OrangeVerse XIII: Don The Builder

Quick -- you're the president and you have two minutes to speak at FEMA headquarters. GO!

Elaine Duke

I just want 
to congratulate
Acting Secretary - 
this is really a big - this
is a big position --
Elaine Duke.
A terrific person. 
She has done
an amazing job
for the Trump Administration
and everywhere
she preceded. 
So congratulations. This
is a very important
thing you're doing. 

I'm a Builder
We are very strong
on homeland security and
we are very strong
with respect to
FEMA.
FEMA 
is something that
I've been very much
involved in already.
We've had some things
during the last six months
including the highway
in Atlanta, 
where I have to say 
the Governor and all concerned
did a fantastic job
of rebuilding that stretch
of highway
that ended up burning
badly. 

We found the reasons why
and it wasn't for a good reason. 
But nevertheless
they did it in record time.
I'm a builder
and I understand
they did it ahead of schedule
and under budget
and that was very nice
to see.

Elaine, Elaine

So I just -- 

we have many many things

like that.

We've already taken care

of many of the situations

that really needed

emergency funds.

We did it

quickly.

We did it

effectively.

We have an

incredible team.

And I just

want to thank, 

Elaine, 

all of your people

and your representatives.

They have really

done a fantastic job.

Thank you

very much.

Thank you

very much,

everybody.

Wondering on Wednesday (v98)

Sleep well, tonight, America. Rex Tillerson's got our back.  Fire and fury will rain down upon them, says Trump. Knock off actions that will lead to the end of your regime - and people, said Mad Dog Mattis. Is all of that causing you to wonder, this Wednesday, about our position on North Korea?

Many folks say no, this is all part of the plan, everything's OK, we're all on the same page; others say this is just more of the mixed messaging that comes regularly from the Trump administration. Me? When it comes to sleeping well, something I've had a lifetime of not doing - if the answer to that is all of this saber rattling between the unpredictable, petulant Kim Jong Un and the unpredictable petulant Donald Trump, I guess I shouldn't complain.

And it's good for #MadeinAmerica, too. The Rising S Company, a bunker manufacturer in Texas, is reporting a 90% jump in sales, according to Fox News. I wonder if a bunker is what I've needed all along to get that good night's sleep?

Of course, my bunker would only be a good deal if there were no illegal immigrants working for the company, right? Or unqualified legal immigrants, for that matter. The president, you'll recall, recently announced his support for the RAISE Act, a bill sponsored two Republican senators that, in addition to severely limiting immigration into the US, would institute a scoring tool to help prioritize the folks we let in. It's all about #MAGA and #PAFA, Trump tells us.

This legislation demonstrates our compassion for struggling American families who deserve an immigration system that puts their needs first and puts America first.

 Thankfully, we have Time magazine to help us understand how the point system will work. In an article titled Find out if President Trump would let you Immigrate to America, we learn that a person would need at least 30 points to even be considered, unless you were directly related to someone already here - no more extended family stuff.

The most impressive way to get to 30 points? Be a recent Olympic medal winning (15 points) Nobel laureate (25 points).  The most likely way to get to 30 points? Be 26 to 30 years old (10 points), fluent in English and able to prove it (12 points), and either have a big fat job offer with a $155K+ salary (13 points) or have at least $1.8M in foreign currency to invest (12 points).

When I took the test to see if I would be eligible to come here, the answer is no. I'm too old, not educated enough, not rich enough, and not 'impressive' enough. How many of you would be eligible, I wonder? Go ahead, take the test and let me know.

One thing that's missing from the discussion on immigration is any kind of affirmative action  (unless you count that medal winning thing).  And affirmative action, of course, is what we're talking about - you know, the kind of admission decisions that Harvard uses to discriminate against whites and Asian-Americans. We'll be hearing a lot more about that, I'm sure, but it does make me wonder about the proposed changes to our immigration plans.

If we are looking to invite wealthy, English speaking, highly educated young professionals to come here, who will those folks be?  And who is it that purchases E-2 work visas?  Likely candidates in both cases are folks who will come in to the US and take jobs away from our best and brightest.

And I have to wonder, how does that jive with "our compassion for struggling Americans" and putting America first?

Mythbusting a Businessman in the White House

One benefit of the weekend is that I have more time to pay attention to interesting things that come across my various news and social media feeds. I stumbled upon a article on Alternet.org by Sophie A. McClennen, a Penn State professor of international affairs and comparative literature that caught my eye.

McClennen's article, which originally appeared on Salon, addresses a subject that I've covered in the past: the concept of having a CEO president - and why Trump may be the one who puts that idea to bed - for good.

I originally posted on this subject in May of 2016, admitting that I had considered the possible benefits of having an experienced businessman in the White House.

You know the drill -- we need someone who's actually run a business, met a payroll, fought through countless ridiculous regulations, someone who knows how to balance a budget, someone who understands the real world ramifications of what policy changes mean, someone who is accountable to auditors...  And maybe most importantly, someone who is accountable to customers and shareholders. 

I say the last two - customers and shareholders - are possibly the most important, because if nothing else,  those of us who bother to register and actually vote  year in and year out are the customers and shareholders of all politicians, even though they don't seem to act like as if that's the case. 

And, I expressed some specific concerns abut comments then-candidate Trump had made that suggested such a thing, with him in command, would be a no-go for me.

A year later, four months or so into this administration, I revisited the idea, and remained convinced that it would be a bad thing.

Seems I'm not alone; McClennen comes to the same conclusion. Along the way, using Anthony "the Mooch" Scaramucci and the Wall Street movie franchise as an example of how "weirdly confused" we have become, she says

For some bizarre reason the public is aware that businessmen, whether they work on Wall Street or are New York real estate moguls, are often shady, greedy and selfish, but they still believe somehow that they possess critical and valuable skills that could transfer to running government. There is the public sense that businessmen are effective leaders despite overwhelming evidence that businessmen can and have been vile, corrupt and incompetent. 

Generalizations are always a fraught enterprise: clearly not all businessmen are terrible people, but that isn't the point. The point is that the mistaken idea that businessmen are better equipped to run the country is exactly why our nation is poised for catastrophe. And that's not an exaggeration.  

She doesn't put politicians on a pedestal, nor should she. After all, there are more than enough examples of shady, greedy and selfish politicians to go around, in both parties and at every level of government. But she contends

...there is a basic difference between people trained to accumulate profit and people trained to foster public support.

Specifically in reference to the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave,

Put simply, there is not one facet of the job of president that Trump seems to have gotten even remotely right. Only a few months into the job it was stunningly clear that Trump wasn't just addicted to attention and overwhelmed by poor impulse control, but that he really didn't understand the job he was elected to do...

The list is literally endless at this point. But part of the reason why it is so long is because Trump had no idea how the shared governance of a democracy functions or what it means to work with allies because in his businessman model he really can make absolute decisions without building consensus or making compromises. He has zero appreciation for the notion of the public good, of the value in supporting allies and of the need to respect the opinions of other leaders.

The 'profit-accumulator' would think this type of thing is perfectly normal, but the 'foster public support' person would be, rightfully, aghast -- as has been the case time after time after time.  

For example, Trump has repeatedly called for Mitch McConnell to "go nuclear" and move all votes in the Senate to a simple majority - which it seems, would make Mike Pence the most important man in the country, as the tie-breaker in McConnell's fractured chamber.

