The Great Dismantling

While incompetent narcissist Donald "Rump" Trump distracts with his inane feuds and obsessions (see post below), the true believers in his dystopian regime are busy doing the work of Putin, the Kochs and Mercers: dismantling the federal government, the main counterbalance to their fascistic power grabbing. Here are some links to follow:

Rex "Rexxon" Tillerson, Ayn Rand fan, Putin pal and owner of Putin's Order of Friendship medal, is using "reorganization" and "cost- cutting" as excuses to gut the State Department and ax hundreds of senior Foreign Service officers, weakening American "soft power" (to whose benefit?). Some are taking note:

In a letter to Mr. Tillerson last week, Democratic members of the House Foreign Relations Committee, citing what they said was “the exodus of more than 100 senior Foreign Service officers from the State Department since January,” expressed concern about “what appears to be the intentional hollowing-out of our senior diplomatic ranks.” 

Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, sent a similar letter, telling Mr. Tillerson that “America’s diplomatic power is being weakened internally as complex global crises are growing externally.” [snip] 

His small cadre of aides have fired some diplomats and gotten others to resign by refusing them the assignments they wanted or taking away their duties altogether. Among those fired or sidelined were most of the top African-American and Latino diplomats, as well as many women, difficult losses in a department that has long struggled with diversity.

Scott "Screw It" Pruitt, fossil fuel industry stooge, is combining a little old fashioned corruption with his efforts to neuter the Environmental Protection Agency:

Earlier this month, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt fired all board members who currently receive EPA grants for their research, saying they cannot remain objective if they accept agency money. In replacing them, Pruitt transformed the board from a panel of the nation’s top environmental experts to one dominated by industry-funded scientists and state government officials who have fought federal regulations. 

Pruitt removed 21 members of the advisory board, mostly academics, and replaced them with 16 experts with ties to industries regulated by the agency and two with no industry ties. Fourteen of the new members consult or work for the fossil fuel or chemical industries, which gave Pruitt nearly $320,000 for his campaigns in Oklahoma as a state senator and attorney general. 

Sleepy Ben Carson, at the neglected and abused Department of Housing and Urban Development, is okay with billions of dollars in budget cuts and wants to protect big banks from penalties on mortgage loan "errors."  Here's a long read about how this cypher is going about both passively and actively dismantling an agency whose primary constituency is low- and middle- income Americans.

You've got industry insider Ajit Pai at the Federal Communications Commission on the verge of ending net neutrality and opening the door to mega- corporation political manipulation of what you see on the Internet.

Billionaire Bible- thumper Betsy DeVos, one of the most incompetent yet dangerous Rump appointments, is moving like a wrecking ball through the Department of Education, with her agenda of turning America's public education system into a welter of religious "private" schools (at taxpayer expense, of course). She also wants colleges and universities to have more freedom to ignore claims of sexual assault. On top of all that, of course, she wants to gut the Department by gutting its budget, which was even a bridge too far for some Senate Republicans.

That, as they say, is the tip of the iceberg.  Trumpkins below the secretarial level are busy hollowing out key functions and checks on the industries they're supposedly regulating. Perhaps sensing that they have limited time before a reckoning at the polls, these sociopaths are determined to wreak as much permanent damage, both domestically and internationally, as they possibly can.

Another Inmate Will Be Helping Run The Asylum (Cont.)

Dare we say, "A dud for H.U.D."?

President-elect Donald Trump is nominating Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who has never held public office, as his Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. [snip] 

Carson, who ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican primary, told Fox News last month that he was considering the position. This was a shift from his earlier assertion that he wasn’t qualified for a Cabinet position. (our emphasis)

His earlier assertion was correct.  Too bad this is a time he didn't listen to the few semi- rational voices in his head.

As HUD chief, Carson will be tasked with setting housing policies for the Trump Administration, including access to affordable housing and community development. Carson’s comments on certain anti-discrimination policies ― he has called one plan a “mandated social-engineering scheme” ― is likely to concern some fair housing advocates.  (our emphasis)

You might say that.

