Call, Email, Contact. Make Your Reps May Attention

By Michael Woyton

Facebook is increasingly becoming totally useless to me. The posts of “real friends,” not FB friends, are not showing up in my news feed any longer.

Lately, there are what can only be called algorithmic “jokes” being played on me with post after post asking me to follow news and weather from north of the Schenectady area — New York is a pretty big state — or “brain teasers” that wouldn’t tease the brains of second graders.

However, every once in a while, the Memories feature will pleasantly or not-so-pleasantly surprise me.

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Today, FB reminded me of a post from eight years ago.

Think back. What were we doing eight years ago?

Oh yeah, that was the start of the first administration of Pres. Donald J. Felon.

I had posted something by former Clinton administration labor secretary Robert Reich who called the newly elected president “the greatest threat to American democracy in living memory.” 

Screenshot

Reich asked, “Where’s the Democratic Party?”

“With the exception of a few notable and courageous Democrats, the Party as a whole has practically disappeared,” he wrote.

Have we learned nothing in the past eight years? 

Where are the leaders of the Democratic Party who supposedly are working for us in the Washington, D.C.?

Sure, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gave a full throated criticism of, as he said, “one of the cruelest actions” he has ever seen the federal government do: the federal funding freeze. (FYI, the president rescinded the funding freeze Wednesday after a federal judge temporarily blocked in Tuesday.)

At the same time, though, Schumer isn’t whipping his caucus to pushback en masse against the felon-in-chief’s cabinet nominees.

Billionaire Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager, was confirmed to become head of the Treasury Department with 15 Democrats voting for him. NY Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was one of those Aye votes.

By the way, Bessent is against raising the federal minimum wage and is totally behind tariffing anything and everything. Are those Dem votes going to change his mind or his boss’s? Nah.

Do you know why a president would do all the most evil and heinous shit via Executive Order? Because his party can't easily make it law. And if they can't make it law, they can't make it last.Don't let anyone make you feel like this is The End. Do not let them demoralize you. Live to see them die.

— Emily K (@emkultra64.bsky.social) 2025-01-29T00:01:08.044Z

Tim Walz, on The Rachel Maddow Show Tuesday, called out members of Congress.

“There’s no spine among those folks,” he said, though he didn’t specify which side of the aisle. He added that people should contact their senators and representatives and tell them what’s on their minds.

Walz said the freeze seemed buffoonish at first in its execution, but he thought it was really a trial balloon “to see how much tolerance we had.”

He also said that the red states who are being pretty quiet about the repercussions of the freeze are going to be hit much harder than the blue states.

Maybe stop voting to confirm his nominees

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw.bsky.social) 2025-01-28T19:33:25.102Z

So how much tolerance do we have for what is coming out of this vile administration with its deep Project 2025 roots?

If we don’t have much of any tolerance, we must let our elected representatives know what is on our minds, as Walz suggested.

You can do a search on the internet for your senator or congress person or use this website to find out how to contact them.

Call them or email them. Tell them what you are thinking.

Don’t give them an opportunity to hide in the shadows saying they never hear from their constituents.

Find and follow me on BlueSky through this link.

Lead art by Michael Woyton

Anybody Home on the Dem Side of the Aisle?

By Michael Woyton

Man, what a month last week was.

It seemed like every time you turned around there was another disturbing piece of news about Pres. Donald J. Felon.

The adjudicated rapist pardoned more than 1,500 people, some of whom had attacked and beaten police officers on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021. 

He pulled security details extended by President Joe Biden for former COVID-19 adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, former national security adviser John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The felon said they were all wealthy enough to pay for their own protection.

And he is trying to end birthright citizenship, even though it’s in the Constitution he swore to uphold on Inauguration Day.

There is more he did over the past few days, KCCI News reported.

Anyone who is not a GOPmaga was waiting to see what kind of pushback would come from Democratic officials.

Reid J. Epstein, reporting from Washington, D.C., for the New York Times, led his Friday article with this: “As President Trump pushes aggressively to reshape the federal government, Democrats have retreated into a political crouch that reflects their powerlessness in Washington,” adding that Dem lawmakers are taking a “wait-and-see approach” and some are “even making a show of working with Republicans.”

What the hell are they waiting for?

Many voted to allow unauthorized migrants to be deported without due process just because they’ve been accused — not convicted — of a crime. Kristi “Dog Killer” Noem received Democratic votes for her confirmation as head of Homeland Security. Hell, no one voted against Marco Rubio becoming secretary of state.

