Confirmation Hearings Begin this Week
A plea to our Democratic Senators to put aside norms and traditions for a minute
It’s go time
The Senate will begin a breakneck pace of confirmation hearings starting tomorrow for Trump’s absolute freak show of nominees. The long awaited opening battle of the new Trump Administration has finally arrived. The first line of sacrificial appointments will face their days of judgement finally.
The orcs have arrived at the gate. The trolls are in the valley. The beasts are ready to assault the walls.
As King Theoden said at Helm’s Deep, “So it begins.”
I have a plea for the 45 Senate Democrats as representatives of our nation in the world’s most powerful deliberative body.
Can you kick ass? Like, really go in there armed to the gills with facts, witnesses, media reports, and stuff to hammer this absolutely unqualified parade of misfits and sycophants?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying turn into MAGA trolls, but I’d love you guys and ladies to absolutely drop the facade of collegiality with those trolls and take the fight to these lunatics that will be sitting in front of you this week.
I don’t want you to ask questions about Pete Hegseth’s ‘rumored improprieties.’ No, I want you to ask him did he rape a woman at a conference and then pay her off to cover it up? Did he cheat on his wives in violation of the same Uniformed Code of Military Justice that he will oversee as Secretary of Defense?
Don’t ask about reports of ‘financial mismanagement.’ No, ask why did he get fired from both of the nonprofits he ran amidst widespread reports of financial loses and completely outrageous behavior like taking his staff, male and female, to strip clubs and drunkenly yelling “Kill all Muslims!” in a hotel bar during a business trip?
I understand decorum and protecting the sanctity of the Senate but I’m much more worried about the sanctity of our nation and the men and women that serve to defend us. I’m much more worried about the safety of my own kid who continues to serve and how he will be tasked to attack fellow Americans than whether bad words are heard in the hearing room.
Don’t even get me started on what they should ask Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about his lunatic life from bears dropped in Central Park to getting kids killed in American Samoa with his anti-vaccine bullshit.
Take off the gloves.
I understand the norms and traditions are to be protected. I do. I get respecting the Senate but the Republicans think that’s hilarious. Tommy Tuberville sat on the promotions of the 300 flag officers for over 9 months with those norms. Josh Hawley sat on dozens of appointments for the State Department with those traditions.
Who can forget Markwayne Mullin’s respect for those norms and traditions when he tried to fight Teamsters Union head, Sean O’Brien, during a hearing because he said mean things on the internet?
It’s the professionalism that I respect.
So, perhaps we can take if not a page from their playbook, maybe a paragraph, or even a few lines, and just absolutely expose this clown show of frauds and unqualified fools to the light of day and don’t allow them to skate to confirmation.
That would be great.
Jam Packed Schedule
For those tracking them here is the schedule as currently published of hearings for the various Trump nominees starting tomorrow, January 14th. All times are Eastern and locations will vary based on the committee they will face.
TUESDAY, JAN. 14
9 a.m.: Doug Collins, Department of Veterans Affairs
9:30 a.m.: Pete Hegseth, Department of Defense
10 a.m.: Doug Burgum, Interior Department
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15
9 a.m.: Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Department
9:30 a.m.: Pam Bondi, Justice Department
10 a.m.: Sean Duffy, Transportation Department
10 a.m.: John Ratcliffe, CIA
10 a.m.: Marco Rubio, State Department
10 a.m.: Chris Wright, Energy Department
1 p.m.: Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16
10 a.m.: Scott Turner, Housing and Urban Development Department
10 a.m.: Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency
10:15 a.m.: Bondi, Day 2 before the Senate Judiciary Committee
10:30 a.m.: Scott Bessent, Treasury Department
Dates not yet confirmed:
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Labor Department
Tulsi Gabbard, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Health and Human Services Department
Howard Lutnick, Commerce Department
Linda McMahon, Education Department
Kash Patel, FBI
Brooke Rollins, Agriculture Department
Elise Stefanik, U.N. ambassador
The Associated Press has an excellent break down of all of the nominees, their backgrounds, and some of the challenges to check out for more details.
In the meantime I expect we will go live Tuesday night with VoteVets to review the hearings for Hegseth and Collins as well as discuss them on our ‘On Democracy’ shows. Be sure to subscribe to them both!
Let’s get to work!
Does that schedule mean there is only 30 minutes to "discuss/interview" these thugs? Totally agree, down and "dirty"... no holding back. Attack with facts! Ain't going back AND we sure as heck should NOT "go high" one more second.
Saw you on the Weekend Show.
IMHO this is an opportunity to identify which candidates were involved in isurrection and or gave aid and or comfort to insurrectionists.