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ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this Dec. 13, 2016 photo, Shay Chamberlain poses for a picture in her small clothing store and boutique in Menomonie, Wis. As each Cabinet announcement draws fresh criticism of Donald Trump’s latest appointees, many Americans who voted for him, like Chamberlain, say the president-elect is doing what he promised to do: draining the swamp.
As each Cabinet announcement draws fresh criticism of the wealth, connections or opinions of Donald Trump’s latest appointees, many Americans who voted for him say the president-elect is doing what he promised to do: draining the swamp.
And they’re excited.
To them, the idea of a defense secretary nicknamed “Mad Dog” is bliss. They rejoice in an energy secretary who once said he would eliminate the Department of Energy. And while some Trump supporters balk at ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson’s close ties with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, they say they will trust Trump’s judgment about his secretary of state nominee.
These voters, who often echo Trump’s own campaign statements, say the affluence of his Cabinet picks is an advantage, not a liability.
“The guys he’s putting in there, they don’t need to do this. They’re independently wealthy,” said Trump voter Roger Mansfield, 67, a small business owner in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. “They don’t need any more money. The motivation is to make pragmatic, rational business decisions. What could be wrong about that?”
The Associated Press interviewed Trump voters about his Cabinet picks and other postelection revelations, such as a CIA assessment that Russia interfered in the November election on Trump’s behalf. Top Republicans in Congress have endorsed investigations into the Russian meddling, but the idea drew jeers from Shay Chamberlain, 37, of Menomonie, Wisconsin.
“That’s kind of ridiculous,” Chamberlain said. “I tried to influence the elections, you know what I mean? I mean, we all did when we went on Facebook and put silly memes on there and tried to influence our friends to go one way or another.”
Some Cabinet choices have been called into question for their lack of experience, their extraordinary wealth and their past relationships with the departments they are to lead. Much of the criticism has come from Democrats, but experts, past government officials and some Republicans have also raised doubts.
John Barnes, a 60-year-old Air Force retiree living in Albuquerque, said he liked that Trump was “hiring outsiders and not local yokel knuckleheads.”
In Sandy Hook, Kentucky, Wesley Lewis applauded Trump’s decision to nominate three retired generals for top jobs: James “Mad Dog” Mattis to head the Pentagon, John Kelly for the Department of Homeland Security and Michael Flynn as national security adviser.
But Lewis, 67, said he is skeptical about Tillerson, who has opposed sanctions levied on Moscow, and about Trump’s hope of improving relations with Russia.
“I don’t see that we need to have a buddy-buddy relationship with Russia or China or any of them. We need to remain strong, help where we can,” Lewis said. “Being buddies with Russia, that’s only going to cause us problems.”
On jobs, some Trump voters are celebrating.
“I’m tickled pink, man,” said Jimmy McDonald, an assistant bank vice president, from Tazewell County, Virginia. Some laid-off miners in Appalachia have been called back to work, some shortly before Trump was elected. One factor was a recent spike in the price of metallurgical coal used to make steel. McDonald credits Trump.
“More coal’s being brought out right now since the last 60 days actually,” said McDonald, 57. “Trump made that a major focus of his campaign in August, when he started talking about the coal miners, and the coal trains are running, man. And people are excited. It’s just a different vibe in the air right now.”
But Iraq War veteran and factory worker Rebecca Zbichorski, 28, of Milwaukee, said she’s reevaluating Trump’s rosy predictions.
“His promising to bring all those jobs back? I think he over spoke on that a little bit. I don’t feel confident on that,” Zbichorski said. A skit on “Saturday Night Live” mocking an unemployed coal miner eagerly expecting Trump to get him back to work shifted her views, she said.
“Some of those jobs are dying.” She was swayed, too, by an Indiana union leader who criticized Trump for raising false hopes by inflating the number of jobs being saved at a Carrier Corp. factory in Indianapolis.
However, Jack Stauffenberg, a 65-year-old coal company superintendent from New Tripoli, Pennsylvania, said that Indiana union leader was off base, explaining that Trump “talks in round numbers.”
“Look at the stock market,” Stauffenberg said, referring to Wall Street’s recent streak of records. “That expresses the optimism of this country right now.”
Americans sense that the country is “being righted, and we’re kind of getting a new start,” he added.
