Who, Exactly Is Mick Mulvaney, Trump's Nominee To Head The Office Of Management And Budget?

Paul Ryan and the House Freedom Caucus may be his biggest boosters but it should surprise no one that the definitive source of information on Mick Mulvaney is in South Carolina. You want to know who Mulvaney is, you go to MickMulvaney.com-- especially now that Mulvaney has disappeared his official Facebook page, his campaign Facebook page and one of his two Twitter feeds. Presumably that's all part of the nondisclosure agreement prospective employees sign with Trump, Inc to get a job. Mulvaney is more than just the Tea Party crackpot who forced the 2013 government shutdown.

The author of MickMulvaney.com describes himself as an independent, a small business owner from South Carolina's 5th district-- described here in the last few days at DWT-- who has a family, a dog and a mortgage. "Local and regional journalists," he wrote, "serve up little of substance on Congressional representatives and candidates, particularly this year, when the bright lights of the Presidential campaign were so distracting. What was once exclusively the realm of journalists now devolves to citizens who value the skills and traits from which those journalists once earned their livings: curiosity, the ability to read and understand sources, and pursuit of the truth. Newspapers have retreated from local coverage, leaving constituents no choice but to believe what they’ve heard through the grapevine or see on social media."

He's made a strong, substantive case against supporting Mulvaney's re-election bid and now we'll be turning to him to help us understand why senators should reject Mulvaney for the job Trump has picked him for.

[O]ver the last several months, we’ve listed reason after reason why Mick Mulvaney is the wrong choice to represent South Carolina’s fifth Congressional district. Those reasons include his inability to get along well with his colleagues, his disdain for working with his opposition, his lack of respect for the needs of women, his cozy relationship with lobbyists and special interests, his office-hopping ambition, his failure to accomplish anything substantive, his evident hypocrisy, and his failure to adhere to his stated principles. With infinite time, we could list dozens more reasons why we feel strongly that he is unfit for the office he currently occupies. He helped himself to the use of public funds to support his private real estate projects in Lancaster County, but opposes using public financing to help South Carolina’s young people attend college, South Carolina businesspeople expand their business, and South Carolina families get their first home. He has fought for corporate interests, the same ones that fund his campaigns, without regard for their impact on the people he represents. His disinclination to learn about science forces him to deny climate change, deny the effects of the Zika virus, and misunderstand many of our most pressing national issues.

...Mick Mulvaney has occupied his seat in Congress for three full terms. During that time, he has made no appreciable impact on his district nor has he improved the lives of his constituents in any measurable way. He has not been a force in bringing jobs to this district. He has not used his ability to write and pass legislation responsibly, instead penning unpassable bills that support special interests and failing to build consensus for bills that fairly represent his core beliefs. We believe Mr. Mulvaney is a fairly talented individual. However, his talents as a legislator are sorely lacking. The position for which he seeks a fourth term requires the ability to make positive impressions, build coalitions, and read the needs of his constituents. He has shown no ability to do any of these things.

In a statement after Trump announced the nomination, Nancy Pelosi said that Trump had "picked the ringleader of Republicans’ efforts to hold the full faith and credit of the United States hostage. We cannot have an OMB director who sees inflicting pain on working families as leverage for his radical agenda." We can't? We're about to. We need to get serious-- really serious-- about winning back the House in 2018.