Never much cared for Trump personally but I have been feeling REALLY good about not only the election results but the shift we have been seeing. but then I read the rants in this and now i feel...........EVEN BETTER!!!!!
It will be a true wonderment if Joy Reid can make it to the end of 2025 without choking on her own vitriol or disappearing into a mental health facility. 😲
Clearly Hegseth isn't qualified, he doesn't seem like someone the generals and admirals could swap makeup tips with and he never really worked in any managerial position like all the pentagon desk jockeys. Total culture clash.
OK - serious question here. I truly hope Hegseth succeeds and is an admirable SecDef. But please help me out with understanding his top one or two accomplishments. Anything (other than attaining the rank of Major) that will help me believe he's qualified for the role. Paraphrasing Colonel Jessup - Please tell me you have something more. Please tell me President Trump hasn't pinned his hopes to a talk show host.
I appreciate the link Brad. What I'm reading is that he's young, has experience in private industry, and is an advocate for veterans. None of which tells me what he's accomplished in any of those roles. Regardless, hope he does well. (But then again, I hoped the Vikings would do well against the Rams).
He was an Infantry officer in the Army and led a rifle platoon in urban combat. I'm biased, obviously and enormously, but that requires real leadership, the kind that can't be faked. And it makes the "challenge" of leading in a civilian capacity look like child's play, regardless of the circumstances. The Infantry's motto is "Follow Me," and platoon leaders lead from the front. They do not sit back and make decisions from afar. They pull a trigger with the lowly private.
Hegseth is not "unqualified." He's simply an unorthodox choice who doesn't have the empty "credentials" that the Left has come to associate with the position.
AOC was a bartender before becoming "the youngest woman and youngest Latina ever to serve in Congress." Nobody said shit about that, and she's treated like some sort of political savant. One of many, many examples.
Hegseth might turn out to be a poor choice. But I wholeheartedly support him being Sec Def and I'd encourage you to simply listen to what he has to say. His confirmation hearing was fantastic.
I don't believe leadership is fully fungible. I think DoD is fiscally corrupt, not sure how he can fight that. But if he can actually lead DoD through an audit, I'll eat my words.
I had my doubts on Hegseth but only because of his personal issues, which I think he’s adequately addressed. IMO The rank and file warfighters will be ecstatic to have someone who isn’t an empty suit, who is serious about them and their ability to wage war, and who has lived life in the trenches.
Hegseth is a great choice. Should we continue to want all the same career politicians and bureaucrats to lead this country/institutions after seeing the mess they've created in the last 40 years?
I can't think of a single event/situation/issue our overlords have got right in the last 40 years. Can you? I think we need to have some fresh eyes. For example did we need Homeland Security in the US? Because if we remember correctly the FBI did not do their jobs and everyone should have seen 911 coming, etc. etc.etc..
We're now at the point where those that serve the mission of the institution become pariah, and those that serve the interests of the institution alone get the promotions/sinecures. It is very dangerous when institutions turn into guilds. At that point they become adversarial to the mission of the institution which are foundationally there to protect We The People. I mean it's gone so far that now our legal system is an instrument for illegality.
It's time to have regular people, as our Founders intended, who have the aptitude, to start running our institutions instead of career parasites.
I'm going to adopt the same playbook the government uses: "Hey boss, I know I've been asleep at work and made some mistake, so what I really need from you is more responsibilities, more staff and a lot more money". (of course doesn't work that well in my case since I'm self-employed).
I agree with most of what you're saying. 9/11 a gross incompetence of the FBI, yes. Homeland Security is another bloated layer of bureaucracy that shouldn't be (and isn't) necessary. Fresh eyes? Certainly. But does Hegseth have the necessary aptitude? I don't think he's proven it and nobody to date has listed a significant accomplishment other than reaching his military rank - hopefully he'll be a diamond in the rough.
Alternatives:
1. Senator Joni Ernst - has been in government less than 10 years, comparable military experience as Hegseth, but more aware of the corruption and lack of direction in DoD
2. Retired Gen. Mike Minihan, who is and has been very aware of the threat presented by China. Also a proponent of warrior culture (I think). And has experience with commanding and leading large entities.