There have been other occasions, too - for example, when Trump tweets and instead of marching in step, members of his administration jump back from his pronouncements; or when he calls for suing reporters who print mean things about him, or otherwise shutting down our 1st Amendment rights; or when he calls out the 'Mexican judge' for his assumed lack of impartiality, or other courts that disagree with him...

We love a businessman, even as he makes decisions that take away pensions and benefits; send our jobs overseas, or to cheap regions of the country; demand that taxpayers train their employees even as they sit on piles of money offshore to avoid paying taxes; raise prices beyond what we can afford; fight every regulation that protects workers, the environment, and our futures; buy politicians lock, stock, and barrel; and more.

Weirdly confused, indeed.

Back in May, here's what I said about future prospects of a businessman in the White House:

Since he became president, my opinion that Trump was the wrong one has only been confirmed, and he may have forever ruined the chances for any future businessman-candidate in my eyes.  

And here's how McClennen closed her piece:

None of this mess gets better until this nation takes responsibility for its unfounded adoration of businessmen. The notion that a businessman is better at politics than a politician isn't just wrong; it's led to the Trump administration. And if that doesn't kill the myth, I don't know what can.

Sunday School 8/6/17

This Week,  I spent some time in the ABC classroom, hanging with George Stephanopoulos and the gang.

The guests this week included the unwatchable Kellyanne Conway doing what only she can do the way she does; and Senators Thom Tillis and Chris Coons, who put forward one of the Mueller protection bills I wrote about the other day.

The roundtable is where we'll focus today. Participating were Matt Schlapp from the American Conservative Union; Obama communications director Stephanie Cutter; Bloomberg Businessweek's Megan Murphy, and National Review senior editor Ramesh Ponnuru.

Stephanopoulos started by asking what's going on with the Republicans, using the term 'divorce' to describe the situation.  Schlapp answered first.

Well, you're seeing a lot of division amongst Republicans that started in the primary season and is going forward. There's so much political change. Definitely I can tell you on the Republican side I actually see a lot of change going on, on the division on the Democratic side as well. 

But what you also see is a real constitutional disagreement between the legislative branch and the executive branch. Now, that's baked into the cake that they're supposed to have disagreements, but you see Republicans we run the whole show, yet there are real differences in these branches. And Donald Trump is kind of testing things that we haven't seen before.

Cutter chimed in next.

You know, I think Matt is the expert on the Republican party, but I think what's also happening is that there's -- people are losing confidence in him as the leader of the party.  And you can see people pulling away. John McCain's quote in that story is classic - that people smell weakness basically with this president. And I think the president understands this and knows that he's losing right now, which is why he goes to West Virginia to rally his base. 

 Stephanopoulos moved on to economic numbers, pointing out to Megan Murphy

No question that the economy is... you know, chugging along pretty well in the same fashion it did under President Obama. Yet the president - 61 percent disapproval.

Murphy noted that Trump's numbers were good, even if the jobs growth is slower than the last two years of Obama's presidency, and then reminded us of some nuance in the numbers.

Here's one really important fact for the president: among people without a high school degree who are over the age of 25, their participation and movement into the labor market is actually the strongest it's been since 2011. That's a huge factor for him, as we see people who voted for him get jobs and we see wages tick up. We see among lower income, lower wage earners, that is really starting to be more robust than higher income workers. That will help him. And that is what matters. So despite the chaos and the politics, among people's pocketbooks, it's possible -- it's actually possible - that we see the wage growth really helps him.

Stephanopoulos wondered if there was a bottom to Trump's ratings. Ramesh Ponnuru responded.

There has been no national crisis over the last six months. The president has achieved these sorts of approval numbers without anything external to the administration causing problems for him. And I think that has got to be a cause of serious concern for Republicans. 

One of the reasons he is not having the sway among congressional Republicans, and even among his --in his own administration that you might expect is that his popularity is so low. 

They talked about General Kelly - and seemed to think he was making progress, noting that the trick to being a good chief of staff is not to control the president, but to control what happens around the president. They talked about the transgender tweet, and the disagreement of pretty much everyone of importance at the Pentagon, and about immigration and how Trump's support of the RAISE bill plays to his white working class constituency, one of the few things he's done that targets them.

And of course they talked about Bob Mueller and the investigation; the most interesting part, I thought, was this, again from Megan Murphy:

Well, that's why this impaneling the grand jury is significant, not that it's any surprise. He has got 16 all-start prosecutors with him. We know this was a serious, complex investigation. But what's going to be interesting is we're going to see from the kind of witnesses, the kind of leaks we're going to get out of this, and the kind of material they're looking at, are they focusing it squarely on possible obstruction, possible collusion with Russia, or are they expanding their scope to look at some of the financial dealings that were made, possibly not even within the Trump family, but with broader people that are around him. That is what we are likely to see... These are prosecutors (Mueller has hired) who are the most sophisticated at looking at mob ties, looking at complex financial fraud that we have seen. Make no mistake - and it is within the scope of his investigation to look at that. 

On all fronts - Trump's agenda and ratings; immigration; General Kelly; and Mueller, things are starting to get pretty interesting as we head into the August vacations of Congress and the president.

See you around campus.

Orangeverse XII: A Cabinet Full of Dishing

Sometimes you put the dishes in the cabinet, and sometimes you dish in the Cabinet. That's what the president did on Friday.

The First Meeting with The General

This is our first Cabinet meeting

with General Kelly.

He will be

Chief of Staff, 

as you know. 

We all know him, 

we respect him

admire what he's done.

And at Homeland

what he has done has been

nothing

short

of

miraculous.

The Border
...the border
was a tremendous problem
and they're close
to 80 percent
stoppage. 
And even the President of Mexico
called me--

How Well We're Doing (i)

We have

the highest stock market

in history. 

We have a GDP

on Friday -- it got very little mention, 

although I guess

in the business areas it did. 

But it got, I think, very little mention.

2.6 is a number

that nobody thought they'd see

for a long period of time.

How Well We're Doing (ii)

Unemployment is

the lowest it's been

in 17 years.
Business enthusiasm is

about as high

as they've ever seen it. 

In fact, it is as high --

the highest point

in 27 years

according to

a certain graph and

a certain chart.

How Well We're Doing (iii)

The manufacturers are

--the enthusiasm level

is incredible.

We have a lot

of tremendous things

going. 

We have some

interesting situations

that we'll handle.

North Korea,

Middle East

lots of problems

that we inherited

from

previous administrations.

But we'll take care of them.

We'll take care of them

very well.

How Well We're Doing (iv)

But, overall, I

think we're doing 

incredibly well. 

The economy is doing 

incredibly well,

and many other things.

General Kelly Will Go Down

I predict that General Kelly

will go down,

in terms of the position of

Chief of Staff, 

one of the great ever.

And we're going to have a good time but, 

much more importantly

we're going to work hard

Make America Great Again

It's all about making

American great again.

That's what we're going to do

That's what i said.

That's how we won

this big election.

And that's what we're

in the process of doing

and continuing.

And General, it's really great

to have you on board, 

and thank you

very much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you

very much

everybody.

North Korea

Mr. president

what can you do

about North Korea?

We'll handle

North Korea.

We're going to

be able to handle them.

It will

be handled.

We handle everything

Thank you very much.

Quick Takes (v20): Protecting Mueller

Quick Takes

Word broke at some point today, can't remember if it was before or after my day job, that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has gotten himself a grand jury and is beginning to issue subpoenas in the Trump investigations.

