126 Comments
founding

The beginning of the unraveling of America. He's not even 1 week post election and he's very quietly doing all he can to make America into Trumperica. I don't see any outrage or even concern from those who voted for him.

Susan Collins will be totally indignant and horrified and then vote yes. Grasley will mumble something unintelligible. Mitch will gobble a few times. Thune will express his deep concern.

Then they'll all vote yes.

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Elections have consequences

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2 of the 7 previous DHS Secretaries were Governors. Saying Noem, as a Governor, has no law enforcement experience is simply ignorant. Of course everyone will vote Yes.

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8 hrs ago·edited 6 hrs ago

Sorry, but this is a completely irrelevant comment.

Tom Ridge was the very first Secretary of Homeland Security, charged with standing up the entire agency. He served in Congress for 12 years, was a governor, decorated veteran, and had been a prosecutor, so had law enforcement background.

Janet Napolitano was a U.S. Attorney involved in the Oklahoma City bombing investigation, then Attorney General for Arizona, and then Governor. Again, a heavy law enforcement background, and a background in running large mission-driven organizations.

Kristi Noem is not a lawyer. She actually got her BA after (edit — during her first term) her 4 terms in Congress — where she received college credit for her “internship” as a Member of Congress. She is a farmer. Has zero law enforcement experience, and is the governor of a very small state (it has about double the number of citizens as the actual number of employees at DHS), and the state itself has no real metropolis and little critical infrastructure that would have needed defending, including no major airports.

If you think her qualifications are remotely similar to those other two governors — one who was tapped post-9/11 to organize the agency from the ground up, then you are wildly mistaken.

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Stop the misogyny. You seem educated enough to know that in 1994 Noem left college to run her family's after the death of her father in an a farming accident. She did not get her BA AFTER four terms in Congress, but during her first term in 2012. I applaud her character and commitment...you should stop trying to bring her down.

To say that Noem's experience as a Governor is completely irrelevant when two of the seven past DHS secretaries were Governors is wrong.

If you are saying a Governor has "No Law Enforcement Experience" you do not understand our Federal System of Government.

Finally, back to the nomination process, I think the next Senate Majority Leader from South Dakota would take exception to mocking South Dakota's size as a reason why Noem is unqualified.

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7 hrs ago·edited 6 hrs ago

That is the dumbest statement I have ever heard. I point out that the other two governors were prosecutors, federal prosecutors, and an Attorney General, as well as being governor, and one was literally the first organizational director of the agency — and that Noem isn’t even a lawyer, and you think that is misogyny? Well guess what: one of the two governors you cited was a woman, so how do you explain that? Stop being a victim MAGA apologist. She is simply not qualified. Yeah, running a big city involves more Homeland Security experience than being governor of South Dakota. It is just a fact. It isn’t a fact you have to like, but I assure you that I am supremely uninterested in how you feel about the facts.

And you are right, I meant to say she got her BA after she got to Congress, not after she left. But, the part about her getting intern credits is 100% true.

Let’s look at the others:

Michael Chertoff — Harvard BA and Harvard JD. U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of NY and then NJ. Clerked for Supreme Court and Federal judges.

Meh Johnson — Morehouse BA and Columbia JD. Assistant U.S. Attorney in Southern .district of New York. Air Force General Counsel. General Counsel for the Department of Defense.

John Kelly — UMass at Boston BA, georgetown MA, National Defense University MS. 4-Star General in charge of the Southern Command. 46 year military career.

Kirstjen Nielsen — Georgetown BS and UVA JD. Special .assistant to the President and .senior Director for Preparedness and Response on the White House Homeland Security Council. Assistant Administrator for Legislation and Policy at TSA. Chief of Staff at DHS. Principal Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House.

Kristi Noem — South Dakota State University BA. Farmer. State Rep. Member of Congress. Governor.

They just aren’t the same. Again — facts, not misogyny. Kristjen Nielsen was qualified. So was Janet Napolitano. Kristi Noem does not have the requisite career experience or educational background, or law enforcement background, or national security background to be trusted with a job managing that many people, and entrusted with preventing terrorist attacking on the U.S.

