Add Wisconsin and North Carolina to states where Democrats won statewide races while Trump won in those states.
My question is why are journalists claiming a Trump landslide when it clearly was not that? Maybe it is because that is what draws eyeballs to their pages, which is how they get paid. Maybe it was because Trump did much better relative to their expectations. That could *feel* like a landslide, when it was really just a mis-estimation of the electorate.
Another condition of declaring a mandate is that the winner should get well over 50% of the popular vote. According to Polymarket, it is unlikely that he will get even above 50%. According to the AP Trump currently stands at 50.2%. I don't know what the cut-off should be, but I don't think 50.2% makes it.
i don't support the 'trump mandate' fallacy either.
however, repubs did win the senate [handily] and the house [barely]. regardless of the %-age by which trump won, this gives the repubs free rein [if they can keep their members in line - hardly assured in the house] to pass and implement whatever they please [or what trump pleases].
dems have only themselves to blame for not winning at least 1 of the 3.
No it wasn't a landslide, but alas it was a sweep. All three branches of government on one side of the balance scale. It now remains to be seen if the Senate will actually confirm (choke) Matt Gaetz as AG. The reaction from the House, once they learned that the nomination was not actually a joke, seems to be delight that he wouldn't be there anymore.
His resignation still stands either way. Just hope the "grown ups" in the Senate send him packing. (Assuming Thune doesn't call a recess to let Trump have his way...)
The Democrats haven't been able to call a recess even though they are currently in control of the Senate, as McConnell has figured out a way to keep one wing nut senator in DC at all times to claim the Senate is not in a recess.
There's a couple of different ways to look at it. Obviously they did not win a mandate from voters. Burger Boy won by 2 points against a last minute candidate that ran a fairly lackluster campaign. On the other hand, the MAGAs - note I didn't say GOP- have all 3 branches of government under their control. It will be hard to stop them. The new Justice Department won't do anything to stop Burger Boy's irrational impulses. Both Houses of Congress will pass anything he wants that only require a majority vote. The Supreme Court will protect anything stupid that MAGAs want as they have already proven. So arguing about the mandate is like complaining that the school yard bully is a nasty person not as popular as he thinks he is. He's still going to beat people up and the other kids won't be able to stop him.
Part of me wants to cheer on Trump and his motley crew of nutters, sex pests, the dregs of the Fox sets and greenroom, sycophants, etc. The crazier and more unpopular his Cabinet and actions are, the sooner MAGA goes down in flames. However, the better angel of my nature laments the human, moral, and financial cost the MAGA domestic and foreign policies will exact.
No they didn't. As a Jew, I promise you that I have nothing positive to say about Hitler. All he did was promise the German people great things to overcome what they considered the disastrous World War I treaty. It took him awhile to get around to telling them just how he was going to do it. We knew about Trump. We knew from his first term. We knew from his campaign promises. The American people knew things that the 1930s German people did not. So it's not much of a comparison. And by the time the German people knew what was happening, it was too late and there was a great fear of death. We elected Burger Boy with full knowledge of who and what he was and is. Furthermore, there is a lot of popular support for what Burger Boy promised. Hitler didn't put concentration camps to a popular vote and ther is much historical evidence right up to Allied troops breaking open the gates that many Germans didn't believe it. So don't try and compare the German people with ours. We know what we're getting.
That's exactly how I feel!! The only way to break the "MAGA fever" is for its cultist followers to experience the full impact of what they voted for. Meanwhile, knowing that I won't live long enough to see the undoing of the damage is extremely depressing.
Maybe Dems should spend their time in Congress just trashing every obnoxious idea their GQP counterparts offer, while resisting the urge to put forth better proposals. When asked why they aren't offering solutions they can simply say the country resoundingly rejected their ideas.
This. Don’t join in their march to inevitable failure caused by their own cravenness and self-serving incompetence. Call it all out. Vote no. But do not cross the aisle to rescue them, citing their own claiming of the people’s will. I’d add that it should be much easier to outwit them on the Hill, as their most politically intelligent members (McConnell, Cruz, Graham, etc.) clearly are on the outs, being replaced by nonsensical and inexperienced influencers.
I agree that they are moronic from our angle, but they both are highly educated, media savvy, and know how to perform for their constituents. The recent wave of GOP legislatures only have the media savvy (new media).
Come on fellas, can we agree on some basic facts? Cruz attended elite private grade schools, then Princeton undergrad, Harvard Law where he edited the Law Review and led a renowned debate team, where an award was named after him. Graduated Magna Cum Laude. Nobody does that without being smart as hell. He publicly debated Bernie Sanders (convincingly to many) about national health systems. To call him a moron, while satisfying, misses the mark. Cruz and his Ivy-educated ilk are the ones who know damn well what the true morons and lickspittles are up to, and they are complicit. As for Brandon Johnson, his educational background and political success doesn’t even come close to Cruz’s. Cruz does say and do moronic things as a politician, but that’s beside the point. We equate our disgust with their stupidity at our own peril.
A long time ago, I wan a junior high social studies teacher. I had a student that never got anything less than a A on any assignment or test. But he had zero common sense. He is now an average attorney. Smarts are no good unless one knows what to do with them. A GPA and academic rewards can mean little when someone gets into the adult world.
Did you ever search for a restaurant late at night when you were really hungry? You just had to have food and nothing on the menu looked very appetizing. We want Trump and the MAGAs to fail. We hope to elect a more reasonable government in four years. But there’s a good chance that in order for that happen we would have to endure some crummy times. It’s not much of a choice.
Did you notice that the winning quip was wrong? It should have been borchester shot; no addition of “shire” at the end. After all Worcestershire sauce is pronounced woostersheer, not just wooster.
A couple on vacation is driving through Florida and get into an argument. The husband keeps insisting the town they're in is pronounced "Kis-SIM-mee" while his wife says it's pronounced "KIS-sim-mee".
After going back and forth on the subject, they stop to get a bite to eat, and the husband asks the kid taking their order, "How do you pronounce this place?"
I didn't know of Ella Jenkins (I wish I had!), but when I heard of her death I started humming "Baby Beluga" and wondering what Rafi is doing these days.
If the Dept of Education goes, my son loses his IEP and my kids lose their gifted program. Thanks MAGA. I won't go so far as to wish death for those who voted for Trump, but I am anxious to read their obituaries.
I've worked in special education for many years. I can't begin to imagine the chaos that will result if the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is suddenly repealed or stops being enforced. It will be truly ugly for many families especially in states that decide the Ten Commandments are more important in the classroom than actually educating individual children.
But Mary Beth, don't you see? MAGAs (and those who voted MAGA) are against the very thing that IEPs stand for - that every child should have an equal chance. If they're different (because of a physical or other reason) - they don't deserve the help they need to have an equal chance. Society should only provide that which is needed by "regular" people (like them).
I have lost faith in an American electorate that cannot discern truth from fantasy. Democracy depends on an educated populace, one that can sieve facts from fictional dross, can tell the difference between good ideas and bad.
One thing I remember learning in high school about the Nazis was their program to euthanize people with mental and physical disabilities. We used to say that could "never happen here," but I'm no longer convinced by such statements. At a time when we need more than ever to educate people on the atrocities of the Holocaust, we're talking about ending the Department of Education.
John, it gets worse. These folks were constantly behind in their quotas to euthanize people with mental and physical disabilities (mostly Germans at the beginning) and started experimenting with a variety of killing methods. They found that using gas in a sealed room was very efficient.
So when it came time to create mass killing camps, Hitler and Himmler turned to them for designs on “showers” and appropriate gas for best results.
And yes, some of these folks were “doctors” by training who had now taken oaths to Hitler.
Wonder if they could have designed a “remedy” for Covid?
why do you feel there is a need for a federal Dept of Ed? there are federal laws in place to ensure rights and funding for children with disabilties and children from low income families. these transfers could be accomplished by block grants to states - rather than the current mechanism,, which is lifetime income stream for unaccountable bureaucrats. block grants could be managed by the dept of Treasury, for example.
the Dept of Ed certainly offers nothing of value to teach children against the horrors of the holocaust, or in favor of civics - or anything else, for that matter. curriculum decisions are made by state and local govt's.
why do you believe that the admninistrative bureaucracy at the Dept of Ed is not a waste of taxpayer $$?
