Digby's Hullabaloo Posts

Kelly: "Which is it — have you overcome personal issues, or are you the target of a smear campaign? It can't be both. It's clear to me that you're not being honest." pic.twitter.com/u3ofsH4VJQ

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 14, 2025

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:

The job of SecDef is almost impossible to conceive in its immensity. You manage a workforce of 2.87 million employees and a budget of $842 billion. You are responsible for the longest and most complex logistics operation ever devised by man. You are tasked with handling today’s national security challenges and looking over the horizon to plan for challenges that will appear years after you have left the job. You must have a fluent understanding of large organizations and bureaucracies. You must be a subject-matter expert in either war fighting, technology, or international affairs—but it helps if you have mastery over more than one of those disciplines.

Here are the backgrounds of the last nine SecDefs:

Lloyd Austin: Vice chief of staff of the Army, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, commander of CENTCOM.

Mark Esper: Deputy assistant SecDef, senior leader at Raytheon, secretary of the Army.

Jim Mattis: Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, commander of CENTCOM.

Ash Carter: Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, Kennedy School of Government, under SecDef for acquisition, technology, and logistics.

Chuck Hagel: Founder of a technology company, chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, U.S. senator for twelve years.

Leon Panetta: Member of Congress for sixteen years, White House chief of staff, director of CIA.

Robert Gates: Deputy national security advisor, director of CIA.

Donald Rumsfeld: Member of Congress for six years, head of White House Office of Economic Opportunity, ambassador to NATO, White House chief of staff.

William Cohen: U.S. senator for eighteen years (preceded by six years in the House of Representatives), including serving on the Senate’s Intelligence, Armed Services, and Government Affairs Committees.

Then there’s Hegseth, whose CV reads:

• Served in the Army National Guard.
• Briefly led a small, failing nonprofit.
• Helped host a weekend show on Fox News.

Looking at all of this, you’re probably asking yourself, “How is this guy getting a confirmation hearing at all? Especially with his personal vices?”

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. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to just let the fact that he’s a disgusting pig just slide but it’s all moot anyway. The only people they are unwilling to confirm are those who have been disruptive to their own power like Matt Gaetz. (You can bet it wasn’t because of his proclivities for drugs and underage sex. They were prepared to go to the mat for him over that.)

Last goes on to discuss the concept of business “moats” (which I admit I had never heard of.) Basically it’s the idea that some companies have a competitive advantage: “Proven, perpetuating and permanent unit economic advantages from peers within a competitive set” He mentions Apple’s hardware, Amazon’s cloud computing and Tesla’s stock price, all things that put these companies in a unique position relative to their competitors. How does this apply to Trump and his cronies?

He talks about “vice signaling” which is the opposite of the right wing slur against anyone on the left who has a conscience: virtue signaling. He quotes from a piece by Tim Miller:

The term [vice signaling], popularized by Jane Coaston, refers to people who now gleefully portray themselves publicly as amoral or immoral in order to demonstrate some sort of strength or sophistication. . . .

How did we get here? Because of the corrupting influence of Trumpism.

If we were talking about President Mitt Romney, there is no way—none, at all—that Brit Hume would be working overtime to vice signal. He would be rightly praising the president’s model behavior and discretion. We know this to be true. Instead we have a Republican president who is—just objectively—a man of utterly irredeemable personal character. And so, in order to justify their continued enabling of him, people such as Hume begin to not just ignore virtue, but bow toward vice.

Last says conservatives will all retort that this is all because liberals have cried wolf and now nobody believes any of these accusations. If that were true it would actually be because the system has refused to hold Trump accountable not anyone crying wolf, but it’s bullshit anyway. And anyway, conservatives are constantly melting down over alleged corruption and deviant behavior — of Democrats. When they can’t find any they make them up.(He brings up this grotesque conspiracy theory as an example of their lunacy.)

Republicans embrace vice not because they believe that the accused Republican figures are innocent, but because they believe they are guilty. And so these voters exist in the hope that their champion will go on to hurt their enemies on their behalf. After all: If a guy is willing to rape a woman, surely he can be counted on to visit destruction on Democrats, or woke generals, or whoever.

I think that is exactly why many of Trump’s cultists love him so much. He is a monster. But he’s their monster and they love him for it.

Vice is their moat.

He didn’t use his name, though.

