First major tragedy from Trump mismanagement.
This was a totally preventable accident amid Trump-chaos at FAA and the Defense Department.
Blame Trump.
Yes. Blame Trump, and do it by name.
Trump's goal was to create shock and awe in the minds of the American public and in the federal workforce. He is a wrecking ball. His MAGA base voters wanted that, and they are getting it. Federal employees witnessed day-one firings, demotions, and loss of security protections for people who got in Trump's way. Of course it was a distraction for them.
The day before yesterday, the Office of Personnel Management sent out notice to two million federal employees titled Fork in the Road. It warns of a substantial overhaul of the Civil Service, with policy alignments for senior employees and a new "streamlined" work force subjecting employees to "enhanced standards of suitability and conduct." It gives employees 10 days to resign or expect substantial changes in their work life including termination if one doesn't meet Trump's new, undefined expectations. This mirrors what Elon Musk did at Twitter when he fired 80 percent of the Twitter employees. House Speaker Mike Johnson said that "drastic times require drastic measures."
Turmoil in the federal ranks was not a bug. It was a feature. How else to get substantial turnover? This shake-up has consequences.
Yesterday, an American Airlines flight with 64 people aboard collided with a Black Hawk helicopter with three aboard. It occurred during a routine landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. It was a clear night and a standard approach, with no mechanical or other issues.
It was an entirely preventable accident, caused by human error. The new secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, admitted it, saying:
“We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but … what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.”
Trump set the stage for this accident. Hegseth was sworn in as defense secretary with an agenda that includes personnel change. His record on managing an operating bureaucracy was troubling. He was fired from two previous jobs that required those skills. But an operations bumbler was Trump's pick. Moreover, Trump fired the entire membership of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee as part of his demolition of the Department of Homeland Security.
The president golfed on the two days before the crash.
Democrats, who are accustomed to being the target of wild, unfair accusations by Trump, are not as reckless in casting blame. Isn't it a stretch for me or anyone to suggest that Trump is to blame? Here is my response: Was it a stretch to accuse Biden of failing to anticipate that a suicide bomber would hide and then explode a bomb next to 13 American servicemen amid the 170 Afghan civilians? That didn't stop Trump from blaming Biden.
And in this case, the line of causality is straight. Trump is the bull in a china shop, shaking up Civil Service and military personnel, both bragging about it and getting praised by MAGA for it. He created the context for human error and 67 people died because of it. Absolutely blame Trump.
Over the upcoming posts I will discuss the requirements of the next Democratic leader. The test has already begun. I want someone to step up and connect the dots. Which Democrat will meet with the grieving families in public? Which Democrat will demand an investigation of the people who ordered the helicopter to be on that path. Which Democrat will show up?
Of course, Republicans will say that such a Democrat would be "politicizing a tragedy." The right Democrat won't wimp out. He or she will say that Americans died a horrible death because Trump is a chaos agent and there are consequences for his malfeasance. He or she will point an accusing finger at Trump on the golf course. Golfing while Americans die because of people under his supervision.
Trump is on TV right now blaming Barack Obama and DEI in the military for the crash. He is naming names: blame Obama. The right Democrat will reverse the polarity of blame. Trump caused the chaos in personnel under his leadership. That is real. Human error caused the accident. Therefore, blame Trump. He is, after all, the president and the Black Hawk people report to him.
Take charge of the narrative.
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15 comments:
Trump bragged about being elected based on his promise to lower grocery prices. Once elected, he took it back and said that would be too hard. Instead, he's been focused on settling scores, including eliminating all members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee.
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He wasn't really where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.
"It is, after all, what Trump would do..." The "right Democrat" should make "What Would Trump Do?" his or her political mantra? Youbetcha.
An Islamist attack on the crush of soldiers and Afghanis during the Biden-made Kabul Airport exit chaos was predictable, yes. Apples and oranges.
It appears to me that the military helicopter caused this accident by being in the wrong place. Trump has been in office for ten days. Do you really think that Trump could have changed the military's training and DEI policies in those ten days?
He caused chaos in ten days and did so proudly. He created distractions amid firings. He disbanded the Aircraft Safety board. Do you think this is the fault of Obama? That is what Trump says, and Obama hasn't been in office for 8 y ears.
Peter- he beat you to it. NYT headline: Breaking news: Trump, without citing evidence, blames plane crash on D.E.I. and Democrats
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/us/politics/trump-plane-crash-dei-faa-diversity.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
No, Democrats should not adopt R
No, Democrats should not adopt The Insurrectionist's strategy. All Americans should use a fact based analysis, determine the cause of the accident and then correct the problem. Just because he lies doesn't mean others should lie. As Jim Acosta said, "Don't give in to the lies." "Hold on to the truth and to hope."
Ah, Anonymous, if you’ve read this blog long enough you’ll know Trump’s superpower is messaging. Fighting him with reason is a fools errand. Assert, Assert, Assert is what Peter is proposing.
Trump has a unique talent for attracting and directing mass attention. It’s all well and good to say that the Democrats need to do it too. But that is going to require finding someone with the talent to do it. Of the current crop of Democrats, the only one I see who might have that talent is John Fetterman.
The one thing I can see that the Democrats have going for them in the next presidential election is that Donald Trump will not be able to run again.
In the past, we've see some military personnel commit terrorist acts. This helicopter had sensor equipment on-board that should have prevented a crash with the airplane. What if this was a rogue military pilot who intentionally crashed his helicopter, and tried to commit a terrorist act? This could have been an intentional act.
Trump has a unique talent for attracting people as crazy as he is. One of them has introduced a constitutional amendment that would enable him to have a third term. They just can't get enough of his unique brand of stupidity, ignorance and hatred.
A lie makes its way around the world while the truth is tying its shoe.
One of the residents where I live now is retired from NOAA as a meteorologist. He remains in contact with his former coworkers in Washington, D.C. They all report fear of losing their jobs since his famous Sharpie "correction" of a hurricane's path into Alabama and the consternation of emergency planners in the southern states. No hurricane was headed toward Alabama, but in his arrogance and stupidity, Trump took it upon himself to warn locals to head for shelter. Just as DEI had nothing to do with a plane crash at National yesterday. After listening to the air traffic controllers' instructions for the Army helicopter to land behind the airliner, it's clear the pilot of the plane was in error and caused the crash. Please note; without any facts, Trump told the world that Biden is at fault, and so is DEI's wokeness. This is sick.
The air traffic controller working at the time of the deadly plane-helicopter crash in Washington was doing the work of two people, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Staffing in the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” the FAA found in its preliminary report, according to the New York Times.
This led to the controller who was handling helicopters in the airport’s vicinity to also be the one in charge of instructing planes landing and departing the runways. The jobs are normally assigned to two people, not one.
The airport’s air traffic control facilities have been understaffed for years, with only 19 fully certified controllers on deck as of September 2023, according to Congress’ Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan report.
The facility should have had 30 on deck, as per the goal set by the FAA and controller’s union.
This is a quote from the big fat liar in 2013 that’s still on X. “Leadership: whatever happens, you’re responsible. If it doesn’t happen, you’re responsible.” Now that he’s our alleged leader, whatever happens is Biden’s and Obama’s fault. What kind of idiot would give any credence to anything that ignoranus says?
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