Draining the Swamp?

As I promised, I'm going to keep an eye on Trump.

News about his transition team and people he's meeting with is changing almost daily at the moment. For example: he recently met with critics and opponents like Tulsi Gabbard and Mitt Romney. Almost as if he's trying to appear reasonable. This should frighten people far more than if he was keeping up the vitriolic rhetoric that many of his followers are still partaking in.

For now, let's look at some close supporters, who, even if they don't get a cabinet post, are going to have some influence. That article is pretty old for the ridiculous 24/7 news cycle we're on these days, but let's look at some: Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani, and Newt Gingrich.

Chris Christie. Some of you may know him as the Governor of New Jersey that got outed as a Dallas Cowboys fan. Bear in mind that people in New Jersey, depending on what part of the state they're from, tend to follow the New York teams or the Philadelphia teams. Those of you who pay attention to more substantial news may remember the time he just decided to quarantine a nurse in a parking lot during the Ebola scare. That first point just illustrates the contempt he has for his constituents in his own native state. That second bit should scare anyone who's ever uttered "executive over-reach." Last but not least, bear in mind, Rangers (this blog's term for the rural poor), this is a backeast politician from a highly urbanized state. Do you really think he has your best interests in mind?

Let's move on to another politician from that same mold: Rudy Giuliani. Former Mayor of New York City. "Cleaned up" Times Square. Just happened to be Mayor on 9/11/2001. Here is talking about how he'd make a great Attorney General. He is an experienced attorney, kind of pre-requisite for being an Attorney General. I don't know about you, but it is a little disturbing when he mentions wanting to persecute Hillary Clinton (give up on the fucking, e-mails, assholes!), then backpedals, slightly, when he realizes how dangerous it would be to politicize the job like that. Once again, rich, back east big shot. Do you really think he has your best interests in mind?

Another thing about Rudy, there has been a lot of abuse by law enforcement lately, a lot of it clearly racially motivated, and he sides with law enforcement. I'm not linking to any particular incident. There'll be a new one a day or a week right after I post this. Now, I prefer to believe the best in people. I trust law enforcement officials and advocates when they say, "This is not representative. This is the work of one or two bad apples." What bothers me, as it should bother any reasonable person, is that rather than disciplining or blacklisting these few bad apples, the other officers close ranks around them and protect them. Put a pin in that idea! I plan on coming back to it in a later post.

Last, we come to Newt Gingrich. While the evolving story seems to be that he doesn't really want a cabinet post, he is a close adviser to Trump. So let's look a little at his history. Career Washington politician infamous for partisanship and gridlock. Anyone that remembers the 90s will remember the story of Monica Lewinski. I'd rather not reopen any decades old wounds about it, but it was, at the heart of it all, a show trial about a President's sexual proclivities.

With that show trial in mind, don't think too hard about how he wants to form a new House Unamerican Activities Committee. Those were a dark chapter in our history. Some people think getting banned from Twitter or Facebook are violations of First Amendment rights. Those are junior league. (Especially considering that Twitter and Facebook are privately owned platforms; they can ban anyone they want.) The House Unamerican Activities Committee killed careers and, arguably, any shred of creativity or integrity Hollywood and the press had at that time.

I'm leaving you there, because when I come back, I plan to tell you the secret story of how the HUAC almost killed something near and dear to the heart of every geek and nerd out there: Star Trek.

Before I sign off, all progressives out there: meet Elizabeth Warren. Everything I've read and heard about her is encouraging.