Re: Guest Post: The many hats of Marco Rubio

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Crossing threads with this and subsequent comments, the NSC exists in large part precisely to prevent a bureaucratic faction like Centcom from hijacking US policy.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 6:30 AM
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DOGE figured out that Secretary of State is a part-time job. It was ridiculous that we were paying someone a full-time salary for 15-20 hours a work of week.


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 6:45 AM
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Does anyone else remember when Rubio was supposed to be the conservative with scruples and morals?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 6:54 AM
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3: I listen to a Never Trumper podcast from a former Republican spokesman guy, named Tim Miller
Called the Bulwark. The Bulwark is kind of Atlantic adjacent. I don't listen to the Bill Kristol or David Frum stuff, but I like Miller, ecause he's very suspicious of AI, crypto and the tech bros. Miller described Rubio's expression during that press conference as his soul leaving his body.

I don't care for Bill Kristol at all, but I do think it's interesting he has explicitly said we shouldn't throw trans people over the bus, which many Democrats are unwilling to do.


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 7:12 AM
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I was impressed with the press conference featuring Trump backed by the three stooges - Vance, Rubio, and Hegseth, and they were all trying to do "this is my show resolve face" and looking like dipshits. Except Rubio, who was also trying to do that, and looking like a dipshit, but who was also the only one who had the "oh shit what have we just done" look of panic in his eyes.

Of the four I think he's the only one who recognizes the gravity of the situation. I hope its eating him up inside, that fucker.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 8:22 AM
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I guess 4 beat me to 5. Yeah, that press conference.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 8:24 AM
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I have mixed feelings about this style of sober editorial

There was a story the other day in the NYT headlined: "A White Nationalist Wrote a Law School Paper Promoting Racist Views. It Won Him an Award."

Sample from the NYT article:

"The People cannot be expected to meekly swallow this demographic assault on their sovereignty," he wrote, adding that if the courts did not act to ensure a white country, the matter would be decided "not by the careful balance of Justitia's scales, but by the gruesome slashing of her sword."

The student got an award from his professor -- a Trump appointee federal judge -- leading the NYT to stroke its chin:

That left some students and faculty members at the law school, considered Florida's most prestigious, to wonder, and to worry: What merit could the judge have seen in it?

Well, no. Nobody with any goddam sense at all is wondering about this.


Posted by: politicalfootball | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 11:06 AM
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The weirdest thing about Rubio at NARA was when employees at NARA apparently learned about it via media reports.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 11:16 AM
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I learned about it from this post.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 11:18 AM
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7: I saw that article and had that same thought.


Posted by: heebie | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 11:27 AM
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Sounds like Rubio may not actually be doing that job:

Trump fired Colleen Shogan, the most recent U.S. Archivist, earlier this year. He named State Department Secretary Marco Rubio as acting archivist, though James Byron, president of the Richard Nixon Foundation, is currently managing the agency on a day-to-day basis.

Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 11:28 AM
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It's a good thing Florida isn't real.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 11:39 AM
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Does Rubio get to collect a separate paycheck for each of these gigs?


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 12:09 PM
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According to the article, he does not.


Posted by: heebie | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 12:26 PM
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The article doesn't say that Florida is real.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 12:31 PM
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14: He gets paid in sharp jabs to the head and crypto.


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 1:03 PM
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Utterly horrific Supreme Court ruling, no reasons given at all. Such complete contempt for the rule of law and centuries of tradition.


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 2:06 PM
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I remember there's this provision in the law, that once an appointee has been confirmed by the Senate, they don't need to be confirmed again to take up some other confirmation-needed job. My bet is, Trump is giving Rubio these multiple hats to wear, as a way of circumventing confirmation. And then, hey, he can just appoint number-two people in each department to do the actual work. I also remember that during Trump 1, Trump (Miller?) sent ideological commissars to accompany and keep tabs on every confirmed appointee. So it isn't inconceivable that really this is about just sidestepping confirmation completely, and letting those commissars run the shops.


