The Cabinet Thread
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wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 03:51 last edited by
There was seemingly scripted obsequiousness from each cabinet member praising Trump for his greatness, before they gave their update.
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wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 09:42 last edited by
Duffy’s seemed pretty beside the point when there are planes falling out of the sky every 90 seconds.
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There was seemingly scripted obsequiousness from each cabinet member praising Trump for his greatness, before they gave their update.
wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 11:24 last edited by@Horace said in The Cabinet Thread:
There was seemingly scripted obsequiousness from each cabinet member praising Trump for his greatness, before they gave their update.
Presumably this was T's idea. He's a weird bloke alright.
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wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 12:21 last edited by
And this is where too much focus on Trump will blur your vision. There is a lot of news going on here, particularly from Kennedy, but y'all are worried about Trump's Cabinet saying something nice about the boss, before launching into their statements.
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wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 12:40 last edited by
I think it's somewhat relevant. This seems to be a "tell me the best news" type of meeting whereas if I were running the meeting, it would be very similar to my large IT project meetings where people are asked to talk about what is going well, but are required to identify something not going well that we should try to fix. Admittedly I didn't watch the full cabinet meeting but I'd imagine there isn't very much "Mr. President, this is where our administration is screwing up" type of agenda items.
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wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 12:43 last edited by
Face it, what you're seeing is what you're allowed to see. You're not going to see disagreements or frank discussions at this part of the meeting.
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wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 12:45 last edited by
I am hopeful you are right.
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wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 12:49 last edited by
BTW Hegseth's update about signing an agreement to allow "first and free" passage for US vessels in the Panama Canal is interesting. The US accounts for about 40% of traffic (so of 14,000 annual ships, that would be 5,600 ships a year), at an average fee of $325,000 (sometimes lower, sometimes over a million, so we'll stick with the average). This would mean Panama Canal is letting the USA use the canal for free (???) and foregoing 1.9 billion dollars in revenue, almost half their revenue, that is likely needed for operations and to pay off a recent debt to expand the canal.
All of that being said, unfortunately I don't really trust anything the administration says right now about the canal given how Trump lied so much about how many lives were lost building it. It's not all TDS from me though...I do like the emphasis on US military control in the area given the importance of the canal for commerce and peace.
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And this is where too much focus on Trump will blur your vision. There is a lot of news going on here, particularly from Kennedy, but y'all are worried about Trump's Cabinet saying something nice about the boss, before launching into their statements.
wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 12:51 last edited by@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
And this is where too much focus on Trump will blur your vision. There is a lot of news going on here, particularly from Kennedy, but y'all are worried about Trump's Cabinet saying something nice about the boss, before launching into their statements.
It's a sales presentation, not an actual source of information. I wouldn't expect anything else, obviously. Everybody does this kind of thing.
I just find the toadying a little nauseating. I'm sure we've all had to work with brown-nosers. In the workplace they're generally a source of great amusement, typically followed by great irritation when they inevitably get promoted.
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@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
And this is where too much focus on Trump will blur your vision. There is a lot of news going on here, particularly from Kennedy, but y'all are worried about Trump's Cabinet saying something nice about the boss, before launching into their statements.
It's a sales presentation, not an actual source of information. I wouldn't expect anything else, obviously. Everybody does this kind of thing.
I just find the toadying a little nauseating. I'm sure we've all had to work with brown-nosers. In the workplace they're generally a source of great amusement, typically followed by great irritation when they inevitably get promoted.
wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 13:53 last edited by@Doctor-Phibes said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
And this is where too much focus on Trump will blur your vision. There is a lot of news going on here, particularly from Kennedy, but y'all are worried about Trump's Cabinet saying something nice about the boss, before launching into their statements.
It's a sales presentation, not an actual source of information. I wouldn't expect anything else, obviously. Everybody does this kind of thing.
I just find the toadying a little nauseating. I'm sure we've all had to work with brown-nosers. In the workplace they're generally a source of great amusement, typically followed by great irritation when they inevitably get promoted.
Trump has an ego, no argument. But if you read a bit about how he interacts with subordinates in private, he does listen. Often to several disagreeing views. But once he makes his decision, everybody better get on board. And you don't second-guess him in public.
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BTW Hegseth's update about signing an agreement to allow "first and free" passage for US vessels in the Panama Canal is interesting. The US accounts for about 40% of traffic (so of 14,000 annual ships, that would be 5,600 ships a year), at an average fee of $325,000 (sometimes lower, sometimes over a million, so we'll stick with the average). This would mean Panama Canal is letting the USA use the canal for free (???) and foregoing 1.9 billion dollars in revenue, almost half their revenue, that is likely needed for operations and to pay off a recent debt to expand the canal.
