Just because it's predictable doesn't
make it less painful.
July 13 // July 7 2017
With apologies to the wonderful, gifted Jonathan Larson....
Tick. Tick. Boom!
For everyone who follows and understands our two-weeks-ago filter, this will be unfamiliar. Our practice has been to let stories marinate for at least two weeks before we comment or examine them with the benefit of time and circumstance.
But we’re breaking our own rule for this story because we just can’t take it. Thank you for understanding. Sometimes, we just can't wait.
For anyone who can’t seem to read the news, or follow the news, or dig just slightly deeper into the news; for everyone who parrots the headlines and has rarely had an original thought…. before exploding in outrage, try to follow this timeline, okay? Here we go.
Today’s outrage: G 20 Summit and Ms. Ivanka Trump.
Ivanka Trump – unqualified, unelected and unfortunately related to President Donald Trump – “sits in” for the president by taking his place at a table during the G 20 Summit.
Four, three, two, one…
OUTRAGE-O-METER explodes!
Breathe, everyone. Just breathe.
Let’s back up, shall we? To a White House press briefing on June 29. Here’s what we learned there about the agenda for the G 20 Summit:
DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL GARY COHN
ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S UPCOMING VISIT TO
POLAND AND GERMANY 6 29 17
“Finally, the United States is pleased that the G 20 will have a focus on women’s economic empowerment. We believe that gender equality and women’s empowerment is vital in today’s labor market. We are advocating for more equality and equal access to the workplace, financial services, and the labor market with quality employment for women and men all throughout the world.”
TICK...
Okay – we don't want anyone to get lost here so a quick summary so far:
One of the topics we know was to be part of the agenda at the G 20 was women’s economic empowerment.
Moving on….
According to CNN, a panel at the G 20, including World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, formally rolled out the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative ("We-Fi"), a World Bank facility focused on promoting women's entrepreneurship in developing countries.
President Trump committed the U.S. to contributing $50 million to the new World Bank Group Facility for Women Entrepreneurship.
TICK...
Side note…okay...makes sense. So far, so good. We knew that was coming because we heard about it in the press briefing. And now we know some of the details. Thank you Jim Yong Kim!
At the meeting during the discussion of this initiative, sitting next to Jim Yong Kim was none other than….Ivanka Trump.
BOOM!!!
Side note: Why her? Why then? What does she have to do with this? What makes her qualified to sit in – even briefly – about anything?
Okay – to recap, just so everyone can keep up:
The G 20 meetings included a roundtable discussion of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, a World Bank Facility. Ivanka Trump sat in – briefly – for her father, President Donald Trump – at this roundtable discussion about the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, a World Bank facility.
Side note: So what? Why should she be involved in this discussion, even for ten minutes? She’s the First Daughter! An unpaid advisor! We didn't elect her to do anything!!!!!! Why wasn’t another more elevated official sitting in for the President’s instead to discuss the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, a World Bank facility?
From CNN:
The creation of the facility was Ivanka Trump's idea as she held meetings on the topic of women's empowerment during the beginning of her father's administration, including one with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, who shepherded the facility's creation.
Side note: Sure, it was. Sure…maybe she “came up with it” and all but probably didn’t ever give it a second thought.
From CNN:
A World Bank source told CNN in May that Ivanka Trump played an "instrumental" role advocating for the facility. She was in communication with Kim as the facility passed through its working stage phase, praising his leadership on social media.
In the words of Emily Litella: "Never mind."
With apologies to the wonderful, gifted Jonathan Larson....
Tick. Tick. Boom!
For everyone who follows and understands our two-weeks-ago filter, this will be unfamiliar. Our practice has been to let stories marinate for at least two weeks before we comment or examine them with the benefit of time and circumstance.
But we’re breaking our own rule for this story because we just can’t take it. Thank you for understanding. Sometimes, we just can't wait.
For anyone who can’t seem to read the news, or follow the news, or dig just slightly deeper into the news; for everyone who parrots the headlines and has rarely had an original thought…. before exploding in outrage, try to follow this timeline, okay? Here we go.
Today’s outrage: G 20 Summit and Ms. Ivanka Trump.
Ivanka Trump – unqualified, unelected and unfortunately related to President Donald Trump – “sits in” for the president by taking his place at a table during the G 20 Summit.
Four, three, two, one…
OUTRAGE-O-METER explodes!
Breathe, everyone. Just breathe.
Let’s back up, shall we? To a White House press briefing on June 29. Here’s what we learned there about the agenda for the G 20 Summit:
DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL GARY COHN
ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S UPCOMING VISIT TO
POLAND AND GERMANY 6 29 17
“Finally, the United States is pleased that the G 20 will have a focus on women’s economic empowerment. We believe that gender equality and women’s empowerment is vital in today’s labor market. We are advocating for more equality and equal access to the workplace, financial services, and the labor market with quality employment for women and men all throughout the world.”
TICK...
Okay – we don't want anyone to get lost here so a quick summary so far:
One of the topics we know was to be part of the agenda at the G 20 was women’s economic empowerment.
Moving on….
According to CNN, a panel at the G 20, including World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, formally rolled out the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative ("We-Fi"), a World Bank facility focused on promoting women's entrepreneurship in developing countries.
President Trump committed the U.S. to contributing $50 million to the new World Bank Group Facility for Women Entrepreneurship.
TICK...
Side note…okay...makes sense. So far, so good. We knew that was coming because we heard about it in the press briefing. And now we know some of the details. Thank you Jim Yong Kim!
At the meeting during the discussion of this initiative, sitting next to Jim Yong Kim was none other than….Ivanka Trump.
BOOM!!!
Side note: Why her? Why then? What does she have to do with this? What makes her qualified to sit in – even briefly – about anything?
Okay – to recap, just so everyone can keep up:
The G 20 meetings included a roundtable discussion of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, a World Bank Facility. Ivanka Trump sat in – briefly – for her father, President Donald Trump – at this roundtable discussion about the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, a World Bank facility.
Side note: So what? Why should she be involved in this discussion, even for ten minutes? She’s the First Daughter! An unpaid advisor! We didn't elect her to do anything!!!!!! Why wasn’t another more elevated official sitting in for the President’s instead to discuss the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, a World Bank facility?
From CNN:
The creation of the facility was Ivanka Trump's idea as she held meetings on the topic of women's empowerment during the beginning of her father's administration, including one with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, who shepherded the facility's creation.
Side note: Sure, it was. Sure…maybe she “came up with it” and all but probably didn’t ever give it a second thought.
From CNN:
A World Bank source told CNN in May that Ivanka Trump played an "instrumental" role advocating for the facility. She was in communication with Kim as the facility passed through its working stage phase, praising his leadership on social media.
In the words of Emily Litella: "Never mind."