Joyce, it doesn’t help our cause when Kristen Welker interviews Trump and calls him “Mr. President” or like yesterday when Chris Jansing’s morning segment gave plenty of coverage to him when he arrived in New Hampshire. I was totally ticked off and turned MSNBC off! I rarely do that but I cannot stomach seeing or hearing from him. He is a criminal and I am still angry with our DOJ for not having been aggressive at the “git-go”. Now we have a rogue judge in Florida who will delay and delay his criminal trial. We also are awaiting the reply from Scotus as to the immunity issue. Truly, how much more can we frigging take??
I've refused to watch MSNBC or CNN because I don't want to hear or see "Any or All Things Trump." As much I'd never, ever vote Red, I was still hoping so much that Nikki Haley would have beat the heck out of Trump.
Hillary the Hypocrite personifies the Democratic Party's loss of its soul. In the 2008 primary race, it was do-or-die for Hillary in the North Carolina primary. I remembered, from the book "Votescam: The Stealing of America," the story of how "the computers crashed" late at night and eventually came back up with skewed numbers.
I planned to stay up late as results came in from North Carolina, and the same thing happened. Hillary and Obama were neck-and-neck when, around 11:00, the computers crashed. I stayed up to see the reported results the moment they re-started. Sure enough, somewhere around 3:00 in the morning, the first new result came in with Hillary's total flat and a big jump for Obama, putting both the primary and the nomination out of reach for Hillary.
For a couple days there was some speculation that Hillary would challenge the results, but she didn't. The North Carolina Attorney General Ray Cooper went on to become Governor, and North Carolina was gifted the next Democratic convention.
I voted for Hillary in the California primary, and for Obama in the general election.
Hillary went on, as Secretary of State, to become the Butcher of Libya, pressuring a reluctant Obama to go far beyond the United Nations mandate and effect regime change in Libya, turning that country into a festering failed state.
In the 2020 primary race, I supported Tulsi Gabbard , who aptly called Hillary the "corrupt queen of the war-mongers." The Democratic Party has lost its soul.
Question: How many people died suddenly when they were about to testify against Bill and Hillary Clinton?
Still got the mads that Bernie didn’t get enough votes, I see. Not unlike trump supporters, who assume they are the majority because of crowd size, Bernie Bros were wrong.
Tulsi Gabbard…John, did you just travel through a worm hole after hitching a ride on her transport from Earth 2? Be careful of shape shifters like TG. They can steal your lunch money without you being fully aware it is happening!
Back when there was a whole gaggle of 2020 Democratic hopefuls, I came up with two core issues: Reinstate Glass-Steagall, and bring the troops home. Tulsi got it right on both, so I supported her.
How do I contact Substack for support on another matter? The person doesn’t say a word but gives me multiple “likes” on my posts. Happening for years on other writer’s also but now, getting very annoying. Also, does anyone wish that their emails do not get clogged up with “likes”? Am I being too petty?
Ohhhh, I don’t know why he is allowed... freedom of speech?, entitled to his opinion?, or the fact that he’s so popular that he only has 3 Substack followers? I see him as just another Democrat detractor who has fallen into the abyss - pushing the insane theory that both national parties are the same because something, something, corporatist HCR, genocide Biden. Poor guy just needs some attention. Don’t report him for having an alternative viewpoint, but DO call him out on keeping to the subject at hand, and using “Discourse” and HCR’s “Letters...” to publish his otherwise unread misinformation! After all, he is an expert in his own mind, and therefore entitled to an audience - much like herr drumph of the orange. Sorry, Louis, but I am not above an occasional mocking of such transparent-as-glass egotists.
A very interesting analysis from HCR on the likely rationale of tfg supporters, and why the rethugs are in trouble if the only-trumpers don't have tfg as their candidate, bc they may not turn up at the polls in November. However all is not well, as she expects that we will be FLOODED with disinformation from here on out, starting with the manufactured "immigration crisis."
He is disintegrating before our eyes. His "speeches" are becoming more salad like than ever. He is confusing people with other people. He sounds more and more like that guy screaming from his room in an institution - which is where he belongs and probably will land.
He is having cognitive decline - as malignant narcissists do as they implode. But he is showing a neurological condition as well - it could be a mini-stroke.
Bill, I've never heard that expression (about salad) before. Is it like a salad that has nothing but regular iceberg lettuce? No tomatoes, carrots, or anything else? It's said we learn something new every day. Thanks for doing that for me.
Here is the definition of "word salad" directly from Merriam-Webster:
"Word salad is defined as “a jumble of extremely incoherent speech as sometimes observed in schizophrenia,” and has been used of patients suffering from other kinds of dementia, such as Alzheimer's. Like a salad encased in Jell-O, a 'word salad' doesn't make a lot of sense."
- and from VeryWellMind:
"What is the professional term for word salad?
Logorrhea. Logorrhea is a condition characterized by excessive and often incoherent talking. Word salads are common in those with logorrhea as they may experience difficulty organizing words into coherent sentences, leading to streams of unrelated phrases and words that make no sense. May 15, 2023"
Word salads also are available when interviewing Trump supporters.
But in our family, it's harmless - and we always know what the person is talking about :)
His mental decline is breathtaking. He cannot remember who he ran against in 2016 and 2020, confuses Haley with Pelosi, talks freely about the so-called greatness of strongmen who have destroyed the democracies of their own countries.
As Heather points out Russia, China and Iran are flooding every site with disinformation, spreading lies. Those governments want nothing more than to destroy our country and couldn't be happier with the chaos in America. Case in point is the new story that appeared about Fanni Willis having a relationship with the special prosecutor she appointed. Everyone jumps right on board with it as 'fact' before finding out facts. The point of all of this, destroy the court cases.
Whether or not Trump [ or maybe any Rethuglican? ] is on the ballot this fall, we should expect and prepare for bedlam around Election Day in every case… or worse, i.e. movement to install on day-one, Rethuglican fascist dictatorship.
Seems like everybody involved in voting should have this in mind as of now, and begin concrete planning now for managing the bedlam during and after Election Day.
And 100% of candidates must be asked NOW the point-blank question, whether they pledge to honor the election, and document and tabulate their answers clearly.
I’m on a panel from MSNBC where they send me questions about once a week asking how they did. At EVERY opportunity I state vigorously exactly what you are saying, stop reporting every screed from this whiney liar. Although I agree they are still reporting too much about him, at this week’s show about the NH primary they didn’t show his post results speech and Rachel stated that MSNBC listeners don’t want to hear from him. So yay, others on the panel agree with us!
Trump is doing as much now as he did when he was President. Nothing. Zip. Zero. The only difference for him is immunity.
What I don’t get is even excellent reporters such as Joyce write an article like this now. I was saying this back in 2015. Of course I have no agency, but have repeated over and over to friends about who Trump is, and how he consistently shows and tells us. And it takes years and slow evolution before some actually believe it. Trump is a racist rapist who has been in the news for 40 plus years and hasn’t changed. He launders Russian money, called for the death penalty for innocent Blacks, scammed contractors, charities, created a scam university. Everything Trump does is for him. He has no heart, no morals, no ethics. Despicable.
And yet, like most rich guys, the media is in awe of him. He has gotten away with committing crimes all his life because rich equals superior in our pathetic society.
I agree 100%. I've been very disappointed with MSNBC and turning them off. These are scary times. I just joined the local Indivisable org, and League of Women Voters. I need to take my anger and do something positive.
Brava Sandi!! League is the best. They are non-partisan, and are working tirelessly to promote vote by mail, helping with Con-Am's and stopping voter suppression. They have stood the test of time and are very credible.
