Semite’ to describe Stephen Bannon, that’s normalization

    Now possibility of John Bolton strong possibility for Secretary of State …. Get the shovel.  You just might need that old fallout shelter.

     

  19. I think it is important to understand what happened.

    If the vote was artificially suppressed that is a problem that can/should be corrected at least widely understood

    It is wrong to attribute the election to one thing – if the cause for victory was entirely something else.

    After all, if you don’t know what load of crap fell on you How can you avoid it in the future.

    Frankly, no one here is living in Clinton land.  We are all ready to move on but unfairly and wrongly victimizing the candidate doesn’t do anything to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes.

    There is a lot of young talent in the Democratic party and we should all be looking to the future

    The Democrats should be following all Trump appointments, hires etc as much as possible and everything that can be FOIAED should be from day 1.  Remember macaca  you got to be there!

  20. It’s been interesting to watch the polling issues go along the same path as some other important issues which require data gathering and correlation.

    It’s often been said about our intelligence gathering that we have become too reliant on models and extrapolated data at the expense of human intelligence gathering (boots on the ground).

    The same is now being said of the climate change argument.

    I think that the recent availability of massive amounts of data have made all of those that use this information unable to lift their heads up from the computer screen and look around every now and then.

    I’m not saying that the empirical data isn’t very important. I just think that it’s being given too much weight over more subjective observation methods.

  21. voter suppression is nothing new on the republicans side….it is done each and every time…at each and every level of government……..My 3rd advise to the dnc….leave all the tech toys on the shelf…and get back to basics……get the percent captains back to knocking on doors regularly….and get them to assist in getting people to vote…..how….the old fashion way….clean the streets, alleys or garbage rats ( a good time to get a promise to vote )…….and here is a sure fire way to get them to vote….tell them, and show them that they will be safe from gangs that kill innocents….how…..get the cops to go after them…..just like do to people that run red lights….if they end up shooting some gang banger instead of some one that is jay walking……fine by me….or other wise….maybe get back to basics…maybe talk about how to change the quality of our drinking water……did not hear too much of that….in the long stretch….concentrate more on these things….be most dont even know who their Senator, alderman, or garbage men are…..back to basics…..sounds better and better to me…….later nice day for a run in the park……afraid to run down the street…..someone just might think i stole something….just kidding???

  22. Jamie, Gwen Ifel was one of my favorites……hope that my star dust crosses hers some day……

  23. I like Ellison, and by that I mean I like him a lot, but what does a black Muslim do to attract middle class voters to the Dem party?  Yes, he is the very symbol of the inclusion the Dems have touted, but he doesn’t strike me as a magnet.  I could be wrong, but I don’t see it.

  24. jax, “subjective observation”? like the fact when they’re all counted, she’s going to have more of the popular vote and percentage margin than mosr of the preceding presidential candidates?  it does give me comfort to know that most of our actively voting citizens voted for her and not him…. subjectively observing how the vote went, we’re not all racists, sexists, xenophobes and religious bigots…. maybe nuts, maybe superficial and shallow, but then no one’s perfect  🙂

  25. Jamie,

    For what it’s worth, I had never heard of Bickmore – had to look it up. Talk about Nowheresville.  It’s an unincorporated town in the wilds of Clay County, halfway between Charleston & Muddlety (another Nowheresville). I’m sure her big night out is taking the hour drive over to Summersville to shop at Wal Mart and eat at Shoney’s.   Clay County has 9226 people in the county, 0 of whom are black (there are 13 Hispanics and 13 Native Americans).  Everyone else is white. It is literally the whitest county in WV.  Oh, and if she thinks Michelle isn’t a babe, she should take a look at her own Facebook page.

  26. and puhleese, let’s not talk about 2020 until we get 2018 straightened out… before social security, medicare and the clean water and air acts go down the drain.  ‘course that’s assuming we haven’t by then incinerated ourselves with either global or nuclear warming.