It’s mind boggling that anyone in the Democratic Party is helping advance any of the Pres. Felon’s nominees. 

Can they possibly think that a vote here or a vote there for something that the former mayor of Mar-a-Lago wants will put them in his good graces?

Does he even have good graces?

Then on Sunday, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, posted on the site formerly known as Twitter, using his official House account, this:

“Presidents come and Presidents go. Through it all. God is still on the throne.”

That is a lovely sentiment in normal times. But these are not normal times. The felon-in-chief is not a normal person. He had a meltdown when an Episcopal bishop asked him to have mercy on those less fortunate.

we have a president with a tenuous grip on small legislative majorities who is out of the gate with a flurry of dramatically unpopular orders and who has just demonstrated his weakness on the international stage. if i were an elected member of his domestic opposition, i might try to draw real blood.

— jamelle (@jamellebouie.net) 2025-01-27T16:55:34.237Z

Marc Elias, the chairman of Elias Law Group and founder of Democracy Docket, has been on the front lines fighting for voting rights that the GOPmagas have been trying to take away from us.

He’s been saying for a while now that we are sliding toward an illiberal democracy. 

Yes, we still have an elected government, but “Institutions that assured us they would be in the fight for democracy are already backing down” and “Too many with the loudest microphones are turning them down.”

That is why Elias says “we are on our own.”

He said it is a bigger problem than one person can solve but he believes that building a new opposition “grounded in winning elections and fighting Trumpism for the long term” is necessary.

Jeffries received, not surprisingly, a lot of criticism on social media for his tweet. However, the tweet is still live and, it seems, he has not offered any other comment about it.

Thoughts and prayers ain’t gonna cut it.

I’m not saying all our Democratic lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are wussing out — AOC and Jasmine Crockett come to mind — but I’m just not seeing a concerted effort to take the newly elected felon to task.

They need to step up to the plate NOW or we really will be on our own and it won’t be in a democracy.

Lead photo by Michael Woyton

Chaos from Pres. Felon Is a Feature Not a Bug

By Michael Woyton

Think about what has happened over the past three days and how each of us is reacting to the ensuing chaos.

We have a president who was, a few years ago, president for four years and seemingly didn’t care to learn even a little bit about how things work or how to do his job then.

Flash forward to today and there’s not much that’s changed.

Donald J. Felon prefers to obsess over present and past grievances, such as being asked by a leader of a religious order to have mercy and compassion on those less fortunate, continuing to hold a grudge against a political opponent over whom he was victorious in the November election and threatening to pull the plug on a cable channel that doesn’t offer up, except for maybe a couple of morning show hosts, the proper amount of respect.

Adding to the unsettling nature of the new administration is the felon-in-chief’s blanket pardon, and the GOPmaga’s almost total acceptance, of those accused and convicted of taking part in the Capitol Building riots that resulted in death and injuries to police officers just trying to do their jobs.

Meanwhile, a gigantic chaotic firehose was turned on the American government and public of executive orders the purpose of which is to erase not only the previous administration’s accomplishments but even those of Lyndon Johnson, i.e., forbidding employment discrimination based on race, color, religion and national origin by organizations that received federal contracting.

Can you imagine that in one fell swoop the adjudicated rapist-in-chief has completely solved discrimination in the United States — simply by saying it no longer exists? That will make all those insecure white men who complain about “those people” taking all the jobs feel better for sure. Not that those insecure white men were qualified for any of the jobs they didn’t get.

Thrown to the wolves in the EOs are also people who are LGBTQ+, especially those who are transgender, anyone involved with diversity, equity and inclusion, long-time federal civil servants, federal employees who work from home, migrants and humanity who will no doubt be affected by the U.S. withdrawing from climate change agreements. And that is just skimming the surface of the chaos.

The firehose of EOs is adding to the feeling of chaos by including a governmentwide hiring freeze, according to an article by Government Executive by Eric Katz.

Exceptions are allowed for jobs related to immigrant enforcement, national security, public safety and positions “related to distribution of benefits to veterans, Medicare recipients and Social Security recipients.” 

Katz wrote that that will allow large swaths of the federal government to continue hiring.

However, there are fears among those at Veterans Affairs medical centers that critical health care specialties will not be able to be filled.

