After yesterday's confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, it's clear that Trump's nominees will be given a free ride. I break down the most appalling moments of the hearing, and look at who might be able to prevent Hegseth's confirmation:
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Steve Schmidt
So, Senator Mullin seems to think quite a few senators show up drunk to vote when the vote is late at night; apparently, he thinks that is OK and reasons from that, that a drunk as Secretary of Defense is acceptable.
Maybe the Senate should exercise the right to remove a Senator who is habitually drunk. Maybe they should use their power to refuse to confirm a drunk for S of D.
Maybe, scratch that qualifying word, Mullin is an idiot, liar, and partisan hack who would crawl up Trump's ass to be in his favor.
Mullin is a stupid and vacuous human. It is not a relevant analogy. Being a drunk Senator (if there is such a thing) is not equivalent to being a drunk Secretary of Defense.
I live in the northeast part of the country. I wish the south would have seceded after the civil war. Mullin, Tuberville, Cruz, Blackburn, Katie Britt, John Kennedy. The worst the south has to offer.
We should have allowed them to be a separate nation. The weight of slavery, injustice, hate, and incompetence would have led to internal reforms.
I started writing my comment yesterday but just now posted. Now, upon reading yours, I realize my post is a similar sentiment but you stated it most succinctly.
I see that Markwayne Mullin is prominent in this video. One of the dimmest bulbs on American soil. Our existential danger is of our own making.
Hegseth was Trumps choice to head DOD not despite his many flaws but rather because of those shortcomings. Trump learned a few things during term 1, not the least of which was to avoid hiring serious people who could undermine his rule. Hegseths nomination is a perfect example of that newfound wisdom. Hegseth is a clueless, deeply flawed stooge who is thrilled about his unexpected good fortune and who will just say "yes, sir" no matter what insanity Trump directs him to do. We will be very fortunate if we get through Trump 2 with only minor damage.
Excellent point.
I think you are exactly right.
Please get this commentary into Jodi Ernst’s inbox. And Chuck Schumer’s. For their ears!
I do believe that Mr. Schmidt's disdain for Schumer exceeds mine...and that's an accomplishment! Schumer cares not for americans...his attitude is let's just try to get thru this and maybe...just maybe it'll work out. He's cut from Biden and Pelosi mold. They are dinosaurs who didn't have a f*cking clue as to how to quell this fascist, international team of gangsters and now we will pay a very high price. What was Dem strategy?? To cull the worst and let the rest slide?? They couldnt even stop Hegseth!! Well once again Drumpf has outmaneuvered feckless Dems and will deliver a dec apitation strike that Vladimir Putin could only dream about. Dictator loving Bondi shall slide too....decapitation the rule of law within the U.S. The other, however many cab officials, are just icing on the cake. Truly a tragedy.
Someone here is an Ernst constituent… send it to her!
These confirmation hearings are nothing more than show hearings. The outcomes are pretty much baked in and will come as no surprise. This is autocracy at its finest.
Everyone needs to Hear this, if the table was turned, and a Democrat answered questions like this, the seat would Not have been Filled. Good Grief... Thanks, Steve, glad you're here 🙏 and will reStack ASAP 💯👍
From Mother Goose, we learn that Pam Bondi is as willing to lie for Trump as any of the other nominees for high office; she is likely, this liar and sycophant more loyal to Trump than the United Staes, to be our next AG. This is a tragedy; it portends extreme trouble for all Americans, especially those who share our views:
"At her confirmation hearing Wednesday, Pam Bondi probably assured she will become attorney general. She did that, however, by pretending to be an idiot. The former Florida attorney general and lobbyist refused to confirm or deny that Trump lost the 2020 election, declined to oppose pardons for violent January 6 attackers, would not say if she would carry out an illegal order from Trump, and professed ignorance of a wide array of controversial statements by the incoming president.
Does she concur with Trump’s frequent public descriptions of people convicted of attacking Congress on January 6 as 'patriots' and 'hostages,' asked Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). 'I am not familiar with that statement,' Bondi said. Does she agree with Trump’s infamous statement, which echoes rhetoric used by Adolph Hitler, that immigrants are 'poisoning the blood of our country?' Bond said, 'I am not familiar with that statement.'”
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/01/pam-bondi-trump-senate-confirmation-hearing/
Pam Bondi is a damn LIAR and traitor just like the OAF (Orange Asinine 34x Felon)!!
