The Trump Presidency 2.0

[Box]

Merit s a funny thing.

Lee Iacocca took a job as an engineer at the Ford Motor Company after finishing his Masters Degree in Industrial Engineering. On his merit - he climbed to the very top and became the President of the Ford Motor company.
Then - in spite of his merit - he got fired - because to quote Henry Ford II; "sometimes you just don't like somebody"

Then - even after the Pinto nearly drove Ford into the poor house - Chrysler still hired him to be their CEO in 1979 - because merit.

Polyticks is different. Merit in polyticks is measured by a very subjective ideological measuring stick.
What is the objective merit to "earn the presidency" ???
Well, according to Article II of the U.S. Constitution, the president must only demonstrate the following "merit"
-gotta be a natural-born citizen of the United States
-gotta be at least 35 years old
-have to have been a resident for 14 years

Most importantly - you have to figure out how to convince 270 members of the electoral college to vote for you.
You can suck at life.
You can bang movie stars.
You can wag your dick at members of the media.
You can court foreign leaders for profit.
You can join secret societies in college.
You can tell people you feel their pain while you sodomize their daughters.
You can snort cocaine until your eyes bleed.
You can buy and sell drugs while smoking so much goddamned reefer that people call you and your friends "The Choom Gang"
...and STILL be elected to the presidency of the United States of America

The sad fact will always be - "Merit" has NOTHING to do with American politics.
Nothing at all.

American politics are all about popularity, profit, and favors.
To quote the freshly minted junior Senator from Delaware, Joseph Robinette Biden, "Don't assume I'm not corrupt. It takes a lot of money to run for the US Senate, even in Delaware. And you have to go to the people with money and do favors for them."

Merit?
Nonsense.
Not in government.

The government of the United States of America would collapse if you reduced it to an absolute meritocracy. For one - sales of lunch time Martinis would plummet because diplomats would be in the office making trade deals instead of spending the afternoon on a 3-Martini power lunch.
...or is that whole "3 Martini Power Lunch" where merit resides?

"Well, what is it you say you do here?"
Well Sir, I do exactly what I was hired to do - I serve as a scapegoat for their shenanigans.
...and therein is where my REAL merit resides.

 

[Cookie_]

Can you point me to anywhere that I second-guessed GEN Brown's appointment? Because I don't think I did. That call was the President's to make, just like this one was.

GEN Brown's predecessor was a guy who checked all the blocks for "pre-reqs" but then bragged about undermining the Commander in Chief and ran his mouth about him while in uniform and after. Some would say he did a terrible disservice to the military profession. Hopefully this pick will be better.

Whoops, should have been clearer on that Mara. That wasn't intended to be directed at you, just broadly refering back to the comments Hesgeth had made that I first mention.

We're in agreement that the president has broad authority to fill these appointments.

 

[SpongeBob*24]

Would you hire him as a VP for your company if someone with a similar resume was up for it?

------------

Yes I would.

Scenario - I'm a leaf eating VP millionaire who needs my Donut making business shookup. I'm too afraid to fire my buddies who helped get me these millions, but my company isn't doing well and losing money because these buddies are wasting my money experimenting with exotic wedding cakes. Six quarters in a row we have loss milions. We have strayed away from our original founding principles - MAKE DONUTS CHEAP AGAIN!

I don't hire a baker as the Deputy, I hire I meat eating pit Viper that spent his career solving hard problems to come in and fix my business. He's not afraid to say you're fired, with or without a severance package. He has no ties to the losers bringing me down. This dude is solely focused on my guidance - FIX THIS COMPANY!!

He's out in 6 months and has something great to add to his resume. My company is booming again bevause I'm able to hire people who just want to make donuts and I can still sleep well at night in my BUZZ LIGHTYEAR PJS!

It's not rocket surgery.....

 

[amlove21]

Remember, DEI is bad because we prefer meritocracy; hiring tv personalities, podcasters, and a general who put on a MAGA hat is all totally based on actual merit and not vibes.

Now you’re getting it. “Force your enemy to adhere to their own rules.” - Saul Alinsky.

