Tillerson to be SOS

Travis

Misanthrope of the Mountains
Travis
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
Messages
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It seems Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon, will be our new Secretary of State.

This is a guy who has advocated against sanctions for human rights violations in the past when it hurt Exxon's bottom line.

Now he is SOS.


Bwahaahahaha

I'm in the phase where the incoming rogue's gallery of villains just has me laughing at the absurdity of how awful it all will be. Think Walter White under his house laughing about how he was totally screwed and would probably die a terrible death. That's where we are America.
 
Honestly, I doubt the Trump administration will be as bad as the Bush (43) administration. All Trump needs to do is keep us out of multi-trillion dollar wars, which is something he campaigned on. Granted, Bush campaigned on refusing to engage in nation-building, but I think it's something the Donald has a good chance of avoiding.

Colin Powell is the Sec. of State who the press adored, and it was his storm of lies at the U.N. that convinced a bunch of people on the fence to invade Iraq. If Tillerson is cartoonishly bad, then that can be a not-so-terrible thing.
 
Cain said:
Honestly, I doubt the Trump administration will be as bad as the Bush (43) administration. All Trump needs to do is keep us out of multi-trillion dollar wars, which is something he campaigned on. Granted, Bush campaigned on refusing to engage in nation-building, but I think it's something the Donald has a good chance of avoiding.

Colin Powell is the Sec. of State who the press adored, and it was his storm of lies at the U.N. that convinced a bunch of people on the fence to invade Iraq. If Tillerson is cartoonishly bad, then that can be a not-so-terrible thing.
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Press: So, have your talks with Putin over the nuclear annihilation of Belarus gone anywhere?

Tillerson: Well Putin agreed to let Exxon open up three new refineries if we agreed the death of millions of people by nuclear hellfire was something we could ignore. I pointed out that the nuclear armageddon destroyed several Exxon facilities and he's agreed to reimburse us....er them for that.

Press: Did you talk about anything that was not a shady business deal?

Tillerson: Oh, uh....no that is all I do.
 
I thought watching the left's crying histrionics over every single Trump appointment would have gotten old by now. But it really hasn't. So thanks for that.

All the next Sec. State really needs to do is not set up a private, unapproved bathroom server or toss one mobile device over his shoulder after another on his way to meet another private "donor" to his charity/slush fund and he's already above the low performance bar the left said meant "most qualified ever."
 
Conspiracy theory time: After hacking Trump Enterprise servers, Putin has enough dirt on Trump to "suggest" cabinet appointments. Some people don't seem to get this, but Putin is not pro-Trump; he's anti-US. Giving Trump a helping hand was his way of throwing a grenade into US politics, win or lose, but now that Trump won, the agenda to subvert and undermine US institutions will continue on a different level.
 
I don't believe Russia was really in collusion with Trump.
I think they're aware of how big a moron Trump is.

(Not exactly hard to see)
They know they can make Trump do their bidding.
 
WilliamSeger said:
Conspiracy theory time: After hacking Trump Enterprise servers, Putin has enough dirt on Trump to "suggest" cabinet appointments.
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I heard a Russian guy on "Voice to America" say the same thing.

Wonder how Donald's going to cope with another Russia-loving alpha in his pack.

Not sure how well this will go over in Congress.

I liked Mitt for SOS OK but Trump was just messin' with his head. Poor Giuliani. Not really. He wasn't just brown-nosing. He was in at least to his nipples.

ETA: Tillerson believes in global warming including the man-made part. Reportedly.
 
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Tillerson's ties to Russia are a little disconcerting. What is more disconcerting were his calls for sanctions against Russia, imposed after the annexation of Crimea, to be relaxed.

IMO it sends the wrong message to Putin - carry on annexing territories and we won't mind. I also think that Tillerson will have similar conflicts of interest than Trump and his business interests and loyalties may conflict with the best interests of the US - I guess time will tell.
 
