Project Autocracy

[CMRivdogs]

1 minute ago, oblong said:

Cookeville is where my family is from.  My ancestors have been there since the civil war.  What makes C-Ville so great is having TN Tech there so you get that crowd. 

And they've really changed the downtown area.  But if they didn't have that it wouldn't be special.  And like everywhere else, what once was land is now a subdivision.  But without my aunts and uncles nad cousins... Cookeville wouldn't have any reason for me to be there other than to visit cemetaries. 

 

 

That was part of the initial draw. We boarded the dog for a couple of nights. When we mentioned to the woman who checked us in that we were in for the concerts and a bit of exploring she said "You ought to move here, we have a University, a symphony ......" We did some exploring of the downtown area and put it on our list.

It's a nice place to visit. We still had a few years before "retirement". It's kind of like dating. Once you knew, you knew.

[romad1]

dusting this one off. 

So, the Generals. 

[chasfh]

Yeah, this thread might pass Aisle Lunatic before long.

[romad1]

jamelle

‪@jamellebouie.net‬

elon very clearly thinks he is co-president

 

‪@SIfill‬ ‪@sifill.bsky.social‬

·

23h

Elon, using Trump’s casual racism as a certificate of authenticity, warns Senators against confirming Biden nominated judges during the lame duck. Do not sleep on the Elon thuggery.

[CMRivdogs]

Somebody needs to do a deep dive investigation on whether Musk is in the country legally. I've seen reports he and his brother may have lied on their papers.

[smr-nj]

4 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

Somebody needs to do a deep dive investigation on whether Musk is in the country legally. I've seen reports he and his brother may have lied on their papers.

He has security clearance as he has defense contracts.
I’m guessing someone did do an investigation in order to give him that. 

 

[romad1]

2 minutes ago, smr-nj said:

He has security clearance as he has defense contracts.
I’m guessing someone did do an investigation in order to give him that. 

 

eye wash. Billionaire's law

Edited November 13, 2024 by romad1

[romad1]

 

‪Kakistocracy Hat‬ ‪@kenwhite.bsky.social‬

·

16h

Pairing Elon and Vivek is like a buddy comedy written by someone who doesn’t understand buddies or comedy

 

 

 

‪Steve Vladeck‬ ‪@stevevladeck.bsky.social‬

·

16h

Not sure whether the Elon/Vivek "DOGE" frolic is going to raise more Anti-Deficiency Act issues (by doing stuff) or Federal Advisory Committee Act issues (by proposing stuff). But it'll sure be a litigation bonanza, either way...

[pfife]

It sucks that the only option is to hope they overstep their mandate.... but that Elon funding primary challenges has all the fixins for overstepping 

[romad1]

 

 

‪Catherine Rampell‬ ‪@crampell.bsky.social‬

·

10h

Looking forward to learning how appointing an accused child-sex-trafficker as AG and a suspected Russian asset as DNI will lower the price of eggs

[Tigermojo]

It's good that Trump is finally bringing the country together again. All the racists are being so nice to minorities. I wonder if the people who think they are safe have blonde hair and blue eyes.

[Sports_Freak]

On 6/17/2024 at 11:44 AM, chasfh said:

The red hat constituency knows nothing about basic economics. But they do know they hate Chinese products flooding the USA and putting them out of jobs.

And they can't wrap their head around why killing off a massive amount of chickens because of the bird flu would cause the price of eggs to skyrocket. These facts give them headaches, too much mathing...lol

[CMRivdogs]

41 minutes ago, romad1 said:

 

 

‪Catherine Rampell‬ ‪@crampell.bsky.social‬

·

10h

Looking forward to learning how appointing an accused child-sex-trafficker as AG and a suspected Russian asset as DNI will lower the price of eggs

All I can envision is bread and TP lines

[chasfh]

https://bsky.app/profile/thedailyshow.com/post/3lauawimmoc25

[romad1]

Had a long chat with coworker i thought was a MAGA today about Tulsi and Gaetz picks.  He's scratching his head because he thought Trump stood for competent, merit-based hiring.   JK.  But the guy I spoke with is the office crank but couldn't support these picks.  

[romad1]

 

 

 

‪Yashar Ali 🐘‬ ‪@yasharali.bsky.social‬

·

19m

1. Congressman Matt Gaetz’s resignation is now official as of an hour ago. House Ethics Chair Michael Guest will not commit to releasing the upcoming Gaetz report. “What happens in ethics is confidential. we’re going to maintain that confidentiality,” he said to reporters.