I imagine the goal in eliminating the department isn't so much about tackling redundancy, but rather ripping out the programs the department is tasked with running. If the idea really is just to eliminate bureaucracy without doing away with those programs, how would that work? You can move the programs to other departments (as you suggested), but wouldn't they just probably hire the same bureaucrats (the ones who already know what needs to be done) to keep administering them?
Eliminating the Department of Education has been a stated goal of Republicans since its inception in 1980. Yet, oddly enough, none of the previous Republican presidents have actually done that, even when their party controlled the House and Senate.
I have made that point after previous columns. There are conservatives that will tell you that America is blessed by God and therefore will last forever. There is no historical precedent to believe that. The land and people may survive. But in what form? Do some believe we are so great and powerful that it will never be possible to endanger us? I'll bet Russian Czars believed that along with Chinese emperors, Napoleon, Hitler, and the leaders of of the USSR. Oops- left out the Roman Empire. Nothing lasts forever and most of the above were defeated from within.
BobE - Thomas Jefferson himself - per the monticello.org - believed that education was fundamental to democracy:
"Thomas Jefferson believed only educated citizens could make the American experiment in self-government succeed. He proposed a system of broad, free, public education that was radical in his day and his founding of the University of Virginia partially achieved his larger goals."
We may graduate higher percentages of high school students today compared to the 20th century, but our current high school graduates (even many of today's college graduates) are far less "educated" (in terms of the ability to think critically and express themselves clearly) than those high school graduates of the 20th century. (Have you read the letters home from soldiers during WWI and WWII - most correspondents' writing from then is much superior than that of the majority of today's graduates.) IMO, it's one of the reasons why many on the right want to de-emphasize education. Uneducated sheep are much more susceptible to misinformation and disinformation (and vote against their own self-interests) than those taught to think critically. (Geez, I wonder if we might have a recent example of this in the real world . . . . )
I strongly disagree with Bob. Education definitely counts to maintain democracy. I can cite many examples. We already, in this country, do a substandard job of teaching social studies in school. As a result, many adults have no idea how the government works, the historical background behind why we do things the way we do, and don’t have a clue how the economy works. That makes them susceptible to any politician or political movement that sounds good. I can also cite North Korea. I have watched documentaries. They really believe their country is heaven on Earth and that their leader is a god. They have heard nothing else since they were born, whether it be in school or in the media. Yes, education counts. But it must be done well with an eye toward giving the students the knowledge to make decisions for themselves. Outside of elite prep schools or rich suburbs, a lot of that is questionable.
It's already bad for special ed kids in a lot of red states, only going to be worse under the new administration. We lived in South Carolina for 2 years. We were in one of the best school districts in that state and they couldn't come close to honoring my son's IEP as it was written in Michigan. Elementary school building had 9 classrooms at every grade level with 40-45 kids in a classroom, 80% of kids got free or reduced price lunch. For all those kids, they had 1.5 speech therapists and a 1/2-time occupational therapist. My son's special ed teacher with a master's degree and 10 years experience (he was FABULOUS, just overwhelmed) made less than $30,000 a year. My son made a TON of progress once we moved back north.
My son is thriving as a young adult with a (regular, competitive) job in a local hospital (15 months, only rave reviews). I credit his education from late elementary through high school (including transition) here in IL for his being ready to work and live his life with his intellectual disability and autism. SC doesn't have anything like transition - they turn 18, they're done! IL they go to transition until age 22 (Michigan age 26!). It made all the difference in my son's life. He did not have the work and social skills at 18/19, he learned so much in transition.
Welcome to reality. CPS has been under federal court sanctions for years over its failure to provide proper services for students with IEPs. The biggest issue is finding enough qualified teachers. That leaves a lot of kids stuck with adults that have no idea how to teach them.
Thanks for picking "I'll Sing a Song" as tune of the week. Ella Jenkins invited the "Urban Gateways Children's Chorus" to handle the kids' parts. That chorus consisted of kids in a few elementary schools in Lawndale, Bronzeville, and Woodlawn where Urban Gateways sponsored school choruses organized and conducted by Chicago Children's Choir. Many of those singers advanced to CCC''s concert- and tour-level units. I knew them as a fellow CCC singer. It was great to hear them this morning near the rise of their vocal journeys. Ella was an inspiration to all of, and she and its founding director, Christopher Moore, were thick as thieves for several years. What is now Uniting Voices grew from those roots.
"Democrats do need to do some soul-searching and recalibrating"
I've seen this sentiment frequently and it kind of rubs me the wrong way.
First, why is the responsibility falling on the Democrats? It sounds like advice to an abused wife - "Well, maybe don't nag him so much and he'll drink less, or just do what he says so he doesn't get so angry". The husband should be doing at least some of the self-reflection.
Second, is winning elections worth compromising our views? Should we soften our stance on abortion and gun control? Harden up on immigrants? I think if we can learn anything from Republican strategies it's that compromising looks weak and going extreme and doubling down aggressively works better.
Third, who would be orchestrating any changes? On the Republican side it's easy, just repeat whatever Trump is saying on that day. On the Democrat side, would it be the DNC picking more centrist candidates? I really don't know the mechanics of the political machine, so this is not a rhetorical question.
I think what we are seeing is the result of decades of concerted wide ranging efforts of conservatives bent on taking power, starting with Newt Gingrich, maybe earlier. It was gerrymandering, undermining education with local school boards, undermining separation of church and state, setting up many billionaire-funded think tanks, infiltrating courts with the Federalist society, rejecting any principled stances if they impede winning. This was a very long game and I don't see what can be done to even start reversing it's effects.
Very, very separately, the tweet reposted by Kass is from a parody account, "Art Vandelay, Esq" and the profile pic are Seinfeld references. It's not clear whether he (or EZ) realized it. There is a lot of Poe's Law in effect online these days ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe's_law ), apologies if you already knew it was satire.
Democrat s are not a monolithic group where everyone has the same views. There are always some who will disagree with party choices and priorities of elected officials. It is reasonable for Party leadership to evaluate which trade-offs it should support making. I will provide some examples:
Should the SEC require reporting on ESG?
Should the SEC regulate companies that are not publicly traded?
Should the FTC take actions against companies for actions that do not break laws, but are distasteful to the FTC chair?
Under current Democratic leadership the answer to all of these questions is "yes", but I don't think the party would be abandoning its values if it decided the reasons not to do these things outweigh the reason to do them.
thanks for the link. i didn't know about poe's law.
and i hadn't picked up that the reposted tweet was from a parody acct and subject to poe's law. i took it 'seriously' - or as seriously as i take any tweet - which is not seriously.
You ask good questions. It’s what Democrats have been wrangling with for decades. I’m sure we all remember the turbulent 1968 election. The Democrats made mincemeat of common sense politics. They made it easy for Nixon. If CREEP had any brains, Watergate wouldn’t have happened. Nixon was going to be reelected in a walk. Democrats making hash of election politics is nothing new. They argue about ideals. If one decides to run for office, one makes tough choices. Does that person try to do what they personally believe is right or give in to the whims of the majority of voters, which can be two very different things?
The absolute worst of his wretched appointments is Tulsi Gabbard as Director of national Intelligence, which would mean she's the head of the CIA & NSA.
Except she is an actual Russian intelligence asset, an actual traitor to this country & would deliver, free of charge, all of our most closely guarded secrets.
We can only hope a few Republican senators have the balls to reject this pile of shit's appointment!
I think Trump got elected because he promised to easily solve the nation's problems. The reality is he doesn't care about this nation's problems, which he's shown by intending to appoint incompetent toadies to key government positions. Trump's goal is to go down in history as a famous dictator, à la Julius Caesar.
Matt Gretzky, Wayne's obnoxious younger brother... (And now my reference to Gretzky makes no sense, since Rick corrected his post. Oh, well. I'll just leave it in.)
I commonly refer to Gaetz as Beavis due to the uncanny resemblance, although he's more of a Butthead.
I'm going to doubt that the military will give him access to the most secret stuff this time. I also think the CIA & NSA will keep the ultra top secret stuff away from Gabbard if that actual traitor is confirmed!
I joined Bluesky a few months ago and I like the non-toxic atmosphere (and it's easier to block the low-life). I'm hoping more of the people and news organizations I follow on X/Twitter will soon migrate there as well.
