What is wrong with people?
Oh, please, Mr. Unelected Guy who has no legal authority to do squat, let the Congress elected by the American people have a say in what you are cutting that we already appropriated. Bleep. Here’s a link to the article, if you want to read it.
Regarding Elon, I have read comments here and there accusing him of being on drugs. But this Atlantic article is the first thing I’ve read that explains it. His drug of choice is ketamine, for which he says he has a prescription. Ketamine tends to dissociate people from reality. This explains a lot.
Anyway — at WaPo there’s an article about the meeting between Republican senators and Elon, in which Elon offered them a more direct way to contact him so they can express their concerns about whatever he’s done. He’s not allowing them to have any say beforehand. Josh Marshall has a critique of this piece, in which he says,
The gist of the whole story is that DOGE is making these guys nervous. They’re hearing from constituents who are upset. They don’t really know what’s happening. So they’re worried about more and worse surprises. The Senate and kinda the House is saying this is ultimately our choice. They’re kinda sorta trying to assert control. But not really.
See also Paul Krugman, who explains how Trump is setting up a cryptocurrency scam of world-shattering proportions.
Eloon is definitely high on something either that or he is just extremely weird, most likely both. You would think this would be a huge story and could provoke widespread calls for drug testing? But again four billion dollars and owning Twitter buys a shitload of silence.
Edit, four hundred billion!
In terms of musk, the situation is still complex and imperfectly understood but it does seem high doses and constant use of Ketamine seriously reduces cognition and intelligence.
I suspect he is no longer completely there. That means we have a demented man of low IQ directing a rogue, neo-apartheid-promoting, illegal-alien, with an audience of spineless jellyfish in Congress.
Josh Marshal was barely sworn in as a Senator when he sided with the Jan 6th insurrection. Just for the sake of the history books a co-conspirator suspect on the inside of the overthrow attempt. Also, a prime suspect in the continued cover-up and prosecution of those responsible for 1/6. This should be considered in judging the veracity and motive of any source materials quoting him.
I think you are confusing Josh Marshall, the journalist who runs Talking Points Memo, with Josh Hawley, the scumbag senator.
Sure am. Roger Marshall is the one who I was erroneously thinking. Thanks.
Well Elon Blew-up another rocket, making another big mess and disrupting much commercial air traffic with its 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' leaving debris damage to Islands in the Caribbean.
This is another example of private enterprise failure. Just wait for them to screw up the postal service more with increased privatization. The private industry big lie goes on and on with evidence mounting of its weakness.
Yes, more Crypto Scams at the highest levels…wide open for bribing the scammer in chief and transferring wealth to Russia.
Can you imagine the absolute seething panic and outrage by the DC press corp ad the rest of our corporate media if Biden or Harris had appointed a billionaire to slash valuable programs without any real process causing widespread panic and disruption, a billionare who had admitted he is regularly high on psychedelic drugs and who's companies produce rockets that explode over US airspace and cars that catch on fire and kill their occupants on a routine basis. Can you imagine?
Well Elon Blew-up another rocket, making another big mess and disrupting much commercial air traffic with its 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' leaving debris damage to Islands in the Caribbean.
This is another example of private enterprise failure. Just wait for them to screw up the postal service more with increased privatization. The private industry big lie goes on and on with evidence mounting of its weakness.
Yes, more Crypto Scams at the highest levels…wide open for bribing the scammer in chief and transferring wealth to Russia.
The Krugman column is superb. And I love the video linked at the bottom of it!
Yeah that Krugman article is really something. So much criming who can keep up. And with the Justice Department, congress and the courts on the side of the thieves who's gonna stop it? It's a strategy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlP3J3J3Upw
I think Stumps impulsive Friday Afternoon presser yesterday is an indication he knows public opinion is turning against him. I doubt he will course correct, he thinks he can talk his way out of anything. But I guess it's a positive sign he knows something is up!
