As Trump rolls out his loony-tunes Cabinet choices, we are beginning to see the irony of “America First.” Rather than even a skewed version of patriotism, Trump is threatening a wholesale retreat from America’s founding ideals and from America’s place in the world.
I won’t waste pixels on his desire to put a science-denying medical conspiracy theorist in charge of the nation’s health, although I will note that–should RFK, Jr. actually make it through the confirmation process–most of the people who will sicken and/or die will be the True Believers in the MAGA base, the same folks who refused to wear masks or get vaccinated against COVID.
RFK, Jr. and his brain worm aren’t the most unbelievable nominees. Others pose an immediate threat to America’s global dominance. A recent essay in the Bulwark addressed the consequences if those nominees’ should take office. With respect to Tulsi Gabbard, the author wrote:
In addition to the problems she will cause American intelligence, her appointment will also send shockwaves through allied intelligence groups.
Because absolutely no one is going to share intel with us once she’s at the top of the org chart.
Instead our allies will cobble together alternative working relationships that do not include America. Without a seat at those tables, decisions will start to be made without consideration of America’s interests.
Eventually those informal working relationships will be codified. And America will be on the outside looking in. Hostage to events with a diminished ability to shape them….
It will also mean that the Pacific nations will have to come to their own arrangements with China. Because if the American public was not willing to shoulder the burden of merely shipping arms to Ukraine, then there is zero chance that we will be willing to go kinetic in the defense of Taiwan.
Tulsi Gabbard–one of Putin’s “useful idiots” and a woman so compromised she couldn’t get a security clearance– at the head of America’s intelligence agencies would be very bad for America, but as the essayist notes, it would be worse if our allies still believed there was a chance America would continue as a guarantor of the global order, only to find that they were mistaken when Putin and Xi acted.
If the Gabbard nomination wasn’t a sufficiently clear sign of America’s retreat from its global obligations and alliances, Trump’s choice for Defense Secretary “sealed the deal” as the saying goes.
Trump has always mistaken acting for reality, and his choice of Pete Hegseth–a television host–confirms his inability to distinguish manner from substance. As the Independent recently reported, not only is Hegseth, a Fox News pundit, massively unqualified, he wants to launch a “frontal assault” against top brass, kick women out of combat, and “implement Donald Trump’s sweeping agenda for the world’s third-largest standing fighting force.”
Hegseth’s nomination, which came as a shock to members of Congress who will ultimately be asked to vote to confirm him, reflects a broader trend among Trump’s Cabinet-level nominations and White House appointments — grievance-fueled loyalists whose disdain for a perceived establishment matches Trump’s wrecking-ball approach to governing and disregard for expertise and experience in a government that tens of millions of Americans depend on.
Since the announcement of Hegseth’s nomination, we have learned that he self-identifies as a Christian Nationalist, sports several White Nationalist tattoos, and has been credibly accused of sexual assault. If confirmed, he will enthusiastically implement Trump’s promises to reimpose a ban on transgender service members, end a policy that covered travel costs for service members seeking abortion care, and gut diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Hegseth is also an out and proud bigot, who spent his college years crusading against diversity and “the homosexual lifestyle,” and suggested in a 2024 book that General Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, and an Air Force fighter pilot with 130 combat flying hours and 40 years of service, only got the job because he is Black. (I’m sure that accusation endeared him to the African-Americans who comprise over 20% of America’s armed forces.)
There are very real issues with U.S. foreign policy. Critics–especially on the Left–point to multiple episodes where American interventions have been highly improper, to put it mildly. Others find fault with current Mideast policies. Americans of all political stripes routinely criticize aspects of the bloated Defense budget.
Correcting past blunders and “right-sizing” the budget, however, require competent leadership, and Trumpworld, from the top down, is thoroughly incompetent. (On the other hand, if the goal of America First is to make America the first country to surrender global influence and abandon its allies, they’ll be great…)
Putin and Xi are undoubtedly cheering….
Truly a sad, sad summary of what happens when a psychopath is elected President. And yesterday, the whacko of whackos, Dr. Oz, will be put in charge of Medicare and Medicaid. What could possibly go wrong?
The destruction of the administrative state is now in full throttle. The Senate Republicans, proving time and again that they lack spine, intellect and moral fiber, will happily confirm this collection of idiots so they can bask in the assumed glory of their orange leader.
