Decisions Decisions.

Posted on December 9, 2016 by mercix26

Well as it looks like Donald Trump’s presidency is getting closer and closer, and so that means a new cabinet needs to be form. Donald has to choose from a long list of professional, hardworking, and intelligent politicians. Which has been a little awkward due to the 2016 campaign where harsh words were said by him and his other Republican nominees. Since the choice of choosing your own cabinet brings two factors. Which are rewarding factions that backed them in the election, and broadening their support by choosing unifying figures. Which of course brings the awkward part because many things were said and people thought that because of those false accusations relationships would be broken, but apparently that is all water under the bridge. So the question now is who will be nominated by Donald Trump for his cabinet. Some of his choices have been said to be bad decisions, but for all I know some of them could be great. AT the moment lets see who he already asked.

First we have Scott Pruitt. He is an American lawyer and Republican politician from the state of Oklahoma. He is the Oklahoma Attorney General. Pruitt was a State Senator, representing Tulsa and Wagoner counties from 1998 until 2006. Not only that but he also has a close relationship with the fossil fuel industry. How close? Lets just say he has many lawsuits he has filed against the EPA. Which now he is someone ahead of. Donald Trump appointed fossil fuel and natural gas expert, to the head the E.P.A. Administrator, which is the Environmental Protection Agency. This decision brings a sense of strong comparison, because choosing someone who isn’t particularly environmental friendly to be environmental friendly does not really work well. Even if Donald or Scott do not believe in global warming, I am hoping that they still understand that one: fossil fuels and natural gas will not be sufficient for us in the near future. And two is that if we do not make an effort in make (at least) The United States environment friendly when the whole world is working on saving the planet, then we are honestly a nation that cares for others. Because pollution effects everyone.

Next we have James N. Mattis also known as Mad Dog Mattis, who is a retired United States Marine Corps general who last served as the 11th Commander of United States Central Command from August 11, 2010 to March 22, 2013. General Mattis, now retired, has been a critic of the Obama administration. He would need a waiver from Congress to lead the Pentagon because he has been out of uniform for less than seven years. Which this examples shows the power that the Republican party has. That when there has been set rules, they would try their best to go around those rules and to continue their plan that they have already set with. But throughout his years on the force, there has many occasion where he has said somethings that were either inappropriate and offensive. But of course, we already elected a President that did the same exact thing, so I guess the phrase, “If it ain’t broke then don’t fix it,” has been taken seriously.

Ben Carson was also given a position. He finally accepted the position of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Which surprises me, because for awhile there Ben Carson said that he didn’t want to the job, because he felt that he wouldn’t amount to that expectation. Which also brings another question to me, making wondering why was he even running for President? Not I am not saying that HUD is an easy job, but I am asking why would he decide now to tell himself that he wasn’t ready to take on a big job like HUD. What would happen if he was elected President and then he just comes out and says, “I’m sorry but I do not think I am capable of handling this job.”

The latest news are telling us that Mitt Romney made also be getting an upgrade from his old job. Which makes, these two have had a long connection and they tend to discuss everything. What makes this choice unpredicted was the many foul comments that they have said against one another. Either calling each other weak. unfit, or a disappointment to the Republican Party. But like I said earlier, it is now water under the bridge. Now the reason for discussion is not because some of the people Donald Trump has nominate are people that have terrible things about him, but the discussion is what will things be like. We have a man that loves oil that the is now head of environmental protection, we have another person who is known for his hot temper, and then we have a brain surgeon that on the very last day of election finally realized that he was unfit for a government position.

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8 Responses “Decisions Decisions.” →

Tony Robinson

December 10, 2016

Thank you for the detailed and interesting analysis of these various cabinet posts, Merci. I would be interested in your thoughts on the Secretary of Labor pick–a man who runs a fast food franchise and doesn’t believe in the minimum wage.

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chavezla

December 13, 2016

The majority of Trump’s appointments in his administration all have heavy ties to the corporate world or are career politicians. Despite his claim to populism and “draining the swamp” during the entirety of his campaign, Trump is proving the falsehoods in his promises. The same corruption in Washington that caused outrage among his supporters is likely to continue under a Trump presidency. One example used in the blog was his pick for head of the EPA, Scott Pruitt. Not only has Pruitt denied the scientific consensus that climate change is occurring but will likely increase dependency on fossil fuels and increase pollution into the natural environment (http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/309288-dems-greens-gear-up-for-fight-against-trump-epa-pick). The blog brought up a lot of important points that question the rationality in Trump’s decisions which will reflect the outcomes of the next four years.

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adelisamuric96

December 13, 2016

Merci, your post does a great job of highlighting the hypocritical nature of Trump’s character. Not only did he promise people that he would “drain the swamp”, but as Elizabeth Warren said he is bringing in the biggest, ugliest swamp monsters. Not only are many of his cabinet picks unqualified for the position, Ben Carson as you mentioned has come out himself saying he does not believe he is fit for the job, but they are also part of this establishment elitist world that he promised to stray from. The background that these people have indicate that they are going to put forth policies that will only hurt the working and middle classes of this country.