The Don said:
Tillerson's ties to Russia are a little disconcerting. What is more disconcerting were his calls for sanctions against Russia, imposed after the annexation of Crimea, to be relaxed.
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There's a $500 billion oil deal between Exxon and the Russian government oil company Rosneft that was put on hold because of the sanctions. It would actually be larger than that because a new 1-billion-barrel reserve was later found in the same Arctic field. That deal was the reason Putin gave Tillerson the highest state award it can give to a non-Russian. Tillerson owns over $150 million in Exxon stock. I assume he would have to sell those before taking the position, but I suspect that stock will be worth considerably more by then, just on the expectation that the sanctions will likely be lifted.
 
timhau said:
He's really stacking his cabinet with the non-elites, isn't he? :oldroll:
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Well I suppose that Tillerson isn't hopelessly entangled with the Washington "Establishment" in the way that Hillary and Kelly are (and Romney would have been).

The Moscow "establishment" on the other hand...... ;)
 
WilliamSeger said:
Conspiracy theory time: After hacking Trump Enterprise servers, Putin has enough dirt on Trump to "suggest" cabinet appointments. Some people don't seem to get this, but Putin is not pro-Trump; he's anti-US. Giving Trump a helping hand was his way of throwing a grenade into US politics, win or lose, but now that Trump won, the agenda to subvert and undermine US institutions will continue on a different level.
Click to expand...

Were it true, the CIA would be all over it.
 
shuize said:
All the next Sec. State really needs to do is not set up a private, unapproved bathroom server or toss one mobile device over his shoulder after another on his way to meet another private "donor" to his charity/slush fund and he's already above the low performance bar the left said meant "most qualified ever."
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Obviously, the Trump band hate the appearance that Clinton Foundation donor's may have gotten additional minutes with Hillary. Terrible! Childish, even. The Trump Band will show her and everyone how to profit big from corruption. Non-Profits are for suckers.
 
shuize said:
I thought watching the left's crying histrionics over every single Trump appointment would have gotten old by now. But it really hasn't. So thanks for that.

All the next Sec. State really needs to do is not set up a private, unapproved bathroom server or toss one mobile device over his shoulder after another on his way to meet another private "donor" to his charity/slush fund and he's already above the low performance bar the left said meant "most qualified ever."
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It's amazing how right wing people just believe every single talking point trotted by the right.
 
I think the whole "avoiding elites" thing was referring to Washington elites. Career politicians with limited experience outside the Beltway. Remains to be seen what, if any, difference that will mean (good or bad). I will say that I'm not seeing the same old names recycled from the GOP for cabinet posts.
 
NoahFence said:
The thing about SOS though, wouldn't he need to know the world beyond Russia?
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I never even heard of this man until a few days ago but Exxon is a multinational company.
I also saw he is on the board for some global studies group. I have no idea what they do.
Do most secretaries of state have more international experience?
 
Spock Jenkins said:
I think the whole "avoiding elites" thing was referring to Washington elites. Career politicians with limited experience outside the Beltway. Remains to be seen what, if any, difference that will mean (good or bad). I will say that I'm not seeing the same old names recycled from the GOP for cabinet posts.
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My feelings exactly including the remains to be seen (good or bad). While personally I like the idea of Washington outsiders it may turn out international business experience does not make for good performance in political (diplomatic) positions.
 
eeyore1954 said:
I never even heard of this man until a few days ago but Exxon is a multinational company.
I also saw he is on the board for some global studies group. I have no idea what they do.
Do most secretaries of state have more international experience?
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In diplomacy? I would hope so.
 
shuize said:
I thought watching the left's crying histrionics over every single Trump appointment would have gotten old by now. But it really hasn't. So thanks for that.
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Perhaps the reason that they're "crying over every single Trump appointment" is that Trump's appointments have been almost universally bad.

You've got: Racists (Bannon, Sessions), Conspiracy Mongers (Flynn), Climate change deniers (Pruitt), people that admit themselves that they're not qualified (Carson), and people with conflicts of interest (Tillerson, Mattis, Mnuchin).

So, with all those people that have been appointed or proposed by Trump, why exactly should anyone on the left give the republicans the benefit of the doubt?

Its like a bully repeatedly slapping a kid and asking "why are you crying?" Well, its not the fault of the kid being slapped.
 
Spock Jenkins said:
I think the whole "avoiding elites" thing was referring to Washington elites. Career politicians with limited experience outside the Beltway. Remains to be seen what, if any, difference that will mean (good or bad). I will say that I'm not seeing the same old names recycled from the GOP for cabinet posts.
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And running goldman sacs is totally better than giving speeches there.
 
