Choosing Hegseth over me made Trump the only president who’s had two cabinet nominees requiring a Vice-Presidential tiebreak after a 50–50 vote. No other president has had even one. Which says everything about the quality of his choices.
For those who believe Democrats’ unanimity in voting no was purely political, votes for the previous SecDef nominees, Democrats and Republicans, were as follows: Lloyd Austin, 93–2; Mark Esper 90–8; James Mattis 98–1. Ashton Carter 93–5; Leon Panetta 100–0. Robert Gates 95–2. The difference: credentials. If not all R senators are stupid enough to think Hegseth is qualified (?), only 3 had the guts to vote no, one of whose cynical hypocrisy put us where we are. It’s shameful and cowardly.
Arriving at the Pentagon, Pete went to work implementing Project Trump 2025: his first communiqué was about ending DEI, because any military member not straight, male, white, and Christian is inferior. Then, calling them “dishonorable” and “liars,” he banned trans people who, because they had the courage to be public about who they are, are braver than most; and about whom there’ve been fewer deportment issues than non-trans members. And he announced plans to interview top general officers to see which will kowtow and which won’t. Shoot protestors in the legs.
Beyond turning the military into his domestic enforcers, Trump is eliminating people and programs that would keep him in check. He fired inspectors general of virtually all government agencies. His Department of “Justice” ousted every prosecutor who worked with Jack Smith and will subject them to “investigations,” and it just ended further pursuit of Trump’s crimes. The firing of the IGs was clearly illegal because the law requires thirty days’ notice. The message: Whatcha gonna do about it?
Same with the TikTok law passed by Congress, signed by President Biden, and approved in a rare 9–0 ruling by the Supreme Court. Trump ignored it. Likewise, his demented attempt to rewrite the Constitution by executive order. He’s convinced he’s above the law, which, thanks to congressional pusillanimity and judicial corruption, it turns out he is. Then, because they’d get in his way, he rescinded the ethics rules ordered by President Biden.
In a silent coup, our country has been captured by a group of very wealthy men, Christian nationalists who are anything but Christian, whose aim is to remove from government all institutions that have, till now, protected us from people like them; that stand in the way of unchecked power and unregulated self-enrichment; that let people not like them retain the power of the vote. And they’ve put in place enough judges and justices to clear their path.
It’s been a concerted effort for years. In Trump, they recognized the perfect stooge, one they could convince he’s in charge because he so desperately needs to be; a frontman willing, for his needy gratification, to keep public eyes off what’s happening; to cede the agenda to Project 2025. It’s not Greenland or Panama or Canada. It’s in the backrooms of the White House, into which they’ve charmed and threatened unimaginably rich oligarchs to bankroll their efforts. Trump gives them what they want because they give him what he needs.
Trump was elected by a minority of voters, strategically convinced it was about eggs and immigrants. People who look worshipfully at his self-pity and rejoice as he strikes at the vulnerable, who will include, before long, themselves. When they realize that, it’ll be too late.
It’s hard to accept, to know whether to tune out or scream into the night. Trump has the limelight. For him, vengeance is the goal; that, and validating his neediness. He’s president of people who see the cruelty and love it. And of the string-pullers. The more distracting outrage he engenders, the more he lies and pounds his chest, the more he fools the media into focusing on the hole rather than the donut, the more easily the Project-iles can take down our democracy, all but unreported, brick by brick.
For those who still believe in democracy and kindness, it’s hard to watch and harder to know what to do.
Great piece, Sid! I forgot you have a Purple Heart as part of your service record, and if you had been named SecDef, I'd be super happy. I know you wouldn't have removed General Milley's portrait from the wall of the Pentagon, or former SecDef Esper's either, not to mention targeting transgender service members. The pettiness of these folks is something I haven't seen since junior high, and I don't mean that in a hyperbolic way. Even in high school, in the late 60s and early 70s, people had much more integrity and class. Morals and ethics.
ReplyDeleteI am slightly heartened by what I think is the grassroots deciding they are still alive and in the fight. Why else would "It" reverse his order on cutting federal funding? I think the phone lines to DC must have been on fire all day in response to that stunt. Apparently, the outcry was from all corners of all states, so the MAGA crew found out a little bit of what they can and can't get away with. I know the fascists are not done trying but it seems like the Democratic AGs, lawyers for non-profits, ACLU, and more have refilled their pens and gotten busy with lawsuits. So, I'm a tiny bit heartened that we are not done.
I have to say though, one of the most petty and dangerous things "It" has done is to remove security protections from Milley, Pompeo, and Bolton. Those last two have no love from me, but I wonder why "It" wants to put them so clearly in the literal crosshairs?
Note: Now that "It" is no longer TFG (the former guy), I am going to refer to him as "It" and his VP as "It2". I'm no longer in the place of "I can't believe this happened".
I, too, find it heartening that public outrage still can have an effect.
DeleteI think I'll refer to "it" as FFOTUS, where F is for first and F is for felon. I'd planned to this time, but, as is regularly the case nowadays, forgot.
With FFOTUS, it's all about pettiness. With the Project-iles, it's about calculated destruction.