1. Mandate: Leading up to election I noted the winner should not accept their win as the voice of the nation. It was going to be a 51% FOR and 49% AGAINST win. It's a divided nation not a landslide victory. 2. Cabinet Nominations. First tests for Rep. We have to support our guy, but how much do we need to support him? In the typical political fashion I heard people say we can 1) Confirm; 2) Reject; 3) Pass on responsibility to POTUS to directly assign seats without a vote. 4) Prayer. Even with SCOTUS leaning - I don't see how they could force - or enforce - prayer in school. The Our Father in Christian churches vary by denomination. Maybe is should be recited in latin. 5.) Steve B - Had not heard diagnosis - Godspeed. 6). Mel Brooks' classic is going to get a lot of attention the next few years. 7.) IL Governor ramping up quotes for 2028 run. 8.) As they say... "Death is not an option" Chicago's worst. Brandon Johnson or Bears? (Johnson rants are as ridiculous as Trumps - just not as extreme) Dare I add shifting from Property tax route to "taxing garbage collection and vehicle sticker fees and hiking taxes on shopping bags, liquor and streaming services" seems to push the burden on the pay check to paycheck low income areas. 9. "Maladroit mayor?" Is that anything like Malort? 10. Snelling/Johnson People are failing to see the 'collaborative approach' happening - again. :P 11. I'm pro "Kass pushed out/Truth about Kass" continuation. 12. TEAMS: Not hard to root for Indiana. Can't jump ship from Bears to other division rivals. I root for whoever is playing against GB, MN an DET.
C'mon, you can't begrudge Detroit for finally making Sunday matter for its fans after 60 years? Having grown up in Detroit, while the Lions were on every Sunday, for most of my life the Lions didn't matter - no one ever planned around the Lions' games on Sunday like they do here in Chicago. For the last 3 years, it's been refreshing for Sunday to matter to Lions' fans.
Now located in Michigan - I could begrudgingly give DET fans some slack - if only due to their overzealous UM and MSU zaniness. IL has little in overall college fandom. Some ILLINI, some ND, I grabbed on to NW as closest Big 10 team.
Let us all take a moment to give thanks that at least Pete Hegseth was not nominated as Trump's Surgeon General or Secretary of Health and Human Services. One hopes the germ-phobic president-elect has his new Defense Secretary thoroughly disinfected before allowing him in the White House. Maybe there is some bleach left over from COVID-19 injections?
A dystopian view: Grocery prices will go much higher for several reasons. One is the high tariffs on imported goods. A second is the use this country’s economic resources to deport many essential workers. A third will be the focus on imprisoning those who offer contrary views. Eventually the shortage of food and other basic needs will lead to the creation of highly armed gangs and private militias, and violent destructive chaos will ensue.
Torches and pitchforks. Shouts of "bread"! All so the elites and corporatists can have their marginal tax rates a few points lower, and racists and bigots can publicly look down on the "others".
I understand the anger and despair about the appalling toll of the Gaza, war and revulsion against the Netanyahu government. I do not understand two things. 1. Why does that human compassion for suffering people extend to supporting Hamas and the rest? (It reminds me of those of Irish descent outside Ireland supporting the disgusting bunch of violent fanatics and criminals that were the Provisional IRA.) 2. Why did that human compassion for suffering people extend to not voting or voting for Trump? The people who did that played a part in creating an administration that will send a Christian nationalist, Huckabee, who openly preaches Israel annexing the West Bank and says there are no such thing as Palestinians as US ambassador to Israel.
I saw a PBS story with interviews of Palestinians in Gaza about the election. Some said 'who cares, they all love Israel and hate us', and some said 'Biden couldn't help us, maybe Trump can at least stop the killing'. Netanyahu and the IDF have counted every male over 18 that has been killed or injured as Hamas members. And have no problem with 2/3rds of the casualties being women and children. They have the goal of destroying all of Hamas, which is bad if all males over 18 are Hamas.
So one can imagine that there are a fair number that just want the fighting to stop. And Trump was willing to go to Dearborn and meet with Arab Americans. Harris did not. Those that think Trump might improve the situation know they may be wrong, but they don't think things will worse.
Sixty percent of the West Bank is already under direct Israeli administration.
Expansion of settlements has never been stopped. The Biden Administration has been nearly silent on Israeli annexation plans. And Gaza is obviously now permanently under Israeli administration. They might think 'it can't get worse'. No one can possibly believe there is any hope for a two-state solution.
All that's necessary for the killings to end is for Hamas to release all the hostages, then Israel will pull out of Gaza, because the Israeli public is also fed up with the war, which has wrecked their own economy, because so many people are reservists called up to fight.
If the Gazans can't figure that out, then fuck em!
What is interesting is how successful the Republicans have been at attacking liberalism while it is their extreme form of liberalism, libertarianism, created the current mess that provided the argument for working class Democrats to cross-over and vote for Trump in their misguided assessment . It is Republican libertarian ideology, trickle-down economics, that led to their failed policies, such as tax cuts for the rich, that have eroded the middle class that was created by the progressive income tax with its high upper marginal tax rates. Those cross-over voters rightly view the Democrats as having failed them for not standing against libertarian policies that reduced their life options.
The Democrats need to replace the failed Clinton Democrats with progressives who understand the disaster that libertarianism is so that they can successfully argue its role in the creation of our state of affairs and how libertarian arguments provided room for conservatives in the GOP to enhance the dysfunction simply because they and libertarians share certain views for different reasons, such as that the rich are more industrious, libertarians, or more righteous, conservatives. Libertarians and conservatives work well together indicating that progressives must develop an alignment with others that align with them to reverse the dysfunction caused by Republican policies.
Progressivism is the answer. It created the extensive and inclusive middle class, cleaned the environment, protected wildlife and ecosystems, workers, patients, consumers and created a society in which we were making gains in the areas of equal opportunity, equality under the law and a voice and participation in governance.
you don't understand libertarianism - the core values of which are personal freedom AND non-aggression.
try reading some some john locke and john stuart mill [especially 'On Liberty']. try reading up on milton friedman - the original force behind the negative income tax, now more popularly called universal basic income.
even if the dem party were to adopt the most radically left of progrressive policy prescriptions - which it won't - the result wd be permanent jr status to the authoritarian [not conservative] repub party. as i've stated earlier in this forum, progressives shd split from the dem party, form their own party, promote their policy prescriptions, run candidates at nat'l & state levels - and see how they fare in the marketplace of ideas.
Just want to make an observation, I had trouble getting into the comments section recently. I tried working with Substack to no avail, so I asked for help from Eric Zorn.
I got a quick response and here I am.
Thanks again Eric, I not only enjoy the PS and these posts, but also how you run the PS.
Regarding Trump's selection of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. He is not just a Fox News personality. He is a decorated Army officer who holds the Combat Infantry Badge and was awarded two Bronze Stars for his leadership and valor in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following his military service to our country, Hegseth earned degrees at Harvard and Princeton. He has authored books on the military and on education. He founded and led the organization Vets for Freedom. This is a man who knows our military inside and out and has personally experienced foreign war.
I assure you that Hegseth's selection is already wildly popular among the men and women who serve us in uniform, and I believe he will be an excellent Secretary of Defense.
Hi Joanie - I respect Tammy duckworth for her service and honor her great sacrifice to our country. But she is a very partisan Democratic senator. Veterans voted for Trump by a two to one margin in the election, and while there are no demographic numbers in on the military vote, It is anticipated to match or exceed the veterans vote. Having served, I can tell you that troops want leaders who have boots on the ground experience alongside them. Hegseth is getting rave reviews from my family members currently in the military.
There are a ton of women who also don't think women should serve in combat. MAGA women especially seem to believe women are the weaker sex. I am not a MAGA and I believe women in combat are not a problem - I've met a lot of women who would likely be far better in the field than a lot of men. I believe the best person for the job should be assigned to the job, regardless of their genitalia. Every Israeli, male or female, trains for a combat role as part of their mandatory service.
The US military is 17.5% women. 5.4% of officers and 2.7% of enlisted are women in combat or tactical roles. The primary concern has been women in infantry, armor and artillery units, which have less than 2% women. Hegseth has said that he does not oppose female pilots or other similar combat roles that are not in the field. The Marines conducted lengthy trial to compare all male and integrated male/female units.
They concluded the integrated units were significantly less effective and had much higher injury rates. They also concluded that the minimum number of women required for a functional integrated unit was 30%. Only 8.9% of Marines are women, and of the 174,000 Marines there are 231 in combat billets.