Eileen Barlow, a 56-year-old small business owner in Naperville, Illinois, welcomes charter school advocate Betsy DeVos as education secretary. Barlow favors vouchers for private education.
“I don’t like the indoctrination that goes on in the public schools. They teach the theory of evolution as truth,” said Barlow, who has an infant grandson. “If people want to send their kids to a Christian school, they should get help with that.”
If they had their wishes, some Trump voters would tone him down on Twitter.
Zbichorski thinks Trump will need “more tact and professionalism” when he takes office, and she worries he’ll tweet an insult about a leader of another country and escalate international tensions. “Right now, he’s just being who he is. No filter,” she said.
Chamberlain still wants to see Trump’s Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, investigated.
“He kind of almost promised the American people, ‘If I’m elected, she’ll pay. If I’m elected, I’ll hold her accountable.’ And then as soon as he won, it was kind of nicey-nice. ‘You know I’m not really going to go after her,’” Chamberlain said.
Mansfield said he trusts Trump to act in the country’s best interests.
“Do we have any choice? We have to trust him. He’s going to be our president. Wishing him to fail would be like getting on an airliner and hoping the two pilots don’t know what they’re doing,” he said. “My gut says he will do the right thing.”
Kind of too late for regrets. You own the dog now so when he sh-ts in your neighbors yard you need to clean it up. As far as being on the plane comment only the Chumpsters are on that plane. People with brains elected to stay on the ground.
Tump might actually be a blessing in disguise for Hawaii. He and his new FTA head might actually CANCEL funding the Oahu rail project for the complete useless, endless money pit that it really is and demand all federal funds be returned because of the perpetual non compliance for the project. Like the Hawaii Health Connector, local charlatans like Cladwall can no longer prop it up with propaganda and media manipulation and the project will end. Yes, Hawaii taxpayers will probably take a $2-3 BILLION loss that can never be recovered but you can thank Moofe, Cladwall and all the rest for that
and I’ll just thank you as I sit in traffic everyday while you complain about rail yet offer no solutions. how about you run for office so we can judge your ingenuity? Yeah, I know, too easy to criticize behind a computer and screen-name.
Before the train is finished, I’ll be calling for my driverless Uber ride, reading the paper and enjoying the ride to work without necessity of catching a dirty smelling bus and enjoying conversation with my friends.
Your still going to sit in traffic while watching the empty rail cars go by that you will be paying for, for the rest of your life: that’s if they ever get running!
Wish I could cut and paste on what the REAL solution should be, which has been for years: The fixes will benefit ALL Oahu commuters
1) Install a PERMANENT biderctional H1 HOV lanes to replace the one directional Zip lane that requires an unrealiable Zip mobile and moveable barrier.< br />2). Improve the known choke points such as the H1/H2 merge, E bound H1 Stadium cuttoff, E bound Middle St merge and the worst of all Vineyard/Ward/Piikoi on ramps-Punahou off-ramp nightmare that accesses all of the private schools and UH in a tight area of Makiki/Manoa. W bound H1, fix the UH and Wilder st off ramps that similarly service UH and the private schools all in the same concentrated area. Solutions will include such as limited flyovers or selected double decking of small sections of the freeways and realignment of the surface streets that feed these off ramps in the Makiki/Manoa area
4). The permanent bi-directional H1 HOV lanes will be connected to exclusive HOV lanes already on the Nimitz viaduct followed by contraflow lanes on Nimitz, beyond what they have know have using cones layed out by someone. The temporary contraflow lane will extend ALL the way through Nimitz and Ala Moana Blvds which means City Express! Buses will have have an exclusive path almost all the way from Ewa Beach to UH Manoa and Waikiki. Replace the time consuming hand laying of cones to create the contraflow lanes on Nimitz and Ala Moana blvd with over signs that indicate either a red “X” or a green “O” in both directions which signifies to motorist exactly what direction that lane is going. The 3 lanes Lions Gate bridge and the road leading up to the bridge in Vancouver using this method to adjust the traffic flow of the middle lane of the road/bridge which can go either direction.
Putting all 4 four these proposal is a far SUPERIOR and effective solution to deal with traffic gridlock and commuting on Oahu that current Oahu train from an empty field in Kapolei at Hoopili to Ala Mo center.
