US Presidential Election 2024 - Trump vs Harris - Vote Hard with a Vengence

[Remius]

Just listened to Ham and Keyes speak about appointments, including Hegseth, on Vassy's show. Nowhere did I hear them say he'd just be the face and that the WH would pull the strings. They talked about his inexperience and name recognition.

Every portfolio in a Presidents staff is controlled by the WH. Their job is to carry out the Presidents agenda. Just like ours is to support the Commander and their plan. That does not mean they are 'empty suits' any more than we are.

I'll throw in, just for shiggles, that these are just CTV commentators, part of trudeau's bribed media.

Lastly, if someone doesn't like Trump, they are more than likely to transfer that dislike to, and talk down, his appointments also. Doesn't mean they are right.

I don’t know if I like the guy or not. But a ex NG Major TV host with no real institutional leadership experience up running a 700Bn organisation seems a bit off. But maybe he’ll be awesome. Not convinced but maybe…

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I don’t know if I like the guy or not. But a ex NG Major TV host with no real institutional leadership experience up running a 700Bn organisation seems a bit off. But maybe he’ll be awesome. Not convinced but maybe…

Very few appointees have the luxury of experience in their new jobs before getting them. Like you say though, we'll see.

 

[Remius]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-team-drawing-up-list-pentagon-officers-fire-sources-say-2024-11-13/

Next step is get rid of all the corporate knowledge.

 

[Brad Sallows]

And some of us here are around the Major rank and have been in combat. I’m not sure that puts us anywhere near the ballpark of having the experience to become SECDEF, especially when there was a retired LGen in the running.

What about MND?

Hegseth is an odd and surprising choice, but this "he's not one of us and hasn't checked the administrative/government appointment/employment boxes we deem appropriate" sh!t has to stop. Hillary Clinton was a politician's wife, then a president's wife, then was recruited to fill a safe senate seat to polish her resume, and then somewhat later appointed to a cabinet secretary position (State). I don't recall her serving any time as a soldier diplomat.

Anyone qualified to be president is qualified enough to fill almost any political presidential appointment.

 

[dimsum]

What about MND?

Hegseth is an odd and surprising choice, but this "he's not one of us and hasn't checked the administrative/government appointment/employment boxes we deem appropriate" sh!t has to stop. Hillary Clinton was a politician's wife, then a president's wife, then was recruited to fill a safe senate seat to polish her resume, and then somewhat later appointed to a cabinet secretary position (State). I don't recall her serving any time as a soldier diplomat.

Anyone qualified to be president is qualified enough to fill almost any political presidential appointment.

Trump for SECDEF.

 

[dimsum]

What about MND?

Hegseth is an odd and surprising choice, but this "he's not one of us and hasn't checked the administrative/government appointment/employment boxes we deem appropriate" sh!t has to stop. Hillary Clinton was a politician's wife, then a president's wife, then was recruited to fill a safe senate seat to polish her resume, and then somewhat later appointed to a cabinet secretary position (State). I don't recall her serving any time as a soldier diplomat.

Anyone qualified to be president is qualified enough to fill almost any political presidential appointment.

Trump for SECDEF

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-team-drawing-up-list-pentagon-officers-fire-sources-say-2024-11-13/

Next step is get rid of all the corporate knowledge.

oh wait I’ve seen this movie before

 

[brihard]

Trump for SECDEF.

I can’t wait to see what he appoints his family and in-laws to.

 

[dimsum]

How is he an academic?

Going to University and receiving an education doesn't make you an academic. Besides weren’t you the one supposedly professing the virtues of higher education to everyone?


Just because you attend an elite school doesn't make you part of the establishment.

The establishment refers to "the Washington Establishment" the agglomeration of Democrat & Republican elites, along with the Bureaucrats who support them.

It's a political term for a select group of people. We also have an establishment in Canada.


I believe you and @brihard asked what exactly his qualifications were? I laid them out.

Highly educated
Lobbying experience
Worked in Finance and at Reputable Think Tanks
Political Pundit
Authored 4 books
Multi-Millionaire

Found the time while doing all of this to join the National Guard and do a bunch of combat tours and was also decorated (I have read one of his Bronze Stars from his time in Iraq has a big old "V" beside it).

