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Trump names former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence


With apologies in case this has already been posted.

NPR Report

Comments

  • She was never actually a Democrat. But in order to win in Hawaii, you must call yourself a Democrat. There's maybe 6 seats in the State House not belonging to Dems. The State Dem Party has rescinded her Party credential. But that's old news. Dir. of Nat'l Intelligence? Not any more fitting than any of the others the Orange Scofflaw has picked.
  • "Gabbard is stunningly unqualified for almost any Cabinet post (as are some of Trump’s other picks), but especially for ODNI. She has no qualifications as an intelligence professional—literally none. (She is a reserve lieutenant colonel who previously served in the Hawaii Army National Guard, with assignments in medical, police, and civil-affairs-support positions. She has won some local elections and also represented Hawaii in Congress.)

    She has no significant experience directing or managing much of anything.

    Her appointment would be a threat to the security of the United States." - The Atlantic

  • Exactly. And even Russian media outlet RT has used her words in their propaganda.
  • "Gabbard is stunningly unqualified for almost any Cabinet post (as are some of Trump’s other picks), but especially for ODNI. She has no qualifications as an intelligence professional—literally none."

    Isn't that a pre-requisite for a Trump selection?

    I'm actually surprised that it wasn't MTG or Kari Lake.
  • He's likely saving MTG for Education Secretary.
  • Mark said:

    "Gabbard is stunningly unqualified for almost any Cabinet post (as are some of Trump’s other picks), but especially for ODNI. She has no qualifications as an intelligence professional—literally none."

    Isn't that a pre-requisite for a Trump selection?

    I'm actually surprised that it wasn't MTG or Kari Lake.

    It is clear that Trump is creating a top team of loyalists with few qualifications. I would think that our Trump supporting friends such as chang, Baseball_Fan, and FD1000 see that. It would be nice if they would share their opinions on this issue.
  • edited November 17
    If Biden’s cabinet represents “experience” and “qualifications”, let’s try something else.

    Trump won a decisive, crushing victory. The American people rejected the progressive con job. Inflation is so bad that even a billion dollars couldn’t buy an election (though she tried her best). Trump won in a landslide, taking the Senate and House. He has a sweeping mandate. You may not like it, and you can wallow in TDS and post here every day for the next 4 (12? 20?) years, but America decided.

    image

    Draining the swamp isn’t going to be easy, so of course Trump needs loyalists in order to avoid cabinet backstabbing crap. There’s going to be serious pushback from the Washington insiders and elites that need to go. It’s his victory, his mandate, and his choice. America decided. You’ll have to accept that.

    Meltdown in 3, 2, 1, …
  • edited November 17
    chang said:


    Trump won a decisive, crushing victory.

    You may not like it, and you can wallow in TDS and post here every day for the next 4 (12? 20?) years, but America decided.

    America decided. You’ll have to accept that.

    Meltdown in 3, 2, 1, …

    Welcome back to MFO. Have you returned from vacation in Thailand to your home in Andorra? Did you visit your old neighborhood in Bangkok?

    No meltdown. However, your dribble is easy for you to say 4,000 miles away. You do not have to deal with this disfunction. So far, Trump has received 49.96% of the popular vote while Harris received 48.24%. And you say "Trump won a decisive, crushing victory"? I say that half the people were very concerned before Trump's cabinet picks and now a bunch more who voted for Trump are very concerned. Do you think well over 50% of 2024 voters are troubled with his cabinet picks?
  • edited November 17
    @Old_Joe - I considered that but wasn't the Education Department one they were going to get rid of? Maybe there will be a new truth department to go along with the doge department.

    Edit: Interesting that Heather Cox Richardson discussed the elimination of the Department of Education in her letter today.

    HCR Letter
  • edited November 17
    I thought this popular vote count issue had been beaten to death after the 2016 election. Campaigns are run to win the electoral vote, not the popular vote. The popular vote doesn’t matter because that’s not what the candidates campaigned to win. Trump won the electoral vote in a landslide and swept all seven states that were remotely close. Think of the election as a 7-0 victory.
  • I want to apologize. I did not mean to imply that you are Asian from Bangkok, even though if you were, that would be great. We know that you are Caucasian from outside of Boston.

    Are you back in Andorra?

  • We'll never be rid of the ridiculous Electoral College. A useful anachronism the Repugnant Party relies upon so that the minority can rule the majority. Not always, but it's happened. GWB, DJT. And Rutherford B. Hayes vs. Tilden. What a hairy mess. The same kind of hairy mess in some ways that DJT was trying to finagle after his 2020 loss.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1876_United_States_elections

    A way around the EC:
    So that the EC vote and popular vote are aligned:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Popular_Vote_Interstate_Compact

  • Crash said:

    We'll never be rid of the ridiculous Electoral College. A useful anachronism the Repugnant Party relies upon so that the minority can rule the majority.

    Bingo. We like to think our system is just, but its the complete opposite. The GOP has it's finger on the scale.


    Hey, isn't Andorra where the Ewoks were from?

    Can't wait to see where Kari Lake...who is currently "available"....lands within the circus. I wouldn't let MTG manage a fast-food restaurant, let alone a govt dept. They should all be issued red noses and large shoes, plus Orange already has a bunch of the face makeup.