That's a great question. We've overblown military threats in the past since WW2. Certainly economic threat in the short and long term (IMO). Militarily, looks like they want to take Taiwan one way or the other, so it depends on whether we adhere to the Biden doctrine, or decide to let them call the shots in their own back yard.
BTW, Peter Zeihan consistently predicts the end of the current Chinese government within 10 years due to demographics. Not sure how accurate that is, but sure looks like trouble ahead for them.
I'm wondering if the PRC might be less inclined to attack Taiwan if they were allowed to buy their semiconductors from there. Trade would be an incentive for peace. What really is required is a deal that allows Taiwan to be nominally free while allowing the PRC to save face.
I think the Chinese government will have problems if they can't maintain their massive trade surplus. I'd say that they collapse as soon as living standards start to decline, that's pretty much the reason people put up with the massive oppression. They value increases in standard of living and relative economic freedom.
“The fact that merely letting people talk to each other feels like a dangerous concession to the right tells you just how much power progressives had amassed.” — The Washington Post’s Megan McArdle a breathe of fresher air from a media polluter.
Ah, the deliriously cartoonish Joy Reid is back! The Reid Respite is over thankfully, because who can fill the moron niche in the Quotes better than her
Under the Biden Administration, there were over 8 million encounters at the southern border. There were about 2.4 million under the Trump Admin. I haven't found stats regarding how many people who illegally crossed were allowed to stay after these encounters, nor how many crossed without being detained.
A USAFacts stat sheet notes about those detained for illegally crossing: "They may or may not be arrested under Title 8 and can file for asylee status."
When Biden signed in new asylum restrictions earlier this year, the number of illegal crossings went down -- because it reduced the ability to seek asylum. As a USA Today story notes:
"Crossing between ports of entry is illegal under the nation's Title 8 immigration law: It's a federal misdemeanor for a first attempt and a felony for attempts thereafter. But once migrants cross into U.S. territory, Title 8 also affords them the legal right to seek asylum."
So there was a surge at the border, but if Harwood's metric is whether they made it into the U.S., I don't know. As of 2022, there were an estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States (not a record number, but the number had trended up.)
The sheer number of encounters would suggest that some escaped detection, and the pre-Biden executive order for most of his administration allowed illegals to become legal through the asylum process. This works in Harwood's favor -- if they're let in, then by definition they can't be illegal.
But it appears that, prior to the order, immigration officers had a tougher time deporting those who were deemed ineligible for asylum.
It seems like there's an issue here to ask Harwood about regarding the number of people who were rewarded with asylee status after illegally crossing, (which I'm sympathetic toward, but can that system be gamed?) and also how many were released into the interior for a hearing (after illegally crossing). And what policies were interpreted in such a way as to let illegal migrants stay in the country once they arrived.
It's a complex issue, but I can't read Harwood's argument because he's paywalled it. How does that help with undoing this "politically damaging tale," as he calls it?
I mean seriously, you have to admire their absolute perfect inversion of reality.
This is literally truth inverted. I can speak of this with some qualification since I've lived in FL for 5 years after 48 in CA.
“Though there is one thing the billionaire right is, they are consistent. They want California, America’s biggest state economy. Because if they can take California and retrofit it with their ugly right-wing policies, the way they’ve ruined Florida and Texas and every other red state, where poverty rates are high and education is warped and non-white immigrants, pregnant women, and LGBTQ folks live in fear, then the fight for permanent control of America is basically over. They can drive out the brown people and the black and Asian people or just sink them into the same apartheid they’ve created in Texas.”
When you read a Jen Rubin quote and think that's the dumbest thing you've read all week, Joy Reid says, "Oh yeah?"
😂 Resorting to the emojis on my keyboard bc a “like” just isn’t enough for this comment. 🌻
"Hold my beer," sez Joy.
Never much cared for Trump personally but I have been feeling REALLY good about not only the election results but the shift we have been seeing. but then I read the rants in this and now i feel...........EVEN BETTER!!!!!
Reading these quotes, I have had so many intakes of breath that I feel I am hyperventilating.
It will be a true wonderment if Joy Reid can make it to the end of 2025 without choking on her own vitriol or disappearing into a mental health facility. 😲
Try watching her with the sound off, the crazy still leaps at you from the screen. She's completely fucking mental.
