March 31, 2017

"An honest mistake, or a deliberate act of sabotage from a rogue operator in the EPA press office?"

Asks The Washington Post about this:



Let me ask you:

Honest mistake or deliberate sabotage?
 
pollcode.com free polls

85 comments:

Tarrou said...

Deliberate sabotage, not by a rogue operator. This is the squeal of the deep state being pricked.

exhelodrvr1 said...

At least it wasn't a racist attack on Maxine Waters!

George M. Spencer said...

"Seems" off message?

JPS said...

Protest. Rogue? They're high-diving around the office today. Anyone who gets fired can look forward to a smooth transition to the new career: Liberal hero / Brave Truth-Teller.

Achilles said...

Someone who needs to find a real job.

rhhardin said...

Just zero the budget.

Ann Althouse said...

I agree that "rogue" is too kind.

Bob Boyd said...

Can you bury your head in the sand and then walk away?
Even if you marked the spot, how would you ever find it again?

Bob Boyd said...

"I agree that "rogue" is too kind."

How about Palin-esque? That would sting.

JPS said...

Now that's what I get for commenting from a phone. Meant high-fiving, of course. Freaking autocorrect.

Chuck said...

exhelodrvr1 said...
At least it wasn't a racist attack on Maxine Waters!


I wish Althouse had blogged that story.

jaydub said...

Solution is simple - close the EPA press office and RIF the employees. Not sure anyone would notice.

Robert Cook said...

It's a ploy taken straight from the Fox News Network playbook, where they would infamously and often show footage of Republican politicos saying stupid or offensive things or who had been caught in some scandal or other, and would put up the label "Democrat Rep. ________" or "Democrat Senator ___________" underneath them on the television screen.

choirmom said...

I couldn't believe this quote came from WV coal country's Shelly Capito, and it didn't. This is the actual quote from Capito's official website:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today joined President Donald Trump at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C. for the signing of the president’s Energy Independence Executive Order, which effectively kills President Obama’s harmful Clean Power Plan. Senator Capito issued the following statement applauding the Executive Order:

“Today, President Trump kept his promise to roll back one of the most harmful acts of overreach by the Obama administration – the so-called Clean Power Plan. If fully implemented, the Clean Power Plan would have completely decimated West Virginia’s vital coal industry while having no meaningful climate impact. Stopping this disastrous plan will preserve America’s coal industry, expand our manufacturing renaissance that is reliant upon affordable energy, and protect American families from unprecedented hikes in their electric bills. I was honored to join the president for the signing of this Executive Order, and I look forward to continuing working with the Trump administration to advance environmentally responsible policies that grow the economy – not kill jobs.”WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today joined President Donald Trump at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C. for the signing of the president’s Energy Independence Executive Order, which effectively kills President Obama’s harmful Clean Power Plan. Senator Capito issued the following statement applauding the Executive Order:

“Today, President Trump kept his promise to roll back one of the most harmful acts of overreach by the Obama administration – the so-called Clean Power Plan. If fully implemented, the Clean Power Plan would have completely decimated West Virginia’s vital coal industry while having no meaningful climate impact. Stopping this disastrous plan will preserve America’s coal industry, expand our manufacturing renaissance that is reliant upon affordable energy, and protect American families from unprecedented hikes in their electric bills. I was honored to join the president for the signing of this Executive Order, and I look forward to continuing working with the Trump administration to advance environmentally responsible policies that grow the economy – not kill jobs.”

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Robert Cook said...

It's a ploy taken straight from the Fox News Network playbook, where they would infamously and often show footage of Republican politicos saying stupid or offensive things or who had been caught in some scandal or other, and would put up the label "Democrat Rep. ________" or "Democrat Senator ___________" underneath them on the television screen.

Links please.

damikesc said...

No, not coincidental.

A MASSIVE purge of the executive branch is needed. Ignore civil service rules and fight them out in the SCOTUS as being an unfair impediment to the function of the Executive Branch that the Legislature lacks the authority to make.

GRW3 said...

Find whomever did it. Fire them immediately. Let them sue.

SteveBrooklineMA said...

"So on Thursday the EPA did what government agencies do whenever the president signs a new policy: sent out a news release loaded with glowing quotes from supporters."

Actually, the whole idea of this seems weird and wrong to me.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Liberals are insane.

And I doubt Cookie ever watches Fox News.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Blogger Robert Cook said...

It's a ploy taken straight from the Fox News Network playbook, where they would infamously and often show footage of Republican politicos saying stupid or offensive things or who had been caught in some scandal or other, and would put up the label "Democrat Rep. ________" or "Democrat Senator ___________" underneath them on the television screen.

