I think journalists, policymakers and good govt types are struggling to understand DOGE because their mental model is that it is a government reform commission, operating like previous ones. Maybe. But it might be better to start thinking about it as a hostile takeover of the govt by oligarchs. - ThreadSky

donmoyn.bsky.social • 132 days ago

I think journalists, policymakers and good govt types are struggling to understand DOGE because their mental model is that it is a government reform commission, operating like previous ones. Maybe. But it might be better to start thinking about it as a hostile takeover of the govt by oligarchs.

Comments

donmoyn.bsky.social•132 days ago

DOGE is not a dept and clearly has no intention of following federal guidelines for outside advisory groups. What it does have is a massive social media pulpit via Musk, one that can be used for misinformation about public services and to attack critical voices.

froggyevening.bsky.social•132 days ago

Think of DOGE as a reinvention of the Leninist commisariat. Commissars were assigned to but not part of government, military and production units. The commisar's job was to ensure unit adherence to Communism Party doctrine, especially for units the Party distrusted.

kindler.bsky.social•131 days ago

https://bsky.app/profile/kindler.bsky.social/post/3leouujk3js2d

mbfinactivist.bsky.social•131 days ago

javi.beesky.social•131 days ago

*federal law

josephsabol.bsky.social•132 days ago

Correct. We cannot stop (baloney) content creators, but we can, and should, slow down the amplifiers. We're not going to be able to fact-check every end-of-the-line piece of mis- and dis-information, we need to address it upstream.

kheine.bsky.social•131 days ago

And musk and Ramaswamy have not been vetted. Of course not, musk can’t get the security clearance. I’m looking for signs that the Departments civil service ignore their info requests. DOGE has no authority other than bloviating.

norsemanil.bsky.social•131 days ago

You’re right DOGE is a rhetorical construct to implement the subjective beliefs of Musk and Vivek. Journalists, pundits and simpleton pols give lip service because wanting “efficiency” is so mom and apple pie. Journalists should expose this fraud by demanding its metrics for judging efficiency.

miaganga.bsky.social•131 days ago

It’s rape in broad daylight

abhinary.bsky.social•131 days ago

DOGE (duplicitous old grandstanding egomaniac) is like rand paul’s stupid speeches about projects the govt funds to benefit medicine, science, renewable energy, DOE’s Building America program,...on steroids.
As @alfranken.bsky.social wrote: it’s “Lies & the lying liars who tell them” rage-farming😞

missboots.bsky.social•131 days ago

And the media needs to start treating as such. It’s not a real department. It’s exactly what you said. It is an hostile takeover. It’s pillaging the treasury. Taking from the poor to give to the greedy power hungry oligarchs.

sentenne.bsky.social•132 days ago

And the $$$ to threaten “Primary” at every person in the Congress.

badenoch.bsky.social•131 days ago

That will lead to abuse and likely death threats for a bunch of dedicated, underpaid, overworked public servants.

bigrde1969.bsky.social•132 days ago

They are already at work🖕🖕

ellenenders.bsky.social•131 days ago

it's an influence campaign as much as it is a hijacking of our govt

fplynch.bsky.social•131 days ago

A Think Tank at best.

kennyob.bsky.social•132 days ago

Elon purchased MAGA from Putin.

You are kidding yourself if you think he is just another “advisor.”

saffship.bsky.social•131 days ago

funny how its named after Elno's favorite crypto coins. its all about how to launder crypto thru the US treasury. biggest, most audacious scam ever. that's why the techbros are here. & Orange Turd is their Useful Idiot.

getwired.com•131 days ago

“Smash and grab.”

That should be DOGE’s emblem. Just those two words.

donmoyn.bsky.social•132 days ago

To the degree that journalists and people like me argue about the semantics of DOGE - its not a Dept! - we are not conceptualizing what DOGE actually is, and what its leadership is trying to do.

fernwoodsson.bsky.social•132 days ago

Whether a DOGE or IL DUCE, it’s fascism.

acceber.bsky.social•130 days ago

levnation1.bsky.social•132 days ago

💯 it should only be referred to as: Destruction of Govt by Elon. This the frame that should be used. By using that other phrase we play into their narrative.

shatdbed.bsky.social•132 days ago

it's a vehicle for every right wing masturbatory fantasy and a grift machine.

thatoldbear.bsky.social•131 days ago

what it is, is incitement to more Luigi Business

mlamb.bsky.social•132 days ago

DOGE is an illegitimate money grab. Musk Ramaswamy and Congress are inviting the oligarchs to the table to divide the spoils of the US Treasury.

badjohnbrown.bsky.social•132 days ago

Its very name is a fraud a deceit. There is no "Department" there is just two rich assholes who helped Trump win and who want power but are unwilling to subject themselves to actual rules of ethics or government positions, so they made up a name that has the word "department" but isn't actually one.

onan3333.bsky.social•131 days ago

An adolescent billionaire and an investment banker, what could they possibly be up to? Whatever it is will be bad for everyone else and probably cause cancer

edgaff.bsky.social•131 days ago

The best way to emphasize that "DOGE" is not a Department is to use the acronymn "dOGE".

zendarva.bsky.social•131 days ago

What does DOGE stand for again?

luigithirty.bsky.social•132 days ago

seeing how Wrong all the coverage of this shit is drives me nuts

franklinsolomon.bsky.social•132 days ago

It's the Special Presidential Office Of Government Efficiency, or "SPOOGE." Make SPOOGE happen!

sciencekhan.bsky.social•131 days ago

it's easy. DOGE is basically the "Deep State" concept that they have been warning us about for years now. They want an unelected, unaccountable body making decisions that affect our lives without the possibility of retaliation.

lorewrites.bsky.social•131 days ago

A single-point of contact shadow committee and a clearinghouse of all DOGE’s lies and proclamations with explanations and Congressional reaction would be helpful, especially when MAGA begins to feel the harm and lost opportunity. Anything Congress records is unlikely to be truth.

