I learned this morning there is no law against the President and Vice President when it comes to separating their businesses once they are in office.
There is a law requiring government officials – but not the President and Vice President. It has always been the customary process to put their assets and businesses into some sort of blind trust or other means – to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest.
But Trump says he will simply let his kids run his Trump empire – and that he will not talk to them – ever – about any of it.
And we are to believe him?
But – the bigger problem is – why doesn’t this law also pertain to the President and Vice President?
Seems to me – this is one issue that would be bipartisan and should be the first order of business – by the New and Improved Congress in 2017.
Hadn’t seen nor heard of it. Reading the link, it would appear Pence has a good chance of prevailing. Sounds to me as if some bad drafting became a bad statute.
I have been a fan of PBS NewsHour because of Gwen and Judy. The PBS panel and fellow journlalists did such an amazing job tonight n remembering Gwen.
Gwen was yet another victim of the word I hate he most – CANCER. And she was only 61 yrs. old.
In the midst of all this craziness with Trump and his Court Jesters (all older than 61 yrs old) and apparently in good health – I just have to ask – why are the nice and genuinely good people the ones that die from cancer?
I will miss Gwen Ifill every night on the PBS Newshour. She had a beautiful smile – which by her many friends and fellow journalists testimony – went along with Gwen’s big heart.
Donald Trump wants top secret security clearance for his kids. It is unlikely he will get it. The request alone in unprecedented.
But why does he want THAT? Is it because simple minded bully that he is he needs them as his “brain trust” in matters top secret? In my mind that makes him incompetent to lead on his own.
OR, is it because his kids who will be leading his business interests in blind trust while he is President might make money for their corporate empire using top secret information?
The Chinese have a curse. “May you live in interesting times.” Donald Trump brought this curse to the Republican primaries and now inflicts it on all America…
Before I say more, TAKE HEART friends! Yes, this is awful. How awful we can imagine it will likely be worse.
But….
As loud as right radio, Trump, his supporters, scream it, this was no “cakewalk” (Trumps words) election. He has a mandate ONLY by the electoral college and the ensuing propoganda. In the end, he will likely lose the popular vote by as many as 2 million+ votes! He LOST. The ideas of the right LOST. And it is true that this is a little less than 2 percent of the popular vote. But the momentum of the progressive agenda is CLEAR. Only one person ever got more popular votes than Hillary Clinton will and that was Barack Obama. IF the right sees this as the “mandate” they pretend and attempt to reverse 100 years of social progress? The popular recoil against them will be tremendous.
And as much as I hate to say it, oh PLEASE them set out to do their worst. So that they can be seen for now as they were then and marginalized out of power for the foreseeable future.
To know what someone will do in the future, look at his/her past behavior.
I fully expect Trump to revert to his true colors and Republicans will revert to their true colors.
Which means – Trump is only concerned about how much money can he make off this deal – and Republicans will beat the war drums even more loudly.
Has anyone bothered to notice that Trump ran on the promise he would drain the swamp.
Look at that swamp – it has the same damn alligators and sharks that were there before.
Nothing has changed but the fact we now have a Carnival Barker / Snake Oil Saleman in the White House.
Republicans are doing their cock-strutting dance – but now is the time to deliver on those manufacturing jobs being brought back to all those White working class folks that watched as Republicans gave more and more power to Corporations – which is why those jobs left.
The China Trade fiasco was started by Nixon. The decimation of the working class started under Reagan – and, yes, Bill Clinton did not help things when NAFTA was signed.
BUT – to think Trump is the White Savior of the Working Class Americans – that is laughable.
T.C. – Trump people have now come out and said they did not request security clearance for his kids.
Of course – the Trumpsters are now blaming the evil press of lying about Trump to make him look bad.
I wonder what Trump would do if the entire evil Press just stopped covering his every move?
With an ego of Trump’s size – lack of constant media attention would probably be worse than death.
If you take an objective look at Trump’s entire campaign message
1) media is corrupt
2) system is rigged
3) election is rigged
4) career politicians are crooks
But HE – and he alone – is the one that can save our country.
But has anyone noticed that the Congress re-elected a large majority of those crooked politicians – so what is Trump going to do about that?
Trump is picking his Cabinet – but his Chief of Staff is a long-time career politician and his top strategist is the buy from Breitbart News which has been known for a White Nationalist/KKK/Alt Right theme.
But Trump tells us that Bannon is not responsible for what was on Breitbart News website. WTH..
Bannon was in charge of that website – and if some KKK fairies came in during the night to put all those racist stories and headlines on his website – then why didn’t Bannon take down all that Alt Right CRAPPOLA?
