"Trump didn’t exactly toss Gaetz overboard. But he instructed Gaetz to jump. And Gaetz did."
I was there (via Michael Cohen) and will tell you how it really went. Gaetz excitedly asked Trump "I got the votes, right!? I did, right!!" Trump looked out the window, not at Gaetz, didn't answer the question and started yakking about something else. Gaetz slowly walked towards the door, head down, arms raised, like Costanza leaving Steinbrenner's office.
Good grief, the Dems have almost 2 months to build the new congresswoman a unisex bathroom. This is not rocket science. I've worked in big buildings before; the single-stall bathroom is a treasure and if Nancy Mace prefers not to use it because *horrors* a trans person might have done their business there, than good. More room for everyone else.
I am sorry but to interpret the Republicans as defiant on this is not even close to the reality.
Gaetz was the lowest of low hanging fruit to reject on obvious grounds. Anyone who thinks Pam Bondi will be any better at safeguarding the integrity of the Department of Justice hasn't watched her in action in Florida or her participation in the "Stop the Steal 2020" campaign.
She is a skilled and ambitious sycophant with no ethics and on paper unassailable with regard to experience. It was Gaetz's obvious inexperience and not his sex life that stood in his way.
And one could argue that an attorney with actual lawyering experience is more dangerous than a junior associate with 18 months of experience from years ago. MAGA bleats a lot about "Lawfare", so they know what they are doing; as usual, whatever they are accusing their opponents of, is what they are planning 10x over.
One of Trumps most effective “qualities” (hard to type that) is his ability to live to fight another day. I fully believe he wanted Gaetz there but he wasn’t going to die on that hill.
The few smart Republicans left in the Senate have acknowledged Trump is bringing the Circus, part 2, to town, but this time they are pulling out some of the stakes in the big tent. They are also correct to suspect Trump isn't going to make it through this term, so they might as well build their own wall around democracy now. I repeat: a FEW smart Republicans, but just a handful can turn the tide. Wonder how many of them regret not passing that Border Bill in the spring. They would have had their Mexican wall in place to appease their constituents, plus a Democratic President willing to work across the aisle on housing, price gouging, and restoring abortion rights. No sane Senator would prefer Trump and Project 2025 to a return to normalcy with Harris. May the brave ones continue to push back and signal to other Republicans it is safe to come forward, too.
The Senate has a spine and isn’t abdicating! At any rate, I’m feeling much more sanguine today about the prospects of Trump wielding unchecked power. As Kevin Williamson puts it in his usual, hilariously snarky way:
“It’ll be a lot of fun—and edifying—to watch these maniacally moronic malefactors tear each other to pieces. But it will also be, I hope, reassuring in its own way. Ours is a gigantic, sprawling, bewilderingly complex society, the national government of which is only one small component of the organic whole. That’s one of the reasons the conspiracy theories are always, always, always wrong—you can’t get all these people on the same page at the same time, marching in the same direction to the same drummer. These are American people we’re talking about—barely governable at all at their most placid. Put 10 Republicans in a room, and you’ll end up with 11 factions, all of them railing against the others and insisting that they are the ‘establishment.’”
Dems don’t run on trans issues. Republicans (and some at TB) say they do.
The gender reassignment surgery in prisons is the law, not a personal preference. Imagine a former prosecutor saying she would follow the law. This is my 😳 face.
Further, imagine a candidate not promising to change that law, a function and ability nowhere in the brief of the Executive.
The People are dolts. Some were incredibly poorly-informed about inflation. Others didn’t want the smart black lady.
Although not on point for Maniacal Matt, we need to keep this in mind when talking about the efforts being made to "normalize" Hypocritical Hegseth's Monterey incident, which came from a different string elsewhere in the Bulwark:
"There are so many comments here that excuse this behavior due to alcohol consumption. No one seems to recall that when this took place, Hegseth was married to his second wife, involved in an affair with a subordinate who had given birth into his child just two months earlier. What matters is the character of a man who could become the leader of the most powerful military on the planet. Is his behavior in any way exemplary and inspirational to our men and women in uniform?"
Yep, birds of a feather f(l)uck together, or do I have a typo in there?
Trump forced him to withdraw because Gaetz wasn't worth the hassle, Trump did not want a fight with Senate Republicans this early in his term AND finally when Trump says "You don't have the votes..." what he really means is "I" don't have the votes and the prospect of a loss would be too humiliating.
