February 13, 2017

Turmoil is the new chaos.

"Turmoil at the National Security Council, From the Top Down."

ADDED: What's worse "turmoil" or "turbulence"?



OR: "Tumult."

It's interesting: The pro-Trump vote seems to embody the human desire for order. The news of what's going on in the Trump administration roils and seethes with the language of disorder: chaos, turmoil, turbulence, tumult. What does that do to the mind of the order-seeker?

How do order-seekers react to the media's disorder template?
 
pollcode.com free polls

98 comments:

rehajm said...

Please slow down because we can't wet our pants fast enough!

DanTheMan said...

What the authors want to be true.

Laslo Spatula said...

"Nervous staff members recently met late at night at a bar a few blocks from the White House and talked about purging their social media accounts of any suggestion of anti-Trump sentiments."

If they are involved with Intelligence and Security why did they think posting negative sentiment about a boss (pr possible boss, pre-election) was a GOOD idea? Could they not look far enough ahead to see the potential problem? Isn't their problem that they never seem to accurately 'see ahead' in the first place?

Probable answer: they see themselves with a job that answers to a calling above a President they don't agree with.

Everyone they know feels the same way.

They have appointed themselves the Gate-Keepers of a status quo of their approval.

Their answers to coming failures are already written.

And they are glad to tell the NYT about it. Rally the usual troops.

Cue Samson at the pillars.

I am Laslo.

Michael K said...

One way to deal with turmoil and chaos is to flush the turmoiling components and start over.

After Aldrich Ames and Robert Hansen there is not much left to save,

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Trump Discussed Classified National Security on North Korea Missile Launch While Among Mar-a-Lago Diners

Patrick Henry was right! said...

We are ok with it, as we are confident that the alleged turmoil is more fake news.

We have all tuned out the Alt-left media. 100%.

Clayton Hennesey said...

Turbulence suggests only some transient buffeting which can and will be overcome, more or less easily. Turmoil suggests a terminal sucking quagmire, like a maelstrom, from which doom there may be no escape.

David Begley said...

MSM: Trump = chaos.

Brando said...

"Neitzche said from chaos breeds order."--Howard Johnson, Blazing Saddles.

Fun fact--singer Frankie Laine who wrote and performed the theme song was not aware the movie was going to be a comedy.

sunsong said...

Expect a turbulent year!

Michael K said...

ARM, how was Mar a Lago ? Was the food good ?

I assume you were there since you know what was said.

narciso said...

So anonymous sources giving a Stephen glass, meanwhile the three house staffers who exfiltrated tpsi info crickets.

Bob Ellison said...

OR: tuna-melt.

Ann Althouse said...

"Please slow down because we can't wet our pants fast enough!"

Yeah, I saw that in the news.

Gusty Winds said...

Is there a media committee that picks the one descriptive word to push the narrative?

Dark, chaos, turmoil...

They all hop on the same theme at the same time.

LilyBart said...

If the press had been credible all these last years, I might be worried. But as it is - they are mostly partisan hacks pushing a narrative. They just spent the last 8 years downplaying any problems with the Obama administration and its policies, now they want to highlight and amplify any problems with the Trump administration.

This is a shame, because we could really use an honorable press working to inform us. Too bad we don't have one.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Seeing lots of this particular kind of fake news. Most bureaucrats may be Democrats but ideology will always take a back seat to ambition with these clowns. They'll fall in line with alacrity the second they think their sinecures are on the line. Virtue signaling on Facebook is one thing, getting a real job quite another.

Darrell said...

The Democrats had an orderly march to Hell.

mockturtle said...

Laslo @8:33. Excellent! Damn, you have great insight! And 'Samson at the pillars'. :-D

JPS said...

ARM:

That article steals a base. What classified information? I clicked to find out. The claim would be important and appalling if true.

But there's only an implicit syllogism: They discussed a missile launch, missile launches affect national security, national security discussions are classified, therefore Trump discussed classified information in front of the Mar-a-Lago diners and waiters! Holy shit! And they said Hillary jeopardized national security!

This logic was summed up when I was in college, and Ray Charles was still alive:

God is love, love is blind, Ray Charles is blind, therefore Ray Charles is God. Quod erat demonstrandum.

LilyBart said...

....imposing their own simple template on media: It's biased against Trump.