Which president said – the buck stops here – I think it was Truman?
I watched Frank Luntz on CBS News this morning. Luntz is the Republican strategist and he had a focus group of people who voted for Trump.
The main theme was – Barack Obama promised Change in 2008 and the economy got worse.
But – nobody in that group asked why Republicans bragged their #1 job was to make Obama fail and for 8 years, Republicans have sat on their butts and obstructed everything.
There were a lot that said these Anti-Trump protesters are acting like children that didn’t get their way. They need to grow up and support their president..
Excuse me – but at what time in 2008 or 2012 did Republicans ever grow up and supported their president?
As I’ve said before – I will believe Republicans are serious about wanting to unite the country when they APOLOGIZE to President Obama – and ask for his forgiveness – for knowingly spreading that Birtherism crappola.
These folks intentionally set out to make Obama an illegitimate president.
That goes way beyond just not liking the guy – that takes it to a very low level in the cesspool.
Trump did come out in the end of the campaign and said that Obama was born in America – but where was TRump’s apology to Obama and when did Trump ask for forgiveness from Obama?
After all – the Bible teaches Christians that if we wrong someone, we are to ask for their forgiveness – as then REPENT of the sin you committed.
With Trump sucking up all the oxygen in the room (as usual) – we tend to forget about what was happening before the election last Tuesday. God, has it only been a damn week?
This is what WE the PEOPLE can do to stand up to these corporations running the world.
JUST SAY NO.
While I agree with the Anti-Trump protesters this past week (not the violent protesters – but the peaceful protesters) – NOW it is time to go on to the next level and STOP contributing to the problem
Trump voters said they voted for him because they hate globalization – aka corporatization.
OKAY – let’s help them to really solve the problem – STOP buying foreign-made crappola that we don’t need. Just buy your basic needs – food, water, utilities, etc.
IF enough people do this across the country – Corporations will get the message. IF not, then they go belly up from last of profits.
Christmas is the perfect time of the year to start this limited consumerism.
Our entire family decided last month that we are not going to do what we have done for so many past Christmases . This year, we plan to give handmade gifts and that is it.
I remember my Grandpa told the story of how even when he had to take the only job he could get during WWII – his kids were thrilled to get a decorated sugar cookie from the local bakery for Christmas.
Can you imagine people today being thrilled just to get a decorated sugar cookie?
When Evangelical Kristians complain about how our country’s morals have gone to hell in a handbasket – I wonder how many of these folks remember that Jesus never demanded any gifts be brought to him on his birthday – or did I miss that particular Scripture verse?
And certainly nothing covered with glitter from some foreign country using child labor and/or slave labor.
I’ve often called that glitter from those Chinese-made things (especially from Dollar Tree) the Chinese Crack drug that has made Americans more stupid than usual.
Electors? PLEASE media FIND the electors from the States! These are NAMED people. This is an OLD institution. The Founding Fathers in all their 200 year old “wisdom” thought the general public (white men with properttoo ill informed to choose a President intelligently. Electors are chosen by my understanding, by the individual States. They have NO obligation to vote as their States do. Tip of the hat to the Founders for trying to let the States choose intelligent and vetted people to prevent disaster. Now is the time for that system, so long in force to actually DO what it was meant to!
We are talking about 538 people here. Media? FIND these people. They still have time to decide. The name of every member of the Electoral College from every State in this country needs to be out there so the country can speak to them!
In 2000, it would have taken only a handful of electors to sanction the popular vote. Gore would have been President. It did not happen
But 16 years later, it is SO much more important that the public know and SPEAK to the electoral college members. Gore won the popular vote by about 500,000. Hillary Clinton will likely win by more than 2 million votes. Too, Bush was a Governor and had his own and his fathers experience in Government. This time we have the most experienced and qualified candidate in history in Hillary Clinton who (lost) and a completely ignorant “winner” (by the electoral college) in Donald Trump.
Media? The story here is not Donald Trump or his “historic, unpredicted, come from behind WIN!*
The story of the CENTURY, the most important story maybe in the history of the WORLD going forward, is the most powerful 538 people in that world and its history going forward.
Media? NAME these members of the electoral college! Every single one of them and make them ANSWER to the more than 300 million people they will stand in to decide for!
And it isn’t even 538 people. Though I think all who are given such power must be named and accountable to the public. We live in the digital age, why is this not already so?
In reality, we are talking about a little more than a hundred people in 5 states. Media do your job. Make these people KNOWN and accountable and accessible. They have a power that was given to them 219 YEARS ago. They have an obligation of that historic granted power to address the future.
Now Hillary Clinton cannot lead this. Neither can Obama. They have to concerned with the niceties of the peaceful transfer of power.