What this REALLY means is that Trump will accept the loss of three votes with Vance having the power to break a tie
Am I the only one to think that tRump has his nominees and his replacements for each of them already lined up? Bait-and-switch can be very effective. The actual candidate could be clearly unacceptable but hidden behind an absolutely joke of a candidate. tRump would then get his way while his opposition is busy patting themselves on the back for successfully ‘interfering’. Don’t put it past him! He’s conniving and evil and perfectly capable of playing his adversaries for fools. Not that hard to do when they ARE fools.
I agree with you and that along with 3rds and 4ths lined up too. However, I still think he is still scraping the bottom of the barrel... that these choices will continue to dilute, and eventually will run dry. Scarily, the 2025 bunch is on the roster now too. BUT! Because he is such a lazy more frail old cuss, he wants to be able to put his sycophants in place so he can hang out a Mar-a-No No, chase women and cheat at golf. I can also see him having massive temper tantrums with the lack of choices ...also having seances for Roy Cohn if not. Appointing on a recess, perhaps....but with what? These nut-bars he has are also attention whores and inept. If he actually has to come back more and run the branches....this may yet be the death of him. A horrible thing to write, but a possibility....and that leaves? Sorry...it's all gross.
How can we NOT expect this resulting theatre of the absurd cabinet appointment clusterf%%k when any truly qualified, decent, experienced, and pedigreed person will not even and will not ever go near Trump and this 2nd circus act? I believe Vice Admiral Robert Harward turned down the NSA head position during Trump regime#1 calling it a "shit sandwich", which is exactly what it was. The bar was lowered then, now it is totally gone. It is preferable to duck, move on, go the other way and try to stay safe....Trump truly will have something disrespectful, disgusting or non-existent cabinet wise , becoming just like the 2nd rate New York "magnate" that he really was. It is sad that this is up to the Senate to advise and consent, but I would like to think (in fact I pray) that duty calls a little higher and bolder going forward so that with this I would like to think in the end that Trump really will get very little accomplished in his desire for scorched earth.... hopefully just a lot of hot air no matter how frightening. I may be disappointed in the lack great things our country can do....and I am stricken about the Harris loss.....but in the end, outrage, anger and hot air do give way to mediocrity....if we are lucky and steadfast.
Is it surprising that dems are mum on trans rights? They continue to back down to the bullies and wonder why they keep getting beat up. As the continue to bring a dish to pass to a knife fight, they will be stunned when they yell into the darkness for support and no one yells back.
"Let us pause on that simple statement: Republican senators discovered they have agency! They can stand up to Trump! They can resist! They can prevail!"
If this is true, this would be some of the best news I've heard in a long time. However, for me to accept this, I would need some explanation for this significant change in approach to Trump. Because the inertia for capitulation has been going on so long, I believe something dramatic would have to happen to stop it. Additionally, if Trump exerted pressure on the R senators, I would expect something even more dramatic or significant.
What are some plausible scenarios for this change?
Off the top of my head, here's one: The most responsible GOP senators know that if they allow Gaetz (and possibly other unfit nominees), Trump really won't have any guardrails, which could cause tremendous harm to institutions and American citizens, if not the world. These senators would feel primarily responsible for allowing this to happen--and that's a bridge too far. In this scenario, they allowed themselves to capitulate to Trump believing that there were enough guardrails in place to prevent Trump from wrecking havoc. (Counter to this theory: Trump's handling of COVID) Additionally, Ds could hammer these senators politically.
I'm not sure if I buy this, but this is best explanation I've got right now.
I wonder if the problem is purely the sexual stuff and that a Gaetz-alike in every other way would sail through easily. I'm no Bondi expert but she seems like she might fit that bill somewhat.
This would kinda suggest Hegseth would get the glare next, but that doesn't seem to be happening. I dunno...
For me, a more compelling explanation than the sexual stuff would be Kevin McCarthy, working behind the scenes to sabotage Gaetz. My understanding is that McCarthy is strong in political fundraising. If true, imagine this scenario: McCarthy pledges to work to fund campaign of any R senators that vote no on Gaetz. This would maybe mitigate Trump's threat to primary them (with Musk's financial backing). And it's possible that McCarthy would do this, even though it's Trump's guy. McCarthy: "This guy screwed me, and I'm going to screw him back." Trump not only would understand this, but he might even respect McCarthy more for doing this.
"Trump didn’t exactly toss Gaetz overboard. But he instructed Gaetz to jump. And Gaetz did."