Some of the moves, such as the parade of CEOs visiting Trump in Florida, the donations, and the effort to do business with people in his inner circle, appear designed to curry favour with a man famous for attacking companies and executives he dislikes.

But the election has also accelerated a wider shift back to more conservative social and political stances and an embrace of unfettered capitalism.   Companies are scrapping diversity, equity and inclusion departments, cutting their support for racial diversity charities, and dropping out of climate change groups. They are also scrubbing anything that could be perceived as “woke” from public statements, corporate documents and advertising.

The election has empowered some top executives to start speaking out in favour of conservative policies, from tax cuts to traditional gender roles.

The article has a ton of examples but this one really got me. The CEO of Allstate was excoriated for making the thoroughly anodyne statement: “we need to be stronger together by overcoming an addiction to divisiveness and negativity,” by right wingers who claimed that he was pushing progressive causes and minimizing murder. (I assume most of them had been erroneously convinced that the murderer was an illegal immigrant by their Dear Leader.)

I understand from right wing influencers that “me too” was rejected at the ballot box which, after watching the Hegseth hearing and the rapist in chief being re-elected, seems to be true. So it’s not surprising that the workplace would also be seen as a misogynist free-for-all. As Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan, they want more “masculine energy” in the workplace.

I’m old enough to remember when “masculine energy” ran the workplace. Let’s just say that “Madmen” wasn’t exaggerated. I pity the younger generation of women if they have to put up with that. It was awful.

They’re Making America Great Again from the government to the military to the workplace. MAGA!

Did you vote for any of these people?

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, according to an official involved with the planning of the event.

They will have a prominent spot at the ceremony, seated together on the platform with other notable guests including Trump’s Cabinet nominees and elected officials.

That image is going to be iconic. It says everything.

By the way, this isn’t just a ceremonial thing for Musk:

The New York Times is reporting that Elon Musk is preparing to set up the Department of Government Efficiency in the Eisenhower Building, which is less than a five-minute walk from the White House. It’s still unclear if the billionaire will have complete unfettered access to the West Wing (that requires a “special pass”), but at this point it’s obvious that the CEO—who has billions of dollars in federal and international contracts—will be a full-time cast member in Trump’s second term.

It’s still unclear what exactly DOGE will look like in D.C., as it is not an official government department and Musk is not a government employee. This would mean Musk and DOGE should be kept out of certain meetings and relationships, especially given the federal contracts Musk’s companies hold. Some Trump transition officials who spoke with the Times suggested that Musk could get an all-access West Wing pass by becoming a “special government employee.” But Trump is also very comfortable blurring those lines, or just erasing them altogether.

And running his businesses at the same time! He’s a busy boy. It’s nice that Musk will be able to keep an eye on all his government contracts from the inside. But then Trump will be doing the same thing so why not?

Trump: When I was president, I demanded that this guy, the governor, accept the water coming from the north, from way up in Canada. And, you know, the north, it flows down through right through Los Angeles. I mean, massive millions and millions of gallons of water a week,… pic.twitter.com/rnfbadSlkk

— Acyn (@Acyn) January 14, 2025

Here’s the whole clip:

When I was president, I demanded that this guy, the governor, accept the water coming from the north, from way up in Canada. And, you know, the north, it flows down through right through Los Angeles. I mean, massive millions and millions of gallons of water a week, probably, I think, even a day. Massive amounts coming out from the mountains, from the melts. And even without it, even during the summer, it’s a natural flow of water. They would have had so much water they wouldn’t have known what to do with it. You would have never had the fires. People would have been able to sprinkle their lawns and everything else. You know, the problem is it’s so dry. It was always so dry there. And it’s just it’s just a mess. They could have maintained their forests.

He’s brain damaged.

It was a miracle the planet survived this man being in office for four years. The odds are getting worse every day that we’ll do it again.

I’m sorry to keep banging this drum but it’s never been more relevant that Trump isn’t just ignorant, he’s delusional. This is insane.

Just thought you needed to see that he’s as deranged as ever.

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.

"What is the Trump team’s rebuttal to Hegseth’s lack of management experience? As incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told The New York Times last week, 'That’s what staff is for.' ”TERRIFIC! How do I apply to be CEO of Apple? thehill.com/newsletters/…

— Tom Sullivan (@tmsullivan.bsky.social) 2025-01-14T06:02:23.254Z

As Louisiana Sinks Slowly Into The Sea

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) of Louisiana said Monday “there should probably be conditions” on any federal aid package to help California recover from the devastation wrought by apocalyptic wildfires.

