Gaetz withdraws from AG consideration

[twenty02]

There is a chance to do something worthwhile here and I don't like the early returns.

This I find pretty hilarious. After all this time, people still believe this entire operation is actually more than a personal vanity project.

Really are an amazing amount of suckers in this country. I'll be happy to bet Trump leaves office with an approval rating in the 30s.

 

[Joe_Hoopsier]

Rectum hell, damn near killed um

 

[Courtsensetwo]

No they aren't.

So this was always the risk of a Trump Presidency Round Dos. There are some points that they have that I think are valid. There are parts of the DOJ and other agencies that got out of line for political reasons. That should be cleaned up. I also am very familiar with issues within the Federal service that could use an overhaul. To do that requires smart people and a level of tact to make sure that reforms stick. Gaetz is a petulant child. Reform won't happen at the DOJ because he won't be able to work his way through it. Musk and Ramaswamy have already made a joke out of what they are saying they are going to do and they've turned that into a gimmick as well and that goes beyond just the name of their "Department".

This is the Trump that couldn't navigate COVID.

On the other hand, some of the other picks should be fine. Guess we'll see how it goes.

Yeah MG is by definition of getting out of line for political reasons. Just aterrible decision after Trump made some good ones.

 

[twenty02]

While you’re certainly right that the source of our fiscal train wreck is entitlement cost, I’d push back a little bit on your larger point.

First, any cost savings that could be found and realized would be a positive thing…even if it amounts to dipping a ladle into a bathtub.

Second, and more importantly, there are reasons other than cost and deficits to pare/streamline government and its bureaucracies. There are so many things related to government that are complicated, time-consuming, and pointless that could and should be simplified. It’s almost always the bottleneck.

That doesn’t mean this Vivek/Musk thing isn’t a gimmick. I’d love nothing more than to see a genuine, concerted effort to streamline government, whatever its impact on our budget disaster. And I’m certainly not sold this is it.

Still, I don’t agree that such an effort would be for naught unless it reduced entitlement costs.

The discretionary side of the budget had been squeezed tight since 2010. There isn't much juice there. Also most people and companies have little direct interaction with the federal govt outside of filing tax returns and getting benefits via Medicare and SS.

It's most often the state or local... Which may get back stopped with federal funding. Example being Medicaid.

I'm fine with cutting red tape and any inefficiency found with the Feds, and it's often more an issue for mid size firm and larger mgmt class. But that seems like boilerplate language that will have little impact on the majority of people's lives.

 

[Courtsensetwo]

"He's not qualified" is absolutely comical coming from the party that just made Kamala Harris their nominee and the VP for 4 years.

How about when it comes from people that are not Dems and did not want Harris around?

Now what?

 

[Joe_Hoopsier]

And Trump gets rid of a troublemaker in the House.

Told you he was playing 4D chess.

If he doesn’t get confirmed, Desantis can appoint him the the empty Senate seat. Whoboi

 

[IUCrazy2]

This I find pretty hilarious. After all this time, people still believe this entire operation is actually more than a personal vanity project.

Really are an amazing amount of suckers in this country. I'll be happy to bet Trump leaves office with an approval rating in the 30s.

No, I do believe that it is a vanity project for him. We had two turds to vote for. I was kind of hoping we would get some worthwhile appointments below him that could move some things. He has gone that way on some picks and the other way on some others.

I went into this election wide eyed, I didn't get suckered into anything. Stupidity was always the risk. We'll see how it plays out.

 

[dbmhoosier]

 

[hoot1]

Awful pick. Huge ripple affect. No good attorneys will want to serve under that clown.

CoH, who would you pick?

 

[Willdog7]

Is the House Ethics Committee still investigating him for sex with a minor and drug use?

I guess being investigated isn't technically disqualifying, but come on.

It goes to show you, how serious trump and Maga are. The Whitehouse is home for criminals, pedophiles, and rapists. Its what people voted for a total clown show plus total immunity for the police.