Period.

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Fact. You omitted facts to portray her as uneducated. You mocked her for getting a BA later in life while omitting the fact that she dropped out of college close to her graduation to run the family farm after her father's death.

Fact. A governor of any state has law enforcement experience...you saying 'zero' is simply false.

Fact. Since when is being a four term member of Congress a disqualification?

Fact. The DHS is not the DOJ; being an attorney is not a requisite

Fact. The DHS departments are not all law enforcement (e.g. FEMA)

Fact. You omitted Mayorkas who was impeached by Congress for not following the law

Opinion. Mayorkas is a disaster..

Opinion. You are allowing your elitism and snobbery about a State and University cloud what you deem as "qualified." Fair enough, but until I brought up that Noem was a governor like two of her predecessors readers could not arrive at their own opinion.

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Yes and the consequence here is a blatant undermining of national security. Makes me wonder who might be advising him. When America is weakened, cui bono?

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Depends on your perspective

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She has a great point! For example, under Mayorkas, the US Secret Service has been doing a bang up job with security. We don't want Noem to come along and mess up their awesome track record!

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Right, it's not objectively obvious. The brilliance and good intentions of Trump will heal America and keep us all safe. Thanks for clearing that up.

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Any time! 😎

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I disagree about all of them voting yes for Gaetz. Collins and Murk are independent enough to do their own thinking. Grassley is 90 so he's got nothing to lose by voting no. Ditto Moscow Mitch. So I am more optimistic Gaetz will not be confirmed.

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founding
11 hrs ago·edited 11 hrs ago

Here's the problem. There is no upside for them to vote no. They look at the election results and they look at all the negative things that happened to anybody, especially Republicans, who dares to cross Trump. Their political careers are destroyed and their personal safety is endangered. I truly wish that I am wrong. Unfortunately, I do not think that we are going to see any profiles in courage out of this congress.

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The Senate has already double-crossed Trump by voting for Thune for leader instead of his guy Scott. Of course it was a secret ballot, but still it shows there are ways to vote against Teflon Don. Plus, elections are only 2 years away for some of them.

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founding

It's easy to be brave in secret. You could use the same thinking to explain the election last week. Everyone wanted to seem like they were willing to vote for a proud, black woman, but when they got behind the election curtain, nobody was home. I know it was more complicated than that, but the fact that the senators got their courage when nobody knew who was voting says everything to me. Just remember the verbal assault that Lindsey got at the airport a few years ago. That is going to be a harbinger of what will come to anybody who crosses Trump.

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That’s why we do things in this great country out in the open. Full transparency. You have to answer for the decisions you make!

We are so fortunate to live in the greatest country on the face of the earth at the single great time in history!

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I thought we were a failing country suffering the onslaught of invading hordes of murderers, escalating crime, an economy with high unemployment, low growth, a dearth of jobs, a stock market on the brink of crash, and rampant inflation. Good to know none of that is true.

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I agree, his strategy is not to make Gaetz a sacrificial lamb. His strategy is what it’s always been, and always will be - to get headlines, “own the libs,” and play games with the country and its citizens. And he doesn’t even actually become president for another two months! He doesn’t care about the border, about immigration, about the economy or about anything else besides himself. And for all those voters who forgot what his first term was like, I’m guessing it’s all becoming clear again. He’s going to keep playing his game again and again. And he doesn’t care what the consequences are, both in the short term and after he’s gone. I think you’re overthinking it a bit, Chris. This is all just a game to Trump. Full stop. And every time he plays, his base only grows more entrenched in their support.

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This entire list of appointees is a nightmare waiting to happen! I hope there are Senators brave enough to confront these poor choices.

Trump reminds me of a kid picking kids to play on his kickball team!

God, please, save America!

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Going to be very difficult for that to happen! All on the record, folks very hesitant to do that and then answer to constituents.