I completely agree. Kristen Welker is doing a terrible job of holding people to account and rebutting their nonsense and disinformation -- she clearly has a list of talking points and goes from one to the next without really listening to or engaging with the person she is interviewing. The interview with Trump was a disgrace. How I miss Chuck Todd. I am pretty terrified Trump could win - and that the repugnantly articulate but extremist, Elise Stephanik, will be his choice for VP.
I don’t think they’ve sold out. I really have not seen anyone else, as an anchor, do things like these I mentioned. I was very surprised that Chris Jansing allowed her producers to run that coverage. From Ari Melber, Joy Reid, Chris Hayes, Alex Wagner, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, and Stephanie Ruehl, do not run anything on Trump! What I will say is that I am very disappointed in management for messing with Mehdi Hassan. He reported straight up news which made you feel uncomfortable but it was the truth and because of that, he was let go. Very poor decision.
Ari Melber's show today was very good. Ari blistered general media framing of the election as a "horse race" election coverage using appropriate visual exhibits like a good ex-prosecutor from SDNY. The sharp message: "things are not normal".
Not only Mehdi. They took Yasmin Vossoughian from her weekend show. I enjoyed her commentary. I think silencing Medhi was an ill-advised move and frankly it's quite disturbing. I've lost respect for MSNBC as a network, but not those who remain whom you mention above.
Tragically for everyone, DJT is a master at attracting the spotlight. I’ve been severely disappointed that MSNBC has so often been caught nibbling at his baited lines by covering every tidbit of whatever subject his media room chooses to present from his manipulative public psychodramas. His current life is a charade, ratings food for corporate media giants, and he knows this all too well. I’ve slimmed down my interest in MSNBC to tiny snippets at certain times of the day. Trump does not deserve continuous coverage of his nonsensically choreographed follies at the expense of real news about accomplishments highlighting the effective governance by the Biden Administration—but TFG gets all the unwarranted (& free) airtime he craves, even from MSNBC. It’s no wonder he’s appearing at all of his civil trials in person even if he is not required to do so…they are all campaign appearances as far as his tinpot mind is concerned. Yet, the MSM gobbles it all up as if it were air to breathe.
The issue I see with MSNBC is that no matter what show you watch, they are all talking about THE SAME STORY. And mark my word, you can't listen more than ten minutes without hearing the word, TRUMP. Even of negative, they know where the story is.
Chris Hayes took a slightly different view last night, saying that the media is not covering T**** enough. But what he advocates is more coverage of the gaffes, mistakes, and lies - pointing out each and every one of them. It seems that, the more people see the real Orange Skidmark, the less they like him. It's a risk, perhaps, but anything that lowers the possibility of his winning the election is a good thing. We cannot allow him to ever get near the Oval Office again. Never.
That approach is mind numbing and playing defense. I believe Biden is now on offense and appropriately so. We're snap correcting in real time. Then move to our messaging. The contrast is stark.
What can't be allowed to continue is the huge megaphone of TFG 24/7 (even if negative) that drowns out the messaging of Biden as last year had done. It nullifies Biden's and Dem successes to let the narrative good & bad be constant TFG.
I stopped watching MTP after seeing part of the Welker interview with TFG. What a terrible decision made by the NBC News folks! I don’t see Welker as a serious journalist, just another one looking for clicks
She appears to be bending over backwards to a fair, independent, you’ll never figure out my political persuasion style..wrong reporter, wrong job..she should try NPR
The DOJ worked at prosecuting all the insurrectionists to develop a base upon which Trump would be prosecuted. The legal system grinds slowly but surely. It tests our patience. However, it works.
And making such a big deal out of Republican voters in NH, as if we all couldn't see it coming. It reminds me of 2016 when it was 24/7 Trump, Trump, Trump.
I run into people who insist that Trump is still president. If he is, the 22nd amendment prohibits him from serving another term in 2024. Ah, details!!
Ha! We need to alert Rick Wilson from the Lincoln Project to this Bill: he can do a commercial: "News Flash!! Attention all election deniers! You win. He is the president and he is ineligible."
Way overdue on the opinion...wonder what the holdup is. Surely it can't be on the merits of tRump's "absolute immunity" canard. This trial will be lucky if a jury is seated by November...MAL docs case helmed by the irrepressible Judge* Cannon won't kick until next year, and that's how it is.
I believe the initial take (based on her questions) of the most senior of the three judges was whether this appeal was appropriate at this stage of the trial. Former judge Luttig agreed that the appeal was premature.
He may very well have covid, again. And exposing everyone around him to it. Those closest to him know darn well something is amiss. Whatever it may be we can't count on them to do the right thing. They're hanging onto his coattails for dear life.
Correction: the 22nd Amendment prohibits him from being ELECTED three times, not from serving should he be elected.
A proposed "debate" question*: "Mr Trump, you won the 2016 election** and claim you won the 2020 election as well. If that's true, you're ineligible to win this one. So why are you running? Is your candidacy an admission that you lost in 2020?"
* Wouldn't it be nice to see a real debate, rather than one of these joint press conferences?
** On a constitutional technicality; he lost the election itself by almost three million votes.
One of his other ridiculous phrases that comes to mind with this discussion is: ".... the likes of which you've NEVER seen before." You can fill in the first part of the quote with his issue for that particular day. Lately, he's been having many issues each day.
Trump still thinks he is the president. He has never exited the stage, like presidents do. He has always interrupted the news cycle with his view of the world, however wrong it is.
The two entities have made a deal with the devil: they have become a sick, closed system....Trump needs the sycophantic, money hungry media to broadcast his coded messages and the rest of his ridiculous crapola; the media WANTS (they do not need) drumpy's dangerously seditious (but oh so 'entertaining' & 'riveting') baloney to goose their ratings so they can make more and more $$$.
True, but as long as the Republicans in Congress and the Senate are consulting him (as though he’s still in our White House), they are a huge part of the equation!
...and he is not going to stop until his last lie leaves his filthy mouth. This gig is just too good. Every time he opens it (and the wider the better) money rolls in. Talk about Mega grifting. He is reaching his ultimate low on his path to whatever heaven is to him.
So simple. But nothing in the Constitution is worth anything. Bottom line is trump’s only guide is his addled criminal mind, is just that - his addled criminal mind Everything besides his belief that he is Fuehrer means nothing. Until he is dealt with in the way these sort of individuals are dealt with, there is no law, no reasoning, no outcome one can expect except what we have been watching for 8+ years. When the garbage on TV was “You’re Fired”! That was really all that was needed to know about who he is and no one will ever be able to convince him or his ilk otherwise. Our very reasoning with any historical presentations, our laws, our constitution, any law that he does not agree with does not exist in his orbit. We cannot get our heads wrapped around it because it denies every bit of reasoning that normal humans use.
I have no trust left in the press to act responsibly. I hope I’m wrong. We desperately need them to stop elevating trump by constantly reporting about him while simultaneously ignoring almost everything President Joe Biden has accomplished and continues doing on behalf of our country.
they are owned by corporate conglomerates--the sort of fascist billionaire that pulls the puppet strings of RNC officials. Mainstream media has lost its credibility.
