The title for today's blog was taken from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It's a line that Padme Amidala (played by Natalie Portman) uttered during the scene in the Coruscant government chamber where the audience cheered on the formation of a grand new Galactic Empire. I remembered that line and scene when I saw the U.S. election results a few weeks ago. I still can't believe that a person with 34 felony convictions is now our president-elect.
I'm not affiliated with any political party, and I'll never have a piece of political merchandise. I'd rather see the millions of dollars raised by political action committees go toward more worthwhile causes, like ending homelessness or funding schools, for example. I vote for candidates based on what they've done (or haven't done), and I research their records before making any decisions.
I paid attention to what happened during Trump's last term. Aside from a few minor instances, he really didn't do anything that significantly improved the lives of anyone who wasn't a corporate executive or very wealthy. More than $7 trillion was added to the national debt during his first term. His initial bungling of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in more than half of a million American lives being unnecessarily lost. He also refused to step down peacefully after legitimately losing his re-election bid in 2020 and incited an insurrection on the Capitol grounds. None of that would ever make me want to support him.
Unfortunately, the majority of people who voted in this year's election were okay with all of that. I'm also concerned about his Cabinet appointees. There is one glimmer of hope in the fact that Matt Gaetz, who had been accused of having sex with underage girls, stepped down from Congress and withdrew his name for consideration as Trump's Attorney General. However, his other nominees seem to have just as questionable character, including:
1. NY Congressional Representative Elise Stefanik as UN Ambassador. Stefanik has been a staunch Trump supporter since entering Congress. She also offered support for now disgraced former Congressman George Santos. Many people in her Congressional district have complained about her unwavering loyalty to Trump and her unwillingness to do much of anything to help the people that she represents. I have zero faith in her ability to do this job, which requires Senate confirmation.
2. SD Governor Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security. Noem's recent autobiography includes a story about her killing a family pet dog Cricket by shooting it in a gravel pit. Noem was apparently upset that the animal wasn't going to be a good hunting dog. This tale wasn't included in the first draft of her book, but the fact that she pushed to have it in the final version speaks volumes about her character. Noem is another Trump sycophant, who was noticeably absent while her state was enduring significant flooding earlier this year. Their governor skipped town and was out stumping for Trump, of course. She has also bragged about South Dakota being open during the worst of the pandemic. Not surprisingly, her state had the second-highest number of Covid cases. Noem speaks of the importance of family but was outed not long ago for having engaged in an affair with Corey Lewandowski. Both Noem and Lewandowski are still married to their spouses. Noem has also been a vocal proponent of building the wall, so I'm not surprised by this selection. Noem's role would also have to be approved by the US Senate.
3. Lee Zeldin as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin is a former attorney and congressman who has spoke about his desires to roll back environmental protections. The fact that he's Trump's pick to lead the EPA tells me all that I need to know about him.
4. Mike Huckabee as the US Ambassador to Israel. You may know Mike from his Relaxium commercials, or because his daughter was a former press secretary during Trump's first term. The former Arkansas governor and Fox News personality's personal religious biases may conflict with his duties in this role, which also has to be confirmed by the Senate.
5. FL Congressional Representative Mike Waltz as National Security Adviser. Waltz was the first Green Beret to be elected to the US House of Representatives. He is currently on the House's Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, and Intelligence committees. He has a strong record of military and security work, but he also aligns very closely with Trump, so I'm obviously pessimistic about this appointment that does not require Senate confirmation.
6. Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. After Gaetz, Gabbard was probably the most controversial of Trump's recent Cabinet selections. Gabbard was anti-Trump just a few years ago. She has been called a Russian asset, and her ties with that nation should definitely be examined before or during Senate confirmation proceedings.
7. Stephen Miller as Deputy Chief of Staff. From what I know of Miller, he doesn't seem to be a very happy human being. Amost every video or social media post I've seen of him talking has shown him to be a very angry individual, for one reason or another. He is a staunch Trump supporter and is strongly behind the mass deportation movement, which would impact people that I work with and our economy in general.
8. Former Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. RFK Jr quickly went from being a Trump opponent to a Trump proponent, much like several others who are now backing him. I've had reservations about RFK Jr. for quite some time. He has spoken out about vaccines and immunizations. His rhetoric in American Samoa indirectly contributed to a measles outbreak there in 2019. He's also said that "you can't trust medical advice from medical professionals." I found it rather hypocritical that he made a video about making America healthy again, and then was photographed having a Big Mac with Trump and a few of his other cronies aboard a private plane not long afterward.