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I agree with what Chris said. One issue I have with the way Hegseth is being covered is people talking about him having 20 years of service, and No I am not putting his service down (because when he was called to active duty he was by all accounts he was amazing), but he was in the Minnesota National Guard, which of course, an important job. Being in the National Guard means, unless I am mistaken that when not on active duty, he would have served one weekend a month two weeks a year or about 36 days a year. Since Minnesota National Guard seems not to be on active duty since 2011, that means the last 12 or 13 years of his 20 year service he has been working as a Guard-man, the equivalent of about 13 months broken down to 144 of so stints of 2 or 14 days. To me this is not the same as someone in the Regular army that is on duty almost every day of their life

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So yet another application of the never fail Trump strategy - flood the zone with shit so no single thing can gain traction. Fantastic. 🙄

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Can one assume by the quick departure of Gaetz from House that the Ethics committee most likely found that he did what he always denied? That's the way I read it. It was a way to try to stop the report from getting out. Gaetz is another grifter like Santos.

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It’s the only way Goetz’s quick resignation makes sense. If he fails to get confirmed, at least the Ethics report will stay locked up and would allow him to start his campaign for Governor of Florida. If it *had* come out, he would neither get the AG confirmation and would likely lose in the race for Governor as well. It just makes sense.

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the main reason for the distraction is: you don't like Gaetz? Ok I'll show you, here's Ken Paxton

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As man from Texas, but Not Texan - I know his evils all too well.

Another criminal who will eventually join this admin. I'd expect Paxton is next man up if Gaetz doesn't get confirmed.

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Chris

Why did Gates resign from Congress? Was he going to be kicked out next week!

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founding

The ethics committee was going to release the results of their investigation on Friday. His resignation stop the investigation, cold, and theoretically nobody will ever see the information they compiled.

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Ya gotta admit, Gaetz is slicker than Teflon.

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founding

I prefer to use the phrase that he's slicker than KY lubricant, but that may be a bit too real.

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I was gonna say "slicker than snot" but it's a little early in the day for that.

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It's going to leak, or the Senate will demand to see it.

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founding

Is it fair to use the term leak in any sentence associated with Matt?

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but wasn't it premature to resign? What is he doesn't get conformed? Are we finally rid of this POS?

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founding

This is the utter joy of the Trump years. Matt had to resign or a report would come out tomorrow with lurid evidence of his indiscretions. There has been ample evidence that he admitted to much of what he was accused of to other members in Congress and that he was bragging and showing off pictures of the young girls he had sex with. This is with Republican congressman. Even though the justice department declined to prosecute him.it was clear that he was deeply involved in the crimes he was accused of. There is one theory that the one young lady was between 17 and 18 years old and they did not want to go to court over a few months.

What does it say that a man who was worried about his past being uncovered is now the nominee for Attorney General of the United States?

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One sleaze plus one sleaze equals 2 sleazes?

It's the new America. You can do anything you want to women and get away with it. Trump & Gaetz, prime examples.

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By removing himself from Congress it impedes, perhaps even stops the release of the ethics committee report on him. He's going to run for Governor of Florida.

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Such hatred Elaine.

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Oh, that’s rich! A MAGA Cult member calling out someone else for hatred! Have you actually listened to your Dear Leader speak?

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His replacement can be in place by 1/3/25 all ready to go! MAGA

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Ugh. This is — again — how the media gets Trump wrong. This isn’t about them “yelling all the time”. This is about *Republicans* in the Senate remembering that they are part of a co-equal branch of government. If Trump is nominating unqualified people, then the *default* position for media coverage is that they are unqualified. They shouldn’t wait on Democrats to make the point for them, and make them “yell” about it. Republican moderates, institutionalists, and who like norms and guardrails just need to focus on their lack of qualifications, and vote no. I recommend they act bored in doing so. Just say, ‘I will support nominees if they are qualified, but I am not willing to hand over national security responsibilities that protect American lives to people lacking the necessary experience. I look forward to discussing future nominees with the Trump administration.’ Thus is “advice and consent” restored.