David, interesting that you point out his service in the military as well as his respect and support for Veterans. The fact that he reads and writes books, with knowledge of the military.
This makes sense to me. However how ironic that the Commander in Chief he will serve under is a draft dodger, has denigrated Veterans and active duty personnel, does not read, needs a ghost writer to publish his book and knows squat about the military.
Hi Peter - Yes, I agree that Trump personally is an arrogant bozo. However, veterans and people who presently serve feel that he has their back and support his policies. Veterans voted for Trump by a 2-1 margin.
Dave, interesting you use the word arrogant rather than unqualified. The qualifications you point out for Secretary of Defense are completely lacking with Trump as Commander in Chief.
As a Veteran, I just cannot support folks that insult me and denigrates military service. Yo Dave, do you think of yourself as a loser for serving in the military?
Trump does…he said so.
And Dave, I base my vote and thoughts on principles, not how other people vote.
Clinton, Obama, and Biden also had no military service. Clinton was a draft dodger and many accused Bush's Air National Guard service as dodging Viet Nam. Just saying I am more concerned with their policy ideas.
Everything that Trump has said about military people is reprehensible. Except that he doesn't think they should be deployed in other peoples wars.
Peter, do you think the electorate would be different if we returned to some form of mandatory service? I was in elementary school when the last draft ended, but I remember very well the anxiety within my lower-middle class community as it was playing out, and I have noticed a marked shift from D to R since then in that area.
As a veteran who was in KSA for Desert Shield/Desert Storm, I personally don't have issues with guys in the '60s who did what they could to avoid being drafted, including getting college deferments, having daddy finesse them into a plum NG slot, or faking mental or physical ailments. Vietnam was a shit-show and expecting young men to calmly accept their roles as cannon fodder is just dumb. If I had been faced with that decision I don't know how I would have reacted, so I can't condemn those decisions.
That said, I do have a problem with those same draft dodgers later on pretending to be some macho he-man, waving their AR-15s around, and being all gung-ho for the same type of military involvement they were too chicken to take part in back then. I also have a problem with guys who like to parade around in camo and play weekend warrior, while again clamoring for other people to go fight some war when they can't be bothered to actually sign up for military service themselves.
One of the primary concerns of activity duty military people is being deployed into high-risk, long-term, no-win conflicts. No one wants to risk death or injury pointlessly, nor do they want to inflict death and injury to no purpose.
Trump has said that he opposes deployment the of the military and has actively attempted to reduce deployments. Many in the military expect this to continue and prefer it.
As a draftee who ended up in Vietnam, I agree with your point above.
However, there were lifers who saw conflicts as a quick route to advancement.
They were good for their resume.
Also funding and expansion of the military takes place once they get involved in conflicts. Some in the military find this to be a good thing.
And Johnson was the peace candidate and Goldwater was the hawk concerning Vietnam. Well it did not work out that way.
Trump is a liar, draft dodger with no respect for the military. He will turn on a dime if it helps his ratings. You have to be wacko if you think he is concerned about the welfare of the military, veterans and military dependents.
I do not denigrate Hegseth's battlefield exploits, and I salute his service to his country (and me, as a citizen). I do note that a US Army Major's responsibility (Hegseth's highest rank) is typically that of a Battalion Executive Officer. A Battalion is typically comprised of between 800-1,000 personnel. He has championed the cause of convicted war criminals. My wife's cousin, a retired Air Force Brigadier General (27 years of service) thinks he's d**k. In no way, shape, or form is he an appropriate appointee for SecDef.
Hi Jay - I respect your relatives opinion. But troops respect people who have had boots on the ground and command experience in battle. In World War II Eisenhower who was never a field commander was acknowledged as the Supreme Allied commander, but Patton was worshiped by his troops who would run through brick walls for him. As Secretary of Defense, Hegseth is not a policy maker, but rather the military implementer of policy. In that regard, I believe he is very well qualified.
Dave, your example contradicts your point. Eisenhower’s role was to coordinate the American military forces along with the British, Canadian, and other forces including the French resistance. He was not in a direct field commanding role.
Yet he was instrumental in making the D day landing a success.
Patton would have been a disaster as Supreme Allied Commander.
By the way, both my uncle and father served in World War 2 and both had great respect for Eisenhower.
My uncle served in Europe under Patton in an anti aircraft unit. However, he said because they constantly advanced and attacked, they had to lower their anti aircraft guns to shoot at Nazi tanks rather than planes. My uncle saw Patton as a bit crazy and happy to get out his unit when the war ended.
Hey Peter - I confess to having a bit of bromance about Patton as I served in Armor and actually served with his grandson who was a young 2nd Lt at the time. I like the fact that Hegseth is not part of the Pentagon establishment and believe he will bring it more of pure military focus to his position. We'll see.
Overall, I see Trump's picks as a mixed bag thus far. I believe Homan is exactly the person with his border patrol background to head up our border security, And I believe Tulsi Gabbard will serve very well in her position. I was disappointed to see Noem selected for such a high position that I believe is beyond her talent level. But I am horrified by the pick of Gaetz as Attorney General. I see him as a gadfly who has has exhibited his penchant for bad decision making time and time again, and I am hoping that the Senate Republicans may stand up to Trump on this one and deny his confirmation.
I used to teach a management course, and there is a tendency for organizations and people to focus on the wrong thing when selecting someone for a supervisory or management position. In Biden's case, my perspective is that a lot of his appointments were made through a DEI filter instead of the most qualified individuals. With Trump, it is very apparent that he is placing a very high premium on personal fealty to him instead of the most qualified individuals.
Those of us who voted for Trump did so in full knowledge that the coming four years will again be drama-laden, but we believe that overall they will move in the right direction. But it will be a great relief when we are all able to move on from Trump in 4 years. I would love to see a much more rational person like Nikki Haley as the conservative standard bearer. But buckle your seatbelt as we are in for a wild ride until then.
Oh but rest assured if he were somehow a Harris appointee who did hits on MSNBC, those same supporters would tell him to go back to the unqualified woke swamp he crawled out of, despite those sick tats.
Add Wisconsin and North Carolina to states where Democrats won statewide races while Trump won in those states.
My question is why are journalists claiming a Trump landslide when it clearly was not that? Maybe it is because that is what draws eyeballs to their pages, which is how they get paid. Maybe it was because Trump did much better relative to their expectations. That could *feel* like a landslide, when it was really just a mis-estimation of the electorate.
Maybe it's because their papers' billionaire owners are pushing that fallacy.
Another condition of declaring a mandate is that the winner should get well over 50% of the popular vote. According to Polymarket, it is unlikely that he will get even above 50%. According to the AP Trump currently stands at 50.2%. I don't know what the cut-off should be, but I don't think 50.2% makes it.
i don't support the 'trump mandate' fallacy either.
however, repubs did win the senate [handily] and the house [barely]. regardless of the %-age by which trump won, this gives the repubs free rein [if they can keep their members in line - hardly assured in the house] to pass and implement whatever they please [or what trump pleases].
dems have only themselves to blame for not winning at least 1 of the 3.
No it wasn't a landslide, but alas it was a sweep. All three branches of government on one side of the balance scale. It now remains to be seen if the Senate will actually confirm (choke) Matt Gaetz as AG. The reaction from the House, once they learned that the nomination was not actually a joke, seems to be delight that he wouldn't be there anymore.
His resignation still stands either way. Just hope the "grown ups" in the Senate send him packing. (Assuming Thune doesn't call a recess to let Trump have his way...)
The Democrats haven't been able to call a recess even though they are currently in control of the Senate, as McConnell has figured out a way to keep one wing nut senator in DC at all times to claim the Senate is not in a recess.
The Democrats should do exactly the same thing!
There's a couple of different ways to look at it. Obviously they did not win a mandate from voters. Burger Boy won by 2 points against a last minute candidate that ran a fairly lackluster campaign. On the other hand, the MAGAs - note I didn't say GOP- have all 3 branches of government under their control. It will be hard to stop them. The new Justice Department won't do anything to stop Burger Boy's irrational impulses. Both Houses of Congress will pass anything he wants that only require a majority vote. The Supreme Court will protect anything stupid that MAGAs want as they have already proven. So arguing about the mandate is like complaining that the school yard bully is a nasty person not as popular as he thinks he is. He's still going to beat people up and the other kids won't be able to stop him.