Let's remember Bennie the Blade's previous encounter with a large development project:

“My own personal theory is that Joseph built the pyramids to store grain,” Carson said in a 1998 commencement speech at Andrews University, unearthed by BuzzFeed. “Now all the archaeologists think that they were made for the pharaohs’ graves. But, you know, it would have to be something awfully big — when you stop and think about it, and I don’t think it’d just disappear over the course of time — to store that much grain.”

So, neo- fascist ignoramus Donald "Rump" Trump has selected a fellow ignoramus for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, someone with no experience in housing policy, much less managing a large bureaucracy with a multi- billion dollar budget, who is also hostile to fair housing policies.  This should turn out well.

BONUS: Steve Benen on Rump's "most ridiculous" Cabinet selection thus far (and why the Senate shouldn't confirm him).

(Photo:  Whaaat?! Dr. Ben "Benny the Blade" Carson, "not qualified" for a Cabinet position, per Dr. Ben "Benny the Blade" Carson.)

Another Rage-gasm At The Republican Sh*tshow

Clearly, after first night bug- eyed rants by the likes of despicable Rudy "Noun, Verb, 9-11" Giuliani, speakers on the second night of the Republican National Convention Sh*tshow also forgot to take their thorazine.  Just two examples should suffice.

Ben "On Meds?" Carson:

“One of the things I have learned about Hillary Clinton is that one of her heroes is Saul Alinsky,” Carson said.  

Alinsky has been a popular target for the right and his ideas have been tied to President Obama and Clinton. Carson said Alinsky acknowledged Lucifer in one of his books.

That's Ben "On Meds?" version of six degrees of Kevin Bacon, except he cut out four degrees.

Then, Donald "Rump" Trump's personal valet and Big Mac fetcher Gov. Chris "Krispykreme" Christie:

Christie said “every region of the world has been infected with her flawed judgment,” citing Clinton’s resistance to adding Boko Haram to the terrorist watch list. 

“What happened because of this reckless action by the candidate who is the self-proclaimed champion of women around the world? These terrorists abducted hundreds of innocent young girls two years ago,” Christie said. “These schoolgirls are still missing today.

Debunked!

Krispykreme also led the frothing mob in call- and- response chants of "Guilty or not guilty" over delusional examples of Hillary Clinton's ethics.  That's from Mr. Bridgegate.  Or, as Hillary herself puts it:

If you think Chris Christie can lecture anyone on ethics, we have a bridge to sell you. https://t.co/c1nkZojJFL #RNCinCLE

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 20, 2016

 BONUS:  As usual, Charles Pierce nails "Big Chicken."

BONUS II: To quote Big Chicken, "We are about to be led by not only a strong leader but by a caring, genuine and decent person". But enough about Hillary Clinton. Bada boom.

BONUS III:  Rude Pundit reviews Big Chicken and Il Douche, Jr. (salty but appropriate to the occasion).

Tweets Of The Day - Ben "The Blade" Carson Endorses Trump

"He's a much more reasonable person than comes across," says Ben Carson of Donald Trump, in a ringing endorsement

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) March 11, 2016

Ben Carson: I’m excited to endorse the man who’s the exact opposite of everything I’ve ever said or done.

— Trumpbart News (@Trumpbart) March 10, 2016

Ben Carson endorsing Trump, wow. And Trump brags, of course: "so honored to be endorsed by the guy I called a child molester"

— Bill Maher (@billmaher) March 11, 2016

Ben Carson now considers Donald Trump to be such a good friend he might consider stabbing him.

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) March 11, 2016

If The Media Think Just Trump's The Problem, They're Part Of The Problem

Let's see what frequent blind squirrel Dana Milbank dug up this morning:

For months — years, really — Republicans have averted their gaze from Trump’s attacks on women, Hispanics and immigrants. Now the racism becomes more overt — and still, he goes unchallenged.  [snip]

[T]he front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination talks about the forced registration of Muslims. Republican leaders look away. And Trump surges in the polls, regaining the lead he had lost before the Paris attacks. For Republican leaders and rival candidates, these are the wages of cowardice.