Instead, we see this default position staked out by pundits that Republican Senators just can’t possibly object to too many of Trump’s picks. Ummm…why the hell not? If he keeps nominating unqualified people, without consulting and taking the temperature of the Senate first, then he — nor anybody else — should be surprised if they are rejected.

I am begging you and your colleagues to stop normalizing him. You don’t have to freak out either and spin up a different outrage machine, but don’t normalize the abnormal, and don’t create a permission structure for politicians to stop doing what is right just because it isn’t the worst imaginable outcome. That is not the job or the standard.

Knock it off.

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I think there is a master plan. If Trump is able to get the Senate to agree to recess appointments, all these people get put in place to completely dismantle the government for the 1 year they're able to serve in that capacity without Senate confirmation. By then the damage is done and it really doesn't matter who gets confirmed as the "real" leaders of these departments and agencies after that. Amazingly, the only person standing in the way is Sen. Thune. I sure hope he's up to the job.

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It would be two years, I believe. The recess appoint lasts for the current Congress (i.e., the one coming in in January).

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Even worse!!

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It would be a decent plan/option IF Donald Trump was actually smart, but he's not an intelligent individual ('How about we inject some bleach?'....). At best it's just another possible outcome.

It's just Trump going after his current Holy Grail, and again showing he'll throw anyone under the bus. Gaetz's hearing will be brutal. He's got maybe a 20% shot. He's resigned, although not yet accepted. If he goes back, so does his ethics investigation.

This is just Don being Don....

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Trump = play chess

All others = playing checkers

MAGA

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The Delusion is strong with this one.

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To the victor goes the spoils, to the loser, well you can figure that one out. You got 4 years…..

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Is it delusional to think that President Trump won nearly 90% of all counties in the USA, won a senate majority, kept the house (actually increased seats) and is now more powerful than in recent memory. Doesn’t seem delusional seems to be reality!

It appears someone else may be delusional. He he he 😎

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And he's such a great dancer, the likes of which have never been seen.

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Enjoy the rest of the day!

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According to Speaker Johnson, he's already put in a call to Ron DeSantis to set up a special election. Gaetz is out already. Not so the other appointees.

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When the US Government becomes your enemy, if Congress fails its job as a guardrail, and state governors and AGs fail too, then journalism and American citizens need to do it.

Remember Bernstein and Woodward and the job they did? Working hard to uncover government corruption and malfeasance . While these days mainstream media are either funded by or are cowed by the upcoming government regime, there is much truth telling independent journalists like Chris can do on platforms like this. The question is will they?

There are so many hidden stories to be found on Trump’s cabinet picks and others in their world which will embarrass Trump. Most of the time all you have to do is Google and publish them lol. Ans Trump hates, just hates ti be embarrassed.

So let’s go after them. Ask citizens to send what they know. Uncover every dirty little secret they are hiding. And go from there to improve our world. lol

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We've been given a treasure trove of damning information. It just doesn't matter. When the resistance finally organizes, I believe it will be to form a new entity, not to try to save an irreparable mess.

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Yes, trumpworld is a sea of corruption up to and including Trump. We've known this for years. It doesn't seem to matter to majority of the voting public or Senate toadies. So, uncover the corruption but don't expect it to actually be disqualifying.

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excellent point… the “evil” clown car is so overstuffed it boggles the mind

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John Bolton said it best. Gabbard and Gaetz are the worst cabinet picks ever. He compared this to Caligula

On the positive side The Onion acquired Infowars

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Well I screwed that one up

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RFK Jr. gets HHS. We're on our own now.

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While not ideal, Gabbard and Noem are somewhat defensible. Gaetz and Hegseth are not. The Senate must do their jobs and protect the american people by rejecting those two ludicrous nominees.

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I’m certainly not an apologist for Trump’s outlandish rhetoric nor his apparent disdain for Presidential tradition; however with a background in organizational change & process improvement I understand the concept of bringing “fresh eyes” to bear on old issues and entrenched belief systems.

For some of these appointees, character & ethics should be questioned but not being part of the weak architecture might be a positive development.

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