I fear that the incompetence will lead to tragedy on our soil. Those that are responsible will point fingers and people pay the price. I fear that he will not respect the rules of engagement and people will pay the price. I fear that his leadership of our military will degrade their standing to where it was at during Vietnam. It took strong leadership to pull our forces back into the respect the they have now from us. I remember the era the anger towards our Vets, I fear it happening in spectacular fashion, all because weak people want to please a deranged ideology of 45/47 and his yes MINIONS.
Thank you Steve for quickly putting into words what I can barely wrap my head around. You are absolutely right, the senate has fallen. I hope that you are also right that the people will rise up and be the ones to set things straight.
I so appreciate your terrific posts and videos, they are keeping me sane.
In 2021, Grover Norquist said, "I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."
It looks like Trump's nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget is going to work as hard as he can to fulfill Grover's sick desire and leave millions of Americans in desperate need of help, whether from natural disaster, poverty, or illness, to fend for themselves:
"Mr. Vought would bring a partisan and ideological viewpoint to the agency. A longtime fiscal hawk and self-described Christian nationalist, he previously worked for groups such as Heritage Action for America, the House Republican Conference and the Republican Study Committee.
Mr. Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a conservative think tank, and was an architect of Project 2025. That document was an effort by conservative groups to develop detailed policy ideas and executive actions that Mr. Trump could take to tear down and rebuild executive government institutions in a way that would enhance presidential power.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/15/business/russell-vought-budget-office-confirmation-hearing.html
Shouldn't someone who acknowledges he is a Christian Nationalist be automatically disqualified for high office? By stating that he is an CN, he is admitting he opposes the First amendment and thus incapable of protecting and defending our Constitution.
Pure Powerful Excellence, Steve! Keep hitting hard! 🥊🥊❤️🥊🥊🙏
This a sham and a shame. The world is watching. Putin is cheering. Democracy is on the line!
Disgusting Republican Senators 🤢
Steve, thank you for calling a spade a spade or in more vulgar terms a turd a turd! Joni Ernst failed at castrasting hogs in Iowa, so she decided to castrate the greatest military in the world! She is as big a traitor as the OAF (Orange Asinine 34x Felon)!
And hopefully all the idiots who voted for him get what they deserve. I hope they lose their ass and all the millionaires driving around in their dream cars complaining about the economy and inflation lose everything.
I guess I watched a different hearing yesterday. I thought the Democrats did an intelligent job interrogating this Trump wannabe. The Republicans on this panel questioning his qualifications was pathetic. They were auditioning for Trump's next ass licker position.
I thought the Dems looked fine too, but unfortunately the R's are in the majority and will push this guy through despite being completely unqualified. He lied and equivocated so there wasn't much else to be done.
mark wayne mullin shows his complete ignorance of the enormous responsibility required by the US Secty of Defense and sets the lowest bar possible for what USED to be one of the most esteemed organizations in the world while spitting on all citizens of the United States of America.. His mother must be so proud.
As all these snakes slither through the Senate hearings, the project 2025 crew is readying their blitz. As Steve has pointed out on numerous occasions, what is coming will shock America. By the way, the Coast Guard is not part of DOD. It resides under the Department of Homeland Security and the care and feeding by none other than Kristi Noem. What a mess.
It use to be that we had to wait awhile to find out some appointed officials were corrupt and/or incompetent. But now, thanks to Trump, we can get that out of the way before they take office since that seems to be the criteria by which he selects them.
Mullin is just another Trump COWARD! He will NOT (he will dare not) stand up to Trump! Because he also, like Ernst, has the Trump INFECTION/SICKNESS, Deep State, Project 2025 disease. All hail King Donnie...... They are selling out the safety of America with the likes of Hegseth. A totally UNFIT and UNQUALIFIED person to lead the Dept. of Defense ever! While Trump and these lackeys will be going after their own citizens and Americans (just like he did at the hearing (And he did get schooled at the hearing by Sen. Reed) - Donnie would be so proud) - our enemies will be making plans to take us down and take us out because Trump is so focused on attacking Americans who do not bow down to him that he and they will not be paying attention to the real threats foreign and domestic. Deaf, Dumb, and Blind and with each passing day they become more so........... The WORST, THE VERY WORST possible "leaders" of all time for America......... No one is America should sleep well knowing these boneheads are in charge!!!!! Bad things are going to happen to America and Americans BECAUSE these people will be running these agencies. Sadly the REAL THREATS to America are FROM THESE BONEHEADS!!!!
