da Swamp

by XRepublican, a Trail Mix Contributor

It’s obvious that the trumpoviches believe that the Civil Service Act created the swamp. He intends to replace it with a spoils system.

The rest of us think that the swamp was the sea of lobbyists that cover DC to an average depth of approximately 5′ 10″. This and the pool of retired generals now comprise all the candidates to fill federal offices.

This Administration is at war with President Chester Allen Arthur, a man on the make who became clean once again.

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34 thoughts on “da Swamp”

  2. and the sinkhole, a veritable black hole filling up with denizens of da swamp, open and growing

    Trump and Nunes are distracting from the ‘big story’ that counts

    By Editorial Board

    June 2 at 7:25 PM

    ANYONE PAYING attention to the mushrooming investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election campaign and President Trump’s possible ties to Moscow will have noticed that this is not a simple story. At issue are complex questions of espionage, counterintelligence, unlawfulness, secrecy, sovereignty and coverup. It will be hard enough for the ongoing probes by the FBI, Congress and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to sort out the mess and come up with the truth and reach credible conclusions.

    That is why the latest maneuverings of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) are disturbing. Mr. Nunes, it should be recalled, announced in April that he would step aside from the panel’s investigation into the Russia affair. He recused himself after odd feints that appeared to be nothing more than an effort, in conjunction with the White House, to confuse the probe by highlighting Trump’s dubious claim that he was wiretapped by the outgoing administration. Now it appears Mr. Nunes isn’t quite stepping away, and that is reason for new concern.

    In the latest twist, Mr. Nunes was reported on Wednesday to have issued a series of committee subpoenas to the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency for information on “unmasking.” U.S. intelligence rules provide procedures for when intercepts of foreign nationals pick up the names of American citizens; they can be unmasked only if the procedures are followed. The claim Mr. Trump and others have made is that the Obama administration improperly unmasked names of Trump associates in intercepts recorded during the election and transition.

    The Nunes action seems unnecessary; if anything improper was done, the committee is capable of checking into it. This is not a separate matter from the Russia story, and Mr. Nunes’s recusal means he should keep his hands off it. Suspiciously, right after Mr. Nunes issued the subpoenas, Mr. Trump tweeted, “The big story is the ‘unmasking and surveillance’ of people that took place during the Obama Administration.”

    No, it is not. The “big story” is whether Russia brazenly attempted to tilt the U.S. election by damaging Hillary Clinton through a cyberattack and other means, thereby helping Mr. Trump to victory, and whether members of the Trump campaign colluded in that effort. It’s about Mr. Trump’s ill-explained and gratuitous attempts during the transition and since to do the bidding of Russian President Vladimir Putin, including trying to unwind the sanctions against Russia imposed by President Barack Obama after the election meddling was discovered.

    The “big story” is why Mr. Trump has frantically attempted to shut down the Russia investigations, including through the firing of FBI Director James B. Comey. It’s about getting an answer, once and for all, about Mr. Trump’s finances and any undisclosed links with Russia. The unmasking that’s important is the truth behind all this. Now it is in the hands of the investigators, and they must be left to do their work properly and without interference by Mr. Trump — or Mr. Nunes.

  3. patd…  the caption under your picture…  LOL!

    ya… in this current swamp the gators are obviously well fed…

  4. Jamie, thought you and the rest of us rats on the crowded planet would enjoy an amen moment reading this

    from today’s wapo:

    Crowded airplanes heighten aggression. We know that from studying rats.

    [….]

    More than 50 years ago, John B. Calhoun, a researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health conducted experiments with rats and mice that demonstrated the ill effects of crowding. When crammed into one place with nowhere to go, the animals suffered a dramatic breakdown in normal behavior. They became hyperaggressive and even violent, or morbidly withdrawn as their ability to cope vanished. The more density, the more aggression and deviant behavior these rodents showed one another. People can act the same way, he argued.

     

  6. There is no giant sucking sound…the drain must be clogged.

    Good one X-R

  7. sturge, think you’ll agree with maher’s take on dem demurring


    Published on Jun 2, 2017

    Bill challenges Democrats to face the reality of the current political climate and meet Republicans on their level.