According to the article linked above, Cornell law professor Jens David Ohlin noted that

While grand juries hear evidence and sometimes decline to hand up indictments, it now looks unlikely that Mueller will "simply submit a report to Congress and allow the political process to digest his findings. This is a criminal investigation in the fullest sense of the term."

We've heard a number of stories that Trump and his team are looking to discredit Mueller; and they've supposedly been looking into pardon rules. The thinking was that Trump maybe proactively pardon certain close associates (Jared, Donny and who knows who else) or maybe even pardon himself.

The president is having a "love me" fest in West byGod Virginia tonight, so we may not hear his take on the subpoenas until early tomorrow morning. But we did hear from Senate Republicans today, in a way I'm sure will antagonize Trump.

Two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee - Republican Thom Tillis and Democrat Chris Coons - are introducing a bill to protect the Mueller investigation from interference.  Their bill, which would be effective retroactively to the date Mueller was appointed,

would take the decision to fire a special counsel out of the hands of the president, granting authority only to the most senior Department of Justice official heading the investigation...it would allow a fired special counsel to challenge their removal in front of a panel of federal judges - with a guarantee that the case would be heard within two weeks. 

Separately, another group of senators including Republican Lindsey Graham and Dems Cory Booker, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Trump punching bag Richard Blumenthal, put up a bill that would allow for judicial review if a special counsel was fired by the President, protect a special counsel from "intimidation" and ensure any special counsel can only be removed for "legitimate reasons instead of political motivations" after petitioning a federal court to establish the reasons (misconduct, dereliction of duty, conflict of interest or other good cause).

Lest there were any remaining concerns that a Republican House and Republican Senate would coalesce around this Republican president, after Comey, and after health care, and after Russia sanctions, and now this -  I think we can put those to rest.

For Senators to work across the aisle to protect Mueller, when their leadership won't allow them to work across the aisle to protect, you know, millions of Americans, I think what we have here is a golden opportunity.

I hope I'm not disappointed.

Wondering on Wednesday (v97)

I had such high hopes for this Wednesday - because (at least until this past Monday) we had the Mooch, and that almost ensured there would be wondering galore, on all kinds of fun NSFW communications things. And then? Yeah, that chief-of-staff thing happened.

Reince Priebus is out (blissfully, I can go back to 'i' before 'e' except after 'c'), said Trump, and now we've got one of His Generals, John Kelly, #JoeBidenliterally taking control over the West Wing. I heard the door to the Oval is now closed, to all those folks who had walk-in privileges to Trump: Jared, Ivanka, Steve, Steve, Steve, Kelly Anne, Mike, Donny, Eric, Sean, Sarah, Steve... I wonder how long that will all last?

In addition to curtailing the walk-in privileges, it appears The General was unafraid of going to battle early with The Family, as we were told Scaramucci was brought in at their behest. I can kind of understand why they might have wanted him: who else to take the heat off the brash New York president than a brash New York communications director? I mean, someone who professes to be able to grab someone else's genitals with reckless abandon could only be represented by someone bold enough to discuss another person's proclivity to, well, "Bannon" himself, right?  Wrong, said The General, and The Mooch was gone.

Meanwhile, outside all of the palace intrigue there's a lot going on. We learned that at least some people think the President was personally responsible for spreading misinformation about son Donny's meeting with a bunch of Russians. It seems Trump dictated the language used in one of the early explanations for the meeting at Trump Tower that really only occurred because dirt was offered on Hillary. I wonder, does anyone really think that a Trump would take a meeting during the campaign to talk about adoption issues with Russian children?  Of course not. Donny took the meeting, and Jared went along, because they thought they were getting the goods.

If true (and I have no trouble believing it is), would it count as obstruction? And if not an actual crime, would it count as a high crime and misdemeanor?

Along similar lines, we learned that there's little interest on the part of the Secretary of Health and Human Services in enforcing the Affordable Care Act, particularly now that repeal and replace was quashed in the Senate by the thumbs down vote of  John McCain. HHS has already severely curtailed advertising, and has shortened the open enrollment window; both of these are considered attempts to make the ACA a failure.

And the president himself is doing his darnedest to make it a failure, too: threatening to end 'insurance company bailouts' which is what he calls the cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments made to insurers to offset the costs of providing essential health benefits for subscribers meeting certain income thresholds. This, of course, causes 'uncertainty' in the marketplace, making it more volatile and driving up premiums, which fulfill Trump's prophecy about the implosion of the ACA.

Again, I wonder: not an actual crime, but maybe a high crime or misdemeanor?

Lastly, today the president turned his lonely eye to America's legal immigration woes. He's supporting a proposal to cut in half the volume of legal immigrants allowed in our country, and requiring a point system which will prioritize English-speakers who are job-ready and can support themselves, but who won't steal jobs from Americans.

I'm not sure what impact this will have on the president's propensity for hiring foreigners to clean his resorts, park the cars of rich people, and serve them drinks. Or, for that matter, how we justifies cutting legal immigration in half at the same time he bumped up the limit on visas for folks like he hires at his resorts, and like those who pick the food we eat.

I wonder - when will the weight of the rampant conflicts between "do as he says" and  "'do as he does" start to impact his supporters and their opinion of him?

Sidebar: Voter Beware

We learned in Sunday's post that there's an effort underway in Texas to make it illegal for individuals attempt to influence someone's vote once mail-in ballots have been issued or the voting process has started. 

As I noted, this provision seems more designed to limit a person's 1st Amendment rights than to protect a vote from fraud. I mean, unless you're willing to pay dearly for the privilege of having a heartfelt political conversation with a friend or family members - penalties under the bill max at a $4000 fine and a year in jail -  would you take the chance of being arrested for strongly encouraging someone to say, not vote for a rude, crude, lying New York businessman?  And, it extends far beyond the paper ballot which might be sitting unopened on the dining room table to include "the voting process" which could be interpreted to include any early voting windows as well as election day.

If the folks in the Texas legislature are not able to change the language, or if they refuse to, I really hope someone sues bigly to prevent candidates, PACS, and super PACS, corporations, unions, small businesses, trade associations, other loose affiliations of people, and individuals from issuing any TV, radio, and Internet ads; billboards; public transportation cards; yard signs and posters; campaign mailings; handbills, bumper stickers, tchotchkes or any and all other types of advertising once early voting is open and/or once distribution of paper ballots commences.

And no money can change hands either - no political contributions, no in-kind donations, no nothing.

And no talking, either. No door knocking, no interviews...not a word from any politicians, their spokespeople, party people, or plain old ordinary people. I mean, if I'm not able to try and sway anyone's vote, why would we allow the politicians to give it a try?

Maybe we need to take a page out of president Trump's book:

veritable pastiche is calling for a complete and total shutdown of political advertising, once the voting process has started, until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.

According to multiple studies and tons of anecdotal evidence, there is great hatred towards political advertising by large segments of the American population; the hatred crosses ideological lines and comes from all socioeconomic groups.  

Americans should have the right to be governed according to their own decisions and their votes, without the undue influence of political money and political advertising. 

Even without looking at the polling data, it's obvious to anybody that the hatred of political advertising is widespread, and growing. We know where it comes from, and why. But until we are able to determine how to fix this problem, the decisions of American voters cannot continue to be obscured and overridden by the overwhelming influence of political advertising.

We need to Make the Vote Great Again. 

Wouldn't that be fun?