The media has their own agenda, and it leans left. It leaned left and pro-Democrat party before Trump and will most likely continue to do so after Trump.

tim in vermont said...

Bullshit, it's the Hillary voters who desire order and the status quo. Look at how they are freaking out.

You just bought some of their propaganda.

Darrell said...

I found out about the missile launch at Drudge--minutes after it happened. Japan knew about it sooner.

mockturtle said...

Quoting Nietzsche, though apt, may be unwise in this context. ;-)

Roughcoat said...

Murray Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect, out in full force.

tim in vermont said...

Hillary using an impossible to secure Blackberry, and insecure email didn't bother ARM one bit. Now he's wetting his pants over Trump.

Gusty Winds said...

And Mika Brzezinski has started her own hashtag campaign on twitter against Stephen Miller; #MillerTime2go.

So they want Bannon out, Preibus out, Flynn out, Miller out, Conway out, Trump out...

Seems more like the resistance is focused on half the country that voted for this President.

Mid-Life Lawyer said...

First, regardless of what Trump or his staffers did or said, the reaction in the media would be pretty much the same and about half the people realize this now. So that takes the sting out of most anything negative in the media. Second, any threatening of Leviathan, even a small half a degree change in course, will illicit cries of turbulence, turmoil, and chaos. There has to be some of that in order affect any change. Even people in industry's who expect a positive long range outcome from Trump's deregulation efforts are screaming bloody murder about the short term inconvenience of his moratorium on new regulations. Maybe some positive stuff was just about to be enacted and they had already planned for it.

If any good is done it will be messy, at least as first.

Michael K said...

we could really use an honorable press working to inform us.

That's why I rely on the British press for news about US political topics. It may not be accurate but at least it mentions stuff.

Darrell said...

The Media beclowned themselves during the campaign. It'll take years to earn any trust back. I would turn all Media HQs into refugee centers, myself. Why would you read authors who were caught getting their storylines and research from the DNC--even letting them write the headlines?

Big Mike said...

Is there a media committee that picks the one descriptive word to push the narrative?

It used to be called "JournoList" and it was run by Ezra Klein. Don't know what it's called these days, but yes, everyone can rest assured that it was reconstituted under another name.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Remember that 36% of federal workers who were going to resign if Trump won? Well, 35.9999% changed their minds.

Darrell said...

Remember that 36% of federal workers who were going to resign if Trump won? Well, 35.9999% changed their minds.

Barnacles rarely leave voluntarily.

Big Mike said...

@ARM, under the law the President of the United States has the ultimate authority as regards classification. If he chose to publicly reveal it, by definition it is unclassified. As an example, the aerial photography that JFK published via newspapers and TV, and which was presented by Adlai Stevenson in the UN Security Council should have been classified but it was exposed for good reasons.

pdug said...

According to Chris Arande, trump voters are not embracers of "order". They know their communities are "on the bottom" and the only hope they have is not a slow, orderly march to the top, but some kind of disruptive, volatile event that offers them the chance of coming out on top again.

if all your stocks suck, you WANT a volatile marketplace.

https://medium.com/@Chris_arnade/trump-politics-and-option-pricing-or-why-trump-voters-are-not-idiots-1e364a4ed940#.slchhuj0v

Big Mike said...

@Michael K, wife and I used to get a different, more trustworthy, perspective from Russia Today TV (RT). But we moved and unfortunately it isn't available on our present cable provider.

tim in vermont said...

I think turmoil an turbulence and tumult were the three legs of what Trump offered voters. The status quo being unacceptable to most outside of rich Hillary supporters like PB&J, who benefit from the economic destruction of working whites and blacks.

DanTheMan said...

Media: Here's our narrative. It's the Truth. If you won't accept this Truth, we have others.

Anonymous said...

Basil:

We have all tuned out the Alt-left media. 100%.

I prefer "Ctrl-Left" as a meme. There's nothing "alt" about the media; it's the voice of the control-freaks clawing to maintain the status-quo.

Michael K said...

The status quo being unacceptable to most outside of rich Hillary supporters

Interesting comment thread over at Neo Neocon. which gets into patent law and why some of the big spenders for Hillary were patent raiders, like Apple

Good old fashion influence buying in the Obama years. Google and Apple lead the way. Bi-partisan influence buying. When the former NE AG cams out against “patent trolls” I knew we had a serious purchase here. Nebraska!