3/31/17, 7:10 AM

You got the idea that this is a real thing because you saw it on Media Matters, didn't you, Robert Cook?

JAORE said...

"Find whomever did it. Fire them immediately. Let them sue."

Maybe.... but lawfare seems to be the order of the day. Some judge will block this type action.

I say transfer the jerk to the most rural, nothing burger outpost available. Put a chair in a closet and let him/her sit there. In six months find outpost #2 and send them there. If the climates are particularly harsh and the locations are particularly conservative so much the better.

This type of swamp creature can not live in the dusty fields of reality. They will resign.

JPS said...

Robert Cook, 7:10:

I don't recall hearing or reading of that. I do recall MSNBC's labeling George Wallace a Republican, though, so - innocent mistakes all around, I guess.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Wouldn't the first question to ask be: 'is this correct?'. The EPA is not an advertising agency.

Anonymous said...

choirmom beat me to it. I found the same press release from Capito.

No WV Senator would say what the EPA claimed, Evah

https://www.capito.senate.gov/news/press-releases/capito-joins-president-trump-to-sign-measure-reversing-harmful-clean-power-plan-

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Honest sabotage?

Ignorance is Bliss said...

AReasonableMan said...

The EPA is not an advertising agency.

With a few possible exceptions ( maybe the NSA? ), every government agency is an advertising agency, promoting the people and policies of that administration.

For example, then next time you are pumping gas, check the sticker on the pump showing when it was last inspected by whatever state agency checks them for accuracy. Most likely, the largest print on the sticker is the name of the head of that agency.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Sly trickster playing an early April Fools' joke?

Birkel said...

@ Left Bank
@ 'AReasonableMan'

Dishonesty is a good look on you both.

Bob Boyd said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ann Althouse said...

"I wish Althouse had blogged that story."

I saw it and would have blogged it, but didn't get to it when it was new.

There's another new thing on that I saw this morning. I may get to it.

CWJ said...

Honest mistake is not credible. I doubt even Wapo believes it's a valid option. They're just playing the "even handed" game.

Gahrie said...

Fire or reassign the whole department and start over......

CWJ said...

BTW,

Given the gist of that quote, how appropriate that it came from someone named Carper.

Rick said...

JAORE said...
"Find whomever did it. Fire them immediately. Let them sue."

Maybe.... but lawfare seems to be the order of the day. Some judge will block this type action.

I say transfer the jerk to the most rural, nothing burger outpost available.


Firing him is hard, but defunding the position is easy.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

It would seem that noting the comments of a US senator on problems for which the agency is responsible is well within bounds of the agency's role. The real question is whether or not the comments are true.

Rick said...

Robert Cook said...
It's a ploy taken straight from the Fox News Network playbook, where they would infamously and often show footage of Republican politicos saying stupid or offensive things or who had been caught in some scandal or other, and would put up the label "Democrat Rep. ________" or "Democrat Senator ___________" underneath them on the television screen.


This comment is straight from the left wing playbook whereby they assert whatever they fantasized about while smoking hash around the drum circle. Revealingly this describes every Cook comment.

Henry said...

Sabotage is too strong a word, though. This sabotages the Trump administration about as powerfully as bathroom graffiti sabotages a high school principle.

MadisonMan said...

@JPS, that was an excellent auto-correct fail.

I don't think a transfer would work -- the EPA would probably be on the hook for relocation expenses. If firing is not an option, and it might not be, then an transfer to a different office that requires an onerous commute would be better.

tola'at sfarim said...

Someone took van Jones to heart

Pettifogger said...

Tell me again why I'm paranoid to believe we're plagued by a Deep State in this country.

Pettifogger said...

Were I Trump, I would relocate the EPA to someplace such as Iraan, Texas. On the weekends, if they want some big-city action, they can drive all the way in to Ozona or perhaps Fort Stockton.

Birkel said...

@ 'AReasonableMan'

You look good in that color. Is it called dissembling?

Todd said...

Implement a new EPA outreach program whereas every 6 months, you relocate those within the EPA to new locations. I would start with Alaska, rural Alaska. Then Death Valley, then the middle of Kansas, next the middle of no-were Nevada, etc., etc., etc.

AND I would use the existing EPA budget to do it. No increases as well as a hiring freeze. ALSO, NO federal department employee transfers. No moving from one agency to another.

As they are the EPA, no AC in the summer. Legal pads and pencils instead of computers, for the planet!

Birkel said...

I nominate Todd as Undersecretary of Leviathan Management.

Static Ping said...

