Wow. This is sure something. I wonder if Alina Habba remembers the holding in the seminal constitutional law case, Marbury v. Madison? In that case it was determined that the Supreme Court has the power of judicial review, which allows it to declare laws unconstitutional. This power gives the Supreme Court the ability to check the power of Congress and the executive branch. Now granted, nowadays our Supreme Court is corrupt as hell, just like everything else in government has become. But it’s a lonnnng stretch to go from the Supreme Court determining the law of the land and the White House counsel and Attorney General deciding what is what. Marbury v. Madison has not been overturned, not matter what this bimbo says.
"The Felon Illegally Breaks the Impoundment Control Act of 1974" pic.twitter.com/tuvvc0P7IO
— karl m koons (@KoonsKarl) January 29, 2025
The United States is now a reality TV show, which the rest of the world is watching with horror. And if you think Habba is strange, you should have been at Karoline Leavitt’s first press conference today. Dana Milbank has an hilarious take on it.
This is, at any rate, what people think is happening, because no one has any idea — including the Trump administration.
The day after Trump’s bombshell, and just four hours before the funding was set to cease, Karoline Leavitt, the 27-year-old White House press secretary, strode onto the podium to give her first briefing. It quickly became apparent that she had no clue about the crisis her boss had created.
“There’s no uncertainty in this building,” she informed the Associated Press’s Zeke Miller, blaming the chaos in the nation on the news media, which had “confused” people. She promised Americans that Social Security and other “assistance that is going directly to individuals will not be impacted” — small reassurance, because most such federal assistance goes through states.
How long would the cutoff be? Leavitt could only say that it was “temporary” and that Russell Vought, Trump’s nominee to run the Office of Management and Budget, “told me to tell all of you that the line to his office is open for other federal agencies.” So the guy directing this cataclysmic “pause” is an unconfirmed nominee who doesn’t even work for the federal government? (Later on Tuesday, a federal judge delayed the freeze until at least Feb. 3.)
Leavitt was asked why charities and service providers weren’t given more warning. “There was notice,” Leavitt said. Yep — about 20 hours.
They are flying blind and they don’t know it. Either that, or they do know it and they don’t give a damn, because this is all smoke and mirrors. Trump is out playing golf, Stephen Miller is drafting executive orders right and left, Steve Bannon is fighting with Elon Musk, and chaos is the watchword of the day. But that doesn’t prevent the paid shills from going on Fox News and telling the world how great it all is.
“Are you guaranteeing here,” asked David Sanger of the New York Times, “that no individual now on Medicaid would see a cutoff because of the pause?”
Replied the press secretary: “I’ll check back on that and get back to you.”
In just eight days on the job, Trump has taken a wrecking ball to the federal government, and he and his aides apparently couldn’t be bothered to give any thought to the damage and chaos that would ensue. It’s not just the spending freeze. It’s the willy-nilly, and probably illegal, firing of federal employees, the federal hiring freeze, the moratorium on foreign aid, the threats and bullying unleashed on allies, and the moves to muzzle government agencies to eliminate accountability. The sheer volume of executive orders and actions stunned critics into silence. But, as the scene in the briefing room illustrated on Tuesday, reality is already beginning to catch up with Trump.
Trump doesn’t do reality very well. He does reality TV. That’s what he does. But actual reality, actual governance? Fuggedaboutit. The egg prices are soaring. Soon you might as well start collecting golden eggs, they’ll be about the same price. Faberge eggs, maybe, why not?
Leavitt went on to defend Trump’s fiction of “sending the military to California to turn on the water.” When a reporter asked about that — you know, those reporters that get it all wrong and confuse everybody? — Leavitt replied that the water in California was turned on because of Trump’s “pressure campaign” on state officials. Total hooey. But they double down on Trump’s fantasies because that’s what they’re paid to do.
The medium is the message. You remember that from decades back? A media analyst named Marshall McLuhan said it? We’re living that premise. Trump is pumping out smoke and mirrors. Image is everything. There is no depth or substance to anything, only the appearance of same.
That’s what television is. A dimension of sight, a dimension of sound, a dimension of mind, as Rod Serling put it. You create something that looks real and POOF! In Trump world it is real. Pete Hegseth is an all American hero because he looks like one, never mind that he’s a black out drunk and a philanderer, who’s screwed up the few small non profits that he’s handled. Of what account is that? The only important thing is that he can look and sound like he’s competent.
That goes for all of them. You missed a real doozy if you didn’t see Kristi Noem cosplay a bad ass today. Take a look at that.
Good Lord. pic.twitter.com/ohfU744ro8
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 28, 2025
As actress Heather Thomas said: “So Kristi Noem got her face puffed up with filler and Botox, underwent hours of hair extension attachments, hired professional make-up and hair, strapped on her customized bulletproof vest, and filmed herself arresting your maid.”
That is it in a nutshell. This is what America put in office. Think of a great looking car that looks like it should really be something — and then you drive it off the lot and it throws a rod on the way to the gas station.
May we survive four years of the Wizard of Oz.
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Funny you mention it’s all entertainment. The last time I heard “the law is what I say it is” was in the movie Shooter. It was the corrupt senator, played by the late great Ned Beatty, talking to his corrupt retired special ops colonel, played by Danny Glover. They were gloating over getting away with mass murder in Africa, shooting an ambassador, and setting up a retired sharpshooter, played by Mark Walberg. Of course, it quickly went to hell as the gunnery Sargeant ambushed them. As he killed Glover, an assistant, and their bodyguard, he faced down Beatty, who was now panicked, having now to face death without his faux security of power. As the Sargeant now approached him, Beatty yelled I’M A SITTING US SENATOR! Walberg said: exactly. He then shot him in the head. I wonder when these arrogant, self important assholes will figure out their opinion of themselves won’t stop a bullet?
Those who make democracy impossible, make revolution inevitable. John F Kennedy
Exactly.
Alina Habba video needs to be shared over and over people need to understand just how ignorant delusional and criminally culpable both Alina Habba and Pam Bondi actually are.
Alina Habba and Pam Bondi do not get to decide what the LAW of the United States of America is. Their job is to honor and defend the United States Constitution and enforce the Laws of the United States of America to the upmost of their ability just like their oath of office says. Their job is NOT to intererate or decide what the Law is and if they do not understand that them they both need to be impeached convicted and sent to prison.
Karoline Leavitt also told the press room that Sphincter Face’s impounding had blocked $50M worth of condoms to Gaza!! “WTF?!”…[shoulda been the collective response but wasn’t!]
USAID money for condoms is a line-item for programs in Africa that are fighting HIV/AIDS…of course, not to the tune of $50M and none of that for Gaza! But, what a spin, eh?!
It did allow Jesse Watters and other FauxNews lie-mongers to scream that Hamas uses condoms to bomb Israel…”dual-use technology!” That tiny part of the big lie is true…condoms and balloons are used to contain helium so Hamas can waft bombs to Israel. None of the money for that comes from the US.
But, it is all great entertainment for the base of idiots!! 🤪
RW “Stepford Wives,” BOTS just doing their part, for the Neo-Nazi MOB!
How did Habba manage to pass the bar exam? I am a lowly paralegal, but I know the president can’t just pick and choose which laws he will follow nor how appropriated mine can be spent.