Trump's transgender ban contrary to (vacationing) Mattis, Pentagon. Pentagon press corps blindsided

[highplainsdem]

Link to tweet

Pentagon press corps blindsided by the transgender news. Just weeks ago Mattis gave generals 6 mos. to review implementation. Never reversal

Mattis personally called a Congresswoman to urge her to withdraw an amendment to the defense bill that would have blocked the military from paying for transgender treatment -- an amendment later defeated by a narrow margin with 24 Republicans as well as Democrats voting against it.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/13/politics/house-defeats-bid-block-pentagon-transgender-surgeries/index.html


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Editing to add that Mattis is on vacation this week.

[C_U_L8R]

1. Mattis may want to head for the exit

There is nothing good in this Trump sewer.

[highplainsdem]

2. Probably the main thing stopping him is the thought of who might be appointed to replace him.

I'd be very surprised if Mattis doesn't realize he's one of the few checks on the madman in the White House.

[regnaD kciN]

4. This is the change about which I'd be most worried...

"Mad Dog," ironically, seems to be the one same person in the whole administration.

[babylonsister]

3. I bet this was inspired by Pence. nt

[atreides1]

6. It was!

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-u-s-military-wont-allow-transgender-people-serve-capacity-133152235.html

"On Tuesday, Foreign Press reported that Pence and his staff have been quietly working to undo the Defense Department’s year-old policy of covering medical expenses for procedures for transitioning service members."

[highplainsdem]

7. And it's also a sop to Tucker Carlson, who told DT to lay off Sessions but said Mattis should resign

and called him a "coward" for not opposing trangender service.

https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2017/07/07/tucker-carlson-says-sec-defense-mattis-should-resign-if-he-allows-transgender-americans-serve/217178


Carlson, next to Hannity, has been Trump's strongest supporter on Fox. Trump has to be worried about losing his support over the public bullying of Sessions.

[octoberlib]

8. Bingo. In 1999 Pence came out against allowing women women into the military.

[erpowers]

9. Trying To Keep His Base

I think he is doing this to try to keep his base. I think this is connected to his attacks on Jeff Sessions. I think Trump realized there is one thing he cannot do and keep conservative Republicans on his side. That is attacking Jeff Sessions. His conservative base turned on him when he started attacking Jeff Sessions. I think this is an attempt to make up with them. It might also be an attempt to tell him he is willing to be just as conservative as Sessions.

Also, it was reported this morning that this was done to force Democrats to opposed Trump's Transgender stance. Trump and the gang are hoping supporting Transgender people will hurt Democrats in the 2018 election.

There was a third report that this was done in order to prevent chaos from breaking out in the House of Representatives. Apparently, the House is about to put forward a budget with much of what Trump wanted. However, the House conservatives were threatening to destroy the bill if they did not get a Transgender ban. So, Trump made this announcement this morning in order to prevent the bill from going downhill.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. Mattis said he didn't care about a person's orientation as long as he or she can be lethal.

He seemed to get it right.