Strawman every pick all you want, bemoan their ‘lack of experience’ in your opinion all you’d like, I’m here it.

Dan Bongino gave up (estimated) $10-$30M a year to be a civil servant after being a NY beat cop and secret service special agent to be FBI asst director for $185k a year.

Tulsi is a Russian spy, Elon is a closeted Nazi, Hegseth is an unqualified TV host, Bongino is a just some podcaster, Kavanaugh is a serial gang rapist, Trump is a Russian asset, RFK is crazy anti-vax conspiracy theorist. Just keep doing this stuff, it keeps working.

Did this guy have ‘experience’? I’m old enough to remember crickets when these appointments flew through without so much as a whisper about ‘standards and norms’ and experience’. We didn’t make the rules, we are just playing the game as the other side made it.

 

[amlove21]

Merit s a funny thing.
...snip

You missed one important role merit plays- when the side that doesn't care about merit wants to try and wield your own values against you, they'll default to what they think the "merit" of your picks are as if they ever cared about it. Merit is VERY important in that regard.

 

[DA SWO]

@cookie
Have you read LtGen Caine's bio?
There are other 3 and 4 stars who COULD do the job, are they the best person for the job?
Trump gets to pick the person he thinks is the best. That checks and balances thing.

 

[AWP]

Talking to folks at work the concern isn't justifying our jobs, but all important wording. What is too much or not enough? AI is crawling through the responses, if the AI doesn't like your reply does a human investigate? In short, what is the overall process and standards?

I have yet to speak to one person who is scared of providing bullets. What concerns every single one of us are all of the unknowns. Task? Check. Conditions? Check. Standards? Yeah, nah. We don't know the standards or how they (if they even exist) are applied. And one where the task is vague; "approx. 5 bullets." Is that 4-6? Why not say that? Is 3 okay because over halfway to 5? Is 7 too many? A bullet is a single sentence, what if we use two sentences per bullet?

This is why the 5 Bullets directive is dumb and causing concern. No standards, vague orders, no defined end state. Pretty much like a lot of things so far.

 

[amlove21]

Talking to folks at work the concern isn't justifying our jobs, but all important wording. What is too much or not enough? AI is crawling through the responses, if the AI doesn't like your reply does a human investigate? In short, what is the overall process and standards?

I have yet to speak to one person who is scared of providing bullets. What concerns every single one of us are all of the unknowns. Task? Check. Conditions? Check. Standards? Yeah, nah. We don't know the standards or how they (if they even exist) are applied. And one where the task is vague; "approx. 5 bullets." Is that 4-6? Why not say that? Is 3 okay because over halfway to 5? Is 7 too many? A bullet is a single sentence, what if we use two sentences per bullet?

This is why the 5 Bullets directive is dumb and causing concern. No standards, vague orders, no defined end state. Pretty much like a lot of things so far.

I overall agree with this one. The only thing I could think of is the previously posted missive from Elon- "We think that there is some amount of people that absolutely do nothing, don't answer emails at all AND there could be even be dead people on the rolls."

IF I was being the absolute most gracious I could be, I could hypothesize it's not about the content of the answers, but any answer at all.

If it takes 6 minutes to respond to an email and provide your bullets, you get moved off the list. If you don't reply at all, you go on another list- call it the "do you actually exist" list. Now, is there a follow on where the content is explored and then evaluated somewhow? Maybe, but right now, that's not communicated and people are making assumptions, and that's fair. I think the framing of, "They're going to evaluate my livelihood off of five bullets and some AI, and they're going to fire me because of the answers" is a bridge too far until that happens, but again- DOGE owns that assumption because they haven't explained it. Clinton fired 250K federal employees and was lauded for it, but he also involved Congress in those decisions.

To be super clear, until we know what the process is (it hasn't been explained), we will keep having these conversations, and I agree with the overall feeling of "what's going on".

 

[TLDR20]

I overall agree with this one. The only thing I could think of is the previously posted missive from Elon- "We think that there is some amount of people that absolutely do nothing, don't answer emails at all AND there could be even be dead people on the rolls."