Bus and car technology is improving by leaps and bounds such as buses made of carbon fiber, aluminum, titanium or lightweight steel and improvements in battery technology will provide lightweight electric buses that run its entire route without having to recharge. Add the current technology of driver assist that links the presence of cars next to each other will improve traffic flow and greatly reduce gridlock inducing traffic accidents on Oahu. The technology is actually already here just not built into everyone’s car right now. The Oahu rail project, like the Hawaii Health connector is a total useless FAILURE that Trump needs to end once and for all.
Trump has no intention of saving your tax dollars. He has stated plainly he intends to spend trillions on building up the military and the military industrial complex. He is also going to reduce the taxes of people like himself and his Wall Street and corporate billionaire friends, by not requiring them to pay their share for the Affordable Care Act. Trump is acting in collusion with Exxon Mobil, the oil and gas companies, and Putin to sell more Exxon Mobil Russian Oil to control the International oil and gas market, and bring greater profits to all of the above. Since Trump has been elected, oil and gas prices have gone up, costing the American consumer more at the gas pump, more for flying, and more for electricity, at the expense of global warming and increased environmental pollution
And who is still in office? Whos to blame now?
As for Trump helping his supporters, since he has been elected mortgage rates are going up, making anyone having hopes of buying a home less likely
The two choices we had – A plane that can crash or a ship that can sink, with neither one in perfect condition.
IRT latenight: Love that comment, 100% agree with you…Ee didn’t get the BEST like we deserve we the the BETTER of the damaged goods…We have Trump now and the anti-Trumpers will criticize at every turn BUT they’re not the important ones…Trumpers need to hold him accountable and be unbiased, they’re smart enough to see the blindness of Obama supporters and Bush supporters and on and on, if they want it to be different then they need to be different..#MAGA
Love that comment, 100% agree with you…We didn’t get the BEST like we deserve we got the BETTER of the damaged goods…
Jusris you really think the Chumpsters can be objective at this point of the game. It’s a done deal and the ball is in their court. References to those of us who didn’t vote for the Chump is an insult to our intelligence. I’ve noticed that you have been trying to neutralize the results of the election by trying to equate the imperfections of both candidates and their supporters. To me the pressure is on the Chump to perform and those who are responsible for his victory to hold him accountable.
‘We have to trust him’
When you can’t comprehend or believe the person whose hands you just put your life in, you have no choice but to close your eyes and go for the ride, praying silently to yourself. Fasten your seat belts!!!
Trump has said on his campaign trail that he loves the uneducated masses that blindly follow him no matter what he says or does. They shall see very soon what kind of destruction a Trump administration can cause to this planet. As Michelle Obama said, ‘We are feeling what not having hope feels like’…
keaukaha says:As far as being on the plane comment only the Chumpsters are on that plane. People with brains elected to stay on the ground.
How nifty.
It is the sour grapes loser/grumblers who imagine themselves to be the “People with brains” when in fact it was an electoral majority of those who prefer to think rather than merely FEEL who saw through the “news” media smoke screen of outright lies, identified the better candidate and made him PRESIDENT ELECT.
Of course the winner was blessed to have Felony-Shrillary for an opponent.
If and when the Democrat Party big shots finally have to good sense to conduct a post mortem, they will have to admit to themselves that they could not have picked a worse standard bearer: an unlikeable, foul mouthed, not terribly bright, power lusting harridan whose “campaign” was a non stop roller coaster ride of amateurish blunders. Calling half the electorate “deplorable” would be a gold medal contender if s t u p I d were an Olympic sport.
Thos my point is that you should know that the pilots can really fly a plane before you get on it. To get on a plane and then think about it is more than stupid.
trumnpy maybe draining the old swamp but he is putting a new swamp in, worse than before. most of them are while males, bigots, racists, and dufuses.
Just name calling with nothing to say?
Abraham Lincoln, A nation divided cannot long endure
Oh, I don’t know about that. Old Abe may be wrong in this instance.
The NORMAL people of our country have been putting up with the likes of YOU for what seems like a VERY long time.
And given your long term penchant for venomous n a s t I n e s s and shimmering s t u p i d i t y, it looks very much as though folks like you are going to remain a long term burden for NORMAL people to bear.