9. Linda McMahon as Education Secretary. Best known as WWE founder Vince McMahon's wife, Linda has drawn scrutiny lately for having falsely claimed to have an Education degree, and for being linked with a sexual abuse lawsuit that alleges that she did nothing to prevent a ringside announcer in the 1980s and 1990s from sexually abusing and grooming children. Betsy Devos was a horrible Education Secretary. I never thought that we'd ever have anyone worse than her in that position, but if the Senate approves her nomination, Linda could quickly claim that dubious distinction.
10. Dr. Mehmet Oz as the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Most of us know this television doctor from his daytime series. Oz ran for Congress recently, losing to John Fetterman. His less than typical views on health and promotion of alternative treatments make me think that he's about as credible as Rand Paul (which is hardly at all).
11. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as co-chairs of the Department of Government Efficiency. There are very few people who've used social media who don't know who Elon Musk is. He owns Tesla and purchased the social media site Twitter (now known as X). The site has lost more than 3/4 of its value since his purchase. Musk is an unabashed Trump supporter. Ramaswamy owns a pharmaceutical company and is another former Presidential candidate. He has recently called for the end of remote work for all federal employees. It's rather ironic that this new Department of Government Efficiency requires two people to lead it, and that known Republican crackpot Marjorie Taylor Greene was recently named to head one of its subcommittees. Hopefully, this newly created department will never see the light of day.
12. FL Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. Rubio is not only from the state that houses Mar-A-Lago, but he's also another diehard Trump follower. This Latino's shocking anti-immigration views have turned some of his ardent followers away, and I don't think that he will think for himself, but then, most of Trump's most loyal devotees rarely deviate from whatever the orange man says or does.
13. Tom Homan as Border Czar. Even though Republicans called Kamala Harris the "border czar," there has never been an official role called that until now. Homan oversaw ICE for less than 2 years during Trump's first term, and was indirectly responsible for families being separated at the border during his watch. I don't expect to him improve anytime soon in this role that doesn't require Senate approval.
14. Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary. Regular weekend Fox News viewers probably know Hegseth well. He has drawn ire recently for sexual assault allegations and his tattoos that have Nazi symbolism. Hegseth is a National Guard veteran, but never advanced to the service level that many previous Defense Secretaries have. Hegseth is creepy to me, because he says that germs don't exist and that he hasn't washed his hands in 10 years.
15. Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff. Wiles is the daughter of the late football broadcaster Pat Summerall. She is a former lobbyist and member of Trump's campaign staff. Unfortunately, the Senate doesn't have to confirm her in this role.
16. John Ratcliffe for director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Ratcliffe is a former Texas congressman. He was previously nominated for Director of National Intelligence in 2019 under Trump, where he served for less than a year. During his confirmation sessions, questions arose about his history as a federal prosecutor and his qualifications in general. I wouldn't be surprised if one of his first official duties in this role, if approved by the Senate, would be to go after Trump's "enemies."
17. Russell Vought as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Even though Trump's campaign has long sworn that they have no ties with the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, Vought wrote a chapter about the Executive Office of the President that's a part of Project 2025's Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise. He is also another former Trump staffer who has a history of cutting costs. It'll be interesting to see if a Republican actually does cut costs during this term.
18. Chris Wright as Energy Secretary. If there was ever a conflict of interest in Trump's appointments, this is one of the biggest. Wright is Liberty Energy's chief executive officer. His firm is one of the largest fracking service companies on the planet. Wright denies the existence of climate change and has called efforts to fight it unreliable and expensive. I would never appoint anyone with such a clear bias to this position, but that's just me.
19. Pam Bondi as Attorney General. Gaetz's replacement is not surprisingly another former Trump opponent. She pushed the Big Lie that Trump's reelection bid in 2020 was stolen and her company filed lawsuits before the results in several key states before the results of this year's election were confirmed. I don't expect her to be much better than Gaetz.
There are other appointees, and Trump will likely make more before Inauguration Day, but these are the ones that I'm most concerned about for now. I may add others to this post or in separate posts if I feel like it. The fact that Trump and his team have yet to sign the traditional presidential transition ethics pledge or submit or agree to background checks for his nominees doesn't bode well. I hope I'm wrong of course, but given his previous track record, I don't see any signs of Trump or any of his Cabinet ever making America geat again for the vast majority of people in this country.
Well, that's all I have for now. Until next time, have a great weekend and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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