I am always shocked by any elected official who worries about their re election prospects. Can they steal THAT much money while in office? If they lose their seat will they face poverty, the firing squad? What is so terrifying of getting another job?
They seem to have the certainty that no matter how fecklessly they lived their lives, no obituary will have the headline, "Coward Chokes To Death At DC Endless Buffet"....
At Hegseth’s confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) sprung a pop quiz on him, asking the defense secretary-designate how many nations are in ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “I couldn’t tell you the exact amount of nations, but I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and in AUKUS with Australia,” Hegseth ventured.
“None of those three countries that you’ve mentioned are in ASEAN,” Duckworth informed him.
ASEAN is crucial to the United States in its geopolitical struggle against China — and Hegseth doesn’t even know what it is.
From Dana Milbank's 1/17/25 WaPo Opinion piece : "Starting Monday: The Trump administration’s days of blunder"
The Biden Codex: A Farewell to the Republic, A Call to Revolution
Fellow Americans, Scholars, and Seekers of Truth,
On January 19, 2025, Joseph R. Biden Jr. delivered a farewell address unlike any other in U.S. history. Beneath the polished language lies a message encoded for the 99%—a final plea to awaken to the oligarchic tyranny overtaking the nation.
The Economic Reality: Beneath the Façade
Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025, signals the full subjugation of governance to corporate overlords, symbolized by Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Thiel flanking Trump. Biden’s address dissected Trump’s promises:
1. Lower Taxes for the Working Class: A mirage. Tariffs on essentials will escalate costs while billionaires enjoy tax cuts.
2. Affordable Living: Protectionist policies will inflate prices, funneling revenue to corporations like BlackRock and JP Morgan.
3. Public Services: Drastic cuts to healthcare, education, and infrastructure will fund tax breaks for the 1%.
This is class warfare, cloaked in populist rhetoric.
The Sociopolitical Context: Divide and Conquer
Biden exposed the illusion of partisanship, noting both parties’ ties to elite interests:
• The Democrats, too, have succumbed, as shown by the corporate-backed Kamala Harris campaign.
• Biden’s admission of impotence wasn’t failure; it was a calculated spark to ignite collective rage among the 99%.
The address urged Americans to reject tribalism and unite against the true enemy: the 1%.
No one followed Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. Courage was not followed. You and them and Steve Schmidt (you and he need to mend fences) need to lead because we’re ready to follow. Democrats are like Frank Zappa’s brown shoes: they don’t make it .
And this essay will ruin my next few nights sleep. Important and needed to be said but damnnn! I'm so disheartened and yet have to fake it for my young adult children.
Maybe it would be a more effective process if conducted like an actual job interview in the real world.
e.g. 'describe your experience in leading a team of millions of employees across the 4 major branches of the military?'
e.g. 'it's 9/10/25...our Intel services have shared with you highly credible observations that Iran is mounting a 9/11 type attack. How will you engage with DHS & federal law enforcement to ensure public safety?'
Fumbling & bull-shitting these types of questions will clearly demonstrate his profound unfitness for the job.
Focus on qualifications for the actual job, not moral failures...obviously MAGA is fine with these, especially if the 'sinner' happens to be a white male 'Christian'.
How long will Hegseth actually last? The Pentagon is full of people who aren’t MAGA. How long until there are leaks about his incompetence? He has no experience, so we can expect many mistakes. Trump hates bad press. I’m hoping Hegseth will be such a disaster he won’t last even a year.
Nothing so repulsive to a seasoned military outlook than a hypermasculine cosplayer who hides behind a bottle. And make no mistake, KegDeth _ain't_ quitting drinking.
Someone please explain to me how an entire party that worships masculinity and the patriarchal social order has managed to choose as their leader a man-baby who exudes negative masculine characteristics. *rump is obese, soft and flabby, physically weak, whiny and self-indulgent, selfish and self-absorbed, has no moral character and is ignorant about almost everything. He is a charicature of everything non-masculine.
And the republicans in Congress are also the opposite of what they profess to admire. They are weak, frightened little children whenever they have to deal with the man-baby. They're down on their knees with their pants down around their ankles.
I am always shocked by any elected official who worries about their re election prospects. Can they steal THAT much money while in office? If they lose their seat will they face poverty, the firing squad? What is so terrifying of getting another job?
They seem to have the certainty that no matter how fecklessly they lived their lives, no obituary will have the headline, "Coward Chokes To Death At DC Endless Buffet"....
At Hegseth’s confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) sprung a pop quiz on him, asking the defense secretary-designate how many nations are in ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “I couldn’t tell you the exact amount of nations, but I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and in AUKUS with Australia,” Hegseth ventured.
“None of those three countries that you’ve mentioned are in ASEAN,” Duckworth informed him.
ASEAN is crucial to the United States in its geopolitical struggle against China — and Hegseth doesn’t even know what it is.
From Dana Milbank's 1/17/25 WaPo Opinion piece : "Starting Monday: The Trump administration’s days of blunder"
Exactly right (and well written!)
I’m not going to turn my tv on Monday. I don’t want to hear or see anything about him.