ashleycab.bsky.social•132 days ago

DOGE should be rejected by all. Cutting government waste is a shared goal—but not like this. Musk/Ramswamy have no governmental authority. They have no experience or qualifications. They are ripe for self-dealing and riddled with conflicts of interest (corruption).

ashleycab.bsky.social•132 days ago

DOGE has no publicly adopted objective criteria to apply so no way to measure success or demonstrate fairness—a process nightmare. They might as well throw darts. If they benefit from recommended deregulation then they should be held strictly liable for resulting harm.

ashleycab.bsky.social•132 days ago

Deregulation should also waive existing litigation protections and give every person a right to sue, including for environmental harm. Ok, enough ranting, but do let’s increase government efficiency the right way, not the Laurel and Hardy way.

ashleycab.bsky.social•132 days ago

The government doesn’t need Musk, but he absolutely needs the government—not just for subsidies, but to launch dozens of satellites. Musk is no public servant. He is acting to further his own interests, not the public interest. Everyone should write their reps and object to the DOGE scheme.

evafain.bsky.social•132 days ago

you are correct. There is no DOGE. After the man killed himself & set the Tesla truck on fire, I think Mr. Elon Musk is stepping back a bit. WE have a Democratic Republic. He is right about silly expenses. He is wrong about his needing to stir the pot "too much". He can see the problems.

evafain.bsky.social•132 days ago

But will his approach deal with the issues.
Today? I went postal on Wal-Mart via X.
I am @espacetime there
My father liberated Dachau at the end of WW2.
My father saves several people from drowning by throwing out a connected garden hose during a huge flood in an arroyo.

evafain.bsky.social•132 days ago

Maybe I am wrong about Wal-Mart employee behavior towards me last evening? Following me, photographing me, then someone standing next to me while I scanned my own groceries, talking in a condescending voice?
I generally will admit it when I screw up. I got done & it would not process my card!

evafain.bsky.social•132 days ago

She says to me, "We will have to move your groceries elsewhere, this one has not been working right all day".
I looked at her..."why not put a sign on it, out of order".
She shrugged. Its like dealing with a robot, but she is a young woman with multiple piercings of her face.
I swore at her.

annecw.bsky.social•132 days ago

And no stories I’ve read about DOGE talk about the extreme conflict of interest in have a federal contractor determining what other programs to cut.

loudanduniformed.bsky.social•132 days ago

This could be applied to everything Trump and the Republican Party promotes at this point. The intent isn’t to reform or improve anything. It is to undermine and control. And everyone should approach what they say with that model.

jthayer.bsky.social•132 days ago

Great points : important to cover them as an international criminal enterprise bent on privatizing, grifting and destabilizing.

janeynorth.bsky.social•131 days ago

International is correct , Musk is trying to tear down the UK govt at the moment . It’s scary . https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/03/trolling-the-uk-the-issues-enraging-elon-musk-worlds-richest-pub-bore

wender16.bsky.social•131 days ago

And they hold the keys to the castle

onan3333.bsky.social•131 days ago

This is exactly right, and it helps if you look at everything as if its a bad reality show, because that is how he is producing it, I wish I was being sarcastic

t13r.bsky.social•131 days ago

Pretty much.
Reading this, I first thought of healthcare and the ACA which they were one vote away from repealing without having anything to replace it. They campaigned on “it’s not good, it needs to be fixed” but of course had no such plans.

wisedan.bsky.social•132 days ago

Outside power grab by billionaires deciding what regular Americans need to live with! Abomination!

casuallychaotic.bsky.social•131 days ago

Outside power grab by billionaires deciding what regular Americans should be allowed to live with, while maximizing their profits.

spongefile.com•131 days ago

@anildash.com does a good job of explaining it clearly: https://bsky.app/profile/anildash.com/post/3lex7krqma22n

dianamc.bsky.social•129 days ago

This is what we get from unelected billionaires.

anildash.com•131 days ago

Was very inspired to do so by Dom’s work!

donmoyn.bsky.social•132 days ago

Since this post went sort of viral, I will probably write something longer about it. In the meantime, lots of writing on my blog about Muskawamy e.g., https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/fake-jobs-and-fake-facts

hybridcap.bsky.social•131 days ago

This is 100% correct and I have been waiting for someone with a big enough following to start telling everyone this. In some ways the fact that it's not "official" makes it even more powerful. It is a full-on hostile takeover by Elon, he will use Twitter to spread misinformation and bully lawmakers.

hybridcap.bsky.social•131 days ago

Even Trump probably doesnt even understand what Elon is gonna try to do with it (but I doubt he cares as long as Elon keeps funding Trump and the R PACs and spreading disinformation to help Rs will polls)

stevendward.bsky.social•131 days ago

DOGE is a political handout, like a committee chair, to whip votes. Trump, Miller, and Wiles are unprepared. DOGE will bypass all other outlets and go straight to individual phones and have immediate influence on the narrative. We need a "Shut up and Space" campaign, soon.

cartwright776.bsky.social•131 days ago

He has been spreading misinformation ever since he bought it. We are past that point. But the other issue is unless someone says this live on TV the other social media outlets are controlled and there aren't enough people on bluesky. Unless people use word of mouth.

joachim.cidlab.com•132 days ago

Gonna guess it's more like the MAGA wing of the Internet Research Agency

urheberulf.bsky.social•131 days ago

Elon Prigozhyn’s troll factory?

helenathegreat.bsky.social•132 days ago

Ding ding! Got it in one. This is all about privatization of government functions, so that the rich can get richer and also so that they will be able to exert more and more power over government policies. #Project2025 is a good place to start to understand what will happen going into this year.

joocifer.bsky.social•131 days ago

“.. We’ve found that the most efficient thing for the US taxpayer is using only one vendor for space launches, AI services and satellite communications.