IF I was being the absolute most gracious I could be, I could hypothesize it's not about the content of the answers, but any answer at all.

If it takes 6 minutes to respond to an email and provide your bullets, you get moved off the list. If you don't reply at all, you go on another list- call it the "do you actually exist" list. Now, is there a follow on where the content is explored and then evaluated somewhow? Maybe, but right now, that's not communicated and people are making assumptions, and that's fair. I think the framing of, "They're going to evaluate my livelihood off of five bullets and some AI, and they're going to fire me because of the answers" is a bridge too far until that happens, but again- DOGE owns that assumption because they haven't explained it. Clinton fired 250K federal employees and was lauded for it, but he also involved Congress in those decisions.

To be super clear, until we know what the process is (it hasn't been explained), we will keep having these conversations, and I agree with the overall feeling of "what's going on".

Elon Musk admits email to government workers was a ruse

 

[amlove21]

Elon Musk admits email to government workers was a ruse

Yep- do you work for the American tax payer? Good, then respond to this email. Create a list of people who didn't and find out why.

 

[Box]

Its almost like an autistic billionaire tasked with identifying fraud, waste, and abuse with the desired end state of making the government more efficient has just wasted well over a hundred thousand man hours over a ruse.

Tens of thousands of man hours - countless loyal hard working employees have been thrown into a tailspin - now doomed to suffer uncertainty about the future of their current employment - division within the ranks
because NOW even folks that supported this effort 72 hours ago no longer support it at all...

"Lot of people in for a rude awakening and strong dose of reality"

It's as if the workers that occupy lowest rung of the federal ladder are the ones to blame for this dumpster fire.
THEY are the ones that need a rude awakening.
The poor fucking dude that has to get a security clearance just so he can do janitorial work in the headquarters building...
...that mother fucker needs a strong dose of reality
...because he has been part of this corrupt government for FAAAR too long bitches

What about that poor old lady in her late 50's that has been pouring over numbers in the comptrollers office for the last 15 years
...or that service disabled veteran driving a desk at range control that spends day in day out making sure that the E4 mafia is following safe range practices.
Those cocksuckers are finally getting their comeuppance.

Even the dipshit talk show hosts are making a go at badmouthing these shitty unreliable dishonest civil servants for not taking five short minutes out of their day to defend their career choices.
...because a rich bully wondered how many people are checking their email

Never mind - I should probably just eat my peas and prepare for this assholes next round of disruptive bullshit.

All hail President Musk.

 

[Cookie_]

@cookie
Have you read LtGen Caine's bio?
There are other 3 and 4 stars who COULD do the job, are they the best person for the job?
Trump gets to pick the person he thinks is the best. That checks and balances thing.

I have. As stated, it was to bring a a broader conversation about when we decide someone gets a position for "merit" versus a "who you know" job, seeing as that has been a big topic of contention with "DEI hires" not being qualified.

Again, nothing against Caine.

You missed one important role merit plays- when the side that doesn't care about merit wants to try and wield your own values against you, they'll default to what they think the "merit" of your picks are as if they ever cared about it. Merit is VERY important in that regard.

I agree with this take. I'm just as annoyed when #myside puts up people that don't meet basic qualifications as when the other side does it. I'd much rather get "we are hiring person x for yz reason unrelated to the job" than trying to bullshit up how they're super qualified.
-------
Anyways I think this horse is dead. I've gotta finish my five bullet points I may or may not be required to send. At least I have a computer to work off of, unlike all of our wage grade mechanics; fun times!

 

[amlove21]

I have. As stated, it was to bring a a broader conversation about when we decide someone gets a position for "merit" versus a "who you know" job, seeing as that has been a big topic of contention with "DEI hires" not being qualified.

Again, nothing against Caine.


I agree with this take. I'm just as annoyed when #myside puts up people that don't meet basic qualifications as when the other side does it. I'd much rather get "we are hiring person x for yz reason unrelated to the job" than trying to bullshit up how they're super qualified.
-------
Anyways I think this horse is dead. I've gotta finish my five bullet points I may or may not be required to send. At least I have a computer to work off of, unlike all of our wage grade mechanics; fun times!

