He knows that his picks are too extreme for confirmation

The voters chose the nasty guy a second time less than ten days ago. Already I see I won’t be able to keep up with the news. I won’t keep up with what I see as the bits of news worth writing about. For example, in contrast to eight years ago the nasty guy is being quick about announcing his picks for various administration positions and for his cabinet. Alarming, but not surprising, that all the names mentioned so far are horrible people. I don’t have the time to list them all. I will mention a few – which means they’re the most alarming. Lisa Needham of Daily Kos reported the nasty guy will probably have no difficulty getting his choices for the 1,200 positions that need Senate confirmation. The Senate is in Republican hands and it appears the filibuster for confirmations has already been eliminated (or was never there). And if the Senate balks, there is the Federal Vacancy Reform Act that allows for “acting” cabinet members. These are supposedly limited to 210 days, But last time the nasty guy switched people around and the Department of Homeland Security had three acting secretaries, so no official head for 440 days. An advantage of the “acting” secretary is they’re more easily fired if they aren’t sufficiently loyal. Or, like last time, he could leave positions vacant, grinding agencies to a halt.

But that’s exactly what conservatives want. They hate agencies because agencies have a nasty habit of creating regulations on things like limiting pollution or trying to make things better for trans kids. Gutting the administrative state means Trump will never have to deal with pesky experts again. Instead, we could experience conspiracy theorist and all-around weirdo Robert F. Kennedy Jr. running the FDA. If Trump wants it that way, it’s likely impossible to stop him, even if Republican senators came together to block someone who thinks wi-fi causes cancer, Trump can just go around them. It’s definitely time to expect the absolute worst.

Emily Singer of Kos reported, prior to the Senate voting a new Majority Leader...

“Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner,” Trump wrote in a post on X. “Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again. We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY!” ... So the fact that Trump is demanding the Senate allow recess appointments is a likely sign that he knows that his picks are so extreme that even a GOP Senate wouldn't confirm them. ... The three Senate Republicans running to replace Mitch McConnell as leader all quickly came out to say they support Trump’s demand to make recess appointments—a bad sign for anyone hoping that the Senate would serve as a backstop to Trump’s dictatorial impulses.

With Congress becoming nearly a year-round body there may not be a recess to allow making a recess appointment. Needham reported that various government institutions are trying to protect themselves from the nasty guy’s efforts. The military is one she focused on. How will they be called on to deport millions of immigrants? Will they be housing deportees at military bases? Will they be called on to stop domestic protests? How are the generals and grunts to figure out which orders are legal and which are illegal – they are required to disobey illegal orders but face harsh consequences of they disobey a legal one. But, how to tell? Walter Einenkel of Kos reported:

A disturbing report from The Wall Street Journal says that Donald Trump’s transition team is drafting an executive order to create a military review body that could allow his administration to remove three- and four-star officers more easily. Purportedly, this “warrior board” would consist of retired senior military personnel. The Journal, whose reporters have seen a draft of this order, says it allows the removal of officers “lacking in requisite leadership qualities” as quickly as 30 days from their review and could force them to retire. The speculation that this board would be a way for Trump to create a military that is loyal to him above all else is not far-fetched.

He has talked about his admiration for Hitler’s generals. On Tuesday Oliver Willis of Kos reported there are signs Elon Musk is trying to assert control over the Republican Party. He reportedly spent $200 million to support the nasty guy in the election. Part of that was through his use of X to support his guy through lies, conspiracy theories, and attacks. Then Musk announced his pick for Senate Majority Leader before the nasty guy did, who chose the same candidate. Thankfully, that candidate lost (which is not a way of saying the guy who got the job will be any good for the country). There are also stories of Musk exerting influence, though the stories may have originated from Musk. Also on Tuesday an Associated Press article posted on Kos reported:

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said in a statement that Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added that the move would shock government systems.

The Department of Government Efficiency doesn’t exist, at least not yet. So how does Musk and the rest fit in with the Administration? Likely they’ll be an outside think tank issuing pronouncements on how government departments should be funded and which are terminated. Or... Willis suggests that Musk has been put in charge of a blue-ribbon commission, a long Washington tradition of creating a panel to address a problem and that issues a report months or years later when it can be ignored.

There are already signs from within Trump world that Trump wants to get rid of his growing Musk problem. Politico is now reporting that insiders close to Trump believe Musk has “become almost a comical distraction,” citing his habit of “hanging around Mar-a-Lago” and sitting in on high level meetings and giving feedback nobody asked him for.