Don’t get me started on the PTAB.

Anonymous said...

Everything is in order, nothing to see here, move along now. Everything negative you hear is fake news. Be content.

tim in vermont said...

Sock puppet proves my point.

I have little desire for the kind of order Hillary and her technology billionaire enablers had in mind.

Mike Sylwester said...

During the Presidential election campaign, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper put out a fake story that the "Intelligence Community" was "confident" that Putin's government was leaking Democrat leaders' e-mails in order to influence our election.

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2016/10/07/joint-statement-department-homeland-security-and-office-director-national

Hillary Clinton used Clapper's fake story to criticize Donald Trump for ignoring the consensus of "17 intelligence agencies". Clapper remained silent during that controversy, hoping that it would help sink Trump.

Clapper's fake story is based on nothing more than the "dossier" written by Christopher Steele, a former MI-6 official who phoned some people he knew in Russia.

Right now, Clapper's attempt to influence the US Presidential election with this fake story is the most sensitive secret in the US Intelligence Community. When Trump exposes this secret, he will be able to disgrace and remove most of its leaders and replace them with people who are loyal to him or at least non-partisan.

Anonymous said...

Tim, you do realize I was using sarcasm, right?

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

While we are talking about Trump, why don't we just use minefields on our southern border? With warning signs, in Spanish, of course. It would be cheaper and more effective.

Kevin said...

"So they want Bannon out, Preibus out, Flynn out, Miller out, Conway out, Trump out..."

Trump and his team have had 25 days to come to their senses, with no sign they're going to govern just like Hillary. What more evidence do they need that the coup must proceed?

Michael K said...

When Trump exposes this secret, he will be able to disgrace and remove most of its leaders and replace them with people who are loyal to him or at least non-partisan.

Boy, is that going to crate some weeping and gnashing of teeth. I would say about 98% of the "Intelligence Community" are Democrat time servers who read foreign language newspapers and "Talking Points Memo."

Michael K said...

"why don't we just use minefields on our southern border? With warning signs, in Spanish, of course. It would be cheaper and more effective. "

Another reasonable suggestion by ARM. Why not a high voltage fence ?

Mike Sylwester said...

In order to prevent their own disgrace and removal for trying to influence our Presidential election, the US Intelligence Community's leadership is resorting to causing bureaucratic chaos as Trump tries to govern.

Trump already knows that DNI James Clapper's fake story was based on nothing more than Christopher Steele's "dossier".

When Trump came to CIA Headquarters and babbled about his own election, he was communicating to the CIA leadership that he now has the political authority to remove everyone there who was involved in Clapper's attempt to prevent Trump's election.

Steele sat in London and phoned some of his acquaintances in Moscow, and they told him stories about prostitutes and Wikileaks and so forth. Steele is Clapper's only source for his fake stories -- and other Intelligence leaders knew it.

tim in vermont said...

They are beyond parody, it's a problem.

traditionalguy said...

Interestingly, DJT seems to want to govern us the way Byzantium was governed. It could be worse. That Government lasted 1000 years longer than its competitor for ruling the world located in Rome. And it acted as a buffer that fought and stopped the Muslim Hoard, at last until some European Crusaders decided to stop off and loot its wealth rather than go and free Jerusalem.

LYNNDH said...

I would not say that a vote for Trump was a vote for order. Trump was all over the place in the election. Hillary was the status quo candidate.

Darrell said...

ARM would be the first to cry "Impeach Trump" if an illegal was killed by a landmine. He's our Princess Diana.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Darrell said...
He's our Princess Diana.


Your avatar actually does look a bit princessy. Maybe one of Princess Margaret's arty gay hangers-on?

Anonymous said...

"The power of the President will not be questioned"

~Stephen Miller

n.n said...

Life, human life specifically, is chaotic that can be perceived as ordered in a semi-stable environment.

Self-moderating, responsible behavior is not ordered. The People who voted for Trump are mostly Christians who want to loosen the reigns and discover the dynamic order of moral individuals, thus normalization, tolerance, and rejection, where the center is a defining characteristic to a fault. Americans are located at center on the global left-right spectrum.

hombre said...