I was there (via Michael Cohen) and will tell you how it really went. Gaetz excitedly asked Trump "I got the votes, right!? I did, right!!" Trump looked out the window, not at Gaetz, didn't answer the question and started yakking about something else. Gaetz slowly walked towards the door, head down, arms raised, like Costanza leaving Steinbrenner's office.
Good grief, the Dems have almost 2 months to build the new congresswoman a unisex bathroom. This is not rocket science. I've worked in big buildings before; the single-stall bathroom is a treasure and if Nancy Mace prefers not to use it because *horrors* a trans person might have done their business there, than good. More room for everyone else.
I am sorry but to interpret the Republicans as defiant on this is not even close to the reality.
Gaetz was the lowest of low hanging fruit to reject on obvious grounds. Anyone who thinks Pam Bondi will be any better at safeguarding the integrity of the Department of Justice hasn't watched her in action in Florida or her participation in the "Stop the Steal 2020" campaign.
She is a skilled and ambitious sycophant with no ethics and on paper unassailable with regard to experience. It was Gaetz's obvious inexperience and not his sex life that stood in his way.
And one could argue that an attorney with actual lawyering experience is more dangerous than a junior associate with 18 months of experience from years ago. MAGA bleats a lot about "Lawfare", so they know what they are doing; as usual, whatever they are accusing their opponents of, is what they are planning 10x over.
One of Trumps most effective “qualities” (hard to type that) is his ability to live to fight another day. I fully believe he wanted Gaetz there but he wasn’t going to die on that hill.
Thanks for the piece on Ringwiss, that was fascinating
The few smart Republicans left in the Senate have acknowledged Trump is bringing the Circus, part 2, to town, but this time they are pulling out some of the stakes in the big tent. They are also correct to suspect Trump isn't going to make it through this term, so they might as well build their own wall around democracy now. I repeat: a FEW smart Republicans, but just a handful can turn the tide. Wonder how many of them regret not passing that Border Bill in the spring. They would have had their Mexican wall in place to appease their constituents, plus a Democratic President willing to work across the aisle on housing, price gouging, and restoring abortion rights. No sane Senator would prefer Trump and Project 2025 to a return to normalcy with Harris. May the brave ones continue to push back and signal to other Republicans it is safe to come forward, too.
Don't forget RFK Jr dalliance with hard drugs in the past, could be an issue in his world view?
I believe it was a full blown heroin addiction.
The Senate has a spine and isn’t abdicating! At any rate, I’m feeling much more sanguine today about the prospects of Trump wielding unchecked power. As Kevin Williamson puts it in his usual, hilariously snarky way:
“It’ll be a lot of fun—and edifying—to watch these maniacally moronic malefactors tear each other to pieces. But it will also be, I hope, reassuring in its own way. Ours is a gigantic, sprawling, bewilderingly complex society, the national government of which is only one small component of the organic whole. That’s one of the reasons the conspiracy theories are always, always, always wrong—you can’t get all these people on the same page at the same time, marching in the same direction to the same drummer. These are American people we’re talking about—barely governable at all at their most placid. Put 10 Republicans in a room, and you’ll end up with 11 factions, all of them railing against the others and insisting that they are the ‘establishment.’”
MAGA-world will soon resume guillotining its own.
Dems don’t run on trans issues. Republicans (and some at TB) say they do.
The gender reassignment surgery in prisons is the law, not a personal preference. Imagine a former prosecutor saying she would follow the law. This is my 😳 face.
Further, imagine a candidate not promising to change that law, a function and ability nowhere in the brief of the Executive.
The People are dolts. Some were incredibly poorly-informed about inflation. Others didn’t want the smart black lady.
Although not on point for Maniacal Matt, we need to keep this in mind when talking about the efforts being made to "normalize" Hypocritical Hegseth's Monterey incident, which came from a different string elsewhere in the Bulwark:
"There are so many comments here that excuse this behavior due to alcohol consumption. No one seems to recall that when this took place, Hegseth was married to his second wife, involved in an affair with a subordinate who had given birth into his child just two months earlier. What matters is the character of a man who could become the leader of the most powerful military on the planet. Is his behavior in any way exemplary and inspirational to our men and women in uniform?"
Yep, birds of a feather f(l)uck together, or do I have a typo in there?
Trump forced him to withdraw because Gaetz wasn't worth the hassle, Trump did not want a fight with Senate Republicans this early in his term AND finally when Trump says "You don't have the votes..." what he really means is "I" don't have the votes and the prospect of a loss would be too humiliating.
