The New York Times and Its Strange Polling Trump Bump

This fortifies my decision to cancel subscription during the Times war against Biden:

From Russia with Lev | Official Trailer

 

To begin to understand the steady build-up of moral scum inside the Trump Cult's inner circle, this 90-minute documentary is a must see.  Be prepared to want to see it more than once, for you will doubt your eyes the first time. 

Measures of Happiness and State Politics

A new study has been published gauging the level of resident happiness based on three factors:  

Emotional and physical well-being weighed the most at 50 points. Work environment and community and environment each weighed 25 points.

So the closer to 100 your state scores, the happier the state.  

Some interesting correlations pop out immediately.  Among the 10 happiest states, 7 of them have Democratic political control at the state level:

1. Hawaii: 68.71
2. Maryland: 64.67
3. New Jersey: 62.46
4. Utah: 62.20
5. Delaware: 60.43
6. Minnesota: 60.43
7. Connecticut: 60.14
8. Idaho: 58.84
9. Nebraska: 58.60
10. Massachusetts: 58.24

 Of the 10 unhappiest states, 7 are controlled by Republicans, one by Democrats, and two have divided government:

1. Louisiana: 32.97
2. Arkansas: 37.09
3. West Virginia: 38.09
4. Tennessee: 40.32
5. New Mexico: 40.82
6. Alaska: 41.44
7. Alabama: 41.67
8. Oklahoma: 41.74
9. Mississippi: 41.83
10. Kentucky: 42.88

 Now we don't know whether Democratic governments cause people to be generally happier or if happier people tend to elect more Democrats.  Conversely, does Republican control make people unhappy, or do unhappy people elect more Republicans?

One thing is for sure.  In my home state of Tennessee, where Republicans hold a supermajority, the adult depression level in the highest in the nation.

The Apprentice | Official Trailer | Exclusively in Theaters October 11

Undercover in Project 2025

Former director of the OMB for Trump and author of this year's RNC platform, Russell Vought is the insider's insider on Project 2025's second phase: the crushing of federal institutions and the ascendancy of dictatorial powers by the President.  

Have a jacket handy when you're watching this 13 minutes--it's chilling to the bone.

Sasse Used Millions in University Funds to Hire DC Cronies to Work from Home

From Salon:

The former president of the University of Florida, retired Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, directed millions in university dollars to Republican allies, the Independent Florida Alligator reported.

Sasse, who was university president for 17 months, tripled his office’s spending from $5.6 million to $17.3 million, The Alligator reported. Sasse represented Nebraska in the U.S. Senate before he took the position, which was offered to him by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The majority of Sasse’s spending was used for contracts with consulting firms and for hiring six of his former Senate staffers and two former Republican officials to remote jobs at the university. 

When Sasse took the position in the fall of 2022, he promised a non-partisan presidency amid protests over his GOP past, claiming he would engage in “political celibacy,” reported WUSF Public Media.  

Sasse hired Raymond Sass, his former Senate chief of staff, as the vice president for innovation and partnerships at a starting salary of $396,000. The position did not exist before Sasse became UF president. 

James Wegmann, Sasse’s former Senate communications director, was hired as UF’s vice president of communications and makes $432,000 a year, The Alligator reported. Both men work remotely from their homes in Washington, D.C.

These hires contributed to a $4.3 million increase in salary expenses compared to UF’s former president Kent Fuchs’ spending.

Sasse also spent nearly $7.2 million in university funds on contracts with consulting firms for advice on how to run a university. The majority of that money was paid to McKinsey & Company, though it’s unclear what specific services the firm provided.

The former senator resigned from his post at UF in July after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy.

Fight For a Better Life

 

Watch: 14 Hours of Never-Before-Published Videos From Project 2025’s Presidential Administration Academy

by Andy Kroll, ProPublica, and Nick Surgey, Documented

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.

ProPublica and Documented obtained more than 14 hours of never-before-published videos from Project 2025’s Presidential Administration Academy, which are intended to train the next conservative administration’s political appointees “to be ready on day one.”

Project 2025, the controversial playbook and policy agenda created by the Heritage Foundation and its allies for a future conservative presidential administration, has lost its director. In recent weeks, it faced scathing criticism from both Democratic groups and former President Donald Trump, whose campaign has tried to distance itself from the effort.