Oh forgot to mention that he was also an All-Star Basketball Player, set the Minnesota High School Record for 3-point shots and played Div 1 Ball at Princeton and played in the NCAA March Madness Tourney in 2001.

The guy has a very impressive CV.

Now I admit that I only briefly skimmed his various media sources but there was no mention of a V on either of his 2 BSMs.

I would also argue that if you did in MPP at Harvard, Yale, or any of the Ivy League schools, you had establishment folks lecturing and networking. That’s part of the draw of those schools.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Now I admit that I only briefly skimmed his various media sources but there was no mention of a V on either of his 2 BSMs.

I would also argue that if you did in MPP at Harvard, Yale, or any of the Ivy League schools, you had establishment folks lecturing and networking. That’s part of the draw of those schools.

Having an establishment education does not mean one is part of the establishment. All the people coughing up their skulls ought to be sufficiently convincing that Hegseth is not really a member.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

Now I admit that I only briefly skimmed his various media sources but there was no mention of a V on either of his 2 BSMs.

I would also argue that if you did in MPP at Harvard, Yale, or any of the Ivy League schools, you had establishment folks lecturing and networking. That’s part of the draw of those schools.

There are actually a number of sources that mention his Bronze Star issued during his time in Iraq has a "V" beside it.

Here is one:

Pete Hegseth

Peter Brian Hegseth (born June 6, 1980) is a former Executive Director of Vets For Freedom and a senior counterinsurgency instructor at the Counterinsurgency Training Center in Kabul with the Minnesota National Guard.[1] Hegseth has made multiple appearances on national television as a military...

military-history.fandom.com

Now the bronze star is a pretty common award. Over 100,000 were given out during Op Iraqi Freedom. Bronze Stars with "V" are far less common but still common enough. We would need to request his service records to find out ground truth though.

I find the appointment of Hegseth humorous because it almost seems like a troll job on Tim Walz. VP Candidate, from Minnesota, a war dodger by many accounts, tried hard to play up his "Military credentials for clout".

Hegseth is like the polar opposite of Tim Walz. Doesn't play up his Military credentials at all, actively volunteered for multiple wars, is a bonafide citizen-soldier, advocate for Veterans, etc.

 

[dimsum]

There are actually a number of sources that mention his Bronze Star issued during his time in Iraq has a "V" beside it.

Here is one:

Pete Hegseth

Peter Brian Hegseth (born June 6, 1980) is a former Executive Director of Vets For Freedom and a senior counterinsurgency instructor at the Counterinsurgency Training Center in Kabul with the Minnesota National Guard.[1] Hegseth has made multiple appearances on national television as a military...

military-history.fandom.com

Now the bronze star is a pretty common award. Over 100,000 were given out during Op Iraqi Freedom. Bronze Stars with "V" are far less common but still common enough. We would need to request his service records to find out ground truth though.

I find the appointment of Hegseth humorous because it almost seems like a troll job on Tim Walz. VP Candidate, from Minnesota, a war dodger by many accounts, tried hard to play up his "Military credentials for clout".

Hegseth is like the polar opposite of Tim Walz. Doesn't play up his Military credentials at all, actively volunteered for multiple wars, is a bonafide citizen-soldier, advocate for Veterans, etc.

I too find the appointment humourous. Humourous in that the Trump campaign thinks so little of a SECDEF appointment that they used it as a troll job (which I agree was the intent).

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

I too find the appointment humourous. Humourous in that the Trump campaign thinks so little of a SECDEF appointment that they used it as a troll job (which I agree was the intent).

But would you agree that Hegseth has an impressive CV?

 

[brihard]

I find the appointment of Hegseth humorous because it almost seems like a troll job on Tim Walz. VP Candidate, from Minnesota, a war dodger by many accounts

I’m surprised to see you banging this drum. There are people I expect that from, but you tend to have a much more comfortable relationship with facts than that.

 

[Good2Golf]

Democrats showing everyone, yet again, why they lost the Federal Election.

Yup. Senator Warren feels entitled to call out Hegseth as unqualified because her three brothers served in various arms of the U.S. military.

And some of us here are around the Major rank and have been in combat. I’m not sure that puts us anywhere near the ballpark of having the experience to become SECDEF, especially when there was a retired LGen in the running.