Part of me wants to cheer on Trump and his motley crew of nutters, sex pests, the dregs of the Fox sets and greenroom, sycophants, etc. The crazier and more unpopular his Cabinet and actions are, the sooner MAGA goes down in flames. However, the better angel of my nature laments the human, moral, and financial cost the MAGA domestic and foreign policies will exact.
Wonder if the 1930s Germans felt the same way.
My grandparents left Germany for the U.S. to escape the rise of fascism. Now my daughter and I will be doing the reverse :-(
You're heading to Germany?
Norway, actually. I can't WAIT to be back in Europe!!
No they didn't. As a Jew, I promise you that I have nothing positive to say about Hitler. All he did was promise the German people great things to overcome what they considered the disastrous World War I treaty. It took him awhile to get around to telling them just how he was going to do it. We knew about Trump. We knew from his first term. We knew from his campaign promises. The American people knew things that the 1930s German people did not. So it's not much of a comparison. And by the time the German people knew what was happening, it was too late and there was a great fear of death. We elected Burger Boy with full knowledge of who and what he was and is. Furthermore, there is a lot of popular support for what Burger Boy promised. Hitler didn't put concentration camps to a popular vote and ther is much historical evidence right up to Allied troops breaking open the gates that many Germans didn't believe it. So don't try and compare the German people with ours. We know what we're getting.
That's exactly how I feel!! The only way to break the "MAGA fever" is for its cultist followers to experience the full impact of what they voted for. Meanwhile, knowing that I won't live long enough to see the undoing of the damage is extremely depressing.
Maybe Dems should spend their time in Congress just trashing every obnoxious idea their GQP counterparts offer, while resisting the urge to put forth better proposals. When asked why they aren't offering solutions they can simply say the country resoundingly rejected their ideas.
This. Don’t join in their march to inevitable failure caused by their own cravenness and self-serving incompetence. Call it all out. Vote no. But do not cross the aisle to rescue them, citing their own claiming of the people’s will. I’d add that it should be much easier to outwit them on the Hill, as their most politically intelligent members (McConnell, Cruz, Graham, etc.) clearly are on the outs, being replaced by nonsensical and inexperienced influencers.
McConnell is intelligent, crafty & truly evil, but Cruz & Graham are morons!
I agree that they are moronic from our angle, but they both are highly educated, media savvy, and know how to perform for their constituents. The recent wave of GOP legislatures only have the media savvy (new media).
Wrong!
Those two are moronic from any angle!
You can be highly educated & still be a moron, Brandon Johnson immediately comes to mind on that one!
Cruz is definitely a moron. I don't think Graham is.
They both are spineless worms, though.
Come on fellas, can we agree on some basic facts? Cruz attended elite private grade schools, then Princeton undergrad, Harvard Law where he edited the Law Review and led a renowned debate team, where an award was named after him. Graduated Magna Cum Laude. Nobody does that without being smart as hell. He publicly debated Bernie Sanders (convincingly to many) about national health systems. To call him a moron, while satisfying, misses the mark. Cruz and his Ivy-educated ilk are the ones who know damn well what the true morons and lickspittles are up to, and they are complicit. As for Brandon Johnson, his educational background and political success doesn’t even come close to Cruz’s. Cruz does say and do moronic things as a politician, but that’s beside the point. We equate our disgust with their stupidity at our own peril.
I withdraw my comment about Ted Cruz being a moron. I will say he plays one to perfection, though.
A long time ago, I wan a junior high social studies teacher. I had a student that never got anything less than a A on any assignment or test. But he had zero common sense. He is now an average attorney. Smarts are no good unless one knows what to do with them. A GPA and academic rewards can mean little when someone gets into the adult world.
Did you ever search for a restaurant late at night when you were really hungry? You just had to have food and nothing on the menu looked very appetizing. We want Trump and the MAGAs to fail. We hope to elect a more reasonable government in four years. But there’s a good chance that in order for that happen we would have to endure some crummy times. It’s not much of a choice.
EXACTLY
Did you notice that the winning quip was wrong? It should have been borchester shot; no addition of “shire” at the end. After all Worcestershire sauce is pronounced woostersheer, not just wooster.
And Worcester is pronounced "wuster" not "wooster" which makes it even lamer.
My English relatives (including my dear, departed mum) pronounced it "wurstur," which is what I'm going with.
As an original Bostonian, it’s wuster.
Oh, pooh. It was still funny. Fact-checking 1-liners seems like an non-optimal allocation of energy.
It kinda takes all the fun out of it, huh?
You don’t have to fact check. Sometimes you just know.
I'm reminded of a joke I once heard:
A couple on vacation is driving through Florida and get into an argument. The husband keeps insisting the town they're in is pronounced "Kis-SIM-mee" while his wife says it's pronounced "KIS-sim-mee".
After going back and forth on the subject, they stop to get a bite to eat, and the husband asks the kid taking their order, "How do you pronounce this place?"
To which the kid responds, "BUR-GER KING."
I didn't know of Ella Jenkins (I wish I had!), but when I heard of her death I started humming "Baby Beluga" and wondering what Rafi is doing these days.
If the Dept of Education goes, my son loses his IEP and my kids lose their gifted program. Thanks MAGA. I won't go so far as to wish death for those who voted for Trump, but I am anxious to read their obituaries.
I've worked in special education for many years. I can't begin to imagine the chaos that will result if the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is suddenly repealed or stops being enforced. It will be truly ugly for many families especially in states that decide the Ten Commandments are more important in the classroom than actually educating individual children.
But Mary Beth, don't you see? MAGAs (and those who voted MAGA) are against the very thing that IEPs stand for - that every child should have an equal chance. If they're different (because of a physical or other reason) - they don't deserve the help they need to have an equal chance. Society should only provide that which is needed by "regular" people (like them).
I have lost faith in an American electorate that cannot discern truth from fantasy. Democracy depends on an educated populace, one that can sieve facts from fictional dross, can tell the difference between good ideas and bad.
One thing I remember learning in high school about the Nazis was their program to euthanize people with mental and physical disabilities. We used to say that could "never happen here," but I'm no longer convinced by such statements. At a time when we need more than ever to educate people on the atrocities of the Holocaust, we're talking about ending the Department of Education.
John, it gets worse. These folks were constantly behind in their quotas to euthanize people with mental and physical disabilities (mostly Germans at the beginning) and started experimenting with a variety of killing methods. They found that using gas in a sealed room was very efficient.
So when it came time to create mass killing camps, Hitler and Himmler turned to them for designs on “showers” and appropriate gas for best results.
And yes, some of these folks were “doctors” by training who had now taken oaths to Hitler.
Wonder if they could have designed a “remedy” for Covid?
Himmler's doctors would've put anyone with Covid into the gas chambers to stop the infections from spreading.
why do you feel there is a need for a federal Dept of Ed? there are federal laws in place to ensure rights and funding for children with disabilties and children from low income families. these transfers could be accomplished by block grants to states - rather than the current mechanism,, which is lifetime income stream for unaccountable bureaucrats. block grants could be managed by the dept of Treasury, for example.
the Dept of Ed certainly offers nothing of value to teach children against the horrors of the holocaust, or in favor of civics - or anything else, for that matter. curriculum decisions are made by state and local govt's.
why do you believe that the admninistrative bureaucracy at the Dept of Ed is not a waste of taxpayer $$?
I imagine the goal in eliminating the department isn't so much about tackling redundancy, but rather ripping out the programs the department is tasked with running. If the idea really is just to eliminate bureaucracy without doing away with those programs, how would that work? You can move the programs to other departments (as you suggested), but wouldn't they just probably hire the same bureaucrats (the ones who already know what needs to be done) to keep administering them?
Eliminating the Department of Education has been a stated goal of Republicans since its inception in 1980. Yet, oddly enough, none of the previous Republican presidents have actually done that, even when their party controlled the House and Senate.
I have made that point after previous columns. There are conservatives that will tell you that America is blessed by God and therefore will last forever. There is no historical precedent to believe that. The land and people may survive. But in what form? Do some believe we are so great and powerful that it will never be possible to endanger us? I'll bet Russian Czars believed that along with Chinese emperors, Napoleon, Hitler, and the leaders of of the USSR. Oops- left out the Roman Empire. Nothing lasts forever and most of the above were defeated from within.
does democracy really depend on education? seems the country at large was more democratic, and definitely less educated, for most of the 20th century.