But Project 2025’s plan to train an army of political appointees who could battle against the so-called deep state government bureaucracy remains on track. Video trainings like these are one of the “four pillars” of that plan, says Spencer Chretien, the associate director of Project 2025, in “Political Appointees & The Federal Workforce.”

For transparency, we are publishing the videos as we obtained them.

The Heritage Foundation and most of the people who appear in the videos cited in this story did not respond to ProPublica’s repeated requests for comment. Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said, “As our campaign leadership and President Trump have repeatedly stated, Agenda 47 is the only official policy agenda from our campaign.”

Conservative Principles

In “Conserving America,” Matthew Spalding, a vice president at Hillsdale College, sets out the landscape for the Presidential Administration Academy by talking about common conservative principles.

Hillsdale College is a small, Christian liberal arts school in Michigan known both for its great books curriculum, which is centered on reading the classics of the Western canon, and for having been a feeder of staffers for the Trump administration.

The History of the Conservative Movement

In “The History of the Conservative Movement,” Christopher Malagisi, the executive director of outreach for Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C., campus, gives a history that spans from the early-20th century Progressive Era to the 1964 defeat of Barry Goldwater and the “Reagan revolution.”

Appointees and Policymaking

In “Why Your Service Matters: How Presidential Appointees at All Levels Impact Policy,” three Heritage Foundation experts discuss the role that political appointees play in making policy.

They talk about the importance of planning ahead to “hit the ground running” and call the first 100 days of an administration a “honeymoon period” for policy implementation.

Appointees and the Federal Workforce

In “Political Appointees & The Federal Workforce,” Chretien discusses the critical role that he says political appointees play in carrying out the vision of a conservative administration.

Chretien served in the Trump administration as special assistant to the president and associate director of presidential personnel.

Presidential Transitions and Appointee Hiring

In “Presidential Transitions & Appointee Hiring: What You Need To Know,” Ed Corrigan and Rick Dearborn outline how an aspiring political appointee can get a foot in the door during a presidential transition.

Dearborn is a former White House deputy chief of staff in the Trump administration, as well as executive director of Trump’s presidential transition team in 2016.

Corrigan has had a long career as a Senate staffer. He was part of Trump’s transition team and is now the president and CEO of the Conservative Partnership Institute, a prominent think tank based in Washington.

Federal Background Checks and Security Clearances

In “Deep Dive on The Federal Background Investigation & Security Clearance Process,” Kirk gives an overview of the federal government’s background check process, including what disqualifies an individual, like substance abuse issues, and what does not.

Kirk, an associate director of Project 2025, served in the Office of Personnel Management during the Trump administration.

What It’s Like to Serve as an Appointee

In “The Political Appointee’s Survival Guide,” Bethany Kozma, who was the deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Agency for International Development during the Trump administration, talks with six other former Trump administration staffers about what it’s like to serve as a political appointee in the federal government.

Time Management for Appointees

In “Time Management for Political Appointees,” Katie Sullivan explains how political appointees can maximize their time in government by vetting whom they meet with and not allowing career civil servants to fill their calendar with meetings.

Sullivan is the former acting assistant attorney general in charge of the Office of Justice Programs, a grant-making agency inside the Justice Department.

The Art of Professionalism

In “The Art of Professionalism,” Chris Hayes and Leavitt discuss tenets of how to act with professionalism while serving in government.

Hayes worked for the Leadership Institute, a think tank that offers leadership and management resources for the conservative movement.

Leavitt worked in the Trump White House press office and is now a spokesperson for Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign.

Staffing an Office

In “How to Staff Your Principal,” Jeff Small discusses the day-to-day work of serving closely with a senior government official like a cabinet secretary.

Small is a former senior adviser to the interior secretary and a chief of staff to Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.

Left-Wing Code Words and Biased Language

In “Hidden Meanings: The Monsters in the Attic,” Sullivan and Kozma discuss supposed left-wing code words and biased language that future appointees should be aware of and root out.

How to Work With the Media

In “How to Work With the Media,” Alexei Woltornist talks about how political appointees should navigate the modern media environment, including bypassing mainstream news sources and focusing on conservative outlets because those are the only ones conservative voters trust.

