The Conversation -- November 12, 2024
This is the last time I will stand here at Arlington as commander in chief. It’s been the greatest honor of my life, to lead you, to serve you, to care for you, to defend you, just as you defended us generation after generation after generation. -- President Biden, at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday ~~~
~~~ Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Biden urged Americans to take a moment to honor those who serve in the military and their families on Monday, using the backdrop of Arlington National Cemetery to observe Veterans Day one last time as the country's commander in chief.... As president, Mr. Biden spent considerable effort trying to increase benefits and services for veterans and their families. He helped push through the PACT Act, which provides care for veterans who suffered the consequences of toxic fumes from so-called burn pits while deployed overseas. The president also directed his administration to speed up the delivery of benefits, expand access to doctors and confront high rates of suicide among veterans. Jill Biden ... spent much of the past four years focused on helping military families economically.... Now, with Mr. Trump elected to a second term, some of Mr. Biden's policies with regard to veterans and the military may be reversed." ~~~
~~~ Marie: This is the last time in the near future that a U.S. President will honor the service of those who sacrificed for the greater good.
"I Call Him 'Little Marco.' He's a Very Nasty Guy." -- Donald Trump, 2016. Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: :... Donald J. Trump is expected to name Senator Marco Rubio of Florida as his secretary of state, three people familiar with his thinking said on Monday.... Mr. Trump could still change his mind at the last minute, the people said, but appeared to have settled on Mr. Rubio, whom he also considered when choosing his running mate this year. Mr. Rubio was elected to the Senate in 2010, and has staked out a position as a foreign policy hawk, taking hard lines on China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba in particular. He initially found himself at odds with those Republicans who were more skeptical about interventions abroad, but he has also echoed Mr. Trump more recently on issues like Russia's war against Ukraine, saying that the conflict has reached a stalemate and 'needs to be brought to a conclusion.'" NPR's report is here.
Maggie Haberman & Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump has chosen Representative Michael Waltz of Florida to be his national security adviser, two people familiar with the decision said on Monday, turning to a former Green Beret who has taken a tough line on China to oversee foreign and national security policy in the White House. Mr. Waltz is the second Republican House member to be selected by Mr. Trump for a high-level job in his next administration, after his choice of Representative Elise Stefanik of New York for ambassador to the United Nations. Mr. Waltz, 50, has been a member of the Armed Services, Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committees in the House and would join the Trump administration as it addresses Russia's war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East and confronts an increasingly aggressive China. His wife, Julia Nesheiwat, was homeland security adviser in the first Trump administration." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Oh, I forgot this about Elise Stefanik: ~~~
~~~ Mike Lillis & Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "President-elect Trump's nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations sets the stage for one of the organization's most vocal and combative critics to have a powerful seat at its table. Stefanik, 40, the fourth-ranking House Republican and a devoted Trump loyalist, has little foreign policy experience. But she has built a reputation over the last year as a leading champion of Israel, in part by repeatedly hammering the U.N. for its reproach of the country's military response to last year's attacks by Hamas. In September, she accused the organization of being infected by 'antisemitic rot.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
Kaitlin Collins of CNN: "... Donald Trump has selected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, according to two people familiar with the selection. Noem will be tapped to take over the agency as two key immigration hardliners -- Stephen Miller and Tom Homan -- are slated to serve in senior roles, signaling Trump is serious about his promise to crack down on his immigration pledges. With his selection of Noem, Trump is ensuring a loyalist will head an agency he prioritizes and that is key to his domestic agenda. The department saw an immense amount of turmoil the last time Trump was in office. Then, DHS had five different leaders, only two of whom were Senate-confirmed. The agency has a $60 billion budget and hundreds of thousands of employees." MB: I suppose Kristi the Puppy Killer will be fine with shooting asylum-seekers crossing the Rio Grande.
Cruelty Is of the Essence of the Scheme. Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump is signaling with his staffing decisions his intention to carry out a campaign promise of widespread deportations of undocumented immigrants and tightening of measures that allow some of them to stay in the country legally. Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner and adviser to Mr. Trump, is taking over policy planning for the transition and is expected to be named deputy chief of staff in his administration, people briefed on the matter said on Monday. And late Sunday, Mr. Trump announced on social media that Thomas Homan, the acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency during Mr. Trump's first term, would be his 'border czar.' It remains to be seen how broad Mr. Miller's portfolio will be, but it is expected to be vast and to far exceed what the eventual title will convey...."