You forgot to mention Trump is adding to the swamp, a lot of far right military generals, many oil and gas tycoons or people with those connections, Climate Change Deniers, Christian evangelical people
Trump is adding to the swamp, a lot of far right military generals,
Have YOU ever served a day in your life in defense of our country? If so when, where, with what outfit?
Trump is adding to the swamp, … many oil and gas tycoons
Do you drive an automobile? What do you think fuels it, your precious good intentions?
Trump is adding to the swamp . . . Climate Change Deniers,
Earth’s climate has been in constant flux for billions of years. Anyone who actually believes some make believe/for hire “scientist” can exercise a “computer model” to replicate – – let alone predict – – either weather or climate is a mindless idiot. Anyone who has ever programmed a computer model knows what child’s play it is to fool around with a few lines of code and deliver any “scientific” result desired by a paying customer with a political narrative to push.
Trump is adding to the swamp….Christian evangelical people
The free exercise clause of the First Amendment was precisely crafted to protect our cherished LIBERTY from the sort of tyranny folks like you would impose on their neighbors.
Trump is adding to the swamp, a lot of far right military generals,
Have YOU ever served a day in your life in defense of our country? If so when, where, with what outfit?
Trump is adding to the swamp, … many oil and gas tycoons
Do you drive an automobile? What do you think fuels it, your precious good intentions?
Trump is adding to the swamp . . . Climate Change Deniers,
Earth’s climate has been in constant flux for billions of years. Anyone who actually believes some make believe/for hire “scientist” can exercise a “computer model” to replicate – – let alone predict – – either weather or climate is a mindless i d i o t. Anyone who has ever programmed a computer model knows what child’s play it is to tweak a few lines of code and deliver any “scientific” result desired by a paying customer with a political narrative to push.
Trump is adding to the swamp….Christian evangelical people
The free exercise clause of the First Amendment was crafted to protect our cherished LIBERTY from the sort of tyranny folks like you would impose on their neighbors.
Just for the heck of it, could you please share what you mean by: while males.??
Is this some new name for those of the transgendered persuasion?
If so, you must be talking about Democrat Party celebs, not the GOP.
Ok you crybabies and whiners. Ask yourselves, compared to what? Obama? Clinton? Sanders? Stein? Let’s get real. Don’t just flap your lips.
A nation divided led up to the Civil War
In the first place it was NOT a “civil war”.
Civil war is waged to determine who will run a country. The Confederacy had no desire to take over all of America.
And merely because pampered, preachy, pettifogging, preening, pusillanimous, puerile, pretentious, post-war, p i s s a n t members the draft dodging, flag burning, dope smoking, veteran cursing Cry Baby Boom cohort have their knickers in a twist because Felony-Shrillary booted the election, THAT is not enough to produce “a nation divided”. You are not that important.
And why not? Because the vast majority of Americans are not a raggedy a s s e d bunch of self pitying whiners – – that and the fact that NORMAL folks have been putting up with your sort childish temper tantrums for quite a long time.
Trump is a draft dodger, of sorts. He had four deferrals for college, and one deferral for bone spurs in his foot. And, even though he never had surgery to remove the bone spurs, in a recent interview, he couldn’t remember which foot it was. A person should always remember his lie, as he never knows when it’ll come back to haunt him.
Lespark, we have seen the kind of people you represent. Ignorant, hateful, racist, bigoted, conspiracy theorists and propagandists. Just a hate filled, violent and hideous lynch mob. A group that is devolving deeper into ignorance and barbarity
Keep squirming, Skippy.
You will be providing NORMAL people, knee slapping, belly laughing entertainment for at least the next four years.
Lespark as much as you and your kind hate Obama, the other half of the country love him
IRT Vector: Fake News!!!! It’s about 58%…But your bias shows up because you refuse to ADMIT, as much as you hate Trump, 20% of the country LOVES him…#MAGA
Vector more than half. Like 2.8 million more people that voted for Hilliary.
It’s so sad to read people defending Trump’s appointments. Just sad.
How can anyone defend putting Rick Perry in charge of the Department of Energy? People at DOE are shocked that a man who appears barely functional at times will lead the department that develops nuclear weapons.
Mr. Trump is a psychotic.