Like you, I take Trump's threats seriously. But a few things will be different this time around if he loses the general election. One, if he loses by a lot - and if he gets fewer votes than he received in 2020 - he'll have a difficult time convincing anyone other than a (small?) group of hard-core supporters to believe in the '2nd Big Lie' - that he actually won. Also, if he loses and it is reasonably close, he is not in a position of power as he was (as the former President) in 2020 to wield such measures as calling out the military to seize voting machines, etc. The former 'fake elector scheme' will likely not be repeated, especially as the VP counting the ballots will be Kamala Harris. Plus, the saga of the fate of the Jan 6 rioters will hopefully have a chilling effect on any enraged Trump supporters entertaining thoughts of trying to overturn the election results.
But yet this whole situation with Trump and his Republican party of grievance - no matter what happens in the election - will continue to sow doubt (amplified by many media outlets) about the authenticity of our democracy.
Liz Cheney martyred herself to stand against Trump. Unfortunately, it is the policies of the Cheney republicans that created the grievances that have made Trump possible. If we don't correct the grievances people feel...then those grievances build to the point of rejecting the grievances. While I don't mean to praise Hitler, he did address some grievances though he created many more to accomplish the social reforms he did accomplish. The war against Jews did give more wealth to non-Jews. The issue we face does not die with Trump. If democracy succeeds it has to address the causes of many people's displeasure. I came across this article:
It compares the reconstruction eras from three western hempheric civil wars (Mexico, Argentina and U.S.) that all occurred roughly at the same time and he suggests the failures of reconstruction to address the issues and to not suppress the opposition, but within a few years try to embrace them back into governance have continued to plague civil life in all three nations.
I don't know all of the answers but I am pretty well certain that government must revise its own notions of itself. Otherwise progressive democracy remains mired in congratulating itself for being progressive and becomes stale democracy. And you can't let proponents of Trump's insurrection aid and abet the idea of his insurrection (14th amendment). It's going to take more than just silencing Trump.
Ken, you may be right. But we are in the mess we are in here in the United States because the evangelicals were given the green light by Reagan to implant their Christian nationalist ideology into our Constitution. That ideology embraces racism and is especially cruel toward women's rights. The race was on from that point forward: they installed Orange Jesus (his 'brand' did not). They gave him his win with their blatherskite preaching - and he paid them back with Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh. Vote blue, up-down-sideways - the house is burning and work for Biden's re-election like the house is burning down. Because it is. 💙
The most disgusting aspect of this is the youthful boy-men like Charlie Kirk, etc. that are bought into essentially a Taliban position on women and hate of others in society. My Father taught me much better and I'm 59. Not sure what the hell happened. The sissification and then the chest thumping righteousness by same as some claim of manhood is infuriating to watch.
Hi Bill, the name Charles Kirk sent me to Google. I have never heard of him. He’s one of the racist individuals who have been hiding under their rock. I just now read about him on Wikipedia, and while he didn’t graduate from college, he received an honorary doctorate from liberty University. Land of the racist Fallerlks and mentors of our current house, Mike Johnson, who want to bring slavery back to the United States, reverse, gay rights, such as same-sex, marriage, and Nail the coffin shut on Women healthcare rights. He will go under his rock after Biden is elected. Thank you for letting me know about him. Indeed, your father taught you better because he didn’t people of different colors, nationalities, ideologies, and most likely taught you that everyone has the right to be themselves and there is no need for xenophobia. I’m glad for you and us for your father. Indeed, Trump has created a following of armed and hostile cult members who believe his lies. And indeed, it is a dangerous situation, however, even more dangerous is electing him. We must never ever appease him, no matter how many threats he spews he’s appears to be devolving cognitively, and that was even before he started having his mini stroke behavior.
agreed. but the dems don't win unless they do something to address the issues that have nade people feel the country has not addressed their. issues; therein lies the problem, because everyone's issues that need to be addressed are not necessarily the same. Solving those problems takes wiser heads than mine, but that they must be addressed and I think it must be done rapidly.
A wall street capitalist said, "Democracy and Capitalism are incompatible". The grievance of many is the treatment of labor as a cost element on the ledger to be reduced for profit's sake.
Paul Ryan, the Ayn Rand "utopian" of selfish'ism, embraced viral capitalism and the neutering of Government to be the force for the people against the human nature of greed. TFG promised a new gilded age. Like everything else, he lied.
Biden understands the real friction between companies, the economy, and protection of workers that do put their back into delivering the products and services. I will never be satisfied until JarVanka are held accountable and TFG for his family's "theft to wealth" model.
I have a real problem with your statement “The war against Jews did give more wealth to non-Jews.” Please explain that because it sounds like you are saying all Jews are/were wealthy and that is a myth!
I'm steaming about his disgusting statement. I replied, too. Thanks for commenting, Marlene. This casual antisemitism terrifies me because it seems to be everywhere and sneaks into ordinary conversations and comments, whether deliberate or not. It's still dangerous and insidious.
I responded to him above (I confronted his statement about Hitler, so you can read my comment and chime in. He simply has faulty reasoning in other things that he writes about. And the stuff he presents as valid has no depth. He completely misrepresents fax, such as claiming that the problems today can be blamed on the Cheney Republicans when the problems of today arose before Liz Cheney was born with the evangelical movement that wanted to stop abortion. That wasn’t recent. That began in the early 50s. And led directly to Mike Johnson today. Those early on opponents of women’s health rights were Mike Johnson mentors. Proposed project, 2025, which used Hitler’s implemented plan to get rid of the German constitution through the Legal system as their template. Warriors were not allowed to represent liberals or Jews - or they were threatened with concentration camps. And judges were told to think and make decisions as Hitler would like them to, meaning, persecute, Jews, and liberals, and if you do not, you will go to concentration, camp yourself, or be murdered.
Even worse, Marlene, is the idea that Hitler did "address some grievances" such as giving more wealth to non-Jews by waging a war against Jews. (You're right, of course, that all Jews are not wealthy.)
But it is an outrageous comment to say that waging a war against Jews (even if they all were wealthy) to address the grievances of non-Jews who felt they didn't have enough money, was one of the worthwhile moves Hitler made since it resolved some of the German citizens' grievances. I see no other way to interpret that statement and I was stunned to see it released in this comment section.
Hi C C - I have confronted his faulty Ken Taylor’s faulty statements here, and in other posts he has made today. He is simply out of his league. He’s picking and choosing fragments from who knows where, but I suspect right wing webs webs websites then he plants them here thinking we don’t know the difference. When I first read one of his post earlier today it was so outlandish my only comment was “what are you talking about“ then I came across this one, and I simply had to tell him how wrong he was regarding Hitler and regarding the origin of our problems today with the fascist supported Christian nationalist Evangelical movement.
Feel free to chime in on any of my comments to him.
Hitler, just like Traitor, did not care one iota for their grievances. It only mattered that he could rile up ordinary people into such hatred that they would turn on their fellow humans. Traitor is using the same playbook.
Surely you jest: Normalizing Germany's and Europe's war against Jews by saying wealth got redistributed!!! Millions of Jews and non-Jews, rich and poor alike, were imprisoned and killed from the 1930s - 1945, and people and governments stole their property and money. Your casual dismissal of the Holocaust is sickening. You're right, you don't know all the answers; do you even know the questions?