Woltornist is a former assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Government Oversight and Investigations

In “Oversight & Investigations,” Mike Howell, Tom Jones and Michael Ding explain what government oversight entails, the ins and outs of public-records laws and how political appointees should think about when and when not to put sensitive communications in writing.

Howell is the executive director of the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project.

Jones runs the American Accountability Foundation, a conservative investigations group.

Ding is a lawyer for America First Legal, which is aligned with Trump.

The Federal Budget Process

In “The Federal Budget Process,” Michael Duffey explains key budgetary policies, such as the difference between appropriations and authorization bills and discretionary versus mandatory spending.

Duffey served in the Office of Management and Budget during the Trump administration.

The Administrative State

In “The Administrative State: What it is & How to Address the Problem,” Paul Ray explains what the so-called administrative state does and how a conservative administration could use its authority to rein in government regulation.

Ray is a former Trump administration lawyer who served as the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs during the Trump administration.

Federal Regulatory Process

In “How to Promulgate a Rule,” David Burton discusses how the federal government’s regulatory process works and the role of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

Burton is a senior fellow in economic policy at the Heritage Foundation.

Lessons Learned From Trump Administration About Passing New Regulations

In “Taking the Reins: How Conservatives Can Win the Regulations Game,” Roger Severino talks about what lessons conservatives learned about passing new rules during the Trump presidency and how to be more effective in a future conservative administration.

Severino is a vice president for domestic policy at the Heritage Foundation and the former director of the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services during the Trump administration.

Executive Orders

In “Executive Order Drafting & Implementation,” Steven G. Bradbury explains the process of writing and carrying out executive orders, drawing on experience from the Trump presidency.

Bradbury is a distinguished fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a former counsel in the Department of Transportation during the Trump administration.

Advancing the President’s Agenda

In “Advancing the President’s Agenda as a Political Executive,” Donald J. Devine and James Bacon discuss different strategies for promoting the president’s policies as a high-ranking political appointee.

Devine is the former director of the Office of Personnel Management under President Ronald Reagan.

Bacon is a former special assistant to the Presidential Personnel Office, serving during the Trump administration.

Navigating Policymaking

In “How to Get Your Policy Through the Agency,” Dan Huff talks about how to navigate the policymaking process in the executive branch.

Huff is a former legal adviser in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, serving during the Trump administration.

Working With Congress

In “Congressional Relations: How to work with Members,” Hugh Fike and James Braid talk about what executive branch political appointees should know and expect about working with congressional offices and elected officials.

Fike and Braid both formerly worked on legislative affairs in the Office of Management and Budget during the Trump administration.

Coalition Building

In “Building Winning Coalitions to Advance Policy,” Paul Teller and Sarah Makin discuss what strategies political appointees can use to work with pro-life, gun-rights and other outside advocacy groups to pass policies.

Teller is a former special assistant to the president and a senior aide in the Office of the Vice President, serving during the Trump administration.

Makin is a former deputy assistant to the president and former director of outreach in the Office of the Vice President, serving during the Trump administration.

Social Media Messaging

In “Best Practices in Social Media to Advance Policy,” Ben Friedmann explains how political appointees can most effectively use social media to promote conservative policies and messages.

Friedmann is a former deputy assistant secretary for digital strategy in the U.S. State Department.

Videos prepared by Lisa Riordan Seville and Chris Morran.

Lawrence O'Donnell Points Out Media Bias in Questioning of Candidates

From MSNBC via Youtube:

Donald Trump rambled and lied for over an hour without any follow up questions or fact-checking. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell says that while he hopes Vice President Harris answers questions from reporters, after the press conference that Donald Trump turned into a “charade,” Vice President Harris has “absolutely no greater obligation to do so because of what Donald Trump pretended to do today.”

The Gi-normous JD Vance Rally in MI Today

 

 So while we wait for the crowd that never shows up, here is a clip from the foreword that Vance wrote for the book by Heritage Foundation president and Project 2025 mastermind, Kevin Roberts, which has been delayed until after the November election: 

"Never before has a figure with Roberts’s depth and stature within the American Right tried to articulate a genuinely new future for conservatism... We are now all realizing that it’s time to circle the wagons and load the muskets. In the fights that lie ahead, these ideas are an essential weapon."

 

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