Why does part of the Biden Admin feel like the Trump Admin is still in charge?

[Jimmy Higgins]

The Afghanistan withdrawal was a politically efficient method of getting the withdrawal done outside an election campaign. But damn it, did it ever feel like something Trump would have done... granted, Trump didn't actually leave Afghanistan, he just gave the country to the Taliban... which Biden said handcuffed him, though it really didn't. But Biden wanted finality and expediency. It was a politically shrewd maneuver.

The USPS is probably the biggest one, where Trump put a private sector guy in charge who has connections with private deliveries and the USPS is announcing it is going to get suckier and more expensive.

The Biden White House is supporting Trump's claim that defaming a private citizen is part of the job. Yes, this is much less supporting Trump that the institution of the White House defending itself, but still, the claim is absurd.

Haitian migrants. Goodness, the press would have been a bit harsher in coverage over the Haitian migrants if that were Trump. Granted, this is more complicated of a situation, as these Haitians fled Chile and other South American countries, not Haiti. And the US has a tremendous amount of Haitians already in the US, on overdue stays from the earthquake quite a while ago. But still... if Trump were President.

Finally, the military deal to bump out France with Australia seems kind of Trumpish. Granted, a true Trump would have fucked both Australia and France.

Now, it ain't all bad, by a long shot. In its simplest improvement, it is nice not having a President shitting on Twitter... Tweeting while shitting... every fucking day, whining about how unfair shit is for him. But I can't help but feel, at times, things have not turn completely around from the hell that was the Trump Administration.

 

[Gun Nut]

The Afghanistan withdrawal was a politically efficient method of getting the withdrawal done outside an election campaign. But damn it, did it ever feel like something Trump would have done... granted, Trump didn't actually leave Afghanistan, he just gave the country to the Taliban... which Biden said handcuffed him, though it really didn't. But Biden wanted finality and expediency. It was a politically shrewd maneuver.

It may feel the same because it is all the same people in the Pentagon - none of them turned over with the Presidential election. Either president would have have just gone with recommendations and would have ended up in the same place - a less-than-perfect retreat from a lost war. Trump would have done something different with the media, though. He would have ensured the PICTURES of all of those "So-Called-Americans" that "allegedly" were left behind... all of the brown ones that look the least culturally American, and explain that these are the "Americans" the media is saying we are leaving behind - the ones that are really just trying to be immigrants.

The USPS is probably the biggest one, where Trump put a private sector guy in charge who has connections with private deliveries and the USPS is announcing it is going to get suckier and more expensive.

Nothing Biden can do about that. He can't be removed by the President. He reports to a committee that was appointed by Trump. It is pretty complicated to remove him, and it would involve an investigation, which I believe is underway.

The Biden White House is supporting Trump's claim that defaming a private citizen is part of the job. Yes, this is much less supporting Trump that the institution of the White House defending itself, but still, the claim is absurd.

It's not absurd, but I understand that you don't agree. It is a bit absurd to claim that saying "nuh uh" is "defaming" someone because of the implication of your disagreement with whatever you are "nuh uh'ing" about.

Haitian migrants. Goodness, the press would have been a bit harsher in coverage over the Haitian migrants if that were Trump. Granted, this is more complicated of a situation, as these Haitians fled Chile and other South American countries, not Haiti. And the US has a tremendous amount of Haitians already in the US, on overdue stays from the earthquake quite a while ago. But still... if Trump were President.

go on.... "if Trump were President..." what?

Finally, the military deal to bump out France with Australia seems kind of Trumpish. Granted, a true Trump would have fucked both Australia and France.

I thought this had something to do with balancing power in the Pacific against a Chinese military buildup.

Now, it ain't all bad, by a long shot. In its simplest improvement, it is nice not having a President shitting on Twitter... Tweeting while shitting... every fucking day, whining about how unfair shit is for him. But I can't help but feel, at times, things have not turn completely around from the hell that was the Trump Administration.

ya.

 

[funinspace]

Finally, the military deal to bump out France with Australia seems kind of Trumpish. Granted, a true Trump would have fucked both Australia and France.

I thought this had something to do with balancing power in the Pacific against a Chinese military buildup.

Yeah, but why did it seem to involve fucking France over? France builds modern nuclear attack subs, much like the UK. So it does baffle me as to why they couldn't have been included in any grand deal with Australia. Yeah, the French profit might have been reduced, but at least we wouldn't have thrown a couple dozen eggs on their face...

 

[Shadowy Man]

Finally, the military deal to bump out France with Australia seems kind of Trumpish. Granted, a true Trump would have fucked both Australia and France.

I thought this had something to do with balancing power in the Pacific against a Chinese military buildup.

Yeah, but why did it seem to involve fucking France over? France builds modern nuclear attack subs, much like the UK. So it does baffle me as to why they couldn't have been included in any grand deal with Australia. Yeah, the French profit might have been reduced, but at least we wouldn't have thrown a couple dozen eggs on their face...

As I understand it France was making diesel-electric submarines for Australia, not nuclear.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Yeah, but why did it seem to involve fucking France over? France builds modern nuclear attack subs, much like the UK. So it does baffle me as to why they couldn't have been included in any grand deal with Australia. Yeah, the French profit might have been reduced, but at least we wouldn't have thrown a couple dozen eggs on their face...

As I understand it France was making diesel-electric submarines for Australia, not nuclear.

Yes, that was the contract Australia had.
The invite to the US/UK co-prosperity sphere was not dependent on canceling the French contract, as far as i know. It just became surplus to needs. An Aussie budget decision, not a Biden(Trump) decision.

We share a LOT of technology with the UK, including parts in the supply systems. Also, shared documents, shared training, shared ports. I've moved missiles on three UK boats in Kings Bay. They use our test range for shakedown launches.
I assume the Aussie/US/UK deal provides support for their ships and sailors in our ports and schools.

And, um.... Does France ever sell nuclear subs? I really don't know.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

The Afghanistan withdrawal was a politically efficient method of getting the withdrawal done outside an election campaign. But damn it, did it ever feel like something Trump would have done... granted, Trump didn't actually leave Afghanistan, he just gave the country to the Taliban... which Biden said handcuffed him, though it really didn't. But Biden wanted finality and expediency. It was a politically shrewd maneuver.

The USPS is probably the biggest one, where Trump put a private sector guy in charge who has connections with private deliveries and the USPS is announcing it is going to get suckier and more expensive.

More expensive, yes, suckier, no. What they're doing is simply updating the standards to the reality of the mess His Flatulence made of it. This won't make the mail any slower, it will just make the estimates more realistic.

 

[funinspace]

Yeah, but why did it seem to involve fucking France over? France builds modern nuclear attack subs, much like the UK. So it does baffle me as to why they couldn't have been included in any grand deal with Australia. Yeah, the French profit might have been reduced, but at least we wouldn't have thrown a couple dozen eggs on their face...

As I understand it France was making diesel-electric submarines for Australia, not nuclear.

Yes, that was the contract Australia had.
The invite to the US/UK co-prosperity sphere was not dependent on canceling the French contract, as far as i know. It just became surplus to needs. An Aussie budget decision, not a Biden(Trump) decision.

Yeah, the no longer needing diesel subs is kind of a no duh.

We share a LOT of technology with the UK, including parts in the supply systems. Also, shared documents, shared training, shared ports. I've moved missiles on three UK boats in Kings Bay. They use our test range for shakedown launches.
I assume the Aussie/US/UK deal provides support for their ships and sailors in our ports and schools.

And, um.... Does France ever sell nuclear subs? I really don't know.

I realize that we certainly have closer military ties with the UK, and it always seems to be a love-hate relationship with France. I don't think France has sold nuclear subs, but it sure seems like we (USA) didn't bother to ask/invite the French into the party. And it isn't like the US hasn't had multi-national weapons programs before with many players. The French are providing a hull to the Brazilian planned nuclear sub, but nothing nuclear wise...

 

[Patooka]

Finally, the military deal to bump out France with Australia seems kind of Trumpish. Granted, a true Trump would have fucked both Australia and France.

I thought this had something to do with balancing power in the Pacific against a Chinese military buildup.

Yeah, but why did it seem to involve fucking France over? France builds modern nuclear attack subs, much like the UK. So it does baffle me as to why they couldn't have been included in any grand deal with Australia. Yeah, the French profit might have been reduced, but at least we wouldn't have thrown a couple dozen eggs on their face...

I'm not entire sure one had anything to do with the other. Australian politicians love it when the rest of the world recognises them - quite a few act like middle children. I'm pretty certain the way this played out was that ScoMo wanted to be part of the cool kids crowd with Biden and Boris (cool kids obviously being a colloquial term), and having no compunction throwing France under a bus. The US and UK both played along not giving a fuck one way or the other and simply weren't part of that decision making process. Personally, I think the deal reeks of former Coalition politicians lobbying for the US offering current Ministers the one thing every politician wants; a fucking awesome private job once leaving government. I have no proof of this, it's only a guess on my part, but it just feels like another backroom deal done by mates (like the JSF program).

 

[Keith&Co.]

but it sure seems like we (USA) didn't bother to ask/invite the French into the party.

Would we have known about that deal In the first place?

 

[funinspace]

but it sure seems like we (USA) didn't bother to ask/invite the French into the party.

Would we have known about that deal In the first place?

Say what, which deal would we not know about? The one where we shafted France with our US-UK deal with Australia, or the publicly known deal between France and Australia for diesel subs? Or the secret deal to trade Clownstick for 100,000 tons of Chinese dung?

 

[TV and credit cards]

Australia contracted with France for diesel subs in 2016. Delivery of the first sub was not expected until 2030. China’s fast expanding navy changed the needs of Australia. Diesel subs do not have the range or the ability to stay on station the way nuclear subs can. Also the cost of the diesel subs had ballooned 50% already to $5B a sub. You can get a Virginia class nuke cheaper than that.
China changed the equation. The French did theirselves no favors.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Regarding Afghanistan, I think Trump would have, earlier in the year, told all Americans to get out while they can. That would have largely been his evacuation plan. And as far as getting out any Afghans who helped us… please.

Regarding the USPS, they have leased 45 package sorting locations along with purchasing 138 sorting machines. Locally, the majority (400k sq ft) of the empty GM plant in Parma. They are focusing on package delivery.
I can’t remember the last time I got a piece of first class mail that wasn’t local.

Regarding immigration, yes the media would have been harder on Trump. They also, like “the wall”, would have had little if any argument.
I thought it was a fair argument that there are better more sophisticated methods to preventing illegal immigration than to build a wall. Yes, without a wall we could see all who are crossing illegally but could we stop them all?

 

[Harry Bosch]

Well, I could easily think of 20 large policy differences that Biden is pursing (infrastructure, higher taxes, environment, vaccine requirements, and etc.). But I need more morning coffee. This might seem silly, but I just really appreciate the difference in tone. The Biden administration is just more quiet. More confident. Less full of bullshit. I hope that we never go back to the hyper teenage drama mama confusion that defined the Trump administration.

 

[Gun Nut]

Regarding Afghanistan, I think Trump would have, earlier in the year, told all Americans to get out while they can. That would have largely been his evacuation plan...

The ones that were "left behind" would have had the same issues leaving Afghanistan then as they do now - family and other loved ones that could not come with them, for one.

... And as far as getting out any Afghans who helped us… please.

Yes, Trump would have made people use the phrase "Afghanistan Immigrants" instead of "Americans we Left Behind". I agree that would have been different.

 

[lpetrich]

USPS mail delays: What it means in your Zip code - Washington Post

The proposed service standards, or the amount of time the agency says it should take to deliver a piece of first-class mail, represent the biggest slowdown of mail services in more than a generation, experts say. It involves significant reductions in airmail — a Postal Service tradition dating to 1918 — and geographic restrictions on how far a piece of mail can travel within a day.

...
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy contends the plan will cut costs, revitalize the agency’s network and create more consistency in transportation schedules. Though the Postal Service has significantly outpaced its own financial expectations so far this year, it faces a projected $160 billion deficit over the next decade. It estimates that the transportation changes will save as much as $10 billion over that span.

...
But consumer advocates and the mailing industry’s largely friendly but competitive stakeholders have panned the new initiative, saying it will harm customers, drive away mail users and further erode the 246-year-old agency’s credibility, which has taken a hit after a year of pronounced delivery declines.

Attorneys general from 21 states, led by Pennsylvania and New York, in June wrote to the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to oppose the changes, arguing they discriminate against mail consumers based on geography and that the Postal Service was poised to fall back into poor operational decisions that slowed mail service in the run-up to the 2020 elections.

Microsoft Word - Draft Multistate Comments to PRC v.8 - multistate_comments_to_prc_final.pdf
“Only once the Postal Service has shown that it can reliably meet its performance targets should it consider whether it is necessary to change its service standards to address long-term trends in the utilization of its products.”

 

[lpetrich]

USPS mail slowdown sparks lawsuit from 20 state attorneys general - CBS News

The U.S. Postal Service's controversial slowdown of mail delivery that began October 1 is sparking a pushback from 20 attorneys general. On Thursday, the state officials — ranging from California to New York — sued the Postal Regulatory Commission, alleging that the federal oversight agency didn't fully vet the broad-ranging plan before the USPS moved forward with it.

Rep. Katie Porter on Twitter: "On-time mail delivery has plummeted under Postmaster Louis DeJoy—forcing veterans to wait longer for prescriptions, seniors to scramble to pay bills without their Social Security checks, and communities to feel less connected.
Postmaster DeJoy needs to go. (vid link)" / Twitter
Showing KP with a whiteboard showing a chart of the USPS's on-time delivery rate dropping from 92% to 68% over the last few months.

Biden replaces Ron Bloom, USPS board chair and key DeJoy ally, on postal board - The Washington Post

President Biden on Friday announced plans to nominate two former federal officials to the U.S. Postal Service’s governing board, replacing two key allies of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, including its Democratic chairman.

The move casts doubt on DeJoy’s future at the agency, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, and potentially gives liberals on the panel two crucial votes to oust the postal chief, who can be removed only by the board of governors. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about private discussions.

 

[Elixir]

Everything Trump touches, dies.
Most of the Biden administration will be spent trying to resurrect the dead, such as USPS.