It remains unclear whether the EO even applies to those posts, Military Times reported, and the nominee to lead the VA, former Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, said he is still looking into the new rule but is optimistic it will not adversely impact veterans’ care.

So the felon-in-chief just throws something at the wall and sees what will stick or what his minions can make workable.

And because everything the Biden administration did, according to the felon and his supporters, was suspect and horrible, the new keepers of the flame have ignored any and all advice.

Officials from Biden’s administration warned that the VA would likely need several billion dollars more in its budget to keep hiring in order to maintain current service levels.

Alas, the hiring freeze could make staffing levels even worse, according to California Rep. Mark Takano, who is ranking member of the House VA Committee.

In a statement, he said veterans could face “significant wait times for medical appointments and reductions in access to care and benefits,” Military Times reported.

American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley said in a statement that the freeze was not about making the government run more efficiently, but “rather is about sowing chaos and targeting a group of patriotic Americans that President Trump openly calls crooked and dishonest.”

There’s that word again: Chaos.

Lead art: Screen grab from Google Maps.

Pres. Felon Takes Issue with Prayer Service Sermon

By Michael Woyton

Speaking truth to power takes courage. 

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, spoke truth to President Donald J. Felon Tuesday at a prayer service at the National Cathedral.

The service was planned last summer and was going to have as its guest whoever won the November election, the New York Times reported.

Budde closed her sermon by urging the newly installed president “to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” the Times said. 

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She said that LGBTQ people and immigrants who are among those faced with a crackdown on illegal immigration and a dismantling of federal protections for transgender individuals.

In a long list of executive orders signed by the felon so far, the government now recognizes only two sexes with those sexes defined at birth, declared a national emergency at the border and has rescinded President Joe Biden’s 2021 EO that aimed to prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual orientation.

Budde said, according to The New Republic’s transcript, “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country. We’re scared now. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes, and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwara, and temples. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.”

Pres. Felon was not pleased with her remarks.

In a social media post, he said Budde was a “so-called Bishop” and, obvs because she is a woman, said she was “nasty.”

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lgdkxxvl3k2p

According to the adjudicated rapist-in-chief: “She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way” and her sermon was “a very boring and uninspiring one.”

He also said Budde was “not very good at her job!” and owes the public an apology.

It’s kind of quaint that the once and again president was surprised to hear that not everyone thinks he walks on water.

It’s worth watching this clip from the service via the Palm Beach Post on YouTube just for the reaction shots of the president and his entourage.

Lead art: Screen grab from Palm Beach Post video on YouTube.

Felon Pardons People Who Rioted for Him

By Michael Woyton

Anybody else’s head still spinning from yesterday? I know mine is.

We knew that Inauguration Day would eventually get here, but it was still sobering to think that adjudicated convicted felon and adjudicated rapist Donald Trump actually swore to defend the Constitution of the United States. 

That counts as his first official lie for his second term in the White House. (Maybe he had his fingers crossed behind his back, and that’s why he did have his hand on the Bible the Hamburglar Melania was holding.)

I avoided all real-time news coverage during the day, keeping the television machine tuned to anything but and staying off all social media except for a limited amount of BlueSky.

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Then during the evening Monday the felonious firehose began spraying information about all the executive orders he was signing.

We already knew the felon from Florida was gunning for a number of hot-button issues — to him — including making sure transgender Americans are cut down a notch by the government only recognizing two sexes, ordering federal workers back to their offices, creating an “external revenue service” to collect tariffs, withdrawing from climate change agreements, opening Alaskan wilderness to oil and gas drilling and a myriad others.

Some of the EOs are downright stupid, if not unconstitutional — by any otherwise normal SCOTUS. 

The rapist-in-chief said he was ending birthright citizenship, which is written in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, for the children of immigrants who are undocumented. 

I realize it seems like a slam dunk that the entire U.S. Supreme Court would say, “Hold on there. That’s unconstitutional,” but frankly I can imagine at least five of the justices deciding that, heck, our president knows best.

Releasing all those executive orders mere hours after being sworn in is meant to throw us off balance and make us feel completely overwhelmed.

Some have pointed out that, historically, not all of the EOs will actually take effect. Some will be litigated which will delay implementation and some will in fact be enforced.

However, the executive order pardoning those convicted in participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Building insurrection and riot was a hard one to hear. 

There was some obfuscation about whether President Felon would only pardon those convicted of non-violent crimes. JD Vance as vice-president-elect actually made that statement recently.