 

[crazed_hoosier2]

The discretionary side of the budget had been squeezed tight since 2010. There isn't much juice there. Also most people and companies have little direct interaction with the federal govt outside of filing tax returns and getting benefits via Medicare and SS.

It's most often the state or local... Which may get back stopped with federal funding. Example being Medicaid.

I'm fine with cutting red tape and any inefficiency found with the Feds, and it's often more an issue for mid size firm and larger mgmt class. But that seems like boilerplate language that will have little impact on the majority of people's lives.

With all due respect, these aren’t counter-arguments.

Again, I’m far from certain that what we’re seeing or likely to end up seeing is the effort I’d like to see. I’m not necessarily disputing your characterization of this as a gimmick.

I’d be more impressed if he’d chosen Mitch Daniels to head it up. He has a track record on this.

But red tape is a problem, whether it’s something that an average person encounters or not. And I’m not as convinced as you are that there aren’t some cost savings to be found in the discretionary budget.

However, I hardly expect to see anything actually lead to budgetary action.

 

[Spartans9312]

With all due respect, these aren’t counter-arguments.

Again, I’m far from certain that what we’re seeing or likely to end up seeing is the effort I’d like to see. I’m not necessarily disputing your characterization of this as a gimmick.

I’d be more impressed if he’d chosen Mitch Daniels to head it up. He has a track record on this.

But red tape is a problem, whether it’s something that an average person encounters or not. And I’m not as convinced as you are that there aren’t some cost savings to be found in the discretionary budget.

However, I hardly expect to see anything actually lead to budgetary action.

I’m just glad that this is where Vivek landed….heading up the Doggie.

Make him feel important

 

[twenty02]

With all due respect, these aren’t counter-arguments.

Again, I’m far from certain that what we’re seeing or likely to end up seeing is the effort I’d like to see. I’m not necessarily disputing your characterization of this as a gimmick.

I’d be more impressed if he’d chosen Mitch Daniels to head it up. He has a track record on this.

But red tape is a problem, whether it’s something that an average person encounters or not. And I’m not as convinced as you are that there aren’t some cost savings to be found in the discretionary budget.

However, I hardly expect to see anything actually lead to budgetary action.

It's a complete gimmick. We did this shit 15 years ago and already know the answers. Nobody world do anything then, they won't do anything now. Particularly when you have a President that vows not to touch any of the core issues.

National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[snarlcakes]

This I find pretty hilarious. After all this time, people still believe this entire operation is actually more than a personal vanity project.

Really are an amazing amount of suckers in this country. I'll be happy to bet Trump leaves office with an approval rating in the 30s.

lol.....approval ratings? Crying about cabinet picks is what nerds and dorks do, but nobody else cares. Are you auditioning for the shit lib club on here? Look the economy is going to do well, real wages will outpace, they'll secure the border, and they'll make progress on Bitcoin.

 

[twenty02]

lol.....approval ratings? Crying about cabinet picks is what nerds and dorks do, but nobody else cares. Are you auditioning for the shit lib club on here? Look the economy is going to do well, real wages will outpace, they'll secure the border, and they'll make progress on Bitcoin.

Dorks post about Bitcoin in every comment.

 

[crazed_hoosier2]

It's a complete gimmick. We did this shit 15 years ago and already know the answers. Nobody world do anything then, they won't do anything now. Particularly when you have a President that vows not to touch any of the core issues.

National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Oh, I agree on that. I applauded Obama for putting the Bowles-Simpson Commission together. And I loved that it included some sitting elected officials from both parties.

And they actually did come up with a good roadmap - and it also produced some good alternatives that didn’t get the Commission’s endorsement.

But nothing was ever acted upon by policymakers. I mostly blame Obama for that. It was his commission, and he abandoned it once it had given him what he asked for.

 

[mcmurtry66]

It's a complete gimmick. We did this shit 15 years ago and already know the answers. Nobody world do anything then, they won't do anything now. Particularly when you have a President that vows not to touch any of the core issues.

