In this grand new post-truth era, how will Donald Trump's team sell his basket of cabinet deplorables to a Senate who might, despite all current appearances, have a few shreds of self-respect left? They'll just lie outright—because after all, it's worked fine this far.
President-elect Donald Trump’s team is advising Senate Republicans to promote Jeff Sessions’ deep familiarity with the Justice Department, his “strong civil rights record” and that he is “known for his deep respect and adherence to the rule of law” as senators talk about the his nomination as attorney general.
Jefferson Beauregard Sessions is in fact known for the complete opposite of that; he's been so hostile to civil and voting rights and so sketchy about adherence to the rule of law that he was rejected for a federal post by an earlier Republican Senate.
For Steven Mnuchin, the Trump team wants senators to emphasize that the former Goldman Sachs executive is a “world-class financier” whose history in the financial sector “make him the ideal candidate” to be Trump’s pick to lead the Treasury Department.
Steven Mnuchin is the very definition of a Wall Street vulture, a man who made out very well from his own role crashing the world economy into the ground and who savaged homeowners in the process.
And Tom Price, whom Trump intends to nominate for Health and Human Services Secretary, is "a renowned physician" who "has earned a reputation for being a tireless problem solver."
No, Ben Carson is a "renowned physician." Tom Price is a misogynistic tea party lunatic who belongs to a far-right quack physician's group opposed to abortion, organ donations, and vaccinations.
All Democrats can do at this point is follow Trump's successful election strategy by making the confirmation hearings so television-worthy that the networks can't help but cover the chaos. Every one of Trump's candidates have a history that ought to be plainly disqualifying, and unless Republicans (let's just dispense with the notions that anyone in Trump's party will oppose even the stupidest of his nominations—such an act would be predicated on a commitment to decent governing or an underlying ideology that just isn't there, as even "serious" conservative pundits have groused about throughout the campaign) turn Democratic microphones off and be done with it, the core duty of the party opposing Trump is to warn, as loudly and as publicly as possible, that when all of the things that are about to go down in the Trump administration go down, it was because Republicans agreed to surround Trump with a team of the very worst choices their party had to offer.