Well, all those demographics who trended toward Trump and Republicans are in for the shock of their lives. What will they say when the grocery shelves are empty, or the prices increase by 100%? Will Suzie Blueyes be out there in the fields chopping broccoli for $5/hr? What will all those highly trained female and gay combat troops be doing once the drooling Hegspeth removes them from the front lines? Money up the spout. Brilliant. Oh, and how about the millions of Americans – many of whom contribute to this blog – who may have their social security checks reduced, or have their Medicare benefits curtailed? Will Dr. Oz just brush it off as the 1 – 2% of attrition of fiscal action like he suggested about opening schools during the middle of COVID? You know, so we can get our mojo back.
This isn’t so much about oligarchs in control, it’s more about utter insanity and how the oligarchs have created their Frankenstein monster who, among other things, is given the power to destroy even them.
Why am I thinking of the Truman Show? Except there are many Trumans who don’t see that Trump is making them a part of a tv show. Draining the “swamp” of people who have spent time studying foreign relations, government, medicine and installing loyalists wreaks of the vengeance from a royal hand. Trump does not intend to govern but hold court. Non-MAGA Republicans missed so many opportunities to stop him -this can not be another missed opportunity. Oh and BTW where has Vance been in all this? We don’t see him eating McDonalds with the fab 4-Musk, Don Jr, RFK, Trump
Vernon, really?! Five dollars an hour? I’m afraid that little Suzie Blueyes will find out just how hard it is to make five dollars, when you’re paid by the pound.
Our only real hope is that we have enough decent, hardworking government employees to at least slow down the stupid. Most of those that I worked with took their oath very seriously. The administration can take out the top without much effort, but they can’t get the middle so easily. I pray that they have the guts to take a stand for the Constitution.
Peggy, thanks for underscoring my point. I read where some farmer in Alabama (I think) listed job openings working the fields for $20/hr. and got ZERO responses. When the immigrants have been shipped off to god-knows-where, the shelves will empty and the goods will rot in the fields. That also happened in Alabama when they tried purging all immigrant labor.
I hope you are correct about the middle tiers of public service employees. It will surely test our resilience as a nation. Dr. Oz. Please …
The commandments of the MAGA religion preach that:
Business is hard.
Government is easy.
The secret of business and government is to shrink to success.
Less is more (except for the aristocracy, for which more is never enough).
Freedom is proportional to wealth.
Judge Cannon has now dismissed the Documents Charges against Trump thanks to he and Mitch McConnell’s ruling over federal courts. Do not make the mistake of believing McConnell has given up his rule of the Senate. McConnell will continue his control in the Senate and deny any nominations President Biden will make to assure he and “The Donald” will continue filling the courts with MAGA judges. The House and Senate are already denying President Biden’s attempts to salvage what he can before January 20th so Trump is already the defacto President of the United States of America and beginning their destruction of the Constitution of the United States of America.
Trump’s “wholesale retreat” is well underway and working its way through his criminal convictions in his personal federal courts to clear his way of any possible end to his Kingship Inauguration; only his official crowning on January 20, 2025 is left to finalize his fully legal takeover. Our surrender of global influence and abandoning of our allies is in motion globally. Trump is accomplishing mass destruction without using the nuclear power which will be in his and Musk’s hands and Trump’s hope to “nuke ’em” will only need the decision as to where to begin.
Todd; your comments regarding Mika and Joe’s visit to Mar-A-Lago to “reopen lines of communication” with Trump points to the hold that the Republican party has over those who offer lip-service regarding leaving the party but are incapable of letting it go. “Patriotism Betrayed”??? Are they even aware of the reality of their political views?
I’ve been wondering how the FAA, particularly air traffic controllers, will fare as competent people are kicked out or leave the agency as the new regime takes hold. Anyone willing to get on a plane being guided through the skies by people hired because they were willing to take a loyalty oath? Was thinking trains and ships as alternatives but fear the same quality of personnel will be at the switch or managing the harbor once the purge has been completed.
Sorry to double dip but, also.
The soul is the ego.
Only wealth is success.
Be loyal to wealth and power.
I’m not sure what globe the Bulwark possesses, but US domination has dwindled since WW2. What conflicts have we won since WW2? Furthermore, who wants WW3, which is where Biden has brought us, and Kamala would continue working for the MIC? The world has turned to the far-right, especially in Europe, where our allies hang out. Anybody with a rational mind can see that NATO and the EC are filled with MIC sycophants. We’ve spent a fortune on “conflicts,” and I’m hoping Tulsi can reverse that trend since the “real Democrats” failed miserably.
In case you’ve forgotten, Tulsi was on the DNC committee in 2016 when Hillary Clinton screwed Bernie Sanders and then blamed it on the Russians. Tulsi worked with Seth Rich. I am not sure how she’s made her transition from progressive to Trumpian, but I am willing to see what she can do because she is very well-versed in the inner workings of our “intelligence community.”