Sunday School 7/30/17

I only had time for one classroom today, so I stopped in to see what was going on at NBC with Meet the Press, hosted by Chuck Todd.

HHS Secretary Tom Price was on, as was Maine's Senator Susan Collins, on of the three 'no' votes on the failed Skinny Repeal measure that, at least for now, ground discussion on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act to a halt.

Price parroted the same old, same old stuff we've been hearing from the Republicans since even before the ACA was passed. Here he is answering Chuck Todd's question on what he could have done differently

Well I think what the president has explained and punctuates is his seriousness about this issue and his passion for turning the healthcare system in a direction that puts patients first, not government and not insurance companies. We've all got a lot of work to do. We've continued to work with the members of the United States Senate. We look forward to continuing to work with them, and our house partners as well, to make certain that we move this healthcare system in that better direction, where patients and families and doctors are in charge, not Washington DC.

Here's a question, frankly, I didn't expect to see asked:

Do you feel it is your job at HHS to implement the affordable care act as it was meant to be or are you there to--some people think you don't want to see it work, so that's why we've seen cancelled TV advertising, the attempts to not get people to enroll, the cancelling of contracts that help with enrollment. And so some have accused that you do not want to see it work as it was intended. Can you explain?

Here's Price's answer:

Yea, no, our job is to follow the law of the land and we take that mission very, very seriously. And the role of the health and human services department is to improve the health, the safety and the wellbeing of the American people. And what we understand, what the American people understand is that their health and wellbeing is being harmed right now by the current law. And so our goal is to make--is to put in place, as well as the president's goal, is to put in place a law, a system, that actually works for patients. You can't do that under the current structure. You can't do that just with regulation. It requires an act of congress and that's why the president has been so passionate about making certain that the, that the congress of the United States repeals and replaces Obamacare. 

Todd pressed him again, asking

So if they come up with a fix that helps, essentially gives some certainty to the insurance companies to go into rural markets, are you then going to implement the affordable care act as it was meant to be, including encouraging people to sign up, encouraging enrollment, encouraging Medicaid expansion? 

Price's answer, again, was nonsense.

Well, our, as I said, our responsibility is to follow the law and again we take that responsibility very seriously and we will continue to do so. But remember that the current law right now is failing the American people... You've got premiums that are up, deductibles that are up, people having that insurance card and no care, got insurers fleeing the market. 83 insurance companies fled the health insurance market last year. That's before this administration came in. This system is imploding upon itself and that's what we're trying to care of. That's what the president has said. That's why we need repeal and replace. 

So, there you have it: the Secretary of HHS is admitting that his department, responsible for the Affordable Care Act, is pretty much going to continue ignoring the law because they don't like it and they think that Americans don't like it either. Glad to have that out in the open.

Susan Collins faced similar questions from Todd, including this one.

Are you confident, though, that Secretary Price at HHS is implementing - is trying to keep this law afloat, that is doing everything he can to create certainty or are you concerned that there are some aspects of HHS implementation right now that are actually undermining the law, attempting to sort of create more problems in order to force Congress to act?

Collins does not express that confidence. 

I’m troubled by the uncertainty that has been created by the administration. When it comes to the subsidies that are given to very low-income people to help them with their co-pays and their deductibles, I hear this described by some as an insurance company bailout. That’s not what it is. It is vital assistance to people who make between 100 and 250 percent of the poverty level and allows them to afford their out-of-pocket costs. And the uncertainty about whether that subsidy is going to continue from month to month is clearly contributing to the destabilization of the insurance markets. And that’s one thing that Congress needs to end. We need to make very clear that that subsidy is important to those very low income people and we need to appropriate the money to ensure that it continues.

Todd then asked if she was ready to tell Mitch McConnell that she'd never be in his corner unless he went to 'regular order' - hearings, testimony, bipartisanship - you know, legislating stuff.

I’ve made very clear that I believe we would produce far better legislation if we went through the normal process of having committee hearings, hearing from health care providers, from insurance regulators, from advocacy groups, from governors, from everyone involved and then produce bipartisan legislation with input from both Democrats and Republicans. That’s how we get the best legislation. And that is the best path forward to fix the very real flaws that Democrats and Republicans alike see in the Affordable Care Act. So that’s the path that I want to take and that means not going through reconciliation, but going through the normal committee processes I’ve been urging all along and as Senator John McCain urged in his very eloquent speech on the senate floor.

One can only hope that Collins, and Lisa Murkowski (the senator from Alaska who was threatened by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke about her vote) are able to actually work on bipartisan solutions to fix the ACA. And when the moderate Republicans come knocking, the Dems better show up with good intentions and work to get something accomplished.

Voter Beware

Ah, Texas: one of my favorite red states to write about, where everything is bigger and more bigly, even. Like their attempts to make sure voter fraud doesn't happen.

There are currently investigations under way in the Lone Star state to determine if there was some election fraud- which is absolutely a good thing. States should vigorously investigate and prosecute voter fraud, to protect the votes of the rest of us who participate in the process correctly and legally.  Here's what they're looking into, according to a Huffington Post article:

The Texas legislation comes as Dallas officials investigate a potential case of voter fraud. Election officials have sequestered 700 ballots from the city’s municipal election in May that they believe are linked to a fake name. Officials have also arrested a man they say collected a woman’s blank ballot, filled it out, forged her signature, and mailed it in.

As the investigation is under way, the Republican-majority Texas Senate is working simultaneously to strengthen the laws and punishment for such crimes. As part of that effort, they have dropped in language that appears to make it illegal for family members to talk to each other about elections or politics.

 Look at (a) (1) below (emphasis added):

SECTION 11. Amends Chapter 276, Election Code, by adding Section 276.013, as follows: Sec. 276.013. ELECTION FRAUD. 

(a) Provides that a person commits an offense if the person knowingly or intentionally makes any effort to:

(1) influence the independent exercise of the vote of another in the presence of the ballot or during the voting process;

(2) cause a voter registration application, ballot, or vote to be obtained or cast under false pretenses; or

(3) cause any intentionally misleading statement, representation, or information to be provided to an election official or on an application for ballot by mail, carrier envelope, or other official election-related form or document.

(b) Provides that an offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

(c) Provides that an offense under this section is increased to the next higher category of offense if it is shown on the trial of an offense that the defendant was previously convicted of an offense under this code, the offense involved an individual 65 years of age or older, or the defendant committed another offense under this section in the same election.

(d) Authorizes the actor, if conduct that constitutes an offense under this section also constitutes an offense under any other law, to be prosecuted under this section, the other law, or both.

SECTION 12. Makes application of this Act prospective.

SECTION 13. Effective date: December 1, 2017.

Oh boy - my whole family would be in jail under this provision, especially if my Dad were still alive. He and I talked politics and current events from when I was a pup. I remember 'voting' in 1968, going with him into the booth, him picking me up so I tug the cranky lever over to close the curtain. I'm pretty sure let me push a lever or two - heaven forbid.

Yeah, we'd be in jail for sure, and we'd still be talking politics.

The pols say their intentions are pure - we can't have anyone try and influence an old person, or a disabled person, whether through coercion or by having someone else fill out their ballot without their approval, and what not -- things that are included in other sections of the statute.  All of those include family member exceptions, and are specific to the physical ballot, how it must be mailed, and so on.

Maybe it's just me, but this seems more an attack on freedom of speech than it does a protection of the sanctity of the ballot.