“Also US citizens want to buy Tesla, not inexpensive but good Chinese EVs. Deep tariffs on China auto sector asap.”

leecle.bsky.social•131 days ago

That is it’s intent.

cbindc.bsky.social•132 days ago

Journalist are looking at how they can get some of the MAGA gravy

fatcicada.bsky.social•131 days ago

my God if they haven't figured this out months ago that's the root of our problem. the normalcy bias has been killing us since 2015.

mickey8255.bsky.social•131 days ago

Yeah-the bastards! 🤬

dianneartful.bsky.social•132 days ago

They (trump & musk) are trying to slander gold around the world and take the dollar with it while convincing people to invest their wealth in a crypto Ponzi grift.
Don Jr. is running advertisements on YouTube. Plus their email blitz (swamping those fools on their email lists) is bamboozling people.

taritac.bsky.social•131 days ago

The plan is to 1) cut taxes to justify 2) cutting services to regular folks and 3) destroying or crippling every regulatory body that vexes the oligarchs. They want nothing and no one able to hold them accountable-- no FBI, no SEC, no EPA, no Fish & Wildlife, no FDIC, etc.

humbledkhalil.bsky.social•131 days ago

I so agree. And after 10 years of unrelenting attacks on every venerable institution, 4 years of a manufactured voting fraud lie by an ex-president that was designed to undermine public confidence, and a disinformation campaign like no other, there’s never been a better opportunity.

adrianwashere.bsky.social•131 days ago

The only place I disagree with you is the order. I think it's

1. Cut services to regular ppl &
2. Gut regulatory agencies

IOT

3. Justify giving huge tax cuts to themselves

1 & 2 "save" money, which they'll then say should go back to taxpayers in 3, but they'll heavily favor the wealthy.

taritac.bsky.social•131 days ago

Yours is the more logical order, but these are Republicans. They've already announced that their first order of business in the new Congress is to extend the Trump tax cuts. This is also how they did things under Bush and Trump I-- tax cuts first, then attempt to justify service cuts.

adrianwashere.bsky.social•131 days ago

I think I gave the logical order, but they do it chronologically in a different order to hide their intentions from the public, who would never support it if they were honest about their intentions. Pass tax cuts, then cry about the budget & demand cuts to pay for the tax cuts they already passed.

unitled.bsky.social•131 days ago

And to hand over every aspect of running public services to billionaires - I shudder to think what a man with no morals and who owns a car company will do with full access to how roads are managed and maintained

therebis1475.bsky.social•131 days ago

Make believe until it is a legal entity....

benowhere24.bsky.social•131 days ago

....and Fascists

zenpierre.bsky.social•131 days ago

The Inspector General always played the role in my time, both military and as a government contractor. In 2020, many IGs were fired for doing their job. Disturbing.

nwsoftwareguy.bsky.social•131 days ago

I don't understand how government can have non voted on offices just 'exist' out of the blue with one man saying so. If anything my most severe hope is that this shows the entire country that you cannot have the executive office just appoint EVERYTHING and have that be a good outcome.

sammythecat.bsky.social•131 days ago

“Doge” (pronounced with a hard “g” as in “government) does not exist except in the feeble minds of a couple of rich douchebags who don’t want to pay taxes like the rest of us

jillaroo2020.bsky.social•131 days ago

kenfinch.bsky.social•131 days ago

🎯🎯🎯

cindralaluna.bsky.social•131 days ago

& megalomaniacs🤢🤬🤢🤬

roadsister.bsky.social•131 days ago

That is what is happening, they will get rid of regulations like inspections, safety, health, and they will be laughing all the way to hell!

chevan.info•132 days ago

If you are a journalist or a policymaker who thinks about DOGE is anything serious you are incompetent. There has been no congressional involvement, there is no budget, leadership has no vetting by Congress, there is no operation, no staff…. There is nothing but PR.

helenathegreat.bsky.social•132 days ago

Yet.

chevan.info•132 days ago

Correct but people talk about it like it’s a thing. It’s nothing and unless we suspend our governing processes it is a long way from being anything. And if we do suspend our governing processes journalists and politicians should talk about that.

policyservedrare.bsky.social•132 days ago

True,I liken it to the Grace Commission. The only thing that is troublesome is the social media aspect, which is will mobilize people against the actual elected officials. We saw it happen with the budget. Will it make a difference. Eh. Maybe. It’s it annoying to those of us who work in policy? Yes

chevan.info•132 days ago

The economics of journalism have become so centered around sensationalism it’s hard to find quality in MSM reporting anymore. Process stories are boring to write about but it is what people need to understand to appreciate the system we have now.

policyservedrare.bsky.social•131 days ago

Fully agree. Most of my writing is centered around trying to break things down and explain what is actually happening and why

chevan.info•131 days ago

I think that’s yeoman’s work for anyone willing to do it.

tejanarusa.bsky.social•132 days ago

No budget necessary. Musk can just fund it himself.

chevan.info•131 days ago

He must be close to fully leveraged at this point?

suesustainable.bsky.social•131 days ago

Farage backed by Musk in UK. Billionaire takeover. Money talks. Musk is already using his platform to gaslight Starmer in an appalling way.

messycables.bsky.social•131 days ago

so you’re saying that the US has so far not been run by plutocrats?

or are you saying it’s changing from a plutocracy to an oligarchy?

daicing1636.bsky.social•132 days ago

Right. Has more in common with SPECTRE than HHS.

macmargi.bsky.social•132 days ago

I’m pretty sure the “struggle” has to do with it DOES NOT EXIST.

over60andfeelinit.bsky.social•131 days ago

Exactly.

filam28.bsky.social•131 days ago

DOGE is a paid government manipulation by oligarchs for oligarchs.

filam28.bsky.social•131 days ago

It's bribery in broad daylight.