😂😂😂 but also 😔
Clearly Hegseth isn't qualified, he doesn't seem like someone the generals and admirals could swap makeup tips with and he never really worked in any managerial position like all the pentagon desk jockeys. Total culture clash.
OK - serious question here. I truly hope Hegseth succeeds and is an admirable SecDef. But please help me out with understanding his top one or two accomplishments. Anything (other than attaining the rank of Major) that will help me believe he's qualified for the role. Paraphrasing Colonel Jessup - Please tell me you have something more. Please tell me President Trump hasn't pinned his hopes to a talk show host.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/in-defense-of-pete-hegseth/
I appreciate the link Brad. What I'm reading is that he's young, has experience in private industry, and is an advocate for veterans. None of which tells me what he's accomplished in any of those roles. Regardless, hope he does well. (But then again, I hoped the Vikings would do well against the Rams).
He was an Infantry officer in the Army and led a rifle platoon in urban combat. I'm biased, obviously and enormously, but that requires real leadership, the kind that can't be faked. And it makes the "challenge" of leading in a civilian capacity look like child's play, regardless of the circumstances. The Infantry's motto is "Follow Me," and platoon leaders lead from the front. They do not sit back and make decisions from afar. They pull a trigger with the lowly private.
Hegseth is not "unqualified." He's simply an unorthodox choice who doesn't have the empty "credentials" that the Left has come to associate with the position.
AOC was a bartender before becoming "the youngest woman and youngest Latina ever to serve in Congress." Nobody said shit about that, and she's treated like some sort of political savant. One of many, many examples.
Hegseth might turn out to be a poor choice. But I wholeheartedly support him being Sec Def and I'd encourage you to simply listen to what he has to say. His confirmation hearing was fantastic.
https://www.youtube.com/live/ex0sGJH4BoY?si=IX-6MYu9kAfdJdoa
I don't believe leadership is fully fungible. I think DoD is fiscally corrupt, not sure how he can fight that. But if he can actually lead DoD through an audit, I'll eat my words.
I had my doubts on Hegseth but only because of his personal issues, which I think he’s adequately addressed. IMO The rank and file warfighters will be ecstatic to have someone who isn’t an empty suit, who is serious about them and their ability to wage war, and who has lived life in the trenches.
Hegseth is a great choice. Should we continue to want all the same career politicians and bureaucrats to lead this country/institutions after seeing the mess they've created in the last 40 years?
I can't think of a single event/situation/issue our overlords have got right in the last 40 years. Can you? I think we need to have some fresh eyes. For example did we need Homeland Security in the US? Because if we remember correctly the FBI did not do their jobs and everyone should have seen 911 coming, etc. etc.etc..
We're now at the point where those that serve the mission of the institution become pariah, and those that serve the interests of the institution alone get the promotions/sinecures. It is very dangerous when institutions turn into guilds. At that point they become adversarial to the mission of the institution which are foundationally there to protect We The People. I mean it's gone so far that now our legal system is an instrument for illegality.
It's time to have regular people, as our Founders intended, who have the aptitude, to start running our institutions instead of career parasites.
I'm going to adopt the same playbook the government uses: "Hey boss, I know I've been asleep at work and made some mistake, so what I really need from you is more responsibilities, more staff and a lot more money". (of course doesn't work that well in my case since I'm self-employed).
I agree with most of what you're saying. 9/11 a gross incompetence of the FBI, yes. Homeland Security is another bloated layer of bureaucracy that shouldn't be (and isn't) necessary. Fresh eyes? Certainly. But does Hegseth have the necessary aptitude? I don't think he's proven it and nobody to date has listed a significant accomplishment other than reaching his military rank - hopefully he'll be a diamond in the rough.
Alternatives:
1. Senator Joni Ernst - has been in government less than 10 years, comparable military experience as Hegseth, but more aware of the corruption and lack of direction in DoD
2. Retired Gen. Mike Minihan, who is and has been very aware of the threat presented by China. Also a proponent of warrior culture (I think). And has experience with commanding and leading large entities.
Those are just two off the top of my head.
How much of a threat is China really? How much of their posture is really due to US bullying? I think the real threat is economical, not military.
That's a great question. We've overblown military threats in the past since WW2. Certainly economic threat in the short and long term (IMO). Militarily, looks like they want to take Taiwan one way or the other, so it depends on whether we adhere to the Biden doctrine, or decide to let them call the shots in their own back yard.
