What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[jimmy olsen]

Governor of Virginia is probably going to resign over this tomorrow. If so, he would be replaced by his African-american lieutenant governor, a man considerably to the left of him politically.

Hard to imagine that is the desired result for the right wing group that dug up this info and then leaked it. Especially since after he finishes the three years on this term he could run for election for a governing term in his own right, something Northam could not have done due to term limits.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/shocked-saddened-and-offended-swift-reaction-to-va-gov-ralph-northams-racist-photo/2019/02/01/ee319196-269c-11e9-ad53-824486280311_story.html

Shocked, saddened and offended': Swift reaction to Va. Gov. Ralph Northam's racist photo

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) has apologized for a racist photo on his medical school yearbook page. Here are reactions from around the state and the country:

Virginia Legislative Black Caucus: "We just finished meeting with the Governor. We fully appreciate all that he has contributed to our Commonwealth. But given what was revealed today, it is clear that he can no longer effectively serve as Governor. It is time for him to resign, so that Virginia can begin the process of healing."

Virginia House Democratic Caucus: "We are so deeply saddened by the news that has been revealed today. We are having trouble reconciling our experience with Governor Northam with what we see in this photo. The Governor Northam we know is a great friend and ally, who has served and dedicated himself to our Commonwealth and the nation.


"However, constituents' trust in their elected officials is paramount. We regret to say that we are no longer confident in the Governor's representation of Virginians. Though it brings us no joy to do so, we must call for Governor Northam's resignation."

Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus: "After seeing the yearbook pictures that surfaced of Governor Northam today, we were shocked, saddened and offended. Virginia has a complicated racial history and past, and those pictures certainly reflect that. Black face was used to ridicule African Americans and the Klan was a source of terror and intimidation. The racism engendered by these images was real then and resurrected by these images today. We are beyond disappointed.

"The Ralph Northam we know is a pediatric neurologist, a dedicated public servant, and a committed husband and father. Nevertheless, it is with heavy hearts that we have respectfully asked him to step down."


Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D): "This has been a heartbreaking day. Ralph Northam is my friend and he served well as my Lt. Governor and as Governor. His actions on display in this photo were racist, unacceptable and inexcusable at any age and any time. The situation that he has put himself and the Commonwealth of Virginia in is untenable. It's time for Ralph to step down, and for the Commonwealth to move forward."

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.): "It is never easy to condemn a personal friend, but Governor Northam's past behavior is indefensible. I know the Governor has dedicated his life to public service, and he has advanced policies to help African Americans and Virginians from all walks of life. I take him at his word that he is deeply sorry, and that he understands that his behavior was inappropriate and offensive. History will have to judge his life and public record, and this chapter will be a major stain on that record.The Governor must now make the right decision that is best for the Commonwealth of Virginia."

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.): "I know that Governor Northam is searching his soul tonight and I hope and trust he puts the needs of the Commonwealth above all else.


"The racist pictures revealed tonight opened wounds that I fear are beyond his capacity to heal."

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.): "The racist photo of Governor Northam on his EVMS yearbook page is absolutely disturbing and unacceptable. The hateful rhetoric that this photo represents has no place in our Commonwealth, and especially not the Governor's mansion."

Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.): "I am so deeply disappointed and dismayed by the horrific picture of Governor Northam that surfaced today. Four hundred years ago, Africans arrived in this country, enslaved and kept as slaves for over two hundred years. Systemic racism is still endemic today in every part of America. Virginia has a particularly sordid history with racism from the first enslaved Africans on our shores, to the capital of the Confederacy to Massive resistance to the struggles African-American Virginians face today.


"In light of that stain on our Commonwealth and the work that still needs to be done, I ask the governor to step aside. While I acknowledge his efforts on behalf of all Virginians and the good he has done as a senator, as our lieutenant governor and now as governor, Virginians have too much to overcome and too much healing yet in front of us."

Democratic National Committee member Atima Omara: "As a Virginian and a Democrat who has supported Governor Northam, I am appalled at the picture I've seen. The image represents the painful legacy of Jim Crow and white supremacy and must be condemned. I wish him well, but for the good of Virginia he must resign."

Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring: "The photo, the conduct it captures, and the racist imagery invoked are all indefensible. The photo would be profoundly offensive in any circumstances, but it is also shocking and deeply disappointing to know that it pictures Governor Northam. Virginia's history is unfortunately replete with the scars and unhealed wounds caused by racism, bigotry, and discrimination. It is imperative that Governor Northam hears and truly listens to those who are hurt by this image as he considers what comes next."