BobE - Thomas Jefferson himself - per the monticello.org - believed that education was fundamental to democracy:
"Thomas Jefferson believed only educated citizens could make the American experiment in self-government succeed. He proposed a system of broad, free, public education that was radical in his day and his founding of the University of Virginia partially achieved his larger goals."
We may graduate higher percentages of high school students today compared to the 20th century, but our current high school graduates (even many of today's college graduates) are far less "educated" (in terms of the ability to think critically and express themselves clearly) than those high school graduates of the 20th century. (Have you read the letters home from soldiers during WWI and WWII - most correspondents' writing from then is much superior than that of the majority of today's graduates.) IMO, it's one of the reasons why many on the right want to de-emphasize education. Uneducated sheep are much more susceptible to misinformation and disinformation (and vote against their own self-interests) than those taught to think critically. (Geez, I wonder if we might have a recent example of this in the real world . . . . )
I strongly disagree with Bob. Education definitely counts to maintain democracy. I can cite many examples. We already, in this country, do a substandard job of teaching social studies in school. As a result, many adults have no idea how the government works, the historical background behind why we do things the way we do, and don’t have a clue how the economy works. That makes them susceptible to any politician or political movement that sounds good. I can also cite North Korea. I have watched documentaries. They really believe their country is heaven on Earth and that their leader is a god. They have heard nothing else since they were born, whether it be in school or in the media. Yes, education counts. But it must be done well with an eye toward giving the students the knowledge to make decisions for themselves. Outside of elite prep schools or rich suburbs, a lot of that is questionable.
It's already bad for special ed kids in a lot of red states, only going to be worse under the new administration. We lived in South Carolina for 2 years. We were in one of the best school districts in that state and they couldn't come close to honoring my son's IEP as it was written in Michigan. Elementary school building had 9 classrooms at every grade level with 40-45 kids in a classroom, 80% of kids got free or reduced price lunch. For all those kids, they had 1.5 speech therapists and a 1/2-time occupational therapist. My son's special ed teacher with a master's degree and 10 years experience (he was FABULOUS, just overwhelmed) made less than $30,000 a year. My son made a TON of progress once we moved back north.
I only wish I had an angry-face emoji to hit for this. That sounds criminal. Thank goodness you could move back up here!
My son is thriving as a young adult with a (regular, competitive) job in a local hospital (15 months, only rave reviews). I credit his education from late elementary through high school (including transition) here in IL for his being ready to work and live his life with his intellectual disability and autism. SC doesn't have anything like transition - they turn 18, they're done! IL they go to transition until age 22 (Michigan age 26!). It made all the difference in my son's life. He did not have the work and social skills at 18/19, he learned so much in transition.
Welcome to reality. CPS has been under federal court sanctions for years over its failure to provide proper services for students with IEPs. The biggest issue is finding enough qualified teachers. That leaves a lot of kids stuck with adults that have no idea how to teach them.
Thanks for picking "I'll Sing a Song" as tune of the week. Ella Jenkins invited the "Urban Gateways Children's Chorus" to handle the kids' parts. That chorus consisted of kids in a few elementary schools in Lawndale, Bronzeville, and Woodlawn where Urban Gateways sponsored school choruses organized and conducted by Chicago Children's Choir. Many of those singers advanced to CCC''s concert- and tour-level units. I knew them as a fellow CCC singer. It was great to hear them this morning near the rise of their vocal journeys. Ella was an inspiration to all of, and she and its founding director, Christopher Moore, were thick as thieves for several years. What is now Uniting Voices grew from those roots.
"Democrats do need to do some soul-searching and recalibrating"
I've seen this sentiment frequently and it kind of rubs me the wrong way.
First, why is the responsibility falling on the Democrats? It sounds like advice to an abused wife - "Well, maybe don't nag him so much and he'll drink less, or just do what he says so he doesn't get so angry". The husband should be doing at least some of the self-reflection.
Second, is winning elections worth compromising our views? Should we soften our stance on abortion and gun control? Harden up on immigrants? I think if we can learn anything from Republican strategies it's that compromising looks weak and going extreme and doubling down aggressively works better.
Third, who would be orchestrating any changes? On the Republican side it's easy, just repeat whatever Trump is saying on that day. On the Democrat side, would it be the DNC picking more centrist candidates? I really don't know the mechanics of the political machine, so this is not a rhetorical question.
I think what we are seeing is the result of decades of concerted wide ranging efforts of conservatives bent on taking power, starting with Newt Gingrich, maybe earlier. It was gerrymandering, undermining education with local school boards, undermining separation of church and state, setting up many billionaire-funded think tanks, infiltrating courts with the Federalist society, rejecting any principled stances if they impede winning. This was a very long game and I don't see what can be done to even start reversing it's effects.
Very, very separately, the tweet reposted by Kass is from a parody account, "Art Vandelay, Esq" and the profile pic are Seinfeld references. It's not clear whether he (or EZ) realized it. There is a lot of Poe's Law in effect online these days ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe's_law ), apologies if you already knew it was satire.
Democrat s are not a monolithic group where everyone has the same views. There are always some who will disagree with party choices and priorities of elected officials. It is reasonable for Party leadership to evaluate which trade-offs it should support making. I will provide some examples:
Should the SEC require reporting on ESG?
Should the SEC regulate companies that are not publicly traded?
Should the FTC take actions against companies for actions that do not break laws, but are distasteful to the FTC chair?
Under current Democratic leadership the answer to all of these questions is "yes", but I don't think the party would be abandoning its values if it decided the reasons not to do these things outweigh the reason to do them.
thanks for the link. i didn't know about poe's law.
and i hadn't picked up that the reposted tweet was from a parody acct and subject to poe's law. i took it 'seriously' - or as seriously as i take any tweet - which is not seriously.
You ask good questions. It’s what Democrats have been wrangling with for decades. I’m sure we all remember the turbulent 1968 election. The Democrats made mincemeat of common sense politics. They made it easy for Nixon. If CREEP had any brains, Watergate wouldn’t have happened. Nixon was going to be reelected in a walk. Democrats making hash of election politics is nothing new. They argue about ideals. If one decides to run for office, one makes tough choices. Does that person try to do what they personally believe is right or give in to the whims of the majority of voters, which can be two very different things?
The absolute worst of his wretched appointments is Tulsi Gabbard as Director of national Intelligence, which would mean she's the head of the CIA & NSA.
Except she is an actual Russian intelligence asset, an actual traitor to this country & would deliver, free of charge, all of our most closely guarded secrets.
We can only hope a few Republican senators have the balls to reject this pile of shit's appointment!
Trump expects every Republcan in Congress to rubber stamp all his appointments and requests without question.
They dare not refuse.
Even with the R majority, Trump wants to send the Senate into recess and grant him the power to appoint people without even a pretext of a vote.
I think Trump got elected because he promised to easily solve the nation's problems. The reality is he doesn't care about this nation's problems, which he's shown by intending to appoint incompetent toadies to key government positions. Trump's goal is to go down in history as a famous dictator, à la Julius Caesar.
I think slimeball Matt Gaetz for AG is a close contender for this honor.
Matt Gretzky, Wayne's obnoxious younger brother... (And now my reference to Gretzky makes no sense, since Rick corrected his post. Oh, well. I'll just leave it in.)
I commonly refer to Gaetz as Beavis due to the uncanny resemblance, although he's more of a Butthead.
Bill Maher nailed it a few years ago when he pointed out that Gaetz looks just like a character from a Dr. Seuss book.
he looks like an adult eddie munster - tho eddie munster was cool, and likable.
it would be, except Gaetz can't deliver ultra top secret info to Putin. That makes Gabbard the absolute worst.
Trump doesn't need Gabbard to do that -- he'll be able to declassify everything and FedEx it directly to his Vladdy Daddy...
I'm going to doubt that the military will give him access to the most secret stuff this time. I also think the CIA & NSA will keep the ultra top secret stuff away from Gabbard if that actual traitor is confirmed!
I imagine we'll see many resignations/retirements from both those agencies, before Gabbard puts a bullseye on their backs.
sexual predators have to support each other
may have been the worst when you wrote this post.
is she still the worst, now that rfk jr [his father must be wretching in his grave] has been nominated for sec'y of HHS?
tough choice.
I'll call it a tie!
Both are scum!
amen!
I joined Bluesky a few months ago and I like the non-toxic atmosphere (and it's easier to block the low-life). I'm hoping more of the people and news organizations I follow on X/Twitter will soon migrate there as well.