There's a chance that the bill will be changed when it goes to the Texas House, and per the HuffPo article, it seems even some Republicans are willing to consider changes.  There's probably an equal chance that no changes will be made, though...

Let's keep an eye on this one -- because if it flies in Texas, it'll likely be on the legislative slate in all of the other red states, as Republicans continue their march to voter suppression and driving election outcomes in any way they can.

Sidebar: Merry Christmas, Boy Scouts

You know, it must be horrible to be American Legion Boys and Girls Nation attendees. I mean, they go to Washington, they go to the White House, they get to meet the president, and all they get is a couple of silly pictures.

I mean, what's the point of that?  How different things were on July 26th for that group, than for the Boy Scout Jamboree just two days earlier!

The Boy Scouts get some juicy gossip and innuendo about a rich dude on a yacht in the south of France, and the American Legion gets Ronald Reagan and the Berlin Wall.

What a ripoff.

Here's the boring speech Trump gave, which you can compare to the fulsome one he delivered to the Scouts. I've added emphasis in bold.

The American Legion has held this meeting for seven decades.  Just think of the history that has occurred during that time.  When the first group of students met in 1946 -- oh, that’s an important day, you know why?  That’s when I was born.  (Laughter.)  I hate to admit it.  (Applause.)  I hate to admit it.  Oh, 1946.  Oh wow.  I shouldn’t have said that, Bob.  (Laughter.)  

Our nation had just welcomed home our brave heroes whose spirit and courage achieved victory over tyranny in World War II.  Just over twenty years later, young men and women like you watched a man land on the moon and dreamed of new frontiers in space.

In 1987, Americans all across this nation joined their hearts with President Ronald Reagan in the hope, the prayer, and the conviction that the Berlin Wall would crumble in the face of truths, justice, and freedom.  You know all about that.

AUDIENCE:  Yes, sir.

In each of these moments, and so many others, America triumphed.  We win.  We know how to win, right?  

AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.) 

And we win because of the spirit of our people.   Believe me, that's a big part of it.

Just think of the amazing moments in history you will witness during your lifetime.  Well, you saw one on November 8th, right?  (Applause.)  That was a pretty amazing moment we have -- and we're doing a good job.  Our country is doing so well now.  We're doing a good job.  You all happy?

AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.) 

Because you have what it takes to be the leaders that will shape this future.  Some of you may want to come back to the capital -- someday, you're going to be back, many of you -- and help make the laws that will guide this nation and govern our land.

Others may choose to answer the call of duty, put on the uniform, and risk everything for our nation and for our nation’s people.  Still others may become business leaders, teachers, artists, and inventors.   We have them all, and we have them all here today.  

And some of you don't even really know what it might be, but we have people that are going to be so successful, so incredible in their lives.  And you're going to be happy.  Do what you love.  Do what you love.  Follow what you love.

So I want to just tell -- as you pour your whole heart into everything you do, really you're doing it for your family, you're doing it for your country, but you're also doing it for yourselves.  Because ultimately you have to do it for yourself.  It’s better for your country, and your country wants you to succeed so much.

But there’s no country like the United States of America, and there’s no country that can give you the kind of opportunity that we give you in the United States. (Applause.) 

Being successful is about finding your purpose in life and never ever giving up.  Do you ever give up?  No.  Does anybody here give up?

AUDIENCE:  No, sir!  

What about here?

AUDIENCE:  No, sir!

You're right.  (Laughter.)  And I think they mean it.  I think they mean it.

A PARTICIPANT:  Yes, sir, they mean it.

You were chosen for this program because you believe in America’s future and because you have the ambition and the heart to ensure that America will always be victorious and will always prevail.

Through Boys and Girls Nation, you are learning the values that are necessary for a nation to endure and for a nation to thrive -- pride in our history, loyalty to our citizens, and allegiance to our great American flag.

In the decades to come you will help our nation reach new heights -- we’ll be so proud of you -- discover new frontiers, and strengthen the bonds of loyalty between our country and its people.

It is my honor to meet with you all today, and it was my greater honor to come out here early before the press got here to take all of those pictures that we took, and I hope they send you the right pictures.  (Laughter and applause.)  And they will.

As I look out at the audience, I see the next generation of American leaders. I see the promise of our future. I see the strength and love of the American spirit. And because of young people like you, I am more confident than ever in the future of the United States.

Together, we will make America greater than ever before.  I mean that.  We're going to make America greater than ever before, and we're on our way.  You see what’s going on.  We're building up military.  We're getting great job numbers -- best in 17 years.  Best job numbers in 17 years.  The enthusiasm for manufacturers and business is at just about the highest point since they started taking those tests.

So I just want to tell you: Go out there. Go get them. I have no doubt you're going to -- every one of you -- be successful.  

Never quit.  Never give up.  Always do what you love.  Take great care of your family and your parents because we love your parents.  You probably wouldn’t be here without your parents, right?  (Laughter and applause.) 

So thank you again to the American Legion, and congratulations to you all.  God bless you, and God bless America.  And thank you for being at the White House.   (Applause.) 

(A song is performed.)

AUDIENCE:  USA! USA! USA!

You got the last word.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Bob.  Thank you everybody.  Have a great life and love your country and love your God.  Okay?  Bye everybody.  Bye everybody.  Thank you.  (Applause.) 

Bye, everybody.

Trump in Transition (v20)

"After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individual to serve in any capacity in the US Military.

Our Military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you."

No, Mr. Trump, thank you for being so considerate of our tax dollars and how the military blows them on healthcare.

People have actually investigated this issue, the burden of the "tremendous medical costs" that would become crippling to the military if transgender members were allowed to serve. For example, here is some info from an article in Scientific American (which might actually be somewhat of an oxymoron under the Trump administration):

A June 2016 study from the RAND Corporation estimated that there were between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender active-duty service members — out of 1.3 million service members in total — and noted that not all of them would seek treatment related to gender transitioning. The study also estimated that the cost associated with medical care for gender transition would only increase military health care expenditures by between $2.4 million and $8.4 million each year — an increase of between 0.04 and 0.13 percent.

The same article references another study, too:

A September 2015 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reached similar cost estimates.

 The study estimated that there were about 12,800 transgender service members who would be eligible for medical care. But it hypothesized that fewer than 200 would require care for gender transition each year, based on the percentage of transgender people who sought such care outside the military and the percentage of Australian service members who sought transition-related care.

The overall estimated cost to the Pentagon: $4.2 million to $5.6 million — what the study’s author called “little more than a rounding error in the military’s $47.8 billion annual health care budget.”

It's good that Trump is paying attention to out of control costs in the military, even as he proposes massive increases in military spending. Perhaps he's aware of this article in the failing NY Times back in 2010 which discussed comments by former Bush and Obama administration Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who tried and failed to make changes to the military's health insurance program:

"Health care costs are eating the Defense Department alive," Mr. Gates said in a much-noticed speech in May. Defense budget analysts say that rising health care costs will make less money available for new weapons, repairs to a worn-out arsenal and quality-of-life programs like schools on military bases. 

"In the long run, it could actually limit our ability to field a military of sufficient size," said Todd Harrison, a senior fellow for defense budget studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington.

That's some scary stuff right there, don't you think? Military healthcare costs may actually be putting you and me in jeopardy!

There's lots of information on efforts to reign in these costs, including raising the minuscule 'enrollment fee' for the military's TRICARE insurance plan, which is offered for life even to the millions of military retirees who now work in the private sector and are eligible for health insurance through their jobs. As Robert Gates and others who came after him found, the military lobby is large, it is active, and it has the ear of Congress, so change does not come often, or quickly.