Oliver Milman of the Guardian: "Donald Trump has picked Lee Zeldin, a former New York congressman, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).... Trump, who oversaw the rollback of more than 100 environmental rules when he last was US president, said that Zeldin was a 'true fighter for America First policies' and that 'he will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet'.... Zeldin, who has a score of just 14% from the League of Conservation Voters on his votes on environmental issues in his 15 years in Congress, is expected to oversee an overhaul of the EPA that will rival anything seen since its foundation in 1970."
Theodore Schleifer of the New York Times: "Susie Wiles, the next White House chief of staff, privately told a group of Republican donors on Monday that ... Donald J. Trump would move on his first day in office to reinstate several executive orders from Mr. Trump's first term that President Biden had revoked, according to two people in the room.... It is common for presidents to immediately issue a series of executive orders upon taking office, and Ms. Wiles did not specify which orders from Mr. Trump's first term would be reinstated."
Ken Dilanian, et al., of NBC News: "FBI Director Christopher Wray and Donald Trump's team are planning for the possibility that the president-elect will replace Wray during the new administration, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News.... Replacing might not mean firing. Wray could resign if he was told Trump wants him gone, as is widely expected. Trump campaigned in part on the idea of cleaning house at an FBI he has claimed is full of politically motivated and corrupt executives. He has frequently criticized Wray...."
Tara Suter of the Hill: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on [Xitter] Monday that ... 'Donald Trump and his transition team are already breaking the law.'... 'I would know because I wrote the law. Incoming presidents are required to prevent conflicts of interest and sign an ethics agreement.'... Warren was responding to a report from CNN on Saturday that said a conflict of interest pledge included in the Presidential Transition Act was, in part, keeping multiple transition agreements from being submitted by the president-elect's team to the Biden administration."
Marie: As I read about these potential appointments, I can't help but wonder what would drive a person to accept one of them. Any intelligent person would realize that s/he is in for a series of bashings & beratings, eventually culminating in public humiliation. They seem to want to get dumped in a tweet while sitting on a toilet suffering from diarrhea. Look at Little Marco: He already knows what it's like to have Trump belittle him. He is about to give up a good job for a very temporary, unsatisfying one. Just the thought of having to regularly think up new, fake compliments to feed Trump's ego makes me shudder. Yet that is the future these people have planned for themselves. Very wacky.
David Nasaw, in a New York Times op-ed: "So sorry, Elon Musk, but the bromance is not going to last. I know the president-elect put you on the phone with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine the night after the election. And I know that in Donald Trump's victory speech..., he celebrated your super-genius as only he could, in a disjointed, discombobulated, wildly overextended paean and declaration of love. 'Oh, let me tell you, we have a new star,' he said. 'A star is born, Elon.' Yet therein lies your problem, Mr. Musk. There's room for only one star, one genius in the Trump White House.... He is not going to share his victory and center stage with anyone. And why should he? What more would you have to offer, having spent in excess of $100 million to help secure his election?"
Some People Are Realistic. Marisa Iati of the Washington Post: "Women are seeking out abortion medication in higher-than-usual numbers ahead of a Donald Trump presidency that they fear could severely curtail access to reproductive care." Iati cites a prescriber and a supplier of abortion pills as well as an abortion information site that have received extraordinarily high traffic since the election results were announced. "Reproductive-health organizations and companies also said demand for emergency contraceptive -- or 'morning after' -- pills and long-lasting birth control, like intrauterine devices and vasectomies, has increased.... Planned Parenthood said that on Wednesday, vasectomy appointments scheduled increased by 1,200 percent and IUD appointments scheduled rose more than 760 percent compared with the previous day.... Trump has repeatedly shifted positions on abortion, calling himself 'the most pro-life president in history' but promising to veto a federal ban on the procedure."
