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zorroloco 14-Nov-24, 06:50	Matt Gaetz Aggressively unqualified Trump’s Nomination of Matt Gaetz Is a Sign of Dark Intentions Nov. 13, 2024 By Elie Honig, a former federal and state prosecutor and a contributor to CAFE Matt Gaetz, United States attorney general. It’s almost an oxymoron. This is a crazy pick. This is a dangerous pick. This is a pick that warns of dark intentions. Let’s get specific. We can assess any attorney-general candidate on two core criteria: qualifications and independence. Gaetz is aggressively unqualified. The man has never been a prosecutor. He has no idea what it means to stand up in court and represent the United States. He has no clue what it means to investigate, indict, and convict another human being. He’s never been in a position to deprive another human being of his liberty, and he has no idea how that feels. He has no sense of prosecutorial judgment or discretion. That’s not his fault; he’s simply never done the job. Nor is Gaetz independent by any definition of the term. He is “an outspoken conservative firebrand” and “a tireless defender of President Trump.” He has earned nicknames such as the “Trumpiest Congressman in Trump’s Washington” and “the Trumpiest Congressman,” both of which “he considers badges of honor.” No doubt, he’s proud of it all — each of the preceding quotations in this paragraph are pulled verbatim from Gaetz’s own congressional website. The stakes here are unimaginably high. The attorney general sits atop the United States Justice Department. That means he’s in charge of over 115,000 employees, including federal prosecutors, civil lawyers, law-enforcement officials. He handles a $37 billion annual budget. The AG oversees all 94 U.S. Attorney’s offices; separate criminal investigative divisions handling cases on civil rights, national security, and public integrity; the solicitor general, who handles all Supreme Court litigation for the federal government; the FBI, DEA, and ATF; the Bureau of Prisons; and the U.S. Marshals. It’s a big job that carries unimaginable power. Regular readers of this column know that I don’t buy into doomsday scenarios, including those that relate to Trump’s second term. But the impending nomination of Gaetz as the nation’s top law-enforcement official is about as dark and clear as harbingers get. Gaetz prides himself on political attack-dog tactics, on unquestioningly defending Trump, and on settling scores (or perceived scores) against his political opponents. And there will be precious few guardrails in place to check his power. Republican majorities will run the Senate and (probably) the House, so don’t expect meaningful congressional oversight. There’s little the judiciary can do to rein in an investigation either, though the courts play a larger role if (and hopefully not when) any of this turns into politically driven indictments.
apatzer 14-Nov-24, 07:02	The thing is. The qualifications have changed and with that the job will change. The only qualifications anyone needs is how long they have kissed the ring.
zorroloco 14-Nov-24, 07:03	Deleted by redfoxrising on 16-Dec-24, 15:08.
mo-oneandmore 14-Nov-24, 09:35	With a bit of luck the Republican Congress will disapprove of Gaetz if they're not too afraid of trump's vengeance.
zorroloco 14-Nov-24, 11:25	Our most likely possibility for averting a totalitarian state is an clash of egos leading to some kind of governmental paralysis. I give that a 20% chance.
zorroloco 14-Nov-24, 11:33	tRump’s cabinet picks show that he prizes loyalty over experience and is fueled by retribution. Surrounding oneself with yes men Should be a warning sign to anyone with a basic understanding of history and human nature. So it goes
dmaestro 14-Nov-24, 12:13	The only force strong enough to oppose plutocrats is the government. The idea is to restore the spoils system and blow up the government. Trump’s model was to be an Andrew Jackson in the modern era. I pity the fools who believed the Constitution was a solid barrier. In fact what he have is just flimsy tradition and myths, no match for a fascist cult leader and mob boss. He’s the Putin of America. Better look out for yourselves; the government expected to protect is now to be turned on you. And no the cult won’t wake up anymore than it did in Rome or Germany.
dmaestro 15-Nov-24, 00:01	constitutioncenter.org The useless Constitution even gives Trump the power to adjourn Congress to install officials when in recess. Like Goetz. Trump will find scapegoats to seize power. America deserves a dictator. MAGA deserves the screwing they will get. Deplorable folks.