But, the reality is, not accepting or allowing trans people to serve in any capacity - not as translators on the front line, not as analysts, not as cyber experts, not as drone pilots -- isn't going to make a dent in the military's health care budget.

But there is something that can be done that would make a dent, I think: accepting and allowing only people who choose a lifetime of dependent-free living. Single, no kids, no baggage, and no plans to ever stop being singe, kidless and baggage-free.

According to the 2015 Demographics Profile of the Military Community (emphasis added),

Overview of Military Families Across the Active Duty and Selected Reserve population, there are 2,120,505 military personnel and 2,783,141 family members, including spouses, children, and adult dependents.

Here are some facts about those dependents:

• Of the military personnel, 43.1 percent are single with no children, 34.9 percent are married with children, 15.6 percent are married without children, and 6.3 percent are single with children. 
• Overall, 41.2 percent of military personnel have children in 2015, compared to 39.9 percent in 2000. 
• Of the 1,758,365 total military children in 2015, the largest percentage are between birth and 5 years of age (37.5%), followed by 6 to 11 years of age (31.3%), and 12 to 18 years of age (24.2%). Fewer children are between 19 and 22 years of age (7.0%); however, children ages 21 to 22 must be enrolled as full-time students in order to qualify as dependents. 
• More than half (50.5%) of military personnel are married. 
• Of the 1,012,251 military spouses, nearly one-quarter (23.5%) of spouses are 26 to 30 years of age, while 21.3 percent are 31 to 35 years of age, 20.3 percent are 41 years of age or older, 20.1 percent are 25 years of age or younger, and 14.8 percent are 36 to 40 years of age.

I would suggest that providing healthcare for these 2.78 million freeloaders is considerably more costly than it is to provide health care for a small handful of trans people who may decide to transition on the government's dime.

Not only that, but the constant disruption of worrying about spouses, adult dependents, and children while trying to achieve decisive and overwhelming victory must be a huge and bigly burden on our troops, their commanders, and even on Trump's personal generals. We clearly need to nip that worrying in the bud.

And we certainly cannot continue to abide the more than 6% of military people who are single parents -- that is completely unacceptable! We know the only good family is one with a daddy and a mommy who are married to each other.

And here's another idea - check out this graphic, again, from the 2015 Demographics Report:

There were more than 865,000 civilian DoD employees?  For heaven's sake, outsource them! Get them off the government payroll and into the private sector where they belong!

Have the Dealmaker in Chief personally negotiate a cut-throat bargain with the private companies to give us these services on the cheap. Let the private sector treat these budget-suckers like the rest of Americans are treated -- you know, the people caught in the pro-business, market-driven deregulate-a-thon who go to bed every night wondering if they'll still have benefits when they wake up in the morning.

And the best part of my plan?

No one has to check anyone's 'particulars', if you will, to make the decision. It's clean, clear, and straightforward; no messing around in medical records, and no brightly-lighted inquisition rooms required.

Merry Christmas, Boy Scouts

Unedited, but with some emphasis added, the honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America addresses his troops (as shared by the White House press office). 

6:32 PM

Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. (Applause.) I am thrilled to be here. Thrilled.(Applause.) And if you think that was an easy trip, you’re wrong, but I am thrilled -- 19th Boy Scout Jamboree -- wow -- and to address such a tremendous group.  Boy, you have a lot of people here. The press will say it’s about 200 people. (Laughter.) It looks like about 45,000 people. You set a record today. (Applause.) You set a record. That’s a great honor, believe me.  

Tonight, we put aside all of the policy fights in Washington, D.C. -- you’ve been hearing about with the fake news and all of that. (Applause.) We’re going to put that aside. And instead we’re going to talk about success, about how all of you amazing young Scouts can achieve your dreams. What to think of -- what I’ve been thinking about -- you want to achieve your dreams. I said, who the hell wants to speak about politics when I’m in front of the Boy Scouts? Right? (Applause.)  

There are many great honors that come with the job of being President of the United States, but looking out at this incredible gathering of mostly young patriots -- mostly young -- I’m especially proud to speak to you as the honorary President of the Boy Scouts of America. (Applause.)  

AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

You are the young people of character and integrity who will serve as leaders in our communities, and uphold the sacred values of our nation.

I want to thank Boy Scouts President Randall Stephenson, Chief Scout Executive Michael Surbaugh, Jamboree Chairman Ralph de la Vega, and the thousands of volunteers who have made this a life-changing experience for all of you, and when they asked me to be here I said absolutely, yes. (Applause.)  

Finally, and we can’t forget these people, I especially want to salute the moms and the dads and troop leaders who are here tonight. (Applause.) Thank you for making scouting possible. Thank you, mom and dad -- troop leaders.  

When you volunteer for the Boy Scouts, you are not only shaping young lives, you are shaping the future of America. (Applause.) The United States has no better citizens than its Boy Scouts. (Applause.) No better. The values, traditions, and skills you learn here will serve you throughout your lives, and just as importantly they will serve your families, your cities, and in the future and in the present, will serve your country. (Applause.) The Scouts believe in putting America first.(Applause.)  

You know, I go to Washington and I see all these politicians, and I see the swamp. And it’s not a good place. In fact today I said we ought to change it from the word swamp to the word cesspool or, perhaps, to the word sewer. But it’s not good. Not good. (Applause.) And I see what’s going on, and believe me I’d much rather be with you.  That I can tell you. (Applause.)

I’ll tell you the reason that I love this and the reason that I really wanted to be here is because as President, I rely on former Boy Scouts every single day, and so do the American people. It’s amazing how many Boy Scouts we have at the highest level of our great government. Many of my top advisors in the White House were Scouts. Ten members of my cabinet were Scouts. Can you believe that? Ten. (Applause.)  

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is not only a Boy Scout, he’s your former national president. (Applause.)  

The Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence -- good guy -- was a Scout, and it meant so much to him. (Applause.) Some of you here tonight might even have camped out in this yard when Mike was the governor of Indiana, but the scouting was very, very important. And by the way, where are our Indiana Scouts tonight? (Applause.) I wonder if the television cameras will follow you. They don’t like doing that when they see these massive crowds. They don’t like doing that. Hi, folks. (Applause.) A lot of love in this big, beautiful place. A lot of love, and a lot of love for our country. There’s a lot of love for our country.  

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is here tonight. Come here, Ryan. (Applause.) Ryan is an Eagle Scout from Big Sky Country in Montana. (Applause.) Pretty good. And by the way, he is doing a fantastic job. He makes sure that we leave our national parks and federal lands better than we found them, in the best Scouting tradition. So thank you very much, Ryan. (Applause.) 

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, of Texas, an Eagle Scout from the Great State. (Applause.)  The first time he came to the national jamboree was in 1964. He was very young then. And Rick told me just a little while ago, it totally changed his life. So, Rick, thank you very much for being here. And we're doing a lot with energy. (Applause.) 

And very soon, Rick, we will be an energy exporter. Isn’t that nice -- an energy exporter? (Applause.) In other words we’ll be selling our energy instead of buying it from everybody all over the globe. So that's good. (Applause.) We will be energy dominant. And I’ll tell you what, the folks in West Virginia who were so nice to me, boy, have we kept our promise. We are going on and on.  So we love West Virginia. We want to thank you.  