"Unfortunately, it is the policies of the Cheney republicans that created the grievances that have made Trump possible. If we don't correct the grievances people feel...then those grievances build to the point of rejecting the grievances. "
Will you kindly check facts before you start writing? I don’t expect everyone on here to be steeped in history, but at least you need to know that the problems we are incurring today began before Reagan and long before Liz Cheney. We have them because Evangelicals, beginning in the early fifties wanted to stop abortion. Reagan was their
willing puppet. Trump is as well (he was amazed in 2016 that he’win.’ And all he had to do was install Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. Oh, he had to pretend to be the orange Jesus that’s right. And now we have two lap dogs on the Supreme Court who have facilitated the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Trump took credit for this Tuesday night in New Hampshire by the way. It is absolutely true that as he said. “I did this” at the campaign rally, he can take credit because he’s stacked the Supreme Court with Amy Coney Barrett (who was raised in a Catholic Christian nationalist cult, and still is a member), and Brett Kavanaugh was somehow got his hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt paid off so he could accept his appointment. Evangelical supporting him didn’t mind that he had sexually harassed women in high school in college. Just so long as he voted to reverse women’s rights. And he will reverse LGBTQ rights as well.
The Evangelical campaign began in the 1950s. The put Trump in power in 2015, and he became their willing puppets/dictator. He put the lapdog in and gratitude for being established as their puppet. He is them and they use him and they will continue that charade as he pretends that he won the election because of his brand.
Please save your blatherskite about ‘Hitler addressing grievances.’ Are you trying to say that because Hitler favored those who did his bidding that his murders of millions of Jews and homosexuals was appropriate? Equivalent? Justified?
I read your linked article above. It is empty nonsense. There is no comparison at all between countries that shoot those who have differences and our current effort to use the court system to bring justice to insurrectionist. That’s a democracy, and so far as I can see, neither Mexico or Argentina have achieved democracy. Mexico democracy is undermined by cartels and corruption at every level of government. Argentina‘s newly elected president, Javier, Milei is a fascist. He might as well change his name to Trump Junior. We are trying to prevent a civil war and the reconstructionist Christian nationalist evangelicals propose to add their brand of Christian nationalism to our constitution. The Christian nationalist evangelical movement represents using revisionist history to deconstruct - not reconstruct. They are not stopping with an attempted insurrection on January 6, 2021.
We are trying to prevent a fascist dictator from taking over a paper that compares our democracy with failed. Democracies fails itself on every level. Thanks for sharing it though. It tells us where you are and you’re thinking.
I did not mean to imply Liz Cheney began the "rightest movement" in any way. I indicated only it was the politics that she had followed, the brand of republicans that led to too many in midwest (especially) feeling the government had let them down.
I appreciate being confronted as having learned my info from right wing sites---where did you get yours? A great right wing source about Hitler you might check out is the Jewish Encyclopedia. The authors of the sections on Hitler do suggest that many did feel Hitler was addressing their needs. A loaf of bread at its worst cost an entire wheelbarrow full of marks. Many Jews (acc. to the Encyclopedia) were also attracted to Hitler because of that. Because they felt he articulated their feelings of despair. His popularity began to fade in the latter part of the decade, but his party had taken over the apparatus of several state govts and because they created a lot of civil disturbances in the streets, and then got a minority into the Bundestag that prevented it from functioning, etc, and learn enough history yourself before you criticise mine and then we can debate on how we interpret the facts. Unless you believe neither Hitler nor Trump are seen by many as offering a solution to their grievances. I did not say it was the right way to address them, I said many see it that way and if democracy is to survive then it must address those grievances and make those not feeling part of the govt. more included. And just for your information I don't read much right wing "stuff" unless it's relevant but every member of both my family and my wife's are ardent Trumpists and I have listened to why they feel Trump can help them and I have told them they are wrong and none speak to me any longer. But I have read numerous magazines, newspapers from 1920's Germany since I read fluent German and have read the pro-communist pamphlets, from the SPD, KPD, and daily newspapers,and Bar Kochba and Central Verein-Zeitung that I inherited from my grandfather.
As for Barrett she was a member of the People of Praise and even though it is estimated that close to 90% are from Catholic backgrounds they are in no way affiliated with the Roman Catholic church. I don't know a great deal about them except they are a charismatic group and that its members can't take communion in the Roman church.
But I would like to know where you get your information that evangelicalism began in the 1950's. I would like to suggest your facts on that, because you're around 13 and half centuries. I'm not going into the complete history of evangelicalism, but in America it goes back to colonial days. I would like to suggest that the 1950's date is a little late because that reference tends to refer to the revival of evangelicalism from 1946-1947 and Billy Graham became its most noted proponent. Since that time (as in every evangelical era) it has fractured. The 1947 group that Graham was a part of splintered into at least a dozen different movements by the end of 50's. The big political involvement began in the early 70's which included catholics, jewish conservatives, as well as protestants. but the Jews were cast out, and the catholics broke off. Protestant Jerry Falwell then joined the Catholic Richard Viguerie. who helped him get a show on TV. Paul Weyrich (the only Protestant from Christian Voice leadership the returned to Falwell and urged him to drop Viguerie and found the Moral Majority in 1976. At that time, Falwell was "separated" from his Baptist affiliation (there being several, the Southern Baptist being the largest) because they taught that politics was off limits to ministers. Falwell went his own way, but his success brought dollar signs into the SBC and they brought Falwell back. Since then it has fractured,but has very little to do with much of the "christian right" of today, although even there they are not all in agreement and the commentators who currently lump the "christian right" into one big unified group frankly don't know a lot they are talking about or even understand what "evangelical" means. Of course I dare venture to say most of your christian rightwingers don't either.
You can refute my ideas if you will, or you can challenge awkward statements that I apparently wrote, but before you challenge my history, please extend your own beyond the superficial, go to original sources, not secondary and then you're welcome to challenge my interpretation as you well. My interpretation may be incorrect, but I try to make facts, when I am stating them accurate. I was careless if I gave the idea I was suggesting somehow began the politics that led to much of the dissettlement in people today who follow Trump today, I meant to imply she was part of the republican that did so, but better than saying I'm stupid or a Nazi, why not ask for clarification about a statement.
Thank you for your response. As a Ph.D. researcher in policy studies (my degree is in democracy in education, which looks at education as an institution, encompassing politics, policies, impact on medicine, business and our legal institution). I have had decades of experience in researching and teaching in graduate studies in this field at a Research One university as well as running a policy center. Thus, I am well aware of the practice of seeking original sources. My focus is on stopping the attack by the Christian nationalist movement on our Constitution. I appreciate that you are seeking original sources in German, and I think those will be very valuable to you. I recommend that you read this journal article written by a law professor who studied the way that Hitler took over the legal institution through threats and actual imprisonment and executions of lawyers and judges during the Third Reich: 'Complicity in the Perversion of Justice: The Role of Lawyers in Eroding the Rule of Law in the Third Reich' July 2020, published by St. Mary's University Journal on Legal Malpractice and Evidence. So far as the origination of the Christian nationalist evangelical movement, I realize there are twists and turns and levels of involvement as greed and other vices took over. If you have not seen Frank Schaeffer's interview on The Meidas Touch, a program called Burn the Boats, entitled 'You Disgust Me.' While Schaeffer is directing much of the interview to the issue of Trump's installation in office by the evangelicals (and not his brand or the MAGAs, many of whom did not vote); he does discuss the 'religious lineage' of Mike Johnson. You can find this on YouTube. Finally, I hope after Biden wins that there is a way to repair your relationship with your family, if you choose. Our focus now is on re-electing Biden: the research you are doing will be most valuable after we put re-elect Biden, when we will have much work to do in booting the insurrectionists from our bicameral Congress. I won't have much time to dialogue further as I have an over-whelming schedule at the moment. Good luck with your research, and I hope it leads to a publication.
