February 11, 2017

A man knew huge — "huge" was his word — but then... he saw the federal government — from the inside — and he found out what huge really was.

"Trump vexed by challenges, scale of government" — according to Politico, based on interviews with "nearly two dozen people who’ve spent time with Trump in the three weeks since his inauguration.

54 comments:

Michael K said...

When you're up to your ass in alligators, it's hard sometimes to remember you came to drain the swamp.

MayBee said...

Yes, we outsiders are all vexed by the size of government. It's those on the inside who love it so much.

Mrs. X said...

"The president and his allies believe career NSC staff assigned from other agencies are out to get them. In turn, some NSC staff believe Trump does not possess the capacity for detail and nuance required to handle the sensitive issues discussed on the calls, and that he has politicized their agency by appointing chief strategist Bannon to the council."

In other words, they ARE out to get him.

Drago said...

Wow.

Based on 2 dozen people who've "spent time with Trump"

Uh huh.

Drago said...

More like based on dozens of "insiders" who were in the hallway when Trump passed by and really don't like him.

Anonymous said...

We can only hope he will resign because the job of playing President isn't as fun as he thought.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

"We can only hope..."

You do that.

Politico, of course, has no agenda whatsoever.

Mark said...

Not that hard to find in the Administration hundreds of Obama holdovers and probably tens of thousands who are Democrats in opposition to Trump.

Etienne said...

One of the problems with the federal bureaucracy is that they have complex accounting. They have different colors of money.

For example, you might get 50 million in money that can only be used for infrastructure. Rent, furniture, maintenance.

Then you would get a different color of money to hire personnel.

I won't bore people with examples, but we spend billions on just having the ability to spend trillions. For every 10 trillion, you can expect to spend 1 billion just in administration costs. (I'm rounding).

This is not to say anything is wrong or bad. We could save Trillions if we had a dictatorship, but alas, we decided on a republic. Life's a bitch.

Keep sending those taxes in!

Drago said...

Blogger SockPuppet#55: "We can only hope he will resign because the job of playing President isn't as fun as he thought."

Whaddya mean "We", paleface?

Achilles said...

Blogger SockPuppet#55 said...
"We can only hope he will resign because the job of playing President isn't as fun as he thought."

As you apparently take this story at face value we will also take this chance to ask you to remember to breathe.

Big Mike said...

There's a basic difference between Trump's old world and his new one. In his old life in the private sector if a job was assigned to an office with four people, and everyone agreed that two people should be plenty, but the four you have spend their time goofing off, in the private sector Trump fires all four and their manager, and hires two people to replace them. In the government the manager puts in a budget request for two more people in hopes that one or the other actually works hard enough so that among the six of them the job gets done. The manager then gets a promotion because he's now supervising six employees instead of four.

Anonymous said...

"Whaddya mean "We", paleface?"

We few liberals who read Althouse and are brave enough to comment. We do exist here despite the attempts to get rid of us by Trumpists.

tcrosse said...

We can only hope he will resign because the job of playing President isn't as fun as he thought
That still doesn't make Hillary president. Nice try.

Anonymous said...

Everything not printed in Breitbart is fake news to Achilles. It's sad to see such a bad case of epistemic closure.

Anonymous said...

No one cares about Hillary, tcrosse. There are others that you need to pay attention to.

Jim at said...

"We few liberals who read Althouse and are brave enough to comment. "

Anonymously commenting on a blog. What courage.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

"We few liberals who read Althouse and are brave enough to comment."

As if it takes "bravery" to comment anonymously on a website. Yeah, you're right up there with Rosa Parks and the guy who faced a tank in Tiananmen Square.

The only one who has issued any threats here is you, not any conservative commenter. You say stupid crap, get called on it, and then call yourself "brave."

Seeing Red said...

Ahh, playing the Victim card.

Trite and boorish.

tcrosse said...

No one cares about Hillary, tcrosse. There are others that you need to pay attention to.
I could not agree more.

Achilles said...

Blogger SockPuppet#55 said...
"Everything not printed in Breitbart is fake news to Achilles. It's sad to see such a bad case of epistemic closure."

I read far more stories from wapo or the NYT than I do from breitbart. I read as many stories off huffpo as I do off breitbart.

That's the difference between us is I get information from both sides and come to informed conclusions while you are lead around by the nose falling into confirmation bias and general idiocy.

Seeing Red said...

Sometimes huge had to be cut down to size.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Seeing Red said...
Ahh, playing the Victim card.

Of course. That's all they have.

Poor oppressed little baby.

cubanbob said...

Trump ought to push for the abolition of the withholding tax. When everyone has to save and pay quarterly then reducing the size of government becomes a lot easier.

Darrell said...

Politico sucks donkey dick.

Darrell said...

Anyone who uses "epistemic closure" sucks donkey dick.

Darrell said...

Obama, only being a puppet President for the small "c" communists, knew he would never have to formulate his own opinion/policy/plan, and went out and played golf.

Original Mike said...

"We few liberals who read Althouse and are brave enough to comment. "

I'm beginning to think there's only one of you.

Michael K said...

"I'm beginning to think there's only one of you."

Yes, and McDonlad's would miss him if he spent too much time here.

Seeing Red said...

Trump hasn't even been president a month and we want them off this site?

1. Not "our" blog.

2. Unclear on the concept.

Kevin said...

"We can only hope he will resign because the job of playing President isn't as fun as he thought."

Yes, that is your only hope. Good for you to realize it, as it puts you several steps ahead of Senators who aren't showing up for committee votes, people breathlessly waiting for the next march, and those dreaming of impeachment scenarios to put Mike Pence in charge.