But a Bernie Sanders could lead this.
I’m with you on your enthusiasm – and it appears there are some people who are thinking of any way to get rid of Trump before he gets into power.
As this article states quite plainly – it’s a long shot. But I also agree with you that if Bernie Sanders got into this movement – he might just get more support than just his own independent voters. Democrats and Republicans might just join him.
I wonder if these White Nationalist KKK Trump supporters know his son-in-law is an Orthodox Jew – and that Trump’s daughter converted to Jewish before they were married in 2009?
But – read this young man’s family history – sounds like Trump should have been talking about other convicted crooks – rather than trying to paint Hillary as crooked.
Make no mistake – this young Jewish guy is not all he appears to be – IMHO. I don’t care how much wealth you accumulate in this Earthly life – the majority of that type of person is rotten to the core.
I’ve known rich people and I’ve known poor people. For the vast majority – rich people must lose their moral compass – or just the capacity to think of others? – with the more wealth they accumulate.
The message we’ve heard from Republicans is that your bank account/wealth is what determines if you’re a good person – or worthy? – to be deemed acceptable in our country.
I will NEVER believe that – not in a million years. And the fact we have witnessed White Evangelical Kristians who preach this Gospel of Prosperity and have changed Jesus into a Wealthy White Male with blonde hair and blue eyes – that is NOT what the Bible tells me about Jesus.
I heard someone on one of these political panel shows talk about how the Evangelical Christians are really two separate groups.
There are the White Evangelicals. Then there are the Black Evangelicals.
The Whites tend to be more politically involved – and the most wealthiest of these churches.
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
I learned this morning there is no law against the President and Vice President when it comes to separating their businesses once they are in office.
There is a law requiring government officials – but not the President and Vice President. It has always been the customary process to put their assets and businesses into some sort of blind trust or other means – to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest.
But Trump says he will simply let his kids run his Trump empire – and that he will not talk to them – ever – about any of it.
And we are to believe him?
But – the bigger problem is – why doesn’t this law also pertain to the President and Vice President?
Seems to me – this is one issue that would be bipartisan and should be the first order of business – by the New and Improved Congress in 2017.
Perhaps We the People should demand it?
correction: when I said it has always been the customary process – I must delete the word – always.
When was the last time a president did not put his assets into a blind trust?
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/quakes-trigger-reckoning-where-big-oil-owns-the-state/ar-AAkgxfA?li=AA4Zjn&ocid=spartandhp
@@@@
What will happen to the climate change issue when Trump has emphatically stated many times that he thinks climate change is a hoax?
Can I as a resident of Kansas sue the State of Oklahoma when their next quake causes damage to my house?
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/whats-mike-pence-hiding-in-his-emails/ar-AAkhoRP?li=AA5a8k&ocid=spartandhp
@@@@
6176 – have you seen or heard of this case? Any thoughts or comments?
Hadn’t seen nor heard of it. Reading the link, it would appear Pence has a good chance of prevailing. Sounds to me as if some bad drafting became a bad statute.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gwen-ifill-award-winning-journalist-dies-at-61/ar-AAkhMR0?li=AA4ZnC&ocid=spartandhp
@@@@
I have been a fan of PBS NewsHour because of Gwen and Judy. The PBS panel and fellow journlalists did such an amazing job tonight n remembering Gwen.
Gwen was yet another victim of the word I hate he most – CANCER. And she was only 61 yrs. old.
In the midst of all this craziness with Trump and his Court Jesters (all older than 61 yrs old) and apparently in good health – I just have to ask – why are the nice and genuinely good people the ones that die from cancer?
I will miss Gwen Ifill every night on the PBS Newshour. She had a beautiful smile – which by her many friends and fellow journalists testimony – went along with Gwen’s big heart.
Donald Trump wants top secret security clearance for his kids. It is unlikely he will get it. The request alone in unprecedented.
But why does he want THAT? Is it because simple minded bully that he is he needs them as his “brain trust” in matters top secret? In my mind that makes him incompetent to lead on his own.
OR, is it because his kids who will be leading his business interests in blind trust while he is President might make money for their corporate empire using top secret information?
The Chinese have a curse. “May you live in interesting times.” Donald Trump brought this curse to the Republican primaries and now inflicts it on all America…
Before I say more, TAKE HEART friends! Yes, this is awful. How awful we can imagine it will likely be worse.
But….