The rest of the crew, including Dr. Oz have gone off the deep end. However, this is what part of the oligarchy wants. Trump may portray himself as King, but he’s not. As he’s learning with Musk when you make a pact with the devil, you have to honor the arrangement.
The Defense Department is an obvious choice for cuts by Musk’s efficiency department, which is outside of the government. Also, Musk is asking that his tech friends volunteer their services to study the government’s budget and recommend cuts. #fascinating
He has selfish interests, Trump’s wishes, Peter Thiel, Project 2025 and Charles Koch, and the Oil Barons to contend with since the DD uses more gas than most countries.
It’s time to review Plato’s forms of government again. Needless to say, we are a long way from his preference, the Philosopher King. We are an oligarchy moving toward a tyrant form of government. Trump is using immigration as a distraction instead of wars. He’s promised vengeance against his enemies. However, Trump is owned by the oligarchy and will not be able to separate himself. He had no cash, so he had to make deals. All I can say is he better watch his back. I believe Russia was sending him a tip about his likelihood of being assassinated. A pro could get it done where amateurs failed.
As I said yesterday, this will be fun to watch from the outside looking in. To answer Lester, I grew up watching Benny Hill and Monty Python. I hid in the closet to listen to Richard Pryor and Dr. Demento. 😉
Trump and his followers don’t care about what happens globally, they are only concerned with doing every crazy thing he said he would that is cruel.
Their ignorance is fueling their desire to inflict pain on the liberals without realizing there isn’t going to be a sorting hat ceremony.
Are food prices going to increase due to the mass deportation plan, maybe a little but it will take years to actually deport millions of people so what will they do to achieve both the promise and control prices? Detention centers will be for profit as are our prison, the detainees will be forced to pick crops and work in the food/meat production plants for pennies.
In my opinion the only way we can really be prepared for what is coming is to stop thinking/believing the normal safeguards is going to prevent the worst. We need to imagine what is the cruelest things they could do and prepare for that.
Blue state governments are working together to prepare, well the red states have been preparing for years for what we thought could never happen.
The liberal tree huggers are going to be removed from all federal positions through his project F I think is the name. Could you imagine if Braun does the same to state government position along with the all the red states.
Whatever is planned on the federal level will be implemented at the state and local level.
It’s going to be uglier than most people can imagine.
If it were not so dangerous, it would be farcical!
I am baffled that some of these incompetents don’t seem to admit their limitations. If I were asked to be chief brain surgeon, I wouldn’t say, “Thank you for your faith in me Mr. President. I will do my best. In fact, my uncle owns a hardware store and can give us a great deal on tools for brain surgery like box cutters.” I might say, “Sorry sir, I’m not qualified for such a position. Ted Cruz is jockeying for that position and will do anything to get it.
Just a thought. Mass roundups can no longer be done with the public not seeing/hearing about it in real time.
When indigenous people, Japanese, Germans and Mexicans were forcibly removed, most people heard about it, if at all, via journalists reporting it after the fact.
During the Vietnam War, real time reporting showed people the horrors of war and its aftermath as it was happening. IMO, the results were a public unable to deny that the war was sustainable or worthy of support at all.
With the advent of AI and those who will use it for deception and distraction now in consideration of how reliable real time reporting will be, people, not just professional reporters, have the tools to present events as they are happening. Maybe when all those “christians” watch a child being torn from its mother’s arms as she is detained and removed, maybe, just maybe, they will have to come to terms with what they have done. Of course, as we know from past and current atrocities, there will always be those who actively exploit and cheer as they see the “other” as non-human and deserving of cruelty.
I have to wonder how people relate to another who enjoys inflicting pain on others, not just watching but really relishing the pain inflicted. Because there will always be those who are more than willing to sign up for the jobs. They are our family members, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, congregants and governing individuals.
How soon will there be bounties and bonuses paid for informants’ betrayals?
Be aware, be ready to document, be ready to share and be ready to pay the consequences of doing so. It will be personal and likely painful but it may make all the difference.
While we all watch the daily Trump Show feeding us with the most shocking behavior he can muster, from insane picks for his cabinet to his public humiliation of his supporters (making RFK eat a Big Mac on his plane in front of news cameras), our focus needs to be on what else is going on behind the public show. Trump may think that he is in charge, but my guess is that the Heritage Foundation and its 2025 writers are fast at work filling the Deputy Assistant positions with those who will actually put the plan into place. The Senate will keep us all glued to C-Span as they put on a dragged out Senate Approval show for the media and disparage the existing government as they go. Meanwhile, the dismantling and re-creating will transform this democracy into some form of dictatorship.
We need to be looking hard and stay awake.
Theresa – KUDOS – the front of the curtain is dazzling us by the hour. It is behind the curtain that will crush us and we are unlikely to know what happened in our lifetime.