zorroloco 15-Nov-24, 05:46	Perfect Like Caligula’s horse 🤣 Matt Gaetz Is the Perfect Man for the Job Nov. 14, 2024 The expression “The worse, the better” is often attributed to Vladimir Lenin, and captures a sort of messianic nihilism — the dream that escalating misery will hasten the fall of a corrupt order. Usually, I find this ethos despicable; in my experience, suffering only begets more suffering. I’m making an exception, however, for Donald Trump’s nomination of the former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz to be attorney general, a flagrant provocation that is, like a pulpy B movie, so bad it’s good. While Trump’s choice of Gaetz to lead the Justice Department is a clear sign that his second administration will be catastrophically chaotic, vengeful and corrupt, that should never have been in doubt. Trump made no secret during his campaign of his desire to persecute his political enemies. Anyone he chose as attorney general would share his interest in turning the justice system into the enforcement arm of the MAGA movement. The selection of Gaetz just rips the mask off. With it, Trump is trolling not just his defeated opponents but many of his craven establishment supporters. It’s like Caligula trying to make his horse a consul. Of all the people Trump was considering for A.G., Gaetz is unique mainly for how much he is hated by other Republicans, and not just moderate ones. In the final months of the last Trump administration, the Justice Department opened an investigation into whether Gaetz had a relationship with an underage girl that violated federal sex trafficking laws. Though that inquiry was closed without charges, the House opened an ethics investigation into him. It was reportedly set to vote on releasing a damning report on Friday, which Gaetz may have tried to pre-empt by resigning, though it could still become public. When Gaetz was accused of sleeping with the girl, “there’s a reason why no one in the conference came and defended him,” Markwayne Mullin, a very conservative Republican senator from Oklahoma, told CNN last year. His colleagues, said Mullins, had seen videos “of the girls that he had slept with,” which Gaetz allegedly showed off on the House floor. After Gaetz forced Kevin McCarthy out as House speaker, throwing his party into disorder, Mike Rogers, a Republican congressman from Alabama, seemed ready to physically attack him and had to be restrained by colleagues. It should go without saying that Gaetz is not, by any normal standards, even a tiny bit qualified to be attorney general. He practiced law for only about two years before running for office, handling small-time civil matters, like suing an old woman for money she owed his father’s caregiving company. His chief credential is not his mastery of the law but his contempt for it. “We’re proud of the work we did on Jan. 6 to make legitimate arguments about election integrity,” he told Steve Bannon in 2022. He’s called for abolishing both the F.B.I. and the Justice Department unless they “come to heel.” If confirmed, he will be single-minded in his devotion to carrying out Trump’s will without concern for legal niceties. Gaetz is not the only Trump nominee who seems to have been chosen precisely for his hostility to the values of the organization he’s supposed to lead. On Thursday, Trump announced plans to make Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s leading anti-vaxxer, secretary of health and human services. Pete Hegseth, the Fox News weekend host whom Trump wants to put atop the Pentagon — an institution that is supposed to be scrupulously apolitical — wrote a book describing “social justice saboteurs” as more dangerous to America than any external enemy. During his first administration, when Trump sought to turn the military against left-wing protesters, his defense officials thwarted him. Hegseth, who accused “progressive storm troopers” of turning our cities into “little Samaras,” a reference to an Iraqi city besieged by ISIS, would almost certainly have fewer qualms. “It’s the enemy from within,” Trump said of his opponents at a rally last month. “All the scum that we have to deal with that hate our country. That’s a bigger enemy than China and Russia.” Some of his supporters thrilled to this language, but others convinced themselves that he didn’t really mean it. By tapping Gaetz to be the highest law enforcement official in the land, Trump has done us the favor of stripping away whatever plausible deniability remained about his intentions. It’s a show of dominance directed more at Republicans than Democrats, meant