Scrutable

Brightonian wrote: Sun Feb 09, 2025 10:48 pm Applicants for senior roles in the FBI etc. have to declare that the 2020 election was stolen, that the Jan. 6 rioters were "the real patriots", and so on, according to the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... screening/

Didn't Henry VIII do something like that?

Brightonian wrote: Sun Feb 09, 2025 10:48 pm Applicants for senior roles in the FBI etc. have to declare that the 2020 election was stolen, that the Jan. 6 rioters were "the real patriots", and so on, according to the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... screening/

This hints at a much bigger problem than the destruction they're wrecking elsewhere.

An overtly political FBI would be a big step toward a dictatorship. However, it remains to be seen whether Trump and Musk etc can actually change FBI recruitment practices. Elsewhere dictators have had at their disposal a party comprised of ideologically vetted cadres. Trump doesn't have that, he has a small group which is close to him and they're backed by a much larger but disorganized movement. Run of the mill Republicans are ideologically suspect and more importantly the Republican party doesn't have a membership in a similar way that you'd find in European parties (people self-declare so they can vote in primaries).

The problem for Trump is that there are a vast number of ways that the bureaucracy can make sure that his reforms don't work and not much will happen. Concerning hiring, the declarations could be ignored or if they have to be included they'd just be a box ticking exercise which would then ignored. Trump can shut down most of USAID because most people don't care about it. But I doubt that he could get away with shutting down the FBI.

In other revolutions the way to get around bureaucratic inertia is to stuff the bureaucracy with loyal party members who can make sure that the will of the leader is enacted. But as Trump doesn't have that kind of party he'll rapidly run out of political appointees once he has used up the bloggers and social media influencers that have is attention.

ETA he's able to destroy state capacity but without a loyal party he'll find it difficult to make lasting MAGAist reforms that meaningfully change what the state institutions do in practice.

In which it is argued that aspects of Trump’s coup-in-progress are less Hitler, more Mao:

https://bsky.app/profile/aphclarkson.bs ... r66llaos2g

There are certainly echoes of Mao's cultural revolution in the anti-elitism of the MAGA movement. Trump's appointments are similar. There is no need to understand anything, loyalty to Trump is the only important criterion. The trouble is that working for Trump is an exercise in picking your way through the chaos. Almost everyone eventually trips up and goes.

I think it is important not to get sucked into the idea that Trump has a plan. He doesn't and has never had a plan - other than feeding his narcissistic drive. Some of his current actions are about revenge on those who have criticised him and his actions. Others are about feeding red meat to his base to keep them engaged and the dollars rolling in. Finally, other actions will have been suggested to Trump by people who have his ear and sold to him as a way of making himself famous, for example the Gulf of America stunt. I don't know who suggested this to him, but it has most people outside his own echo chamber thinking he looks like a complete fool.

Trump suspending enforcement of anti-bribery laws. How much more nakedly corrupt can he get?

I mean, quite a lot...

Grumble wrote: Tue Feb 11, 2025 2:06 pm Trump suspending enforcement of anti-bribery laws. How much more nakedly corrupt can he get?

I can see their logic though, that if it takes bribery of foreign officials to win business for American companies, clearly it's better for America and any offence is outside their jurisdiction, so...

Clearly reprehensible, but it is no less than you'd expect from an America First proposition.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-con ... -bill/1161

H.R.1161 - To authorize the President to enter into negotiations to acquire Greenland and to rename Greenland as "Red, White, and Blueland".

Chris Preston wrote: Tue Feb 11, 2025 1:32 am There are certainly echoes of Mao's cultural revolution in the anti-elitism of the MAGA movement. Trump's appointments are similar. There is no need to understand anything, loyalty to Trump is the only important criterion. The trouble is that working for Trump is an exercise in picking your way through the chaos. Almost everyone eventually trips up and goes.

I think it is important not to get sucked into the idea that Trump has a plan. He doesn't and has never had a plan - other than feeding his narcissistic drive. Some of his current actions are about revenge on those who have criticised him and his actions. Others are about feeding red meat to his base to keep them engaged and the dollars rolling in. Finally, other actions will have been suggested to Trump by people who have his ear and sold to him as a way of making himself famous, for example the Gulf of America stunt. I don't know who suggested this to him, but it has most people outside his own echo chamber thinking he looks like a complete fool.

Trump may not have a plan but those round him certainly do.

Chris Preston wrote: Tue Feb 11, 2025 1:32 am There are certainly echoes of Mao's cultural revolution in the anti-elitism of the MAGA movement. Trump's appointments are similar. There is no need to understand anything, loyalty to Trump is the only important criterion. The trouble is that working for Trump is an exercise in picking your way through the chaos. Almost everyone eventually trips up and goes.

In the end, Mao had to quietly re-employ many purged party cadres, because he needed competent administrators to achieve his purposes. Indeed the more corrupt ones were particularly useful for that. As they had typically been sent off for "re-education" to some remote village to till the soil, they understood the consequences of not satisfying his requirements. And they - as opposed to less corruptible and more ideological communists - were typically the ones with least compunction about doing what Mao wanted, while Mao in return tolerated a certain level of corruption from them.

bjn wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 10:54 pm Trump says Palestinians should get out of Gaza. Is he going to be rewarded br Bibi with some nice sea side property as a reward after the ethnic cleansing occurs?