I voted probably sabotage. Given that the quote in question appears to be fabricated or at minimum mis-attributed, I am wavering. I suppose it is possible that some folks at the EPA thought it was funny that the West Virginia senator would act completely opposite of what would be expected, typed something up for their own amusement, and then accidentally included it in the tweet.

Regardless, they should be fired.

Inga said...

It's the Resistance.

Sprezzatura said...

All cons should state that tweeting false stuff should result in termination.

This is very serious. Our government leaders spreading BS must result in firing.



Carry on.

Gahrie said...

All Liberals should state that any government employee is encouraged to substitute their own opinion for the directives of their boss....and behave accordingly.

Achilles said...

AReasonableMan said...
"Wouldn't the first question to ask be: 'is this correct?'. The EPA is not an advertising agency."

You don't think it is biased because you cannot perceive bias in people who agree with you. That is the nature of bias.

wwww said...


Don't know, but I've heard from a friend of a friend that EPA was told to expect 50% lay-offs. I heard he was looking for a new job. Wife is worried.

Sounds like it's common knowledge half the work force will be gone soon. Wouldn't be surprising if someone acted out during the 2 week notice.

Achilles said...

Inga said...
"It's the Resistance."

I hope you are joking.

It is time for democrats to read their history books and remember what happened the last 2 times they fought federal law. Democrats have a nasty habit of pulling in a bunch of poor minorities and mistreating them.

Anonymous said...

Gahrie said...
All Liberals should state that any government employee is encouraged to substitute their own opinion for the directives of their boss....and behave accordingly.


Except the Marriage License Lady. She should go to jail... /sarc

mockturtle said...

Pettifogger suggests: Were I Trump, I would relocate the EPA to someplace such as Iraan, Texas. On the weekends, if they want some big-city action, they can drive all the way in to Ozona or perhaps Fort Stockton.

It has been discussed once or twice here that ALL federal agencies should be relocated to rural areas around the country. There is no reason whatever to keep them concentrated in DC other that perpetuation of the elitist bubble that has existed for decades.

BTW, I like Ft. Stockton. West Texas is windy & dusty but its wide-openness and its excellent roads have real appeal.

Richard Dolan said...

Gov't bureaucrats may not like Trump or Pruitt, but they are not generally willing to put themselves in harm's way on account of that. They all have mortgages to pay and can't afford to give the new team a reason (let alone an extra reason) to get rid of them. That's the main reason why bureaucratic resistance is not often an in-your-face exercise (that's mostly a game played by former bureaucrats and out-of-office types), but instead is usually an exercise in slow-walking, of 'yesing' the Man without any real carry-through.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Someone(s) in the EPA need to be fired ASAP. Actually in almost every agency.

And if they can't be fired...like Pettifogger and Mockturtle suggest, relocate them to some far flung area. They can be given some sort of busy work, in a windowless dungeon cubicle and manual typewriters. Keep them off the internet and away from twitter.

Sprezzatura said...

"BTW, I like Ft. Stockton. West Texas is windy & dusty but its wide-openness and its excellent roads have real appeal."

Is this a goose/gander thing-y?

IOW, will DJT also be required to give up Mar a Logo, golf courses, Manhattan, WH, etc so he can be stuck in some wasteland? He could learn to clear brush, like bush.

Robert Cook said...

For those who think Fox News Network is a respectable news entity and would never misidentify the party of a politician, here's a story about it. I remember seeing clips of these on occasion while they were happening and the "mistakes" were caught and reported on by others.

Roughcoat said...

Take away his Swingline stapler and make him fill out endless TPS reports. Relocate his desk to a closet in the basement and stop paying him.

Sprezzatura said...

"Take away his Swingline stapler and make him fill out endless TPS reports. Relocate his desk to a closet in the basement and stop paying him."

To be clear, this is re the EPA person. I.e., not the dude in WH who uses the internet to send out lies, right?

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Robert Cook said...

For those who think Fox News Network is a respectable news entity and would never misidentify the party of a politician, here's a story about it.

Fox news has been on the air for twenty year, and in those 175,200+ hours of reporting the article you linked points out three cases of the type of mislabeling that you accuse them of.

Sounds like they are more respectable than the places you choose to get your misinformation.

Gahrie said...

To be clear, this is re the EPA person. I.e., not the dude in WH who uses the internet to send out lies, right?

Close..this is the person who has decided to undermine the authority of his boss instead of doing his job.

TWW said...

Choice five: "'o' Is this a trick question?"

mockturtle said...

Cookie, I, for one, do not consider ANY major news network honest or reputable. Including Fox.

Sprezzatura said...

Protection not= Destruction.


EDA

Fred Drinkwater said...

It appears to be fabricated. Is it libel?

stever said...

The reality of the attitude of many/most government employees makes this an easy call.

lgv said...

Regulators gotta regulate.

They have a single minded devotion to their cause, in this case protecting the planet. More regulation is always better for the cause. Broader scope (greenhouse gas emissions) and more power and budget is a good thing. Any lessening of their power is not just bad, but evil. People will die a horrible death if we reduce their power. It's for the children.

Todd said...

Birkel said...

I nominate Todd as Undersecretary of Leviathan Management.

3/31/17, 9:12 AM


I am both humbled and honored to even be considered for such a position. I promise, here and now in front of my friends, family, countrymen, and the Lord Almighty, that if selected for such a monumental position, I would carry out my assigned duties to the utmost of my abilities! God bless you all and thank you, thank you very much.

Todd said...

Does the position include a really swell hat? I can't wear ball-cap hats, my head is to narrow and they don't look right. Something with a wide rim is preferred...

Todd said...

Don't get the wrong idea! My head is not like freakishly narrow or anything, just too narrow for that good "ball cap" look...

Matt Sablan said...

"It's a ploy taken straight from the Fox News Network playbook, where they would infamously and often show footage of Republican politicos saying stupid or offensive things or who had been caught in some scandal or other, and would put up the label "Democrat Rep. ________" or "Democrat Senator ___________" underneath them on the television screen."

-- That's a common error by multiple media sources, not unique to Fox.

Matt Sablan said...

"It's the Resistance."

-- The Resistance is a stupid name for a group of well-paid people anonymously sabotaging a legitimate government.

Matt Sablan said...

Or, if they want to "resist," do it legitimately and walk away from their government jobs.

Matt Sablan said...

At least the marriage license lady, wrong as she was, had the strength of her convictions to do civil disobedience in the light of day, instead of undermining her boss in secret.

Trumpit said...

Since when is the truth "off message"? Since Trump became president.

Birkel said...

@ Todd

http://www.everythingaudrey.com/5-iconic-audrey-hepburn-hats/

You have your choice of five different hats.

Todd said...

Birkel, I must say that this one might work best as the daily wear, position hat:

http://cdn.everythingaudrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/audrey-hepburn-straw-hat-fedora.jpg

With this one for "official" affairs of state (posh parties, balls, etc.):

http://cdn.everythingaudrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/audrey-hepubrn-hats-my-fair-lady-hat.jpg

With the proper outfit, I believe I could pull it off.

Anonymous said...

Robert Cook: For those who think Fox News Network is a respectable news entity...

"Respectable news entity". Lol.

"I'll have you know that Madame Belle's, unlike the whorehouses I frequent, is not a respectable whorehouse!"

Grow up, Robert.

mockturtle said...

And, Cookie, I'll try to break this to you gently: Carnival games are rigged!

Jim at said...

"It's the Resistance."

Paid for with our tax dollars.

And you're just fine with that.

Rick.T. said...

Todd -

Try the Raylan Givens. Rumor has it that it comes with a carry permit.

http://www.knudsenhats.com/justified.html

Todd said...

Rick Turley said...
Todd -

Try the Raylan Givens. Rumor has it that it comes with a carry permit.

http://www.knudsenhats.com/justified.html

3/31/17, 2:38 PM


Wife and I loved that series. That hat is pretty good. I have of a similar style of dark straw with an open breathable weave. I like it. I am down to that one and two Panama's.

Cause of the shape of my head and the Army cap style, there was not one single photo of me from my service days that doesn't make me cringe. There were additional factors like the thick "Drew Carry" glasses and that even after "bulking up" in basic I did not have enough weight on me...

eric said...

For those who think Fox News Network is a respectable news entity and would never misidentify the party of a politician, here's a story about it. I remember seeing clips of these on occasion while they were happening and the "mistakes" were caught and reported on by others.

No one here thinks Fox News "never" makes a mistake. Nice straw man though.

The argument is, do they do this more than any other news outlet?

I would argue the evidence is clear. If the offending party is Democrat, the media is likely to leave off the D. If Republican, they are likely to include the R. Misindentifying the political party is much more rare. Leaving off that valuable piece of info is more subtle. It works really well on the Robert Cooks of the world. IE: Those people who believe that those with whom they disagree are the fools, and they alone are the wise.

Michael K said...

"The EPA is not an advertising agency."

Not for lack of trying. Think of it as the temple of a new religion.

Gahrie said...

There were additional factors like the thick "Drew Carry" glasses

We called those "birth control glasses".