U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.): "The racist photo from Governor Northam's 1984 yearbook is horrible. This causes pain in a state and a country where centuries of racism have already left an open wound. I hope the Governor—whose career as an Army officer, pediatrician and public official has always manifested a commitment to justice and equality for all—now takes the time to listen to those he has hurt and reflect on how to move forward."

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.): "This photo is shocking and deeply offensive, all the more so because of Virginia's long and painful history of racism and violence toward African Americans. The Governor must now listen to the people and communities he has hurt, and carefully consider what comes next."

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ): "These images arouse centuries of anger, anguish, and racist violence and they've eroded all confidence in Gov. Northam's ability to lead. We should expect more from our elected officials. He should resign."


U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.): "Leaders are called to a higher standard, and the stain of racism should have no place in the halls of government. The Governor of Virginia should step aside so the public can heal and move forward together."

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): "These racist images are deeply disturbing. Hatred and discrimination have no place in our country and must not be tolerated, especially from our leaders – Republican or Democrat. Northam must resign."

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio): "Governor Northam should resign."

Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.): "This photo may not be the sum of who Ralph Northam is, but there's no doubt, that the right thing for him to do as a leader is to step down."

Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney (D): "Governor Northam has a long and distinguished history of service to our Commonwealth and nation, but he should do the honorable thing and step down."


Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.): "The bigotry depicted in this photograph is appalling. There should always be serious consequences for actions that demean, intimidate, or threaten our African-American communities. Such conduct is unacceptable for any Virginian—whether occurring in the past, present, or future. Governor Northam must resign and fully acknowledge the painful past these images evoke. Bigotry has no place in Virginia."

Dr. Leana Wen, president, Planned Parenthood Federation of America: "As the nation's largest provider of reproductive health care, we have a responsibility to advocate for all patients, and to provide compassionate health care to all people who walk through our doors. There is no place for Gov. Ralph Northam's racist actions or language. He must step down as Governor. The people of Virginia need to be able to trust that their leaders will fight for them, and support policies that protect their health, safety and value their communities. Gov. Northam's actions have put that in doubt."

Jennifer Lewis, acting chair, the Waynesboro, Va., Democratic committee: "The Waynesboro Democratic committee calls on Governor Northam to resign. As we work towards a more just world, this is a reminder of how much work we have yet to do. This behavior should not have had and does not now have a place in the Democratic Party."


Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.): "Earlier today the yearbook page of Ralph Northam from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1984 was posted on several social media sites. The pictures show one man with a black face and another in full KKK garb. Governor Northam has acknowledged that he posed for that offensive picture, apologized and asserted that he no longer holds those racist views. I take him at his word.

"The question now is whether redemption and forgiveness are achievable under these circumstances and in the explosive racial environment of the Trump alt right era.

"Governor Northam must search his heart to determine whether he can or should continue in office. I fear that the breach of trust this represents for those who entrusted him with their votes and confidence cannot easily be recovered and the profound hurt those pictures evoke cannot easily be healed."

Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: "Whether the year is 1984 or 2019, the image on Governor Northam's yearbook page is simply inexcusable. Such bigotry has no place in American life, let alone the highest levels of government. While we are mindful that youth and young adults can make regrettable mistakes that may merit leniency, this image perpetuates some of the worst hate in our nation's history and undermines the ability of all Virginians – particularly those of color – to have faith in the integrity of their Governor. His failure to proactively own a mistake of this magnitude before it was discovered by others calls into question his ability to credibly lead the diverse people of Virginia.

"We vehemently condemn racism regardless of the political party of the offender, and Governor Northam is no exception. His apology is insufficient, and we demand his immediate resignation."

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.): "We need leaders who will bring us together instead of driving us apart. While it was proper for Governor Northam to apologize, there is no excuse for this type of photograph then or now," Congresswoman Luria said. "Unfortunately, the existence of this photograph does not bring us together. I ask Governor Northam to resign. This isn't about politics, this is about what is right and wrong."

Barbara Boxer, former Democratic U.S. Senator from California: "You can't get much sicker than honoring the KKK. It's not about apologizing, Governor, it's about having failed to reveal and explain your deep racist past as you ran as a Democrat in the 21st century. You disgrace our party and our country. Resign."