But a lawyer would be okay, or a an alcoholic ex-banker or…or…or…

I don’t know if I like the guy or not. But a ex NG Major TV host with no real institutional leadership experience up running a 700Bn organisation seems a bit off. But maybe he’ll be awesome. Not convinced but maybe…

So what should the qualifications be? Serious question. What’s good enough to be a cabinet member? Lawyers or business people okay for the top job, heck, even drama teachers can do it…but what is the no diff hard requirement for any particular cabinet member? Shouldn’t health secretaries/ministers then be career doctors? Education Secretaries/Ministers teachers or better yet professors? Etc.

 

[Good2Golf]

I’m surprised to see you banging this drum. There are people I expect that from, but you tend to have a much more comfortable relationship with facts than that.

It was a reverse foil I’d say…huge defense came to Walz’s defence when Vance had at him. Now folks are back at slamming a guy who arguable, by his record, was more productive to a Nation’s defence than an almost-VP, and its game on again.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

I’m surprised to see you banging this drum. There are people I expect that from, but you tend to have a much more comfortable relationship with facts than that.

It was a bit of a tongue & cheek joke. Walz is basically guilty of doing what our Ex Defence Minister did. Aka.... play up his Military credentials as something more than they were. He got called out for it.

Yup. Senator Warren feels entitled to call out Hegseth as unqualified because her three brothers served in various arms of the U.S. military.



But a lawyer would be okay, or a an alcoholic ex-banker or…or…or…



So what should the qualifications be? Serious question. What’s good enough to be a cabinet member? Lawyers or business people okay for the top job, heck, even drama teachers can do it…but what is the no diff hard requirement for any particular cabinet member? Shouldn’t health secretaries/ministers then be career doctors? Education Secretaries/Ministers teachers or better yet professors? Etc.

Politicians don't need qualifications, that's the beauty of it. Our own Govt has proven qualifications don't matter.

That's why we have a Drama Teacher for a PM and what has to be the most unimpressive cabinet in Canadian history running the place at the moment:

29th Canadian Ministry - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[dimsum]

But would you agree that Hegseth has an impressive CV?

Yes it’s impressive. But is it impressive for nomination for SECDEF?

But when one of the possible options was a retired LGen, a Maj (who worked at a think tank, sure) doesn’t have the strategic experience in comparison.

So what should the qualifications be? Serious question. What’s good enough to be a cabinet member? Lawyers or business people okay for the top job, heck, even drama teachers can do it…but what is the no diff hard requirement for any particular cabinet member? Shouldn’t health secretaries/ministers then be career doctors? Education Secretaries/Ministers teachers or better yet professors? Etc.

I actually 100% believe that the Health Minister should be a doctor, and Education Minister be a teacher.

Yes, they have SMEs for the details, but we complain about CAF officers not knowing enough about their portfolios on postings. But we let someone with zero experience in the field become the Minister?

 

[Brad Sallows]

Yes it’s impressive. But is it impressive for nomination for SECDEF?

Easy way to resolve the question. Go to the Wikipedia page for Sec Defs, page down to the list of appointment holders, click on the links for their bios. Decide for yourself how broad or narrow their expertise in defence matters was and how much executive/administration experience they had prior to appointment, and make your own back-of-the-envelope assessment as to whether stellar resumes precluded major f*ckups, particularly f*ckups that led to unnecessary wars and escalations and casualties, particularly of people who don't get to vote in US elections.

 

[dimsum]

Easy way to resolve the question. Go to the Wikipedia page for Sec Defs, page down to the list of appointment holders, click on the links for their bios. Decide for yourself how broad or narrow their expertise in defence matters was and how much executive/administration experience they had prior to appointment, and make your own back-of-the-envelope assessment as to whether stellar resumes precluded major f*ckups, particularly f*ckups that led to unnecessary wars and escalations and casualties, particularly of people who don't get to vote in US elections.

That would make sense, if the SECDEF was the final say on those matters.

They are not the C-in-C.

 

[Brad Sallows]

That would make sense, if the SECDEF was the final say on those matters.

They are not the C-in-C.

If only bad advice and advocacy bore no responsibility.