I pleaded with Ernst twice to reject a person less qualified than even her to run this gargantuan department. Imagine the many capable people who could have accomplished the same requests she made feeling betrayed and rejected for all the service they had given to this country when she picked a person who will clearly be in over his head. With our global reputation at stake and the conflicts we are involved in, why risk the loss of power due to incompetency. Ernst needs some backbone to stand up to MAGA pressure. If she can’t handle that, she should get defeated in the next election cycle.
She should get defeated in her next election, but this being the one party state of Iowa, which it has been for almost two decades, she won't. All you need these days to win a statewide election, is an R by your name, loyalty to the MAGA movement, and a decent, even if phony, good ole boy or good ole gal act. Like Chuck or Kimmy do so well...same as Joni..
The author has the right and the choice to continue to support Ernst, but my thinking has always been, once someone betrays me politically or personally, I can never trust them again, so I quit supporting or being involved with them, while looking for others who will treat me better. As someone said long ago, effective politics is rewarding your allies who deliver for you, and punishing those who betray or fail to deliver for you. To my thinking, anything else is naive and foolish, when it comes to how hardball politics has become these days, where winning is crucial to ever accomplishing anything good for the people. Politics is not a place where moral victories and style points matter at all anymore, at least not in my book.
And BTW, I'm really an independent, not a Dem or Repub, and am really only represented by the Green Party, and Bernie Sanders, when it comes to most policy issues, tho I do register as a Dem, only so I can vote in Dem primaries. Fortunately, that saves me from having to do all the mental gymnastics these days that are required for loyalists of either party to excuse or justify the decisions and policies of their corrupt leaders in either party...such as the author here...
Why no reason for continuing to support her? She doesn’t deserve your support or anyone else’s. She didn’t put party before country she put Joni Ernst s re-election before country! Thirty pieces of silver.
When engaging with our Iowa delegation about appointees like Hegseth, I've pressed for specific oversight commitments - particularly regarding concerns raised during confirmation hearings. Despite requesting detailed monitoring plans, Ernst's responses have been vague.
The stakes are high: potential politicization of our military, regression on gender and LGBTQ+ service member rights, and domestic deployment proposals. While our senators surely don't support a compromised Defense Department, their silence on these critical issues speaks volumes. Even a minimal acknowledgment of these legitimate concerns would demonstrate basic oversight responsibility.
The bar for congressional oversight shouldn't be this low. Our military's integrity and effectiveness demand more than passive acceptance from our elected officials. Ernst and Grassley's should be pressed by people like the writer of this substack to acknowledge these fundamental concerns undermines their constitutional duty of oversight."
Not only did she NOT put country before party, she is endangering the lives of those who bravely serve our country. As a Minnesotan, many of us are ashamed that he comes from our state. And I too supported Ernst as a loyal American. Now we know what she really is another weak acolyte of MAGA.
Ernst's only child Libby has an appointment to West Point and I wonder what she thinks about the new DOD secretary. The author has an impressive resume but falls short on principle to keep supporting Ernst..Question - does the author live in and vote in Iowa?
So how does Ernst make the author squeal? If this vote isn't a deal-breaker for the author, what would be? Perhaps in all of his law education and experience, the author never learned about what being an accessory to (fill in the blank) as Ernst has done with her affirmative vote. Sad stance by the author. If he had at least detailed why he still supports Ernst, we could debate and perhaps yield a agree to disagree result.
Politics is fairly simple. Those who wanted Ernst to support the Trumpian Republican nominees made it clear that if she did not do so, she would not have their support. They funded a very loud and angry person to do a video committing to that threat. Republicans who wanted her to reject at least some of these nominees, especially Hegseth, made it clear that they would still support her if she did. And so we have the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our nation's history. I'm convinced Republicans will not self-correct. This post, while thoughtful, is further evidence that we will need to rebuild the Democratic party and do so very quickly if we are going to stop the attack on our democracy.
I spent two years in the service taking care of Vietnam casualties in Japan. I totally disagree with this person's with her take on Joni Ernst's decision to vote in favor of the nominee. Her "pondering" her serious vote is crocodile tears and nothing more. She obviously checked her chances of being reelected in a red state and determined no matter how she votes she will get reelected. That was her only motive here. She has constantly supported an individual for president who consistently bad mouthed veterans and more specifically POWs. How can you even be OK with that? She condemned the imperfect withdraw from Afghanistan which saved hundreds of lives by not prolonging a war that had no true goals and managed by BOTH republican and democratic presidents......the same as occurred in Iraq and Vietnam. It will be interesting if he fails to carry out her requests. My guess it will be about the same as lipstick on a pig. She choose politics over character never mind the responsibilities of the office he is seeking. It is disappointing that even though character and policies should be evaluated together when considering a candidate, her decision was strictly politics.
I pleaded with Ernst twice to reject a person less qualified than even her to run this gargantuan department. Imagine the many capable people who could have accomplished the same requests she made feeling betrayed and rejected for all the service they had given to this country when she picked a person who will clearly be in over his head. With our global reputation at stake and the conflicts we are involved in, why risk the loss of power due to incompetency. Ernst needs some backbone to stand up to MAGA pressure. If she can’t handle that, she should get defeated in the next election cycle.