All of that being said, unfortunately I don't really trust anything the administration says right now about the canal given how Trump lied so much about how many lives were lost building it. It's not all TDS from me though...I do like the emphasis on US military control in the area given the importance of the canal for commerce and peace.
wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 13:56 last edited by@89th said in The Cabinet Thread:
BTW Hegseth's update about signing an agreement to allow "first and free" passage for US vessels in the Panama Canal is interesting. The US accounts for about 40% of traffic (so of 14,000 annual ships, that would be 5,600 ships a year), at an average fee of $325,000 (sometimes lower, sometimes over a million, so we'll stick with the average). This would mean Panama Canal is letting the USA use the canal for free (???) and foregoing 1.9 billion dollars in revenue, almost half their revenue, that is likely needed for operations and to pay off a recent debt to expand the canal.
All of that being said, unfortunately I don't really trust anything the administration says right now about the canal given how Trump lied so much about how many lives were lost building it. It's not all TDS from me though...I do like the emphasis on US military control in the area given the importance of the canal for commerce and peace.
If you remember, Hegseth was dispatched to Panama right after Trump was sworn in. There's some interesting things going on down there...Chinese involvement, the Mexican rail plan and the possibility of another canal.
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@Doctor-Phibes said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
And this is where too much focus on Trump will blur your vision. There is a lot of news going on here, particularly from Kennedy, but y'all are worried about Trump's Cabinet saying something nice about the boss, before launching into their statements.
It's a sales presentation, not an actual source of information. I wouldn't expect anything else, obviously. Everybody does this kind of thing.
I just find the toadying a little nauseating. I'm sure we've all had to work with brown-nosers. In the workplace they're generally a source of great amusement, typically followed by great irritation when they inevitably get promoted.
Trump has an ego, no argument. But if you read a bit about how he interacts with subordinates in private, he does listen. Often to several disagreeing views. But once he makes his decision, everybody better get on board. And you don't second-guess him in public.
wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 14:03 last edited by@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Doctor-Phibes said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
And this is where too much focus on Trump will blur your vision. There is a lot of news going on here, particularly from Kennedy, but y'all are worried about Trump's Cabinet saying something nice about the boss, before launching into their statements.
It's a sales presentation, not an actual source of information. I wouldn't expect anything else, obviously. Everybody does this kind of thing.
I just find the toadying a little nauseating. I'm sure we've all had to work with brown-nosers. In the workplace they're generally a source of great amusement, typically followed by great irritation when they inevitably get promoted.
Trump has an ego, no argument. But if you read a bit about how he interacts with subordinates in private, he does listen. Often to several disagreeing views. But once he makes his decision, everybody better get on board. And you don't second-guess him in public.
I wouldn't expect his cabinet to disagree with him in public, it's part of the job. The horribly contrived over-the-top flattery is actually counterproductive IMHO because it makes them look obsequious.
Subtle he isn't.
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wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 15:40 last edited by jon-nyc 4 Nov 2025, 18:18
That’s the thing. ‘Thank you Mr President for letting me be part of this fantastic team’ is one thing.
‘Thanks entirely to the singular genius of comrade Stalin we will have the best wheat harvest the world has ever seen’ is quite another.
Trump’s preference is toward the latter.
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wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 15:47 last edited by
I swear to God, if somebody said that in a meeting where I worked, I'd have coffee leaving my body through multiple orifices.
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@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Doctor-Phibes said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
And this is where too much focus on Trump will blur your vision. There is a lot of news going on here, particularly from Kennedy, but y'all are worried about Trump's Cabinet saying something nice about the boss, before launching into their statements.
It's a sales presentation, not an actual source of information. I wouldn't expect anything else, obviously. Everybody does this kind of thing.
I just find the toadying a little nauseating. I'm sure we've all had to work with brown-nosers. In the workplace they're generally a source of great amusement, typically followed by great irritation when they inevitably get promoted.
Trump has an ego, no argument. But if you read a bit about how he interacts with subordinates in private, he does listen. Often to several disagreeing views. But once he makes his decision, everybody better get on board. And you don't second-guess him in public.
I wouldn't expect his cabinet to disagree with him in public, it's part of the job. The horribly contrived over-the-top flattery is actually counterproductive IMHO because it makes them look obsequious.
Subtle he isn't.
wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 15:59 last edited by@Doctor-Phibes said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Doctor-Phibes said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
And this is where too much focus on Trump will blur your vision. There is a lot of news going on here, particularly from Kennedy, but y'all are worried about Trump's Cabinet saying something nice about the boss, before launching into their statements.
