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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 1 month ago

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David Rowe

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Struggling with the news narrative

December 3, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

Covering the news during Biden-Trump interregnum is a challenge. I am not looking for sympathy; rather, I want to be explicit about my approach. It is guided by “where” readers appear to be in their desire for wholesale engagement with the news versus “Tell me the highlights and avoid depressing me, if you can.” The same spectrum of reactions maps onto the readiness of readers to re-engage in grassroots activities.

Some readers and members of the grassroots movement are itching to get back into the fight and are growing impatient with those of us who are still re-calibrating our compasses after what seems to be a non-sensical election result. Women have suffered a special psychological injury because the majority of the electorate who voted on November 5 told them that they remain second-class citizens under the US Constitution.

Trump's nomination of multiple men accused of sexual assault, rape, and harassment can only be viewed as a form of psychological terrorism directed toward women. Trump seems intent on rubbing women’s faces in his misogyny—classic abusive behavior. So, before you start expressing irritation with people still recovering, try to find out where they are and what they need. Lead by example, not by chastising or exhorting people to act based on the assumption that everyone feels like you do. It is a near certainty they do not.

On Monday evening, the news is dominated by President Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden. I am not going to write about the merits of that decision because it has roiled the readers of the newsletter in an uncharacteristic manner. In Concluding Thoughts (below), I address how that decision has affected the emotional state and political outlook of many readers (and, presumably, many Americans).

But here’s the high-level takeaway from the pardon: Fair-minded people are in violent disagreement about the merits of the pardon. Keep that in mind if you express your strongly held views about the pardon in mixed company.

[...]

Additional revelations regarding Pete Hegseth should doom his nomination to lead the Department of Defense

Trump nominated Fox-TV personality Pete Hegseth to serve as DOD Secretary. As with most Trump nominees, Hegseth was not vetted by the FBI before his nomination. That fact explains the ongoing rude series of shocks and surprises regarding Hegseth.

The Department of Defense is home to more than 50% of the US agencies that comprise the US Intelligence Community. Leading the DOD requires impeccable credentials, rock-steady judgment, and personal character that is beyond reproach (and blackmail). Hegseth has none of those attributes. Indeed, he has the opposite of those attributes in spades.

On December 1, The New Yorker magazine published a lengthy article detailing new allegations of sordid behavior by Hegseth. The New Yorker articles is here (paywalled): Pete Hegseth’s Secret History byline Jane Mayer.

A non-paywalled summary can be found at the Huffington Post, Report: Wild Drinking... Vile Racism... Vet Org Hotbed for Misconduct...

Per The New Yorker,

A trail of documents, corroborated by the accounts of former colleagues, indicates that Hegseth was forced to step down by both of the two nonprofit advocacy groups that he ran—Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America—in the face of serious allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety, and personal misconduct.

I will spare you the details, but let’s say that the Huffington Post headline is not clickbait. Hegseth has apparently been out of control in his personal and public life for several years (at least).

Hegseth denied the allegations in the story through a “personal advisor” rather than the Trump administration spokesperson. The denial is printed below. A salient fact is that the “denial” denies nothing by stating:

We’re not going to comment on outlandish claims laundered through The New Yorker by a petty and jealous disgruntled former associate of Mr. Hegseth’s. Get back to us when you try your first attempt at actual journalism.

Hegseth’s friend did not deny the allegations, merely calling them outlandish. That is classic defensive behavior designed to avoid being caught in a lie (a false denial) at a confirmation hearing.

If one-tenth of the allegations are true, Hegseth’s nomination should be pulled. But his nomination should have been pulled based on pre-existing reports about alleged rape, public intoxication, and white supremacist tattoos.

Moreover, if Hegseth had been subjected to an FBI background check—or if he had disclosed the damaging information himself—the incoming Trump administration would not have been caught off guard.

Per the author of The New Yorker story, Jane Mayer, she has been deluged with additional reports concerning Hegseth in the 48 hours following the publication of The New Yorker article. It looks like things are only going to get worse for Hegseth. Let’s hope that he is the second nomination to be withdrawn.