I also joined just recently. I don't post much anywhere, but would be happy to follow
I'm at https://bsky.app/profile/m-a-r-k-k.bsky.social
If anyone finds it helpful, EZ is at https://bsky.app/profile/ericzorn.bsky.social
Is anyone besides me having trouble remembering that it’s not pronounced BLOO-skee.
kinda like bluto blutarsky
I did too, just this week. I'm hanging on to Twitter for a couple of more weeks, then I'm going to ditch Elmo's platform for good.
1. Mandate: Leading up to election I noted the winner should not accept their win as the voice of the nation. It was going to be a 51% FOR and 49% AGAINST win. It's a divided nation not a landslide victory. 2. Cabinet Nominations. First tests for Rep. We have to support our guy, but how much do we need to support him? In the typical political fashion I heard people say we can 1) Confirm; 2) Reject; 3) Pass on responsibility to POTUS to directly assign seats without a vote. 4) Prayer. Even with SCOTUS leaning - I don't see how they could force - or enforce - prayer in school. The Our Father in Christian churches vary by denomination. Maybe is should be recited in latin. 5.) Steve B - Had not heard diagnosis - Godspeed. 6). Mel Brooks' classic is going to get a lot of attention the next few years. 7.) IL Governor ramping up quotes for 2028 run. 8.) As they say... "Death is not an option" Chicago's worst. Brandon Johnson or Bears? (Johnson rants are as ridiculous as Trumps - just not as extreme) Dare I add shifting from Property tax route to "taxing garbage collection and vehicle sticker fees and hiking taxes on shopping bags, liquor and streaming services" seems to push the burden on the pay check to paycheck low income areas. 9. "Maladroit mayor?" Is that anything like Malort? 10. Snelling/Johnson People are failing to see the 'collaborative approach' happening - again. :P 11. I'm pro "Kass pushed out/Truth about Kass" continuation. 12. TEAMS: Not hard to root for Indiana. Can't jump ship from Bears to other division rivals. I root for whoever is playing against GB, MN an DET.
C'mon, you can't begrudge Detroit for finally making Sunday matter for its fans after 60 years? Having grown up in Detroit, while the Lions were on every Sunday, for most of my life the Lions didn't matter - no one ever planned around the Lions' games on Sunday like they do here in Chicago. For the last 3 years, it's been refreshing for Sunday to matter to Lions' fans.
Now located in Michigan - I could begrudgingly give DET fans some slack - if only due to their overzealous UM and MSU zaniness. IL has little in overall college fandom. Some ILLINI, some ND, I grabbed on to NW as closest Big 10 team.
Let us all take a moment to give thanks that at least Pete Hegseth was not nominated as Trump's Surgeon General or Secretary of Health and Human Services. One hopes the germ-phobic president-elect has his new Defense Secretary thoroughly disinfected before allowing him in the White House. Maybe there is some bleach left over from COVID-19 injections?
Of course, now antivaxxer RFK Jr has been nominated for HHS. What a team.
Your reply, Rick, was how I became aware of that news. Nothing like inviting the fox to guard the henhouse.
A dystopian view: Grocery prices will go much higher for several reasons. One is the high tariffs on imported goods. A second is the use this country’s economic resources to deport many essential workers. A third will be the focus on imprisoning those who offer contrary views. Eventually the shortage of food and other basic needs will lead to the creation of highly armed gangs and private militias, and violent destructive chaos will ensue.
Torches and pitchforks. Shouts of "bread"! All so the elites and corporatists can have their marginal tax rates a few points lower, and racists and bigots can publicly look down on the "others".
Of course, rather than torches and pitchforks, it'll be automatic weapons.
Haiti North?
Kinda
I understand the anger and despair about the appalling toll of the Gaza, war and revulsion against the Netanyahu government. I do not understand two things. 1. Why does that human compassion for suffering people extend to supporting Hamas and the rest? (It reminds me of those of Irish descent outside Ireland supporting the disgusting bunch of violent fanatics and criminals that were the Provisional IRA.) 2. Why did that human compassion for suffering people extend to not voting or voting for Trump? The people who did that played a part in creating an administration that will send a Christian nationalist, Huckabee, who openly preaches Israel annexing the West Bank and says there are no such thing as Palestinians as US ambassador to Israel.
The people that support Hama are idiots.
I saw a PBS story with interviews of Palestinians in Gaza about the election. Some said 'who cares, they all love Israel and hate us', and some said 'Biden couldn't help us, maybe Trump can at least stop the killing'. Netanyahu and the IDF have counted every male over 18 that has been killed or injured as Hamas members. And have no problem with 2/3rds of the casualties being women and children. They have the goal of destroying all of Hamas, which is bad if all males over 18 are Hamas.
So one can imagine that there are a fair number that just want the fighting to stop. And Trump was willing to go to Dearborn and meet with Arab Americans. Harris did not. Those that think Trump might improve the situation know they may be wrong, but they don't think things will worse.
Sixty percent of the West Bank is already under direct Israeli administration.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-52756427
Expansion of settlements has never been stopped. The Biden Administration has been nearly silent on Israeli annexation plans. And Gaza is obviously now permanently under Israeli administration. They might think 'it can't get worse'. No one can possibly believe there is any hope for a two-state solution.
The people of Gaza are idiots!
All that's necessary for the killings to end is for Hamas to release all the hostages, then Israel will pull out of Gaza, because the Israeli public is also fed up with the war, which has wrecked their own economy, because so many people are reservists called up to fight.
If the Gazans can't figure that out, then fuck em!
What is interesting is how successful the Republicans have been at attacking liberalism while it is their extreme form of liberalism, libertarianism, created the current mess that provided the argument for working class Democrats to cross-over and vote for Trump in their misguided assessment . It is Republican libertarian ideology, trickle-down economics, that led to their failed policies, such as tax cuts for the rich, that have eroded the middle class that was created by the progressive income tax with its high upper marginal tax rates. Those cross-over voters rightly view the Democrats as having failed them for not standing against libertarian policies that reduced their life options.
The Democrats need to replace the failed Clinton Democrats with progressives who understand the disaster that libertarianism is so that they can successfully argue its role in the creation of our state of affairs and how libertarian arguments provided room for conservatives in the GOP to enhance the dysfunction simply because they and libertarians share certain views for different reasons, such as that the rich are more industrious, libertarians, or more righteous, conservatives. Libertarians and conservatives work well together indicating that progressives must develop an alignment with others that align with them to reverse the dysfunction caused by Republican policies.
Progressivism is the answer. It created the extensive and inclusive middle class, cleaned the environment, protected wildlife and ecosystems, workers, patients, consumers and created a society in which we were making gains in the areas of equal opportunity, equality under the law and a voice and participation in governance.
No way in Hell will a party made up of Bernie Bros will bring back the working class to the Democrats!
you don't understand libertarianism - the core values of which are personal freedom AND non-aggression.
try reading some some john locke and john stuart mill [especially 'On Liberty']. try reading up on milton friedman - the original force behind the negative income tax, now more popularly called universal basic income.
even if the dem party were to adopt the most radically left of progrressive policy prescriptions - which it won't - the result wd be permanent jr status to the authoritarian [not conservative] repub party. as i've stated earlier in this forum, progressives shd split from the dem party, form their own party, promote their policy prescriptions, run candidates at nat'l & state levels - and see how they fare in the marketplace of ideas.
except, oh, i forgot - libverals & progressives don't trust markets.
Just want to make an observation, I had trouble getting into the comments section recently. I tried working with Substack to no avail, so I asked for help from Eric Zorn.
I got a quick response and here I am.
Thanks again Eric, I not only enjoy the PS and these posts, but also how you run the PS.
You are a fine writer, but also just a good guy.
I had problems too. Never was able to comment on Tuesday (finally got the log in emails at midnight that night).
Regarding Trump's selection of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. He is not just a Fox News personality. He is a decorated Army officer who holds the Combat Infantry Badge and was awarded two Bronze Stars for his leadership and valor in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following his military service to our country, Hegseth earned degrees at Harvard and Princeton. He has authored books on the military and on education. He founded and led the organization Vets for Freedom. This is a man who knows our military inside and out and has personally experienced foreign war.
I assure you that Hegseth's selection is already wildly popular among the men and women who serve us in uniform, and I believe he will be an excellent Secretary of Defense.