I am also a bit concerned about his pick for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. He is the CEO of ExxonMobil, which is a multi-billion dollar corporation, he has no foreign policy experience, and he has very close ties with Russia which is a little alarming. The Trump team is also trying to figure out how they will pitch this guy to the Senate (http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/12/politics/donald-trump-rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state-exxonmobil-ceo/) which seems like it will be a difficult task. One can hope that the Republicans put the people and the country over party and force Trump to change some of his picks.

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taylorlugomae

December 14, 2016

Mattis and Pruitt are unfit for the positions that they are filled in for. I can’t believe Pruitt is in the position he is especially, because we need a person who will at least give the environment a little bit of a fighting shot. Mattis on the other hand seems to add to the harshness of Trumps already harsh attitude. Carson is not as bad as the other two, but he holds a position that is very essential in aiding the minority communities. Although he is a minority he is one of class and sophistication and one could only hope he fixes the housing market to be more affordable, rather than make it worse. Perhaps instead of continuing gentrification, puts a halt to the advancement of it in regions that minorities are already suffering from poorly. One could only hope out of all these appointments some will keep their heads on and fight for what is right.

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ahill19

December 14, 2016

Merci, it’s great that you point out how divisive the presidential campaign was. Trump alienated much of the Republican Party, and, even though most of them “came home,” the party is now fractured. I do think that Trump has stayed close to the Republican base with his nominees and avoided controversy. Most of his selections are pro-business, anti-regulation, and pro-free market: Pruitt has had to navigate interests of both the oil industry and federal regulations, Tillerson is the CEO of Exxon Mobil, DeVos is an advocate of charter schools. Several of these choices are also political outsiders. Trump is walking a fine like between his base and the Republican base, but I think he’s toeing it well. The biggest problem comes from the divisiveness between the two parties. Even if Trump manages to hold the Republican Party together, the election has exposed massive fractures between the parties and the American public. That will, I think, be the bigger challenge for him to negotiate as he takes over the White House.

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snarkystark

December 14, 2016

I remember hearing on one of the late night shows that it seems as if Trump is googling “opposite of” the agency he is trying to find a head for then picking the first person that comes up. You do a very detailed insight on each of his individual cabinet picks which is awesome! I found it shocking that Trump asked the EPA for a list of workers who work on environmental policy. It certainly seems that with his cabinet picks, he wishes to undermine the very agencies his picks are in charge of. The CEO of Carl’s Junior as his Secretary of Labor is absolutely astounding. His company has been sued for overtime violations and his views don’t align with unions or workers rights groups at all. In some way, Trump is draining the swamp, but by destroying government agencies from within.

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tejaselection2016

December 14, 2016

I’d like to expand a little on Dany’s comment about Andy Puzder, the CEO of Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s, as Trump’s pick for Labor Secretary. While Trump said that Puzder will “save” small businesses from regulations, allegedly to improve wages, I think that it is clear that Puzder’s appointment indicates hostility to any sort of labor-friendly policies. For instance, when several higher minimum wage initiatives were being talked about, Puzder suggested that he would rather replace workers with robots to save money. Interestingly, some of his previous views clash with Trump orthodoxy. A post on Breitbart was critical of Trump’s appointment and pointed out that Puzder is an advocate for importing foreign labor to take jobs that American workers were unwilling to do. I will be curious to see how Puzder’s likely pro-business approach in handling labor policy will blend with Trump’s blue-collar, anti-elite, populist appeal.

While unrelated to his actual policy views on labor, but more revealing about his own personal views, some of the statements Puzder has made about women are also deeply troubling. He boasted about the many Carl’s Jr. ads featuring scantily clad women (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf3rwHQKs6U). When asked about them he said, “I like our ads. I like beautiful women eating burgers in bikinis. I think it’s very American…I used to hear, brands take on the personality of the CEO. And I rarely thought that was true, but I think this one, in this case, it kind of did take on my personality.” Given Trump’s views about women, Puzder will certainly find himself in good company.

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eajones2016

December 16, 2016

I appreciate the positivity of your post! It can be really easy to be negative and bash both Trump and the choices he makes for his cabinet. I feel like this point accurately and fairly depicts exactly who these people are and what they may stand for. I do have some fears that people who don’t believe in the science behind global warming are now some pretty big players within our governmental structure but my hope is that not all of the hard work of the Obama administration on these global environmental issues is lost. You bring up a great point about Ben Carson..why would he run for President if he had concern about running a single government department…seems silly no doubt?! In fairness I think the media has poked fun at his comments about living in affordable housing and how that gives him experience to run HUD… I think that was a comment that he didn’t think through all the way and the media blew up. I get where he is coming from but I’m more interested in his medical expertise and seeing if that can translate to some of the health inequalities that we see in urban affordable/public housing. Chemical exposure in these areas is creating numerous health problems from young and elderly. This is effecting poor urban African Americans, Hispanics, and immigrant communities in a disproportionate way so as an African American (the only one appointed) medical professional I am hopeful that he can make changes that are beneficial.

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