Mother Jones reports on Kash Patel’s ties to QAnon

Kash Patel’s nomination to replace sitting FBI Director Christopher Wray is controversial for many reasons. One reason is that Wray is seven years into a ten-year term—after having been appointed by Trump in 2017. By design, the tenure of FBI Directors exceeds the maximum two terms of presidents to de-politicize the FBI. Trump will circumvent that design feature by firing Wray on Trump's first day in office.

Among the many disqualifying factors for Patel is his “QAnon curious” history. As a refresher, QAnon is a cult run by a non-existent “Q” who believes that the federal government is run by an international gang of pedophiles who kill and drink the blood of innocents--which is a core antisemitic slur. See QAnon Backgrounder | ADL

David Corn of Mother Jones takes a look at Kash Patel’s history of courting support from QAnon on Truth Social, podcasts, and public appearances. See Mother Jones, How Kash Patel, Trump’s FBI Pick, Embraced the Unhinged QAnon Movement.

The Mother Jones article documents Patel’s embrace of QAnon to advance support for Trump. Per Mother Jones,

As Media Matters reported: “Patel’s catering to the QAnon community has also gone beyond the @Q account. In July, he posted an image featuring a flaming Q on Truth Social and starting in at least April, he went on numerous QAnon-supporting shows to promote Truth Social—urging [QAnon] viewers to join the platform, praising [QAnon] hosts for being on the platform, and promising to promote the [QAnon] hosts there.”

David Corn concludes his article in Mother Jones with this:

Patel’s relationship with QAnon shows either that he has a severely distorted view of reality or that he will recklessly exploit dangerous, misguided, and false ideas for political benefit. Neither is an approach suitable for the most powerful and important law enforcement agency in the land.

Another reason that Patel’s infatuation with QAnon should disqualify him from the position of FBI Director is that the FBI has, in the past, investigated QAnon as the source of domestic terror threats (although the QAnon belief system has not itself been identified as a domestic terror organization). See FBI director Wray says bureau is not investigating QAnon conspiracy ‘in its own right’ | CNN Politics.

If QAnon is inspiring domestic terror threats, Kash Patel does not seem inclined to investigate them. That should give the US Senate reason enough to reject Patel’s nomination.

Giving Tuesday

Tuesday, December 3, 2024, is Giving Tuesday. I hope everyone will consider supporting their favorite charitable organization at this time of the year. Many organizations depend on year-end donations for the next calendar year.

Two charitable organizations (501(c)(3)) that are especially relevant after the 2024 election are The Civics Center and VoteRiders.

The Civics Center

The Civics Center is on a mission to make voter registration part of every high school in America. They provide free training and resources so high school students can, with the support of their teachers, run peer-to-peer VR drives in school twice a year, every year, regardless of election cycle. In this way, TCC is working to reach all of the 4 million Americans who turn 18 every year, so they’re ready to make their voices heard as soon as they’re eligible. The Civics Center also provides hyper-local registration data, revealing where engagement among 18-year-olds is lacking, and showing the public how High School Voter Registration can improve rates. Because most high schools do not yet accept their responsibility to help all their eligible students register, TCC is urgently working to expand for the 2026 cycle and beyond. The Civics Center is a project of Community Partners, which is a 501(c)(3) organization, so perfect for individual year-end charitable giving, DAFs, IRA withdrawals, and family foundations. A donation link is here.

VoteRiders

Registering voters is just the start. After they register, they must navigate the confusing and onerous “Voter-ID” laws designed to make it difficult to vote. That is where VoteRiders comes in. VoteRiders is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with a mission to ensure that all citizens are able to exercise their freedom to vote. VoteRiders informs and helps citizens to secure their voter ID as well as inspires and supports organizations, local volunteers, and communities to sustain voter ID education and assistance efforts. Check out the VoteRiders website here (VoteRiders: Voter ID Help) or make a donation here: Donate to VoteRiders.

[Robert B. Hubbell]

#David Rowe #Giving Tuesday #activism #Robert B. Hubbell #Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter #the Mafia cabinet #VoteRiders #The Civics Center #Pete Hegseth

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