It’s so cute how he just assumes Trump would “win” this third term. Oh, 92% of the vote you say?
I suspect it’s because he hopes to start “campaigning” again as soon as possible. (Read, “start throwing my propaganda rallies again, so I can be properly worshiped by my fawning faithful!!”)
I dunno – I don’t think he needs an excuse to throw a rally. He just has to wake up in his big, lonely golden bed with the ache in his chest that tells him his adulation reserves are running dangerously low, go sit on his golden throne & fire off a quick Xcrement announcing time & place.
You didn’t expect him to spend any time governing now did you?
The best thing he can do for the country is to refrain from governing.
ICE has started conducting raids without warrants.
Not one second.
One of the detainees is a U.S. military veteran who suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned
“Papers please! No, this isn’t good enough, I think you’ve forged these manumission papers!”
When Nazis meet slave catchers.
I’m not sure if I mentioned this in the “Biden farewell letter” thread, but our union shared that such measures are implemented pursuant to OPM guidance, and the OPM guidance expressly stated that any RTO will be done “subject … to any CBAs.” So - at least as far as this minute, it does not appear as though the administration is going to be contravening unon contracts on this (or hopefully other) issues. But it has only been a week…
I also think I posted elsewhere, we have received an announcement and a test requiring a response, of an OPM system aimed at addressing and receiving feedback from ALL fed employees. Don’t recall anything like this in my near 40 years of federal employ (possibly after 911). Just the idea that edicts will be sent to, and responses required of, all fed employees seems at least a tad ominous - and unprecedented.
Re: the citizenship injunction - I almost felt sorry for whoever was the DoJ atty before that judge. Would not have been pleasant. Unless that atty is a true believer. I really expect a great many DoJ attys to seek other options, because - speaking from experience - it is truly unpleasant to have to stand up in court and advance party line arguments that you strongly disagree with. I expect a similar exodus for all manner of employees in “enforcement” positions. Which is the sort of attrition Trump/Musk/et al wish.
Right. They want people to leave on their own. I think they’re hoping to drive people out “voluntarily”. The end result will be a government that can’t do basic functions…that’s the point though…they want to hobble government, and then tell their worshippers, “See, government doesn’t do its job.”…
Was just thinking about the contrast in the rapid, multifaceted efforts we are seeing against IMO relatively powerless people - rank and file civil servants, immigrant/asylum seekers, etc. Sure, some initial efforts - such as birthright citizenship, are facing resistance/speedbumps. But I see no reason to believe they will not learn from and try to adapt to any such resistance. Moreover, if they start a war with 1000 fronts, and face resistance on a handful, there remain the vast majority of efforts which will face at least some measure of success.
Yet what similar efforts are we seeing WRT powerful, organized, moneyed interests who have much greater impact on matters financial, environmental, etc? Instead, we see a lessening of environmental controls, a desire to maintain/expand tax breaks (which may require drastic cuts to balance out), etc.
I will keep repeating that I do not with to sound alarmist. But the trend does seem to be awfully clear and consistent. And for those who fear permanent damage to our presumed democratic principles, I suggest it does not take a catastrophist to suspect that 4 years of continued efforts aimed so disproportionately at the haves vs the have-nots will likely have significant long lasting results.
Trump rounded up 80 Guatemalans. They went into a cargo type plane on TV. With say 4 million to deport, only 50 000 more flights and they are done.
I posted this in another thread. Just got this from our Union:
The Agency has stated its intention to send an email, now supposedly sometime next week, to all Agency employees outlining the Agency’s new telework “policy.” This new “policy” is based on the Presidential Memorandum entitled "Return to In-Person Work” and is in direct contravention of the terms of our collective bargaining agreement. The Agency has conveyed to the Union that it was taking this action because, in its view, the Presidential Memorandum “has the force of law.”
The Union was [noticed] of this change yesterday, and the Agency subsequently scheduled a meeting with the local Presidents of the three SSA unions. During this meeting, SSA management representatives stated that the Agency intended to revise its telework policy issued under The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, 5 U.S.C. § 6502(a)(1)(A), to state that employees must work full-time at their respective official duty stations by no later than February 24, 2025. Agency representatives stated that the only established exclusion, at this point, was for “approved reasonable accommodations due to a disability or qualifying medical condition.”
I readily admit that my having to RTO is WAY DOWN on the list of bad things to come. But do not minimize the significance of Trump being able to contravene any number of collective bargaining agreements with a scrawl of a Sharpie.
I guess I can always return to the office - and do less work! 
For the moment. Give them time and they will rationalize a reason.
Yeah, it happens regularly whenever a Republican President takes over; anyone competent or with principles is driven out and replaced with Republican sycophants and partisans. And not all of them come back when a Democrat gets in. It’s one way they’ve managed to pull the government tot he right over the years.
Trump and company being what they are, it’s going to be more extreme this time.
Do a half assed job! It’s the American Way!
Well Mexico at least refused to accept a planeload of deportees.Not working with other countries makes them not want to work with you.
Beginning to look like the Heritage Society and Project 2025 is really running the country. Since Trump hates to read or think about anything he is doing, he is already preconditioned to let somebody else do all the work. So, “just sign this Sir,” hand him the marker and off we go. No problemo.
The only remaining question here is whether the alleged Constitutional protection of balance of powers will work in this crisis, whether the US Congress will finally understand that this is a descent into fascism, and the Supreme Court finally understand that they’ve helped empower a monster. Trump is actually on record saying, after pulling Dr Fauci’s security detail, that he would feel no responsibility if Fauci was harmed. The unspoken wish that such harm would occur is clear, and part of the modus operandi of any tyrant or mob boss.
The “night of the long knives” has begun.
I think many in congress “understand”, but don’t care. They’re in on the game with him. There’s no longer a true separation of powers. They’ve gone all-in on what Trump wants. Many of them are afraid of being primaried, and know that the GOP voting base is MAGA to the core. Then, there are the true believers like MTG. The only way Congress would go against Trump is if Dems can somehow capture one of the chambers in 2026. For the next two years, forget it.
As for SCOTUS, there’s still a sliver of hope. But I’m absolutely sure that 2 or 3 of them base all of their decisions on what Trump wants, not what the constitution says. What needs to happen the next time a Democrat is president is we need to pack the court. I hate that. But that needs to happen.
Why? Packing the court with fair, impartial, law-abiding, thoughtful judges seems like a great idea to me.