LOL! Slate - "The Do Nothing President (Making America Meh Again)

[NRaleighLiberal]

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/02/donald_trump_s_first_month_has_produced_a_big_bowl_of_nothing.html

Donald Trump’s first month has produced a big bowl of nothing.

By Jamelle Bouie

Looking forward from Donald Trump’s inauguration last month, both allies and opponents expected a sprint of action from the president and an emboldened Republican Party. All the parts were there: GOP majorities in both chambers of Congress, an ambitious House Speaker in the form of Paul Ryan, and an energized conservative movement eager to undo the Obama presidency. It was just a matter of time before Trump would make his mark on American governance.


We’re now one month into the Trump administration. His advisers and surrogates say he’s been exactly as promised: “A man of action and impact” who has upturned the status quo. And he has made a splash, of sorts, with a series of aggressive (and poorly conceived) executive orders that aim state power at Muslims, refugees, and immigrants. The most infamous of the orders, the travel ban, sparked mass resistance from opponents of Trump, across politics and civil society, immediately embroiling the White House in scandal and controversy. To that, add the firestorm over now-former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who resigned his position following revelations that he lied to Vice President Mike Pence about post-election conversations with Russian officials.

But as much as this has all been troubling, it’s also true that—in terms of actual accomplishments—we have seen far more talk from the Trump White House than progress. Or put bluntly, for all the props and photo ops, President Trump hasn’t done much. The federal government is still understaffed, Congress is still struggling to craft its agenda, and the White House spends more time on damage control than it does on basic governance. Within one month of his 2009 inauguration, Barack Obama had moved an $800 billion stimulus package through Congress. By contrast, if you voted for Trump to do something then—one month into his term—you should be disappointed.

There’s no doubt President Trump wants to project the image of a hard-working deal-maker restoring the United States to lost greatness. “We have made incredible progress,” declared Trump last week during an impromptu news conference. “I don’t think there’s ever been a president elected who in this short period of time has done what we’ve done.” After bragging about (selectively chosen) poll numbers, Trump elaborated on these accomplishments. “The stock market has hit record numbers, as you know. And there has been a tremendous surge of optimism in the business world,” he said. “Plants and factories are already starting to move back into the United States, and big league—Ford, General Motors, so many of them.”

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much more to read (about nothing!)

[ProudLib72]

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He has produced a big bowl of fetid bile mixed with baby diarrhea that his base laps up daily.