to make them abase themselves by acquiescing to a nomination they know is indefensible. Some social conservatives are aghast: The Christian legal group Liberty Counsel put out a press releasing describing the choice of Gaetz as “shocking and disappointing,” and Ben Domenech, co-founder of the right-wing website The Federalist, called him “absolutely vile,” among other insults I can’t repeat here. If Gaetz makes it all the way to the confirmation hearings, the proceedings will be a popcorn-worthy carnival of scandal and backbiting. Having won the presidency and both houses of Congress, Trump could have launched his new administration in an atmosphere of confident Republican unity. Instead, it will commence with the crisis, degradation and melodrama that is his natural habitat. In the end, I’d expect almost all Republican senators to fall in line and humiliate themselves by voting for Gaetz. “I completely trust President Trump’s decision making on this one,” Mullin said on CNN on Wednesday, though he added that Gaetz would need to sell himself to the Senate. Even if a small number of senators find the fortitude to reject such a preposterous candidate, Trump may attempt to go around them by employing a never-used constitutional provision to force the Senate into recess so he can make appointments without its consent. And if that doesn’t work, whoever Trump chooses instead of Gaetz will almost certainly be just as destructive, if less flamboyant in his immorality and lust for attention. Trump picked Gaetz, after all, because he’s an excellent representative of the MAGA movement. Once Trump won, decent outcomes for the country were probably off the table. The institutions are unlikely to hold. Establishment Republicans cannot be counted on to protect us. The best we can hope for is that our new rulers will be stymied by incompetence, infighting and self-sabotage. In that respect, Gaetz may be just the man for the job. Michelle Goldberg has been an Opinion columnist since 2017. She is the author of several books about politics, religion and women’s rights, and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2018 for reporting on workplace sexual harassment.
zorroloco 15-Nov-24, 07:16	Ya Think The GOP will develop a moral compass and refuse to confirm Gaetz? Hell no.
zorroloco 15-Nov-24, 07:47	Deleted by redfoxrising on 16-Dec-24, 15:08.
thumper 15-Nov-24, 07:48	If confirmed, Matt Gaetz will replace Merrick Garland as AG. I see that as a good thing.
zorroloco 15-Nov-24, 07:53	Thumper Of course you do A child molester who’s woefully unqualified and a tRump lick-spittle as the top law officer in the country. What could possibly go wrong? 🤣
thumper 15-Nov-24, 08:12	Considering Garland's actions and track record as AG, why wouldn't I? Why wouldn't anyone?
zorroloco 15-Nov-24, 08:17	Thumper Because he’s got no moral compass, is not independent, and lacks the experience and background to be AG. He’s under investigation for sex crimes against minors and drugs. So a perfect fit for the tRump administration.
lord_shiva 15-Nov-24, 09:29	Senators I have been requesting my friends write their senator some version of the following: “You have got to be sh*ing me.” This was Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson’s muted reaction to the news Donald Trump tapped Matt Gaetz for Attorney General. As our Senator you have a responsibility to the American public NOT to simply rubber stamp such important appointments, but to ensure the president’s cabinet is competent and qualified for the position. While this appointment serves the president’s interest, it conflicts with the best interest of our nation. Please take your responsibility seriously and deny this appointment. Respectfully, … If anyone needs the email page for their state senators, I am happy to look them up. It is especially important to write Republicans. Florida is a lost cause, Rubio and Scott. Tennessee has Hagerty, a staunch Groper defender. There are a few other lost causes, but Cruz and the other Texas senator might be persuaded, and some are dead set against. We just need enough to ensure a vote occurs and that this a* clown goes down. It is nice he resigned his congressional seat, but he should not be anywhere near DC.
lord_shiva 15-Nov-24, 09:31	Naturally << If confirmed, Matt Gaetz will replace Merrick Garland as AG. I see that as a good thing.>> Because Gaetz will happily weaponize DOJ for Groper. It is a common lie Garland has. Instead, Garland merely investigates blatantly obvious crimes Groper’s mindless minions believe he and his acolytes are entitled to commit.