Two months ago, after the second GOP debate, I saw signs that Republican hopefuls had begun to think it safe to take on Trump “consistently and jointly.” But that didn’t continue, and Republicans are now stuck with a collective-action problem. There’s no incentive for an individual Republican candidate to take on Trump only to get mowed down by his counterassault. Instead, some rivals are imitating Trump’s positions.

No shit, Sherlock!  Well, there's a reason they're the party of fear and loathing!  Milbank might wait until the final primary ballot is cast before he comes to the realization that the main difference between Rump and his rivals is that Rump is the ugly, nativist Republican id with the volume turned up and no filter, and the rest of the field simply prefers the volume lower with some weasel words to cover up the crazy.  Likewise, Milbank's editorial board at the once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle is vainly looking for someone in the Republican ranks to "stand up" to the bully Rump, as though the party's problem is Rump and not the party's ignorant, nativist base that's been nurtured for 40 years to fear and hate. That's who the other moral flyweights in the party fear and to whom they knuckle under.

We'll see if The New York Times can do any better:

Mr. Trump relies on social media to spread his views. This is convenient because there’s no need to respond to questions about his fabrications. That makes it imperative that other forms of media challenge him.

Instead, as Mr. Trump stays at the top of the Republican field, it’s become a full-time job just running down falsehoods like the phony crime statistics he tweeted, which came from a white supremacist group.

Yet Mr. Trump is regularly rewarded with free TV time, where he talks right over anyone challenging him, and doubles down when called out on his lies.

This isn’t about shutting off Mr. Trump’s bullhorn. His right to spew nonsense is protected by the Constitution, but the public doesn’t need to swallow it. History teaches that failing to hold a demagogue to account is a dangerous act. It’s no easy task for journalists to interrupt Mr. Trump with the facts, but it’s an important one.  (our emphasis)

Why stop with Rump?  Why not interrupt every one of the craven, crackpot Republican candidates running for President and hold them accountable for their dangerous lies?  Is smarmy Sen. "Tailgunner Ted" Cruz any less a demagogue?  Or Dr. "Mental Ben" Carson?  How about the un-American views on religious tests for refugees spouted by "moderate" "J.E.B.!" Bush?  Or "Snarly" Carly Fiorina hallucinating about "100,000 Syrian refugees?"  And the imaginary "war" being waged on Christians, as seen by American Taliban demagogue Mike "Huckster" Huckabee? And on and on down into the sewer of American politics.

We would like to ask the frightened, "both sides do it" media to think about what it's costing our nation by failing to hold to account every one of these far- right candidates' disgusting, Islamophobic, homophobic, anti- black, anti- Hispanic, neo- fascist rantings.  Because, to this point, they've been getting away with it, and it's long past time for the media to be committing the most basic acts of journalism.

Today's Cartoon - Ben Carson's Autobiography (Not Fact-Checked)

(click on image to enlarge)

(Jack Ohman, Sacramento Bee)

Tweet Of The Day - "Media Bias"

'Media bias' is the media pretending Ben Carson was ever even a serious contender for President.

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) November 7, 2015

Did "The Scariest Republican Crackpot" Tell Some Whoppers? (UPDATED - Yes!)

"No doubt he's a nice guy. Too bad he's also something of a nut."  - Denver Post editorial, Nov. 5.

Yes, "something of a nut," or as we would say, "The Scariest Republican Crackpot."  

He also may be something of a fine story teller  fabulist.

You see, part of Carson's up- by- the- bootstraps life story was that he had a somewhat violent youth, after which he saw the light yada yada yada, ultra right- wing Republican.  Somehow, though,  journalism has erupted, and questions are being raised about this chapter of his life:

Ben Carson said Thursday that the names of two people he has previously identified as victims of his childhood violence are "fictitious."

