Quick list: Updated: 11/21 (thanks @Eji1700 and @LookAtTheName) Secretary of state: Marco Rubio Department of Homeland Security secretary: Kristi Noem Secretary of defense: Pete Hegseth...
You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. Seriously it's a who's who of incompetant shitheads and cronies. Can't say I'm surprised. I wish I had the time...
You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.
Seriously it's a who's who of incompetant shitheads and cronies. Can't say I'm surprised.
I wish I had the time to properly document how bad these are. But Marco Rubio is a climate change denier and Stephen Miller is a white nationalist seeking to deploy private red-state armies into blue states that don't comply with deportation orders so......
Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian asset. See, I'm not the washington post or whatever, I can state a fact like that and not have to say dumb legalese like "She has apparent conflicts of interest" or "has...
Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian asset.
See, I'm not the washington post or whatever, I can state a fact like that and not have to say dumb legalese like "She has apparent conflicts of interest" or "has made statements that favor Russia and China over the United States", or "nobody knows why Russian agent Elena Branson donated to her campaign".
For a while I wondered why the republican party has so many ties to Russia. It seems that they are very cheap to buy. A lot of people assumed that there was kompromat against them that would cause them to do openly shocking things, such as when 6 senators and a house member prominently went to Russia on July 4 2018. This was right after the Senate Intelligence committee confirmed the US Intelligence communities assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. But I should have noticed see that Russia is not just handing them bags of money, but coordinating the dark money propaganda that helps them get into power, regardless of their total lack of ability to do the job.
There are people stating their opinions bluntly all the time, in forums great and small, claiming all sorts of things to be facts. I find it tedious, unpersuasive, and don’t see it as something to...
There are people stating their opinions bluntly all the time, in forums great and small, claiming all sorts of things to be facts. I find it tedious, unpersuasive, and don’t see it as something to encourage. More “dumb legalese” from careful journalists, please - or better yet, more reporting on what evidence there is.
With respect to Trump, this has not been the issue. The issue has been reluctance or refusal to report on what evidence there is. Trump himself is a Russian asset. This was found in the Mueller...
With respect to Trump, this has not been the issue. The issue has been reluctance or refusal to report on what evidence there is.
Trump himself is a Russian asset. This was found in the Mueller Report. It said that there was collusion between the trump campaign and Russia. That Trump associates with Russian officials and spies. That Trump obstructed justice which tied the hands of doing more investigation.
Trump's AG William Barr went on the news and said there was no collusion. This was repeated over and over by right wing media such as Fox News which has propagandists which are called "journalists".
This story should have been much bigger than Watergate. The NY Times, Washington Post, Network News, and other bastions of the American press ran some stories about it but soon went on to other scandals and continued to normalize Trump as if he was a typical politician.
This is just a fraction of the story.
My blunt opinion is not borne from thin air, but from absolute fury at how the most dangerous person in American history is once again going to work on destruction of the country with the help of foreign enemies and a largely compliant corporate press.
"Tulsi Gabbard’s Nomination Is a National-Security Risk." The Atlantic. I wouldn't go so far as to say she's a Russian asset, but she doesn't seem to mind behaving in a manner consistent with one....
Gabbard’s shilling for Assad is a mystery, but she’s even more dedicated to carrying Putin’s water. Tom Rogan, a conservative writer and hardly a liberal handwringer, summed up her record succinctly in the Washington Examiner today:
She has blamed NATO and the U.S. for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (again, to the celebration of both Russian and Chinese state media), has repeated Russian propaganda claims that the U.S. has set up secret bioweapons labs in that country, and has argued that the U.S. not Russia is wholly responsible for Putin’s nuclear brinkmanship.
I wouldn't go so far as to say she's a Russian asset, but she doesn't seem to mind behaving in a manner consistent with one. Her views would be problematic for anyone trying to obtain a security clearance; for the director of national intelligence, they're obviously disqualifying.
I’m surprised I haven’t seen more celebrating over her nomination precisely because of these disqualifications. There is a non trivial fringe of Americans (not restricted to either left or right)...
I’m surprised I haven’t seen more celebrating over her nomination precisely because of these disqualifications. There is a non trivial fringe of Americans (not restricted to either left or right) who hate the intelligence community and would love to watch them take a humble.