More Realists. Patricia Cohen of the New York Times: "Deep uncertainty about the Trump administration's policies on trade, technology, Ukraine, climate change and more is expected to chill investment and hamstring [European economic] growth. The launch of a possible tariff war by the United States, the biggest trading partner and closest ally of the European Union and Britain, would hammer major industries like automobiles, pharmaceuticals and machinery. And the need to raise military spending because of doubts about America's guarantees in Europe would further strain national budgets and increase deficits. In addition, the president-elect's more confrontational attitude toward China could pressure Europe to pick sides or face retribution. 'Europe's worst economic nightmare has come true,' said Carsten Brzeski, chief economist at the Dutch bank ING. The developments, he warned, could push the eurozone into 'a full-blown recession' next year. With political turmoil in Germany and France, Europe's two largest economies, this latest blow could hardly come at a worse time." ~~~
~~~ Marie: As for me, I spent the day yesterday planning ahead: I looked for and purchased a refrigerator, a stove and a dishwasher goats and seed potatoes (see yesterday's Comments for context).
David Edwards of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump's reelection was credited for emboldening a group of people waving Nazi flags in Michigan over the weekend.... According to [a WLNS report], 'many people' were seen displaying flags with swastikas on Saturday night as the Fowlerville Community Theater performed the 'Diary of Anne Frank.' The same group was also seen outside the American Legion Post in Howell.... Witness Alex Sutfill told WLNS, 'They were sticking their arms up and yelling hail Hitler and Hail Trump and everything like that."
⭐ Emily Brooks of the Hill: "Republicans are projected to keep control of the House of Representatives, handing the party total control of Washington with former President Trump back in the White House in January." (Also linked yesterday.)
News Ledes
New York Times: Married to each other for 54 years, two Democratic Missouri poll workers died together in an Election-Day flood.
New York Times: "Law enforcement officials have captured a man who was wanted for murder in rural Tennessee, ending a multistate manhunt in a bizarre case involving a suspicious emergency call, a false identity and a fake bear attack. Sheriff Tommy J. Jones II of Monroe County, Tenn., announced on Sunday that Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, had been taken into custody in Columbia, S.C., more than three weeks after police found a dead body near a bridge on the Cherohala Skyway.... Mr. Hamlett faces first-degree murder charges related to the death of Steven Douglas Lloyd, 34, of Knoxville, Tenn.... Mr. Lloyd's body was discovered by the police as they responded to a 911 call made on Oct. 18. The caller, who had identified himself as Brandon Kristopher Andrade, told the dispatcher that he had been chased off a cliff by a bear, leaving him injured and partially submerged in the water. When the police arrived at the scene, they found a deceased man with the ID of Mr. Andrade. But the injuries on the body, the sheriff's office said, weren't consistent with a bear attack or a fall. And neither the deceased man nor the 911 caller, they determined, were Mr. Andrade. It was a case of stolen identity, and Mr. Andrade's name had been used on multiple occasions in other fraudulent schemes."
Share Article
Reader Comments (12)
@Marie: Potatoes won't do well if you have heavy soil, clay like.
Dig up those flower beds and plant stuff like squash and tomatoes.
I have enough squash stored to last until next season. And pick your
tomatoes before they ripen and store them in styrofoam containers.
They keep through the winter.
And goats will eat anything that grows, so keep them chained up.
It's gonna be a bumpy ride the next four years but I for one am not
giving in or giving up.
Say what you (generic) or the Pretender (specific) will about Rubio, one trait he sure doesn't possess is gravitas. People may hand him a glass of water, but no one will take him seriously.
Yeah, I know the problem. These guys may all be clowns, but they will be armed and dangerous.
And we put them in charge.
The clown car is filling up.
Marco Rubio?? Secretary of State??
My dog knows more about international relations. And don’t give me that about how Rubio has positioned himself (Otto wanted to write “poisoned”—he ain’t wrong) as some kind of “foreign policy hawk”. Regurgitating Heritage and other far right extremist talking points does not make one an expert at anything.
And as Ken points out, gravitas is a condition that has never been associated with Rubio, but a Secretary of State cannot even pretend to function on the world stage without it.