Where’s West Virginia by the way? (Applause.) Thank you.  

Secretary Tom Price is also here. Today Dr. Price still lives the Scout Oath, helping to keep millions of Americans strong and healthy as our Secretary of Health and Human Services. And he’s doing a great job. And hopefully, he’s going to get the votes tomorrow to start our path toward killing this horrible thing known as Obamacare that's really hurting us, folks. (Applause.)  

AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

By the way, you going to get the votes? He better get them. He better get them. Oh, he better -- otherwise, I’ll say, Tom, you're fired. I’ll get somebody. (Applause.) 

He better get Senator Capito to vote for it. You got to get the other senators to vote for it. It’s time. After seven years of saying repeal and replace Obamacare, we have a chance to now do it. They better do it. Hopefully they’ll do it. 

As we can see just by looking at our government, in America, Scouts lead the way. And another thing I’ve noticed -- and I’ve noticed it all my life -- there is a tremendous spirit with being a Scout, more so than almost anything I can think of. So whatever is going on, keep doing it. It’s incredible to watch. Believe me. (Applause.)  

Each of these leaders will tell you that their road to American success -- and you have to understand, their American success, and they are a great, great story was paved with the patriotic American values as traditions they learned in the Boy Scouts. And some day, many years from now, when you look back on all of the adventures in your lives, you will be able to say the same: I got my start as a Scout just like these incredibly great people that are doing such a good job for our country. So that's going to happen.  (Applause.) 

Boy Scout values are American values, and great Boy Scouts become great, great Americans. As the Scout Law says: “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal” -- we could use some more loyalty, I will tell you that.  

AUDIENCE:  “helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.”  (Applause.)

That was very impressive. (Laughter.) You've heard that before.  

But here you learn the rewards of hard work and perseverance. Never ever give up, never quit. Persevere. Never, ever quit.

You learn the satisfaction of building a roaring campfire, reaching a mountain summit, or earning a merit badge after mastering a certain skill. There’s no better feeling than an achievement that you’ve earned with your own sweat, tears, resolve, hard work. There’s nothing like it.  Do you agree with that?  

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

I’m waving to people back there so small I can't even see them. Man, this is a lot of people. Turn those cameras back there, please. That is so incredible.By the way, what do you think the chances are that this incredible, massive crowd, record-setting is going to be shown on television tonight? One percent or zero? (Applause.)

The fake media will say: President Trump -- and you know what this is -- President Trump spoke before a small crowd of Boy Scouts today.

That's some -- that is some crowd. (Applause.)  

Fake media. Fake news. Thank you. And I’m honored by that, by the way, all of you people they can't even see you. So thank you  I hope you can hear. 

Through scouting you also learn to believe in yourselves -- so important -- to have confidence in your ability, and to take responsibility for your own life. When you face down new challenges, and you will have plenty of them, develop talents you never thought possible, and lead your teammates through daring trials, you discover that you can handle anything. And you learn it by being a scout. It’s great. (Applause.) 

You can do anything. You can be anything you want to be. But in order to succeed, you must find out what you love to do. You have to find your passion. No matter what they tell you -- if you don't -- I love you, too. I don't know. It’s a nice guy. (Applause.) Hey, what am I going to do? He sounds like a nice person. He, he, he, he. Thank you. I do.  I do love you.  

AUDIENCE:  We love Trump!  We love Trump!  We love Trump!

By the way, just a question, did President Obama ever come to a jamboree?  

AUDIENCE:  No!  

And we’ll be back. We’ll be back. The answer is no, but we’ll be back.

In life, in order to be successful, and you people are well on the road to success, you have to find out what makes you excited. What makes you want to get up each morning and go to work? You have to find it.

If you love what you do and dedicate yourself to your work, then you will gain momentum, and look -- you have to, you need to. The word momentum -- you will gain that momentum, and each success will create another success. The word momentum.  

I’ll tell you a story that’s very interesting for me when I was young. There was a man named William Levitt -- Levittowns, you have some here, you have some in different states. Anybody ever hear of Levittown? (Applause.) And he was a very successful man. He was a homebuilder -- became an unbelievable success, and got more and more successful. And he built homes, and at night he’d go to these major sites with teams of people and he’d scour the sites for nails and sawdust and small pieces of wood. And they’d clean the site so when the workers came in the next morning, the sites would be spotless and clean, and he did it properly. And he did this for 20 years, and then he was offered a lot of money for his company.  

And he sold his company for a tremendous amount of money. At the time especially -- this was a long time ago -- sold his company for a tremendous amount of money. And he went out and bought a big yacht, and he had a very interesting life. I won’t go any more than that because you’re Boy Scouts, so I’m not going to tell you what he did.

AUDIENCE:  Booo -- 

 Should I tell you? Should I tell you?  

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

Oh, you’re Boy Scouts, but you know life. You know life. So -- look at you. Who would think this is the Boy Scouts, right?  

So he had a very, very interesting life, and the company that bought his company was a big conglomerate. And they didn’t know anything about building homes, and they didn’t know anything about picking up the nails and the sawdust and selling it -- and the scraps of wood. This was a big conglomerate based in New York City, and after about a ten year period they were losing a lot with it. It didn’t mean anything to them, and they couldn’t sell it.  

So they called William Levitt up and they said, would you like to buy back your company, and he said yes, I would. He so badly wanted it, he got bored with this life of yachts and sailing and all of the things he did in the south of France and other places. You won’t get bored, right?  You know, truthfully, you’re workers. You’ll get bored too. Believe me. (Applause.) Of course, having a good few years like that isn’t so bad. (Applause.) But what happened is he bought back his company, and he bought back a lot of empty land. And he worked hard in getting it zoning, and he worked hard on starting to develop.  

And in the end he failed, and he failed badly. Lost all of his money. He went personally bankrupt, and he was now much older. And I saw him at a cocktail party, and it was very sad because the hottest people in New York were at this party.  it was the party of Steve Ross who was one of the great people -- he came up and discovered -- really founded -- Time Warner, and he was a great guy. He had a lot of successful people at the party. 
 
And I was doing well so I got invited to the party. I was very young, and I go in -- but I’m in the real estate business -- and I see 100 people, some of whom I recognize and they’re big in the entertainment business. And I see, sitting in the corner, was a little old man who was all by himself. Nobody was talking to him. I immediately recognized that that man was the once great William Levitt of Levittown, and I immediately went over -- I wanted to talk to him more than the Hollywood show business communications people.  

So I went over and talked to him, and I said, Mr. Levitt, I’m Donald Trump. He said I know. I said, Mr. Levitt, how are you doing? He goes, not well, not well at all. And I knew that, but he said not well at all. And he explained what was happening and how bad it has been and how hard it has been. And I said what exactly happened?  Why did this happen to you? You’re one of the greats ever in our industry. Why did this happen to you? And he said, Donald, I lost my momentum. I lost my momentum. A word you never hear when you’re talking about success. When some of these guys that never made ten cents, they’re on television giving you things about how you’re going to be successful, and the only thing they ever did was a book and a tape. 

But I’ll tell you, it was very sad, and I never forgot that moment. And I thought about it, and it’s exactly true. He lost his momentum. Meaning, he took this period of time off long -- years -- and then when he got back, he didn’t have that same momentum. In life, I always tell this to people, you have to know whether or not you continue to have the momentum, and if you don’t have it that’s okay. Because you’re going to go on and you’re going to learn and you’re going to do things that are great. But you have to know about the word momentum.  