Honestly, I don't think you can have anything against RAIZIN, honestly. People in the AF (literally everyone that knows him or his service) are lining up to vouch for that dude. Pretty interesting.

To your bolded, 100% agree. We have jumped the shark on merit on both sides. Just tell me "He dosen't have bona fides we cared about previously, but I put him in this position for this reason."

 

[amlove21]

Its almost like an autistic billionaire tasked with identifying fraud, waste, and abuse with the desired end state of making the government more efficient has just wasted well over a hundred thousand man hours over a ruse.

Tens of thousands of man hours - countless loyal hard working employees have been thrown into a tailspin - now doomed to suffer uncertainty about the future of their current employment - division within the ranks
because NOW even folks that supported this effort 72 hours ago no longer support it at all...

...never mind - I should just eat my peas and prepare for this assholes next round of disruptive bullshit.

all hail president Musk.

The time calculated ALONE from all these hard working civil servants posting their tik tocks and reels and going on CNN (while at work) has led to the government (known for effeciency) to a halt. I can't believe King Elon would do this...

 

[RackMaster]

As someone that managed email servers. I guaranfuckingtee, there's thousands of active accounts that belong to people that are no longer employed and dead. They just had to use AI to compare current rolls with active accounts.

But then that's not the digital equivalent of taking a shiny chainsaw, cutting away the chaff.

 

[RackMaster]

His post on X, proves it was just a simple test.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1894173297786720718

 

[AWP]

Rather than reply to one post, I'll post a general "Addendum".

A fairly large number of us in the DoN never received the Fork and/ or Bullet email. Zero. DoN had to put out guidance to go to one of our gazillion internal (to the Navy) portals and update our contact info. My profile was populated with an email assigned to an older pre-FlankSpeed* account. I was also on a sick day yesterday.

I would have been on "get got" list for the two reasons above. Fortunately, OPM put out guidance yesterday deferring to individual agency chiefs on how/ when to reply.

Something I didn't know until I was in the office since I can't work from home. How many legit employees would be burned by those circumstances? Dunno. On hr@opm.gov paper I would be a "ghost employee" because I didn't reply to an email I never received brought on by conditions I never created...

* Flankspeed is a Navy version of what I believe to be a larger DoD IT environment migration.

(Why am I typing this at work, am I not a time wasting shitbag? Have you ever used eMASS and seen its refresh times? I have time to type.)

 

[RackMaster]

Rather than reply to one post, I'll post a general "Addendum".

A fairly large number of us in the DoN never received the Fork and/ or Bullet email. Zero. DoN had to put out guidance to go to one of our gazillion internal (to the Navy) portals and update our contact info. My profile was populated with an email assigned to an older pre-FlankSpeed* account. I was also on a sick day yesterday.

I would have been on "get got" list for the two reasons above. Fortunately, OPM put out guidance yesterday deferring to individual agency chiefs on how/ when to reply.

Something I didn't know until I was in the office since I can't work from home. How many legit employees would be burned by those circumstances? Dunno. On hr@opm.gov paper I would be a "ghost employee" because I didn't reply to an email I never received brought on by conditions I never created...

* Flankspeed is a Navy version of what I believe to be a larger DoD IT environment migration.

(Why am I typing this at work, am I not a time wasting shitbag? Have you ever used eMASS and seen its refresh times? I have time to type.)

Sounds like some IT email folks are on the chopping block.

 

[AWP]

Sounds like some IT email folks are on the chopping block.

No. This is what happens when you have multiple system upgrades and multiple portals controlled by multiple orgs and agencies within the DoD. Fixing that would require probably a few hundred million dollars and manpower we don't have or can't fund (contractors).

Kind of why they should have run this through the DoD and its branches first.

But we're all lazy shitbag thieves too scared to get "real" jobs in the "real" world according to the broad narrative from many on the Right.

 

[amlove21]

But we're all lazy shitbag thieves too scared to get "real" jobs in the "real" world according to the broad narrative from many on the Right.

Just get a green job when you get fired