And we know from Vance’s messaging about Springfield, Ohio, that he doesn’t exactly shy away from telling lies.

The hard and true fact is that a president who is himself a convicted felon issued “a sweeping grant of clemency on Monday to all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the attack on the Capitol,” the New York Times reported, “issuing pardons to most of the defendants and commuting the sentences of 14 members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers militia, most of whom were convicted of seditious conspiracy.”

Among those who were pardoned were rioters convicted of assaulting police officers.

Think about that. 

A Republican president pardoned people who had viciously assaulted police officers. In his name.

This is what the 47th president of the U.S. will be most remembered for — not giving a flying f*** about uniformed law enforcement.

Further, anyone in the future who says that the GOP respects the police — or “backs the blue” — is as much of a liar as we know the president to be.

Can we assume that Pres. Felon pardoned those people so he will have a militia-in-waiting?

— Orange Dick Tater Hater (@realbiscuitspaw.bsky.social) 2025-01-21T12:45:12.354Z

Lead art: Screen grab from Google Maps.

GOP’s Tax Cut Bill ‘Really, Really Bad’ for Non-Rich Folk

By Michael Woyton

While most of the press was busy writing about the frailty of adjudicated convicted felon and adjudicated rapist Donald Trump’s unwillingness to stand out in the cold to bask in the warmth of what would have been, in his mind, the largest crowd ever to witness a presidential swearing in, information was released about what the magas in Congress intend to do to screw the American people so massive tax cuts can be provided to the wealthiest of the wealthy.

Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon posted a memo from the House Budget Committee Friday that shows “exactly how Republicans plan to sell out the American people for another round of tax cuts to the rich.”

He said, “The devil’s in the details and in this case the details are really, really bad.”

The memo is tough slogging to go through, but even THIS jumped out at ME: 

That’s right, folks. The magas in Congress want a 10-percent tariff on all imports “across the board.” Not just on China, Canada, Mexico or whatever country at which Trump is pissed any given time.

Even though the felonious mayor of Mar-a-Lago continues to say that other countries will pay those tariffs, have no doubt that you and I will be paying 10 percent more for pretty much everything we purchase.

Wyden explained the 10 percent tariff as a “devastating increase in the cost of living for working families and a huge hike in operating costs for small businesses.”

NEW: My staff just got ahold of this memo from House Budget Committee Republicans. It's lengthy and hard to digest but it tells us exactly how Republicans plan to sell out the American people for another round of tax cuts to the rich. We're breaking down the highlights as we go:

— Senator Ron Wyden (@wyden.senate.gov) 2025-01-17T19:57:18.102Z

Wyden, bless his and/or his staffers’ hearts, outlined some of the other cuts, including:

  • Lowering the corporate tax rate to 15 percent
  • Eliminating the head of household filing status
  • Repealing green energy tax credits
  • Eliminating credit for child and dependent care
  • Cutting funding to address air pollution in schools
  • Eliminating the home mortgage interest deduction on primary residences

The magas in Congress also intend to cut up to $900 billion over 10 years of Medicaid from children, veterans, seniors, Americans with disabilities and working families.

Thrown in for bad measure is also establishing Medicaid work requirements, eliminating nonprofits status for hospitals (not churches) and undermining Medicare’s ability to negotiate lower drug prices with pharma companies.

“Obviously some of this is expected and some is worse than we could have imagined,” Wyden wrote. “I’ll be fighting like hell to push back.”

Some of us tried to tell y’all that it would not be a good thing to have Trump back in the White House but, damn, the price of eggs.

Lead art by Michael Woyton

Texas Ups the Cruelty by Turning to BFs

By Michael Woyton

Sounds as if Texas has found another way to control women’s bodies, and it involves the male sex partners of women who choose to have an abortion.

The Texas Right to Life organization will begin advertising on X and Facebook in February to find husbands, boyfriends and sex partners of women in the state who have had abortions, the Washington Post reported.

The organization’s goal is to get the men to file lawsuits against anyone who helped the women end their pregnancies.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit in December that was the first of its kind, citing information from a “biological father” who was unnamed and accused a doctor in New York of illegally providing a Dallas-area woman with abortion pills.

The state prohibits abortions in nearly all circumstances and prohibits a person from performing, inducing or attempting an abortion. The only exception is when the woman’s life or health is at risk, and even then there are restrictions as to who can perform the abortion and saving the life of the fetus unless that increases the risk of the woman’s death or impairment.