super-mutt.bsky.social•131 days ago

Except, if you’ve been invited in and given the keys by the soon-to-be governing Party, is it really a “hostile takeover”?
Or is it a fire sale by the rapacious Republican Party?

katephyre.bsky.social•132 days ago

Start by calling it the DOG department. It’s more accurate and magats will hate it. 😈
#FreeLuigi

rictho1966.bsky.social•131 days ago

Yes!

boboinparadise.bsky.social•131 days ago

Or a downsizing consultant post hostile takeover.

cosmicnexus.bsky.social•131 days ago

Exactly, and it's government in name only.

browneyedgirl876.bsky.social•131 days ago

GINO

livelybear.bsky.social•131 days ago

💯

tnbskts.bsky.social•131 days ago

Anyone who hasn't already figured that out must be some sort of massive optimist. It's just a way for business oligarchs to do away with regulations and restrictions on their ability to maximise their profits at everyone else's expense.

winterlightstudios.bsky.social•132 days ago

So, you're saying to stop pretending that it's something it's not, and look at it for what it really is?

economymedicine.bsky.social•132 days ago

It also doesn't have a process for making decisions or any idea of how government should work it is purely Musk and Vivek's id given a name

daysonrick.bsky.social•132 days ago

Tech bro robber barons.
Different commodities, different century, same guys in different clothes.

airbagmoments.bsky.social•132 days ago

https://bsky.app/profile/airbagmoments.bsky.social/post/3lbkc3x4bja2t

tusfan.bsky.social•132 days ago

This is how I'm imagining it's going to go..
https://youtu.be/LnF1OtP2Svk?si=-nNlrDHRTocSbhuO

hundistauchmensch1.bsky.social•132 days ago

Spelled “DOG-E” and pronounced “doggy.”

alan555.bsky.social•131 days ago

we know bitcoin is a crooked game - trump's in on it

mimi828.bsky.social•132 days ago

Do you think Republicans are smart enough to recognize it? I sadly do not.
@senategop.bsky.social @housegop.bsky.social @senatedemocrats.bsky.social @housedemocrats.bsky.social

annmariepisano.bsky.social•132 days ago

One of the Reps was pronouncing it "doggie" on the news a few weeks ago so no, I don't think they have any idea what they're dealing with

vintageknits.bsky.social•132 days ago

Some people are also doing that on purpose as a dis to Elmo and Viv.

jimraff.bsky.social•132 days ago

It is a perfect vehicle for corruption for both Musk and Trump. Musk to cut agencies that regulate the industries his companies are in, plus steer contracts to his companies. Trump to get bribes from Musk and similar companies.

gregorydoodles.bsky.social•131 days ago

👍🏽Exactly...

clflngthjnshrts.bsky.social•132 days ago

Hi Don

mapaiko.bsky.social•132 days ago

This is where it's headed...doofus named it "doge" for a reason...https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doge_of_Venice

lindam174.bsky.social•131 days ago

📌

turtlegirlcc.bsky.social•131 days ago

A hostile takeover to us, but Trump has invited them in and the Republican-controlled Congress seems, at the moment, favorable to having this. It likely won’t last when they realize that the proposals will affect their own voters in negative ways that even low information voters will feel deeply.

awaltz1111.bsky.social•131 days ago

I think the idea of "voters" is over. It's dictatorship. Remember when TFG said I don't need your votes anymore? Come on, we are holding the door open for the fascist takeover.

turtlegirlcc.bsky.social•131 days ago

Not yet. But with 33% of eligible voters not bothering to vote, and so many people voting for Trump and against their own stated interests, there does seem to be a clearer path for fascism and oligarchy to expand. This is what happens when Republicans spend decades working to dumb down citizens.

sooze555.bsky.social•132 days ago

The GESTAPO is coming to town.

bluesman60.bsky.social•131 days ago

DOGE is not a real government agency and has absolutely no power to do anything. The creation of a new government agency takes two thirds of the senate, and that means that there will be no DOGE 🚫, no matter what the orange guy says. This is in the constitution.

amosnic.bsky.social•132 days ago

📌

beverlymann19.bsky.social•131 days ago

I often use the term structural-economic progressivism to describe what I hope the Dem Party
@rbreich.bsky.social finally adopts and details to voters.

This, by @rbreich.bsky.social, is what I mean:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/news/content/ar-AA1wXTda?ocid=sapphireappshare

beverlymann19.bsky.social•131 days ago

It's certainly intended as that.

bisbee4148.bsky.social•132 days ago

Why oh why oh why oh why are journalists - unapologetically cynical in every other context - aggressively naive & credulous about the most obvious BS?

winterlightstudios.bsky.social•132 days ago

Bux

manpotion.bsky.social•132 days ago

I imagine a lot of people just aren't well-read on cryptocurrency and the various ponzi schemes that it enables. The most negative coverage I've ever seen about it was all the stuff with Sam Bankman Freid, and that was only because he spent other rich people's money 💸

bisbee4148.bsky.social•132 days ago

Maybe. But it’s self evident DOGE a) isn’t actual agcy/dept; b) has zero funding or enforcement authority. Journalists are cowards, lazy or both. I have no pithy phrases to express bottomless pit of disgust I feel for 90% of Fourth Estate. He called them the enemy of the people & they obliged.

lunarpunk.town•131 days ago

Most journos that end up at big name outlets are nepo babies that got into college because their parents were wealthy, not because they worked hard.

