November 13, 2016

It's Priebus as Chief of Staff.

And I guess this means Trump is leaning toward looking normal.
In selecting Mr. Priebus, the president-elect passed over Stephen K. Bannon, the right-wing media mogul who oversaw his presidential campaign. If Mr. Trump had appointed Mr. Bannon, a fierce critic of the Republican establishment, it would have signaled a continued disdain for a party that Mr. Trump fought throughout his campaign.
Nice to see the Wisconsin boy chosen.

69 comments:

Mark said...

A party toad. How anti establishment of him.

320Busdriver said...

Wisconsin leading the way in conservative governance.....Walker is head of Rep Governors assoc. too!

Drago said...

No one was passed over.

Reince is the perfect choice for coordinating with Congress.

Bannon, as chief strategist, is also well placed.

I would recommend everyone read up on Bannons's background.

I see that the zombie lefties on CNN and elsewhere are doing their normal number on him, which is very encouraging to me as it shows zero capability on the part of the establishment media to adapt to ths reality: everyone knows they are dem operatives with bylines.

I hope the msm continues to double down.

Sebastian said...

Good. Foregone conclusion when T called Priebus a star in his acceptance speech.

Anti-GOPe heads explode while MSM double down. Good times.

YoungHegelian said...

Of course it's someone like Priebus for Chief-of-Staff. The CoS has to know the ins & outs of DC in order to be effective. It's not the position for an outsider or a neophyte.

Even if Trump wants to fight the Republican Establishment (which I'm not sure he really does), it helps to have someone who knows the lay of the land fighting for your side.

Francisco D said...

Does anybody quickly recall Obama's COS?

Of course not. Valerie Jarrett had all the power.

Anonymous said...

Remember:

Debbie Wassermann Schultz quit the DNC job and now has no future.

Priebus led the RNC and his nominee beat both a Bush (primary) and a Clinton (general). He is now COS.

Just think of DWS sadness now.

Also, expect KellyAnne Conway, the first woman manager, will be the Press Secretary

mccullough said...

Priebus is good go between Trump and Paul Ryan (and Trump and Mitch McConnell). He can probably deal with Schumer and whoever takes Pelosi's place as House minority leader

YoungHegelian said...

Also, expect KellyAnne Conway, the first woman manager, will be the Press Secretary

Conway not only put the train wreck of the Trump campaign back on the rails, she re-built the locomotive from spare parts.

I think she is the most impressive "discovery" of this election. I expect that Ms Conway will be around a long time, & will die a wealthy & respected member of the political firmament.

mockturtle said...

Smart choice. He will be a good liaison between Trump and the GOPe.

Drago said...

Conway will remain closer to home and the closest "outside insider".

She has 4 young children and she does not live in DC.

Etienne said...

No one see's the President with the Chief's approval, so this is a much better filter than Bannon. That would have been a disaster.

trumpintroublenow said...

It is time for everyone of all persuasions and parties to sit around the camp fire and hold hands and sing Kumbaya. Like what happened eight years ago and four years ago. Certainly the Prince from Wisconsin will make it happen.

Unknown said...

How about Judith Curry for science adviser?

Michael K said...

Reince is the perfect choice for coordinating with Congress.

Bannon, as chief strategist, is also well placed.

I would recommend everyone read up on Bannons's background.


Yup. Well said.

If anyone wants a clue about how Trump will govern, you might read this.

Why is it that managers are typically running out of time while their subordinates are typically running out of work? Here we shall explore the meaning of management time as it relates to the interaction between managers and their bosses, their peers, and their subordinates.

Specifically, we shall deal with three kinds of management time:

Boss-imposed time—used to accomplish those activities that the boss requires and that the manager cannot disregard without direct and swift penalty.

System-imposed time—used to accommodate requests from peers for active support. Neglecting these requests will also result in penalties, though not always as direct or swift.

Self-imposed time—used to do those things that the manager originates or agrees to do. A certain portion of this kind of time, however, will be taken by subordinates and is called subordinate-imposed time. The remaining portion will be the manager’s own and is called discretionary time.


Most reprinted HBR article from 1974.

Michael K said...

Blogger Drago said...
Conway will remain closer to home and the closest "outside insider".

She has 4 young children and she does not live in DC.


Good points. Bush's Karen Hughes could not hack DC and went home.

FullMoon said...

He needed a politician. I do not think Trump actually knows required procedures and nuances. A mentor told me long ago, sometimes you bid the job and get it, then figure out how to do it. Fingers crossed Trump appoints the right people. Gonna be a tough sell, as media will spin everything as worse than before.
Three or four more cops ambushed today. Riots goin' on.

rcocean said...

Prebius knows how to operate the machine on a daily basis and knows the all the nuts and bolts. As long as he's executing orders and not making policy I'm perfectly happy.

