By Sid Schwab / Herald Columnist
It was predictable that Donald Trump would select unquestioning loyalists for his cabinet and other impactful positions.
People who’d carry out his demands, no matter how damaging to the republic. People who applaud and will facilitate his need for revenge against all who’ve criticized him, who’ll bend to his desire to dismantle parts of government that he can’t use to his advantage.
Their other lodestar, after submissive prostration, will be “sticking it to the libs.” Because that, above all else, is what maintains support from the base, undisturbed if their own interests are betrayed as long as they can imagine liberals shedding tears. Assuming they considered their own interests, which, it appears, they haven’t. Not the sub-millionaires, anyway.
More surprising is the level of disqualifying incompetence of most of his choices. Surely there were adequately sycophantic yes-people with at least a minimum of experience in the fields over which they’d have control. Instead, we get Matt Gaetz, universally hated in Congress, with reason, as attorney general; weekend Fox couch-dweller Pete Hegseth, who left the National Guard after being barred from protecting the capital during President Biden’s inauguration because he was deemed a possible “insider threat” (MSN: tinyurl.com/2inside4u); Tulsi Gabbard, zeroly experienced in intelligence matters and referred to in Russia as “our girlfriend” for her enthusiastic support of Vladimir Putin (and Syria’s murderous Bashar al-Assad), as Director of National Intelligence (MSN: tinyurl.com/tulsi4russia).
As obvious as their incompetence is, they must have been chosen because of it. Knowing nothing about their prospective institutions will make it easier to tear them down; ignorance allowing unconcern for the consequences to our country. The exception could be Gabbard: until proven otherwise, she was chosen by Putin.
Presumably having alternatives within the outer confines of credibility, Trump chose deep-space outliers. It’s the final showdown, to nail closed the Constitutional coffin. Figuring they won’t, because they never have, he’s daring Republican senators to cross him; seeing their invertebrate behavior since his golden de-escalation (YouTube: tinyurl.com/escalate4u), he’s betting none will have the courage, let alone integrity, to reject his appointees. And he’s betting those senators’ Trumpist voters will pressure them to acquiesce. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., by all measures the Senate’s dumbest member, has stated that he’d see to it (how, he didn’t say) that any who vote no will be punished. It’s the OK Corral.
Godly Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, holiest of his holy Republican Housemates, has urged that the Ethics Committee’s report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s unholy sexual proclivities not be made public. His reasons are made of SCOTUS-quality whole cloth. (tinyurl.com/no2ethic). He says he looks forward to seeing Trump’s Cabinet “shake up the status quo,” but there’s more than one way to do that. Jan. 6, 2021, un-statused the quo to the good of no one. For example.
This isn’t about reforming government; it’s about burning it down. It’s not, as Trumpists were lied into believing, to help average Americans. It’s about getting it out of the way of Trump’s vengeance and his oligarchical string-pullers’ greed.
Is this confrontation with Congress a gutsy move? Since that would have required layered thought and wise counsel, it’s unlikely. Reportedly, Gaetz became his choice on the spur of an airplane moment without consulting Susie Wiles, his to-be Chief of Staff, or anyone on his transition team. Blindsided, she’s been struggling ever since to polish that thing that can’t be polished (TeePublic: tinyurl.com/nopolish4u). None of his selectees, it appears, was vetted. But three (plus Elon Musk) have in common Trump’s history of sexual predation. Maybe that’s it.
If Tulsi Gabbard becomes DNI, our allies, worried that she’d reveal their secrets to Putin and other adversaries, might refuse to share intelligence, leaving us isolated. After Trump’s private meeting with Russian officials following his first inauguration, remember, a top-level U.S. agent was extracted from Russia for fear of discovery (CNN: tinyurl.com/2removespy). Later, Trump tweeted satellite images that revealed secret U.S. spy capabilities (NBC News: tinyurl.com/no2secret). It’s a pattern, forward to more of which our adversaries are surely looking.
And if worm-brained conspiracist RFK Jr. becomes head of Health and Human Services, for lack of vaccination, children will die. Good researchers will leave (Bulwark: tinyurl.com/crackpot4u) Dr. Mehmet Oz managing Medicare and Medicaid? Don’t get sick.
Between now and inauguration, senators will be subjected to nonstop pressure to approve them all; from Trump, from voters eager for authoritarianism, from round-the-clock hectoring by every member of rightwing media. Odds are, they’ll cave like Fred and Wilma. If not, his rumored fallback is an untested constitutional way to recess Congress on his own, and appoint at will (Atlantic: tinyurl.com/bypass4u).
(Thursday morning update: Well, well, well. Gaetz bowed out. Nice. That way Trump didn’t have to admit a mistake. Next?)
Pusillanimous behavior from Congressional Republicans is a given. But if, like MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, mainstream media roll over for Trump, there’s nothing left. After their glowing report of their meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Joe and Mika got mocked by Trump. (X: tinyurl.com/2mockthem) Pay attention, media. Got guts?
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, the world’s richest and most socially awkward man, is everywhere, in on Trump’s call to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, talking to Iran’s leaders, pressuring him on policy. If memory serves, Trump campaigned with a vice presidential pick. Anyone heard from him lately?
Email Sid Schwab at columnsid@gmail.com.
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