That's why when it comes to working class issues these outlets are so out of touch.

leonryan.bsky.social•132 days ago

Don't you assume that vagueness is precisely the cloak they designed to prevent the public from observing what they're doing and feeling qualified to question it? Surely they're counting on the populace to dismiss it as secret rich peoples business.

bruceediger.bsky.social•131 days ago

I think that 50 years of trying to ameliorate accusations of Liberal Bias have led journalists to only quote conservatives. No context, either, which is why they can't say that Trump lies or flip flops, or bring up that he contradicts himself regularly.

bisbee4148.bsky.social•131 days ago

Yes, they’ve allowed themselves to be played even as they acknowledge they’re being played. Inexplicable considering they live here, too. But Rs exploited shortsighted need to stay relevant & appear “unbiased”. I hope I live long enough to see their reckoning. I feel I deserve at least that much.

kmcn13.bsky.social•131 days ago

playing for their cut?

dj1au.bsky.social•131 days ago

Most of the media has been taken over by oligarchs who were right behind trump.

hybridcap.bsky.social•131 days ago

Exactly, almost every major news org and national paper is now owned by a billionaire who wanted Trump to win and wants the tax cuts

leeleewhy.bsky.social•132 days ago

Yeah I don't understand why more people don't simply respond with one word: "bullshit"

bisbee4148.bsky.social•132 days ago

Would be the most honest thing they’ve written in a decade.

fanagoreza.bsky.social•131 days ago

Two functions, at least to me, are clear: to put on a big show to keep the jerks' dopamine at max. And second - under the guise of this show to use state money for projects of Musk and the other oligarchs around him. A lot of money will be stolen! And don't forget David Sachs in charge of crypto!

shieldsrod.bsky.social•132 days ago

Bingo oligarchs keep your head on a swivel and escape route clear, because when the cult awakens and realizes they have been bamboozled… J6 will pale in comparison…just sayin!

cgblue.bsky.social•131 days ago

Spot on. This isn't reinventing government or any other past effort.

amimigdalia.bsky.social•131 days ago

DOGE does not exist until the department is legally created with rules and regulations and is then approved by Congress. Until then, relax and see how inner fights and power plays develop.

The HOUNDS WILL ATTACK EACH OTHER FOR CONTROL!!!

gyost09.bsky.social•132 days ago

We already have the GAO. They’re just adding another bureaucracy, except with substantial conflicts of interest and alarming ignorance of our budget and how our government works.

jkcreative8.bsky.social•131 days ago

I think you are giving journalists way too much credit. They tend to be very smart. They’re playing us.

rebelbrie.bsky.social•131 days ago

I agree completely. We need to stop thinking like things are typical

humbledkhalil.bsky.social•131 days ago

I second that concern…😏

cookie255.bsky.social•132 days ago

by unelected oligarchs

chrismac55.bsky.social•131 days ago

Yup, and that's the scary part. Good luck to you brothers and sisters across the pond. Except those that wanted it.

decker2000.bsky.social•131 days ago

Agreed 💯

johnallaniv.bsky.social•132 days ago

That’s exactly what it is.

sunnydays25.bsky.social•132 days ago

It is 🥺

kathynj.bsky.social•131 days ago

Exactly! Thank you.
We need more streetwise people. Policy wonks and Ivy league journalists are great for policy but terrible in a street fight. We're in a street fight.

toxteth1.bsky.social•131 days ago

However I choose to think of it, DOGE is an unconstitutional entity that should be given no voice in government decisionmaking whatsoever. If Musk and Ramalamadingdong want a role in government, they need to get Congress to create their office...

sjoyner1965.bsky.social•131 days ago

There’s a way to criticize Ramaswamy without mocking his name. They’re both pieces of shit, and deserve to be called out for that, not for the origin of their surnames.

brad-news.bsky.social•131 days ago

yeah what’s up with that

nooligarchs.bsky.social•131 days ago

The fake dept had to be created because the oligarchs knew the legitimate departments would laugh them out of the building.

heretix.bsky.social•132 days ago

Doge is not funded and has no legal standing. So basically it’s a club of rich guys complaining about their taxes.

hybridcap.bsky.social•131 days ago

This is exactly correct. It's very obvious what is happening for those of us who have followed Elon and his various frauds for awhile. Journalists and even some politicians have no clue the insane levels of corruption DOGE is gonna try to get away with

ayeshabarb.bsky.social•131 days ago

Because that is exactly what it is. The oligarchs will gut all government services in order to funnel more money to themselves.

hammys-howl.bsky.social•132 days ago

Its one of the best examples if an oxymoron i can think of

savannahpeace.bsky.social•131 days ago

Exactly.💯🎯🎯🎯

jen1n.bsky.social•131 days ago

By plutocrats.

ccmpln.bsky.social•132 days ago

Has it filed as something? A lobbying entity? A non-profit advocacy group? Doesn’t it have to be something to hire people?

388shark.bsky.social•131 days ago

I can help. They’re grifters who are super excited to steal more money from the American people because it gets their rocks off. We good now?

kheine.bsky.social•131 days ago

Now we’re talking!

johnnybfireman.bsky.social•131 days ago

That is exactly what it is!
DOGE is a not funny joke! Don’t think for a second these two weirdo dorks with money are trying to take over our government! For those of you that think we will be able to just vote them out in four years are gonna have a real hard dose of reality on the way!

mondonuevo.bsky.social•132 days ago

“The Doge of Venice acted as both the head of state and head of the Venetian oligarchy.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doge_of_Venice

handbastet.bsky.social•131 days ago

DOGE is not a government body.
It is the planning team for the biggest heist in world history.

They are planning to empty the US treasury into their pockets by directing government contracts to themselves & their friends, more tax breaks & no oversight.