Actually, the city could pay for the rail ten times over by convincing the state to sell the public lands. First the original owners would have to get their share but then the state could reap a windfall profit with which they could become solvent for decades. The Chinese have cash to burn and would gladly buy the public lands. Why we could build several under water luxury resorts with that kind of money instead of having to duplicate the ocean on dry land in an aquarium and water park, like the Chinese say they are going to do at Ko Olina?
IRT Klastri, hey, good morning. We can’t wait for President elect Trump to nominate the United States Associate Justice to the Supreme Court. The impact will be immediate. Oh, the short list looks just plain outstanding. Even you, Klastri, would support the nominee.
While Trump is busy tweeting and looking over his business Empire, Putin, and China, ISIS, North Korea, will hacking and plotting to undermine and subvert our country and other countries around the world. Another surprise attack like Pearl Harbor, 911, becomes more likely when we have a President who discredits the national security and intelligence agencies, and does not believe daily intelligence briefings are necessary, instead is more concerned about the over rated Saturday Night Live and the statements by the cast of Broadway show Hamilton. We are entering perilous times, with our nation, our Constitution, our democratic institutions, our civil liberties are under attack by the Alt-Right fascists within, and our foreign enemies abroad
Talking about the Supreme Court, has anyone heard if that one justice said that she’s going to retire from the bench if Trump was elected president. Has she turned in her resignation papers? That means Trump will now have two seats to fill on the Supreme Court if follow through on her words.
Ted Nugent said he’d either be dead or in jail, if Obama was elected President. Regretfully, neither has happened.
“Mr. Trump is a psychotic.”
Exactly what the educated (but evil) Russians knew when they helped him win. Unfortunately, the undereducated of this country did not realize that. They’re sort of realizing it now, but won’t admit it.
Gloating = Denial stage.
Monkey: what education level have you attained?
klastri asks: How can anyone defend putting Rick Perry in charge of the Department of Energy?
With any luck at all Secretary-Designate Perry will do away with this boondoogle imposed by that burdensoe nuisance, Jimmy Carter.
He’s putting a guy in charge of the energy department who couldn’t name the three branches of government. This is not Fake News. My wife wouldn’t have passed the citizenship test if she didn’t know this.
A boondoggle? DOE is the agency that researches and upgrades our nuclear weapons.
Jimmy Carter has done more for mankind than you could do in 10 lifetimes. Learn something. Anything would help at this point.
I did not support Trump, but now that he will be President of the US the only viable option is to workmwith him and see if he csn do positive things for Hawaii like cance all federal funding for the Oahu rail project since local elected officials refuse to do the right thing. The exact same thing that happened with the Hawaii Health Connector under an Obama administration should happen with the Oahu rail project. I was with you prior to the election but now that Hillary lost, it is time that someome like Tulsi can mend fences and get a Trump adminstration to help the Hawaii residents. We realize Mazie, Colleen and Brian are not going to be given the time of day by the Repub controlled Congress or Whitehous but Tulsi seems to have some pull with Trump and Repubs, given Tulsi spoke out against Obama an how,hemwas handling the Middle East. That are bucking the Demo party when she protested the BS manipulations for Hillary to defer Bernie. Maybe the Russians hand a hand in leaking the emails, HOWEVER the FACT remains that Demo power brokers Podesta and Wasserman-Shulz was manipulating the Democratic party process to make Hilllary the nominee, regardless of the will of the voters. Give Perry a chance, he might turn out to well as Energy Secretary. You don’t know as Obama gave Hawaii born, military veteran, General and Chief of Staff Shinseki a chance to be head of the Veterans Administration and unfortunately he failed miserably. On paper Shinseki should have kicked azz in the VA and provide vets the support they needed but he was totally MIA at the VA. Thats is the problem of being a hard core Democrat or Republican; one cann put aside their partisan hate and prejudice and work with the people elected to do what is BEST for the citizens of Hawaii and the US
Those who believe the Sociopath-Elect will actually “drain the swamp” will drown in it along with the rest of us. This horrid man can get us all killed. Our near-term future is very dark indeed.