I assure you that Hegseth’s selection is not popular among women who serve U.S. in uniform.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4990200-tammy-duckworth-pete-hegseth-women-in-combat/
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4990200-tammy-duckworth-pete-hegseth-women-in-combat/
Hi Joanie - I respect Tammy duckworth for her service and honor her great sacrifice to our country. But she is a very partisan Democratic senator. Veterans voted for Trump by a two to one margin in the election, and while there are no demographic numbers in on the military vote, It is anticipated to match or exceed the veterans vote. Having served, I can tell you that troops want leaders who have boots on the ground experience alongside them. Hegseth is getting rave reviews from my family members currently in the military.
So you think women are going to support a person who will prohibit women from serving in combat? Being a woman, I can tell you that is absurd.
There are a ton of women who also don't think women should serve in combat. MAGA women especially seem to believe women are the weaker sex. I am not a MAGA and I believe women in combat are not a problem - I've met a lot of women who would likely be far better in the field than a lot of men. I believe the best person for the job should be assigned to the job, regardless of their genitalia. Every Israeli, male or female, trains for a combat role as part of their mandatory service.
The US military is 17.5% women. 5.4% of officers and 2.7% of enlisted are women in combat or tactical roles. The primary concern has been women in infantry, armor and artillery units, which have less than 2% women. Hegseth has said that he does not oppose female pilots or other similar combat roles that are not in the field. The Marines conducted lengthy trial to compare all male and integrated male/female units.
https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-marines-women-20150912-story.html#:~:text=A%20lengthy%20experiment%20studying%20women%20during%20combat%20skills,women%20was%2040.5%25%2C%20compared%20with%2018.8%25%20for%20men.
They concluded the integrated units were significantly less effective and had much higher injury rates. They also concluded that the minimum number of women required for a functional integrated unit was 30%. Only 8.9% of Marines are women, and of the 174,000 Marines there are 231 in combat billets.
David, interesting that you point out his service in the military as well as his respect and support for Veterans. The fact that he reads and writes books, with knowledge of the military.
This makes sense to me. However how ironic that the Commander in Chief he will serve under is a draft dodger, has denigrated Veterans and active duty personnel, does not read, needs a ghost writer to publish his book and knows squat about the military.
Hi Peter - Yes, I agree that Trump personally is an arrogant bozo. However, veterans and people who presently serve feel that he has their back and support his policies. Veterans voted for Trump by a 2-1 margin.
Dave, interesting you use the word arrogant rather than unqualified. The qualifications you point out for Secretary of Defense are completely lacking with Trump as Commander in Chief.
As a Veteran, I just cannot support folks that insult me and denigrates military service. Yo Dave, do you think of yourself as a loser for serving in the military?
Trump does…he said so.
And Dave, I base my vote and thoughts on principles, not how other people vote.
Clinton, Obama, and Biden also had no military service. Clinton was a draft dodger and many accused Bush's Air National Guard service as dodging Viet Nam. Just saying I am more concerned with their policy ideas.
Everything that Trump has said about military people is reprehensible. Except that he doesn't think they should be deployed in other peoples wars.
I do not think service in the military is a requirement for being President.
And I know of no President that said the military should be deployed in other people’s wars.
But deployed in “our” wars, well yes. So if suddenly we become involved in
“our” war say with Iran or Trump falls out of love with North Korea and begins threatening “little rocket man” again.
I have seen too many Presidents promising to stay out of wars only to end up in a conflict. I do not take Trump’s promises seriously.
Peter, do you think the electorate would be different if we returned to some form of mandatory service? I was in elementary school when the last draft ended, but I remember very well the anxiety within my lower-middle class community as it was playing out, and I have noticed a marked shift from D to R since then in that area.
As a veteran who was in KSA for Desert Shield/Desert Storm, I personally don't have issues with guys in the '60s who did what they could to avoid being drafted, including getting college deferments, having daddy finesse them into a plum NG slot, or faking mental or physical ailments. Vietnam was a shit-show and expecting young men to calmly accept their roles as cannon fodder is just dumb. If I had been faced with that decision I don't know how I would have reacted, so I can't condemn those decisions.
That said, I do have a problem with those same draft dodgers later on pretending to be some macho he-man, waving their AR-15s around, and being all gung-ho for the same type of military involvement they were too chicken to take part in back then. I also have a problem with guys who like to parade around in camo and play weekend warrior, while again clamoring for other people to go fight some war when they can't be bothered to actually sign up for military service themselves.
spot on
One of the primary concerns of activity duty military people is being deployed into high-risk, long-term, no-win conflicts. No one wants to risk death or injury pointlessly, nor do they want to inflict death and injury to no purpose.
Trump has said that he opposes deployment the of the military and has actively attempted to reduce deployments. Many in the military expect this to continue and prefer it.
As a draftee who ended up in Vietnam, I agree with your point above.
However, there were lifers who saw conflicts as a quick route to advancement.
They were good for their resume.
Also funding and expansion of the military takes place once they get involved in conflicts. Some in the military find this to be a good thing.
And Johnson was the peace candidate and Goldwater was the hawk concerning Vietnam. Well it did not work out that way.
Trump is a liar, draft dodger with no respect for the military. He will turn on a dime if it helps his ratings. You have to be wacko if you think he is concerned about the welfare of the military, veterans and military dependents.
I do not denigrate Hegseth's battlefield exploits, and I salute his service to his country (and me, as a citizen). I do note that a US Army Major's responsibility (Hegseth's highest rank) is typically that of a Battalion Executive Officer. A Battalion is typically comprised of between 800-1,000 personnel. He has championed the cause of convicted war criminals. My wife's cousin, a retired Air Force Brigadier General (27 years of service) thinks he's d**k. In no way, shape, or form is he an appropriate appointee for SecDef.
Hi Jay - I respect your relatives opinion. But troops respect people who have had boots on the ground and command experience in battle. In World War II Eisenhower who was never a field commander was acknowledged as the Supreme Allied commander, but Patton was worshiped by his troops who would run through brick walls for him. As Secretary of Defense, Hegseth is not a policy maker, but rather the military implementer of policy. In that regard, I believe he is very well qualified.
Dave, your example contradicts your point. Eisenhower’s role was to coordinate the American military forces along with the British, Canadian, and other forces including the French resistance. He was not in a direct field commanding role.
Yet he was instrumental in making the D day landing a success.
Patton would have been a disaster as Supreme Allied Commander.
By the way, both my uncle and father served in World War 2 and both had great respect for Eisenhower.
My uncle served in Europe under Patton in an anti aircraft unit. However, he said because they constantly advanced and attacked, they had to lower their anti aircraft guns to shoot at Nazi tanks rather than planes. My uncle saw Patton as a bit crazy and happy to get out his unit when the war ended.
Hey Peter - I confess to having a bit of bromance about Patton as I served in Armor and actually served with his grandson who was a young 2nd Lt at the time. I like the fact that Hegseth is not part of the Pentagon establishment and believe he will bring it more of pure military focus to his position. We'll see.
Overall, I see Trump's picks as a mixed bag thus far. I believe Homan is exactly the person with his border patrol background to head up our border security, And I believe Tulsi Gabbard will serve very well in her position. I was disappointed to see Noem selected for such a high position that I believe is beyond her talent level. But I am horrified by the pick of Gaetz as Attorney General. I see him as a gadfly who has has exhibited his penchant for bad decision making time and time again, and I am hoping that the Senate Republicans may stand up to Trump on this one and deny his confirmation.
I used to teach a management course, and there is a tendency for organizations and people to focus on the wrong thing when selecting someone for a supervisory or management position. In Biden's case, my perspective is that a lot of his appointments were made through a DEI filter instead of the most qualified individuals. With Trump, it is very apparent that he is placing a very high premium on personal fealty to him instead of the most qualified individuals.
Those of us who voted for Trump did so in full knowledge that the coming four years will again be drama-laden, but we believe that overall they will move in the right direction. But it will be a great relief when we are all able to move on from Trump in 4 years. I would love to see a much more rational person like Nikki Haley as the conservative standard bearer. But buckle your seatbelt as we are in for a wild ride until then.
You actually think that Tulsi Gabbard, an actual traitor to this country will serve well in that important post?
She'll serve well for Putin, not the United States!
Oh but rest assured if he were somehow a Harris appointee who did hits on MSNBC, those same supporters would tell him to go back to the unqualified woke swamp he crawled out of, despite those sick tats.