We will pay for it.
They are robbing us.

washington-wookiee.bsky.social•131 days ago

They will do that right up until we try to run them out of the country and take it all back. But by then they’ll have control of the military and ….well you know how that goes.

putoutopasure.bsky.social•131 days ago

It is "Office of Special Plans" 2.0.
The previous one put 1 million Innocent Iraqis in graves and locked us into 3 TRILLION external debt.
It MUST not happen again.

helloise5.bsky.social•131 days ago

Not might, just is. Neither of them has the slightest idea what government actually needs to function for the benefit of others and not just themselves.

serenity318.bsky.social•131 days ago

That's the whole point. They're in the process of restructuring the government not creating a more functioning one, one that improves or protects the lives of We The People.

jascarver.bsky.social•131 days ago

Are we not getting why it's really called DOGE?

paymemoneyplease.bsky.social•131 days ago

Paymemoneyplease

rox120.bsky.social•131 days ago

Exactly. Only if we let them

webrant.bsky.social•132 days ago

Demanding Oligarchs Get Everything is more of a co-operative takeover, as, for both Republicans and neoliberal Dems, big donors choose and constituents lose.

https://bsky.app/profile/donmoyn.bsky.social/post/3lewxt4cewb2m

han-shot-first.bsky.social•131 days ago

I know! Made me wince every time I saw someone say lol it's not a real department. It doesn't need to be in a government run by cronyism, patronage, and intimidation.

smittyslogic.bsky.social•131 days ago

Because that's what it is. They're gonna take everything they can from us and stick it in their pockets. We'll be lucky to get leftovers.

ttrueman.bsky.social•126 days ago

Absolutely and you journalists especially, don't sugarcoat shit just to keep your seats at the table.

tagyrit.bsky.social•131 days ago

Anyone thinking about reporting or looking into DOGE should at least understand the basics of economics...

https://themoralalgorithm.com/chartalism-and-mmt-reexamining-economics/

88corbs.bsky.social•132 days ago

It has one job: Enable Billionaires to defund any agency that stands between them and their next screw.

It’s untouchable because its main weapon will be unfettered online harassment protected by Freedom of Speech Zealots.

stephenroylance.bsky.social•132 days ago

until 47 does something specific, its just an outside think tank like heritage. President can just instruct his cabinet to implement its recommendations, same as project 2025. I figure Trump won't cede any actual power to Musk, and will leave the arrangement purposefully vague.

ltfromtheinternet.bsky.social•132 days ago

Spot on

kamalatheloser.bsky.social•132 days ago

I think they struggle to understand doge because current policy makers and scribes can't even spell efficiency let alone understand how to execute

phillip-rees.bsky.social•131 days ago

Not unprecedented. Elon is never original.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/sep/05/bell-pottingersouth-africa-pr-firm

lou55.bsky.social•131 days ago

They really believe they own us and I guess they do.

ncbears.bsky.social•132 days ago

We have the Veterans model fr Trump I with, I think, three oligarchs making decisions

roentgenequivman.bsky.social•131 days ago

Legislatively they wont get much passed. However their theory of impoundment means they could unilaterally makes costs during this administration or until the Sipreme Court were to reject it. So yes it is more of a next years problem that could turn into something larger.

roentgenequivman.bsky.social•131 days ago

Got I need an edit button sorry for typos

jf2u.bsky.social•131 days ago

I think people get stuck on the word "Efficiency". It was first presented to the people as spending cuts, so (ahem) "do more with less." But as is pointed out, it's not. It's a hostile takeover with corporate raiders trying to take money from Social Security and Medicare (pension + health).

jf2u.bsky.social•131 days ago

Social Security and Medicare taxes specifically pay for those *earned* benefits. Cuts in those programs does *not* mean that government is entitled to apply that money elsewhere. I don't know the law for this, but it should be illegal.

jf2u.bsky.social•131 days ago

DOGE may try to privatize the above and Veterans' health care, but the public anger at United Health should tell them that privatization is efficient for those making money, not for the consumers. Americans need to make clear to their representatives, these moves are not desired.

jf2u.bsky.social•131 days ago

I suspect DOGE is going to be a tool for implementing Project 2025, which includes a rollback of social/economic programs all the way back from FDR. This includes a rollback of farmer subsidies or a huge increase in farmer insurance. I hope journalists will re-frame DOGE as harmful not "efficient"

jf2u.bsky.social•131 days ago

People will have to brush up to defend policies that got us out of the Great Depression, because Musk wants to implement Argentinian monetary policy that has made it so > 50% are below the poverty line. We need journalists/politicians to make the case all over again for assistance to the vulnerable.

jf2u.bsky.social•131 days ago

So people need to look beyond the word efficiency as simply spending cuts. It means reallocation of funds for whatever it is "President" Musk wants to spend money on, like tax cuts for the wealthy. Critics should rebrand/rename DOGE for what it truly is.

carolynbertolino.bsky.social•131 days ago

I think they’ll carve out an exception for farmers. But who knows.

jf2u.bsky.social•131 days ago

I (think/hope) the farmers will get active and contact their representatives and lobbyists. We think Republicans look out for their own, but right now a lot of them are being cowed by Musk to fall in line or get primaryed out. I don't think tech oligarchs empathize or sympathize with farmers.

dolly41.bsky.social•132 days ago

Everything Trump and Musk propose should be treated with skepticism.

unsoisses.bsky.social•131 days ago

And it appears that mote of them are following the line.

unsoisses.bsky.social•131 days ago

*more

poodlerntracy.bsky.social•131 days ago

Exactly! Right now, DOGE is not a legitimate department of our government.

e-sharp-minor.bsky.social•132 days ago

Can we please please please pronounce it 'doggie'?

swampangel54.bsky.social•131 days ago

Yet raise the debt ceiling? How will that save money? Ughh

a2-abd.bsky.social•131 days ago

Could also undermine the US Dollar as world currency! They are playing a very dangerous game, and could hurt many people/nations if not careful, mindful of of use to fund crimes,criminals! It is a scam! It is intended to be used to scam and to fund crimes!

dj1au.bsky.social•131 days ago

https://www.thenerdreich.com/thoughts-on-president-elon-musks-pending-tech-takeover-of-us-government/

karaz01.bsky.social•131 days ago

There are not enough people talking about this. Bitcoin can function as a pyramid scheme and that is how these folks want to use it.

