This guy, Sessions, and Tillerson have said a decent amount of things that go directly against what Trump has said (because they're not complete fools).

Assuming they're telling the truth, to what degree of freedom do they have to go almost directly against Trump without consequences?

1/18/2017 2:22:59 PM

I'd like to hope quite a bit for as you say they are clearly not great fools and realize Trump can't/won't back up claims he makes publicly.

He'll keep saying what he says like normal while actual policy is done behind the scenes making it more important for us all to stay engaged and informed.

1/18/2017 3:08:15 PM

^^ they serve at the pleasure of the president. so no. they can do their damnedest to get him to change his mind, but at the end of the day it's POTUS making the call.

we're all officially fucked

1/18/2017 4:12:27 PM

Tillerson, Sessions, Carson and DeVos are so far scary picks for me.

1/18/2017 5:01:34 PM

Lol at Scott Pruitt claiming he needed to consult with EPA ethics officials to see if having 8 open lawsuits against the agency you will soon be director of is a conflict of interest. SMH

1/18/2017 6:16:26 PM

Quote :

"Assuming they're telling the truth, to what degree of freedom do they have to go almost directly against Trump without consequences?"

Trump isn't constrained by consistency. He'll take credit if things are going well and tweet blame if they're not.

In any case, I'm inclined to believe the nominees' words and actions are a better reflection of Trump's intentions than anything he says himself.

1/18/2017 8:26:55 PM

Surely DeVos wont be confirmed after that shit show right?

1/19/2017 8:40:42 AM

what? and leave our schools open to attacks from grizzly bears?

1/19/2017 9:21:45 AM

You can't have a functional kakistocracy without a Betsy DeVos to advocate for the protection of children from grizzly bears.

1/19/2017 10:38:27 AM

This is popcorn entertainment.

Nothing you say will change these picks.

Good job Harry Reid.

1/19/2017 6:12:44 PM

Hey, El Chapo extradited just in time to be appointed head of the DEA.

1/19/2017 6:44:44 PM

I see a mistake. Let me fix it for you:

Quote :

"Hey, El Chapo extradited just in time to be appointed head of the DEA pardoned."

1/19/2017 7:09:50 PM

I've started checking bear populations around the schools here where we live, you know, just in case.

1/19/2017 10:27:25 PM

I have to admit this was rather humorous. Still though... scary when Rick Perry sounds like one of the more leveled headed people during these hearings though...

http://www.npr.org/2017/01/19/510607199/watch-rick-perry-jokes-he-hopes-senator-is-as-much-fun-as-you-were-on-your-couch

[Edited on January 20, 2017 at 8:24 AM. Reason : .]

1/20/2017 8:23:22 AM

All jokes aside, going from a literal physicist to Rick Perry in this position is just wrong.

But he must have a higher IQ.

1/20/2017 8:25:31 AM

bigly IQ

1/20/2017 1:16:12 PM

His cabinet is not nearly diverse enough. Hilldawg was planning on appointing token black people based on the color of their skin rather than personal merit. Now that would have been progressive. Trump is just showcasing his cis-white-male privilege and it makes me sick

1/20/2017 1:52:50 PM

Bigly

1/20/2017 7:25:53 PM

I've been calling Burr's office to voice my displeasure about his support for DeVos..not like it'll do anything though

1/20/2017 11:07:58 PM

there's no good reason to have a federal dept of education anyhow

1/21/2017 7:01:15 AM

Which federal departments have a good reason for existing?

1/22/2017 8:12:54 AM

He only likes government that specifically helps him

1/22/2017 9:09:15 AM

since the thread is about cabinet selections, it would make sense to limit the discussion to executive branch departments

the simple answer is "those which are authorized by the constitution". and i'm not talking about authorized through a dubious interpretation of the general welfare clause.

with that as a test, i would say state, treasury, justice, and defense. VA and homeland security should be covered by defense. i can see a weak argument in favor of commerce. all the others are unconstitutional and should be handled by the states.

1/22/2017 9:22:57 AM

Homeland Security covered by Defense would probably break the Posse Comitatus Act.

VA is a completely different mission that Defense.

No Cabinet position is specifically authorized in the Constitution.