It's not a small group that's in the current cult. And it will make no difference to them what anyone but the Traitor tells them. They are preparing for a war they truly believe in, that they've somehow been screwed, that they are the true Patriots defending Democracy and all the rest of us are standing in their way. They mean it. They want Traitor to be their dictator. They believe only he has their backs. They've learned lessons from their practice run on January 6. It's truly mind boggling and batsht crazy. But there it is. I'm just on the outskirts of Northern Virginia and it's unnerving. We have to come out to vote in numbers so overwhelming as to leave no doubt we are the true Patriots. And the military better be on high alert prior to election day and for at least the following year.
With Heritage Foundation backing, plus other right-wing funders. Trump probably couldn't coordinate anything in his current mental state, but there are plenty of people willing to do the dirty work for him.
You think?!?!?! - I'm yipping with laughter - he doesn't have a strategic brain cell in his body. But Steve Bannon sure does. Steve Bannon (who should be indicted just for being Steve Bannon, the blackops liar liar pants on fire original promotor of the election was stolen theme) and Roger Stone (the bag man for everyone but facing a federal trial himself for ‘the wall’ fraud in New York in February) are obviously coordinating.
Oh! Stephen Miller is a very important part of TFG’s team of sociopaths. He gets off on taking babies away from their mothers.
It’s easy to believe TFG’s claim that he’s never read “Mein Kampf”… because Stephen Miller reads it to him at bedtime. Those Hitler soundbites in TFG’s recent speeches most probably came from Miller’s warped brain, the voice of which is unmistakable in rumps speeches. (TFG only can only just read from a large print teleprompter.)
Thank you Chris. I think I am so overwhelmed at the moment with all things Trump, Bannon, Stone, and company - including Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey Clark et al, I couldn't bear to revisit the horrid Stephen Miller. I am remiss. I have saved the link in my 'to order to read stack.' I was googling 'Mike Johnson' last week to get a more in-depth understanding of him and found a You Tube video of Frank Schaeffer being interviewed on Meides Touch:
It is from the perspective of an 'insider-insider' who grew up in the evangelical movement. As he grew older, he made propaganda films for them. His parents were leaders as well - but left in disgust. He knows the players - and speaks openly about their now sixty some year plan. I know many of us are overwhelmed with 'life' and it is 1 hour and 6 minutes long. I wondered if I would regret squeezing out that time: I am so glad I did. Nothing can explain the roles and ambitions of the Christian nationalist evangelicals like an insider. He was 'one of them' from babyhood until his thirties. He knows Mike Johnson mentors and their plans. So if you want to know hair-raising and jaw drop: take a gander. It is truly informative because I have spent a bit of time attempting to challenge and confront the revisionist history of Kevin Roberts at the Heritage Foundation - and this video explains the amount of money and power behind the arrogance of Roberts and his colleagues. Last summer, I was reviewing a paper he wrote, and I remember thinking: 'who is this goofball? Is he recreating the original writings of the founders from the website at Monticello and biographers who are known as premier historians for Madison, Washington, Jefferson and others (all deists and atheists who had determined to not have church and state after fighting off King George III - head of the Church of England). Indeed. Please let me know if you watch the You Tube. I would love to get your view. 💙
He is coordinating this now sewing seeds of doubt with disinformation, promoting a national ban on abortion and at a hotrod pace spreading lies about Biden and how is mishandling the Middle East etc hoping we will lose faith in our government and in each other.
Vincent, love the argument you present. However, history shows that Dictators have always taken power through nefarious means or directly. Trump has no barriers to continue his dirty quest. Remember one bad dude who only got 44% of the vote in 1933, and found an excuse to take power. Trump has shown us repeatedly that he is capable of doing the same. Be prepared on election night.
I'll never forget when Bill Marhe said on his show. "....he's never going away..." I predict he will lose this November and will cry the election was stolen....again. This guy is a piece of shit that you can't get off the bottom of your shoe@
He won't just cry it, Heather. He and his co-conspirators will be ready with something much more compelling this time (see Project 2025 B.). He doesn't even care if he goes to prison. I would posit that he even wants to be put there (as was his Idol in Nov. 1924 in a crucial step toward his evil dictatorship. That was 10 years before he grabbed complete control). Be prepared.
Pretty clear from exit polls in Iowa and New Hampshire that the Big Lie about the 2020 election is the pivot point for the 2024 election. Need a public review of the allegations made and how they were debunked/ resolved. Shocking how many voters are still under this spell.
TFG should be sitting in prison for J6 which he encouraged, promoted and supported. But we have a 2 tiered justice system. No offense to Garland but that should have been priority on Day 1! Did he soften in his years since Oklahoma City? TFG has done enough damage and it’s past time the damage gets done to him, not just financially but legally incarcerated!
If it wasn't for the evidence that the Jan 6 Committee unearthed and presented, I doubt whether the DOJ would have brought the Jack Smith charges against Trump. The DOJ were distracted by the 'confidential documents' situation in Florida and didn't devote proper resources to figuring out how to prosecute Trump for Jan 6 until the Committees findings were publicized.
That is very true, Vincent. The J6 Committee did what the DOJ did not do. Thank goodness Nancy Pelosi had the foresight to put that committee together!
Yes, indeed Nancy had the foresight to do so: and to put Liz and Adam on it - and to hire the ex-CIA guy former Congressman from Kentucky (I think) to sift the data. That giant effort was what allowed J6 to present their case. 💙
Perhaps DOJ passed on immediate prosecution because it thought Congress should have the opportunity to exercise its responsibility to impeach Trump - and then actually do it. Had Congress done its job the DOJ process would be all about the Law and not about politics. We need to focus more on Congress and less on what DOJ coulda/shoulda/woulda done. Congress is the controlling body to a President's actions, not the DOJ.
Marlene. I blame Garland, too. I also defended him for years. "Being meticulous. Dotting all the i's crossing all the t's. Researching all the potential defense strategies so there's no loopholes." But damn! If you or I had been accused of what TFG has, we'd already have been charged, tried, convicted, and sent to prison. Deny it if you will, but there IS a double standard.
But he waited too long. He should have started as soon as he took his oath. If you have money (or gullible suckers to donate) you can play the waiting game, abuse the system in appeals. If you’re poor or a person of color you sit in jail until trial.
Yes but when? After the election? When Cannon decides it’s convenient? How many appeals will he use to abuse the system like he has in the past? While I appreciate the DC appeals court after just listening to Joyce and Katie Brenner on the 11th Hour, these judges need to hurry up and get their decision in writing (sit in a room for a full day and hash it out) so the full appeals court can shoot him down again and then SCOTUS not hear the case until after the trial.
Hi Rusty: It doesn't matter. It has to be bullet-proof. Of course Trump will appeal. He will appeal if the case is iron-clad and he will appeal if it is full of holes. Every prosecutor prosecuting and judge sitting knows these cases are going to appeal. They cannot afford a single mistake. They need iron-clad bullet proof cases because they are 100% going to be appealed. Are you saying he could have en banc after having the three judge appeal for the immunity? What matters is that they get the answer back by the end of January so judge Chutkan can start jury selection. I may be wrong (hello Joyce?) but Jack Smith already did cert on this for this very reason. This is not going to the SCOTUS after the 3 judge panel. They sent it back with either a 'no' or 'not accepting to hear' with no reason. Attorneys please correct me here 💙 I know even attorneys on this Substack disagree with me about the speed with which Merrick Garland has moved (he might have called Jack Smith months prior to him breaking his leg); but we have a democracy. We have to have valid reasons for subpoenas, and Grand Juries have to be sitting to make requests for indictments. Garland was dealing with a 5,000 (count them) headed snake. I think our trusty Republican senators called him for questioning too.