itsmetrish.bsky.social•131 days ago

The billionaire's take-over of the federal government is exactly what this is.
The not-so-bright billionaires don't understand the federal government is a well-oiled machine.
If the super-wealthy take over the federal government, they will lose their workers and their source of income.

altrocks.bsky.social•131 days ago

That takeover was decades ago. This is just the long knives coming out to pare down which oligarchs will retain control going forward.

janeapplpiprogress.bsky.social•131 days ago

cool74.bsky.social•132 days ago

Start thinking?

hvrcrftfullofeels.bsky.social•131 days ago

so a lot of people for whom it's critical to be well informed . . . aren't.

grand.

jersey74.bsky.social•131 days ago

If only! Journalism is dead! They treat t r u mp like he’s legit and never expose him as a fraudulent crook

sarkans41.bsky.social•131 days ago

How is it so many jounalists seem to be completely inept at their jobs?

drshowup.bsky.social•131 days ago

yes let’s look at the take over stuff, please 🤔🤔🤔

jimc5.bsky.social•131 days ago

Elon channeling Al Dunlap when he would takeover a company.

Or we could just look at how he managed his takeover of Twitter.

cdfchrispost.bsky.social•131 days ago

Spot on.

flaxponder.bsky.social•131 days ago

“Hostile takeover of government by oligarchs” this is the trump administration.

injusticejustice.bsky.social•131 days ago

The time to stop DOGE is before it begins, ... waiting past that time will be too late ....

aimeew.bsky.social•131 days ago

People thought it was anything other than that?!

emilytav.bsky.social•131 days ago

A thousand times, yes.

My thoughts have been and remain the same 👇🏼

https://bsky.app/profile/emilytav.bsky.social/post/3lcleuvy6qg24

krista42.bsky.social•131 days ago

Department Of Greedy Egocentrics

iconnectionmkt.bsky.social•131 days ago

Congress, the democratic party should start raising the concern about it, don't just sitting watching them to take over. Do you thing republicans would have allowed a 34 felon democratic candidate to become a president? No way. They got away indicting hunter, remember? And Jared and Ivanka?

dwblue.bsky.social•131 days ago

Yep, you can be as sure as hell people like Musk aren't going to introduce any cost savings that ultimately means they get less taxpayers money & almost certainly the opposite ie they'll introduce changes that will benefit them & damage their rivals

calpoppy.bsky.social•131 days ago

We need to change the word each letter stands for. The O would obviously be oligarch but I don’t know what the rest of them would be.

calpoppy.bsky.social•131 days ago

Department of
Oligarchs
Grifting
Everyone

melindaandrews.bsky.social•131 days ago

Similarly, Timothy Snyder called it "Den of Oligarchs Gets Everything" in his "Decapitation Strike" article. He describes it as "an agency of destruction, run by people who believe that government should exist for the wealthy or not at all."
https://snyder.substack.com/p/decapitation-strike-december

calpoppy.bsky.social•131 days ago

Oh that’s good.
Den of
Oligarchs
Gets
Everything

zeebest1.bsky.social•131 days ago

That train left the station.

Once the techie billionaires owned your tech addicted brains and control via algorithms…the power transferred.

chronodyne.bsky.social•131 days ago

It's as anti-democratic as Reagan putting Edwin Meese in the Attorney's General office. There is no public oversight of Musk.
Trump, et al. know what decorum demands of tyrants.
If not, they may ask Charles I.

mlamb.bsky.social•132 days ago

It should be fought against not embraced.

ezelkatz.bsky.social•132 days ago

There is a reason its acronym is DOGE. Though a Florentine not a Venetian, I still imagine Machiavelli would be pleased.

helenathegreat.bsky.social•132 days ago

Indeed he would.

kitsparks.bsky.social•132 days ago

the reason its acronym is DOGE is because of a reddit meme from a decade ago featuring a dog who was called doge, which also is the source of the name of “dogecoin”. it has nothing to do with Venice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doge_(meme)

dfreeway.bsky.social•131 days ago

Certain journalists and policy makers are run by oligarchs, why would they tell the people the truth?

thesheldonhicks.bsky.social•131 days ago

If Project 2025 is the White Christian Nationalist manifesto, DOGE is the Oligarch Action Committee.

jwalkerdog.bsky.social•131 days ago

Yes

allana31.bsky.social•131 days ago

👊🏽💪🏾😓

anneleise.bsky.social•131 days ago

It’s going to look like this. Everything, everywhere all at once. The oligarchs are trying to pull their regulatory capture net closed https://diary-of-a-butterfly.ghost.io/the-annus-horribilis-politics-protest-and-the-hijack-of-new-zealand/

paisliegiraffe.bsky.social•131 days ago

Hostile coup by foreign powers. Yes.

henoheanomo.bsky.social•131 days ago

It’s not a department. Takes an act of congress to make it happen. Why give it energy. #noteenth #nothappening

pnw57.bsky.social•131 days ago

DOUCHE is a better acronym. Fitting for the Bags running it.

jeannetteblue.bsky.social•131 days ago

Yes. When you look at the grift angle things make so much more sense. Framing this administration with norms requires pretzel logic.

fighterofelon.bsky.social•131 days ago

...they don't understand what government does?

how about they stop bitching about teachers are terrorist

and realize your religion hates YOUR COUNTRY.

oksir.bsky.social•131 days ago

We know exactly what those thieves are trying to do. We’re not stupid like the other party.

womanofhope.bsky.social•132 days ago

🤬🤬🤬

johnron.bsky.social•131 days ago

“Hostile corporate takeover” was exactly the term I used here. Happy to send you a copy assuming the Sun’s paywall is still up.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/12/09/trumps-war-on-government-workers-threatens-every-american-guest-commentary/

uzmansahil27.bsky.social•131 days ago

I only know this dodge 🙄🙄

ferst60.bsky.social•131 days ago

Their goal is to dismantle and then privatize. Period

west19.bsky.social•132 days ago

DOGE is only going to be thing if congress approves this. The President has no power to add this as an official office of government.

