Goon Squad Government

 As it turns out, the only qualification necessary to play in the sandbox of Trump's next administration is unwavering loyalty. The Senate rarely denies presidential appointments of their administration, but we're about to see just how in-Trump's-pocket the Senate is. This is their first test. If they confirm some of the most dangerous administration nominations in history, Trump will know that they'll do anything for him. He's even requested they simply step aside, to give up their authority to check executive power by taking a recess, allowing him to push all of his nominations through completely unchecked. On a rare positive note: every single Senator would have to vote to recess.. There's no way, right? ... Right??

Recess appointments are a relic of the days when Congressmen traveled by horse, taking days to travel from one state to another instead of hours in a jet, and yet Trump would harken back to the olden ways to get what he wants. He doesn't want to move the country forward, he wants to move us back and his plan to do so seems to involve a woefully incompetent and blindly loyal government.

Pam Bondi is surely a better candidate for Attorney General than Matt Gaetz, but the bar was in hell. To her credit, she has actual experience in the criminal justice system, having served as Florida's first woman AG. She was his lawyer in the first impeachment trial for conditioning aid to Ukraine on dirt on Biden, and she's denounced his indictments and convictions. She believes the cases were weaponized politics, and you can bet she'll be willing to take up those arms and actually weaponize the department. Of course she will; she has that one common thread that every single nomination has, which is her notoriety as a Trump loyalist. 

Tulsi Gabbard ran for president as a Democrat in 2020 on a platform of government-run healthcare and free college tuition, but pulled a 180 to kiss Trump's ring in 2022 and has risen quickly among MAGA Republicans. She has 20 years of military experience in the National Guard, but zero intelligence experience. In fact, she's been featured on Russian media after pushing Russian propaganda. Russian media has joked that she is a Russian agent. But sure, let's make her the head of National Intelligence and give her all of not just our secrets, but the world's! Do we really think our allies will be forthcoming to share intelligence with Gabbard? I don't think we do. I think Trump wants her in this role to serve him, and to isolate the United States from the rest of the world stage. And because she's unendingly loyal to Trump, she absolutely will.

Robert Kennedy Jr is a nutcase. He believes vaccines cause autism, a claim which has been consistently debunked since its inception. Regardless, he would quickly usher in a new era of Measles, Mumps, and Polio by redirecting funding from the Vaccines for Children program and revoking vaccine recommendations. He thinks we should slow down investment and research into infectious disease, because we just had a global pandemic, surely another won't be hot on its heels! It's a waste of time and resources to be prepared for something like that, apparently. He's also constantly peddling ridiculous conspiracy theories, like the pandemic being planned and wireless tech causing cancer. RFK heading up the Department of Health and Human Services is completely insane. He ran against Trump for President, but turned to kiss the ring when his campaign fell to pieces and Trump welcomed him into the fold to be a bear in an operating room.

These are just a few of the wild and scary nominations for the upcoming administration. I haven't even mentioned the Fox host for Defense Secretary (Pete Hegseth), puppy killing governor for Department of Homeland Security (Kristi Noem), gas executive for Department of Energy (Chris Wright), wrestling executive for Department of Education (Linda McMahon), co-author of Project 2025 for head of the budget office (Russell Vought), etc, etc, etc.The list goes on an on, every day.

OH and we can't forget Musk following him around, whispering in his ear and participating in calls with foreign officials.

One of two things has to be true. Either Trump really believes these people are perfectly qualified and will serve their positions well, or he knows they aren't and they won't. By injecting intentional incompetence into our government, it is more easily dismantled. We can't afford to sink back into our bubbles and watch the next 4 years unfold. We need to engage, participate, speak out, and do everything we can to advocate for and protect ourselves and each other. It seems like it's going to be a wild ride; buckle in and keep an eye out for your marginalized friends.