Going to be real interesting to see how much the senate actually pushes back on appointments like Gaetz, and how much Trump tries to end around them. Edit- Oh also hoping someone sets up a head of...
Going to be real interesting to see how much the senate actually pushes back on appointments like Gaetz, and how much Trump tries to end around them.
Edit-
Oh also hoping someone sets up a head of lettuce for each one. The Trump Cabinet Carousel was already grinding its way through last time, wonder if it's going to start off on puree or ramp up.
Not a native speaker - can I ask what you mean by lettuce, carousel, puree? I have a suspicion that Gaetz is a scapegoat that the media will focus on, drawing attention away from everything else...
Not a native speaker - can I ask what you mean by lettuce, carousel, puree?
I have a suspicion that Gaetz is a scapegoat that the media will focus on, drawing attention away from everything else because of how outrageous it is to appoint him. Classic salesman tactic of giving a horrible offer at first, then giving another offer that is still awful but seems better in comparison.
I assume "lettuce" refers to the head of lettuce that outlasted Liz Truss's tenure as Britain's Prime Minister "Carrousel" I think refers to the high turnover of his previous cabinet members, like...
"Carrousel" I think refers to the high turnover of his previous cabinet members, like a revolving door of political appointments. There's even a meme where the length of time someone lasted working under Trump was measured in Mooches, named after Anthony Scaramucci who lasted 11 days as Trump's press secretary.
Puree is one of the fastest settings you can set on a blender or food processor to turn food like fruit and vegetables into a liquid with small chunks/sauce-like state, so again using an analogy...
Puree is one of the fastest settings you can set on a blender or food processor to turn food like fruit and vegetables into a liquid with small chunks/sauce-like state, so again using an analogy of the spinning object like the carousel but this time emphasizing speed and destruction.
What I have heard (not sure if it's true, but it seems reasonable) is that Musk is basically offering / threatening to fund primaries for any Republican Trump opposition in congress. So as long as...
What I have heard (not sure if it's true, but it seems reasonable) is that Musk is basically offering / threatening to fund primaries for any Republican Trump opposition in congress. So as long as Trump and Musk remain on good terms we should expect him to remain in Trump's orbit and 'opposition' to Trump to somewhat cowed.
Yeup, but how long will that last? Musk had Trumps ear the first time and they parted ways pretty quickly. The irony of trumps term being that he probably could accomplish a lot more if he didn't...
Yeup, but how long will that last? Musk had Trumps ear the first time and they parted ways pretty quickly. The irony of trumps term being that he probably could accomplish a lot more if he didn't also drive away people.
I think Musk is obviously offering Trump a lot more reasons to keep him around this time. I'm guessing he will, at least for the near future. It seems inevitable there will be a clash of egos though.
I think Musk is obviously offering Trump a lot more reasons to keep him around this time. I'm guessing he will, at least for the near future. It seems inevitable there will be a clash of egos though.
First initial thoughts is that the House Pubs are probably wincing every time Trump calls up someone who is eating into the lead that they still haven't won yet. "DoGE" is silly and not a real...
First initial thoughts is that the House Pubs are probably wincing every time Trump calls up someone who is eating into the lead that they still haven't won yet. "DoGE" is silly and not a real thing, but is probably going to get a lot of chatter, just like it's namesake. It doesn't look like experience is much of a concern so much as it is Trump giving out positions to all his friends. Maybe it means that the state apparatus is going to fumble it's way out of the most efficient atrocities on its way to fascism and just be four more years of his last administration's nonsense? Is that too much too much of an optimistic take?
Edit: Why Rubio? Probably a compromise with somebody?
I’d call your opinion the realistic scenario. It’s Donald Trump and friends, why expect otherwise? Besides, how many of these will last more than six months? Perhaps there’s still time for Ron...
I’d call your opinion the realistic scenario. It’s Donald Trump and friends, why expect otherwise? Besides, how many of these will last more than six months?
Perhaps there’s still time for Ron DeSantis to make up with the Orange Godfather and become EPA chief (the best of all the bad options).
I think these appointments beyond one or two are designed to create a background noise of Trump furor and everyone is falling for it again. I get it, most of these are bonkers and deeply unserious...
I think these appointments beyond one or two are designed to create a background noise of Trump furor and everyone is falling for it again.
