Those four things really do cover the entire job description when you strip away all the political theater.
If someone in that position simply does the job professionally...respects the Constitution... treats people with dignity...and understands that human rights aren’t optional, a lot of the chaos we’ve watched over the last few years would disappear overnight.
It’s a remarkably simple standard.
And...yet...somehow, it’s become controversial in modern politics.
I appreciate you laying it out so clearly, Elaine!
I don't think Markwayne is up to the job. But I doubt if anyone our present president would pick would be up to the job. It's like hiring the school bully to put out the dumpster fire.
I agree. EVEN...if Mullin had the desire...and the temperament...the most determinative factor...I believe...is that he will, just like Noem...be driven by Donald Trump. Donald Trump simply is not capable of acting in the best interest of the United States of America.
And in that description, Jack, with your “EVEN …if ….” statement and the concluding statement in that reply, regarding the incapabilities of the person choosing him, lies the basis for the uneasiness of the moment. At least now I can smile a bit and tell myself, “We shall see.” I want the best for everybody.
One thing I would like to see him do: follow the law. Send the investigations of ALL the deaths/murders to DOJ or the states for criminal investigations/indictments.
Jack, I need to say something you stopped short of.
Mullin isn’t just a colorful character with rough edges.
He’s worse than Kristi Noem.
Noem was performative. She needed the camera, the myth, the approval. That dependence was, oddly, a constraint.
Mullin doesn’t need your approval.
He’s Oklahoma’s bully. And bullies don’t perform for the crowd — they perform for themselves.
Look at the record. Not as a colorful list. As a pattern.
A man who challenged a witness to a fist fight in the United States Senate. Who took over a million dollars in PPP loans while denouncing student loan forgiveness as a handout. Who responded to a question about the Department of Education with “what was we ranked” — not as a joke, but as a credential. Who has become one of the wealthiest members of the Senate, without a college degree, through repeated STOCK Act violations no one has fully explained.
None of these are separate episodes. They are the same episode, told five different ways.
A man who believes the rules exist for other people. That institutions are obstacles. That confrontation is not a failure of temperament — it’s a strategy.
Noem was a spectacle. Mullin is a system.
He knows how money moves. He knows how power consolidates. He has done it for years in plain sight while everyone called it colorful.
It was never colorful. It was a rehearsal.
You set the right standard, Jack. I hold to it too. But I want to name what we’re actually hoping for: that a man who has spent his career treating institutions as personal obstacles will, at the moment it matters most, choose the law over the man who appointed him.
History is not encouraging on that question.
DHS is not a stage. You said that.
I’d add: it’s not a business either. And Markwayne Mullin has never run anything he couldn’t walk away from when it stopped being useful to him.
Jane...my hope...and the reason I set the standard the way I did...is that whoever occupies that office...UNDERSTANDS the gravity of it.
No, DHS isn’t a stage, and...it sure as hell isn't a place for personal battles or political theater. It requires professionalism, respect for the Constitution...and respect for human dignity.
Whether Mullin...or anyone in that role...can meet that standard...that...is the REAL test.
Like you...I’m not especially optimistic. But...I still believe that’s the bar we have to hold.
Apparently it is true according to something I read today, but by a verrrrry small percentage. Also - I keep wondering if he did actually run his company or if someone else did the magic. He is just so much more of a bully than a bold thinker. 🤷♀️
And...the hard, well-documented truth...is that many people who carried out Holocaust atrocities were not psychotic monsters in their prior lives.
They were ordinary people...swept into brutal dynamics...under leaders who were twisted, and who issued the orders. (Does that make their heinous acts any less horrible, or them any less accountable? Of course not. I'd have volunteered to place the rope that ended their time on earth around any of those WWII Nazi necks.)
Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo helped show how obedience, authority, and environment can pull people into actions they might never have imagined.
So...when we’re trying to predict how Mullin will perform, we have to look at the most decisive factor on the board:
He starts in April. I doubt April Fools Day will be the day, but, damn, he won’t make it through the month without some sort of, shall we call it a noem? Definition: a controversial opinion or decision by an authority figure.
Douglas...some kind of a "Noem," is probably a rapid way to describe utter and complete incompetence, or, as you stated, " a controversial opinion or decision by an authority figure." No argument here.
When we examine the ultra primitive way that Mullin views the challenges before us...and... the solutions to those problems, combined with him working beneath a boss...who doesn't know his ass from his elbow, the reasons to think this will work out well...are absent.
He's one of the original members of the Republican Fight Club (Bernie Sanders as the Referee) Great Job, Jack. There's never a dull moment with regards to this Regime‼️🤬 Thank you, and will reStack ASAP 💯👍
Karen...that’s a pretty accurate way to remember that moment...“Republican Fight Club” with Bernie as the referee is about right. WOW. Talk about painting a picture.
You also nailed the bigger point: there’s rarely a quiet week in this environment. Which is exactly why I try to slow...things...down...here....and focus on what actually matters ...beneath the spectacle.