I posted this to NYT. I don't expect to see it printed:

"The Times calumnious ghost army of anonymous bureaucrats is now up to "more than two dozen ... council staff members and others." You know, "apolitical," "career" types who evidently feel the President's Twitter posts have something to do with their jobs and national security and who, like everyone the msmedia contacts these days, are scared?

We already know that the vast majority of career bureaucrats are Democrats and that the vast majority of Democrat are hysterical to the point of condoning or remaining silent about violent demonstrations and other behavior intended to disrupt Trump's governance. Why should national security be spared?"

Darrell said...

So you can't fashion an original thought, ARM--you have to copy. Pathetic as usual.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Darrell said...
So you can't fashion an original thought, ARM--you have to copy.


Awww. Having a little grade school meltdown, are we? So cute. Not sure what Princes Margaret might think though.

Darrell said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Darrell said...

You did confirm that you would be the first to cry bloody murder if a landmine ever killed an illegal. That keeps your POS rating intact.

Hagar said...

I am all for order, but not in wartime - and this is war.

ga6 said...

"As an example, the aerial photography that JFK published via newspapers and TV, and which was presented by Adlai Stevenson in the UN Security Council should have been classified but it was exposed for good reasons."

Yep, to get dda6ga on a AKA troop transport bound for the Caribbean...JFK and LBJ just a couple of fun loving fellows...

rcocean said...

Does any believe anything written about Trump in the NYT or Wapo anymore?

I don't. What makes it even worse is half the articles are written by reporters who "teed up" stories for Hillary, or ran their stories past the DNC before publishing.

rcocean said...

"Ctrl-Left" is better. The MSM is the establishment.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"While we are talking about Trump, why don't we just use minefields on our southern border? With warning signs, in Spanish, of course. It would be cheaper and more effective."

Excellent idea, actually. It is the moral equivalent of war after all.

Bay Area Guy said...

Chaos! Turmoil! Disorder! Tumult! Dogs and cats living together!

Sounds like an average night on the UC Berkeley campus.

Maybe, this Presidents' Day weekend, folks can take a walk in a park, or go bird-watching or have a picnic with a glass of Chardonnay or something...........

Anonymous said...

"It's a fact and you will not deny it!"

~Stephen Miller

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Stephen Miller, senior White House advisor, in his own words on order and control.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Speaking of minefields, I love the reports that some illegals are hoofing it for Canada. Enough of that and the Canadian's hectoring virtuousness will melt like snow. They'd find a Trump much quicker than America did.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Politico has "Republicans reeling"...

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/protest-movement-republicans-234863

While republicans control 2 branches of the federal government most governorships and state houses... reeling... really?

HoodlumDoodlum said...

YT Doors: Celebration of the Lizard

He went down South and crossed the border
Left chaos and disorder
Back there over his shoulder

mockturtle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mockturtle said...

The leftist media are, as per usual, preaching to their own choir. My only concern is that the GOP establishment Congress will start believing the polls.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Darrell said...
You did confirm that you would be the first to cry bloody murder if a landmine ever killed an illegal.


Lying and crying? Not an attractive look. Try to keep it light around the Princess, she doesn't like drama (although we all know she is the biggest drama queen of all).

Anonymous said...

"Any negative polls are fake news..."

Donald Trump

Bad Lieutenant said...

The Cracker Emcee said...
Speaking of minefields, I love the reports that some illegals are hoofing it for Canada. Enough of that and the Canadian's hectoring virtuousness will melt like snow. They'd find a Trump much quicker than America did.

2/13/17, 10:56 AM


Let's do what the Mexicans do - catch intruders, mess them up a little, take their stuff, then pipe them through, on trains or however, to and across the northern border; they can have new lives up there in Canada, won't that be nice? And Canada is so short on people, and they will have all those advantages of illegal immigration that we are so foolishly throwing away.

mockturtle said...

Trudeau is speaking now. He hasn't said if he would accept these 'migrants' but Canada is a very large country with a very sparse population. Good Idea, BL!

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

President-Mom-Jeans said...
More impotent wailing by the left.


Back out of the asylum? Keep up with the meds.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

President-Mom-Jeans said...
According to commercials I have seen during NFL broadcasts, they have lots of medications these days.
I'm not sure if Viagra can work


Those are targeted ads. Targeted to you. Same with the Depends ads that you are seeing.

