What we call a magician many in the trade call an illusionist. A big part of their “magic” is getting us to watch what they want while they are actually doing something else. Years ago someone suggested a new way to watch a magic show: don’t look at what the illusionist wants you to see, look elsewhere. I did. What I saw was someone doing a trick where white balls kept appearing in their right hand. So I looked elsewhere and saw him taking the balls out of hit pocket with his left hand. Was he a good magician? I don’t know. I don’t remember who he was. So why does this matter?
Trump tells us he wants to nominate Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General. I doubt he will be confirmed. This Politico article includes some of the ethical and legal problems he faces. He is absolutely unqualified to do the job. His main qualities in Trump’s mind are that Gaetz has consistently called for the abolition of the FBI and to remove anyone from the Justice Department who he believes is part of the “deep state” conspiracy to undermine Trump. I doubt he will be confirmed, but frankly, that’s not the point.
Trump has said he wants Pete Hegseth to be his Secretary of Defense. Pete’s strongest qualifications? He’s a Fox “News” host who has previously served in the military. He’s commented that we need to get woke out of the DOD and that women should not be allowed to serve in combat rolls. At his point his candidacy is already in jeopardy. He’s been previously investigated for sexual assault and there are credible reports that he paid a financial settlement to make it go away.
Tulsi Gabbard is Trump’s pick for the Director of National Intelligence. Her qualifying experience? Absolutely none. Hilary Clinton has hinted that she believes Gabbard is a Russian asset. She has met with Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, a country aligned with Iran. Syria is a sworn enemy of Israel and is included on the State Department’s “State Sponsors of Terrorism” list.
And lastly, RFK Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services? I’ll just say “Give me a fucking break” and leave it at that.
I don’t think that any of these four will be confirmed by the Senate. There may never even be a vote on their confirmations. I’m not saying they won’t end up in these roles. We’ll get to that in a bit. So let’s get to my real concerns: these candidates to serve in Trump’s cabinet are really serving two purposes. First, they are helping to divide those of us who are pledged to resist Trump’s moves towards fascism. As some of us get pissed off and work on stopping the Gaetz appointment there will be others who look at RFK. Pretty much the classic divide and conquer. The second point? Let’s go back to the magician/illusionist. What else is going on that we aren’t looking at because of our justified outrage over these four? What is Trump and his team also doing? They are working on mass deportations. Project 2025 is real. Publishing the plan was delayed until after the election. Why? Not just so we wouldn’t know what the book says. JD Vance wrote the introduction. If the book had been published before November 5 it would have made it increasingly difficult for Trump to distance himself from Project 2025.
Finally, a last thing to consider: I don’t believe that any of these four will be confirmed, yet the President is authorized to make appointments while the House and Senate are adjourned. This was viewed as an emergency measure to allow the government to function when the legislative branch was out of session. Keep in mind that the ease of travel we know is a recent phenomenon. At the time our Constitution was written it could take weeks to put out a notice and then convene a special session. Hence the ability to make recess appointments, appointments that are temporary lasting six months. And here’s where it gets really scary. There is a clause in the Constitution that allows the President to adjourn the Senate and the House. It specifically states that it’s to be used if the House and Senate leadership can’t agree on a date of adjournment. There is speculation that Trump will try to invoke this clause, put the House and Senate into recess, then appoint his people without the “advice and consent” of the Senate.
Remember, don’t just look at what’s being done to engage our eyes, look at what’s being hidden behind our outrage.
Resist