Scripps News Service:

Johnson criticized the response of California’s state government, claiming it amounted to dereliction of duty.

“Obviously, there has been water resource management, forest management, mistakes, all sorts of problems, and it does come down to leadership, and it appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty, and in many respects,” he said. “So, that’s something that has to be factored in.”

Mr. Speaker, as Arlo Guthrie once said to the sergeant, “you got a lot a damn gall” to talk about California’s water resource management, unspecified “problems,” and dereliction of duty.

Large portions of Louisiana parishes, particularly around New Orleans, obviously lie below sea level. Much of your state’s coastline is slowly sinking into the sea. Louisiana keeps its feet dry and protected from flooding by over 3,000 miles of levees, nearly three-quarters installed and maintained with federal tax dollars. (BTW, Californians contribute 14 times as much to the federal treasury each year as Louisiana.) Since 1932, Louisiana has lost “an area nearly twice the size of Rhode Island.” Presently, Louisiana and its state and local leaders lose 25-35 square miles of land each year to the sea.

Lost, Mr. Speaker. Perhaps you can explain that? If not now, the next time you ask for disaster assistance for your state. Or perhaps you’d prefer to ask your bronzered savior to extend his, um, staff, to keep the Gulf of America at bay.

Lack of self-awareness is also a conservative superpower.

Update: Not to put too fine a point on it.

🔥 WATCH: Jon Stewart shreds @senatorhagerty’s cruel hypocrisy about conditioning aid to California Jon is absolutely right that Bill demanded immediate strings-free aid when Tennessee was in need, and that the senator is utterly and completely without shame.Full: www.threads.net/@thetnholler…

— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) 2025-01-14T14:10:14.528Z

That’s actually a pretty good headline for a change:

Jack Smith, the special counsel who indicted President-elect Donald J. Trump on charges of seeking to cling to power after losing the 2020 election, said in a final report released early Tuesday morning that he believed the evidence was sufficient to convict Mr. Trump in a trial if his success in the 2024 election had not made it impossible for the prosecution to continue.

“The department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a president is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government’s proof or the merits of the prosecution, which the office stands fully behind,” Mr. Smith wrote.

He continued: “Indeed, but for Mr. Trump’s election and imminent return to the presidency, the office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial.”

The Justice Department delivered the 137-page volume — representing half of Mr. Smith’s overall final report, with the volume about the classified documents case still confidential — to Congress just after midnight Tuesday morning.

The report, obtained by The New York Times, amounted to an extraordinary rebuke of a president-elect, capping a momentous legal saga that saw the man now poised to regain the powers of the nation’s highest office charged with crimes that struck at the heart of American democracy. And although Mr. Smith resigned as special counsel late last week, his recounting of the case also served as a reminder of the vast array of evidence and detailed accounting of Mr. Trump’s actions that he had marshaled.

I read it. (Being on the West Coast made it easier) It’s what we know but with all the legal analysis that led them to conclude that Trump had committed crimes — even after the Supremes dropped their ridiculous immunity bomb.

It’s pretty clear from the report, although he doesn’t say it, that he believes the Supreme Court decision was an abomination, not least because it left so many loose ends that it would have taken years to unravel (which I assume was a feature not a bug.) I’d guess that was all for the purpose of protecting Dear Leader had he lost the election. They were never going to let him be tried. I think they would have dragged it out until he was in his grave if need be.

I have not read all the footnotes where I assume any juicy tidbits are. I’ll try to take a closer look later but I would guess that Emptywheel is already on it anyway. Just reading the summary recounting once again what a lying, corrupt cretin he is is overwhelmingly depressing. More people voted for this criminal pig than didn’t because the price of eggs was too high and a bunch of others stayed home because they just didn’t give a shit.

It’s just too much.

Here we go. It looks like Trump and the boys have found an excellent way to get those tax cuts for the wealthy:

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed to reporters Monday there’s “been some discussion” of tying California wildfire aid to a debt limit increase, after GOP members raised the issue with Donald Trump in several meetings at the President-elect’s Florida resort this weekend.

The notion that Congress could make the release of disaster relief dollars conditional upon also agreeing to raise the debt ceiling is already facing pushback from some Democrats.

But many California Republicans, including Rep. Doug LaMalfa, said in a brief interview Monday they may have no choice but to pursue that option given the potential urgency around addressing the Los Angles fires, paired with the reality that the nation could default on its borrowing authority in a matter of months.

