JV Last asks us to consider Pete Hegseth as if he wasn’t a red-pilled, alcohol dependent, rapist and instead is a moderate, pure as the driven snow boy scout. And then consider this: Last is right when he says that Hegseth will get this job not in spite of his noxious personal character or total lack of qualifications but because of them. He quotes from this excellent piece on Hegseth by Rebecca Traister: Some Democrats retain the wan hope that they can persuade a Republican or two to actually defeat Hegseth’s nomination, and they worry that coming in ablaze will impede those efforts. Winning, said several staffers from offices less inclined to light Hegseth up, would mean not leaning in on the rape allegations and instead creating space to oppose him on grounds that Republicans can also oppose him on. Instead of giving Fox News the woke-mob martyrdom its audience craves, they say they can highlight his financial mismanagement and lack of relevant experience. That’s where we are now. If anyone raises the prospect of a nominee’s lack of character it actually helps them get confirmed.
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Pete Hegseth is up first As Congress begins confirmation hearings today for Donald Trump’s candidates for key federal posts, I offer simple questions Democrats should ask each. When Donald Trump nominated you, did you consider saying no because you felt unqualified for the job? If not, why not? If yes, why did you accept anyway? Hell, I’m no more qualified for these posts that Trump’s “look good on TV” nominees.
COLLINS: How's the bad behavior of a senator a defense of someone who wants to run the Pentagon? MULLIN: It's not. What I was trying to get to is if you're capable of doing your job and you're able to still drink on the job or late in the evening, don't tell me that Pete can't pic.twitter.com/KgNhlYJUpc — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 15, 2025 KAITLIN COLLINS: How’s the bad behavior of a senator a defense of someone who wants to run the Pentagon? MARKWAYNE MULLIN: It’s not. What I was trying to get to is, if you’re capable of doing your job and you’re able to still drink on the job or late in the evening, don’t tell me that Pete can’t. In other words, Pete Hegseth is so good he can drink all day and all night and do a great job. This is what we’ve come to.
Imagine that The Canadians and Panamanians aren’t too thrilled by it either which, considering our own colonial origins, shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Nobody’s taking these threats very seriously and I hope that’s correct. But even the rhetoric is toxic. America is now seen by the rest of the world as a bully and a threat. We are very powerful so I suppose most people think there’s no need to worry. But it the rest of the world allies against us, as they might if Trump follows through on his ridiculous tariff scheme or he decides to confront a fellow NATO country like Denmark and seize their protectorate it could get ugly fast.
While you lost sleep over friends in L.A. For those of you not following the victim-blaming on Fox News: “We stoke hatred.” Is it on their business cards? Rude Pundit remarks: Not that it’s up to me (it’s up to LA County voters–home rule is cool & all that), but LA County in 2024 had a $49.2 billion budget (https://ceo.lacounty.gov/budget/), and I don’t see anything wrong with spending these amounts on these ⬇️ activities. ICYMI: The Supreme Court said Friday it will review the constitutionality of a provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires health plans to provide no-cost preventive care, including cancer screenings, immunizations and contraception, to millions of Americans. The case puts the law, commonly known as Obamacare, in the crosshairs once again and follows several challenges in recent years by conservatives hoping to overturn it, as well as a landmark 2012 ruling by the justices upholding its legality. In Becerra v.
He is normal to them. Also this which explains the GOP reversal on banning TikTok: What have we done?
Oh my, my. Steve Bannon has declared war on Elon Musk: “I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day,” Bannon told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera this week. “He will not have a blue pass to the White House, he will not have full access to the White House, he will be like any other person.” “He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down,” Bannon added. “Before, because he put money in, I was prepared to tolerate it; I’m not prepared to tolerate it anymore.” Bannon’s still beating the H-1B visas conflict, obviously banking on being able to continue his grift on the hardcore racist MAGA base. And he’s cleverly doing it by turning the racism on to the tech-bro Mafia that’s infiltrated the upper reaches of MAGA. Does he have his finger on the pulse? He said, “This thing of the H-1B visas, it’s about the entire immigration system is gamed by the tech overlords, they use it to their advantage, the people are furious. No blacks or Hispanics have any of these jobs or any access to these jobs.
The dead and missing aren’t all counted CNN’s landing page this morning blares: LA fires at critical stage as winds to return and death toll rises. The Washington Post: Death toll rises to 24 as region braces for return of dangerous winds The New York Times is more specific about the death toll: The Eaton fire has killed 16 people, making it one of the deadliest in California’s history, and at least eight people have died in the Palisades blaze. Another 16 people have been reported missing in the areas of the two fires, and officials have warned the number of fatalities is likely to rise. CNN has already begun profiling the lives lost: An amputee and his son with cerebral palsy were among the 24 deaths in the fires raging around Los Angeles. The father was found at his son’s bedside. One victim told a relative that he did not want to evacuate. He died trying to fight the blaze that consumed his home of more than 50 years. Another victim, an 85-year-old woman, refused to leave her home as the fast-moving Palisades Fire approached, preferring instead to stay behind with her beloved pets.
I live in Santa Monica, California and as you can imagine, the last few days have been traumatic. We are lucky to live a couple of miles from the fire zone and are not currently in any danger. But I know many people who were evacuated and some are still waiting to go back to their homes because the danger is still acute. Everyone I know knows someone whose house has burned; one of my closest friends lost everything and literally escaped with just the clothes on his back. We’re all still on alert here waiting to see if the winds pick up as predicted next week, praying that the worst is behind us. All natural disasters are frightening. I’ve been through a few earthquakes and one big hurricane. But I have to say that watching a firestorm threaten America’s second largest city right on my own doorstep is a particularly terrifying experience.