And Trump is now telling the Israelis in effect to break the ceasefire agreement.

Hamas is pointing to breaches anyway. And Israel denies them, while calling breaches the actions Hamas is taking in consequence of Israel's breaches. Of course, this always happens. No multi-stage agreement has ever got to Stage 2...

Perhaps someone in the US and Israeli governments should consider the hostages' welfare for a little while.

headshot wrote: Tue Feb 11, 2025 7:41 pm Perhaps someone in the US and Israeli governments should consider the hostages' welfare for a little while.

We see they are much more interested in their own narrow political interests. Trump has in effect given licence to Netanyahu to be as ruthless as he wants to be.

I'm afraid I did not expect stage 2 of this ceasefire arrangement to happen. Stage 2s have so far never happened. Remembering how quickly past agreements have gone sour, Hamas has insisted on staged release of hostages thinking that keep some incentive on the Israeli government to stick to the program. Hamas must be somewhat surprised that Israeli government are apparently willing to give it up with only half the stage 1 release completed. But I bet many Israelis are even more surprised.

The Israeli government has let it be known that they think that about 1/4 of the stage 1 hostages are already dead. So that makes the half so far released look more like 3/4. But even then, it looks very surprising to many people that apparently they don't care very much about the remaining ones.

Netanyahu and his ultra right wing allies have seen the hostage taking by Hamas as the perfect opportunity to completely destroy Gaza. It suits Netanyahu's purposes to have Hamas retain some hostages as that provides the excuse for Israel to continue to attack Gaza.

Musk speak from the Oval Office, completely sidelining Trump:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RncK73kM_FM

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... trump-doge

Trump is a puppet, completely compromised.

headshot wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2025 7:51 am Musk speak from the Oval Office, completely sidelining Trump:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RncK73kM_FM

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... trump-doge

Trump is a puppet, completely compromised.

Those curtains are horrible

My toes are curling at the "Strong message here" bit at 14:23 where Trump says they've found fraud and abuse and then explains he's going to use those 2 words and not the 3rd word the lawyers have clearly been patiently coaching not to say. And although he manages not to say it he just can't stop himself explaining that he's not going to say it.

A Republican congressman has said he drafted articles of impeachment against a judge who blocked Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Treasury Department payment systems.

https://www.newsweek.com/judge-paul-eng ... ge-2029461

Clearly a huge problem if they do impeach a judge in those circumstances. Lets see whether it happens or not, and even if it doesn't a threat like that will be intended to intimidate.

Across the former Soviet bloc, rightwing and autocratic government have their knives out for USAid, demanding data on grant recipients from Elon Musk and threatening employees and grant recipients with investigations and prison.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... oviet-bloc

Release of information on individuals could get very unpleasant, arrests, torture, murder.

What?
Oh - ouch!

Woodchopper wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2025 12:43 pm

A Republican congressman has said he drafted articles of impeachment against a judge who blocked Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Treasury Department payment systems.

https://www.newsweek.com/judge-paul-eng ... ge-2029461

Clearly a huge problem if they do impeach a judge in those circumstances. Lets see whether it happens or not, and even if it doesn't a threat like that will be intended to intimidate.

They need 2/3 of the Senate to convict for impeachment to mean anything. I doubt they'd get more than 51/100

dyqik wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2025 1:49 am

Woodchopper wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2025 12:43 pm

A Republican congressman has said he drafted articles of impeachment against a judge who blocked Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Treasury Department payment systems.

https://www.newsweek.com/judge-paul-eng ... ge-2029461

Clearly a huge problem if they do impeach a judge in those circumstances. Lets see whether it happens or not, and even if it doesn't a threat like that will be intended to intimidate.

They need 2/3 of the Senate to convict for impeachment to mean anything. I doubt they'd get more than 51/100

Good point.

Is there any sense in the US that the Republican led house of congress isn't happy with what is clearly Presidential overreach?

"Highway Robbery" from NYC controlled bank accounts:

https://comptroller.nyc.gov/newsroom/st ... a-funding/

“This morning, my financial team shockingly uncovered that President Trump and his crony Elon Musk illegally executed a revocation of $80 million in congressionally-appropriated FEMA funding from New York City’s bank accounts late yesterday afternoon. This is money that the federal government previously disbursed for shelter and services and is now missing. This highway robbery of our funds directly out of our bank account is a betrayal of everyone who calls New York City home.”

Crazy times...

headshot wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2025 1:04 pm "Highway Robbery" from NYC controlled bank accounts:

https://comptroller.nyc.gov/newsroom/st ... a-funding/

“This morning, my financial team shockingly uncovered that President Trump and his crony Elon Musk illegally executed a revocation of $80 million in congressionally-appropriated FEMA funding from New York City’s bank accounts late yesterday afternoon. This is money that the federal government previously disbursed for shelter and services and is now missing. This highway robbery of our funds directly out of our bank account is a betrayal of everyone who calls New York City home.”

Crazy times...

An honourable resignation here. Danielle R. Sassoon, the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, quit after the Justice Department told her to withdraw corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams.