Politics

[sgt_zim]

Looking back now, they had no hope of winning. Between the insane pushing of wokeness with men using girl's bathrooms, a crumbling economy due to rampant inflation, crime/safety issues within the inner cities, an illegal immigration firestorm (contributing the crime), almost blanket incompetence within all of the integral government departments, and dangerous foreign policy and stewardship...the sum became much greater than any one part.

If you really look at the last 4 years...this was an absolutely disastrous administration.

They really believed the average American was stupid. I did too for a while after 2020. Now? I am beginning to realize they aren't stupid, just maybe a little slow on evaluating things.

Obama, Soros, Rice, Hilary, etc...whoever...they never had a chance of saving the Biden/Harris admin.

IDK that I'd call them slow or stupid, just trusting. People largely trusted federal institutions prior to covid. I'd guess most people trusted the integrity of those institutions while simultaneously expecting a significant degree of incompetence and/or bogged down by red tape. Covid was a wake-up call for a lot of people, "Bernie Bro" Joe Rogan (love him or hate him, not relevant) most notably.

 

[HookMeUpII]

IDK that I'd call them slow or stupid, just trusting. People largely trusted federal institutions prior to covid. I'd guess most people trusted the integrity of those institutions while simultaneously expecting a significant degree of incompetence and/or bogged down by red tape. Covid was a wake-up call for a lot of people, "Bernie Bro" Joe Rogan (love him or hate him, not relevant) most notably.

I was one of them, and I admit it. I've always been a moderate-republican but I had that really weird period from like 2020-2021 where I believed the government knew best with regards to COVID. Then I realized they were making at least 50% or more of it up as they went along to get everyone to get in line.

I firmly believe that was another huge catalyst for people as well. I had a buddy that was very liberal flip GOP after COVID. He just woke up (no pun intended) and realized what they were selling was a joke.

 

[HookMeUpII]

However, unlike Kavanaugh, Hegseth has given them plenty of real ammunition. Whether his personal behavior should be considered relevant or not is another issue, but unlike Kavanaugh, it is real and relatively recent.

I still believe, though Hegseth's apparent beliefs with respect to wokism are refreshing, there is nothing in his experience that indicates he has the skill set to run an enterprise far larger than any corporation in the country with enormous international reach. DeSantis would be a far better choice, and I would have much more confidence in him speaking his mind to Trump. Though why he would want the job, I can not imagine.

I've only seen the "accusations." I've not seen the "evidence." I agree on the experience, he doesn't have it. So from that standpoint, I agree, he's not really fit for the position. I can't say anything negative otherwise about him though.

The only reason DeSantis might take it: Next step up the ladder for president.

I do like DeSantis, a lot. After this administration, it could end up being JD Vance on the next ticket with maybe DeSantis as VP? Who knows. 4 years is a long way off.

 

[Dirtdart]

Has anyone heard of about the real-life Rambo?

I read an an article about him years ago in SOF magazine. They story about the incident with the dog in the bar was told differently in the magazine.

 

[Brent in Az]

I like Desantis, but he's not the right man for Secretary of defense.
It would be a shame to lose him as Florida governor, as he is popular on the right, and one of the reason why Florida has gone a little deeper red.

 

[One Day...]

I'll give you Andrew Johnson and raise you a Warren G. Harding who I would rate as truly the most corrupt in our history. It will likely take a couple of decades for the partisan dust to settle before we know if and where Biden (ant to be fair - Trump) actually fits into that club. Despite his personal issues (quite similar to JFKs), I don't think that Clinton can be considered corrupt while in office. Afterwards, exploiting the Global Initiative against a potential Hillary presidency is another matter. For sheer incompetence, I think the title would have to go to James Buchanan.

Well.....................

One would recall the "accidental" release to China of re-entry guidance technology provided under Clinton's watch to the Chinese "space agency" by Loral Space Systems to help with their "civilian program" ... which of course had direct application to the Chinese MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle) at-the-time troubled technology's subsequent leap forward ... which incidentally coincided with massive Chinese donations, including directly from organizations entirely controlled by the Chinese PLA (People's Liberation Army), to the Clinton Foundation etc.*

I remember at the time, and I had then pretty reliable sources, that Europeans services were quite aghast at the (take your pick) stupidity/betrayal/corruption/etc. of Clinton's decision.

It is one thing to "sell" commercial, political, or even geostrategic influence, it is quite another to "sell" nuclear warhead guidance to the potential enemy. So, unless the story is proven demonstrably false, which I suspect would be quite difficult to demonstrate, this places Clinton pretty high on the corrupt list, and possibly at the very top in terms of potentially incalculable consequences.

Not trying to be argumentative, and certainly willing to be proven wrong, and one could likely argue that by now the Chinese would have caught up on their own, but in the late 1990's that was quite something to do to his own country.

* of note is the fact that the virtuous Clinton Foundation's funding suddenly entirely collapsed after Bill and Hilary were taken out of political relevance. One would wonder why such a noble, noteworthy initiative suddenly lost all attractiveness to disinterested philanthropic donors.............

 

[One Day...]