National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

In fairness we’ve never had someone like Musk involved, coupled with a guy like trump who likely doesn’t give a shit. There may be an opportunity. Not sure either are aware of the APA but let’s see

The alternative was transformative and expansion of the welfare state. Cradle to grave etc. I’ll take this

 

[Cortez88]

I apologize if this has been answered already, but what exactly is this “deep state” that the biggest Trump fans get all hot and bothered about? Who’s involved? How does it work? What does it do?

 

[twenty02]

In fairness we’ve never had someone like Musk involved, coupled with a guy like trump who likely doesn’t give a shit. There may be an opportunity. Not sure either are aware of the APA but let’s see

The alternative was transformative and expansion of the welfare state. Cradle to grave etc. I’ll take this

Are they going to cut SS/Medicare benefits and/or increase FICA taxes?

If not, then they need to quit now. Posers.

 

[snarlcakes]

Dorks post about Bitcoin in every comment.

That's blasphemy.

 

[mrhighlife]

Probably hire Ronald McDonald as White House chef.

Ronald is overqualified for this administration.

 

[mcmurtry66]

Are they going to cut SS/Medicare benefits and/or increase FICA taxes?

If not, then they need to quit now. Posers.

That can be cured lifting caps etc. there are numerous agencies in need of audit review. We saw that was patent over the last four years. Cdc alone. Let them go at it

 

[snarlcakes]

With all due respect, these aren’t counter-arguments.

Again, I’m far from certain that what we’re seeing or likely to end up seeing is the effort I’d like to see. I’m not necessarily disputing your characterization of this as a gimmick.

I’d be more impressed if he’d chosen Mitch Daniels to head it up. He has a track record on this.

But red tape is a problem, whether it’s something that an average person encounters or not. And I’m not as convinced as you are that there aren’t some cost savings to be found in the discretionary budget.

However, I hardly expect to see anything actually lead to budgetary action.

Twenty is correct on the deficit side (assuming he has a point besides b#tching), but he's wrong on the amount of red tape, regulations, and etc. If Musk/Vivek do a good job they have an opportunity to get GDP growth to 5%. I'll add the government has grown significantly since Covid, which is an area they should be able to cut some, hopefully.

 

[twenty02]

That can be cured lifting caps etc. there are numerous agencies in need of audit review. We saw that was patent over the last four years. Cdc alone. Let them go at it

Sure if they want to go at it, I don't care. There are people who do this kind of oversight/watchdog both internal and external to govt as a full time job. There isn't any great revelation to come. Smoke and mirrors and the sheep suck it up.

 

[BradStevens]

 

[mcmurtry66]

Sure if they want to go at it, I don't care. There are people who do this kind of oversight/watchdog with internal and external to govt as a full time job. There isn't any great revelation to come. Smoke and mirrors and the sheep suck it up.

Except that they have not done worth a shit. Cdc alone was grossly negligent despite an obscene budget. IGs are largely the same ilk as gs bureaucrats justifying their jobs. Get some true outsiders.

 

[twenty02]

Except that they have not done worth a shit. Cdc alone was grossly negligent despite an obscene budget. IGs are largely the same ilk as gs bureaucrats justifying their jobs. Get some true outsiders.

Let's test it out. What issue with CDC are you specifically talking about?

 

[BradStevens]

This RNC delegate (and former Navy Seal) from Wisconsin got the chance of a lifetime to call Matt Gaetz an asshole to his face…and boy did he take it. Gaetz’s childish response was “Dude, I don’t even know who you are.”

This is an enjoyable video.

View embedded media

Gaetz just has "entitled Frat boy" written all over him.

 

[mcmurtry66]

Let's test it out. What issue with CDC are you specifically talking about?

Everything Covid related. Antiquated tracking. Kits fckd up. Labs were declared filthy and grossly negligent. NYT did an entire piece on how worthless they are. Shit WHO. Biden. I will immediate cut them a check. Trump. No. Let’s find out why they fckd up first. Stop rubber stamping shit.

 

[Ohio Guy]

It goes to show you, how serious trump and Maga are. The Whitehouse is home for criminals, pedophiles, and rapists. Its what people voted for a total clown show plus total immunity for the police.