realdandydude.bsky.social•132 days ago

It's an excuse to cut regulatory organizations. The ones that make sure companies aren't poisoning people's water. The ones that make sure companies won't burn harsh chemicals that cause birth defects in pregnant women. Many more. This could be the spark that burns our nation down.

helenathegreat.bsky.social•132 days ago

Yes. You are correct. It also happens to align with a lot of the stated goals of #Project2025

peebsy0.bsky.social•132 days ago

Anyone who takes anything Republicans say at face-value is someone you shouldn't trust anything from.

welshrarebit.bsky.social•132 days ago

I keep thinking of the looting of the Russian state in the 90s by the KGB men who went on to become today’s oligarchs.

helenathegreat.bsky.social•132 days ago

Exactly.

jdakotapowell.bsky.social•132 days ago

Bingo - we're in 1990s Russia, not 1930s Germany. And if you're not reading Snyder's On Unfreedom, which charts the rise of Putin, then you may not get what's going on now in the US. Similar playbook. Expect the next 4 yrs to be nonstop looting of our national wealth.

welshrarebit.bsky.social•132 days ago

Also Putin's People by Catherine Belton.

jdakotapowell.bsky.social•132 days ago

💯

mapchat.bsky.social•131 days ago

We are way more heavily armed though. I don’t think some of the gun owning folks will be happy when benefits get cut.

arabellaspireship.bsky.social•131 days ago

septimushodge.bsky.social•132 days ago

Yup. This will be a Russian-style smash and grab operation.

welshrarebit.bsky.social•132 days ago

Another parallel: the senile Trump and the senile Yeltsin pretending to be in charge while the younger crooks help themselves.

jdakotapowell.bsky.social•132 days ago

Exactly. Musk is a bigger problem.

brandiatkinson.bsky.social•132 days ago

THIS

sheepifying.bsky.social•132 days ago

*by different oligarchs

wakullaprice.bsky.social•132 days ago

It’s really sad that journalists are being so stubbornly obtuse. Really failing at the whole “delivering news” function. Like, why are they here, again? Other than paying their own rent?

raphaeldagamer.bsky.social•131 days ago

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/doge

This might help them understand doge.

nikki1123.bsky.social•131 days ago

I wonder about the potential of “Mr. Salesman of the Century” being confined to his earnings as the president with no other source of income.

ironyfilings.bsky.social•131 days ago

Can't corporate leaders see that if DOGE + Project 2025 do what they say they intend to do, it causes a depression, and then no one buys anything anymore? Corporate leaders should be up in arms.

A lower corporate tax rate in exchange for no more customers does not sound like a good deal.

antred.bsky.social•131 days ago

Well, I suppose they know that, even in the subsequent system crash, they're the ones who historically stand to benefit the most while everyone else loses.

And once the dust settles, they'll be holding all the power, with no checks and balances left.

blkwidow151.bsky.social•131 days ago

Very odd how a man who admittedly is a drug addict of ketamine has so much power & contracts with multiple governments around the world & people on welfare have to be drug tested to get help to exist in this world. It’s mind boggling how we’ve gotten to this point.

dogs-4.bsky.social•131 days ago

Yesss

msesq.bsky.social•131 days ago

Exactly

militantrabbit.bsky.social•131 days ago

📌

mar-sky.bsky.social•131 days ago

I think everyone lacks imagination. The plan is to rape and pillage and then move to Dubai. When you understand that, it all makes sense.

mothergeese.bsky.social•132 days ago

I believe you’re right

herculesprime.bsky.social•132 days ago

Absolutely.

ancientactivist.bsky.social•131 days ago

richjvann.bsky.social•131 days ago

We’ve seen the series “Mad Men”. We’ve grown up with commercials on TV. We’ve learned in history how propaganda is used in war. Has it occurred to anyone that billionaires might utilize propaganda to keep amassing more wealth and power and might have the $$ to afford to?…

vero1986.bsky.social•123 days ago

What we have is a Christo-Fascist oligarchy. Trump has no interest in governance. He's a figurehead. The real power is with conservative organizations like Heritage and the billionaires.
If you want your country back, I'm afraid you're gonna have to fight for it. Most people don't realize that.

amidumonde.bsky.social•132 days ago

Elon Moskova will privatize gov't services. These new for profit entities will be off the government books giving MAGA fake brownie points. Services will be drastically cut while the new owners, all Trump friends, family, and donors, rake in millions. The Red Caps will naturally blame the Democrats.

tkgriffith.bsky.social•131 days ago

Private equity takeover

whirledbizarre.bsky.social•131 days ago

What kind of fox in the henhouse sh!t is this? Government and regulation are the tools we have to limit corporate power. They want to destroy our tools. The reform we need is creating a wall of separation between big money and government of, by and for the people.

twidget.wtf•131 days ago

DOGE is the morbidly wealthy's attempt to strip every last cent of federal spending that does not directly benefit them.

Of course, they'll be mystified when the bomb-throwing anarchists and motorized bandits come back because they're stupid and historically illiterate.

moonmama67.bsky.social•131 days ago

If their cutting everything go they don’t need out tax money. We all should get huge refunds and huge cuts. Otherwise? What ya doing with all the money you’re “saving”?

twidget.wtf•131 days ago

Russian nesting yachts, obviously.

moonmama67.bsky.social•131 days ago

Obviously 🙄

karaz01.bsky.social•131 days ago

Don’t be so sure, they are attempting to prepare for that probability. It’s not a coincidence to see the militarization of local law enforcement, multiple cop cities or that they are building fortresses.

anarcho-slut.bsky.social•131 days ago

new oligarchs*

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