On Trump’s picks
It occurs to me that the relief the right feels at Trump’s election victory, as well as the scope of its breadth and depth, has the consequence of leading to enormous expectations. Can they be fulfilled? Probably not. After all, Trump and even Musk and Ramaswamy are human (despite some allegations to the contrary), and the swamp also has vast breadth and depth.
As Trump announces his appointments at a fast clip, they’ve been subjected to the usual scrutiny and criticism. He’s not going to please all the people all the time. Many of the objections have to do with someone being connected in the past to something the critic doesn’t like, even if much time has passed and even if the person seems to be on the right page about many things.
I say chill. Some of the nominations will end up being duds. Past performance is important but not everyone who will do well in a new position has a squeaky clean past that would give that person the conservative stamp of approval. And vice versa.
Some pundits and some bloggers get clicks by doing that sort of critique, though. Fine. Bloggers will blog and pundits will opine. But the whole thing makes me more aware that people have been gathering four years of pent-up frustration that is quite extreme, and many are so jittery and so revved-up that they are ready to shriek if Trump doesn’t really solve everything on day one of his administration.
So although there’s nothing wrong with high expectations – I have them too – I suggest that they be tempered with realism.
You nailed it, Neo. I have been thinking along the same lines. I hope Trump admin can do a lot, but anything will not be quick, nor complete. Just savor what we get, not what we didn’t.
well there are some like neishewat who are concerning because her learning curve on lockdowns and masking were not great, am I’m charitable, and she’s being endorsed, or poison pilled by the wretched dwarf peter hotez but that is not so much of a policy making body like say the cdc or hhs,
But the whole thing makes me more aware that people have been gathering four years of pent-up frustration that is quite extreme, and many are so jittery and so revved-up that they are ready to shriek if Trump doesn’t really solve everything on day one of his administration.
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I haven’t seen that much of that sort of thing. Really. Jittery, yes, we all are that. But impatient? Not so much. At the moment the main concern I see is that the Dems will torpedo too many nominees. Also the impact of Biden’s actions undermining the new administration.
Trump has to honor commitments in his coalition including GOPt (traditional republicans). For those the labor secretary might be a bitter pill– since a party of and for the working class can’t deny unions a place.
Moving forward, might it be an opportunity for labor and capital to collaborate rather than conflict? Yes I know. Extremely naive.
Some old-fashioned hippie wisdom:
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Ain’t no such thing as a revolution
It’s got another name
It’s called evolution
Go slow
–Shawn Phillips, “Second Contribution — Lookin Up'”
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Phillips never made it to the first or second tier of rock acts. He started playing guitar at the age of seven. His brilliance sprawls over genres, so he is not easily classified. He wasn’t interested in fame.
He collaborated with Donovan in the sixties and Phillips wrote the music for “Season of the Witch” — the great Summer of Love hit.
I love that in the early 90s, when I guess his career was in decline, Phillips took time off to become an Emergency Medical Technician and still does some work in that area. He lives in Louisville, KY.
In keeping with the JFK assassination anniversary:
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[Shawn] Phillips’s uncle, David Atlee Phillips, was a top CIA officer who was associated with the assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawn_Phillips#Family_and_personal_life
It’s important for Trump to take a wrecking ball to the Deep State.
But the Deep State isn’t unbuilt in a day, so we might have patience.
I accept all that, but the Labor Secretary appointment is just bad. There’s no rationale for it.
I try not to get my hopes up where government is concerned but with a couple of exceptions, I’m pleased with the picks so far. I think these appointments ae much more reflective of what Trump wants rather than what the GOP establishment tells him he should want.
If someone other than Trump had made similar choices a few years ago, they would be complimented on the diversity of thought that these choices represent. Although it is also interesting how quickly some in the media now say they are willing to give Trump a chance, despite him being a fascist pig.
A secure border, inflation under control, an economy that’s growing, and a foreign policy that seeks peace through strength. If Trump can accomplish that in four years, I’ll be very pleased.
It isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Look at all the blue state governors and blue city mayors pledging to resist. They will start filing nuisance lawsuits immediately and will take every opportunity to bash/stall/derail Trump’s policies. It’s going to be brutal, IMO. A kind of cold civil war. Fortunately, the red states outnumber the blue and will allow Trump to make progress there. And the outmigration from blue to red states will continue.
I am apprehensive about the disappointment that could lead to resentment from some overly expectant folks who think Trump can change the world. As much momentum as he has this time, the deep state will dig in its heels, and it will be very difficult to move them. I believe he’ll make wonderful progress, but people must expect disappointments.
As a former “card-carrying” member of the deep state I recall how the State Department waited it out under Bush 2 and Trump 1. The attitude was “he’ll be gone in 4 years, and we can just hunker down till then.” State is probably one of the worst offenders, but every federal Department is entrenched in this way. To really overcome this, every Department Secretary must have a #2 with the authority, hunger, and mission to dig out the rotted wood, without caring about making friends or attending the right parties in Northwest DC.
We should go into this next 4 years with high hopes while expecting some disappointment, and not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.
At least we will have a president who loves his country and wants it to prosper, unlike Obama, Biden and Harris.
I love those that say “I don’t like so n so” as if they can control who Trump picks. You can say “well I didn’t vote for so n so”, and I say so what.
I saw someone on TV mention something about Trump’s “TV cabinet.” I had that same thought a few days ago. This Neishewat pick for surgeon general would be an example, although that particular job always struck me as being a PR job away. So, no big deal.
Then Bessent for Treasury? I’d never heard of him. So not a TV pick.
The Labor Sec.? I expect that Trump is serious about keeping the organized labor people happy and pulling them into the GOP tent.
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The one recent thing that got my hopes way up high, which I then reconsidered more pragmatically, was the Elon Musk enthusiasm for the Milton Friedman interview discussing the elimination of many federal departments.
If Musk and Trump could eliminate just two departments, it would be a huge achievement.
If Trump could just eliminate the Department of Indoctrination, I mean Education, he should get a medal.
Reagan couldn’t do it.