She should get defeated in her next election, but this being the one party state of Iowa, which it has been for almost two decades, she won't. All you need these days to win a statewide election, is an R by your name, loyalty to the MAGA movement, and a decent, even if phony, good ole boy or good ole gal act. Like Chuck or Kimmy do so well...same as Joni..
How very disappointing. Party over country. I am disgusted by Ernst & this author for throwing women under the bus for a few shekels
The author has the right and the choice to continue to support Ernst, but my thinking has always been, once someone betrays me politically or personally, I can never trust them again, so I quit supporting or being involved with them, while looking for others who will treat me better. As someone said long ago, effective politics is rewarding your allies who deliver for you, and punishing those who betray or fail to deliver for you. To my thinking, anything else is naive and foolish, when it comes to how hardball politics has become these days, where winning is crucial to ever accomplishing anything good for the people. Politics is not a place where moral victories and style points matter at all anymore, at least not in my book.
And BTW, I'm really an independent, not a Dem or Repub, and am really only represented by the Green Party, and Bernie Sanders, when it comes to most policy issues, tho I do register as a Dem, only so I can vote in Dem primaries. Fortunately, that saves me from having to do all the mental gymnastics these days that are required for loyalists of either party to excuse or justify the decisions and policies of their corrupt leaders in either party...such as the author here...
Why no reason for continuing to support her? She doesn’t deserve your support or anyone else’s. She didn’t put party before country she put Joni Ernst s re-election before country! Thirty pieces of silver.
Senator Ernst will assume responsibility then for the decisions made as a result of her caving in to MAGA.
So party over country for you, too. Just like Joni. Says as much about your character as it does hers.
When engaging with our Iowa delegation about appointees like Hegseth, I've pressed for specific oversight commitments - particularly regarding concerns raised during confirmation hearings. Despite requesting detailed monitoring plans, Ernst's responses have been vague.
The stakes are high: potential politicization of our military, regression on gender and LGBTQ+ service member rights, and domestic deployment proposals. While our senators surely don't support a compromised Defense Department, their silence on these critical issues speaks volumes. Even a minimal acknowledgment of these legitimate concerns would demonstrate basic oversight responsibility.
The bar for congressional oversight shouldn't be this low. Our military's integrity and effectiveness demand more than passive acceptance from our elected officials. Ernst and Grassley's should be pressed by people like the writer of this substack to acknowledge these fundamental concerns undermines their constitutional duty of oversight."
Not only did she NOT put country before party, she is endangering the lives of those who bravely serve our country. As a Minnesotan, many of us are ashamed that he comes from our state. And I too supported Ernst as a loyal American. Now we know what she really is another weak acolyte of MAGA.
Just let her drink the water from the Iowa rivers.
The author is just another “conservative Christian “ in the thrall of MAGA. Brainwashed from birth to worship authority.
Ernst's only child Libby has an appointment to West Point and I wonder what she thinks about the new DOD secretary. The author has an impressive resume but falls short on principle to keep supporting Ernst..Question - does the author live in and vote in Iowa?
So how does Ernst make the author squeal? If this vote isn't a deal-breaker for the author, what would be? Perhaps in all of his law education and experience, the author never learned about what being an accessory to (fill in the blank) as Ernst has done with her affirmative vote. Sad stance by the author. If he had at least detailed why he still supports Ernst, we could debate and perhaps yield a agree to disagree result.
When we keep supporting people who don’t stand by their own principals & integrity we become a nation without principals or integrity.
Profiles in Sqealage?
Politics is fairly simple. Those who wanted Ernst to support the Trumpian Republican nominees made it clear that if she did not do so, she would not have their support. They funded a very loud and angry person to do a video committing to that threat. Republicans who wanted her to reject at least some of these nominees, especially Hegseth, made it clear that they would still support her if she did. And so we have the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our nation's history. I'm convinced Republicans will not self-correct. This post, while thoughtful, is further evidence that we will need to rebuild the Democratic party and do so very quickly if we are going to stop the attack on our democracy.
I spent two years in the service taking care of Vietnam casualties in Japan. I totally disagree with this person's with her take on Joni Ernst's decision to vote in favor of the nominee. Her "pondering" her serious vote is crocodile tears and nothing more. She obviously checked her chances of being reelected in a red state and determined no matter how she votes she will get reelected. That was her only motive here. She has constantly supported an individual for president who consistently bad mouthed veterans and more specifically POWs. How can you even be OK with that? She condemned the imperfect withdraw from Afghanistan which saved hundreds of lives by not prolonging a war that had no true goals and managed by BOTH republican and democratic presidents......the same as occurred in Iraq and Vietnam. It will be interesting if he fails to carry out her requests. My guess it will be about the same as lipstick on a pig. She choose politics over character never mind the responsibilities of the office he is seeking. It is disappointing that even though character and policies should be evaluated together when considering a candidate, her decision was strictly politics.
Given all that, I cannot understand how this person could continue to support Sen Ernst. Where will she draw the line? Where will Ernst draw the line?