However, unlike Kavanaugh, Hegseth has given them plenty of real ammunition. Whether his personal behavior should be considered relevant or not is another issue, but unlike Kavanaugh, it is real and relatively recent.

I still believe, though Hegseth's apparent beliefs with respect to wokism are refreshing, there is nothing in his experience that indicates he has the skill set to run an enterprise far larger than any corporation in the country with enormous international reach. DeSantis would be a far better choice, and I would have much more confidence in him speaking his mind to Trump. Though why he would want the job, I can not imagine.

Agreed!

Regardless of whom qualified candidate gets the job, could Hegseth have been a troll, like Gaetz possibly was, just to soften the beach before the main landing operation?

Very much in the art of the deal philosophy: open up negotiations with a far fetched offer, and apparently make concessions and back down to a reasonable offer, still far further than the opposing party would have initially accepted...

 

[HookMeUpII]

I like Desantis, but he's not the right man for Secretary of defense.
It would be a shame to lose him as Florida governor, as he is popular on the right, and one of the reason why Florida has gone a little deeper red.

You may not want to hear this but...

DeSantis, if he accepts, to Sec of Defense.
Gaetz (rumored) to run for governor in his place.

Lara Trump is rumored for Rubio's spot but Gaetz may end up there as well.

I do agree with you, though. If I was a Floridian, I wouldn't be happy about losing him to the Feds.

 

[Red Leg]

Well.....................

One would recall the "accidental" release to China of re-entry guidance technology provided under Clinton's watch to the Chinese "space agency" by Loral Space Systems to help with their "civilian program" ... which of course had direct application to the Chinese MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle) at-the-time troubled technology's subsequent leap forward ... which incidentally coincided with massive Chinese donations, including directly from organizations entirely controlled by the Chinese PLA (People's Liberation Army), to the Clinton Foundation etc.*

I remember at the time, and I had then pretty reliable sources, that Europeans services were quite aghast at the (take your pick) stupidity/betrayal/corruption/etc. of Clinton's decision.

It is one thing to "sell" commercial, political, or even geostrategic influence, it is quite another to "sell" nuclear warhead guidance to the potential enemy. So, unless the story is proven demonstrably false, which I suspect would be quite difficult to demonstrate, this places Clinton pretty high on the corrupt list, and possibly at the very top in terms of potentially incalculable consequences.

Not trying to be argumentative, and certainly willing to be proven wrong, and one could likely argue that by now the Chinese would have caught up on their own, but in the late 1990's that was quite something to do to his own country.

* of note is the fact that the virtuous Clinton Foundation's funding suddenly entirely collapsed after Bill and Hilary were taken out of political relevance. One would wonder why such a noble, noteworthy initiative suddenly lost all attractiveness to disinterested philanthropic donors.............

Or perhaps demonstratively true - the way that proof thing normally works under English Common Law. Which is not saying what you have alleged isn't true. I am no Clinton apologist - though the country did well under him by most measurements. I would also note that the Clinton Foundation was created in 2001 and the Global Initiative in 2005 following his presidency.

 

[steve white]

Well.....................

One would recall the "accidental" release to China of re-entry guidance technology provided under Clinton's watch to the Chinese "space agency" by Loral Space Systems to help with their "civilian program" ... which of course had direct application to the Chinese MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle) at-the-time troubled technology's subsequent leap forward ... which incidentally coincided with massive Chinese donations, including directly from organizations entirely controlled by the Chinese PLA (People's Liberation Army), to the Clinton Foundation etc.*

I remember at the time, and I had then pretty reliable sources, that Europeans services were quite aghast at the (take your pick) stupidity/betrayal/corruption/etc. of Clinton's decision.

It is one thing to "sell" commercial, political, or even geostrategic influence, it is quite another to "sell" nuclear warhead guidance to the potential enemy. So, unless the story is proven demonstrably false, which I suspect would be quite difficult to demonstrate, this places Clinton pretty high on the corrupt list, and possibly at the very top in terms of potentially incalculable consequences.

Not trying to be argumentative, and certainly willing to be proven wrong, and one could likely argue that by now the Chinese would have caught up on their own, but in the late 1990's that was quite something to do to his own country.

* of note is the fact that the virtuous Clinton Foundation's funding suddenly entirely collapsed after Bill and Hilary were taken out of political relevance. One would wonder why such a noble, noteworthy initiative suddenly lost all attractiveness to disinterested philanthropic donors.............

Contributions--what a word--also guided Clinton to give the chinese stealth submarine technology, and what possible reason could there be for that! Won't even go into taking $600k to lock up America's uber clean coal deposits in Utah for a foreign country who wanted to sell their clean coal. Our deposits were in an area subsequently designated as federal parks or some such.

 

[Red Leg]

I've only seen the "accusations." I've not seen the "evidence." I agree on the experience, he doesn't have it. So from that standpoint, I agree, he's not really fit for the position. I can't say anything negative otherwise about him though.

The only reason DeSantis might take it: Next step up the ladder for president.

I do like DeSantis, a lot. After this administration, it could end up being JD Vance on the next ticket with maybe DeSantis as VP? Who knows. 4 years is a long way off.