It's a sales presentation, not an actual source of information. I wouldn't expect anything else, obviously. Everybody does this kind of thing.
I just find the toadying a little nauseating. I'm sure we've all had to work with brown-nosers. In the workplace they're generally a source of great amusement, typically followed by great irritation when they inevitably get promoted.
Trump has an ego, no argument. But if you read a bit about how he interacts with subordinates in private, he does listen. Often to several disagreeing views. But once he makes his decision, everybody better get on board. And you don't second-guess him in public.
I wouldn't expect his cabinet to disagree with him in public, it's part of the job. The horribly contrived over-the-top flattery is actually counterproductive IMHO because it makes them look obsequious.
Subtle he isn't.
No, the American people did not vote for subtle.
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@Doctor-Phibes said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Doctor-Phibes said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
And this is where too much focus on Trump will blur your vision. There is a lot of news going on here, particularly from Kennedy, but y'all are worried about Trump's Cabinet saying something nice about the boss, before launching into their statements.
It's a sales presentation, not an actual source of information. I wouldn't expect anything else, obviously. Everybody does this kind of thing.
I just find the toadying a little nauseating. I'm sure we've all had to work with brown-nosers. In the workplace they're generally a source of great amusement, typically followed by great irritation when they inevitably get promoted.
Trump has an ego, no argument. But if you read a bit about how he interacts with subordinates in private, he does listen. Often to several disagreeing views. But once he makes his decision, everybody better get on board. And you don't second-guess him in public.
I wouldn't expect his cabinet to disagree with him in public, it's part of the job. The horribly contrived over-the-top flattery is actually counterproductive IMHO because it makes them look obsequious.
Subtle he isn't.
No, the American people did not vote for subtle.
wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 16:09 last edited by@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
No, the American people did not vote for subtle.
Oh, so now we can't criticise him because that's what America voted for?
I don't remember you saying that for the previous 4 years, or for that matter between 2008 and 2016.
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@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
No, the American people did not vote for subtle.
Oh, so now we can't criticise him because that's what America voted for?
I don't remember you saying that for the previous 4 years, or for that matter between 2008 and 2016.
wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 16:14 last edited by@Doctor-Phibes said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
No, the American people did not vote for subtle.
Oh, so now we can't criticise him because that's what America voted for?
I don't remember you saying that for the previous 4 years, or for that matter between 2008 and 2016.
The American people knew what they were getting in Trump. I seem to recall him being POTUS before this term.
The Resident was a product of COVID, the Democrat Machine and a compromised legacy media that asked little of The Big Guy, except what flavor ice cream he liked.
“Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”
Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton
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@Doctor-Phibes said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
No, the American people did not vote for subtle.
Oh, so now we can't criticise him because that's what America voted for?
I don't remember you saying that for the previous 4 years, or for that matter between 2008 and 2016.
The American people knew what they were getting in Trump. I seem to recall him being POTUS before this term.
The Resident was a product of COVID, the Democrat Machine and a compromised legacy media that asked little of The Big Guy, except what flavor ice cream he liked.
wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 16:16 last edited byThe American people knew what they were getting in Trump.
Bwahahahahahahaha!
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@Doctor-Phibes said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
No, the American people did not vote for subtle.
Oh, so now we can't criticise him because that's what America voted for?
I don't remember you saying that for the previous 4 years, or for that matter between 2008 and 2016.
The American people knew what they were getting in Trump. I seem to recall him being POTUS before this term.
The Resident was a product of COVID, the Democrat Machine and a compromised legacy media that asked little of The Big Guy, except what flavor ice cream he liked.
wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 17:06 last edited by Doctor Phibes 4 Nov 2025, 17:07@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Doctor-Phibes said in The Cabinet Thread:
@Jolly said in The Cabinet Thread:
No, the American people did not vote for subtle.
Oh, so now we can't criticise him because that's what America voted for?
I don't remember you saying that for the previous 4 years, or for that matter between 2008 and 2016.
The American people knew what they were getting in Trump. I seem to recall him being POTUS before this term.
The Resident was a product of COVID, the Democrat Machine and a compromised legacy media that asked little of The Big Guy, except what flavor ice cream he liked.
I'm pretty sure the electorate knew what they were getting in 2012, too. One of the reasons they voted the way they did in 2020 was the connection Biden had to Obama. Now, the bubble you live in may consider Obama one step down from The Antichrist, but a significant chunk of the country didn't feel that way.
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wrote on 11 Apr 2025, 17:26 last edited by
No, the world I live in views Obama as incompetent and a product of the Chicago Machine.
Great potential unrealized.