They are all idiots. What else can you expect from Trump trash? I’m tuned out until he’s dead. Wish the media would do the same. You would think they’d have learned from last time. Hopefully won’t be four years.
Yep, even by the Supreme Court.
I have watched portions of the various Senate hearings. The only one that seemed relatively normal was Marco Rubio. He did not filibuster like the others and gave reasonable answers from what I watched.
As for the others, the mantra seems to be that they are change agents because that is what Trump wants of them. So we have what we have. The MAGA Senators are so cowed that they seem like miniature Mike Dewine’s running for their lives. Or they are so abjectly stupid that it does not matter what they say.
I think the best thing to do is carry on with our lives and not worry about things beyond our control. Perhaps there will be better days ahead.
When Steve Schmidt runs out of words you KNOW it's bad. A "moral and ethical Chernobyl" pretty much says it all. Glad I have been unable to watch the Hearings. Hegseth gives me more than cold chills; he is every woman's (and man's) worst nightmare. An entitled masochist. God help us. 💔🙏🇺🇸
Hegseth, Bondi et al. are perfect for Trump. Why would we think he’d choose any one of quality or competence this time around when Trump received the “A ok” from our Supreme Court and from so many other hollow souls? Hollow is in!
We are born with a great variance when it comes to the inclination to do the right thing. That’s why education is so important. At one time it developed more other centeredness in people. It was our great balancer. Please listen to teacher whistleblowers at WhiteChalkCrime.com since authentic schools - what we don’t have enough of for decades now - are essential for accessing our better angels.
If our great intellectual leaders like you continue to ignore the rot that hollowed out our schools, we must expect Trump-like characters leading us. I can assure you that most of them are less hollow than the superintendent for whom I worked as a teacher. (Donald does top my former boss!)
Our schools made half of us dumb enough to give Hitler a second chance. And they made most of the other half too shallow to learn about education and do something about it. It takes work, what people like Trump and his kind avoid like the plague. Our celebrity over substance culture would not have reached the low it has if not for our corrupt schools that are of little interest to governmental or thought leaders. That’s what must change. They must do the work so more of their followers will too! So many answers can be found by studying what education has become.
Plus there’s a solution if we do that - good people can take over school boards and make our schools do their intended job - hold this democracy together.
Thank you Steve. For your righteous indignation. This is why I subscribe. Justice, Justice. We need to pursue it, no matter how hard it is or how long it may take.
The malevolence snd incompetence are the point. Trump wants to tear down the country. These are his choices, ALL of the nominees, to rapidly and efficiently begin the destruction.
And the populace CHOSE it. They voted for it.
Stalin would have loved this cabinet of clowns, but only for a Court Comedy. Hitler would not have even sniffed at it. Russians at least have soul and know how to laugh, not Germans.
As a silent producer of this Theater of the Ridiculous, Stalin would have backed this show.
Happy Halloween
Feels like Mischief Night to me.
Where are the people that want to fight back together?! Anyone with half a brain cell can see this is really REALLY bad. I will work with anyone who will put aside their (D) or (R) or even (I) affiliations to put our country over party!! We need to UNITE under something more powerful than letters in the f-alphabet. They are meaningless now. No more hating the other! Are you not tired of being manipulated, gaslit, and propagandized? I AM! We should be afraid, very afraid. FML how is this real?? #exhausted #GenXer
If you or I showed up drunk at work I'm sure there would be severe repercussions. To hear that this is a regular occurrence in the Senate is abominable yet Mullin seems quite accepting of this behavior. When public officials are sworn into office should we now include in their oath a prohibition on drinking? Asking for the country.
Welcome to the United States of Dystopia.
On a lighter note: Amy Winehouse... tried to make go to rehab... Nice Touch, Steve. Well played.
I wonder what the confirmation of Hegseth will do to the military. Will people leave? Will no one join?
Drunk Senators voting? Why HAVEN’T they been thrown out? Good grief.
GOP DEI at its best at the confirmations
This was the last straw, Steve. The incessant ranting about people we already know are deplorable is tiresome. You don't need to pile on. Adios and good luck.