Valere, we need four things to happen simultaneously or by Nov 5, 2024. First the American people need to defeat Mango Muffin et al at the election. Second we need to defeat him in the courts. Third we need to put in place a force to stop him from taking power on election night, even if he is in Jail. Fourth, we need to double time a reconciliation effort with the disaffected parts of our un-equal populations. We need to prepare for the worst, because he has nothing to lose, and we need to prepare for a better equality in the future.
Absolutely - but on point 3: do you mean he would have a proxy sitting in the White House and how do you think that would happen? A military coup? The military has come out very strongly that they do not work for ‘a person.’ I think General Milley was the one who made that statement. We absolutely must focus on equality. And I need to add a fifth ‘must.’
Regarding how we got here in the first place, going back to Reagan: we must insist on transparency, and addressing Christian nationalist blather who are attempting to reconstruct the constitution. We had separation of church and state from the beginning of our nation. They are trying to replace that with a theocracy, with orange, Jesus, simply the puppet figure. That’s enough to feed his ego. He paid them back while he was in office by putting Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, as unqualified and biased as both of them are.
While I respectfully disagree on some points SCOTUS refused to hear the case while it was in appeals court. Respected Jusge Littig said he didn’t have the right to appeal before his trial which is the same treatment that normal defendants get. By hearing appeals on immunity prior to his trial that is elevating him above the law.
Valere, I agree that Jack Smith is trying to avoid mistakes, and that accounts for the slow procedure, and he did indeed try to bypass the DC Circuit by asking the Supremes to step in, in order to speed up the case; however it appears that the DC Circuit is moving very fast on the matter now. And sorry but it will probably go BACK. up to the Supreme Court after the DC Circuit finishes with it. Another reason Jack Smith took the matter to SCOTUS was to get a feel for what they might do with the issue once it reaches the Supreme Court. We’re kind of lucky that Trump’s lawyers are such boob-heads (sorry) because they are not helping his case with their ridiculous legal argument that a president has TOTAL immunity unless impeached by the House & convicted by the Senate. Not even the four most conservative justices can afford to buy into that argument. And despite the different, more conservative makeup of the Supreme Court, there are some issues that they won’t touch with a 10-foot pole, and I’m just guessing that presidential immunity is one of them.
Thank you Laura. No worried that you called the attorneys boob-heads. Everyone agrees with that and they’ve been called worse. They’re scratching and clawing to come up with anything to appeal. I hope the three court appeal comes up with a response soon, so we are not too far out with the March 4 date election interference case. Thank you so much for your analysis. But do you think Jack Smith got a clue from his cert? Responding with no response: does that mean they won’t touch it with a barge pole?
Marlene, In a democracy, the law has to be followed to bring the kinds of indictments DOJ needed to bring against Trump and Company. It has all been a team effort. I am not dismissing your anger: but time to stop pointing fingers, shooting slings and arrows and concentrate on pulling together to vote up, down, sideways and for Biden 💙 We can all disparage Garland: but trying to move past the stall tactics of Trump and Company to gain the missing documents was a major achievement. I'm 'guessing' Garland was doing simul interviews with J6 interviewees - some of whom were indicted for no shows - and some of whom are being sentenced (Peter Navarro, sentencing tomorrow - Thursday Jan 25 and Steve Bannon was convicted in January and facing two years in prison with sentencing October 2024). Roger Stone is being investigated for an audio tape in which he allegedly has called for the assassination of two congress-members. So two of the three headed snake are down: one to go. And still to go, Trump and company. The DOJ indicted 1265 individuals; 718 made guilty plea deals (saving expense and time of trials); 749 were adjudicated and found guilty and sentenced. Some were several decades - at least two decades and some years. DOJ got the worst of the worst followers off the streets and behind bars. It takes a while in a democracy to bring individuals to justice - I think the slow and steady, let's not miss the mark approach is best because the DOJ cannot afford to make a mistake with Trump and company.
I know they have been very effective in indicting the frontline but honestly, Garland and his team did not have the data, the footage that the J6 Committee had. That has been proven to be fact and not fiction, Valere. I am pleased as punch that weasel Navarro is going to be sentenced but the bigger guns, Bannon and Stone, have been free for too dang long! They both have caused havoc and how Bannon is allowed to run a broadcast is beyond me. He reminds me of that awful Father Charles Coughlin who in the 1930’s spread antisemitism. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/charles-e-coughlin
Bannon was convicted for fraud re the 'wall' and then Trump pardoned him on his last day in office. He has been indicted in NY for the same fraud and will go to trial in Feb 2024. He was convicted by the US DOJ for not appearing at the J6 when subpoened. But: he has not been indicted for calling for the execution of Anthony Fauci and Christopher Wray. He should be indicted for that. His Twitter account was permanently suspended. Yahoo. He is now on his War Room podcast 6 days per week: poisoning the minds of Trump's minions. He will be in jail, most likely in New York first. He was the mastermind behind Cambridge Analytica, who stole 75 Million Face Book accounts and used your personal data to get Trump elected in 2016. Trump rewarded him by appointing him to be his senior tactician after taking office in 2017. The military officers in the situation room refused to allow him to enter. He was booted by Trump in 2019 - and then proceeded to inaugurate the War Room. When he was sentenced by the DOJ in 2021, Trump pardoned him (after not having spoken to him for almost two years): my opinion is that his 'thank you note' included the promise to spew forth the 'election was stolen lie' and to continue his blackops activities to 'get Trump elected' in 2024, and this may be besides the point but it has been well-publicized that Rudy Guillani was collecting $1 Million pay-offs for pardons so who knows? However, he cannot do his War Room from jail in New York. NY can use the information DOJ had from their trial - so he likely will be convicted. He will appeal. It's too bad we had a rapist, criminal president, just like a banana republic. It's like the Republicans and evangelicals all gathered together and said as the US said about Noriega: "He's a crook, but he's our crook."
I’m not there yet but I’m close, the more I learn about the legal system, the more I become aware of what a mine-field it is, and he knows way more than I do about pathways through it.
well the 14th amendment was enforced by the Justice Dept. Garland and Biden have not done so out of fear of being thought political? But if that is the reason their reluctance has turned it into accusations of political interference. Biden and his Justice Dept must politically interfere to stem the entire insurrection (Or should have). Instead they arrested the soldiers and let the generals and political ideologues go free.
It is not political interference to interfere with the leaders who want to interfere politically. It is not democratic to deny undemocratic proponents to be elected to office. That was the intent of the 14th, sections 2,3 &4. They all said the government must interfere to prevent insurrectionists, or those holding, supporting, or abetting the creation of not only a present, but a future insurrection against the government. If democracy permits those who suggest its demise, it ends.
Ken Taylor: You said: "Biden and his Justice Dept must politically interfere to stem the entire insurrection (Or should have). Instead they arrested the soldiers and let the generals and political ideologues go free."
What are you talking about? (You must have mistaken this for another Substack). No US soldiers were at the Capitol during the insurrection. The generals with impeccable character (Miley, Mattis, McMaster, Kelly are only some of them) LEFT Trump - they resigned because they had a moral code - they were not staying another minute than they had to with that malignant narcissist. So far as 'political idealogues;' yes, we still have a democracy in which those with opposing views are allowed free expression - and they have to be plenty dangerous before they are not allowed to 'go free.' For example: Steve Bannon, former chief strategist in Trump's White House called for the execution of Christopher Wray and Anthony Fauci: he had his Twitter account permanently deleted. Facebook and YouTube removed his video posting of this outrageous and violent statement. So even with that kind of egregious spewing forth of disinformation and a violent suggestion, Bannon is free to blatherskite another day.
