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.
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.
Does anyone else remember when Rubio was supposed to be the conservative with scruples and morals?
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.
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.
I guess 4 beat me to 5. Yeah, that press conference.
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.
The weirdest thing about Rubio at NARA was when employees at NARA apparently learned about it via media reports.
7: I saw that article and had that same thought.
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.
It's a good thing Florida isn't real.
Does Rubio get to collect a separate paycheck for each of these gigs?
According to the article, he does not.
The article doesn't say that Florida is real.
14: He gets paid in sharp jabs to the head and crypto.
Utterly horrific Supreme Court ruling, no reasons given at all. Such complete contempt for the rule of law and centuries of tradition.
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.
But why Rubio though? There's lots of confirmed Trump officials.
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.
probably the most competent
Kinda like being the tallest munchkin in Oz, though.
OP to 19. It isn't just Rubio.
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.
Everyone likes humiliating Rubio right up until they think Rubio enjoyed it.
Kinda like being the tallest munchkin in Oz, though.
Valedictorian of summer school.
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?
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.
25: Growing up it was "the skinniest kid at fat camp" but I think that's probably frowned on now.
I've heard the kids have re-learned fat shame from Tik Tok and that Ozempic is going to make it go society wide.
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).
I'm thinking of getting Ozempic and dozens of cans of butter cookies. Let the best of Denmark fight it out.
I'm glad Rubio isn't in charge of me getting my power back.
They're closing the archives to public access, presumably so Rubio can burn as much stuff as possible.
He seems to be in charge of almost everything else
34 is an outrage. Those are OUR archives
Fortunately, the price of batteries is dropping so much that we bought a couple of backups that can run the refrigerator.
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.
NSF
https://bsky.app/profile/dangaristo.bsky.social/post/3lsf4yagfzs2t
I wonder where the records in Trump's bathroom are going.
To the highest bidder, one presumes.
39: What could be more efficient than a private elevator?
A private elevator for one's motor vehicle
One's five motor vehicles, in this case.
Following up on 20, I see that Big Balls just resigned. Rough week for the Balls household.
Too bad Harry Baals had to see if family's tradition of public service tarnished.
We're all without power. If we had any power the world would be a better different place.