I get it, most of these are bonkers and deeply unserious picks. It's understandable people want to talk about that. But the picks themselves aren't the actual and very real problem we'll be facing in a few months. I think the media (well, really it's readership) needs to show more restraint in covering Trump. It seems obvious that this kind of stuff is deliberately aimed at creating a background noise and temperature in the media space that's going to cause Trump fatigue again. Save the coverage and editorials and all the commentary for when it matters.
The people in charge of these picks aren't dumb -- I don't think this is 5D chess or anything but it seems like the strategy is pretty well defined at this point. Report bluntly and move on imo.
Yeah this is exactly the same palace intrigue garbage that trapped me in an endless cycles of news consumption during his previous term. I'm determined not to fall into it again. We all know each...
Yeah this is exactly the same palace intrigue garbage that trapped me in an endless cycles of news consumption during his previous term. I'm determined not to fall into it again.
We all know each and every pick is going to be terrible, it doesn't matter who the specific name is. It's not worth keeping up on. When something of consequence actually happens, you'll hear about it.
Trump is going to say or do something historically stupid every other day during his presidency, just like last time. But 99% of it won't end up mattering. The best thing you can do for yourself is not get invested, save your energy for when there's something that can actually be done.
Quick list:
Updated: 11/21 (thanks @Eji1700 and @LookAtTheName)
Matt GaetzYou will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.
Seriously it's a who's who of incompetant shitheads and cronies. Can't say I'm surprised.
I wish I had the time to properly document how bad these are. But Marco Rubio is a climate change denier and Stephen Miller is a white nationalist seeking to deploy private red-state armies into blue states that don't comply with deportation orders so......
Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian asset.
See, I'm not the washington post or whatever, I can state a fact like that and not have to say dumb legalese like "She has apparent conflicts of interest" or "has made statements that favor Russia and China over the United States", or "nobody knows why Russian agent Elena Branson donated to her campaign".
For a while I wondered why the republican party has so many ties to Russia. It seems that they are very cheap to buy. A lot of people assumed that there was kompromat against them that would cause them to do openly shocking things, such as when 6 senators and a house member prominently went to Russia on July 4 2018. This was right after the Senate Intelligence committee confirmed the US Intelligence communities assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. But I should have noticed see that Russia is not just handing them bags of money, but coordinating the dark money propaganda that helps them get into power, regardless of their total lack of ability to do the job.
There are people stating their opinions bluntly all the time, in forums great and small, claiming all sorts of things to be facts. I find it tedious, unpersuasive, and don’t see it as something to encourage. More “dumb legalese” from careful journalists, please - or better yet, more reporting on what evidence there is.
With respect to Trump, this has not been the issue. The issue has been reluctance or refusal to report on what evidence there is.
Trump himself is a Russian asset. This was found in the Mueller Report. It said that there was collusion between the trump campaign and Russia. That Trump associates with Russian officials and spies. That Trump obstructed justice which tied the hands of doing more investigation.
Trump's AG William Barr went on the news and said there was no collusion. This was repeated over and over by right wing media such as Fox News which has propagandists which are called "journalists".
This story should have been much bigger than Watergate. The NY Times, Washington Post, Network News, and other bastions of the American press ran some stories about it but soon went on to other scandals and continued to normalize Trump as if he was a typical politician.
This is just a fraction of the story.
My blunt opinion is not borne from thin air, but from absolute fury at how the most dangerous person in American history is once again going to work on destruction of the country with the help of foreign enemies and a largely compliant corporate press.
I wouldn't go so far as to say she's a Russian asset, but she doesn't seem to mind behaving in a manner consistent with one. Her views would be problematic for anyone trying to obtain a security clearance; for the director of national intelligence, they're obviously disqualifying.
I’m surprised I haven’t seen more celebrating over her nomination precisely because of these disqualifications. There is a non trivial fringe of Americans (not restricted to either left or right) who hate the intelligence community and would love to watch them take a humble.
Is the president elect not a Russian asset?
Going to be real interesting to see how much the senate actually pushes back on appointments like Gaetz, and how much Trump tries to end around them.
Edit-
Oh also hoping someone sets up a head of lettuce for each one. The Trump Cabinet Carousel was already grinding its way through last time, wonder if it's going to start off on puree or ramp up.
Not a native speaker - can I ask what you mean by lettuce, carousel, puree?