lord_shiva 15-Nov-24, 09:52	West Virginia If you have not yet moved to Arizona, here is Senator Capito’s contact page. Please feel free to modify the following as you see fit and message her your concerns: www.capito.senate.gov Dear Senator Capito, As you are aware Donald has selected disgraced former congressman Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General. As a concerned constituent I trust you will do your part both to ensure a confirmation vote is held, and that your vote will be to deny confirmation. This appointment serves Donald’s interest, not the interests of our nation. Thank you for the many good things you have accomplished for our state. Respectfully, ———— The address for Joe Manchin is below. He should be amendable, both both of these senators require persuasion. www.manchin.senate.gov For subject select Judiciary/Nominations
lord_shiva 15-Nov-24, 10:04	Maryland Cardin and Hollen are both Democrats and likely no votes, but a letter of protest certainly would not hurt. You know who you are. Please PM me if you followed through on this. I have written both of my senators, even though they are both solid “no” votes on this confirmation. What does former UN ambassador John Bolton, a staunch Republican, have to say about Tulsi and Matt? He doesn’t have anything negative on DOD Pete. But the other two are supremely unqualified. I’m not all that hung ho on Pete, either—he has many problematic issues, including lack of suitable qualification to head Earth’s largest bureaucracy (outside China). But at least he sent the gas lighting buffoon Matt Gaetz is.
lord_shiva 15-Nov-24, 10:08	Friendship I just hope we can all remain friends even if we end up in different concentration camps.
lord_shiva 15-Nov-24, 10:16	Mo Have your younger brother do this too, and contact his friends. With all the information this should only take about five minutes. I am strongly persuaded this is an issue on our legislators must hear from us. I’ve only written my legislators a very few times, but this tops my list of worthy issues.
lord_shiva 15-Nov-24, 10:21	Oregon Ron Wyden: www.wyden.senate.gov Jeff Merkley www.merkley.senate.gov I would write a template for you, Z, but good examples are provided above and you can do a better job anyway. While both your senators are Democrats and likely no votes, a little encouragement never hurts.
lord_shiva 15-Nov-24, 10:30	Subbing for History If you ever sub for a history, civics, or social studies class, or you know someone who does, this would be an excellent opportunity to encourage any student with an email address (or not) to participate. They are constituents even if they are not of voting age, and they can pen letters. You cannot tell them what their opinion ought to be, obviously, but getting them to participate at an early age is the best possible motivator for civic responsibility. I would donate postage (if I had a job). I can send you a page or two of forever stamps if need be. To bad citizens don’t enjoy franking privileges that senators do, when mailing congress. I guess I can understand the reason.
zorroloco 15-Nov-24, 10:39	Shiva Thanks for the reminder. On it. Not everyone wants a sex abuser of minors to be the top legal officer in the country.
zorroloco 15-Nov-24, 10:50	Shiva I don’t interject politics into sub plans - but most of the high schoolers are aware of what’s going on. I indoctrinate them into progressive thinking by teaching logic and history - that’s all it takes. There’s a reason tRump loves the poorly educated. They, along with the morally bankrupt, make up his base. Idiots, fools, criminals and sex abusers.
lord_shiva 15-Nov-24, 10:57	House Ethics Committee I just hope they release the report, either to the public or at the very least to the FBI for their investigation. It really needs to be made public, but I can understand the need for confidentiality if charges are being considered. Matt bragged to fellow congressmen he had committed statutory rape. He then made Venmo payments to his buddy in the exact amount the man paid an underaged consort trafficked across state lines. Coincidence? The man was sentenced to 11 years in prison. I have to wonder if DeSantis didn’t lean on local police for Gaetz the way he attacked Disney and plenty of others.
lord_shiva 15-Nov-24, 11:02	Liberal Propaganda True that. There is a great photo of a stack of books labeled “liberal propaganda.” On each book spine is written: History Science Logic Biology Economics For conservative propaganda we turn our backs on books (which are in an oil soaked pile set ablaze) to conspiracy blogs like the former Infowars, Fox, OAN, antivaxxers, global warming deniers, fluoride opponents, and so on.
lord_shiva 15-Nov-24, 11:14	Deleted by lord_shiva on 15-Nov-24, 11:15.
thumper 15-Nov-24, 11:44	Z Based on your plethora of anti conservative posts, attacks and comments here I'm confident that you don't inject your hard left politics into your 'sub plans' for the captive students under your control.
zorroloco 15-Nov-24, 12:01	Thumper Good. I’m glad you realize I’m a professional.
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