Yashar Ali 🐘

‪@yasharali.bsky.social‬

Follow

2. But now, GOP Senator John Cornyn, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, is demanding to see it. It is inevitable that the details of this report, if not the entire report itself, will leak.

[romad1]

‘Worst cabinet-level appointment in history’: Bolton on Trump picking Gabbard | CNN Politics

is "history" a long time? 

[romad1]

https://www.the-express.com/news/politics/154712/trump-defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-tattoos

I mean who among us doesn't have christian nationalist logos all over their torso indicating that they believe they are in an existential fight against the mooselambs?

[chasfh]

2 hours ago, romad1 said:

https://www.the-express.com/news/politics/154712/trump-defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-tattoos

I mean who among us doesn't have christian nationalist logos all over their torso indicating that they believe they are in an existential fight against the mooselambs?

"Christian nationalism" is a newfangled term for Nazism, and the tattoos basically prove it.

[romad1]

We are going to need some good lawyers

https://bsky.app/profile/marionicolais.bsky.social/post/3lauiwyn6gs2h

Quote

Mario Nicolais

‪@marionicolais.bsky.social‬

 

Currently sitting in a room full of center-right attorneys willing to stand for the rule of law against abuses in the next Trump Administration. We will continue the struggle.

 

I might just join this group.  

[romad1]

Had an interesting chat last night with fellow board members of my sports league here in NOVA.  Lots of depression about what is coming and a lot of dark humor about the coming appointments/nominations.   MAGA might love it but the professionals who oversee e.g., a joint UK/US nuclear submarine program, Antarctic base programs, a Boeing engine program (yes, we have kidded her about her company in the past) and several employees of companies who rely on the feds were really concerned.  

Now, I grew up in metro Detroit and remember when the business cycle would sweep in and out/up and down with particular bad times in the late 70s, first year of the Reagan admin, 1990 during HW Bush.  I remember 2008-2009 liquidating a lot of wealth.  I'm hoping this won't be as bad.

I don't know if the coming scheiss will be mitigated by anti-deficiency and federal advisory committee issues but this group was pretty dour. 

 

Edited November 15, 2024 by romad1

[romad1]

StrictlyChristo: "Trump’s transition team scrambled Thursday after allegations Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary, had engaged in sexual misconduct in an alleged incident that took place in Monterey, California in 2017. www.vanityfair.com/news/story/p..." — Bluesky (bsky.app)

Trump’s Defense Secretary Pick Pete Hegseth Said to Face Previous Sexual Misconduct Allegation | Vanity Fair

Quote

Donald Trump’s transition team scrambled Thursday after Trump’s incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles was presented with an allegation that former Fox & Friends cohost Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary, had engaged in sexual misconduct. According to two sources, Wiles was briefed Wednesday night about an allegation that Hegseth had acted inappropriately with a woman. One of the sources said the alleged incident took place in Monterey, California in 2017.

According to the transition source, the allegation is serious enough that Wiles and Trump’s lawyers spoke to Hegseth about it on Thursday. A source with knowledge of the meeting said that Hegseth said the allegation stemmed from a consensual encounter and characterized the episode as he-said, she-said.

On Thursday evening, Hegseth’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore said: “This allegation was already investigated by the Monterey police department and they found no evidence for it.”

I wonder if Wiles is going to fight Trump over this one on behalf of the sisterhood or if she is going to be meek and grateful as women in his orbit must.

[oblong]

none of this is going to matter to these people and the senate will confirm. There's 50 cowards.

 

[romad1]

8 minutes ago, oblong said:

none of this is going to matter to these people and the senate will confirm. There's 50 cowards.

 

easiest prediction.   I won't argue odds of courage.  Unless a storm of women calling congressional staffs occurs for Hegseth, a storm of parents calling re: Gaetz, a storm of humans who want to live for RFKjr, a storm of Ukrainian orphans for Gabbard, a storm of drug dealers for Don Jr. 

[oblong]

The GOP senators are shell shocked.  They will play lip service and they may give cover to Murkowski and Collins or someone else for this or that, but only if they have enough votes.  If the senators push back then Elon and the Ruskies will get involved and whip them into shape.  They aren't going to want to give the impression there is trouble in paradise.

The days of relying on good people are over.  All we can hope is ineptitude wins the day and the clock runs out before anything to drastic happens.  Nobody with a government job with an (R) after their name will save us.