I get ads for vacations in Italy. Not much use to you, with your ankle bracelet.

Michael K said...

"I get ads for vacations in Italy. "

How many times have you gone and where did you stay ? I don't get those ads even though I have been many times.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Never mind ARM, Mike, he and PBJ_Whosis (I forget if Ritmo does it) like to pretend they're successful and wealthy in order to...who knows why they do it.

Bad Lieutenant said...

When queried about his success, ARM evaded. Not as if anything he did say coyld be believed, but at least it could be evaluated for credibility.

For instance-you're a doctor, a retired surgeon. Or so you say you are. That seems to imply you have (had) an annual income somewhere between $250K-$1M, unless perhaps you are some superstar, or an administrator maybe.

So (ISTM), you can afford travel, vacations, homes, hobbies, but while you can buy your kids cars maybe, you can't buy them all houses. Puts bounds on it.

ARM is easy on the facts. No telling what he does, to estimate his income or wealth; no telling his wealth, to guess at what he does.

If they have money, I would guess it was inherited. What could they do, given their demonstrated reasoning abilities, to earn big money? Talented whores?

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

That's some creepy shit you got going on there LT.

Bad Lieutenant said...

I doubt you have the sense of service to others to be an effective prostitute.

So, ARM, what do you do and how much do you make and how much do you have and where did it come from? Certainly seems to be something you want to talk about when it suits you.

Put up or shut up. Disclose, or stop bragging about your wealth and how you are above other people here.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Where did I ever discuss my financial status? Ever. This is all in your mind.

Michael K said...

Where did I ever discuss my financial status? Ever.

You are boasting about travel ads. Why ?

I don't care if you have money but it does get a bit old when people do the humble brag thing.

I am not rich. I sent all my kids to private schools and to college and got divorced twice. That takes care of that.

I am "comfortable" but probably won't do any more travel because of my age and my wife's health. My kids do the traveling now.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Michael K said...
You are boasting about travel ads.


For the humor impaired, I was making fun of President-Mom-Jean's prior post. My mentioning his ankle bracelet wasn't a clue? Not boasting.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Divorce also did a number on my finances, but it was worth it. Best money I have ever spent. Don't let anyone tell you money can't buy happiness.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

I can't help but notice that people here at Althouse are even more testy than they were before the election. I was hoping for exultation. Exultation for the glorious victory of Trump. At a minimum, a few months of general happiness. Instead it is like a fucking forced labor camp around here, where the workers are forced to march barefoot in the snow for five miles each day in order to fetch water for the commandant's bath.

tim in vermont said...

ARM is back in the wormwood, it looks like.

Anonymous said...

ARM,
I think they are beginning to see that their president is in huge trouble. Mike Flynn is caught dealing with the Russians by tapped phone conversations and possibly even encrypted communications regarding lifting sanctions before Trump was sworn in. The FBI and the DOJ warned Trump shortly after he was sworn in that Flynn had these conversations with the Russian ambassador. Does anyone think Flynn did this on his own volition? Then Flynn lied to Pence and Priebus and they came out publicly with the fake story Flynn told them. What did Trump know and when did he know it? Did he direct Flynn to do it? Just what is the relationship between Trump and Russia? Time for a special prosecuter. Treason charges are not a stretch.

I've been saying Trump won't last out the year, tonight it's more likely than ever that he will be impeached. If Pence knew the truth and lied for Flynn, he too will be subject to impeachment.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

The problem is more fundamental. The right has been sold a nostalgic lie, that things can go back to how they were. They can't. The best we can hope for is an outcome like Germany or Japan, the two best run large western nations. If we go the Japan route, essentially zero growth for decades. If we go the German route, disruptive social changes and relatively slow growth. A decade from now the steady growth seen during Obama's terms will look like the good old days. But the right has been told that there is a magic elixir, tax cuts and deregulation, that will reverse the laws of economics and demographics. At some level everyone knows its a lie.

Anonymous said...

We know it's a lie, they still believe in the tooth fairy. Even the intelligent ones. Is it some sort of insanity?

Anonymous said...

LOL! Told you so.

Michael Flynn resigns. Now it begins in earnest.

Anonymous said...

Now Mike Flynn can start a "Lock me up" chant.

Good riddance. Trump next.

readering said...

All's for the best in this best of all possible worlds.