If he starts leaking to the MSM in order to make himself look good, or tries to conspire with Ryan to sabotage Trump's agenda he should be fired.

rcocean said...

Trump needs to fire Ryan - he can't be trusted.

rcocean said...

Prebius knows how to operate the machine on a daily basis and knows the all the nuts and bolts. As long as he's executing orders and not making policy I'm perfectly happy.

If he starts leaking to the MSM in order to make himself look good, or tries to conspire with Ryan to sabotage Trump's agenda he should be fired.

dreams said...

This is good news.

Hagar said...

I think Kellyann Conway not only is the smartest man in the room, but also has the best common sense and understanding. I hope she agrees to stick around in some meaningful position for at least a while.

Henry said...

Just read Priebus' bio at Wikipedia. It is unbelievably glowing. On Wikipedia. Here's an important clip:

In particular, his work to bring Wisconsin's Tea Party movement together with the mainstream Republican party organization, and avoid conflict between the two, was credited by commentators as contributing to the party's success
....
Priebus went on to forge a positive relationship with Trump[64] and was personally involved in quashing efforts by anti-Trump delegates to prevent Trump's nomination.

The man knows how to finesse.

Who is the DNC Chairperson again?

Merny11 said...

I like Reince. Straightforward,down to earth
Wisconsinite like Scott Walker. Good balance to Bannon, and KellyAnne will have a big role of some sort too. Trump is already making good choices. He is going to be a pleasant surprise.

cornroaster said...

rcocean said...
Trump needs to fire Ryan - he can't be trusted.

Actually, I believe Ryan has a very good working relationship with Ryan, which may bode well for Ryan and Trump working together.

rcocean said...

Every administration needs a "Jim Baker type". A smart, amoral, out-for-number-one, establishment operator who can operate the machinery.

Reince has proven he'll take orders and be loyal - so give him a chance.

rcocean said...

"Actually, I believe Ryan has a very good working relationship with Ryan, which may bode well for Ryan and Trump working together."

Nah, he's a globalist and Jack Kemp open borders type. Like Cantor, he's looking forward to all the big $$$ from Wall street.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

rcocean said...

If he starts leaking to the MSM in order to make himself look good, or tries to conspire with Ryan to sabotage Trump's agenda he should be fired.

Fortunately, firing people is one of Trump's core competencies.

JWH said...

Does this mean that he is refilling the swamp instead of draining it?

Anonymous said...

So he's going to clean the swamps, huh? Priebus and Paul Ryan are best buddies, lol. Anti establishment President, what a joke.

Clyde said...

I was talking with a friend at work today about why I had a sense of optimism about Trump and the way he may govern. As I told my friend, compare his experience with Obama's: Obama was a one-term Senator, before that an Illinois state legislator for a brief time, and before that he was a "community organizer." Obama was all about grabbing the pie and divvying it up among his friends and cronies in return for political support, both financial and at the ballot box. The pie, of course, was a fixed size; people who work in government, whether running it legislatively or pleading with it as "community organizers", all have budgets, with a finite pie that only goes to their cronies. They deal in zero-sum situations. If someone else gets some of the pie, they get less. This in a nutshell explains how Obama and the Democrats behaved in the first two years of his administration, when they controlled both houses of Congress.

Trump, in contrast, has been a businessman all his life. He's all about GROWING the pie. He'll want to do things to make the country more productive, making everyone more prosperous. "A rising tide lifts all boats." He's used to making deals with competitors that may benefit both sides. He's less likely to be a crony capitalist creating Solyndras in his wake. Unlike Hillary would have been, he is beholden to no one. He hasn't been co-opted by Wall Street, Silicon Valley, foreign investors or anyone else. That has to scare the crap out of them, because the dirty little secret is that big mega-corporations LIKE heavy regulation, because it's easier for them to comply with it than it is for smaller companies, who can't compete and get driven out of business.

My hope is that he'll work with Congress to do the things that need to be done to make America competitive again economically, and that he'll listen not just to the Republicans but to the Democrats as well. I hope that he doesn't behave like Obama did and declare "I won" and freeze out his opponents. All that does is energize the opponents, creating first the Tea Party and then, ultimately, Donald Trump's movement itself. If the Democrats had even tried to get any buy-in from the Republicans on Obamacare, rather than ramming it through on a party-line vote, Obama's legacy might not look so much like that statue of Ozymandias.

HT said...

Trump's hilarious! He's hired nothing but lobbyists and wants to impose term limits, a recipe for lobbyist control, exactly what he says he doesn't want.

320Busdriver said...

Blogger Francisco D said...
Does anybody quickly recall Obama's COS?

Of course, it was Rahm Emmanuel, who was running roughshod over the bewildered neophyte.

So much so, that Obama had to let him go or risk a mutiny.

