President-Elect Trump completed his Cabinet picks this weekend with the naming of Scott Bessent to lead the Treasury Department. From what I have read about Bessent, he doesn’t seem to be a controversial figure like several of the Cabinet nominees and the stock market seemed to approve with a nice northerly move today. As secretary of the treasury, he will be Trump’s chief economic policy advisor. I have read and heard that he is experienced, professional and very knowledgeable about economics. What is really interesting about this pick is the fact that he worked for billionaire George Soros’s investment firm for many years. Soros is a well-known progressive Democrat who has given millions of dollars in support to liberal causes and is hated by Republicans. Bessent has also been a Democratic donor in the past. The other notable thing about him is that he is openly gay, which might put him at odds with some of the other socially conservative cabinet nominees. I heard from some analysts today that they believe he will temper some of Trump’s more extreme economic views, especially on tariffs, and be a voice of reason related to economic policy.
The other cabinet nominee announced was Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor Secretary. This was a big surprise to the business community and is already getting skeptical attention from the employer community because of her pro-union stance. She has been the U.S. House Representative for Oregon’s 5th congressional district since 2023 and is probably one of the most pro-union Republicans in recent history. Now, if you are a conspiracy theorist you might think that this was an idea put into Trump’s head by Elon Musk, who has historically been anti-union. He goes to Trump and says, “Ya know Donny Boy, the labor unions were pretty good to you during this election. Let’s reward them with a pro-union minion like that gal from Orygon.” But, Elon’s real objective is to hurt Uber, who he is in fierce competition with for the use of self-driving autos for ride sharing. If Uber drivers become unionized versus being gig workers, the profitability of Uber decreases and the company becomes less competitive with Tesla. I know, it’s pretty convoluted, but I can be a conspiracy theorist if I want to be.
I did a little research on Pam Bondi, Trump’s new nominee for AG, and boy oh boy, it looks like she already got to Jack Smith, the special counsel in the federal cases against Trump. In a past vow, she stated “The Department of Justice, the prosecutors will be prosecuted, the bad ones.” “The investigators will be investigated.” She has been a Trump loyalist throughout her career and will probably follow in the footsteps of Bill Barr, his last AG, and be a minion for Trump’s desire to get retribution for those he considers his enemies. Today, Jack Smith, the special counsel, dropped all federal charges related to the election subversion case and the classified documents case. Once again, Donald Trump got away with it and we will have to sit back and watch Pam Bondi try to convict Jack Smith for working his ass off to show America that no one is above the law. It was a tough row to hoe for Smith as he had to try to do the job that Merrick Garland, a passive milquetoast, should have started doing in 2021; a Supreme Court that is as loyal to Trump as all of his new Cabinet; and, Judge Aileen Cannon, who is either incompetent or corrupt. So for doing his job, his life will be miserable for the next couple of years.
Had a great time at Skyway Bar and Grill last night watching the show put on by Petunia and the Vipers, one of our favorite bands from Canada. The band he put together for this show was one of the best group of musicians he has put together of the many times we have seen him perform. My favorite musician was the newest member of the band, playing clarinet, saxophone, and was killer on rhythm guitar. If you like rockin’ cowboy music, check out Petunia and the Vipers.
That’s enough rambling for today. Gotta go turn on the Chargers vs. Ravens game and hope Justin Herbert has as good a game as Bo Nix had yesterday. The Oregon Ducks do put out some outstanding quarterbacks. Have a great evening! Ziggyman
Mountain Man Musings 