We Need To Talk About Donald

[laklak]

Hell, we even elect judges and sheriffs.

[Tero]

And dog catchers.

[Tero]

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https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-choic ... 23741.html

[Brian Peacock]

Bharara was a bit of a surprise, but incoming attorney generals usually fire all of the previous prosecutors. Bill Clinton had all but one fired. They're political apointments, not career jobs.

To me, it seems utterly absurd that a legal officer like a prosecutor is a political appointment...

Or indeed that Sessions, a man who lied under oath to the Senate about his dealings and meetings with Russian representatives, is still in post and has the ability, let alone the authority, to appoint, well, anyone to anything.

[JimC]

I've never seen you quite as "like a dog with a bone" as you are with this Sessions chap...

[pErvinalia]

It's Brian self-loathing about his own contacts to the Russian intelligence community...

[DaveDodo007]

He won, you lost and it looks like I will never run out of salt again. Feels good man.

[Svartalf]

LOl, in a country where judges get elected by the great unwashed, you're surprised that federal prosecutors should be politically appointed?

[pErvinalia]

He won, you lost and it looks like I will never run out of salt again. Feels good man.

Fascism always feels good. Until it's you on the receiving end.

[Forty Two]

LOl, in a country where judges get elected by the great unwashed, you're surprised that federal prosecutors should be politically appointed?

Federal judges are appointed. State judges are generally elected. So what?

So, your beef is that some judges in the US are elected, and that's bad. And, you're "surprised" that US Attorneys are "appointed." What would you prefer? That they be elected? By the unwashed?

What alternative option is there? How do they do it in France? I assume they are neither appointed, nor elected by the great unwashed. Please, describe the enlightened, effective system used by the French...

[Forty Two]

He won, you lost and it looks like I will never run out of salt again. Feels good man.

Fascism always feels good. Until it's you on the receiving end.

That's the leftist line. They like fascism when they hold the whip. A liberal wants neither end of the whip.

[Forty Two]

Hell, we even elect judges and sheriffs.

o
Too much democracy is undemocratic. No other modern, industrialized country elects government officials like that. Well, except where they do. Don't you know the rules here, Laklak? In the US, if a position is elected, it's ridiculous to allow the great unwashed to elect that position. If the position is appointed, then we're all aghast that the US would allow such a position to be an appointed position, letting the party in power appoint those they want in the position... you know, a civilized country has a system where elected positions are voted upon by the great rational, educated electorate, and appointed positions are done without regard for the preference of the political party in power. In civilized countries, political parties and majority governments don't result in the winners advancing their causes by appointing like-minded persons to positions within the government. A conservative government in a civilized nation will appoint a broad cross-section of political perspectives, and even place political enemies in influential positions within the government.

[Forty Two]

Bharara was a bit of a surprise, but incoming attorney generals usually fire all of the previous prosecutors. Bill Clinton had all but one fired. They're political apointments, not career jobs.

To me, it seems utterly absurd that a legal officer like a prosecutor is a political appointment...

What they are talking about are high level positions. These are not just "prosecutors" - they are US Attorneys, and there are only 93 of them total. Day to day prosecutorial duties are done by AUSAs or "Assistant US Attorneys" who do the prosecuting on various assigned cases in their districts. Each US Attorney has a rather large office, with up to 350 Assistant US Attorneys and up to 350 support personnel working for them.

The office of US Attorney is a high level position, requiring appointment directly by the President of the United States, and they must be confirmed by the United States Senate. So, this is not just a prosecutor who is handling cases. it's a policy level person, whose job it is to act for the President as the chief law enforcement officer in his district. The reason these folks are appointed is that they are there to implement the policies and wishes of the Executive Branch, and if someone is in the position who has antipathy to the President or the current executive branch, they can act contrary to the wishes President's wishes, and even act to frustrate or undermine what the President wants to do. Like, if the President wants prosecutors to focus on, say, prosecuting drug crimes or racketeering crimes, but the US Attorney prefers to focus the offices resources on, say, internet frauds.

As President Barack Obama's first Attorney General, Eric Holder, stated in early 2009, "....elections matter--it is our intention to have the U.S. Attorneys that are selected by President Obama in place as quickly as they can." That's when they were letting go Bush US Attorneys, and appointing Obama US Attorneys. This was, of course, reported as Obama "replacing" Bush US Attorneys. Now, though, when Trump does it it's Trump "ousting" the US Attorneys, LOL. When the eminently reasonable Bill Clinton was elected, he fired all 93 of them in one day.

So, what's the problem with Trump letting them go? Obviously, the left wants people in the position of US Attorney who can help undermine Trump. So, lets scream and yell about how fascist it is for Trump to do what Obama and Clinton did. It's reasonable when Democrats do it. It's fascist when Trump does it.

[Scot Dutchy]

Like electing the dog catcher. No other country does that never mind civilised or not. These are civil service jobs and should be appointed on merit.

[pErvinalia]

I'm not sure how other countries do it, but in Australia the A'sG are elected to government as ordinary members of parliament serving their electorates, and then appointed by the party/party-leader to their positions.