Veterans

pinboy3niner

(53,339 posts) Fri Dec 23, 2016, 01:38 PM Dec 2016

Trump won votes promising to protect veterans, but major veterans groups are rattled by his plans

By Evan Halper (Los Angeles Times)
December 22, 2016, 3:25 PM |Reporting from Washington

...

Under pressure from conservative activists, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and organizations funded by the Koch Brothers, Trump is contemplating choosing an agency chief who would upend the entire veterans healthcare system. That would come over the protest of the country’s major veterans groups.

...

Sarah Palin’s name has been raised. Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown has openly sought the job. Some in the transition team have touted Toby Cosgrove, the CEO of the Cleveland Clinic and a cardiac surgeon who served in Vietnam. Obama considered him for the job several years ago.

Most alarming to some of the country’s main veterans groups is Peter Hegseth, the former executive director of Concerned Veterans for America, one of a network of nonprofit groups bankrolled by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch. The 36-year-old Hegseth, a Fox News contributor, has met with Trump more than once.

...

Rieckhoff’s group and other major organizations have urgently requested to meet with Trump. They have not been able to get a commitment. The transition team instead sent a delegation to talk with them which included Omarosa Manigault, a star of Trump’s reality TV show “The Apprentice.”

“It is actually insulting,” said Rieckhoff. “The highest-ranking person the leading veterans services organizations have met with is Omarosa.”

...

Gingrich is offering his own advice, lobbying Trump to pay no mind to the veterans groups. ....

...

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-veterans-20161222-story.html

12 replies

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Highlight:

Trump won votes promising to protect veterans, but major veterans groups are rattled by his plans (Original Post) pinboy3niner Dec 2016 OP

They let themselves get suckered by a Republican chickenhawk with five military deferments Achilleaze Dec 2016 #1

stop me before I start ranting oldtime dfl_er Dec 2016 #2

Yes, "rebuilding the military" ymetca Dec 2016 #3

What in the complete hell did his supporters think they were voting for? onecaliberal Dec 2016 #4

Too make other people's lives worse... SammyWinstonJack Dec 2016 #9

Well I guess they were to clever by half.... onecaliberal Dec 2016 #10

Guess they'll go down with the ship with the rest of us. Kittycow Dec 2016 #5

Newt is a has been, adulterer and convicted on ethic charges Angry Dragon Dec 2016 #6

Kick. All the republicans I know are just SURE they are doing right by vets with their vote. Squinch Dec 2016 #7

Maybe Mr Cosgrove DashOneBravo Dec 2016 #8

Cosgrove has withdrawn his name from consideration pinboy3niner Jan 2017 #11

I am sure they DashOneBravo Jan 2017 #12

Achilleaze

(15,543 posts)

1. They let themselves get suckered by a Republican chickenhawk with five military deferments

Reply to pinboy3niner (Original post)

Fri Dec 23, 2016, 01:43 PM

Dec 2016

Hello! The Republican chickenhawks are not - and never have been - friends to America's veterans.

Wake up and smell the republican chickenhawkery.

oldtime dfl_er

(7,009 posts)

2. stop me before I start ranting

Reply to pinboy3niner (Original post)

Fri Dec 23, 2016, 01:45 PM

Dec 2016

So, let's see..so far the buyer's remorse has extended to...

people not believing he'd take away Obamacare
people believing he'd build the wall
people believing he'd drain the swamp
people believing he'd throw Hillary in jail

and now he's screwing the veterans.

When will people learn? I really tear my hair out daily over this. The Republicans have not been "for the people" for 50 years or more. Yet morons keep voting them in because .... because....

ymetca

(1,182 posts)

3. Yes, "rebuilding the military"

Reply to pinboy3niner (Original post)

Fri Dec 23, 2016, 01:46 PM

Dec 2016

is but code for "letting private contractors stick their snouts deeper into the public cash trough while throwing our veterans under the bus".

onecaliberal

(36,332 posts)

4. What in the complete hell did his supporters think they were voting for?

Reply to pinboy3niner (Original post)

Fri Dec 23, 2016, 01:46 PM

Dec 2016

SammyWinstonJack

(44,169 posts)

9. Too make other people's lives worse...

Reply to onecaliberal (Reply #4)

Sat Dec 31, 2016, 09:16 AM

Dec 2016

onecaliberal

(36,332 posts)

10. Well I guess they were to clever by half....

Reply to SammyWinstonJack (Reply #9)

Sat Dec 31, 2016, 12:43 PM

Dec 2016

Kittycow

(2,396 posts)

5. Guess they'll go down with the ship with the rest of us.

Reply to pinboy3niner (Original post)

Fri Dec 23, 2016, 01:46 PM

Dec 2016

However since it's such monumental issue, maybe it won't be brushed under the (big orange ) rug?

Angry Dragon

(36,693 posts)

6. Newt is a has been, adulterer and convicted on ethic charges

Reply to pinboy3niner (Original post)

Fri Dec 23, 2016, 03:14 PM

Dec 2016

just the man Trump should listen to

Squinch

(53,202 posts)

7. Kick. All the republicans I know are just SURE they are doing right by vets with their vote.

Reply to pinboy3niner (Original post)

Fri Dec 23, 2016, 03:16 PM

Dec 2016

In spite of all the evidence for years and years and years.

DashOneBravo

(2,679 posts)

8. Maybe Mr Cosgrove

Reply to pinboy3niner (Original post)

Fri Dec 23, 2016, 06:00 PM

Dec 2016

I'd vote for pinboy39!

pinboy3niner

(53,339 posts)

11. Cosgrove has withdrawn his name from consideration

Reply to DashOneBravo (Reply #8)

Tue Jan 3, 2017, 05:07 AM

Jan 2017

And for some mysterious reason, my name hasn't come up. You can't explain that!

According to CNN, while Cosgrove was interested in the position, and was one of the top contenders for the job, he decided he should stay at the clinic because he wanted to "see several high-profile projects complete."

Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove withdraws from consideration for Trump's VA secretary position
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/national/cleveland-clinic-ceo-toby-cosgrove-withdraws-from-consideration-for-trumps-va-secretary-position

DashOneBravo

(2,679 posts)

12. I am sure they

Reply to pinboy3niner (Reply #11)

Fri Jan 6, 2017, 06:06 PM

Jan 2017

Are getting the Trump jet all squared away for you to fly in.

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