"I don't like to generally bring them in, the names I used for instance are fictitious names because I don't want to bring people into something like this because I know what you guys do to their lives‎," Carson told reporters in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

In a later interview with Fox News' Megyn Kelly, he said that the person he tried to stab during his youth was a "close relative." Carson said he spoke with the relative earlier Thursday, who told the retired neurosurgeon they did not want to be revealed.

"I didn't want to put their lives under the spotlight," Carson told Kelly.

Carson had previously said the stabbing victim was a friend.

His comments follow a CNN investigation published earlier Thursday that probed his descriptions of his violent past. He has said he attacked a boy named Bob with a knife and hit another child named Jerry with a lock. Carson said Thursday that those names weren't real.  (our emphasis)

Are you sure it wasn't Ben and Jerry?  Or maybe Tom and Jerry?  And maybe he attacked Bob with a fork and Jerry with a spoon!  Behind the pyramids grain storage depots, with magic elixirs!  C'mon, give him time to get his stories straight!  Oh... he's just changing the names and the "facts" to protect the victims!  We get it! (wink wink)

This guy is one of the most ignorant,  medieval, bizarre persons ever to command significant support in a major American political party (albeit one that's rather insane itself).  That he has such significant support is itself a damning statement about the intelligence and judgement of a large slice of the American public. 

UPDATE:  Now this.  He seems to fit the definition of a pathological liar:

Ben Carson’s campaign on Friday admitted, in a response to an inquiry from POLITICO, that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated: his application and acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.  (our emphasis)

(Image:  If his lips are moving, he's lying.)

Apocalypse -- No

Establishment Republican hack and former Dumbya speechwriter Michael Gerson seems to have had a long- delayed, yet self- serving and probably short- lived "epiphany" concerning the extremist, apocalyptic rhetoric that has been the hallmark of Republican politics for decades (a tradition to which he gladly contributed - he didn't get the nickname "Mushroom Cloud" for nothing).  Much like David "Bobo" Brooks' recent discovery that the party he both promoted and made excuses for over the years had "suddenly" become "willfully ignorant" and "incompetent," Gerson has this moment of clarity today about the party that he both promoted and made excuses for over the years, starting with the admission that America isn't "going to hell":

The United States has a long list of social and economic challenges, disturbingly (and unjustly) concentrated in certain communities. But we are not slouching toward Gomorrah. Over the past few decades, divorce rates and abortion rates have both declined. Levels of violent crime have dropped dramatically. The U.S. economy, for all its problems, still attracts the world’s capital and the world’s best students. We have a wonderful country, thank you, flawed and free, carrying the highest political ideals of humanity, always capable of hope and healing. [snip]

Apocalyptic rhetoric is more than the evidence of historical ignorance and bad speechwriting. It leads to a distorted politics. If the United States has reached its midnight hour, it means that the institutions that have gotten us here are utterly discredited. The normal avenues of political reform are useless. Proposals for incremental policy change are so much deck-chair arranging. Political persuasion and compromise evince a lack of urgency. What we really need is to call a constitutional convention. Or to conduct a massive police action removing 11 million undocumented immigrants. Or to elect a really strong leader who knocks heads and sets everything straight.  [snip]

Trump and Carson can succeed only if the end times are upon us. And I don’t mean that in a theological way. In normal times, innovative policy and governing skill would matter most in selecting a president. Successful governors and legislators would naturally rise to the top. Only in a crisis of institutional legitimacy does the outsider become the savior. This means Trump, Carson and other apocalyptic politicians must encourage a mental state of emergency among Republicans. Lacking any relevant qualifications in the current political system, these candidates must bring that system into complete disrepute. Since the politicians have made such a hash of things, they insist, a businessman or a neurosurgeon couldn’t possibly do worse.  (our emphasis)

Oh, yes they could.

It's funny how, when the enraged pitchfork- wielding yahoos that you've cultivated are finally coming after you, the clouds -- even mushroom clouds -- part and the truth finally ekes out.

UPDATE:  Driftglass takes us back a short while to demonstrate Gerson's complicity.