Dean Acheson was Truman’s Secretary of State. His resume even before that appointment was eye popping. He worked in the Roosevelt administration, froze Japanese assets at the start of the war, worked out the nuts and bolts of FDR’s lend lease program, helped implement the Marshall Plan, was at Bretton Woods when the IMF and GATT were created, wrote the first draft of the Truman Doctrine, worked as a partner in a DC law firm which specialized in working with foreign governments to create better relations with the US. THEN became Secretary of State.
Marco Rubio has been working on drinking a glass of water without spilling it. Oh yeah, he did serve as a Fatty piñata for eight years, and after every whack bleated out “Thank you, sir, may I have another.”
Gravitas? More like gravel driveway.
But then effectiveness on the world stage, competence, experience, deep knowledge of international policy issues, and gravitas aren’t required in the Fat Hitler administration. Knee bending fealty to each and every dangerous whim of a bloated demagogue is.
And the House…fuck me…another depressing morning.
But hey, I learned about long term storage of tomatoes. Thanks, Forrest!
And that squeaking harpy, Elise Stefanik…at the UN??
A few weeks ago I mentioned that if Fat Hitler got elected, he’d let Netanyahu fire bomb Palestinian orphanages.
Stefanik will be there to say “Hey Bibi…you missed one.”
So the department of homeland security plans to raid workplaces,
looking for workers to deport.
West Michigan is gonna be in dire straits. There are thousands and
thousands of acres of plants, annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, etc.
grown here and shipped all over the USA.
And guess who is working those fields. It's back breaking labor and
ain't nobody other than Latinos doing it.
And who do I see doing roofing in 90 plus degree weather. They
sure aren't Caucasians.
New Republic through Digby's
"Today, the right-wing media—Fox News (and the entire News Corp.), Newsmax, One America News Network, the Sinclair network of radio and TV stations and newspapers, iHeart Media (formerly Clear Channel), the Bott Radio Network (Christian radio), Elon Musk’s X, the huge podcasts like Joe Rogan’s, and much more—sets the news agenda in this country. And they fed their audiences a diet of slanted and distorted information that made it possible for Trump to win.
Let me say that again, in case it got lost: Today, the right-wing media sets the news agenda in this country. Not The New York Times. Not The Washington Post (which bent over backwards to exert no influence when Jeff Bezos pulled the paper’s Harris endorsement). Not CBS, NBC, and ABC. The agenda is set by all the outlets I listed in the above paragraph. Even the mighty New York Times follows in its wake, aping the tone they set disturbingly often."
Forrest,
Wanna bet those employers of the undocumented will get no more than a hand slap, if that?
More punching down on the vulnerable is in store, I'm guessing.
It's the American Way.
It's a funny thing...
In stories I've read about those who voted in the recent election, the comments from the voters are pretty much split fifty-fifty with regard to the Middle East.
Half think that Harris lost because she didn't support Israel and their actions nearly enough. That would probably be the Stefanik group.
The other half were really angry because the Biden administration wasn't supportive enough to the people in Gaza.
I guess that's what you'd call a classic no-win situation. And, it's probably partly why she didn't win. One of the five or so reasons.
Don't look to Michigan for the early deportees. They voted "correctly."
Shipping people out of California, Oregon and Washington should keep the pain lust sated for the first year. And, side benefit, handing out "waivers", "stays", "exceptions" and "deferrals", like selling pardons, should contribute to bringing in any recalcitrant latifundia owners in those blue states. Peonage pays.
Patrick,
Very clear-sighted (if evil) of you.
But another guess: Those Left Coast employers of the undocumented are Pretender supporters, and raids on their businesses will be attacks on them, not on those states' Harris voters.
Here, too, we'll see just how dumb the new regime turns out to be.
There's a right coast state that will suffer from the mass deportations and that is Florida. Between tomatoes, peppers, and oranges and the grunt workers in the construction and disaster clean up teams, we pretty well run on the labor of immigrants. Many left this summer and fall following the passage of new laws and are in neighboring states. What they'll do now gods only know.
I'm sure, however, that a certain chain of golf courses isn't going to have to worry about a shortage of maintenance and grounds workers.
Bobby Lee,
Yeah. In fact part of Marco Rubio’s job description as (*cough-cough*) Secretary of State will be to tend the greens at Trump’s golf courses, when he isn’t, ya know, fucking up international relations.