JD writes, “How soon will there be bounties and bonuses paid for informants’ betrayals?”
Trust me, that has been going on for the past four years. It will continue throughout Trump’s by mostly his insider ranks since they won’t have the brain power to do much else.
By the way, didn’t the megarich liberal Oprah Winfrey create Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil? Both of them are Trumpians! How did that happen? LOL
Clear and present danger?
It’s not too late!
Although it might as well be, with the doofus brigade operating on both sides of the fence. January 19th, the last day to declare a national emergency! And probably the last day of the experiment!
Schedule F, or Project F?
I just remind everybody what (or how) the letter F is usually used for.
First, I’m not the only Peggy here, so let’s just call me Pegg. And I’m about to disrupt this long list of facts with a contradiction: JFK Jr. Despite the apparent incongruity, this is a man you want to pay attention to. Please be patient while I explain.
I was born on a farm, I’m a lifetime farmer, and also a career educator (MAT from the University of Chicago) who still got up to do the milking at 5 a.m. My 4 children were raised on raw milk, butter and cream, as were the neighbors who bought my excess. We are past the pioneer days, folks, and you can be sure that the product is pure, sterile, cheaper than that commercially pasteurized stuff, and yes, you can skim the cream for your coffee if you wish. Thank you, RFK Jr.
And let’s look at your children’s school lunches: ultra-processed junk food. And we had to wait for him to point that out? No wonder 20% of our school children are obese — triple that of the 1970s. Knowing is the beginning of change, and now there’s hope he’ll lead us in the right direction. There’ll be resistance but the outcome is predictable.
My third concern is vaccination — not the grammar school infections but the recent covid shots. Big Pharma, with assistance from the CDC & the FDA, has cleverly hidden, disguised or denied side effects including death. Doctors on SubStack have released them and more popular voices, like Joseph Mercola, are finally drawing attention to what no one expected. Here I have no experience but I’ve just pointed you to sources who do…and RFK Jr is among them. Better health may be in our future.
Kevin – with luck, history shows we can survive – the Air Traffic Controllers union backed Reagan. They had 25 safety demands and a salary dispute. Reagan refused to negotiate. They went on strike, as Reagan had planned, and he fired them all FOR LIFE (because he was not the nice guy he pretended he was). Reagan then instituted the 25 safety changes and staffed our airports with novices. Fortunately, there were just several “near misses” and no disasters.
Pegg – as long as you own your own cow, you are fine – you are probably right on school lunches – as for vaccines, believe whatever conspiracy theories you like – you are entitled to your own opinions, just not your own facts
On the whole, I prefer that someone who accepts the scientific method run HHS, not a conspiracy theorist with a “brain worm”, but then again, I am a retired scientist who still reads the scientific literature.
For the rest – Pete summed it up nicely – thanks, Pete
Peggy, most medicines that are effective also list potential side effects. Often death is one of them.
Everything that affects cells is benign at very low doses, effective at a prescribed dose, and toxic at an extreme overdose.
Covid causes death. I assume the vaccine could too.
Why am I at 82 fully up to date on all vaccines? The odds favor life vaccinated, over the risk of death from the diseases.
I have very fond memories as a boy visiting my friends dairy farm and helping with chores. I learned a lot too being close to nature. I drank raw milk there, pasteurized at home and stole the cream from the top to make cereal taste better, and homogenized since I grew up.
I believe that I have a well armed immune system as a result of exposure to well near all of the viruses that effect humans. That being said, There are some viruses that I prefer a vaccine to the pathogen so my immune system can identify it and learn how to kill it.
Pegg, first welcome to the wonderful world of commenters on this blog. I worked in medical and rehabilitation research as an administrator for twenty years. I can tell you that vaccines are tested and tested and tested again.
We were so close to making polio extinct, until the antivax movement moved in. We were getting closer to eliminating measles. Now both of those horrible killers are making a comeback. The result has been too many kids dying and a shortened expected lifespan for Americans.
Medical science has streamlined the process for creating new vaccines for diseases that are endemic. That’s how we got the Covid vaccines so quickly! Admittedly it was a little scary at first because it takes years to test any vaccine widely. Essentially we were all in the biggest Phase three trial of all time. It was a great success by any measure.
I’ve committed myself to make one contact a day in opposition to Trump’s agenda. “This is what I wrote to Senate Majority Leader Thune today: As Senate Majority leader, I know you understand the Senate’s constitutional duty to advise and consent regarding presidential appointments. Therefore, I urge you to make sure that all of President-elect Trump’s appointments are given a thorough investigation and hearing.” I encourage others to do the same.