[Edited on January 22, 2017 at 9:29 AM. Reason : a]

1/22/2017 9:28:43 AM

cool. let's get rid of them all.

1/22/2017 9:34:29 AM

The Constitution does authorize the Cabinet in general though (Executive Department heads or something similar)

1/22/2017 9:52:02 AM

sure does

but it's up to the judicial branch to restrain the executive departments to only doing what's authorized by the constitution.

the constitution doesn't authorize the federal govt to regulate housing and urban development, agriculture, etc. the only way these depts are ever defended is through the general welfare clause. by that test, the federal govt can do anything. some folks may be comfortable with that. i am not.

1/22/2017 10:02:19 AM

trump's cabinet choices are the very reason why we should want to limit the federal govt

americans are fine with unconstitutional govt as long as their team is in power. then the other team takes power and instead of asking "why do these folks have so much power?" they just bitch and moan. POTUS should be so weak that it doesn't really much matter who it is.

1/22/2017 10:16:07 AM

Too bad your boy Obama set such a dangerous precedent of executive overreach, too bad the leftists are the ones stretching the constitution beyond its initial intent.

1/22/2017 11:35:16 AM

obama simply continued the work of dubya

shut the fuck up, you partisan hack

[Edited on January 22, 2017 at 12:20 PM. Reason : you don't add any value to the conversation]

1/22/2017 12:20:12 PM

So will Tillerson make it through committee today? Graham and McCain decided to support him but Rubio is still a hold out

1/23/2017 9:37:06 AM

^^ I wasn't aware that dubya and the conservatives were the ones trying to re-write the constitution to turn us further into a socialist welfare state. Hack

1/23/2017 9:56:37 AM

1/23/2017 10:10:19 AM

Really concerned now about our public lands. Everyone should be.

1/23/2017 10:48:20 AM

And Rubio just said he'd support Tillerson...what a sellout.

1/23/2017 10:50:37 AM

lol NRR is pretty fucking far from a partisan hack

1/23/2017 10:50:43 AM

From what I read a while back only once has a nominee who actually stuck through to the vote not been confirmed. Some have called it quits beforehand knowing they wouldn't make it, but I am not sure we can really expect any of these people not to eventually be confirmed. DeVos makes me cringe though.

1/23/2017 11:03:29 AM

^^ at this point is there any compelling reason to allow that account to remain? Calling NRR a [liberal] hack is admitting beyond any shadow of a doubt you have no desire to engage in real conversation and are only interested in trolling.

[Edited on January 23, 2017 at 11:14 AM. Reason : they will all be confirmed. ]

1/23/2017 11:13:28 AM

DeVos can't be confirmed. She just can't. There's overwhelming evidence out there that she does not have the qualifications for the job for which she's been tapped.

[Edited on January 23, 2017 at 11:20 AM. Reason : grammar]

1/23/2017 11:16:37 AM

qualifications don't matter

1/23/2017 11:19:06 AM

All hope is not yet lost

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2017/01/23/democrats-request-another-hearing-for-betsy-devos-trumps-education-pick-before-confirmation-vote/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_devos-1230pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.7014e17957db

1/23/2017 3:26:17 PM

Pompeo in.

1/23/2017 9:48:50 PM

I mean if they have real concerns and are not allowed to fully question someone, especially when all the paperwork wasn't in before the hearing as it should have been, then they should just simply vote no.

1/24/2017 8:49:48 AM

Haley in.

1/24/2017 7:11:43 PM

Chao in.

1/31/2017 6:28:51 PM

Apparently, none of the democrats decided to show up for work. So Mnuchin and Price are in. Nice political stunt.

2/1/2017 11:39:08 AM

Good, now the GOP can own those assholes when it's revealed how much they both mislead the cmtes. Like they should both possibly be in jail for foreclosure shenanigans and insider trading.

2/1/2017 11:46:26 AM

Susan Collins voting no on DeVos, need two more Rs to deny her nomination. Just goes to show that being stupid is only a liability if you're a woman.

Murkowski also a no. Just need one more.

[Edited on February 1, 2017 at 2:13 PM. Reason : .]

2/1/2017 2:04:48 PM

Tillerson confirmed.

2/1/2017 3:35:15 PM

Set 'em up

2/1/2017 4:59:18 PM