  • edited November 17
    Have any of these names been formally submitted to Congress? I doubt it. Forsyth asserts in this week’s Barron’s that it’s these nominations that caused stocks to reverse course and fall this week. News Nation has played videos of the Fox show host who may head Defence. Caviler attitude kind of disturbing. In one he claims not to have washed his hands for 20 years. In another he says he never gets vaccinated.

    I will say PBS “Washington Week With Atlantic” did not play fair with RFK’s statement: “There’s no such thing as a safe and effective vaccine.” Technically, RFK was correct. All vaccines come with some known risks - which is what I think he was alluding to in the 5-second snippet from an obviously much longer interview they played. Come on guys. There’s enough real issues here not to pull things out of context and pile on.
  • RFK jr is anti-vaccine. Ok, fine. He is anti-Ozempic (obesity, diabetes) and other overpriced drugs. Ok, fine.

    But then he makes false claims to backup his stance.

    Per CNN article...Kennedy has falsely claimed that vaccines cause autism and that they may cause more deaths than they prevent. And that vaccines could have sparked some of the world’s deadliest pandemics.

    Kennedy claimed that Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic, doesn’t market the medicine in its home country of Denmark, where “they do not recommend it for diabetes or obesity; they recommend dietary and behavioral changes.” In fact, Denmark does use Ozempic, so much so that the Danish Medicines Agency said in May that it would restrict its use until after people had tried less expensive medications to treat diabetes.

    So you see another example of misdirection and lies coming from Orange's spokesperson. Not a good trend for the next 4 years.

  • edited November 17
    Ah, the electoral college is always guaranteed to trigger a meltdown. But that’s the campaign they both ran. The World Series isn’t won by the team who got the most runs, but by the team that wins 4 games. That’s how the managers play the game. If Trump and Kamala had run a campaign to win the popular vote, who knows what the result would be?

    Love to chat, but I’m here in Japan on MAGA business. Later, chaps.
  • Interesting that Chang won't address the uselessness and perversion caused by the existence of the EC.

    ...Kennedy is just nuts. Conspiracy theories. Anti-vax. When we were kids, we were not asked if we wouldn't mind taking the polio and tb vaccines. We were all herded into the hall and were given them. Yes, nothing is perfect. Nothing. Those who show serious after-effects must be given all necessary medical attention, it's that simple. But why lose herd immunity because the ones who (might still get to be) in charge are anti-science and anti-intellectual??? ORK!
  • edited November 17
    d
  • Do you think that Trump will change this?

    The Best Non-Extradition Countries to Save You from the U.S.

    -Andorra

    https://www.expatriationattorneys.com/non-extradition-countries-expatriation/
  • Look who came out of his protected fifedom where you can't say what you want unless they agree with it.
  • chang said:

    If Biden’s cabinet represents “experience” and “qualifications”, let’s try something else.

    Trump won a decisive, crushing victory. The American people rejected the progressive con job. Inflation is so bad that even a billion dollars couldn’t buy an election (though she tried her best). Trump won in a landslide, taking the Senate and House. He has a sweeping mandate. You may not like it, and you can wallow in TDS and post here every day for the next 4 (12? 20?) years, but America decided.

    image

    Draining the swamp isn’t going to be easy, so of course Trump needs loyalists in order to avoid cabinet backstabbing crap. There’s going to be serious pushback from the Washington insiders and elites that need to go. It’s his victory, his mandate, and his choice. America decided. You’ll have to accept that.

    Meltdown in 3, 2, 1, …

  • "Draining the swamp"....well trump and company just became "the swamp", how will they "drain themselves"?
  • Diane said:

    "Draining the swamp"....well trump and company just became "the swamp", how will they "drain themselves"?

    No sense in arguing with a MAGA troll, Diane. We are stuck with watching the new regime take down our US democracy, and gaslighting us the whole way.

    These new "loyalist" appointees are key to destabilizing our country. And Project 2025 is coming to a town near you! This is the new reality.

  • Lyrics, Ghost Of Tom Joad:
    https://genius.com/Bruce-springsteen-the-ghost-of-tom-joad-lyrics

    Performance: LOUD start.


  • You need the YouTube link

    Morello just shreds the guitar.
  • gman57 said:

    Look who came out of his protected fifedom where you can't say what you want unless they agree with it.

    I am not a member of chang's forum Big Bang. However, a friend is and I understand that he permits a few of his right wing zealots to spew, but the once a centrist or left leaning person posts an opposing viewpoint, he shuts it down.
  • Mona said:

    gman57 said:

    Look who came out of his protected fifedom where you can't say what you want unless they agree with it.

    I am not a member of chang's forum Big Bang. However, a friend is and I understand that he permits a few of his right wing zealots to spew, but the once a centrist or left leaning person posts an opposing viewpoint, he shuts it down.
    Truth.
  • edited November 19
    Hey, it's his world. If he wants to be surrounded by people who make him think he's always right like Trump so be it. We could each start our own forums if we wanted to but I'm not that narcissistic that I can only handle people who think like me. Birds of a feather and all that... comes to mind.
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