Somehow I don't see Prince Riebus trying to run over his new boss.

Original Mike said...

"Trump needs to fire Ryan - he can't be trusted."

You do know he can't do that, right?

Priebus seems to have a level head and will probably do well, but I don't quite get all this talk of him as an inside Washington guy. He was head of the RNC, and before that the Wisconsin RC. That doesn't seem to me a position from which to learn the levers of power in DC.

320Busdriver said...


Blogger HT said...
a recipe for lobbyist control, exactly what he says he doesn't want.

11/13/16, 6:42 PM

Have you read this?
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trumps-five-point-plan-for-ethics-reform

Original Mike said...

"Does anybody quickly recall Obama's COS?"

He's had 5, I believe. Currently Denis, needs to buy an "n", McDonough.

MadisonMan said...

Just think of DWS sadness now.

She's still pulling down a Congressional Salary. One hopes that ends next election.

320Busdriver said...

Original Mike said
"That doesn't seem to me a position from which to learn the levers of power in DC."

I think you are 100% correct on that analysis.

readering said...

The job of chief of staff is what the president makes of it. I don't remember a position of chief strategist at the White House. Waiting for the leaks that explain significance of that and of top billing for Bannon in press release.

Original Mike said...

"Who is the DNC Chairperson again?"

That would be the disgraced Donna Brazille. Before that, the disgraced Debbie Wasserman-Schulz.

khesanh0802 said...

Trump wants to get things done and he is going to put together a team that can get things done. If they don't work out he will fire them just as he did with two campaign directors. This is going to be a hell of a shock to the DC system after having experienced 8 years of filtering everything through its political impact before ever even thinking about execution. I think we may all be a bit stunned by the pace of change in DC.

HT said...

"We've got great generals."
but
"Look at the job they've done."

rcocean said...

"You do know he can't do that, right?"

Obviously. But a POTUS has a lot of power and he can use it to reward and punish congressmen. Want that air force base in your district relocated? Want a primary challenger with a POTUS endorsement? Want that new HSS District HQ in the your district? Want me to appoint that buddy of yours to office X?

OTOH, how many congressmen are going to fall on their sword to keep Ryan as Speaker? He barely got elected with Bone-heads endorsement.

Original Mike said...

"He barely got elected with Bone-heads endorsement."

He didn't want the job (and I don't blame him).

Bay Area Guy said...

Wisconsin absolutely rocks:

1. Best Governor - Walker. Flayed the government unions, rebuffed the recall
2. Flips from blue to red in the most important presidential election in our lifetime. The Restoration Begins
3. Reince P - rebuilt the GOP at the State level, now Chief of Staff
4. And, of course, the best Blogger on the planet, Ann Althouse.

Wisconsin!

Original Mike said...

I'm about to start my long journey from Australia home to Madison. Any riots I need to know about?

SukieTawdry said...

Bill Daley was an Obama COS. I think he fled for his life.

Priebus had a gargantuan task this past election and if we judge by results, he was every bit up to it. I always thought he was a decent party chief but I really don't pay much attention to that stuff. He's not a Trump loyalist but apparently Trump trusts him. Fine with me.




grimson said...

Ryan is probably going to be the detail man on the GOP proposals on health care. Given the other House GOP proposals worked on this summer, I think his job as Speaker is secure--I doubt Trump wants to wade into a lot of policy details, and Ryan does.

Dude1394 said...

Priebus stood toe-to-toe with the never-trumpers and gave them a great big fat finger. Loyalty like that needs rewarding.

grimson said...

Ryan is probably going to be the detail man on the GOP proposals on health care. Given the other House GOP proposals worked on this summer, I think his job as Speaker is secure--I doubt Trump wants to wade into a lot of policy details, and Ryan does.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

He's cutting a deal with the GOP. They control both houses and he needs to be on good terms with them to get anything done. So he puts an dedicated GOP party member in the White House so that the GOP feels like they've got someone on the inside.

Howard said...

Chief of Staff needs to be a get shit done guy, not a kick ass and take names guy. It's the obvious choice and Trump telegraphed it by asking Rinse to speak during his acceptance speech. The press is still stuck in their Alinsky push-poll narrative bubble and can't even finger this one out so they have to say Trump is backing off draining the cesspool. Rinse is a grinder, not a slugger. GeeSus people, what is so hard to see.

traditionalguy said...

Like Nimitz taking charge of the Navy in the Pacific after Pearl Harbor, he knew heneeded Admiral Kimmel's staff and welcomed them to stay on the job. But he did delay 6 months too long trusting in an old friend, Ghormley, who was seriously incompetant in a war, and turning to the combative Halsey.

I would give Priebus 6 months to show he wants to fight Ryan when he needs to win a fight with sock puppet Ryan's Donor named Koch Bros. Then he can replace him with a combative winner named Conway.

alan markus said...