  27. Jamie, thanks for that newsweek article by eichenwald. boy, you could really feel his anger and despair listening to those who voted for someone other than Hillary who are now grumbling about drumpf winning after all the good journalism work he did on uncovering the sleeze about him.

    powerfull. hope people read it.  it was a nice sign of civility that he is very understanding of those who believed in and voted for drumpf and accepts their decision.

  28. We were told over and over by reporters that Trump people attending the rallies told them it was not so much about Trump but that they hated Clinton..so I don’t think touching them would have made any difference.

    She was never going to get their votes ever.  They are the West Virginia Voters — any white person over a person of color  and any man over any woman.

    The question is what did she have to do to overcome it.

  29. I’m more worried about his investments into DAPL.  Those Indians get to have their treaty lands violated and water polluted.

     

  30. It’s not going to be decent or the least bit God-fearing…..it’s all going to be dirty…. Nasty, greasy, and grimy.

    These people….. Mr Trump and the people he is placing in positions of power…. They have all failed the growing up part of life.

    They are truly sad and miserable little child-like egos…..

  31. crackers – Trump wasn’t responsible for depressing Dem turnout.  That’s on Hillary & the DNC.  Bernie had the message. She was the wrong nominee.

    Craig – You’re gonna need to do a re-write of POL for the new administration.  This may be the weirdest chess game, ever.

    I wonder if Trump will have his judge/sister help him with SC nominees?    Is she conservative?

     

  32. A lot of people who showed up for Obama, did not show up for Hillary.  They stayed home or voted for 3rd-party candidates.

    Blaming folks who have lost or who are in danger of losing their manufacturing jobs, well,  blame Bill Clinton for that; NAFTA continues to bleed our country of jobs.

    As someone on NPR said awhile back, blaming folks who vote for Trump is like blaming them for failing the elites.

     

  33. A lot of people in swing states were denied their right to vote  by Republicans violations of what had once been the voting rights act.

  34. Thanks SJ for giving the news that the Condom wasn’t going away quietly.  And out about today she told people to be careful what they say about Trump…

     

  35. Is there any chance that Trump’s admin picks & requesting top, security clearance for his kids would be troubling enough to have the EC vote in Hillary next month?

  36. JESUS  CHRIST! I just saw the Leslie Stahl interview with drumpf. Honest to god ,  we have a nitwit as the next president .

    Blue, wadr you are full of crap.  You worshipped Bernie – would have nominated hm for sainthood- then turned on him as an untouchable when he LOST to Hillary then supported her as the better of two choices. Bernie would not have beaten drumpf, your opinion to the contrary. Bernie’s supporters were not the folks who failed to show up for Hillary.  She and her team failed to get out the vote in 3-4 states in the numbers Obama was able to produce.

    That said I do think your first paragraph is right.

    These are called opinions. You’re entitled to yours, I to mine.  (Of course I think you are wrong). Bernie is right about one thing – she didn’t convince working class whites  that she would be their voice.  I think they made a grave mistake .

  37. Katherine Graham Cracker,

    You are must reading 😉

    blueINdallas,

    I’m waiting to hear what Mr Crawford has to say about why & how the race was lost by the Dems after he visits his insider sources. Good to know the reasons; then time to learn from them & move on to constructive action. Patd & Jamie are correct in looking towards the 2018 midterms because 2016 is done (well, after the Electoral College votes.) Whskyjack, xrepublican, Solar, Pogo & Purple-in-Tampa had some wise & interesting comments about the future of the Party. I hope you will keep us up to date about candidates in your state who are positive, good citizens. This is a great forum to build some buzz for future leaders. Last week was the lemon; time now to make the lemonade.

  38. You should run for president…..No you should run for president….running for potus…sure ruins a good friendship no?

  39. “Is there any chance that Trump’s admin picks & requesting top, security clearance for his kids would be troubling enough to have the EC vote in Hillary next month?” -BiD

    NFW

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