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sarah palin
The Mugshot Worth A Thousand Words?
A defiant photograph isn’t “news.” It’s a symbol, an image. Which is exactly what Donald Trump is.
Aug 25, 2023
I want to talk about symbols, images, and fascism.
Here is Trump’s mugshot from his arraignment yesterday in Georgia. It’s a look of defiance—which I’m sure he practiced repeatedly beforehand—intended for his supporters and his Republican base to feel defiant, too.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, this is Trump’s thousand-word response to Wednesday night’s Republican debate that he declined to attend.
He is as close to America has come to a fascist leader, who doesn’t want his followers to think or analyze. He wants them only to feel.
He timed his arraignment in Georgia for yesterday so that it—and this photo—would dominate Thursday’s and Friday’s news, rather than anything or anyone emerging from the debate.
But a defiant photograph isn’t “news.” It’s a symbol, an image. Which is exactly what Donald Trump is. He has no political platform, no specific policy agenda, no new ideas, and no plan for what he’ll do if he gets a second term.
He exists as a symbol for the anger, discontent, bigotry, and vindictiveness he has unleashed in America.
He is as close to America has come to a fascist leader, who doesn’t want his followers to think or analyze. He wants them only to feel.
Trump’s lackeys fell in line, expressing the defiance Trump projected in his mug shot.
On Newsmax, Sarah Palin called for civil war.
Fox’s Laura Ingraham told viewers that Trump’s arrest was proof that government officials are trying to “take them out.”
Fox’s Sean Hannity said the Department of Justice will target Republicans “until there’s nothing left of the party.”
All brainless bile.
Last Thursday, Trump complained that Fox News “purposely show the absolutely worst pictures of me, especially the big ‘orange’ one with my chin pulled way back. They think they are getting away with something, they’re not. Just like 2016 all over again… And then they want me to debate!”
Of course he’s angry. For the man who’s all symbol and image and without substance, a photo like the following conveys a brainless buffoon. It must drive him crazy.
But Trump is not a brainless buffoon. He’s a cunning marketer, a diabolic manipulator of the public, a sly producer of his own daily reality show. His lead in the GOP’s presidential sweepstakes has grown. He will almost certainly be the Republican candidate for president next year—even if he’s in jail.
How to debate a symbol? How to take on an image? How should Biden and the Democrats, and everyone who cares deeply about this country, respond to a demagogue who obsesses over what he projects rather than what he stands for? How to deal with a fascist who doesn’t want followers to think but only to feel rage?
Expose him for who he is.
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Rumors of Sarah Palin as Canadian Ambassador Met With Hilarious Outrage
'If the Captain of Chaos wants to disrupt everything—including resetting relations with little ol' Canada—Palin would be the one to break the china'
Feb 10, 2017
Rumors that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin could be the next ambassador to Canada have been met with a resounding "No Siree," as Canadians this week have erupted in a chorus of (hilarious) outrage.
The backlash erupted after White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Wednesday refused to rule out the appointment when questioned directly.
"We have no additional ambassador nominations or announcements to make on that front," Spicer told reporters. "I'm sure at some point we will have, soon." Canadian Prime Minister Justice Trudeau is expected to meet with U.S. Donald Trump on Monday.
Several Canadian lawmakers swiftly responded with their own thoughts on the reports.
"Well that would show how little Steve Bannon and his pal @realDonaldTrump think of Canada," Member of Parliament (MP) Charlie Angus wrote on social media. Fellow New Democrat Nathan Cullen said Palin's appointment would be "tantamount to having to deal with two Donald Trumps," according to CBC News.
"She has never been very comfortable with the truth," Cullen told reporters on Thursday. "Couldn't recognize it most mornings if it jumped up and knocked her on the head."
In a searing op-ed, Ottawa Citizen columnist Andrew Cohen argued that the appointment would not be out of the realm of possibility for Trump and warned that if appointed, the former vice presidential candidate and reality TV star "would bring her traveling carnival to Canada."
"If the Captain of Chaos wants to disrupt everything--including resetting relations with little ol' Canada--Palin would be the one to break the china," Cohen wrote. Palin, he continued, "represents the descent of politics. We see today a direct line from Palin to Trump. Politically, Trump is Palin's child."
Should she be appointed, Cohen concluded, she would remind Canada, "lest we forget, of our new life through the looking glass."
As the rumors percolated, other neighbors to the north took to Twitter to voice their opposition and to revel in the morose comedy of it all.
\u201cSarah Palin ambassador to Canada? Our 2 official languages are French and English. She will have to learn at least one #canpoli\u201d— Mister Race Bannon (@Mister Race Bannon) 1486600451
\u201cSarah Palin is being considered for job as ambassador to Canada. She's presently on a flight to Europe to meet with us. #sarahpalin\u201d— Rob Willcott (@Rob Willcott) 1486601088
\u201cAppointing Sarah Palin for US Ambassador in Canada. That would be the perfect label on #Trump's IQ test.\u201d— F.S.K Waters (@F.S.K Waters) 1486741101
\u201cIf Sarah Palin becomes the ambassador to #Canada. Then every MP she ever speaks with should only speak to her in French. #r\u00e9sister\u201d— altNOAA (@altNOAA) 1486740884
\u201cDear America: If you give us Sarah Palin, we'll respond appropriately https://t.co/SEpEWG0lZd\u201d— HuffPost Canada (@HuffPost Canada) 1486693818
\u201cNo Sarah Palin, that's Mexico. Canada's in the other direction.\n#sarahpalin #trump\u201d— dm gillis (@dm gillis) 1486616116
\u201cIf Sarah Palin becomes our ambassador can we appoint Justin Bieber to be our ambassador for the US? #Canada\u201d— Throb Schneider (@Throb Schneider) 1486612829
Notably, there is growing concern among Canadians over Trump's so-called "America First" strategy. A new survey found that the majority of citizens want Trudeau to stand up for the nation's economic interests during upcoming trade negotiations and 58 percent "would support a trade war with the U.S. if the Trump administration slapped new tariffs on Canadian exports," the Globe and Mail reported Thursday.