I have a suspicion that Gaetz is a scapegoat that the media will focus on, drawing attention away from everything else because of how outrageous it is to appoint him. Classic salesman tactic of giving a horrible offer at first, then giving another offer that is still awful but seems better in comparison.
I assume "lettuce" refers to the head of lettuce that outlasted Liz Truss's tenure as Britain's Prime Minister
"Carrousel" I think refers to the high turnover of his previous cabinet members, like a revolving door of political appointments. There's even a meme where the length of time someone lasted working under Trump was measured in Mooches, named after Anthony Scaramucci who lasted 11 days as Trump's press secretary.
Not sure about puree though!
Puree is one of the fastest settings you can set on a blender or food processor to turn food like fruit and vegetables into a liquid with small chunks/sauce-like state, so again using an analogy of the spinning object like the carousel but this time emphasizing speed and destruction.
Ah thank you that makes sense. Here they call that setting "turbo"
Damn okay, thank you for explaining - also @foreigner! I would have never guessed this haha
Welp, one lettuce wilted already, looks like Matt Gaetz is withdrawing
Does polymarket have lettuce odds? Seems like a miss if not.
You gotta go cabbage, not lettuce or it's too easy even in this admin
I'm all for rating picks on a range of perishable produce items. Where are they on a scale of lettuce to potato?
I don't hate that method
What I have heard (not sure if it's true, but it seems reasonable) is that Musk is basically offering / threatening to fund primaries for any Republican Trump opposition in congress. So as long as Trump and Musk remain on good terms we should expect him to remain in Trump's orbit and 'opposition' to Trump to somewhat cowed.
Yeup, but how long will that last? Musk had Trumps ear the first time and they parted ways pretty quickly. The irony of trumps term being that he probably could accomplish a lot more if he didn't also drive away people.
I think Musk is obviously offering Trump a lot more reasons to keep him around this time. I'm guessing he will, at least for the near future. It seems inevitable there will be a clash of egos though.
Not sure if it's a cabinet position but Dr Oz for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services just announced.
Seeing more news that confirms RFK Jr for Health and Safety
First initial thoughts is that the House Pubs are probably wincing every time Trump calls up someone who is eating into the lead that they still haven't won yet. "DoGE" is silly and not a real thing, but is probably going to get a lot of chatter, just like it's namesake. It doesn't look like experience is much of a concern so much as it is Trump giving out positions to all his friends. Maybe it means that the state apparatus is going to fumble it's way out of the most efficient atrocities on its way to fascism and just be four more years of his last administration's nonsense? Is that too much too much of an optimistic take?
Edit: Why Rubio? Probably a compromise with somebody?
I’d call your opinion the realistic scenario. It’s Donald Trump and friends, why expect otherwise? Besides, how many of these will last more than six months?
Perhaps there’s still time for Ron DeSantis to make up with the Orange Godfather and become EPA chief (the best of all the bad options).
May only last 6 months, but will ruin some part of the coutnry for years to come. A hurricane, basically.
Less damage than if they stay the full 48 months. Hurricane vs. KT asteroid.
Well, we've tried everything else, how about kakistocracy?
Interestingly not too significantly different than a cacastocracy, which would be a cacastrophe.
I think these appointments beyond one or two are designed to create a background noise of Trump furor and everyone is falling for it again.
I get it, most of these are bonkers and deeply unserious picks. It's understandable people want to talk about that. But the picks themselves aren't the actual and very real problem we'll be facing in a few months. I think the media (well, really it's readership) needs to show more restraint in covering Trump. It seems obvious that this kind of stuff is deliberately aimed at creating a background noise and temperature in the media space that's going to cause Trump fatigue again. Save the coverage and editorials and all the commentary for when it matters.
The people in charge of these picks aren't dumb -- I don't think this is 5D chess or anything but it seems like the strategy is pretty well defined at this point. Report bluntly and move on imo.
Yeah this is exactly the same palace intrigue garbage that trapped me in an endless cycles of news consumption during his previous term. I'm determined not to fall into it again.
We all know each and every pick is going to be terrible, it doesn't matter who the specific name is. It's not worth keeping up on. When something of consequence actually happens, you'll hear about it.
Trump is going to say or do something historically stupid every other day during his presidency, just like last time. But 99% of it won't end up mattering. The best thing you can do for yourself is not get invested, save your energy for when there's something that can actually be done.