The chairs of the Democratic Committees of Alexandria City, Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Falls Church City issued the following joint personal statement: "The behavior depicted in the photo is abhorrent and repulsive at any age. There is no place for hate and racism in a multicultural, pluralistic Virginia. With the dark and painful history of slavery, racism, and segregation in Virginia and our country, we expect the leader of our Commonwealth to embody the fight for justice, fairness, and equality for all. Governor Northam can no longer do so. We urge Governor Northam to resign. We refuse to place party loyalty above our core principles."

Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters: "We strongly condemn Governor Northam's past actions and call for his immediate resignation. We look forward to working with a Justin Fairfax administration going forward to advance conservation and environmental quality for all Virginians."

James Comey, former FBI director: "Governor Northam should resign. Our Commonwealth is better than this and deserves better than this."

State Del. Danica Roem (D-Prince William): "I stand in solidarity with the @VaBlackCaucus in calling for the resignation of the governor of Virginia. Who I know him to be today is not reflective of his racist past but the wound ripped open today by that racism has irreparably harmed our commonwealth and hurt our people."

NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Executive Director Tarina Keene: "The Commonwealth of Virginia has a long history of bigotry and racism. And in 2019, there is absolutely no place for racism in Virginia. The message this photograph sends is in direct conflict with the values that NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia fights for every day: equality and freedom for all people.

I have personally known Ralph Northam for 12 years. During that time, I have only known him to be a humble, honest and dedicated physician and public servant.

The Governor's yearbook picture is deeply offensive and reprehensible. The images are, and were, contemptible and inexcusable. We strongly urge Governor Northam to resign.

This is a deeply sad moment for Virginia and all Virginians. This not a time for political or partisan posturing and any individual or organization attempting to do so is unconscionably divisive. As Virginians, we must come together to reject our past wrongs and identify what each of us can do to build a better and more inclusive future for every resident of our Commonwealth."

Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus:

"Ralph Northam served in our nation's military, treated thousands of families as a medical doctor, and had the audacity to ask for Black votes when he wanted to become governor, yet never once mentioned that he thought it was ok to be in black face or dressed as a Klansman.

"An apology now isn't enough. The governor needs to learn that it's not about what you do once you're caught. Instead, it's about the things you do when you think no one is watching.

"We now know what Ralph Northam did when he thought no one was watching. The person in that photo can't be trusted to lead. Governor Northam must resign immediately."

[dps]

Who the heck on the yearbook staff thought that that photo was appropriate to include in the yearbook?  in 1984?  I wouldn't have been to surprised to find something like that in a yearbook in 1954 or 1964, but, again, 1984? 

Not saying that it should have been considered appropriate in 54 or 64, just that it wouldn't surprise me that someone would have.

EDIT:  JO, why did you put that article in this thread?

[Barrister]

Who the F cares what was put in a yearbook 35 years ago?  Sheesh PC culture annoys me at times.

[dps]

I generally feel that way, too, BB, until I actually saw the photo in question.  I don't think he necessarily should have to resign over it, but it shows astonishingly poor taste and poor judgment.  And keep in mind, that it's a medical school yearbook, so we're not talking about s high school student or a college freshman here, but someone a bit older and supposedly more mature.

[Syt]

http://time.com/5518947/donald-trump-intelligence-briefings-national-security/

'Willful Ignorance.' Inside President Trump's Troubled Intelligence Briefings

In the wake of President Donald Trump's renewed attacks on the U.S. intelligence community this week, senior intelligence briefers are breaking two years of silence to warn that the president is endangering American security with what they say is a stubborn disregard for their assessments.

Citing multiple in-person episodes, these intelligence officials say Trump displays what one called "willful ignorance" when presented with analyses generated by America's $81 billion-a-year intelligence services. The officials, who include analysts who prepare Trump's briefs and the briefers themselves, describe futile attempts to keep his attention by using visual aids, confining some briefing points to two or three sentences, and repeating his name and title as frequently as possible.

What is most troubling, say these officials and others in government and on Capitol Hill who have been briefed on the episodes, are Trump's angry reactions when he is given information that contradicts positions he has taken or beliefs he holds. Two intelligence officers even reported that they have been warned to avoid giving the President intelligence assessments that contradict stances he has taken in public.

That reaction was on display this week. At a Congressional hearing on national security threats, the leaders of all the major intelligence agencies, including the Directors of National Intelligence, the CIA and the FBI contradicted Trump on issues relating to North Korea, Russia, the Islamic State, and Iran. In response, Trump said the intelligence chiefs were "passive and naïve" and suggested they "should go back to school."