What this REALLY means is that Trump will accept the loss of three votes with Vance having the power to break a tie
Am I the only one to think that tRump has his nominees and his replacements for each of them already lined up? Bait-and-switch can be very effective. The actual candidate could be clearly unacceptable but hidden behind an absolutely joke of a candidate. tRump would then get his way while his opposition is busy patting themselves on the back for successfully ‘interfering’. Don’t put it past him! He’s conniving and evil and perfectly capable of playing his adversaries for fools. Not that hard to do when they ARE fools.
I agree with you and that along with 3rds and 4ths lined up too. However, I still think he is still scraping the bottom of the barrel... that these choices will continue to dilute, and eventually will run dry. Scarily, the 2025 bunch is on the roster now too. BUT! Because he is such a lazy more frail old cuss, he wants to be able to put his sycophants in place so he can hang out a Mar-a-No No, chase women and cheat at golf. I can also see him having massive temper tantrums with the lack of choices ...also having seances for Roy Cohn if not. Appointing on a recess, perhaps....but with what? These nut-bars he has are also attention whores and inept. If he actually has to come back more and run the branches....this may yet be the death of him. A horrible thing to write, but a possibility....and that leaves? Sorry...it's all gross.
Whats the difference between Blue Sky and Threads?
How can we NOT expect this resulting theatre of the absurd cabinet appointment clusterf%%k when any truly qualified, decent, experienced, and pedigreed person will not even and will not ever go near Trump and this 2nd circus act? I believe Vice Admiral Robert Harward turned down the NSA head position during Trump regime#1 calling it a "shit sandwich", which is exactly what it was. The bar was lowered then, now it is totally gone. It is preferable to duck, move on, go the other way and try to stay safe....Trump truly will have something disrespectful, disgusting or non-existent cabinet wise , becoming just like the 2nd rate New York "magnate" that he really was. It is sad that this is up to the Senate to advise and consent, but I would like to think (in fact I pray) that duty calls a little higher and bolder going forward so that with this I would like to think in the end that Trump really will get very little accomplished in his desire for scorched earth.... hopefully just a lot of hot air no matter how frightening. I may be disappointed in the lack great things our country can do....and I am stricken about the Harris loss.....but in the end, outrage, anger and hot air do give way to mediocrity....if we are lucky and steadfast.
Is it surprising that dems are mum on trans rights? They continue to back down to the bullies and wonder why they keep getting beat up. As the continue to bring a dish to pass to a knife fight, they will be stunned when they yell into the darkness for support and no one yells back.
"Let us pause on that simple statement: Republican senators discovered they have agency! They can stand up to Trump! They can resist! They can prevail!"
If this is true, this would be some of the best news I've heard in a long time. However, for me to accept this, I would need some explanation for this significant change in approach to Trump. Because the inertia for capitulation has been going on so long, I believe something dramatic would have to happen to stop it. Additionally, if Trump exerted pressure on the R senators, I would expect something even more dramatic or significant.
What are some plausible scenarios for this change?
Off the top of my head, here's one: The most responsible GOP senators know that if they allow Gaetz (and possibly other unfit nominees), Trump really won't have any guardrails, which could cause tremendous harm to institutions and American citizens, if not the world. These senators would feel primarily responsible for allowing this to happen--and that's a bridge too far. In this scenario, they allowed themselves to capitulate to Trump believing that there were enough guardrails in place to prevent Trump from wrecking havoc. (Counter to this theory: Trump's handling of COVID) Additionally, Ds could hammer these senators politically.
I'm not sure if I buy this, but this is best explanation I've got right now.
I wonder if the problem is purely the sexual stuff and that a Gaetz-alike in every other way would sail through easily. I'm no Bondi expert but she seems like she might fit that bill somewhat.
This would kinda suggest Hegseth would get the glare next, but that doesn't seem to be happening. I dunno...
For me, a more compelling explanation than the sexual stuff would be Kevin McCarthy, working behind the scenes to sabotage Gaetz. My understanding is that McCarthy is strong in political fundraising. If true, imagine this scenario: McCarthy pledges to work to fund campaign of any R senators that vote no on Gaetz. This would maybe mitigate Trump's threat to primary them (with Musk's financial backing). And it's possible that McCarthy would do this, even though it's Trump's guy. McCarthy: "This guy screwed me, and I'm going to screw him back." Trump not only would understand this, but he might even respect McCarthy more for doing this.