The Biden Codex: A Farewell to the Republic, A Call to Revolution
Fellow Americans, Scholars, and Seekers of Truth,
On January 19, 2025, Joseph R. Biden Jr. delivered a farewell address unlike any other in U.S. history. Beneath the polished language lies a message encoded for the 99%—a final plea to awaken to the oligarchic tyranny overtaking the nation.
The Economic Reality: Beneath the Façade
Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025, signals the full subjugation of governance to corporate overlords, symbolized by Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Thiel flanking Trump. Biden’s address dissected Trump’s promises:
1. Lower Taxes for the Working Class: A mirage. Tariffs on essentials will escalate costs while billionaires enjoy tax cuts.
2. Affordable Living: Protectionist policies will inflate prices, funneling revenue to corporations like BlackRock and JP Morgan.
3. Public Services: Drastic cuts to healthcare, education, and infrastructure will fund tax breaks for the 1%.
This is class warfare, cloaked in populist rhetoric.
The Sociopolitical Context: Divide and Conquer
Biden exposed the illusion of partisanship, noting both parties’ ties to elite interests:
• The Democrats, too, have succumbed, as shown by the corporate-backed Kamala Harris campaign.
• Biden’s admission of impotence wasn’t failure; it was a calculated spark to ignite collective rage among the 99%.
The address urged Americans to reject tribalism and unite against the true enemy: the 1%.
A Call to Action: Revolution as Necessity
Biden’s closing remarks invoked historical reckoning:
“The strength of this nation has always come from its people. When power strays too far from the will of the many, history demands a reckoning.”
This was no reflection—it was a directive. The bottom 99% must mobilize, using legal, economic, and revolutionary means.
The Multidisciplinary Evidence
• Economics: Trump’s policies will worsen wealth inequality.
• History: Revolutions emerge from economic oppression.
• Psychology: Biden’s rhetoric sowed doubt among Trump’s supporters.
• Sociology: The speech unified the 99% as a single class, transcending divisions.
What Comes Next?
January 20, 2025, will usher in oligarchic domination. Biden’s farewell was a warning:
1. Organize: Form coalitions to resist the power grab.
2. Educate: Expose corruption and economic exploitation.
3. Resist: Challenge policies entrenching inequality.
4. Disrupt: Take action if peaceful means fail.
Conclusion: The Hidden Message
Biden’s farewell wasn’t resignation—it was a revolutionary call to arms. His words urge the 99% to reclaim the nation from oligarchic rule.
The Time to Act Is NOW!
History is watching.
GQ
No one followed Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. Courage was not followed. You and them and Steve Schmidt (you and he need to mend fences) need to lead because we’re ready to follow. Democrats are like Frank Zappa’s brown shoes: they don’t make it .
Did either party ask him how they will deal with the war in Ukraine? Will they continue support or will the 🍊 felon side with putin?
And this essay will ruin my next few nights sleep. Important and needed to be said but damnnn! I'm so disheartened and yet have to fake it for my young adult children.
KEITH !
https://omny.fm/shows/countdown-with-keith-olbermann/have-a-great-weekend-because-monday-is-doomsday-1
Maybe it would be a more effective process if conducted like an actual job interview in the real world.
e.g. 'describe your experience in leading a team of millions of employees across the 4 major branches of the military?'
e.g. 'it's 9/10/25...our Intel services have shared with you highly credible observations that Iran is mounting a 9/11 type attack. How will you engage with DHS & federal law enforcement to ensure public safety?'
Fumbling & bull-shitting these types of questions will clearly demonstrate his profound unfitness for the job.
Focus on qualifications for the actual job, not moral failures...obviously MAGA is fine with these, especially if the 'sinner' happens to be a white male 'Christian'.
Thank you for writing this…
My soul and heart ache over what is going to happen .....terrifying.
COMA, with Michael Douglas the 1978 classic.
Trump has filled the vacancies in their heads.
Sorry no room, I’m sold out. Try again later.
Good luck there!
All of these folks, if you look into their eyes, there is something profoundly off. Makes me think of the movie, Coma. Creeepy.
How long will Hegseth actually last? The Pentagon is full of people who aren’t MAGA. How long until there are leaks about his incompetence? He has no experience, so we can expect many mistakes. Trump hates bad press. I’m hoping Hegseth will be such a disaster he won’t last even a year.
Nothing so repulsive to a seasoned military outlook than a hypermasculine cosplayer who hides behind a bottle. And make no mistake, KegDeth _ain't_ quitting drinking.
Spot on. Hegseth will not have the respect he needs in order to be successful.
Egg. Fucken. Zakley.
Someone please explain to me how an entire party that worships masculinity and the patriarchal social order has managed to choose as their leader a man-baby who exudes negative masculine characteristics. *rump is obese, soft and flabby, physically weak, whiny and self-indulgent, selfish and self-absorbed, has no moral character and is ignorant about almost everything. He is a charicature of everything non-masculine.
And the republicans in Congress are also the opposite of what they profess to admire. They are weak, frightened little children whenever they have to deal with the man-baby. They're down on their knees with their pants down around their ankles.
It is all so cringe.
So very much so, MaryAnne. Which is why I continue to predict that it's all going to go ass-over-teakettle sooner rather than later.