Trump Elected: The True MAGA Era Begins, Now What?

[JGeropoulas]

MSNBC Political commentator, Jason Johnson:

"Pam Bondi is what I said we should fear because she is competent. We may not agree with her ideologically, but she knows how to do this job. So if anyone on the Democratic side or anyone who cared about liberty or justice was thinking maybe Matt Gaetz will screw this up and that will give us time. No. Pam Bondi knows what she is doing about immigration. Florida is a state very aggressive about migrants and deportation and moving people to different states and things like that. Florida enacted rules and laws to curtail students and what they can do on campuses and finding legal justifications for manipulating education money. She is a dangerous and effective pick, and that’s frankly worse than what we would have got with Matt Gaetz even with the deplorable moral background that he has.”

Jason Johnson: Pam Bondi Is a 'Dangerous and Effective Pick' for AG

Political commentator Jason Johnson said Thursday on MSNBC's "The Beat" that President-elect Donald Trump's new choice for Attorney General, former Florida AG Pam Bondi, was a "dangerous and effective pick." | Clips

www.breitbart.com

 

[Beau]

Pam Bondi seems like someone as determined as Gaetz to drain the DOJ swamp, with the added bonuses of having served as Florida's AG for nearly a decade, not having to give up a Congressional position, and being a woman to defy the chronic accusations that Trump's a misogynist.

A few things give me pause. Unlike Matt Gaetz, there are some swamp rats who are happy with Trump choosing her, like Lindsey Graham and Jeb Bush. She has advocated for red flag laws. As far as the 2nd Amendment is concerned, her record is less than ideal. She was registered as a foreign lobbyist for Qatar, receiving $115k per month.

She has shown a willingness to go after Hunter Biden and looks to be all about releasing the Epstein list and going after those involved. Maybe she can just appoint Gaetz as special prosecutor and give the Dems a taste of their own medicine.

 

[JGeropoulas]

A few things give me pause. Unlike Matt Gaetz, there are some swamp rats who are happy with Trump choosing her, like Lindsey Graham and Jeb Bush. She has advocated for red flag laws. As far as the 2nd Amendment is concerned, her record is less than ideal. She was registered as a foreign lobbyist for Qatar, receiving $115k per month.

She has shown a willingness to go after Hunter Biden and looks to be all about releasing the Epstein list and going after those involved. Maybe she can just appoint Gaetz as special prosecutor and give the Dems a taste of their own medicine.

All kinds of duplicity is certainly possible. At least she registered as a foreign agent, unlike Hunter. I was just theorizing to someone today that perhaps Gaetz would be given an important role in the DOJ. Someone proposed the idea that his appointment was a ploy by him and Trump to use his likely-doomed appointment as a trial balloon to expose the RINO resisters they were up against. I'd like to think the Republicans have learned to be more cunning and play hardball (i.e. "wise as serpents, but innocent as a dove").

 

[Ruth]

If Gaetz couldn't take the heat before even becoming Attorney General, then I'm glad he's gone now instead of wilting as AG.

Somebody may have literally put a gun to his head, or maybe those of his family.

 

[hlat]

Somebody may have literally put a gun to his head, or maybe those of his family.

If he can be controlled so easily, then it is better that he is out now instead of later.

A bullet to Trump's head didn't seem to work.

 

[Joe]

Somebody may have literally put a gun to his head, or maybe those of his family.

Doesn't seem to be the case. He made mistakes in the past and, regardless of what anyone thinks about it, those were always gonna be used against him.

 

[PopHistorian]

Amusing 2-minute Chinese AI-altered video (wildly popular on original Chinese site) puts Musk/DOGE in the place of a Ming Dynasty official delivering a message to a corrupt boss. Comments suggest the original Mandarin version is funnier. Interesting comments, too, suggesting that this scenario has played out in documented Chinese history before.

Original movie scene:

 

[JGeropoulas]

Doesn't seem to be the case. He made mistakes in the past and, regardless of what anyone thinks about it, those were always gonna be used against him.

To hold on to political office these days, it seems someone must be really bad (i.e. aligned with the left, thus not targeted by them), or really good (depriving the left of any avenue for attack, other than fabrications). It's like a microcosm of the larger 3D polarizing process (STO vs STS), which is now in full swing..."sheep and goats...tares and wheat".

 

[Ruth]

Doesn't seem to be the case. He made mistakes in the past and, regardless of what anyone thinks about it, those were always gonna be used against him.

Well, they say politics is a dirty business (as has been exposed in America recently). This is one person's take on what happened to Matt Gaetz and why - he knew the "wrong" people?:

Thread by @Villgecrazylady on Thread Reader App

@Villgecrazylady: ⚡️Matt Gaetz 🧵: What Actually Happened Alright frens, now that Matt Gaetz is out of the running you’re going to hear a lot of takes on what happened and plenty of “keep your d*ck in...…

threadreaderapp.com

 

[JGeropoulas]

How long have we yearned for something like this?! I hope he can actually accomplish his overdue agenda.

On Friday, Trump nominated Dr. Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins transplant surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns, to lead the FDA. “He will work under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to, among other things, properly evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation’s food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation’s youth so that we can finally address the Childhood Chronic Disease Epidemic,” Trump said in a statement.