Paxton and the Texas Right to Life people are hoping that they can get men to help control the women they got pregnant by targeting doctors and others who help facilitate the abortion.

The Post reported that the unnamed woman in Paxton’s lawsuit chose not to tell the father about the pregancy and took abortion pills. He found out she had been pregnant after he took her to the hospital when she experienced heavy bleeding after taking the pills.

Intimidating the women through the possibility of being identified publicly is a feature not a bug.

Alex Wolf, an attorney who represents women targeted in several of these types of lawsuits, said it is a way to control or harass a former partner and “may just be the latest instance of an abusive tactic.”

So it’s all about control and keeping the women submissive.

And remember that Project 2025 aims to ban medication abortion nationwide, increase denials of abortion care and have states report abortion data, including residence and reason an abortion was sought.

Reproductive health care should not be criminalized.

Read the entire Washington Post article here.

Lead art: Screen grab from WFAA

Biden Warns that Oligarchy Is Taking over U.S.

By Michael Woyton

The outgoing president of the United States took clear aim in his final address to the nation at the likes of uber-wealthy Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

President Joe Biden told the country what it may already know — but hasn’t connected the dots yet — that an oligarchy is taking over our U.S. and, in turn, our rights and our freedoms.

“We see the consequences all across America, and we’ve seen it before more than a century ago,” he said. “But the American people stood up to the robber barons back then and busted the trusts. They didn’t punish the wealthy; they just made the wealthy play by the rules everybody else had to.”

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Biden said that people should be able to make as much money as they can but they should have to pay their fair share of taxes.

That is not going to happen during the second administration of adjudicated convicted felon and adjudicated rapist Donald Trump.

He will put the oligarchy on display at his inauguration right there on the dais in full view of what will be, likely according to the former liar in chief, the largest crowd ever to watch anyone sworn in as president.

Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos are expected to be sitting together, according to the Washington Post, near former presidents, Trump’s spawn, Cabinet picks and maga toadies from Congress.

Trump is transforming tech billionaires into court jesters that he can summon for companionship and mock for amusement.

— Marc Elias (@marcelias.bsky.social) 2025-01-16T04:07:59.730Z

The inauguration guest list will also likely include TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, Fox News reported, with Trump now considering an executive order to get rid of the law that requires TikTok to divest itself from its Chinese owners for be banned in the United States for up to 90 days.

Trump of course was against TikTok until he found he was trending on it, so that made the app okie-dokey.

Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and Alphabet, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, and Apple’s CEO Tim Cook are also expected to be in or around the inauguration festivities.

In his farewell speech, Biden emphasized that the oligarchs “want to wield their unchecked influence to eliminate the steps we’ve taken to tackle the climate crisis, to serve their own interests for power and profit.

“We must not be bullied into sacrificing the future, the future of our children and our grandchildren,” Biden said. “We must keep pushing forward and push fast.”

He compared the current situation with President Dwight Eisenhower who talked about the dangers of the military industrial complex.

“[S]ix decades later, I’m equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech industrial complex that could pose real dangers for our country as well,” Biden said.

While the president could have just taken a verbal victory lap in his final address, he also called out for reforming the tax code, enacting an 18-year term limit and ethics reforms on the Supreme Court, making artificial intelligence safe and trustworthy and banning members of Congress from trading stocks while in office.

“After 50 years of public service, I give you my word, I still believe in the idea for which this nation stands, a nation where the strength of our institutions and the character of our people matter and must endure,” Biden said.

“Now it’s your turn to stand guard,” he said. “May you all be the keeper of the flame.”

Hopefully, next time, more of us will keep in mind that it is up to us to keep our democracy.

Read a transcript of Biden’s address via Roll Call here.

The entire speech can be viewed below or at YouTube.

Lead art: Screen grab from ABC News on YouTube.

Today in Hypocrisy, Stupidity

By Michael Woyton

Michelle Obama sent out a statement that she will not be attending the inauguration Monday of adjudicated convicted felon and adjudicated rapist Donald Trump.

While her husband, Barack Obama, is expected to attended the inauguration, the former first lady will not, according to reporting from CBS News.

“She has been a fixture at each inauguration since 2008, including Trump’s first inaugural in 2017, as she and her husband were leaving the White House,” CBS News said, adding that there were many photos taken of her showing that she wasn’t in a good mood on that first “American carnage” occasion.