But the big thing: Never quit. Never give up. Do something you love. When you do something you love -- as a Scout I see that you love it. But when you do something that you love you’ll never fail. What you’re going to do is give it a shot again and again and again. You’re ultimately going to be successful, and remember this, you’re not working. Because when you’re doing something that you love like I do -- of course I love my business, but this is a little bit different. Who thought this was going to happen? We’re having a good time. We’re doing a good job. (Applause.) Doing a good job. But when you do something that you love, remember this, it’s not work. 

So you’ll work 24/7, you’re going to work all the time, and at the end of a year you’re not really working. You don’t think of it as work. When you’re not doing something that you like or when you’re forced in to do something that you really don’t like, that’s called work. And it’s hard work and tedious work.  

So as much as you can, do something that you love. Work hard, and never ever give up, and you’re going to be tremendously successful. Tremendously successful. (Applause.) 

Now with that, I have to tell you our economy is doing great. Our stock market has picked up -- since the election November 8th. Do we remember that date? (Applause.) Was that a beautiful date? (Applause.) What a date. Do you remember that famous night on television, November 8th, where they said -- these dishonest people -- where they said there is no path to victory for Donald Trump? They forgot about the forgotten people. By the way, they're not forgetting about the forgotten people anymore. They're going crazy trying to figure it out. But I told them, far too late. It’s far too late.

But do you remember that incredible night with the maps and the Republicans are red and the Democrats are blue, and that map was so red, it was unbelievable, and they didn't know what to say?  (Applause.) 

And you know we have a tremendous disadvantage in the Electoral College -- popular vote is much easier. Because New York, California, Illinois -- you have to practically run the East Coast. And we did. We won Florida. We won South Carolina. We won North Carolina. We won Pennsylvania.  (Applause.)  

We won and won. So when they said, there is no way to victory, there is no way to 270.  I went to Maine four times because it’s one vote, and we won. But we won -- one vote.  I went there because I kept hearing we're at 269. But then Wisconsin came in.  Many, many years -- Michigan came in.  

And we worked hard there. My opponent didn't work hard there because she was told -

AUDIENCE:  Booo!

She was told she was going to win Michigan, and I said, well, wait a minute, the car industry is moving to Mexico. Why is she going to move -- she’s there. Why are they allowing it to move?

And by the way, do you see those car industry -- do you see what’s happening, how they're coming back to Michigan? They're coming back to Ohio. They're starting to peel back in. (Applause.) 

And we go to Wisconsin -- now, Wisconsin hadn’t been won in many, many years by a Republican. But we go to Wisconsin, and we had tremendous crowds. And I’d leave these massive crowds. I’d say, why are we going to lose this state?

The polls -- that's also fake news. They're fake polls. But the polls are saying -- but we won Wisconsin. (Applause.) So I have to tell you what we did, in all fairness, is an unbelievable tribute to you and all of the other millions and millions of people that came out and voted for Make America Great Again. (Applause.) 

AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

And I’ll tell you what, we are, indeed, making America great again. What’s going on is incredible. (Applause.) 

We had the best jobs report in 16 years. The stock market on a daily basis is hitting an all-time high. We're going to be bringing back very soon trillions of dollars from companies that can't get their money back into this country, and that money is going to be used to help rebuild America. We're doing things that nobody ever thought was possible.

And we've just started. It’s just the beginning. Believe me. (Applause.) 

In the Boy Scouts you learn right from wrong, correct?  

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

You learn to contribute to your communities, to take pride in your nation, and to seek out opportunities to serve. You pledge to help other people at all times. (Applause.) 

In the Scout Oath, you pledge on your honor to do your best and to do your duty to God and your country. (Applause.) 

And by the way, under the Trump administration, you’ll be saying, merry Christmas again when you go shopping. Believe me. Merry Christmas. (Applause.) 

They've been downplaying that little, beautiful phrase. You're going to be saying, merry Christmas again, folks. (Applause.) 

But the words duty, country, and God are beautiful words. In other words, basically what you're doing is you're pledging to be a great American patriot  (Applause.) 

For more than a century that is exactly what our Boy Scouts have been. Last year you gave more than 15 million hours of service to helping people in your communities. (Applause.) 

Incredible. That's an incredible stat.  

All of you here tonight will contribute more than 100,000 hours of service by the end of this jamboree -- 100,000. (Applause.) 

When natural disaster strikes, when people face hardship, when the beauty and glory of our outdoor spaces must be restored and taken care of, America turns to the Boy Scouts because we know that the Boy Scouts never, ever, ever let us down. (Applause.) 

Just like you know you can count on me, we know we can count on you because we know the values that you live by. (Applause.) 

Your values are the same values that have always kept America strong, proud, and free. And by the way, do you see the billions and billions and billions of additional money that we're putting back into our military?  Billions of dollars. (Applause.) New planes, new ships, great equipment for our people that are so great to us. We love our vets.  We love our soldiers. And we love our police, by the way. Firemen, police -- we love our police. (Applause.)  Those are all special people. Uniformed services. 

Two days ago, I traveled to Norfolk, Virginia to commission an American aircraft carrier into the fleet of the United States Navy. (Applause.) It’s the newest, largest, and most advanced aircraft carrier anywhere in the world, and it’s named for an Eagle Scout, the USS Gerald R. Ford. (Applause.) Everywhere it sails, that great Scout’s name will be feared and revered, because that ship will be a symbol of American power, prestige, and strength. (Applause.) 

Our nation honors President Gerald R. Ford today because he lived his life the scouting way. Boy Scouts celebrate American patriots, especially the brave members of our armed forces. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) 

American hearts are warmed every year when we read about Boy Scouts placing thousands and thousands of flags next to veterans’ gravesites all across the country. By honoring our heroes, you help to ensure that their memory never, ever dies. You should take great pride in the example you set for every citizen of our country to follow. (Applause.) 

Generations of American Boy Scouts have sworn the same oath and lived according to same law. You inherit a noble American tradition, and as you embark on your lives, never cease to be proud of who you are and the principles you hold dear and stand by.  Wear your values as your badge of honor. What you've done, few have done before you. What you've done is incredible. What you've done is admired by all. So I want to congratulate you, Boy Scouts. (Applause.) 

Let your scouting oath guide your path from this day forward. Remember your duty. Honor your history. Take care of the people God put into your life, and love and cherish your great country. (Applause.) 

You are very special people. You're special in the lives of America. You're special to me. But if you do what we say, I promise you that you will live scouting’s adventure every single day of your life, and you will win, win, win and help people in doing so. (Applause.) 

Your lives will have meaning and purpose and joy. You will become leaders, and you will inspire others to achieve the dreams they once thought were totally impossible, things that you said could never, ever happen are already happening for you. And if you do these things -- and if you refuse to give in to doubt or to fear -- then you will help to make America great again. You will be proud of yourself, be proud of the uniform you wear, and be proud of the country you love. (Applause.) 

AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

And never, ever forget, America is proud of you. (Applause.) 

This is a very, very special occasion for me. I’ve known so many Scouts over the years. Winners. I’ve known so many great people. They've been taught so well, and they love their heritage. But this is very special for me. And I just want to end by saying very importantly: God bless you. God bless the Boy Scouts. God bless the United States of America.  

Go out. Have a great time in life. Compete and go out and show me that there is nobody -- nobody -- like a Boy Scout.

Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. (Applause.) 

END
7:10 P.M. EDT