You know, this makes me think that candidates should have to submit a proposed list of appointees/potential cabinet members before the election. Let the people really know what they’re voting for.

 

[mcmurtry66]

Gaetz just has "entitled Frat boy" written all over him.

He’ll have an indecent exposure within 18 months

 

[mrhighlife]

I found video of Gaetz working with Trump's team for the upcoming confirmation hearing...

 

[BradStevens]

I've posted this forever but discretionary spending is historically within range.

We run massive deficits because we can't control the mandatory side of the budget. It's a very simple math problem, but one that nobody will admit.

Quit passing out money to old people and we have no problem.

You start. Take a 25% reduction in your Medicare benefit. You are the problem

I have a 100 year old grandfather. It's great that our modern world can keep him around. He's still vibrant and can get around on his own and have great conversation. He's a WW2 vet that served in the Navy in the Pacific..

I've got two parents in their 80s and 70s that will likely live a long time too... Including an 83v year old dad that just had some colon cancer removed. And has a clean bill of health.

It's incredible how far medicine has taken us with extendeing longevity. And we all want that for ourselves and our loved ones.

But we have tax and care systems built on actuary tables from 40+ years ago. All we're doing is lying and totally fkning younger people with enormous liabilities. And it's just basic insurance. Nothing to do with overspending on normal govt operations

We spend $6T. $2T is on government..The rest is all interest and money for old people. We only bring in about $4.5T in revenue

 

[BradStevens]

Two rich guys with big egos put in charge of a fake department to start inputting efficiencies over agencies they don't understand with an arbitrary end date in the middle of 2026.

Here is an A to Z index of every government agency:

A-Z index of U.S. government departments and agencies | USAGov

Get contact information for U.S. federal government agencies, departments, corporations, instrumentalities, and government-sponsored enterprises. Find websites, email, phone numbers, addresses, and more.

www.usa.gov

They are giving themselves a year and a half to go through and make recommendations about increasing efficiency. That is maybe an couple days per agency to learn systems needs and what each agency does. What kind of quality do you think we are going to get out of those recommendations? If it is going to be large sweeping declarations (cut regulations and decrease staff) then job is already done. I don't see how they are going to be able to go through and increase efficiency through robotics and systems, that is already occurring but happens at a slow pace because of funding.

They got their name by making an acronym out of Elon's bitcoin, they set an impossibly small timeline for real reform, and one of the principal partners has taken to posting memes on his platform to get the attention he craves. Ramaswamy appears to be taking it somewhat seriously but his partner isn't so far. Frankly I could save them all time, cut the regulatory authority Vivek has mentioned, make it easier to let underperforming employees go, and dust off Simpson-Bowles. There is your start and it didn't take two rich dudes and a made up new department to do it.

@DANC to answer your question on Gaetz it is the same thing. Burning political capital to what? Troll? You don't like the pick either because Gaetz has shown to be a child who will cut off his nose to spite his face and undermine everyone he has to work with in one swoop to boost his ego. His own party hates him. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if the dislike was related to him being able to force through unpopular positions that people that voted for Trump think we need. That isn't it though. They dislike him because he is a stupid dick. I don't want a stupid dick trying to clean up DOJ. You are likely to get a shitty job out of that. That is if he even makes it that far. How much political capital will Trump spend with his own party to try and get a stupid dick elected to a position he is likely to be no good at? Trump is a lame duck from day one. He has a 4 year expiration date and then his movement likely dies. I see all this Don Jr. talk and there is no way I am voting to turn this into a monarchy in 2028. Trump's first administration was bogged down because he couldn't get people to work with him. This seems like shooting himself in the foot and I don't think it was some kind of 4D chess to get Gaetz out of the house.

There is a chance to do something worthwhile here and I don't like the early returns.

Don't worry. Musk and Vivek have two of the best consultants in the business who are going to help out:

 

[BradStevens]

And true. Which is the point of so many of these picks. Trump doesn’t trust them, so he’s bringing in his own team to remove them all. Get the rot out of the system. This is going to be epic.