I appreciate the restack...always, and thank you for that. It really helps more people see the work!
Thank you, Jack! Your dignity and sense of honor come through in every word. Fair is fair. If this guy (who I personally think is an idiot) can do the job while following the law and protecting the rights of those whose lives he’s been entrusted to, then that’s just got to be good enough.
Susan, thank you for saying that...I really appreciate it.
You summed up the standard exactly right. It doesn’t require liking the person in the job. It just requires that they DO the job lawfully...professionally...and with respect for the rights of the people affected by their decisions.
If someone meets that bar...that’s what matters. Everything else is noise.
This one. . . He makes his own rules then proceeds to break them. I’m less than unimpressed, and I’m not going to swear. He’s a waste of our collective oxygen. And yes, I live in his home county. Folks out here have known him his whole life. Thank goddess I’m not one of those.
Oh, great..here we go again. But I agree 100%. And thank you very much for the speedy background update. When I saw earlier that he's "an American and Cherokee politician," my honest to god first thought was, i hope that means at least native americans will no longer be harassed..
Thank god Noem was finally ousted. All I can do is literally shake my head about her..
"But every once in a while, someone comes along who seems determined to turn the entire enterprise into a professional wrestling promo..."
Having been the staff psychiatrist for AEW Wrestling for three years, I can assure that his impulsivity would NOT go over well and he probably would not make it for very long cutting emotional-but-carefully-scripted professional wrestling promos!
Really, your 4 standards cover everything that I want to see.
Do the job professionally
Respect and abide by the United States Constitution
Treat all human beings with dignity
Understand that human rights are not optional
Elaine...you nailed it.
Those four things really do cover the entire job description when you strip away all the political theater.
If someone in that position simply does the job professionally...respects the Constitution... treats people with dignity...and understands that human rights aren’t optional, a lot of the chaos we’ve watched over the last few years would disappear overnight.
It’s a remarkably simple standard.
And...yet...somehow, it’s become controversial in modern politics.
I appreciate you laying it out so clearly, Elaine!
-Jack
Exactly.
These four standards cover everything .
I believe DHS is configured to fail. It needs to be rethought, redesigned.
Kenough...definitely. A very thorough restructuring.
-Jack
I don't think Markwayne is up to the job. But I doubt if anyone our present president would pick would be up to the job. It's like hiring the school bully to put out the dumpster fire.
I agree. EVEN...if Mullin had the desire...and the temperament...the most determinative factor...I believe...is that he will, just like Noem...be driven by Donald Trump. Donald Trump simply is not capable of acting in the best interest of the United States of America.
-Jack
And in that description, Jack, with your “EVEN …if ….” statement and the concluding statement in that reply, regarding the incapabilities of the person choosing him, lies the basis for the uneasiness of the moment. At least now I can smile a bit and tell myself, “We shall see.” I want the best for everybody.
Full Congressional oversight with no previous notice or limitations on areas or times. Accountability!
I like it, Dorothy. If accountability was present and enforced the last several years...much of what we have experienced...would have been avoided.
-Jack
One thing I would like to see him do: follow the law. Send the investigations of ALL the deaths/murders to DOJ or the states for criminal investigations/indictments.
Agreed, Roberta. At this point, the states. It pains me to say what anyone reading this already knows: we can't trust the DOJ.
-Jack
Never thought we would be in this position, but absolutely, DOJ in this administration cannot be counted on to do the right thing. Sad, but true.
Trouble is, the law can be changed and not necessarily for the better.
Yes, Sue P., particularly with abusive Executive Orders.
-Jack
Jack, I need to say something you stopped short of.
Mullin isn’t just a colorful character with rough edges.
He’s worse than Kristi Noem.
Noem was performative. She needed the camera, the myth, the approval. That dependence was, oddly, a constraint.
Mullin doesn’t need your approval.
He’s Oklahoma’s bully. And bullies don’t perform for the crowd — they perform for themselves.
Look at the record. Not as a colorful list. As a pattern.
A man who challenged a witness to a fist fight in the United States Senate. Who took over a million dollars in PPP loans while denouncing student loan forgiveness as a handout. Who responded to a question about the Department of Education with “what was we ranked” — not as a joke, but as a credential. Who has become one of the wealthiest members of the Senate, without a college degree, through repeated STOCK Act violations no one has fully explained.
None of these are separate episodes. They are the same episode, told five different ways.
A man who believes the rules exist for other people. That institutions are obstacles. That confrontation is not a failure of temperament — it’s a strategy.
Noem was a spectacle. Mullin is a system.
He knows how money moves. He knows how power consolidates. He has done it for years in plain sight while everyone called it colorful.
It was never colorful. It was a rehearsal.
You set the right standard, Jack. I hold to it too. But I want to name what we’re actually hoping for: that a man who has spent his career treating institutions as personal obstacles will, at the moment it matters most, choose the law over the man who appointed him.
