Hegseth police report:
I think I see the problem here.
When recording a conversation, many states are “one-party consent” states, where “… a party to the conversation can record it without getting the consent of anyone else, while a non-party can record it if they get consent from just one party.”
I think some of these Trumpers assume that “consensual sex,” similarly, requires only one party’s consent.
Gaetz sees the writing on the wall. USA Today link
Matt Gaetz withdraws from consideration to be Trump’s attorney general
Only the best! 
So, if Gaetz was the reason that that the Senate would definitely not recess and allow recess appointments, with that block cleared, I suppose they can wave in the rest of the clown show.
I’m curious that Hegseth got 20 views and replies when McMahon only got 1 view and no replies.
Well, THAT’s a depressing thought.
Congressional Republicans had to know, when they chose to support Trump, that he’d not only love to turn them into the Duma (aka a rubber stamp) but that he’d even put a fair amount of effort into doing so. At least to the extent of ordering minions to make it happen.
How far will they test his wrath in opposing him over the remaining Kakisto-Cabinet? It’s not as though they’re not aware that he can sic not only his followers, but also the IRS on them.
If I had to bet money I’d go with the ‘they give in to his demands for a recess’ option. That way, at least, they won’t have gone on the record voting in favor of a Putin asset and a guy with a worm in his brain.
But whether they vote them all in, or grab the Recess cover-story–they are now the Duma. And they know it.
So, while all the attention has been on Attorney General pick Matt Gaetz (who is now out), who is lined up to be Deputy AG?
Todd Blanche, his personal attorney, a former prosecutor who delayed or got dismissed 3 of 4 criminal cases against Trump. Who is loyal to Trump. Who is reasonably qualified and capable.
If I woke up in Trump’s body on November 6th, I probably would’ve given him the top job instead of a deputy position, but then I’m not a mentally deteriorating narcissist.
I’m guessing not very far at all.
I have theory about most power structures. Very few people have the power to say “Yes”, and have that stick. However, lots of people have the power to say “No”. So they’ll use that, just to show they have power, even if “no” is a bad idea. So, when I know I need to get through people like that, I give them things to say “No” to, that I don’t even care about.
Once they’ve said their “no”, they feel like they’ve done their job, and so they’re satisfied, and have no reason to do more.
So, now the Senate can say, “We said no to that Gaetz character, we did our job!”, and so now they can say yes to everything else.
I dunno, I can see them pushing back on RFK Jr. or (more probably) Gabbard, because not only are they visibly flaky, they’re not really Republicans, and, at least in Gabbard’s case, pose a credible threat to stuff Republicans actually care about. Hegseth is probably in, unfortunately, since his views are more predictably within the range of mainstream Republican thought, and the sex offense against him (so far) lend themselves to the Kavanaugh strategy of simply denying as much as possible and casting himself as pretend victim. I think he makes it and one or both of the other two do not.
My wife and son-in-law had a bit of a tiff on this yesterday.
I’m afraid that he may have come out on top – just on the qualification issue. Hegseth is a commissioned officer combat veteran who has written five books about the U.S. military. Claiming he lacks management experience seems to me an awfully weak criticism.
The problem isn’t qualifications, and I think Trump’s election sadly shows that paying hush money is not a stopper.
Hegseth is against women in ground combat units — or in one quote, all units, but I expect he’ll walk that last back. Maybe almost all Senate Republicans are with him on women in combat units; I do not know. What I hope the Democrats do not miss, during the confirmation hearing, is the large number of fellow officers he wants to fire. Like – all the military lawyers who have ever said there is a limit to how far we can go in torturing captives. And all the generals guilty of DEI (every one who ever went along with having a woman in a combat unit?). Hegseth says You need to fire a ton of generals. Mitch McConnell? How does that sound to you?
Traditionally, the military is the pride and joy of the Republican party. Shrinking it, drawing out of foreign countries, playing for peace and negotiated settlements, etc. are all Democratic goals. (Y’all should be excited!)
Trump may want it and the Dixiecrats of the party might want it, but that’s not the makeup of the Republicans in the Senate, they’re mostly all true Republicans of the Reagan/Bush mold.
Republicans don’t care about health care. So I guess RFK Jr. is in. (Trump proved that)
They also don’t care about national security, so Gabbard is in. (Trump also proved that)
My bolding. Hegseth and Trump aren’t planning to shrink the military.
They’re just planning to replace all officers who might refuse to carry out Trump’s illegal orders. Or put another way, they will get rid of all military officers who refuse to swear an oath of personal loyalty to Trump (not to the Constitution).
Yeah, I think so, too. All the other nominees will get all the GOP votes (maybe with one or two exceptions for Senators facing reelection in 2026, who feel vulnerable in purple states).
The Senate has been neutered, but by saying ‘no’ to Gaetz they can pretend they are still a co-equal branch of government.
Steve Bannon has been pretty explicit about Trump’s imperative to put Congress in its place as his handmaiden:
Explicit, but still kind of unclear?
“We’ve got to face the facts. There’s blood in the water, and they smell the blood,” Bannon said. “They understand that we could either all hang together, or we’re going to hang separately. They get this. This is why they’re going to try to drive wedges in and try to cull the herd.”
There’s way too many “theys” there. The people who shot Gaetz down were Republicans. Are they the “they” who smell blood in the water? Then who’s the “they” who have to understand that “we could either all hang together, or we’re going to hang separately”? Are “they” “we”? Are they the same “they” that “gets it”? If so, why are “they” driving wedges?
Maybe they were right all along, this pronoun shit is crazy!
Allegedly, Musk has said he’ll fund a primary against someone who opposes any of the nominees. Which is scary.
It’s the they/thems that kamala supports.
Hegseth may get a grilling, but he’s almost certainly in. RFK as well (and as a biomedical scientist that chills me to the bone - he may end up being responsible for more deaths than the rest of them put together).
Gabbard? Not sure. I’m hopeful that a couple repubs have a spine and see the very real danger she represents.
I think we can trust that Romney won’t be voting for her:
If he was making that statement on the basis of some deeper knowledge gleaned by the CIA/NSA, then we can be pretty sure that the Senate won’t go for her.