Whatever. He’s unfit, unqualified, disqualified. He attempted a coup, commits treason every day, is responsible for 100’K deaths. He lies, cheats & steals. He’s a criminal psychopath. He belongs behind bars. Allowing him to slither into our WH 1x, 2x is an intelligence failure of the highest order.
Probably jumping the gun to call it an “intelligence” failure. Can’t know what IC briefs Congress, WH, FBI, DOJ on. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But certainly a hi order failure by our politicians.
Historically, "The worse the better," for Marxists, was less an aspiration than a prediction. They did not dismiss reformism or ameliorationism, they just thought it was insufficient and would delay the inevitable. They weren't going to deliberately make things worse--they didn't think they had to.
Strongmen are bullies who use humiliation to solidify their dominance. These horrifically unqualified nominees are designed to humiliate & test the loyalty of GOP Senators.
If they rubber stamp these clearly unfit nominees then Trump knows he totally owns them. They will do whatever he asks. /1
Sadly Maga is cheering trump on to arrest and imprison people that were doing here job.
I pray Joe has a tall stack of pardons because we know trump will release not only J6 but I think he’ll release some really shitty people and go after everyone in Joe’s family and more
I think Joe Biden should go ahead and pardon Hunter, since he already paid his taxes, penalty & Interest. And the gun - maybe Hunter should have 2nd Amendment rights too.
All true, but as we revel in their idiocy, let's keep sight of the fact that the cases they bring will ruin careers, destroy small organizations and media outlets, cost individuals their homes and savings, crush marriages under the strain, and bring about suicides and broken hearts ... win or lose.
I agree it's for sure a calculated plan. One faction even published it! But their execution of it with the team they're building is likely to be idiotic.
And I think there's another faction whose calculation behind these appointments is just deliberate chaos and damage, with no "policy" goals.
It's good but IMO it understates Gaetz' threat. Hegseth & RFK Jr. may be TV whims or loyalty tests or voter pandering. Gaetz OTOH is probably there because he made himself an active, and effective, soldier for Trump in the manner of Stone, Bannon and a handful of others ...
... and he did it from early in Trump's first term, long before (AFAICT) it was at all normal for elected representatives to actively scheme with Trump in this way. The sexual sleaze is ofc disqualifying but it's probably secondary & a distraction in the same way that eg. Roger Stone's is.
I spend 0 energy worrying about cabinet picks, this FL creep in particular, because there is a very deep bench of MAGA-awfuls to fill every position.
@michellegoldberg.bsky.social you were excellent on (free portion of) Andrew Sullivan’s recent pod, your scholarly lady logic flummoxed him. ⭐️👍🏼🌺
what mask? there was never a mask. there was brazen cynicism, but that is hardly the same thing. the open collusion between Trump and his supporters in the "gag" of giving "Washington elites" the finger was never concealed. the dupes dupe themselves.
The first thing an autocrat does is bury his opponents. Then he moves on to his supporters, the only people with enough power to eventually oppose him.
It's gonna be delicious when an epidemic of face-eating leopard rages on in congress and corporate America.
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#Caligulahorses
If they rubber stamp these clearly unfit nominees then Trump knows he totally owns them. They will do whatever he asks. /1
https://open.substack.com/pub/lucid/p/ritual-humiliation-the-favorite-sport?r=103td&utm_medium=ios
I pray Joe has a tall stack of pardons because we know trump will release not only J6 but I think he’ll release some really shitty people and go after everyone in Joe’s family and more
God help us
Is the noisiest
The consul a horse
Jefferson I think we’re lost
And I think there's another faction whose calculation behind these appointments is just deliberate chaos and damage, with no "policy" goals.
We have 7 weeks to save our country.
@michellegoldberg.bsky.social you were excellent on (free portion of) Andrew Sullivan’s recent pod, your scholarly lady logic flummoxed him. ⭐️👍🏼🌺
It's gonna be delicious when an epidemic of face-eating leopard rages on in congress and corporate America.
#lifelonglearning