I am so proud of my niece who attended a rally yesterday. She sent a picture of a big sign that read: Scientific Fact: Then blue whale's anus stretches to 35 feet making it the second biggest asshole on earth.
A premise of the concept of "checks and balances" is that each branch of government should be jealous of an act of trespass on their turf. Speaking of the legislative branch with the question "What is wrong with these people?", I think an odd dynamic explains the situation.
A few Republicans in Congress seem to worship Trump. MTG, for example. They see Trump's power as infinite and eternal and will follow him to hell, probably in fact if there is a Supreme Being. Most of the Republicans in Congress see Trump as a means to achieving their ends or a threat to that member if they personally arouse Trump's rage.
SOME Republicans in Congress who KNOW what Article I says are praying that the court slaps down many of the executive orders that undo the power of Congress if only because the precedent authorizes a Democrat in the WH to do the same to the GOP with legislation they've previously passed.
Laws do not evaporate when power shifts after an election. In Trump's first term, Obamacare had to be repealed by Congress (and wasn't.) Under the new doctrine, Trump can replace the executives of that program and totally defund, even if funds have been appropriated in a previous budget.
What shifted to change the checks and balances? The deadly blow that made Trump imperial was dealt in 2010 with Citizens United by allowing unlimited money in elections. The Creature teamed up with the richest man on the planet and by dumping unlimited funds in a primary, together Trump and Musk can remove almost any Republican from elective office in the primary.
The actions of Trump/Musk in the first six weeks vary from extraconstitutional (outside the Constitution and all precedent) to blatantly UNConstitutional – absolutely in opposition to the founding document AND all established USSC previous rulings.
We're in a race – that's the dynamic. Trump/Musk are trying to wreck the mechanisms of government that could bind them to conform to the Constitution before the courts can issue decisions that would restrict what Trump/Musk can do. This is a brilliant but diabolical plan and history will tell if it is flawed. I think Trump has a weak hand and he's praying for the card that will fill a straight.
When Trump strips the VA of personnel and/funding, vets will be denied essential care. Unlike USAID, the results will happen here and they will be public. More critically, they will anger a large segment of Trump's base. Cutting vets off will have a direct effect on the attitude of the military when they are called to enforce orders that the USSC by that time will have declared illegal.
But it may not get to that point. If Trump crashes the economy, his popularity will evaporate. People who voted for Trump in November will be marching for Trump's removal from office ASAP. Ignoring USSC decisions qualifies as "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" when a bipartisan mob descends on the Capitol and Trump's approval in all honest polls is in the high 20s, about where unemployment is and stock market losses have turned billionaires to mere millionaires.
If Trump spares the VA but shuts down the Post Office, we will all find out how many small businesses relied of the US mail, especially in rural areas where trucks run at a fianacial losss to comply with a mandate to service every address on every business day. We take that for granted but when "efficiency" means the post office only gives daily service to urban areas where it's profitable. It's mostly red America that will suffer if they privatize the PO. I read that 25% of Medicaid pays for nursing home care for the elderly. Some of those folks will be on the street, including in red states if they slash as deeply as the numbers suggest. Social Security in not insolvent but it's people that keep that machine working. It's red American also who will be clobbered by interruptions to SS payments.
Which is to say: as Trump/Musk dismantle agencies, there is no way to insulate the tragic consequences by voter affiliation. Trump's power is the mystique of the brilliant businessman, the great negotiator. When everything turns to crap, the bubble will burst – I predict 70% will be fiercely anti-Trump when the US hits shit-show level. At that point, no matter how much money Musk pours into primaries, a MAGA candidate will lose very often in the General, even if they win in the Primary. When Trump is that unpopular, you will see a lot of Republicans in Congress disavow their previous bootlicking support.
Ifwhen Trump tries to suspend elections and use the military to hold onto power – Constitution be damned – the Pentagon will fall in line. I think military commanders who would move units will not. Trump will try to rally Homeland Security. If they see the handwriting on the wall, they will call in sick that week.