Trump and his Republican sycophants plan to do extensive damage before he leaves office

[southernhybrid]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/21/us/politics/trump-biden-transition.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

Voters have decided that President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. should guide the country through the next four years. But on issues of war, the environment, criminal justice, trade, the economy and more, President Trump and top administration officials are doing what they can to make changing direction more difficult.

During the past four years Mr. Trump has not spent much time thinking about policy, but he has shown a penchant for striking back at his adversaries. And with his encouragement, top officials are racing against the clock to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, secure oil drilling leases in Alaska, punish China, carry out executions and thwart any plans Mr. Biden might have to reestablish the Iran nuclear deal.

In some cases, like the executions and the oil leases, Mr. Trump’s government plans to act just days — or even hours — before Mr. Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20.

How cruel can they be?

At a wide range of departments and agencies, Mr. Trump’s political appointees are going to extraordinary lengths to try to prevent Mr. Biden from rolling back the president’s legacy. They are filling vacancies on scientific panels, pushing to complete rules that weaken environmental standards, nominating judges and rushing their confirmations through the Senate, and trying to eliminate health care regulations that have been in place for years.

Some of Mr. Trump’s actions are all but permanent, like the nomination of judges with lifetime appointments or the naming of his supporters to government panels with terms that stretch beyond Mr. Biden’s likely time in office. Once done, there is little that the new president can do to reverse them.

But they are not the only nominees administration officials are trying to rush through.

Among the others are two nominees to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors who would serve until 2024 and 2030 respectively, a trio of possible members to the Federal Election Commission to serve six-year terms, as well as nominees to the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who, if confirmed, would prevent Mr. Biden from installing majorities on those bodies until well into 2021.

Other actions may be possible to reverse, but are designed to exact a political price for doing so.

Since the election, Mr. Trump has ordered the withdrawal of thousands of troops from Afghanistan, where Mr. Trump aims to halve an already pared-down force of 4,500 by the time he leaves office, defying the advice of some top generals.

Mr. Biden’s vision for American troop deployments is not radically different: He has said that he supports only small numbers of combat forces, mainly tasked with fighting terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. But Mr. Trump’s last-minute withdrawals could force Mr. Biden into an unwanted confrontation with Democrats in Congress if he decides he needs to return to the modest, pre-election status quo.

All I can say is that the most progressive and most moderate Democrats better get their shit together and stop the infighting and put aside the progressive pie in the sky dreams, at least until some semblance of what used to be called normal is accomplished. Actually, unless something changes drastically, I don't see much chance of anything resembling normal returning in the next several years or more. The country has always been divided but this is like nothing I've seen before.

 

[marc]

Even more destructive, Trump has pulled out of the Open Skies treaty that lets us keep tabs on Russia, and ordered the destruction of the spy planes used in it so we can't just simply rejoin it.

"A senior U.S. official said the planes are being designated as 'excess defense articles.' The official said, quote, 'We've started liquidating the equipment.' The senior U.S. official insisted that the goal in disposing of the OC-135s is not to tie the hands of the incoming Biden administration. That said, quote, 'The move follows a decision in July by then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper to cancel the program to buy newer planes to replace the OC-135s. That's eliminating the option of replacing the aircraft with more modern variants as well.

Tell me again how Trump isn't a Russian asset.

 

[starwater]

The Grand Old Pyromaniac party at its best. Burn everything down, blame the democrats who come into office for trying to fix it. Convince their base that they are the best, and start the cycle all over again.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Trump, 2017: "We inherited a mess..." Right, boo hoo.
Obama 2009, Biden 2021: "Jesus Christ!! Come take a look at this."

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

The good news is that the GOP keeps contracting Covid-19, which is holding things back in the Senate at the moment. But there are other things Trump can do. And of course, the GOP is blessing it all. The GOP proved they couldn't be trusted after 2003. And they've done nothing to lose that tag.

 

[Worldtraveller]

The good news is that the GOP keeps contracting Covid-19, which is holding things back in the Senate at the moment. But there are other things Trump can do. And of course, the GOP is blessing it all. The GOP proved they couldn't be trusted after 2003. And they've done nothing to lose that tag.

They don't need to do anything. They just need to say they are the fiscally responsible party, and 40% of the electorate will believe them, because tribalism makes people idiots.