The Ronny Jackson mess perfectly sums up the Drumpf presidency

President Drumpf, speaking at a news conference this afternoon, appeared to stand by Ronny L. Jackson, his suddenly embattled nominee to head up the Department of Veterans Affairs, even as he appeared to toss him under the bus.

Calling Jackson “a fine man,” Drumpf all but urged him to not take the job. “I wouldn’t do it. What does he need it for? To be abused by a bunch of politicians who aren’t thinking nicely about our country,” Drumpf said, before going on to blame Democratic obstruction for the suddenly stalled appointment.

Actually, the Ronny Jackson mess is entirely Drumpf’s fault. And it’s basic to his way of doing business. In fact, it represents a great deal of what we’ve come to expect from this presidency.

If it turns out the Drumpf administration did conduct due diligence on the appointment, it won’t matter. Because Jackson should never have been nominated for this position in the first place — which highlights how often Drumpf attempts to appoint people to positions they have no business being in.

Remember Andy Puzder, the former CEO of CKE Restaurants, the would-be secretary of labor whose fast food outlets were a mess of labor-law violations but who was undone by allegations he abused his first wife? Or Betsy DeVos, who couldn’t answer basic questions about education policy at either her confirmation hearing or on “60 Minutes“?

Jackson, who is Drumpf’s personal physician, almost certainly received the nod only because he gave Trump what he wanted — obeisance.

Jackson first received significant public attention when he declared Drumpf’s health excellent in a manner that was so over the top that it sounded like a real life Onion video. The president is in “very, very good health,” Jackson claimed, adding: “He has incredibly good genes, and it’s just the way God made him.”

That brings us to another less than savory part of Drumpf’s presidency: He presides over Cabinet and staff meetings where courtiers — oops, I mean Cabinet secretaries and other appointees — regularly describe serving him in cloyingly obsequious terms (a “blessing”) and ooze praise for the successes of his presidency.

So Drumpf picked Jackson despite his lack of significant administrative experience, something one might think necessary to successfully run an agency such as the VA, which has more than 375,000 employees. It appears no one bothered to run anything more than a cursory background check, so they missed the allegations that started surfacing over the past couple of days, such as creating a hostile work environment, overprescribing of medication and on-the-job boozing.

Back when he campaigned for president, Drumpf promised that he would make sure “the best people in the world” served in his administration. We now know that the definition of “best people” turned out to mean a rogue’s gallery of sycophants such as Jackson, incompetents like DeVos, penny-ante sleaze like Scott Pruitt, and people who will do big business’s bidding like Mick Mulvaney.

Complaining, as some pundits are doing, that the White House didn’t conduct proper vetting is to miss the point. The real problem is that Drumpf isn’t properly checking out nominees. It’s that his requirements for service are the opposite of good governance. We don’t know who Drumpf will nominate to replace Jackson if and when he drops out. But here’s one thing I can promise. Competence won’t even be on the list of requirements for getting the job.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blog...-the-trump-presidency/?utm_term=.4982046d89a7
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Why pick Jackson? Because he likes fawning sycophants.

Praise for the chief: Trump’s Cabinet tells him it’s an ‘honor’ and ‘blessing’ to serve

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...611861a988f_story.html?utm_term=.2052aeb11c5e

 

So should Trump hire someone that doesn't like him?

 

One would hope any POTUS is mature enough to realize personal affection should not be a prerequisite over competence.

 

Democrat President Hussein left the VA a horrible mess to clean up. Cost a lot of our veterans their lives.

 

So what about this new guy makes him unqualified?

 

BEWARE OF THE OPer for the EXTREME dishonest. While claiming he is quoting the Washington Post, in fact he altered it and he isn't quoting the Washington Post at all. He is quoting himself and falsely claiming it is the Washington Post. "Drumpf" does not appear anywhere in the article.

Lying: the #1 Democratic Party tactic. The OPer just added a new form of it. Falsely declare what he wrote was quoting a newspaper.

 

The Democratic Party and the liberal MSM hate Jackson because he's an Admiral.

The Democratic Party hates the US military, anyone in it and anyone who ever was. To the Democratic Party, everyone with US military service is a murderer and a Nazi. Democrats even re-elected their own Congressman who said so - with NO Democratic official condemning or disagreeing with him.

 

That mere fact that you ask this shows how severely distorted is your understanding of competence.

 

The mere fact that I even have to ask that shows yours.

 

There is no doubt the strain placed on the VA by the enormous amount of care required to address the needs of wounded vets involved in our misadventure in Iraq and protracted involvement in Afghanistan was severe. It's an enormous bureaucracy and I think it's fair to say it was not adequately reformed during Obama's presidency. That doesn't excuse Don's failure to nominated someone who is capable of continuing the progress Shulkin was making.

 

So you really cannot fathom why he is in over his head?

Maybe start by reading his bio: http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/bio.asp?bioID=953

Then ask yourself if his experience can translate to managing an agency with over 375,000 employees and an annual budget of $180 billion.

 

What did Obama run before you voted for him?

 

Who is President Drumpf?

 

Shhh, they run off at the smallest amount of questioning.

You have to be patient if you want to catch one.

 

I have no clue what you are referring to, other than once again deflecting from the topic of this discussion.

 

Of course you don't.

lol

you can go away now.

 

Your delusions run deep.

 

It is rather like using a stick, string, and a box and a trail of seed to catch a bird isn't it?

 

Trump's nominee for the VA is on the ropes

It's not looking good for Ronny.

Heck, even Trump is throwing him in front of the bus.

What a total FUBAR administration.

 

Leaving aside the rumors about his personal conduct which comes as a result of incompetent vetting (a hallmark of this admin) the obvious shortcoming is any indication he is capable or qualified to run an agency with the size and complexity of the VA.

 

Apparently "liking him" is all that matters.

Competence?

Meh

 

He was a state senator and us senator highly skilled in politics and policy making as well as communication.

 

Lol.... Oh you guys .....

 

I say give Dr. Ronny a chance. If he can't cut the mustard fire his arse. When President Kennedy was questioned by the press as to why he nominated his younger brother Bobby to be attorney general the president replied, "He has to get some experience somewhere".

 

So the Senate should just rubber stamp every nomination?