Biden was not in office when Trump called for the insurrection. That's why we have indictments of Trump now: 'Biden's DOJ' which has acted independently has made 91 indictments of Trump. Following the insurrection, Biden spent the first year in office repairing the vast damage Trump inflicted on us both domestically and internationally.
Soldiers and generals is meant metaphorically, not literally. The soldiers where the people attacking the capital; the generals those who planned and organized.
Thank you for clarifying. But the ‘ planners and organizers, such as Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey, Clark, Rudy Julie, Marc Meadows, Sydney Powell, Eastman (listed in the DC trial as co-conspirators and numbered) we’re planning and colluding right up until January 5 when they collected the false elector signatures from New Mexico. Who has gone free are Mike Johnson, Jeff the fast runner in the Capitol
running for his life on video, Tommy Tuberville whom Trump called while he was safely in the bunker below the… Asking “where is Tommie?” but called Mike Lee by mistake.. kept his marching orders to stop approval of Promotions of senior officers, including that of the commandant of the Marine Corps. What do you think that was? Now we know about project 2025 with the intent to give Trump executive power should he be reelected. Who protects him but handpicked lower rank officers, who are minions of Trump. That’s how that works because General Milley came out in a very public speech to say to all of his service people in every branch that he therefore they served constitution not one ‘person.’ Do you think he knew about the project 2025 plan for the military should Trump be elected?
Our big task after Biden is reelected is going to be addressing the issue of the Christian nationalist reconstructionist who want to take away our democracy with church and state separation and make it a theocracy with some kind of orange Jesus, or other color, but not brown and black by the way, at the helm as a puppet dictator, and the Christian nationalist religion would be implanted as the theocracy. Who would be the head of the theocracy like the
Ayatollah in Iran? If you think women’s rights to Health Care, having voice, sitting at the table and government are impacted now pick up a copy of project 2025: we will be between Iran, 1979 and today and the inquisition in the 12th century. So we don’t need to quibble at all about whether DOJ is moving ahead quickly enough. The house is burning down. We need to stick together with every single person on this sub, stuck with a mission in our minds of voting blue and getting at least one other person to vote blue with us. And if we have young people among the millennials and Gen Z’s ‘ who are not happy at all with what has happened in Gaza’ what we need to explain to them is Biden had treaties with Israel beginning back in 1947 extending to 1982, two more in the 80s and 90s for a total of four treaties involving our military protection of Israel. Had we not abide it by the treaties we would’ve been in violation of NATO. Furthermore, he instructed Blinkin to go to APAC and tell his Israeli counterpart United States the United States would only accept a two state negotiation to the end of the fighting. That Israel needed to stop attacking civilians in Gaza. Number three that Hamas (all of it) had to go. Blinken has been to Israel and the Middle East 18 times since October. Biden has been there as well. Netanyahu finds that the discord keeps him in power. So what Biden has done is abide by treaties that he did not initiate. He has attempted to end a horrific attack by Hamas and response by Israel to innocent civilians in Gaza, who don’t approve of what Hamas has done. You can fault Biden for his first response that “we stand by Israel.“ But we don’t stand by Israel slaughtering Gazza, innocent babies, and children and civilians and he has publicly said so. So explain this to the young folks, to explain that part of the inheritance they have of being able to protest and live in a democracy is number one, because our elected president chooses to abide by signed treaties, whether they are working as anyone of us would wish. And secondly, unless they vote for Biden, they will not have the democracy. They have now: they will have a theocracy and a dictator and a life they can’t imagine in their wildest nightmares. Should Trump be elected, from the first day of his dictatorship very soon if they are LGBTQ, brown or black, they will wonder which cycle of Dantes hell they are in. If they haven’t read about Dante‘’s hell, hand them a copy.
It’s quite descriptive. If they haven’t read Project 2025, which is really kind of hard to find and download at the Heritage foundation, just go, Wikipedia, and it’s outline there every single word and every single page. If they think MTG is kidding about separating the United States to re-create slavery, then wait-and-see. Why do you think these racist Hoochie mamas are hanging around Trump? so they won’t be shipped off to a camp somewhere? Read, read, read: it’s all available to read. there’s a video on YouTube by Frank Schaeffer that is quite descriptive about Mike Johnson, and how he was mentored by the Evangelicals who have planned the theocracy. One can watch and listen to that and not have to read. I could care squat how anybody gets the information about the danger of a Trump presidency so long as they get the image in their head: the house is burning down, and we will not have a house if he is elected. And all the weeping and moaning about ‘who got indicted and who didn’t’ isn’t going to matter. Not if Trump is elected. But those indictments still will continue and court convictions will go on. Jack Smith is focusing on Trump for a very good reason. But I expect after we win in November, and we have a Blue Senate and House many more indictments and convictions are going to happen because they must happen. We must bring back law and order to our Congress. The American has to see and understand that we are a nation that does not tolerate insurrection. That trust has to be reestablished. So how do we gain back trust in the supreme court of the United States? There has to be a lot of questioning, and a lot of pressure and the two lapdogs must be forced to resign So save this energy and work your tails off to re-elect Biden. The conversation should be about all the good things he’s done for us. Yes he wears tennis shoes and he’s old. He doesn’t have 91 indictments and he’s not a convicted rapist.
Every day he horrifies us. We must never not be outraged, must speak out, refuse to accept the debasement of everything he touches. Support and work for good, moral candidates.
Great post. Yes. Time to stop pretending it won’t happen. He means every word. How has this happened?? I’d say: spineless media figures and corrupt republicans plus trump’s uncanny ability to do and say what would doom other public figures.
I have been thinking about his references to Obama when he means Biden and everyone saying he is losing it. I just wonder if this is a prelude to his challenging that Obama has been the "president" telling Biden what to do. Obama has been speaking out, supporting Biden by asking for donations, and speaking the truth. I just wonder what Trump has up his sleeve. He definitely will not accept a loss in this election. We can only hope and pray that he is being detained somewhere when the election happens. And today we hear that the Turtle doesn't want to support the immigration reform plan because that's what Trump wants to run on. Mitch McConnell who had the chance to rid us of Trump in the Impeachment, is now giving him a platform to run on? Where does it end?
This crisis really is on the shoulders of the Republicans in the Senate. They took an oath to decide according to the facts. They did not even come close to that ideal.
On Tuesday in NH, I participated in the Write-In Biden campaign with others. We held signs in a designated area at our poling station. Some of us worked to encourage our friends and neighbors to get out and vote. In our small town, political discourse is generally civil and elections are well-run and uneventful.
Democratic candidates generally win elections here. But the number of Trump supporters who overtly support Trump has grown, as has the number of disaffected voters.
Unlike 2020, the Trump supporters were much more angry. Some felt the need to come over and hostilely inform us that we were supporting the wrong candidate and that they were making the intelligent choice by voting for Trump.
One young guy yelled across the parking lot before he roared away that we must hate America and love the 5 dollar a gallon price of gas and struggling 401K. Gas is $2.99 here at the moment and the stock market is at a record high, but facts....
A grandmother approached us twice to inform us how awful Joe Biden was and school us on the Fox talking point reasons why Biden is not the actual or legitimate president, that Biden is senile and that Obama is actually running the corrupt administration. Of course, the borders are wide-open and Trump is a strong leader.
A significant number of Republicans voters, however, do see the danger Trump represents and do not want his chaos. They voted for Nikki Haley-she got more votes than Trump here.