Do I need to remind anyone that neither Trump nor his wife attended President Joe Biden’s inauguration? And Trump was the outgoing president? Oh that’s right: Trump can do no wrong.

There is hypocritical grumbling from the magas on social media and the TV machine because of her decision, but perhaps David Frum said it best: “Trump sent a mob to hang his own vice president to thwart Biden’s inauguration. Michelle Obama has declined to attend Trump’s. Both sides have courtesy issues.”

Trump boycotted Biden’s inauguration and some of you don’t think it’s cool that Michelle Obama will not attend Trump’s inauguration. It’s not a quid pro quo. Michelle has more than 11,780 reasons to not attend and past Presidents should follow suit to not participate in an incoming fascist regime.

— Outspoken™️ (@out5p0ken.bsky.social) 2025-01-14T19:43:07.241Z

———————

Spelling is important. That is a fact. Ask any reporter who has seen the words “public meeting” printed with only one “i”.

Fact-checking is also important. That is a fact, except now for Mark Zuckerberg, who has decided that Meta will no longer fact check posts on Facebook and Instagram because disinformation will sort itself out and all will be well.

During the confirmation hearing for defense secretary nominee Pete “I promise never to have another drink if I’m confirmed” Hegseth, Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt, a Republican, railed against diversity, equity and inclusion policies, Newsweek reported.

Squarely framed in back of him was a sign with a title printed in large type that said, “DEI in our Miltary.”

Miltary.

Fact check: That is an incorrect spelling for the word military.

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat, posted a photo of Schmitt with the comment that the Republican senator was complaining about the reduction of military standards.

GOP members complaining about reduction of military standards while using a chart that misspells the word military!

— Senator Tim Kaine (@kaine.senate.gov) 2025-01-14T18:53:22.344Z

———————

From Mike Luckovich: 

— Mike Luckovich (@mluckovich.bsky.social) 2025-01-14T19:38:24.188Z

Lead art: Screen grab from NBC News via YouTube

Surely There’s a Better DOD Nominee Out There

By Michael Woyton

You know what I shouldn’t have to worry about? Or any of us for that matter?

Whether the person in charge of the largest employer in the country which has a yearly budget of more than $840 billion and almost 3 million employees — including 1.3 million active-duty troops — had too many cocktails at dinner last night or even this morning.

Or whether that person will responsibly spend the more than $840 million in the budget for which he is responsible rather than be accused of financial mismanagement.

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Or whether that person will not harass female employees, whom he has said should not be in combat roles, or is known to be a serial adulterer.

Yes, I’m talking about Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend talk show co-host, who was nominated by adjudicated convicted felon and adjudicated rapist Donald Trump to be the next secretary of defense and is scheduled for a confirmation hearing Tuesday.

Worrying about someone in charge of the massive military complex headquartered at the Pentagon is WAY above my pay grade.

I’ll admit I haven’t had to worry one little bit about current Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III, who was sworn in two days after Joe Biden became president in 2021.

Austin retired as a four-star Army general after serving 41 years in uniform. His career includes commands at the corps, division, battalion and brigade levels, according to his DoD bio. He has also served on the boards of Raytheon Technologies, Nucor and Tenet Healthcare.

Tammy Duckworth on Hegseth: "from what I can tell, the manager of your local Applebee’s has more experience managing a bigger budget and more personnel than Pete Hegseth."

— emptywheel (@emptywheel.bsky.social) 2025-01-13T13:58:18.370Z

Did I say that Hegseth was on Fox News as a weekend co-host?

A point was made in a Washington Post article that if Hegseth was still wearing a uniform some of his past actions could lead to his being disciplined, such as having extramarital affairs, drinking on the job and telling his troops they can ignore commands about when to shoot potential enemies.

The question raised by the article is whether he could enforce discipline in the ranks if he were the defense secretary.

Sure, Hegseth has promised not to drink if he gets the DoD gig, and I suppose that is meant to be a comfort, but come on.

Why would anyone in a position to advise and consent want to take a chance on Hegseth? How is he the best of the best for this president-elect?

And should it be concerning that, according to NBC News, that leaders of two military organizations — Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America — from which Hegseth was forced to resign because of mismanagement said they have not been contacted by the FBI to participate in a background check for the defense nominee?

Yes, it should be concerning.

Lead art: Screen grab from CBS Morning News.