Close friends with Putin, eh? What a shocking coincidence. This Putin guy's name keeps coming up in relation to Trump.

...guess we're inching towards the USSA.
 
eeyore1954 said:
I never even heard of this man until a few days ago but Exxon is a multinational company.
I also saw he is on the board for some global studies group. I have no idea what they do.
Do most secretaries of state have more international experience?
Click to expand...

Rachel Maddow tonight had a lengthy account of the numerous times and places that Exxon has acted in opposition to U.S. policy around the world. The fact that this guy makes money for Exxon doesn't mean he's equipped to represent American interests.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
 
Bob001 said:
Rachel Maddow tonight had a lengthy account of the numerous times and places that Exxon has acted in opposition to U.S. policy around the world. The fact that this guy makes money for Exxon doesn't mean he's equipped to represent American interests.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
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A lot of times, con men get away with their scams because victims of a con (e.g. "I'm gonna drain the swamp") are often very reluctant to admit that they were gullible enough to fall for it. So far, most Congressional Republicans have shown themselves to be spineless opportunists who will keep trying to normalize this mess, so I don't expect any sudden display of character on any of Trump's nominations.
 
Tillerson also during the exxon mobile fusion, removed the same sex partnership advantage that people were enjoying in the firm. ETA: unclear if tillerson was responsible. I misread it.

"When Exxon (XOM) merged with Mobil in 1999, it eliminated Mobil's domestic partner benefits for gay and lesbian employees and removed a policy preventing discrimination on the basis on sexual orientation, according to HRC. At the time, Tillerson was a senior executive responsible for the company's operations in Russia. "

Yeah I misread.
 
theprestige said:
You've attempted this argument before. It didnt' make sense then, and it doesn't make sense now.
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Actually it makes much more sense you are willing to admit.

If I was Putin, i would rather have an incompetent business moron like trump, rather than somebody which know a little bit of the job.
 
I suppose I'm the only old enough and sufficiently into minor Broadway musicals to keep thinking of the "What's Good For General Bullmoose Is Good For the USA" number from L'il Abner?

(Written by Al Capp back when he was a liberal the title of the bit is based on a comment from Chas. Erwin Wilson, GM CEO and soon to be Sec'y of Defense under Ike made during his confirmation hearings. "I always assumed that what was good for the USA was good for General Motors and vice-versa." )
 
WilliamSeger said:
A lot of times, con men get away with their scams because victims of a con (e.g. "I'm gonna drain the swamp") are often very reluctant to admit that they were gullible enough to fall for it. So far, most Congressional Republicans have shown themselves to be spineless opportunists who will keep trying to normalize this mess, so I don't expect any sudden display of character on any of Trump's nominations.
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They are simply more concerned with scoring domestic policy agenda, deregulating the financial industry among others, outlawing abortion. Getting a hardline right wing supreme court and so on. What is a little foreign policy compared to that?
 
Travis said:
It seems Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon, will be our new Secretary of State.

This is a guy who has advocated against sanctions for human rights violations in the past when it hurt Exxon's bottom line.

Now he is SOS.


Bwahaahahaha

I'm in the phase where the incoming rogue's gallery of villains just has me laughing at the absurdity of how awful it all will be. Think Walter White under his house laughing about how he was totally screwed and would probably die a terrible death. That's where we are America.
Click to expand...

Everything you just said and more: Two words; Clin Tons (I must include the libs rouge's gallery: Three words; podesta, lynch, et al.)
 
Aepervius said:
Actually it makes much more sense you are willing to admit.

If I was Putin, i would rather have an incompetent business moron like trump, rather than somebody which know a little bit of the job.
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Yep. That's precisely why Putin chose Trump to run the country. I'm sure there's reasons why Trump is choo$ing Putin as a best buddy, too.

We'd know if he'd release his taxes.
 
jakesteele said:
Everything you just said and more: Two words; Clin Tons (I must include the libs rouge's gallery: Three words; podesta, lynch, et al.)
Click to expand...

:D (for the highlighted though I thought that in the US, the left was blue and not red)

Evidence for the rest ?
 
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