As loud as right radio, Trump, his supporters, scream it, this was no “cakewalk” (Trumps words) election. He has a mandate ONLY by the electoral college and the ensuing propoganda. In the end, he will likely lose the popular vote by as many as 2 million+ votes! He LOST. The ideas of the right LOST. And it is true that this is a little less than 2 percent of the popular vote. But the momentum of the progressive agenda is CLEAR. Only one person ever got more popular votes than Hillary Clinton will and that was Barack Obama. IF the right sees this as the “mandate” they pretend and attempt to reverse 100 years of social progress? The popular recoil against them will be tremendous.
And as much as I hate to say it, oh PLEASE them set out to do their worst. So that they can be seen for now as they were then and marginalized out of power for the foreseeable future.
To know what someone will do in the future, look at his/her past behavior.
I fully expect Trump to revert to his true colors and Republicans will revert to their true colors.
Which means – Trump is only concerned about how much money can he make off this deal – and Republicans will beat the war drums even more loudly.
Has anyone bothered to notice that Trump ran on the promise he would drain the swamp.
Look at that swamp – it has the same damn alligators and sharks that were there before.
Nothing has changed but the fact we now have a Carnival Barker / Snake Oil Saleman in the White House.
Republicans are doing their cock-strutting dance – but now is the time to deliver on those manufacturing jobs being brought back to all those White working class folks that watched as Republicans gave more and more power to Corporations – which is why those jobs left.
The China Trade fiasco was started by Nixon. The decimation of the working class started under Reagan – and, yes, Bill Clinton did not help things when NAFTA was signed.
BUT – to think Trump is the White Savior of the Working Class Americans – that is laughable.
T.C. – Trump people have now come out and said they did not request security clearance for his kids.
Of course – the Trumpsters are now blaming the evil press of lying about Trump to make him look bad.
I wonder what Trump would do if the entire evil Press just stopped covering his every move?
With an ego of Trump’s size – lack of constant media attention would probably be worse than death.
If you take an objective look at Trump’s entire campaign message
1) media is corrupt
2) system is rigged
3) election is rigged
4) career politicians are crooks
But HE – and he alone – is the one that can save our country.
But has anyone noticed that the Congress re-elected a large majority of those crooked politicians – so what is Trump going to do about that?
Trump is picking his Cabinet – but his Chief of Staff is a long-time career politician and his top strategist is the buy from Breitbart News which has been known for a White Nationalist/KKK/Alt Right theme.
But Trump tells us that Bannon is not responsible for what was on Breitbart News website. WTH..
Bannon was in charge of that website – and if some KKK fairies came in during the night to put all those racist stories and headlines on his website – then why didn’t Bannon take down all that Alt Right CRAPPOLA?
Which president said – the buck stops here – I think it was Truman?
I watched Frank Luntz on CBS News this morning. Luntz is the Republican strategist and he had a focus group of people who voted for Trump.
The main theme was – Barack Obama promised Change in 2008 and the economy got worse.
But – nobody in that group asked why Republicans bragged their #1 job was to make Obama fail and for 8 years, Republicans have sat on their butts and obstructed everything.
There were a lot that said these Anti-Trump protesters are acting like children that didn’t get their way. They need to grow up and support their president..
Excuse me – but at what time in 2008 or 2012 did Republicans ever grow up and supported their president?
As I’ve said before – I will believe Republicans are serious about wanting to unite the country when they APOLOGIZE to President Obama – and ask for his forgiveness – for knowingly spreading that Birtherism crappola.
These folks intentionally set out to make Obama an illegitimate president.
That goes way beyond just not liking the guy – that takes it to a very low level in the cesspool.
Trump did come out in the end of the campaign and said that Obama was born in America – but where was TRump’s apology to Obama and when did Trump ask for forgiveness from Obama?
After all – the Bible teaches Christians that if we wrong someone, we are to ask for their forgiveness – as then REPENT of the sin you committed.
I don’t see any Republican doing this.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dakota-access-pipeline-firms-seek-court-relief-protests-spread/ar-AAkkzAC?li=AA4ZnC&ocid=spartandhp
@@@
With Trump sucking up all the oxygen in the room (as usual) – we tend to forget about what was happening before the election last Tuesday. God, has it only been a damn week?
This is what WE the PEOPLE can do to stand up to these corporations running the world.
JUST SAY NO.
While I agree with the Anti-Trump protesters this past week (not the violent protesters – but the peaceful protesters) – NOW it is time to go on to the next level and STOP contributing to the problem
Trump voters said they voted for him because they hate globalization – aka corporatization.
OKAY – let’s help them to really solve the problem – STOP buying foreign-made crappola that we don’t need. Just buy your basic needs – food, water, utilities, etc.
IF enough people do this across the country – Corporations will get the message. IF not, then they go belly up from last of profits.
Christmas is the perfect time of the year to start this limited consumerism.