History is not encouraging on that question.
DHS is not a stage. You said that.
I’d add: it’s not a business either. And Markwayne Mullin has never run anything he couldn’t walk away from when it stopped being useful to him.
#HoldFast
Jane...my hope...and the reason I set the standard the way I did...is that whoever occupies that office...UNDERSTANDS the gravity of it.
No, DHS isn’t a stage, and...it sure as hell isn't a place for personal battles or political theater. It requires professionalism, respect for the Constitution...and respect for human dignity.
Whether Mullin...or anyone in that role...can meet that standard...that...is the REAL test.
Like you...I’m not especially optimistic. But...I still believe that’s the bar we have to hold.
#HoldFast
-Jack
Thanks Jack for the update and heads up.
You're welcome, Carol Moore.
-Jack
Did Trump Social, say he was American Indian? Did I misread?
I'll have to look into that, Beverly. If it did...I missed it. It's also possible that he's posted some I haven't yet seen.
-Jack
Apparently it is true according to something I read today, but by a verrrrry small percentage. Also - I keep wondering if he did actually run his company or if someone else did the magic. He is just so much more of a bully than a bold thinker. 🤷♀️
You really covered the 4 basic standards. Truly want to see a return to treating people with some compassion and dignity.
This is a tough goal given the demands from Miller and Trump.
Kristine, it really is.
And...the hard, well-documented truth...is that many people who carried out Holocaust atrocities were not psychotic monsters in their prior lives.
They were ordinary people...swept into brutal dynamics...under leaders who were twisted, and who issued the orders. (Does that make their heinous acts any less horrible, or them any less accountable? Of course not. I'd have volunteered to place the rope that ended their time on earth around any of those WWII Nazi necks.)
Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo helped show how obedience, authority, and environment can pull people into actions they might never have imagined.
So...when we’re trying to predict how Mullin will perform, we have to look at the most decisive factor on the board:
Donald Trump is his boss.
-Jack
He starts in April. I doubt April Fools Day will be the day, but, damn, he won’t make it through the month without some sort of, shall we call it a noem? Definition: a controversial opinion or decision by an authority figure.
Douglas...some kind of a "Noem," is probably a rapid way to describe utter and complete incompetence, or, as you stated, " a controversial opinion or decision by an authority figure." No argument here.
When we examine the ultra primitive way that Mullin views the challenges before us...and... the solutions to those problems, combined with him working beneath a boss...who doesn't know his ass from his elbow, the reasons to think this will work out well...are absent.
-Jack
Yes, “absent” reasons are great concerns!
I can't imagine a Trump appointee managing one, let alone all four of those standards!
Gary...I agree. It does push the limits of what's plausible. Without question.
-Jack
He's one of the original members of the Republican Fight Club (Bernie Sanders as the Referee) Great Job, Jack. There's never a dull moment with regards to this Regime‼️🤬 Thank you, and will reStack ASAP 💯👍
Karen...that’s a pretty accurate way to remember that moment...“Republican Fight Club” with Bernie as the referee is about right. WOW. Talk about painting a picture.
You also nailed the bigger point: there’s rarely a quiet week in this environment. Which is exactly why I try to slow...things...down...here....and focus on what actually matters ...beneath the spectacle.
I appreciate the restack...always, and thank you for that. It really helps more people see the work!
-Jack
Thank you, Jack! Your dignity and sense of honor come through in every word. Fair is fair. If this guy (who I personally think is an idiot) can do the job while following the law and protecting the rights of those whose lives he’s been entrusted to, then that’s just got to be good enough.
Susan, thank you for saying that...I really appreciate it.
You summed up the standard exactly right. It doesn’t require liking the person in the job. It just requires that they DO the job lawfully...professionally...and with respect for the rights of the people affected by their decisions.
If someone meets that bar...that’s what matters. Everything else is noise.
-Jack
I’ll set a low bar. Less makeup.
LOL...Becky...thank you for that!
-Jack
This one. . . He makes his own rules then proceeds to break them. I’m less than unimpressed, and I’m not going to swear. He’s a waste of our collective oxygen. And yes, I live in his home county. Folks out here have known him his whole life. Thank goddess I’m not one of those.
Cherae, I’m thankful you’re you with values, expectations, and are able to back up the uneasiness I still feel. Thank you.
Oh, great..here we go again. But I agree 100%. And thank you very much for the speedy background update. When I saw earlier that he's "an American and Cherokee politician," my honest to god first thought was, i hope that means at least native americans will no longer be harassed..
Thank god Noem was finally ousted. All I can do is literally shake my head about her..
Makes sense. Just one slight correction ;)
Re:
"But every once in a while, someone comes along who seems determined to turn the entire enterprise into a professional wrestling promo..."
Having been the staff psychiatrist for AEW Wrestling for three years, I can assure that his impulsivity would NOT go over well and he probably would not make it for very long cutting emotional-but-carefully-scripted professional wrestling promos!