Makary became famous during the coronavirus pandemic as an experienced medical expert willing to challenge the medical establishment’s orthodox stance on policies. He frequently questioned the efficacy of lockdowns and enforcing mask-wearing for children. He has opposed the vaccine mandates and questioned the utility of booster coronavirus vaccines.

Makary argued that many Americans likely became immune to the coronavirus through “herd immunity” by April 2021, which would reduce the threat that the virus posed to the country. “One reason public health officials may be afraid to acknowledge the effectiveness of natural immunity is that they fear it will lead some to choose getting the infection over vaccination. That’s a legitimate concern. But we can encourage all Americans to get vaccinated while still being honest about the data,” Makary wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post.

Makary, like Kennedy, has often criticized America’s food supply, believing it makes Americans sicker and unhealthy.
“We’ve got a poisoned food supply. We’ve got pesticides. We’ve got ultra-processed foods and all sorts of things that have been in the blind spots in modern medicine,” Makary said in September.

If confirmed by the Senate, Makary would seek to overhaul the FDA’s “erratic” bureaucracy, stating that the agenda was often too eager to approve opioids and too cautious to approve antiviral pills to treat the coronavirus. He also called for a ban on cell phones in schools and questioned prescribing anti-anxiety and anti-obesity medications for children.

“For too long, FDA leaders have acted like a crusty librarian who gets annoyed when someone wants to borrow a book. But then give preference to people they like,” the FDA nominee said in a 2021 op-ed for Fox News.

Donald Trump Picks Anti-Lockdown, Vaccine Skeptic Healthcare Nominees

President-elect Trump nominated many experts who opposed coronavirus-era lockdowns and want to overhaul America's healthcare bureaucracies.

www.breitbart.com

 

[JGeropoulas]

Trump appoints Dr. and former Rep. Dave Weldon (F-FL) to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

“In addition to being a Medical Doctor for 40 years, and an Army Veteran, Dave has been a respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues, and served on the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, working for Accountability on HHS and CDC Policy and Budgeting,” Trump said his Friday announcement.

The president-elect added, “Dave also served in a leading role in Government Oversight and Reform Committee Hearings, addressing issues within HHS and CDC. Dave has successfully worked with the CDC to enact a ban on patents for human embryos.”

Weldon, a physician who served in Congress for 14 years from 1995 to 2009, often raised concerns about potential risks with vaccines,

Donald Trump Picks Anti-Lockdown, Vaccine Skeptic Healthcare Nominees

President-elect Trump nominated many experts who opposed coronavirus-era lockdowns and want to overhaul America's healthcare bureaucracies.

www.breitbart.com

 

[JGeropoulas]

Trump taps Dr. Janette Nesheiwat for Surgeon General

Nesheiwat, like the other Trump healthcare nominees, criticized the CDC’s guidance on coronavirus vaccine mandates, arguing that, especially for children, the risks associated with the vaccine may outweigh the benefits. She has also attacked the government coronavirus mandates during the pandemic.

The surgeon general nominee also slammed the American Academy of Pediatrics’ push to treat children with gender dysphoria with puberty blockers, calling it “unethical” in August 2022.

Donald Trump Picks Anti-Lockdown, Vaccine Skeptic Healthcare Nominees

President-elect Trump nominated many experts who opposed coronavirus-era lockdowns and want to overhaul America's healthcare bureaucracies.

www.breitbart.com

 

[JGeropoulas]

Trump appoints Secretary of Agriculture.

"Brooke’s commitment to support the American Farmer, defense of America Food Self-Sufficiency, and the restoration of Agriculture-dependent American Small Towns is second to none. A proud Graduate of Texas A&M University, Brooke earned a Bachelor’s of Sciene Degree in Agriculture Development, and J.D., with Honors.
From her upbringing in the small and Agriculture-centered town of Glen Rose, Texas, to her years of leadership involvement with Future Farmers of America and 4H, to her generational Family Farming background, to guiding her four kids in their show cattle careers, Brooke has a practioner’s experience, along with deep Policy credentials in both Nonprofit and Government leadership at the State and National levels.
As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American Farmers, who are truly the backbone of our Country."

Trump Selects Brooke Rollins to Serve as the Secretary of Agriculture

President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that he had selected Brooke Rollins to serve as the Secretary of Agriculture.

www.breitbart.com

 

[Beau]

Trump appoints Secretary of Agriculture.

Bummer that he didn't pick Thomas Massie, although it's possible Massie didn't want the post. He is an important voice in the House. I wonder if that means Joel Salatin will still advise.

 

[Saki]

What are the odds of less censorship and more open discussion?

It’s the anniversary of John Milton’s pamphlet, Areopagitica. Published in 1644, Milton argued for freedom from censorship. He said, "I wrote my Areopagitica in order to deliver the press from the restraints with which it was encumbered; that the power of determining what was true and what was false, what ought to be published and what to be suppressed, might no longer be entrusted to a few illiterate and illiberal individuals, who refused their sanction to any work which contained views or sentiments at all above the level of vulgar superstition." He compared the censoring of books to the Spanish Inquisition and claimed that the government wanted "to bring a famine upon our minds again."

A forerunner of Thomas Jefferson’s comment: Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day