@ Ba Area Guy:

Wisconsin absolutely rocks:

1. Best Governor - Walker. Flayed the government unions, rebuffed the recall
2. Flips from blue to red in the most important presidential election in our lifetime. The Restoration Begins
3. Reince P - rebuilt the GOP at the State level, now Chief of Staff
4. And, of course, the best Blogger on the planet, Ann Althouse.

Wisconsin!


You can add:

1a. - Walker reelected to 2nd term.
5. - Reelected Senator Ron Johnson - beat Russ "It Isn't Over Until We Win" Feingold.

As a Wisconsin resident, I can't say thanks enough for the Act 10 protesters in Madison. It's been a gift that keeps giving. Hopefully their cohorts currently protesting across the nation have the same impact.

Clinton was ripped for not having campaigned in Wisconsin, assuming she had it in the bag. I suspect it was more a case where she did not want any of Wisconsin's leftist nuttery attached to her.


Michael K said...

Priebus saw the future and deserves a chance to show his stuff.

The lefties are all trying to predict when they couldn't even figure out that Hillary was a loser.

I agree with Clyde. I look forward to some accomplishment.

grimson said...


traditionalguy said...
I would give Priebus 6 months to show he wants to fight Ryan . . .

McConnell and the Senate GOP geriatrics are going to be a bigger problem than Ryan and the House.

mockturtle said...

Neither Marcus nor Bay Area Guy even mentioned the Badgers. :-O

cheddar said...

I'm looking forward to seeing if what McCain is going to do in the next year or two. Given that he is 80, he doesn't have much time to do much.

jaydub said...

It's surprising to me how people have forgot how Trump said he would be able to get things done in Washington, i.e., through negotiation or "The Art of the Deal." He's not an ideologue, so why should anyone think he's going to surround himself with ideologues of a given variety? How do you make America great again by razing Washington and destroying the people with whom you need to negotiate in order to get anything done? The leftists are partly out in the streets right now because they believed the racist/misogynist/xenophopic/homophobic/bullshit campaign rhetoric they were fed by the Democrats and partly because the Soros-funded far left needs to keep them motivated for the next midterms. But, Trump won, and he has two short years to show the country that he can get things done. He's going to put the organization in place that he believes can help him negotiate his agenda through the existing legislative and bureaucratic labyrinths. Anyone who thinks the culture of a mammoth organization can be changed by fiat from the outside is delusional. I think he'll make the right choices, which is one reason I voted for him. Give him some slack - your part (voting for him) is done.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
james conrad said...

Nice to see the Wisconsin boy chosen.

Agrees, he earned it!

exhelodrvr1 said...

"partly because the Soros-funded far left needs to keep them motivated for the next midterms"

THis should be the biggest concern of the Republicans. The Democrats aren't stupid - they got cocky and lazy during the Obama years, but they aren't stupid. They will be extremely energized, and the Republicans, with the House, Senate, and Presidency, will be the ones likely getting cocky and lazy

Saint Croix said...

I doubt Trump wants to wade into a lot of policy details

brother, you nailed that one

I just hope it's not 2000 pages long

Ginsburg: "Why do we have to read it?"

Saint Croix said...

99 pages

I might read that bad boy!

Curious George said...

"Mark said...
A party toad. How anti establishment of him."

Steve Bannon, very much anti establishment, is Trumps special advisor. Priebus makes a nice conduit to deliver and sell the news to party hacks.

GRW3 said...

I understand that Reince quietly (as in no one in the MSM bothered to look) put together a powerful GOTV machine. Further, he wielded it effectively in support of Trumps cause. He did his job - support the will of the party as evidenced by his nomination. It's probably not the first time that Trump has an (effectively) employee baulk at his vision. The important part, to the Donald, was did he do his job. Obama placed adoration above competence - not Trump.

Anonymous said...

jaydub: It's surprising to me how people have forgot how Trump said he would be able to get things done in Washington, i.e., through negotiation or "The Art of the Deal." He's not an ideologue, so why should anyone think he's going to surround himself with ideologues of a given variety?

That Trump is "selling out to the establishment", or alternatively, that "he won't be able to get anything done because he'll have no allies in DC", is a consoling thought for the people who still think that Jeb or Rubio were awesome conservatives who would have wiped the floor with Hillary and restored small government and constitutionalism to America.

jaydub said...

"That Trump is "selling out to the establishment", or alternatively, that "he won't be able to get anything done because he'll have no allies in DC"

That isn't what I said, but you probably already know that.

Anonymous said...

jaydub: That isn't what I said, but you probably already know that.

I didn't say that *you* said that.

Some people are understandably annoyed when someone else uses their point to segue into a different, if related, point, so if that's what you meant, I apologize for having done that.