 

[jet812]

Two rich guys with big egos put in charge of a fake department to start inputting efficiencies over agencies they don't understand with an arbitrary end date in the middle of 2026.

Here is an A to Z index of every government agency:

A-Z index of U.S. government departments and agencies | USAGov

Get contact information for U.S. federal government agencies, departments, corporations, instrumentalities, and government-sponsored enterprises. Find websites, email, phone numbers, addresses, and more.

www.usa.gov

They are giving themselves a year and a half to go through and make recommendations about increasing efficiency. That is maybe an couple days per agency to learn systems needs and what each agency does. What kind of quality do you think we are going to get out of those recommendations? If it is going to be large sweeping declarations (cut regulations and decrease staff) then job is already done. I don't see how they are going to be able to go through and increase efficiency through robotics and systems, that is already occurring but happens at a slow pace because of funding.

They got their name by making an acronym out of Elon's bitcoin, they set an impossibly small timeline for real reform, and one of the principal partners has taken to posting memes on his platform to get the attention he craves. Ramaswamy appears to be taking it somewhat seriously but his partner isn't so far. Frankly I could save them all time, cut the regulatory authority Vivek has mentioned, make it easier to let underperforming employees go, and dust off Simpson-Bowles. There is your start and it didn't take two rich dudes and a made up new department to do it.

@DANC to answer your question on Gaetz it is the same thing. Burning political capital to what? Troll? You don't like the pick either because Gaetz has shown to be a child who will cut off his nose to spite his face and undermine everyone he has to work with in one swoop to boost his ego. His own party hates him. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if the dislike was related to him being able to force through unpopular positions that people that voted for Trump think we need. That isn't it though. They dislike him because he is a stupid dick. I don't want a stupid dick trying to clean up DOJ. You are likely to get a shitty job out of that. That is if he even makes it that far. How much political capital will Trump spend with his own party to try and get a stupid dick elected to a position he is likely to be no good at? Trump is a lame duck from day one. He has a 4 year expiration date and then his movement likely dies. I see all this Don Jr. talk and there is no way I am voting to turn this into a monarchy in 2028. Trump's first administration was bogged down because he couldn't get people to work with him. This seems like shooting himself in the foot and I don't think it was some kind of 4D chess to get Gaetz out of the house.

There is a chance to do something worthwhile here and I don't like the early returns.

I haven’t seen any specific stated objectives. I’m not sure how hands on they will be with each dept or if, for example they may try to identify, using tools that have been effective in business, which depts can have the greatest impact & focus on those. There is a lot of pearl clutching going on about this without any real idea what will happen, but that’s what folks do now.🤷

 

[BCCHoosier]

And true. Which is the point of so many of these picks. Trump doesn’t trust them, so he’s bringing in his own team to remove them all. Get the rot out of the system. This is going to be epic.

You guys are like a bunch of drunk frat guys watching MMA on a Saturday night. You have no idea of what a wrecking ball can do when placed in the wrong hands.

Read a few of Crazy's posts and try and learn. Don't be like DBM where you literally touch yourself every time Trump makes a move.

 

[BadWakeboarder]

Are you a bit concerned that Republican congressmen have stated that Gaetz showed them racy pictures of his teen "dates" on his phone and joked about crushing Viagra tablets into energy drinks to keep up?
That would be some "frame up" wouldn't it?

Sounds like just another weekend in DuPont Circle.

 

[BradStevens]

It's a complete gimmick. We did this shit 15 years ago and already know the answers. Nobody world do anything then, they won't do anything now. Particularly when you have a President that vows not to touch any of the core issues.

National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

And 15 years before that:

Reinventing Government -- Two Decades Later

A look back at Al Gore's efforts to bring private-sector efficiency into a more results-oriented federal space.

www.govexec.com

 

[Cortez88]

Sounds like just another weekend in DuPont Circle.

Well, unless there are chicks. Then it’s completely different.