The intelligence officials criticizing Trump requested anonymity because the briefings they described, including the President's Daily Brief, or PDB, are classified. The PDB is one of the most highly restricted products produced by U.S. intelligence analysts. A select group of intelligence officials is involved in preparing these briefings. A small number of senior officials, often including the Director of Central Intelligence, Director of National Intelligence or the heads of other agencies depending on the topic, usually deliver it.

The reporting for this story is based on interviews with multiple officials who have first hand knowledge of the episodes they describe, and multiple others who have been briefed on them. Asked in detail about the officials' concerns, senior White House and National Security Council officials declined to comment.

The problem has existed since the beginning of Trump's presidency, the intelligence officials say, and for a time they tried to respond to the President's behavior in briefings with dark humor. After a briefing in preparation for a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May, for example, the subject turned to the British Indian Ocean Territory of Diego Garcia. The island is home to an important airbase and a U.S. Naval Support Facility that are central to America's ability to project power in the region, including in the war in Afghanistan.

The President, officials familiar with the briefing said, asked two questions: Are the people nice, and are the beaches good? "Some of us wondered if he was thinking about our alliance with the Brits and the security issues in an important area where the Chinese have been increasingly active, or whether he was thinking like a real estate developer," one of the officials said wryly.

In another briefing on South Asia, Trump's advisors brought a map of the region from Afghanistan to Bangladesh, according to intelligence officers with knowledge of the meeting and congressional officials who were briefed on it. Trump, they said, pointed at the map and said he knew that Nepal was part of India, only to be told that it is an independent nation. When said he was familiar with Bhutan and knew it, too, was part of India, his briefers told him that Bhutan was an independent kingdom. Last August, Politico reported on president's mispronunciation of the names of the two countries during the same briefing.

But the disconnect between Trump and his intelligence briefers is no joke, the officials say. Several pointed to concerns regarding Trump's assessment of the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear capabilities. After Trump's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un last summer, the North claimed to have destroyed its major underground nuclear testing facility at Punggye-ri, and Trump has gone out of his way to credit the claim.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGIA), which oversees the spy satellites that map and photograph key areas, had tried to impress upon Trump the size and complexity of the North Korean site. In preparing one briefing for the President on the issue early in his administration, the NGIA built a model of the facility with a removable roof, according to two officials. To help Trump grasp the size of the facility, the NGIA briefers built a miniature version New York's Statue of Liberty to scale and put it inside the model.

Intelligence officials from multiple agencies later warned Trump that entrances at the facility that had been closed after the summit could still be reopened. But the president has ignored the agencies' warnings and has exaggerated the steps North Korea has taken to shutter the facility, those officials and two others say. That is a particular concern now, ahead of a possible second summit with the Kim Jong-Un later this month.

The briefers' concerns are spread across multiple areas of expertise. Two briefers worry that a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping could produce a trade agreement that the President can trumpet but that fails to address China's espionage, its theft of intellectual property that ranges from circuit boards to soybean hybrids, its military buildup, and its geopolitical ambition.

Three other officials worry about what one of them calls "precipitous troop withdrawals" from Syria and Afghanistan and a peace deal with the Taliban that in time would leave the extremist Islamic group back in charge and wipe out the gains made in education, women's rights and governance since the U.S. invaded the country more than 17 years ago.

For now, the briefers are heartened by the intelligence community leaders who risked Trump's ire by contradicting him in public testimony this week.

The danger, one former intelligence official said, is that those leaders and other intelligence briefers may eventually stop taking such risks in laying out the facts for the President.

[FunkMonk]

The BLS summarized some of these revisions in 2012: https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-2/revisions-to-jobs-numbers.htm

I suppose reliability is a subjective standard, but by my eyes, this is not highly reliable. April went from 115 to 69; June from 80 to 45; August from 96 to 192; November 146 to 247.  None of these directly impacted by December specific issues.

Judging from that sample, swings near or over 100K jobs are not that unusual, as are swings of 40+% down or as much as 100% up.

Swings of 100,000 are within the margin of error (I think it's around 110,000) at the first estimate so, to my mind, the initial estimate is still reliable. Obviously the 2nd and 3rd estimates are more accurate, but the 1st estimate is not without merit. Otherwise, the BLS would not publicly release an estimate it felt was not suitably reliable or accurate enough.

[Habbaku]

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGIA), which oversees the spy satellites that map and photograph key areas, had tried to impress upon Trump the size and complexity of the North Korean site. In preparing one briefing for the President on the issue early in his administration, the NGIA built a model of the facility with a removable roof, according to two officials. To help Trump grasp the size of the facility, the NGIA briefers built a miniature version New York's Statue of Liberty to scale and put it inside the model.