This is the actual police report from 2017 of the sexual assault investigation. Hegseth was not eventually charged, but I am not sure where getting into this situation registers on the stupid meter. Regardless, it will be a prime evidence document during confirmation and a lot more than the Democrats had on Kavanaugh where the only witness could not remember much of anything.

Hegseth Police Report

www.documentcloud.org

He has also been married three times, and apparently enjoyed a great deal of well documented philandering. I could care less, but again, that is a type of material that the democrats did not have in 2018.

I listened to his interview with Megyn Kelly this morning - you can find it on YouTube. I have provided a clip from the section dealing with the sexual assault charge. Megyn is an actual journalist, and though on friendly, even supportive terms with Hegseth, she interviewed him without bias. I am not sure how all this plays to with a very hostile interrogation from a democrat senator. Or perhaps we should substitute a Bill Clinton in the chair trying to explain relations with "that woman."

This sort of engagement is relatively high risk on a nominee's part, which leads me to believe that his nomination may very well be on life support.

 

[HookMeUpII]

This is the actual police report from 2017 of the sexual assault investigation. Hegseth was not eventually charged, but I am not sure where getting into this situation registers on the stupid meter. Regardless, it will be a prime evidence document during confirmation and a lot more than the Democrats had on Kavanaugh where the only witness could not remember much of anything.

Hegseth Police Report

www.documentcloud.org

He has also been married three times, and apparently enjoyed a great deal of well documented philandering. I could care less, but again, that is a type of material that the democrats did not have in 2018.

I listened to his interview with Megyn Kelly this morning - you can find it on YouTube. I have provided a clip from the section dealing with the sexual assault charge. Megyn is an actual journalist, and though on friendly, even supportive terms with Hegseth, she interviewed him without bias. I am not sure how all this plays to with a very hostile interrogation from a democrat senator. Or perhaps we should substitute a Bill Clinton in the chair trying to explain relations with "that woman."

This sort of engagement is relatively high risk on a nominee's part, which leads me to believe that his nomination may very well be on life support.

First off, what happened in terms of him being married, not acceptable. I'm a married man, no argument from me that what he did was real bad.

Second, the accusations are just that...accusations. No charges? Yeah, I've heard of this one before. Married woman, finds herself alone in a hotel room with a married man, "things" transpire, woman feels guilty. Husband finds out. Easiest way out? Cry rape.

Bottom line? On experience alone, not the right fit. Regarding any acts of moral turpitude? That's probably 50% of Washington, or more.

Not a great look for sure but he's probably just one poor soul who got caught.

I sleep better at night with DeSantis as SoD.

 

[Tanks]

If the SoD becomes open and is offered to DeSantis, the question is whether that helps DeSantis for 2028 or not. I think that will determine whether he takes the job or not.

 

[Red Leg]

First off, what happened in terms of him being married, not acceptable. I'm a married man, no argument from me that what he did was real bad.

Second, the accusations are just that...accusations. No charges? Yeah, I've heard of this one before. Married woman, finds herself alone in a hotel room with a married man, "things" transpire, woman feels guilty. Husband finds out. Easiest way out? Cry rape.

Bottom line? On experience alone, not the right fit. Regarding any acts of moral turpitude? That's probably 50% of Washington, or more.

Not a great look for sure but he's probably just one poor soul who got caught.

I sleep better at night with DeSantis as SoD.

Not arguing with you at all. I am simply pointing out how much more actual material the democrats will have on Hegseth than they ever had on Kavanaugh to create a circus.

 

[Altitude sickness]

I listened to an interview with Pete’s mom. She was his harshest critic when he was in the questionable period in his life. She says he is saved and a different man now.
Which I personally think is great. And think he could do a good job. Surrounding himself with experts. He can do the job.

BUT.

I know people that had careers stifled or dead ended for less. When up for a S.A.P. Or S.C.I. Top Secret renewal back ground check.

Any questionable or sketchy behavior disqualified people before, during and after clearances were granted.

So unfortunately Pete should be held to that same standard. Even though most politicians being “read in” during briefing’s can’t live up to those standards.

If he was Bidens Nominee. That’s how I would call it.

 

[Wheels]

I listened to an interview with Pete’s mom. She was his harshest critic when he was in the questionable period in his life. She says he is saved and a different man now.
Which I personally think is great. And think he could do a good job. Surrounding himself with experts. He can do the job.

BUT.

I know people that had careers stifled or dead ended for less. When up for a S.A.P. Or S.C.I. Top Secret renewal back ground check.

Any questionable or sketchy behavior disqualified people before, during and after clearances were granted.

So unfortunately Pete should be held to that same standard. Even though most politicians being “read in” during briefing’s can’t live up to those standards.

If he was Bidens Nominee. That’s how I would call it.

Does RFK face similar situations from his past. A difference is his past is fairly well documented so not that much of a surprise to most and long in the public sphere, unless there is a massive surprise. Also RFK seems a few decades removed from past indiscretions which Hegseth is not.

With Gaetz and Hegseth, the vetting process within the Trump teams seems to be lacking. Trump should have gotten someone like Don Mcgahn who vetted Federal Judges in the first Trump Administration to vet Cabinet picks.