Linking the two issues together could bring a larger coalition of support to the table from both sides of the aisle and allow Johnson (R-La.) to deliver Trump a debt ceiling increase sooner rather than later.

It looks like all those California Republicans who went to Mar a Lago to kiss the ring over the weekend while their state burned made a deal. Gosh, I sure hope Dear Leader gave them an excellent treat for that. Maybe one of those signed Bibles.

By far the best (non political) commentary on the catastrophic Los Angeles fires has been this one by @dateline_keith for @DatelineNBC

Keith Morrison is one of the last remaining pros in TV news… pic.twitter.com/tJhB4phv5M

— John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud) January 13, 2025

There’s no question that climate change is why this is so much worse but I think he captures why some of us love this “mess of a city.”

Krugman had this to say about California today:

One of the unwritten rules of American politics is that it’s OK to sneer at and smear our big cities and the people who live in them, while it’s an outrageous act of disrespect to suggest that there’s anything wrong with the Heartland. And many people believe the smears; visitors to New York are often shocked to find that one of the safest places in America isn’t the hellscape they were told to expect.

These delusions of dystopia are sometimes funny, but they can have real consequences. As you read this, much of America’s second-largest city is an actual hellscape. But many politicians, from the president-elect on down, are showing zero sympathy, insisting that California — which in its own way gets trash-talked as much as New York —somehow brought this disaster on itself by being too liberal, too woke, or something. And this lack of sympathy may translate into refusal to provide adequate disaster aid.

Somehow I doubt that Florida will get the same treatment when (not if) it has its next big natural disaster. (The Biden administration responded with complete, unconditional support to regions hit by Hurricane Helene and other storms, although that hasn’t stopped Republican politicians, like Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee, from lying and claiming that aid was delayed.)

At a fundamental level the case for helping California get through this is moral: Americans should help Americans in their hour of need. But this also seems like a good time to remind people just how much the Golden State contributes to American greatness.

Before I get there: Yes, California has problems, some of them big. There are pockets of social disorder, although the fact that so many luxury homes are burning tells us that many people who could live anywhere find greater Los Angeles a highly desirable place to be. More important, California suffers terribly from NIMBYism, which has led to grossly inadequate home construction, crippling housing costs and a lot of homelessness.

But California is nonetheless an economic and technological powerhouse; without it America would be a lot poorer and weaker than it is.

Most narrowly, at a time when Donald Trump is making nonsensical claims that America is subsidizing Canada via our bilateral trade deficit, California is literally subsidizing the rest of the United States, red states in particular, through the federal budget.

The Rockefeller Institute regularly calculates states’ balance of payments — the difference between the amount the federal government spends in a state and the amount the state pays in federal taxes. Here’s what per capita balances looked like in 2022, the most recent year available (blue means a state receives more than it gives, orange the reverse):

California paid in a lot more than it got back — $83 billion in total. So did Washington state and much of the Northeast. Most red states were in the reverse position, getting much more from DC than they paid in return. And yes, it’s ironic that states that are so dependent on transfers from other states — if West Virginia were a country, it would in effect be receiving foreign aid equal to more than 20 percent of its GDP — vote overwhelmingly for politicians trying to eviscerate the programs they depend on. […]

High productivity in California (and New York, also included) plays a significant role in making America richer; the nation excluding these powerhouses would have about 6 percent lower GDP per capita.

California makes an especially large contribution to U.S. technological dominance. As I noted a month ago, 8 of America’s top 9 technology companies — all of them if you count pre-Cybertruck Tesla — are based either in Silicon Valley or in Seattle. And while Hollywood doesn’t dominate films and TV the way it once did, Los Angeles still plays a major role in America’s cultural influence (and still generates a lot of income.)

As Krugman says, no state should have to earn empathy and support from the rest of the country in a time of great need:

As it happens, however, California — a major driver of U.S. prosperity and power — definitely has earned the right to receive help during a crisis.

Unfortunately, it looks all too possible that essential aid will be held up or come with onerous strings attached. If so, shame on everyone responsible.

Yeah well, they’re shameless so that means nothing.

There’s been a lot of loose talk since the election about California (and possibly the whole west coast) seceding from the union. It’s just talk, I know. But I have to say that as I listen to right wing politicians demean us and treat us like a colony or a vassal state, it sure feels as if America has seceded from us.