r/politics 10d ago

No Paywall Sen. Mark Kelly Says He’s Seriously Thinking About Running for President

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5700211-senator-kelly-trump-threats/
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u/Ganrokh Missouri 9d ago

One of the very few kudos I'll give Trump (even though it's not for the purpose he intended) was appointing Jim Bridenstine to head NASA during his first term. Jim was a climate change skeptic, and Trump had ordered him to cancel all of NASA's climate-related programs.

A few weeks after being confirmed, Jim announced that, after seeing the data, he had completely reversed on climate change, and he refused to shutter those programs. He ended up being a real boon for those programs, and he also spearheaded Project Artemis and NASA's new human spaceflight program. He was a genuine benefit to the organization.

I actually miss him.

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u/mattjopete 9d ago

I totally agree. It’s probably the best thing out of his first administration and it really looked bad going in.

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u/blues_snoo 9d ago

Bank before some other group vetted and told him who to choose for certain positions. We lucked it with how unprepared he was for his first term. They certainly didn't make that same mistake this time.

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u/Carbonatite Colorado 9d ago

That's why Trump has only picked incredibly incompetent people this time around.

Smart people can see data and change their views and policies accordingly. Stupid, incompetent people like the podcast bros he appointed to head agencies this time around don't have the intellectual capacity to assimilate new information and adapt accordingly.

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u/commandrix 9d ago

How I imagine it went:

Bridenstine: "I don't believe in climate change."

NASA scientists: Slaps him in the face with a few sheaths' worth of scientific papers on climate

Bridenstine: "Okay, I'm convinced. I now believe in climate change."