Our entire family decided last month that we are not going to do what we have done for so many past Christmases . This year, we plan to give handmade gifts and that is it.
I remember my Grandpa told the story of how even when he had to take the only job he could get during WWII – his kids were thrilled to get a decorated sugar cookie from the local bakery for Christmas.
Can you imagine people today being thrilled just to get a decorated sugar cookie?
When Evangelical Kristians complain about how our country’s morals have gone to hell in a handbasket – I wonder how many of these folks remember that Jesus never demanded any gifts be brought to him on his birthday – or did I miss that particular Scripture verse?
And certainly nothing covered with glitter from some foreign country using child labor and/or slave labor.
I’ve often called that glitter from those Chinese-made things (especially from Dollar Tree) the Chinese Crack drug that has made Americans more stupid than usual.
Electors? PLEASE media FIND the electors from the States! These are NAMED people. This is an OLD institution. The Founding Fathers in all their 200 year old “wisdom” thought the general public (white men with properttoo ill informed to choose a President intelligently. Electors are chosen by my understanding, by the individual States. They have NO obligation to vote as their States do. Tip of the hat to the Founders for trying to let the States choose intelligent and vetted people to prevent disaster. Now is the time for that system, so long in force to actually DO what it was meant to!
We are talking about 538 people here. Media? FIND these people. They still have time to decide. The name of every member of the Electoral College from every State in this country needs to be out there so the country can speak to them!
In 2000, it would have taken only a handful of electors to sanction the popular vote. Gore would have been President. It did not happen
But 16 years later, it is SO much more important that the public know and SPEAK to the electoral college members. Gore won the popular vote by about 500,000. Hillary Clinton will likely win by more than 2 million votes. Too, Bush was a Governor and had his own and his fathers experience in Government. This time we have the most experienced and qualified candidate in history in Hillary Clinton who (lost) and a completely ignorant “winner” (by the electoral college) in Donald Trump.
Media? The story here is not Donald Trump or his “historic, unpredicted, come from behind WIN!*
The story of the CENTURY, the most important story maybe in the history of the WORLD going forward, is the most powerful 538 people in that world and its history going forward.
Media? NAME these members of the electoral college! Every single one of them and make them ANSWER to the more than 300 million people they will stand in to decide for!
And it isn’t even 538 people. Though I think all who are given such power must be named and accountable to the public. We live in the digital age, why is this not already so?
In reality, we are talking about a little more than a hundred people in 5 states. Media do your job. Make these people KNOWN and accountable and accessible. They have a power that was given to them 219 YEARS ago. They have an obligation of that historic granted power to address the future.
Now Hillary Clinton cannot lead this. Neither can Obama. They have to concerned with the niceties of the peaceful transfer of power.
But a Bernie Sanders could lead this.
http://bipartisanreport.com/2016/11/14/just-in-two-presidential-electors-suddenly-dump-trump-demand-others-follow-details/
@@@
T. C. —
I’m with you on your enthusiasm – and it appears there are some people who are thinking of any way to get rid of Trump before he gets into power.
As this article states quite plainly – it’s a long shot. But I also agree with you that if Bernie Sanders got into this movement – he might just get more support than just his own independent voters. Democrats and Republicans might just join him.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/uselection/son-in-law-kushner-poised-to-wield-clout-in-trump-presidency/ar-AAkn1RV?ocid=spartandhp
@@@
I wonder if these White Nationalist KKK Trump supporters know his son-in-law is an Orthodox Jew – and that Trump’s daughter converted to Jewish before they were married in 2009?
But – read this young man’s family history – sounds like Trump should have been talking about other convicted crooks – rather than trying to paint Hillary as crooked.
Make no mistake – this young Jewish guy is not all he appears to be – IMHO. I don’t care how much wealth you accumulate in this Earthly life – the majority of that type of person is rotten to the core.
I’ve known rich people and I’ve known poor people. For the vast majority – rich people must lose their moral compass – or just the capacity to think of others? – with the more wealth they accumulate.
The message we’ve heard from Republicans is that your bank account/wealth is what determines if you’re a good person – or worthy? – to be deemed acceptable in our country.
I will NEVER believe that – not in a million years. And the fact we have witnessed White Evangelical Kristians who preach this Gospel of Prosperity and have changed Jesus into a Wealthy White Male with blonde hair and blue eyes – that is NOT what the Bible tells me about Jesus.
I heard someone on one of these political panel shows talk about how the Evangelical Christians are really two separate groups.
There are the White Evangelicals. Then there are the Black Evangelicals.
The Whites tend to be more politically involved – and the most wealthiest of these churches.
Hmmm……interesting..