  8. “There is no giant sucking sound…the drain must be clogged”

    kgc, nope, it’s there, but being masked by white noise

  9. Xrepub, appreciate the shout out to Chester Arthur, he and Grover Cleveland were unsung heroes of civil service reform

  11. When I was growing up  civil service was honorable now because of gooper  maroons – the implications for public employees is different

    I hate Pussy G and I hope he drops dead soon

  12. Patd

    That overcrowding effect is well known and often acted upon by cultural influences.  You can look at the habits of say New Yorkers who can tolerate or even seek out “up close and personal” in physical contact and compare it to people born and raised in Western States who think anything inside their three foot personal circle without an invitation is an invasion.

  13. One of Helen Thomas’ (many) pet peeves I remember most was how much she resented Ronald Reagan for “turning Americans against their government for a generation.” That “legacy” is still with us.

  15. Craig…   IMO, Helen was dead on.  It was Reagan’s “government isn’t the solution, government is the problem” claim that has led us to where we are today.

    patd…  I did enjoy Maher’s comment…  “when they go low, we should kick them in the nuts” from last night.  It made me think of Sturg too…   and gave me a chuckle.

  17.  

    Next Saturday is the Belmont.  Here are the likely contenders, but these 14 will probably trim down to 10 before the race so these aren’t the post positions yet.  I’ll keep you all posted on the race for the carnation quilt.

     

  18. Golly, that was a brilliant performance. Yang-Yang is amazing; Sir Simon and the Berlin need no kudos.

  19. Yep, RR, I often think about what a meltdown Helen would be having these days. Every time I watch a WH press conference I imagine her chewing up Spicer and spitting him out.

  21. If we could still have Helen and Patsi…

    I would love to see Helen with a purse full of billiard balls ready for combat

  22. Life in the civil service ranks is not good.  Lack of leadership, no knowledge of what will happen tomorrow and the prospect of even deeper pay cuts is real bad.  Obama is a nice guy, but his less than inflation pay increases hurt us.  Now we will have the same pay cut, but also reduce our pensions, it is not happy.  When you see articles about how federal service is so much better pay than private jobs, those are the WG, work grade, jobs.  The janitors, the truck driver and the people who are manual labor.  The GS, general service, we tend to be much lower pay than private work, especially sciences and IT.  What many of us are looking at is how big will the buyout to get us out is.  My co-worker and I have our number that we would take and retire.

  24. Getting ready for the big family wedding later today shortly.  Will be leaving tomorrow for Cape Cod.  I will be taking my iPad…  will keep up with this blog, but don’t know if I’ll comment or not.  So I better get my Belmont pick in now.

    Jamie…  still going with Classic Empire.  Maybe third time is a charm 🙂

  25. today from bbc: France’s Emmanuel Macron: Birth of the anti-Trump?

    In giving his TV reaction to the US president, not only did Macron break brazenly with longstanding convention, according to which French presidents never speak publicly in English, but he even had the chutzpah to subvert the US leader’s personal campaign slogan.

    “Make our planet great again” was a provocation dressed up as a call to virtue. As a catchphrase for the faithful, it was irresistible.

    By tweeting it, Macron took one more step down his road to investiture as that long-awaited international figure: the anti-Trump.

    [….]

    It used to be France that was old, inward-looking and incapable of regeneration, and America that was the land of youth, energy and leadership.

    But where is that caricature now?

    [….]

    With its perpetual harping on about ideals and morals, France’s capacity to irritate is prodigious. Perhaps it will not be long before Macron loses his touch and the world starts panting for his comeuppance.

    But right now, with Trump in the White House, French preachiness doesn’t appear to raise as many heckles as it used to. Having a quotable charmer for a president certainly helps.

  28. So many thanks to those who have been contributing posts lately. Makes our site much more interesting.

  31. Patd, a picture from the ‘hood. Cool.

    Jamie,  I think I’ve said it, but I’m hanging with Classic Empire. No one can accuse Renee and me of being fair weather riders. I’ll continue to travel hopefully.

  32. Btw, pbs here is running the Sgt. Pepper’s 50th here now. Don’t know about elsewhere.

  34. pat, Patch is my sentimental favorite but I officially chose Lookin at Lee from day one.

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