The nasty guy has traditionally given his big donors access to power. So Musk is only the latest to step up to the trough. This announcement of Musk’s new fake department fits in the nasty guy’s love of a good show to make a grand proclamation that turns out to be nonsense. This one appears to put Musk in his place. But did he get the message? Einenkel reported Musk is changing the terms of service for X. The new terms say if users want to sue the company they must do so in one of two Texas courts stocked with nasty guy appointees. In response to that and to the general awful quality of the site journalists and news organizations are pulling out. The Guardian has said it will no longer post on X, though users may share articles there. Journalist Don Lemon, who is in the midst of a lawsuit against Musk for alleged breach of contract, is also leaving. Singer reported:

On Wednesday, Donald Trump appointed Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general. The Florida Republican, accused of child sex trafficking, is a Trump loyalist who has made it his mission to protect Trump at all costs. He would be the country’s top law enforcement official. ... Gaetz’s nomination is completely out of left field.

Gaetz had been under the investigation by the FBI for years of alleged child sex trafficking. They declined to file charges. He’s also being investigated by the House Ethics Commission – more on this in a moment. Gaetz was instrumental in getting Kevin McCarthy removed as House Speaker. He is well known for stirring up big trouble for the House, apparently for the sake of stirring up trouble.

Hill newspaper reporter Emily Brooks reported that there was an “audible gasp” in the room where House Republicans are meeting to nominate their leadership slate for 2025 when Gaetz’s nomination was announced. It’s despicable nominations like Gaetz’s that make it clear why Trump wants to shred the rules and bypass the Senate to simply install his picks in key administration roles.

Yeah, a smarmy guy under investigation nominated to be the top law enforcement official. Einenkel had more to say about Congress’ views on the nomination of Gaetz. Some members say they will absolutely not vote for him. Other say he’s the nasty guy’s pick and we must support the nasty guy, showing how completely they’ve sold themselves. And Sen. Susan Collins is “shocked.” One hopes that is higher than “concerned.” She was “concerned” about the nomination of accused sexual predator Brett Kavanaugh’s to the Supreme Court and voted for him anyway – and got a sizable campaign donation haul. Singer reported that just hours after Gaetz was nominated for AG he resigned from Congress. He didn’t wait to be confirmed for the new job. There wouldn’t be a reason for the hasty exit, would there? Yeah, there is. The House Ethics Committee was set to release its report on Gaetz in two days. It is described as “highly critical.” But with Gaetz no longer a member of the House the Ethics Committee no longer has jurisdiction over him and the investigation is closed. Democrats are saying there’s a difference between losing jurisdiction and thus no longer able to issue punishment and being able to issue the report. Democrats want that report issued anyway. I’ve since heard that Republicans in the Senate also want to see that report before they take up Gaetz’ nomination.

Ultimately, Trump wants Gaetz as his attorney general to carry out his agenda of punishing his perceived enemies, and releasing the ethics report into Gaetz’s conduct would jeopardize that nomination. However, one glimmer of hope for the decent people who want to see Gaetz fail is that Gaetz's fellow Republican lawmakers absolutely hate him. Ohio GOP Rep. Max Miller said on Wednesday that Gaetz is "literally worse than gum on the bottom of my shoe," adding that Gaetz is "a complete weirdo."

John VandeHei and Mike Allen of Axios explain more about the nasty guy and Gaetz. Here’s a bit of their article.

Get used to this. It's your future foretold: On some topics, Trump wants to seem reasonable. On others — like anything related to his suspicion of a hostile "deep state" — he demands his own personal, controllable wrecking ball. Gaetz, 42, is a wrecking ball, head to toe. Oh, and arguably the most despised one among elected Republicans. But Trump doesn't care, advisers say. ... Republicans hope Gaetz is simply a sacrificial sucker, put up to be rejected so Trump can smuggle through a controversial but more acceptable alternative. Perhaps. But Gaetz is a Trump favorite and Mar-a-Lago regular. Trump has assurances from Senate Republican leaders that he can use a controversial workaround, recess appointments, to smuggle in unpopular picks, at least for a few years.

In the comments of a pundit roundup on Kos exlrrp posted a meme and a cartoon. The meme shows a scene from the end of the movie The Planet of the Apes (it came out in the early 1970s) in which the main character encounters the Statue of Liberty half-buried on a beach. The added words say, “Well, at least now we have the backstory...” The cartoon by Sipress shows a woman talking to a man, saying, “My desire to be well-informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.” Further down Marlene Robertson posted the word for the day:

kakistocracy, noun, a state or country run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens.

I suggested getting a passport now in case you need to flee later. Madisonian of the Kos community included a link for details, though added five important reminders. 1. Apply now. Don’t wait. The process can take months and applications from nervous fellow citizens will produce a processing logjam. 2. Take a money order for the exact amount. 3. You will need a valid ID and a certified copy of your birth certificate. Take the required photos in the required format or take extra cash for a photo service fee. 4. Check whether you need an appointment or can just walk in. 5. Verify all your documents are in order and all the forms are filled out correctly. I’ll add one more. When I last renewed the place that handled it (I’m pretty sure it was a post office) was allowed to collect a processing fee. Take cash for that too.