Saturday, September 02, 2017

Budget Director proudly reveals how easy it is to manipulate Donald Trump.

What can I say, he's a dumbass.
Courtesy of Politico:  

Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump’s budget director, walked into the Oval Office in early May on a longshot mission. The slash-government conservative wanted to persuade the president to break one of his most popular campaign promises. 

During his populist run for the White House, Trump had vowed to leave Social Security and Medicare alone. But Trump had also vowed to rein in America’s national debt, which Mulvaney didn’t think was possible without reining in the two biggest chunks of the federal budget. So Mick the Knife brought a cut list to his meeting in the Oval.

“Look, this is my idea on how to reform Social Security,” the former South Carolina congressman began. 

“No!” the president replied. “I told people we wouldn’t do that. What’s next?” 

“Well, here are some Medicare reforms,” Mulvaney said. 

“No!” Trump repeated. “I’m not doing that.” 

“OK, disability insurance.” 

This was a clever twist. Mulvaney was talking about the Social Security Disability Insurance program, which, as its full name indicates, is part of Social Security. But Americans don’t tend to think of it as Social Security, and its 11 million beneficiaries are not the senior citizens who tend to support Trump. 

“Tell me about that,” Trump replied. 

“It’s welfare,” Mulvaney said. 

“OK, we can fix welfare,” Trump declared. 

Sure enough, the Trump budget plan that Mulvaney unveiled a few weeks later would cut about $70 billion in disability benefits over a decade, mostly through unspecified efforts to get recipients back to work. That may sound like welfare reform, but the program isn’t welfare for the poor; it’s insurance for workers who pay into Social Security through payroll taxes. The episode suggests Trump was either ignorant enough to get word-gamed into attacking a half-century-old guarantee for the disabled, or cynical enough to ditch his promise to protect spending when it didn’t benefit his base.

I put the word "proudly" in the headline because while this would seem like the kind of thing one would keep to themselves, or only reveal to a few close lipped confidants, Mulvaney is essentially bragging to the whole world that the guy he works for is an uneducated moron who is easily manipulated.

And apparently he has no fear of repercussions or losing his job. 

I can only imagine how proud Trump voters are of their president after reading this.

Assuming of course some of them can actually read. 

13 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:19 PM

    This Paramedic Who Rescued Harvey Victims May Be Deported If Trump Ends DACA
    “It was like getting an extra kick to the face when you’re already down.”

    https://www.buzzfeed.com/adolfoflores/daca-rescuer-hurricane-harvey?bftwnews&utm_term=.etpN6KOQo5#.bgLzRk9QOg

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous2:46 PM

    Because it's so Kriss-chun to take money away from people with disabilities, struggling to pay for food and shelter, so they can give it to billionaires.

    Gotta pay for that 4th yacht SOMEHOW, now don't they???

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous2:49 PM

    Mick Mulvaney and Betsy DeVos are in a dead heat vying as most deplorable among the deplorable Dumpster Fires.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:40 AM

      Along with the HHS guy and the EPA guy. All of Trump's cabinet members were put in place simply to destroy the department or agency they head. One of the most recent appointees is wife of the NRA guy, Wayne LaPierre, to a position on the National Park Foundation's Board of Directors.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
  4. Anonymous4:13 PM

    Isn’t this the guy who takes his wife shopping on the taxpayer’s dime?

    By the way, we paid into Social Security from our wages, has he ever paid into it?

    ReplyDelete
  5. It was like getting an extra kick to the face when you’re already down...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wait until Trump gets vilified for breaking his promise not to touch Social Security and someone explains that those cuts ARE Social Security; Social Security Disabiltiy that workers have already paid for.

    Trump is going to be very angry at being tricked into it. And Mulvaney is going to get his ass handed to him for being such a conniving piece of shit. Trump is extremely vindictive over those that double cross or screw them over. That would be Mulvaney.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:38 AM

      Trump's only concern about hurting Social Security is the effect it would have on his supporters. Not that he cares about the lives or families of the people who support them, but he needs their cheers and their votes. Otherwise, he'd do in Social Security in a flash, just as all Republican politicians have wanted to do since its beginnings in the 1930's.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
    2. He does care about keeping his campaign promise since he's been able to keep so few of them.

      But what matters more to him is being made a fool of in public. This guy is bragging how he fooled and manipulated Trump into breaking that campaign promise. He didn't keep it quiet. He's bragging publicly and it's in the media. Trump *is* going to find out about it. And there is going to be hell to pay. Hopefully with this guy's head figuratively on a platter. No one is irreplaceable in Trump's administration. At least no one outside the family. Plenty have left before and plenty will leave after a. I think Mulvaney will be lucky to get his ass handed to him before he's kicked out.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous9:39 PM

    Seth Meyers Interviewed Eric Schneiderman, the Man Who Will Bring an End to Trump

    See video at
    https://malialitman.com/2017/09/01/seth-meyers-interviewed-eric-schneiderman-the-man-who-will-bring-an-end-to-trump/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous9:42 PM

    This could be bad news for me. I am recovering from back surgery for a compressed nerve that is damaged leaving me with numbness , weakness and difficulty walking or being on my feet over 20 minutes. I may not recover to continue my nursing career. I am old enough to collect SS widow benefits at a reduced benefit age 62 1/2. With the ACA in peril and now the threat of slashing disability benefits I'll pray I recover but this is all threatening to me and millions of others.

    This must be the most anxiety provoking presidential administration ever! Every day is a Trump horror show except when he rarely is scripted then he acts out bombing a sane speech to pieces.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Try to stick it out as long as you can.

      Reduced benefit is forever.

      I think you're going to be OK with the ACA.

      Apply for disability or Workman's Comp or whatever but try to hold off on retirement or that SS widow benefit as long as possible.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3:35 AM

      All of us thinking Americans have been sleeping less well at night because of what happened on Election Day 2016. Each day the GOP is in charge of everything there is more damage done to our country.

      I hope that your back recovers and that you can resume your nursing career until you want to retire.
      Beaglemom

      Delete

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