Paul Manna
@pfmanna
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Govt & Public Policy at @williamandmary, co-author @jandachallenge, prior K-12 teacher, baseball fan. BA @NorthwesternU. PhD @uwpolisci. My opinions, not W&M's.
Williamsburg, VA
Joined January 2022
The violent insurrection at the US Capitol on Jan. 6th, 2021 showed how the American democratic experiment is vulnerable to aspiring authoritarians. Each year on this day we should remember that fact and be vigilant against all enemies of the US Constitution, foreign or domestic.
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@nextlevelbb Here's another recent lie from the US Attorney General.
BREAKING: Pam Bondi lied last night to likely fire up Trump’s vengeful base. FACT CHECK: Last night, Bondi claimed she was filing "charges" against the State of New York, Letitia James, and Kathy Hochul. That is false. She did not file criminal charges—she filed a civil lawsuit. Either she doesn’t understand the difference between criminal charges and a civil suit, or she’s just misleading MAGA on purpose.
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@RarelyTolerated It was doing entirely different work, not the illegal slash and burn stuff DOGE is doing. It was dedicated to enhancing the government's ability to serve the public by using digital solutions to thorny implementation problems. The VA is one example.
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@JLucroy20 We're basing decisions on merit, not superficial characteristics like appearance or other ascriptive traits, right? What are the jobs we're considering these people for and what are their qualifications for those jobs? That should be the only relevant question on the table.
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@notgaetti Love it. My quick take. --hits for average (lookin' at *you* LOU Arráez and TONY Gwynn) --hits to all fields --can hit with 2-strikes --productive outs
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RT @notjessewalker: This is why I don't trust DOGE to do competent audits: Some shitty OSINT account misreads a contract that's about defen…
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Look: someone doing journalism with the US Secretary of Defense. Consider it a free lesson for reporters at @CNN @ABC @NBCNews @FoxNews @MSNBC @washingtonpost @nytimes @WSJ.
Rest of the conversation - REPORTER: Right, but every “peace talk” so far has been about what Ukraine has to give up—territory, NATO aspirations, sovereignty. So what exactly is Putin putting on the table? HEGSETH: Well, I don’t think it’s fair to say we’re just handing Putin concessions. REPORTER: Okay, so is he withdrawing troops? Paying reparations? Admitting war crimes? Or is his big “compromise” just taking less of Ukraine than he originally wanted? HEGSETH: Look, negotiations require both sides to make sacrifices. REPORTER: Yeah, but only one side started a full-scale invasion. If a guy steals your house and offers to return half of your living room, that’s not a “compromise”—that’s a hostage deal. HEGSETH: I just think it’s time for diplomacy. REPORTER: Diplomacy is great when both sides want peace. But when one side just wants a “pause” to reload, that’s not diplomacy—it’s a setup for the next invasion. HEGSETH: So you’re saying no negotiations, just endless war? REPORTER: No, I’m saying a peace deal where only one side makes sacrifices isn’t peace—it’s surrender with better branding.
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@JLucroy20 If people think that programs and agencies are wasteful then there is a way to eliminate them. Congress can pass a law to do so and the president can sign it. That's the way our constitutional system works. That's not what's been happening the last month, unfortunately.
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@JLucroy20 Weak sauce. The IRS audits people based on laws and published rules. They can be challenged in court if they use them improperly. DOGE isn't doing an audit. Rather it's flying by the seat of its pants with no clear criteria. The decision rule is "cut things Elon doesn't like."
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@notgaetti +1 for "smug little cheater" Spot on. I'll never forgive those guys for cheating on the largest stage.
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@Skelly4Liberty @JoshEakle She's a huge apologist for Russian ally Assad from Syria. Also, defends Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
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@calleymeans Medical researchers can't force people to follow their advice. Also, isn't that trend what one would expect with an aging population? Of the people with these conditions, how many are elderly?
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@PhillipCMcGuire @RossKneeDeep @CannAmericanMan He's a civilian, not a member of the uniformed services. In the US we have civilian control of the military. That's how the founders, with Washington leading by example, wanted it.
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@stefan_rucman @Cas9Bandit @mbeisen The donor money for flashy football stadiums and NILs isn't fungible. Donors give it for those purposes. Universities can't shift it to other things. Endowments aren't slush funds.
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@CannAmericanMan @RossKneeDeep The proper behavior for civilians, per the flag code of the U.S., is hand over heart.
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@leftcoastbabe I wondered if US allies would send forward some test runs. I.e., provide us with innocuous bogus info on certain topics and then trace to see where it eventually lands (i.e., possibly in the hands of our enemies). That could help them assess the situation.
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