Posted by: Chetan Murthy | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 7:28 PM
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But why Rubio though? There's lots of confirmed Trump officials.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 7:55 PM
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Because Rubio is probably the most competent at actually running a government department. Who else is there? Hegseth? RFK Jr? That wrestling lady? One of those Heritage Foundation freaks? Big Balls?

I guess Big Balls isn't confirmed.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 8:32 PM
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probably the most competent

Kinda like being the tallest munchkin in Oz, though.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 8:42 PM
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OP to 19. It isn't just Rubio.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 8:55 PM
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19: i have an answer for you, but it's not one you're going to like and it's not one that I have much confidence in. So, you know, take it for what it's worth. Trump likes to humiliate people right? You got to believe he gets a hard on from humiliating Rubio. Giving Rubio all these hats to wear Where He can't actually do a good job in any of them Has got to be humiliating for Rubio.

Okay like I said, it's not a very good Theory.


Posted by: Chetan Murthy | Link to this comment | 06-23-25 10:21 PM
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Everyone likes humiliating Rubio right up until they think Rubio enjoyed it.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 4:18 AM
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Kinda like being the tallest munchkin in Oz, though.

Valedictorian of summer school.


Posted by: heebie | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 6:00 AM
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21: Little Marco also won that award.*

*What is the house rule on ridiculing the physical attributes of Trump and his cronies? Does it matter if Trump himself mocks his minions that way?


Posted by: politicalfootball | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 7:13 AM
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The SF short story where Nixon had become president through selling his soul to a/the devil, but the terms of the deal said he had to be satisfied and he wasn't, so to finally make it work, the devil gave him a humiliation fetish.


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 7:59 AM
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Innovative.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 8:08 AM
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25: Growing up it was "the skinniest kid at fat camp" but I think that's probably frowned on now.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 8:14 AM
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I've heard the kids have re-learned fat shame from Tik Tok and that Ozempic is going to make it go society wide.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 8:16 AM
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I'm having tentatively good results from Ozempic - down about 7lb in the first 8 weeks, with substantial dose increases on the way. Banking on price drops when it goes off patent in the early 2030s (if it works of course).


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 8:31 AM
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I'm thinking of getting Ozempic and dozens of cans of butter cookies. Let the best of Denmark fight it out.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 8:55 AM
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I'm glad Rubio isn't in charge of me getting my power back.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 2:54 PM
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They're closing the archives to public access, presumably so Rubio can burn as much stuff as possible.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 3:01 PM
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He seems to be in charge of almost everything else


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 3:02 PM
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34 is an outrage. Those are OUR archives


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 3:02 PM
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Fortunately, the price of batteries is dropping so much that we bought a couple of backups that can run the refrigerator.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 3:03 PM
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I'm skeptical that they planned to close the College Park location at all* but there does seem to have been a long-term plan to send a ton of records to Kansas City from DC. (And to close some of the regional facilities.) Might have started as part of Trump's first term moves to push a lot of federal work out of DC, since the earliest records move announcements I see** are from around 2018.

I wonder where the records in Trump's bathroom are going.

*Given that it was meant to be the main location for federal records after they ran out of space for everything in the main archives building downtown.

**Just browsing the NARA website, not actual research.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 3:32 PM
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NSF
https://bsky.app/profile/dangaristo.bsky.social/post/3lsf4yagfzs2t


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 3:40 PM
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I wonder where the records in Trump's bathroom are going.

To the highest bidder, one presumes.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 3:40 PM
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39: What could be more efficient than a private elevator?


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 3:47 PM
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A private elevator for one's motor vehicle


Posted by: Opinionated Mitt Romney | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 3:50 PM
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One's five motor vehicles, in this case.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 3:52 PM
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Following up on 20, I see that Big Balls just resigned. Rough week for the Balls household.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 5:21 PM
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Too bad Harry Baals had to see if family's tradition of public service tarnished.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 5:25 PM
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46

I'm still without power.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-24-25 5:26 PM
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We're all without power. If we had any power the world would be a better different place.


Posted by: chris y | Link to this comment | 06-25-25 12:09 PM
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Oh. I got power back last night.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 06-25-25 12:18 PM
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