BTW, Peter Zeihan consistently predicts the end of the current Chinese government within 10 years due to demographics. Not sure how accurate that is, but sure looks like trouble ahead for them.
I'm wondering if the PRC might be less inclined to attack Taiwan if they were allowed to buy their semiconductors from there. Trade would be an incentive for peace. What really is required is a deal that allows Taiwan to be nominally free while allowing the PRC to save face.
I think the Chinese government will have problems if they can't maintain their massive trade surplus. I'd say that they collapse as soon as living standards start to decline, that's pretty much the reason people put up with the massive oppression. They value increases in standard of living and relative economic freedom.
He has the right politics, that's pretty much it I think. It's never really about accomplishments with these appointments.
"And I think Kamala could have beaten Trump and would have beaten Trump." -Joe Biden
There's just no making this stuff up! 🤣
I clicked that link just hear how deranged he really was.
A million thanks to Brad for watching this trash and curating each week.
“The fact that merely letting people talk to each other feels like a dangerous concession to the right tells you just how much power progressives had amassed.” — The Washington Post’s Megan McArdle a breathe of fresher air from a media polluter.
Yes, it’s good to see glimmers of rational thought possibly returning to the left and WaPo. Good on Megan McArdle.
Ah, the deliriously cartoonish Joy Reid is back! The Reid Respite is over thankfully, because who can fill the moron niche in the Quotes better than her
Individually some of these quotes are hysterically funny.
But in aggregate, crushingly depressing.
Joy Reid deserves her own quotes of the week.
tHe aDuLtS ArE LeAvInG tHe rOoM!
Soooo many stupid people.
Stupidity at scale is indistinguishable from evil.
About that Harwood quote:
Under the Biden Administration, there were over 8 million encounters at the southern border. There were about 2.4 million under the Trump Admin. I haven't found stats regarding how many people who illegally crossed were allowed to stay after these encounters, nor how many crossed without being detained.
A USAFacts stat sheet notes about those detained for illegally crossing: "They may or may not be arrested under Title 8 and can file for asylee status."
When Biden signed in new asylum restrictions earlier this year, the number of illegal crossings went down -- because it reduced the ability to seek asylum. As a USA Today story notes:
"Crossing between ports of entry is illegal under the nation's Title 8 immigration law: It's a federal misdemeanor for a first attempt and a felony for attempts thereafter. But once migrants cross into U.S. territory, Title 8 also affords them the legal right to seek asylum."
So there was a surge at the border, but if Harwood's metric is whether they made it into the U.S., I don't know. As of 2022, there were an estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States (not a record number, but the number had trended up.)
The sheer number of encounters would suggest that some escaped detection, and the pre-Biden executive order for most of his administration allowed illegals to become legal through the asylum process. This works in Harwood's favor -- if they're let in, then by definition they can't be illegal.
But it appears that, prior to the order, immigration officers had a tougher time deporting those who were deemed ineligible for asylum.
It seems like there's an issue here to ask Harwood about regarding the number of people who were rewarded with asylee status after illegally crossing, (which I'm sympathetic toward, but can that system be gamed?) and also how many were released into the interior for a hearing (after illegally crossing). And what policies were interpreted in such a way as to let illegal migrants stay in the country once they arrived.
It's a complex issue, but I can't read Harwood's argument because he's paywalled it. How does that help with undoing this "politically damaging tale," as he calls it?
I'm not in the least in favor of cancel culture, but it boggles the mind that Joy Reid is still employed.
I mean seriously, you have to admire their absolute perfect inversion of reality.
This is literally truth inverted. I can speak of this with some qualification since I've lived in FL for 5 years after 48 in CA.
“Though there is one thing the billionaire right is, they are consistent. They want California, America’s biggest state economy. Because if they can take California and retrofit it with their ugly right-wing policies, the way they’ve ruined Florida and Texas and every other red state, where poverty rates are high and education is warped and non-white immigrants, pregnant women, and LGBTQ folks live in fear, then the fight for permanent control of America is basically over. They can drive out the brown people and the black and Asian people or just sink them into the same apartheid they’ve created in Texas.”
— MSNBC’s Joy Reid
I feel like Joy Reid may be underrepresented for stupid statements
joe reid. dude.