At the same time, there has been growing pressure on Trudeau and other Canadian lawmakers to counter Trump's travel ban by lifting its cap on refugee resettlement.
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As Trump Transitions to Power, 'Cabinet of Horrors' Takes Shape
Climate skeptics, oil tycoons, campaign loyalists, war hawks, and law enforcement enthusiasts top the list of potential appointees
Nov 10, 2016
As President-elect Donald Trump began his transition to power on Thursday, early reporting has opened a window into what the nation can expect as his "cabinet of horrors," as AFPput it, takes shape.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani, Ben Carson, Newt Gingrich, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, and former Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin are among the more high-profile individuals named on a shortlist of potential appointees leaked to several news outlets.
On Wednesday, BuzzFeed News published a list of 41 names suggested for 13 positions, including attorney general, secretary of state, White House chief of staff, and White House counsel.
And while some, like Christie, were unsurprising, as Salon's Brendan Gauthier wrote, "The people whose names you don't recognize are as bad or worse as those whose names you're sick of hearing."
For example, Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who is being considered to head the Department of Defense, "was fired from his post as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, which he attributed to his hawkishness," Gauthier reports.
Oil executive Forrest Lucas is favored to take over the Department of the Interior, multiple outlets have reported. "That's a position that oversees land management, national parks and wildlife reserves, and Lucas at the helm would represent a nightmare scenario for environmentalists," AFP reported.
Also being considered for that position is Palin, the former vice presidential candidate made famous for her love of hunting and frequent chants of "drill, baby, drill."
It has previously been revealed that top climate skeptic Myron Ebell, who serves as director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute, is spearheading transition plans for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)--a department Trump repeatedly vowed to dismantle during his run-up to the election.
"In some cases," BuzzFeed reports, "it appears the transition team is looking to find a home for a particularly loyal ally--Ben Carson, for instance, is listed as a potential candidate to be the secretary of education and secretary of health and human services, while Sen. Jeff Sessions is listed as a possible attorney general, head of the Office of Management and Budget, or secretary of defense."
As for the heavy-hitters, former Republican House speaker Gingrich is being floated for the position of secretary of state, which AFP notes, "would have major implications for U.S. foreign policy and Washington's role in the international community."
Gingrich, who has lauded Trump's approach to foreign policy, has had his own international views described as "unpredictable," "hawkish," and "shameless."
Meanwhile, Christie and Giuliani--each with their own questionable interpretations of the law--are reportedly in competition for the role of attorney general. This particular appointment, Maurice Chammah wrote at the criminal justice-focused Marshall Project on Wednesday, is "poised to upend...[o]ne of the Obama administration's most aggressive civil rights tactics--the investigation and forced reform of local police departments."
"Under a new attorney general," Chammah wrote, "priorities could shift practically overnight. New investigations could grind to a halt, and court-ordered consent decrees could stall as career [Department of Justice] lawyers are ordered to abandon their efforts"--which would be a serious blow to the criminal justice reform movement.
The list provided to BuzzFeed is included below, but these 41 names only scratch the surface of a Trump administration. As the recently-launched transition website Greatagain.gov notes, the incoming administration is responsible for selecting candidates for "approximately 4,100 presidential appointments."
List of Potential Trump Cabinet Nominees:
Attorney General:
- NJ Gov. Chris Christie
- Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi
- Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions
- Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Secretary of Commerce:
- NJ Gov. Chris Christie
- Former Nucor CEO Dan DiMicco
- Businessman Lew Eisenberg
- Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee
- Georgia Sen. David Purdue
- Former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent
Agriculture Secretary:
- Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback
- National Council of Farmer Cooperatives CEO Chuck Conner
- Former Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman
- Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller
- Former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue
Secretary of Education:
- Ben Carson
- Hoover Institution fellow William Evers
Secretary of Energy:
- Venture Capitalist Robert Grady
- Businessman Harold Hamm
Secretary of Health and Human Services:
- Former New Jersey state Sen. Rich Bagger
- Ben Carson
- Former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich
- Florida Gov. Rick Scott
Secretary of Homeland Security:
- NJ Gov. Chris Christie
- Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke
Secretary of the Interior:
- Former Arizaona Gov. Jan Brewer
- Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin
- Venture Capitalist Robert Grady
- Businessman Harold Hamm
- Oil Executive Forrest Lucas
- Rep. Cynthia Lummis
- Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin
Secretary of Defense:
- Retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn
- Former Bush National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley
- Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr.
- Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions
- Former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent
Secretary of State:
- Former UN Ambassador John Bolton
- Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker
- Former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich
Treasury Secretary:
- US Rep. Jeb Hensarling
- Businessman Carl Icahn
- Former Goldman Sachs Banker Steven Mnuchin
Chief of Staff:
- Reince Priebus
Director of Office of Management and Budget:
- Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions
Secretary of Labor:
- EEOC Commissioner Victoria Lipnic
Veterans Affairs:
- Florida US Rep. Jeff Miller
White House Counsel:
- Former Chair of Federal Elections Commission Donald McGahn
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