She worries that pardons for January 6th rioters could undermine rule of law and signal to law enforcement that they can act extra-judicially with impunity.
She recommends adopting a Tea Party spirit, using Senate rules to slow down confirmations, demand hearings, and create public pressure to impose political costs.
RFK Jr.'s history of anti-vaccination advocacy, including his trip to Samoa that supported anti-vaxxers, raises concerns about his ability to protect public health.
She believes the media is not fully prepared to cover the extreme and unconventional nature of Trump's appointments and policies, which could lead to a normalization of his actions.
She argues that while norms should be respected, they should not prevent passionate and loud disagreements, especially when dealing with an administration that disregards norms itself.
Ted Cruz and Jim DeMint ground things to a halt in the Senate quite effectively during the Obama era, and Democrats should take a cue from them for Trump's appointments: Demand hearings or hold their own. More broadly, the opposition has to be loud and make a scene, while also staying unified and focused. We are a big country with big ideas, and there are more of us than there are of them.
Amanda Carpenter joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
*show notes
*Part 1 of the "Behind the Bastards" podcast on RFK, Jr.) Tim's playlist )