Seriously, kudos.

Birkel said...

Leviathan is self aware. It will not go quietly.

The only hope for freedom is that Leviathan be reduced in size and scope. Power must be returned to the states and to the people. Leviathan is incapable of success as defined by those who do not, themselves, comprise Leviathan.

n.n said...

Politico is part of the Press collective. Resistance is futile.

That said, they are infamous for reporting quotes that do not quote.

readering said...

So much for the theory that the leaks of phone calls with foreign leaders was a brilliant strategy of Trump's.

Hari said...

The states ask a federal court for an injunction against an action by the federal government and get it.
The Trump Administration obeys the Court's order and considers its options.
When is this a good thing and when is a bad thing?

John henry said...


Blogger Original Mike said...

"We few liberals who read Althouse and are brave enough to comment. "

I'm beginning to think there's only one of you.


But she/he/it is legion*!

There seem to be a few supposedly anonymous commenters here that keep changing their screen names to try to make it appear as if there are many of them. Kind of like demonstrators who think if they fling enough poo, they will look like a majority. We hear them saying "This is what democracy looks like". Many of them seem stupid enough to believe it.


*See Luke 30-33

30Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. 31They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. 32Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

John Henry

John henry said...

Blogger Michael K said...

Yes, and McDonlad's would miss him if he spent too much time here.

No Michael, not McDonalds. Noodles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB-vwLzhRI0

John Henry

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Blogger SockPuppet#55 said...



My fucking god wouldn't it be wonderful to have a President who doesn't find it fun to wield power over 350 million people.

I have no doubt Hillary would find it both fun an profitable.

Anonymous said...

Trump should just shut down the Department of Education. Move any really critical services to other areas. Easy to do. Measurable results.

Anonymous said...

Every government agency now has a built in racial and social justice unit. All those employees will be out to get Trump. Their emails aren't on a hidden Hillary server. He should re structure all of them to be non political and represent the spectrum of need and the spectrum of political consciousness.

Earnest Prole said...

Like Obama and most of the media, Trump arrived thinking the President is some kind of Civilian King whose decrees rule the land.

FullMoon said...

readering said... [hush]​[hide comment]

So much for the theory that the leaks of phone calls with foreign leaders was a brilliant strategy of Trump's.


CNN announced an hour ago Trump will begin using burner phones for security.

Unknown said...

Ahhh yes the infamous fake news again

PB said...

when you got think overgrowth and underbrush like that, the best tool is chainsaw and sickle mower. Start removing huge swaths.

I'm Full of Soup said...

If you are not vexed by the size of the fed govt, you may be retarded.

bridgecross said...

Trump's business empire is fairly large, but it mostly consists of marketing and licensing the Trump brand to other enterprises, with some physical projects using subcontractors. As a family business, it's basically Donald Trump at the wheel. No board of directors, no shareholders. No customer base connected directly to the brand. Never a need to play nice with others, no compromise, and no contrition when your product bilks people. This is the great dealmaker. Let's see him make deals now.

Fritz said...


I won't bore people with examples, but we spend billions on just having the ability to spend trillions. For every 10 trillion, you can expect to spend 1 billion just in administration costs. (I'm rounding).


More like 35% in my experience.

eric said...

I can't help but wonder how many of these stories are written just in the hopes that a Saturday Night Live skit will be written about it.

Giddy journalists just make stuff up in hopes to get their stories turned into skits.

khesanh0802 said...

I love stories based on sources unwilling to be identified. I usually refer to them as being from the Seymour Hersch school of journalism. (Hersch made outrageous claims based primarily on unnamed sources.) All new administrations flail a bit. The more aggressive they are the more they are apt to flail. I was thinking the other day that if I were Trump I would have several people "standing tall" in my office while I let them know what I thought of their performance to date. Aw I said a couple of days ago it is time to kick ass and take names in DC. These 'unwilling" sources are probably high on the list. The louder they scream the better I like it.

MountainMan said...

"One of the problems with the federal bureaucracy is that they have complex accounting. They have different colors of money."

You mean like almost all businesses and many state and local governments? What is unusual about that?

Most businesses have two budgets: a capital budget, for purchase or construction of real assets, like real estate, buildings, machinery, and vehicles, which are depreciated over their useful life; and, an operating budget, for salaries and benefits, utilities, insurance, maintenance, interest on debt, and operating supplies. Money allocated to one budget cannot be used for the other.

The city where I reside has both of these budgets. The capital budget is used to build roads, public utilities and parks. It is funded by general obligation or special purpose bonds. The operating budget is funded by local property and sales taxes and pays for interest on the debt, salaries and benefits, and maintenance.

The problem is not that the federal government has different "colors" of money. It's that it doesn't do a good job of budgeting and managing the money that it has.

Fabi said...

"Trump's business empire is fairly large, but it mostly consists of marketing and licensing the Trump brand to other enterprises, with some physical projects using subcontractors. As a family business,.."

How many people do you think the Trump Organization employs?

Gretchen said...

I'm sorry but that was the silliest article I ever read. Obama had no clue what he was doing, none. He had a fiction writer as a foreign policy advisor. What a partisan hit piece, seriously. Obama never bothered to meet with business leaders, Obamacare was a complete lie and its implementation was a cluster.

Family business????? Are they kidding??? Obama never ran anything bigger than his senate staff. I think the sources were Elizabeth Warren and Schumer. Possibly Amy Schumer.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

...less than 30 days in. Pace yourselves, folks.

Bob Loblaw said...

Career bureaucrats afraid their rice bowls are about to be upended don't have anything nice to say about the new boss. Do tell.