I always wonder how they recruit a person for this type of position. Do they have official model-makers? Are they contracted out or salaried?

[celedhring]

Looks like Trump is offering America to scratch that "divine right executive" itch. 

Sarah Sanders: God 'wanted Donald Trump to become president'

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said she believes God wanted President Donald Trump to win the 2016 election, the Christian Broadcasting Network reported on Wednesday.

"I think God calls all of us to fill different roles at different times and I think that he wanted Donald Trump to become president, and that's why he's there," Sanders told CBN's David Brody and Jennifer Wishon, according to a transcript of the interview provided by CBN.
"I think he has done a tremendous job in supporting a lot of the things that people of faith really care about," Sanders added.
When asked about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling Trump's proposed wall along the US southern border "immoral," Sanders told CBN, "The idea that protecting the people of your country, which is the fundamental duty of being president of the United States, would in some way be immoral is a ridiculous charge."
The government partially shut down for more than a month -- the longest shutdown in US history -- after Trump demanded $5.7 billion for new border wall funding and Democrats, who control the House, refused to approve the funds. Pelosi has declared Trump will receive "nothing for the wall."
Sanders also reassured CBN that Trump's announcement that he would withdraw the US military from Syria would not endanger Christians in the area.
"Look, the President's made clear that we support Christians, that we support the Kurds," Sanders said, adding the President has "made that clear to Turkey."
Earlier this month, Trump threatened to "devastate" Turkey's economy if it attacked the Kurds in Syria -- a stark threat toward an ally in the region that has partnered with the US in the fight against ISIS. Turkey views some Kurdish groups in the region as terrorist organizations and Kurds make up the majority of US-allied fighters operating in Syria in the civil war against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
"The idea that the President is just stepping away and ignoring any potential problem doesn't understand the fundamental decision that he's made," Sanders said.
When asked why there aren't daily White House briefings and how the White House gets its message out without them, Sanders said, "The President himself engages with the media more than any president has in history. He's the most accessible, and I think the White House in general is the most accessible, when it comes to the media."
"There's certainly no desire by our team and certainly by the President to withhold information," Sanders said.

[Eddie Teach]

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

[The Brain]

Putin is God now?

[PDH]

Putin is God now?

Where have you been?  He has been God for about a decade now.

[mongers]

The antithesis of Trump, definitely worth a read:

Robert Mueller: America's most mysterious public figure

By Gareth Evans

He seldom gives interviews and is rarely seen in public. Yet Robert Mueller, the man leading the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election, is one of the most talked about people in America.

His critics accuse him of spearheading a plot to bring down the president. His supporters say he is a tireless public servant fighting to uncover the truth. But through all the noise he has continued to shun the spotlight.

So who is the man behind the headlines?

FBI Agent Lauren C Anderson was investigating a murder in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, when she received an urgent phone call.

The voice on the other end told her that Robert Mueller, who had been appointed FBI director two years earlier in 2001, was trying to get hold of her.

"It surprised the heck out of me," she tells the BBC. "I'm thinking, what could possibly be going on here that he needs to know about?"

A few weeks earlier, she had been on a bus in Paris when a man suffered a heart attack. He later died, but she jumped over several rows of seats to give him CPR and, when the medics arrived, consoled his wife on a nearby street corner.

In Gabon, she put the phone to her ear, apprehensively, and heard Mr Mueller's voice.

"I heard that you worked to save somebody's life," he said. "Thank you."

It's a memory that Ms Anderson says reveals something significant about his character.

"He took the time out of his day, at a time when there was utter chaos happening in the world, to talk to me and to make that phone call.

"He takes seriously when people do the right thing. That's what matters to him."
.....

Full item here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47094301

[Valmy]

Looks like Trump is offering America to scratch that "divine right executive" itch. 

I mean the same logic basically applies to everything that has ever happened in history.

[garbon]

I can't say I find her comment all that strange in an American context.

[The Minsky Moment]

Swings of 100,000 are within the margin of error (I think it's around 110,000) at the first estimate so

Well yes, that's the problem.  Where you are looking at a number that usually swings from 50 - 300K and your margin of error is over 100K, you've got a problem.  To say that that the estimate is reliable because it's within such a gaping margin of error begs the question.   For that matter, to defend the reliability by saying BLS wouldn't release it otherwise begs the question as well.