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Some direct quotes are, “We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected,” he said. “When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to w
by spit2wind 2mo ago
Some direct quotes are,
“We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected,” he said. “When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains. We want their funding to be shut down so that the EPA can’t do all of the rules against our energy industry because they have no bandwidth financially to do so.
We want to put them in trauma.”
That was Russel Vought, head of the Office of Management and Budget and key author or Project 2025.
Trump also said, "a whole civilization will die tonight".
- hamper653 2mo agoThese people aren’t very bright, are they?
- Timon3 2mo agoThey've successfully planned and executed a takeover of the US government that will take decades to undo, if it's even possible at all. Of course they are bright, you don't stumble into causing this much damage. They are simply thoroughly evil. This is easy to mask as "stupid", but stupid people wouldn't be able to be so consistent.
- hamper653 2mo agoI mean, Americans have consistently elected these people, haven’t they? This is easy to mask as "evil", but…
- Timon3 2mo agoI don't know what you're trying to say. Evil people can run for elections and receive votes.
- Gud 2mo agoThey are capable of executing in their own self interest. I doubt they have full understanding about the 2nd and 3rd order effects of their actions. I wouldn't call them stupid, but they are hardly bright.
- Timon3 2mo agoMaybe you've seen something I haven't, but why do you think that regarding e.g. Russell Vought? His primary goal has long been to swing the US towards Christian nationalism, and he has made enormous strides towards that. People like him are well aware of the negatives consequences these decisions have, but to them it's worth the pain. I can't truly say since I've never talked to him (and I hope it stays that way), but IMO I simply cannot imagine someone doing everything Russell Vought has done to America, without being fairly smart. Maybe he's just acting as a proxy for smart people, but someone behind Project 2025 etc. objectively must be very intelligent.
- walrus01 2mo agoThere's a reflexive tendency to assume that anyone implementing cruel and bigoted policies must also be stupid, regretfully, this is sometimes not the case. As you have so accurately described, it's a very careful and calculated plan to move towards a desired end state. Whether that desired end state goal looks something like Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale, and whether you're supposed to like that, or abhor it, totally other question...
- hamper653 2mo agoIs it though? Desiring such an end state sounds pretty stupid to me.
- Timon3 2mo agoOf course, how could I forget that people's motivations are solely filtered through their reasoning. Obviously no smart person has ever desired anything that brings negative consequences for the people around them, while increasing their own power. That would be too stupid.
- lazide 2mo agoThey seem to be doing pretty well for themselves.
- hamper653 2mo agoIndeed.