The other nations know Trump is unstable and unpredictable, and may take preemptive action by launching a nuclear attack and a nuclear exchange that no one will be able to stop
Know that the Oahu rail looks like it will follow a similar fate like the Hawaii Health connector, you guys are going all in with anti-Trump propaganda. That is not going to happen as Trump was smart enough to put Reince Preibus as his chief of staff and that guy is level headed and competent. I was NOT a Trump supporter however now that he is President of the US, there are positive things he can do for Hawaii and the US. One is to END RAIL NOW, which Hillary would have never done.
Here is exhibit “A” that illustrates liberalism or progressivism or what ever you want to call it is indeed a mental disorder. You have 2 otherwise “intelligent” posters (copperwire9 and Vector) who have somehow convinced themselves that a Trump presidency will result in a nuclear holocaust. If they were asked to back up their absurd claims they would most likely respond with an emotional outburst and a lot of childish name calling.
IRT CEI: You really ought to read some Trumpers response with that point of view…then be honest, it’s happening on both sides…”WE WON, YOU LOSS GET OVER IT!!! Ring a Bell…#MAGA
You should be ashamed of backing Trump. Anyone can see at this point that he’s mentally ill. Anybody.
No, I will never trust him. I will never give him a chance. I base this on his words and actions. And I, along with many others, will soon be asking “so, how’s this working out for you?” Never my president.
IRT Numilalocal: Its your attitude that forces the ones who actually can call out and hold Trump accountable (his supporters) and not be accused of having sour grapes, to fight back and dig in deeper and support whatever Trump does, just to spite your attitude…#MAGA
How about we give Trump the exact same respect afforded to President Obama for the past eight years?
We will when he learns how to show some respect. Don’t think he knows the meaning of the word.
It seems no matter what happens in the state, country or world. All the ills are put on President Obama. According to many of the post here. The POTUS elect will have to take responsibility some time soon and the time is fast approaching. Have fun with the tours because as of 1/20/17, it will be time to put up. Then again, no matter what bad happens it will still be the other parties fault.
Is this how we come together as a nation? Is this what my relatives went to war for? Is this what our young kids will have to fight for? If you think the conflicts around the globe will stop just because he says so and talks tough, then prepare for a reality check.
To all the losers and whiners, get back into the stands and watch Trump Make America Great. You had your chance to lead. You lost. Get out of the way or get run over.
IRT lespark: Your God Trumps turn to lead, right!!!
Grow up punk.
The problem for us is that a lot of Trump’s cabinet choices do not agree with what Trump has said he wants to do. One guy wants to drill oil wells in Russia, one guy closes coal mines and lays off workers (they are not happy to hear about him in the town he did this in). Trump wants to spend to stimulate job and economic growth, but one guy has been trying to cut the federal spending on infrastructure and the military. Trump wants to keep medicare, but one guy wants to get rid of it and cut social security. Trump wants to spend to rebuild he industrial rust belt and the inner cities, but not many in his cabinet want that. Trump wants to stop NAFTA, and TPTA trade agreements, but his Secretary of State supports those and wants more open trade.
Tempmanoa the Chump continues to dupe his army of fxxls. He is the potus so don’t be one of his fools. He is selecting exactly who he wants to be where he has them. He is a pathological liar and a master of deception. He never had a specific plan through out his entire campaign and refused to release his tax returns. He insulted anyone who disagreed with him and bragged about grabbing women’s pu–ies. The Chumpsters have released the evil genie from his lamp and he has moved Goldman Sachs from Wall Street to the White House and all the fxxls can now brag about that. Eat sh-t , smile and enjoy every spoonful.
Obama Out.
Imagine if more than half of the businesses in Honolulu shut down and many people become unemployed. Imagine the homeless and the real economic pain. What would local people think of their local government and their representatives in Washington? What have your representatives been telling you amidst all of these businesses closing?
Don’t mislead people if the same kind of jobs will likely not be returning. Don’t give people false hope. How would you deal with such a horrendous situation and come to terms with it?
So, stop the blaming and hate. What happens after the anger and acceptance? You vote, and hope, look for solutions that have a chance of working.
Unfortunately, many people are still in anger stage and how can you blame them? How easy is it for people whose families have deep roots where they live to just move and look elsewhere for opportunities? When do they have to accept that their choices are obvious? What happens when Trump promises change that will happen “quickly” and it doesn’t happen?
They will have no one to blame but themselves.