It is hard to know what voters will do in November since many do not perceive the danger in another Trump presidency. The 2024 election seems like a long way off but so much can happen before then.
Trump has done incalculable damage to our country and democracy but he is not the only one. Mitch McConnell is now backpedaling from a Senate border deal because Trump doesn’t want the Republicans to make one.
Terrifying. So many people get their news solely from the likes of FB or FOX and MSM, ‘left’ media aren’t that left so all these facts get washed away and never repeated in context. They cling to the buzz words. I’m scared
Trump and those who agree to live in his corrupt, deceit-filled world are clearly willing to witness the collapse of our democracy. It’s hard to know which of them are corrupt to their core and which ones are simply self-serving power seekers, loving power more than country. Trump is obviously squarely in both camps. Either way, none of us has the luxury to stand by idly and watch them torch our freedoms and institutions.
A short open letter to the Orange Emperor wannabe;
Dear Sir;
I'd like to point out that you are a mortal, a mere mortal like the rest of us. Given your age, the actuarial tables give you, at most, a decade remaining on this earth. Most of us are going to outlast you. We will survive you, get past your quixotic moment of notariety in history. Your children have partly withdrawn from the public face of your political activities or have been raised to be sycophants. When there isn't a big blustering patriarch with whom to line up, they'll run for the exits or find a new champion to worship. You may or may not understand how much you have damaged our democratic institutions by sewing so much doubt regarding their integrity amongst your doting faithful, but we know and we won't easily forget. Before the dirt over your coffin has settled, we will begin spitting on your grave. For as many as 250 years we're going to write about how you are were a poster child for EVERYTHING wrong with a candidate for high office. You'll be a case study in law schools across the nation for how to muzzle a malignant narcissist. If that sounds like a posterity you look forward to, you are right on track to fulfill your dreams. You may actually inspire legislation up to and including constitutional amendments to blunt the impact of future imitators. Yes, you have truly had an impact on us as a nation, testing the very fibers of our deeply held beliefs about democracy. But, you won't stand up with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Roosevelt, Isenhauer, Kennedy or any other of our past presidential champions for democracy. You'll stand as a counter example of what to avoid at all costs. And, you won't be around to yell any louder or longer to the contrary. That's the cruel reality about being mortal. Eventually, history catches up to you and puts it's stamp on your legacy; nothing you can do about it. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can rely on Mini-me and/or his siblings. They lack your peculiar charisma and they are about as loyal as your remaining minutes in the spotlight. Your last time in the spotlight is the 2024 primary season. The sooner it's over, the sooner people are going to start counting up the accomplishments and the position on the issues that have been betrayed in what you call your "speeches". It's going to become more and more clear what America is really made of and the MAGAts just don't add up to an adequate majority to let you survive past November. Also, you're forgetting about the gauntlet that is your rap sheet and list of indictments. They aren't going away either. Plan to spend plenty of time in paneled rooms where you'll be admonished to keep quiet or the fines will just keep escalating, or you'll get a hotel room on Uncle Sam, replete with a thin mattress and a stainless steel toilet.
Just Sayin', you need to send this to the NYT as an op-ed. If they do not print it, send to WaPo. Truth in every word. I'm saving a copy:) Then when I'm spent with the nonsense blatherskite of Trump, I can settle in and re-read with a cup of hibiscus tea. What a treat this was - it needs to be plastered somewhere for him to read though - and I recognize that he doesn't read, so perhaps Stephen Miller can read it to him. You were spot on with every word: the kids will be long gone as soon as he is. I predict to one of the stans. Uzbekistan comes to mind. They can start over there.
I think there are many of us on this Substack. No matter our backgrounds. We have common goals. Did you hear the news about? E. Jean’s award?
I think it was $83 million. And I think that’s quite appropriate because if he manages to appeal it, it’s not so huge that they would kick it back and question it. so I am celebrating that tonight:) I was out this afternoon, but the jury probably didn’t spend over two hours deliberating. I guess I’ll get the details later. I hope you send your wonderful letter on to one of the major newspapers:)
I remember hearing Trump "duck" the question about accepting the 2020 election result and say his usual "We'll have to see what happens". I knew then he would fight leaving the White House any way he could. I told my family and close friends about my fears and was told there was no way Trump could not accept the election result. They all said "It's in our Constitution".
I have lived with stress ever since and fear that Trump's crass followers who apparently never read a newspaper or listen to any news except Fox, will again show their wild acceptance of anything Trump says or does.
Tonight I listened to the MSNBC reports of the New Hampshire voting and while i believe the numbers they are telling me and the success Joe Biden's write-in votes showed Trump who really won that primary election, I am still afraid Trump will find a lawyer who is willing to try to upset our Constitution.
I would appreciate anyone telling me why they think otherwise. I very much value you commenters on this substack..
Joyce, it doesn’t help our cause when Kristen Welker interviews Trump and calls him “Mr. President” or like yesterday when Chris Jansing’s morning segment gave plenty of coverage to him when he arrived in New Hampshire. I was totally ticked off and turned MSNBC off! I rarely do that but I cannot stomach seeing or hearing from him. He is a criminal and I am still angry with our DOJ for not having been aggressive at the “git-go”. Now we have a rogue judge in Florida who will delay and delay his criminal trial. We also are awaiting the reply from Scotus as to the immunity issue. Truly, how much more can we frigging take??
Not much more. Just seeing him makes me want to vomit!!!
🤮
Me, too! (I need to lose some weight anyway.)
I've refused to watch MSNBC or CNN because I don't want to hear or see "Any or All Things Trump." As much I'd never, ever vote Red, I was still hoping so much that Nikki Haley would have beat the heck out of Trump.
Hillary the Hypocrite personifies the Democratic Party's loss of its soul. In the 2008 primary race, it was do-or-die for Hillary in the North Carolina primary. I remembered, from the book "Votescam: The Stealing of America," the story of how "the computers crashed" late at night and eventually came back up with skewed numbers.
I planned to stay up late as results came in from North Carolina, and the same thing happened. Hillary and Obama were neck-and-neck when, around 11:00, the computers crashed. I stayed up to see the reported results the moment they re-started. Sure enough, somewhere around 3:00 in the morning, the first new result came in with Hillary's total flat and a big jump for Obama, putting both the primary and the nomination out of reach for Hillary.
For a couple days there was some speculation that Hillary would challenge the results, but she didn't. The North Carolina Attorney General Ray Cooper went on to become Governor, and North Carolina was gifted the next Democratic convention.
I voted for Hillary in the California primary, and for Obama in the general election.
Hillary went on, as Secretary of State, to become the Butcher of Libya, pressuring a reluctant Obama to go far beyond the United Nations mandate and effect regime change in Libya, turning that country into a festering failed state.
In the 2020 primary race, I supported Tulsi Gabbard , who aptly called Hillary the "corrupt queen of the war-mongers." The Democratic Party has lost its soul.
Question: How many people died suddenly when they were about to testify against Bill and Hillary Clinton?
Answer: Count 'em up for yourself:
https://whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/BODIES.php
Still got the mads that Bernie didn’t get enough votes, I see. Not unlike trump supporters, who assume they are the majority because of crowd size, Bernie Bros were wrong.
I never supported Bernie. I gave my money to Tulsi.
Well that explains a lot. Why do you read what Joyce writes?
Because she knows her stuff regarding legal issues. Heather Cox Richardson doesn't, and that's a real blind spot.
You gave your money to a GRU asset?😵😡
???
😂Then you gave your money for a Trump vote.
No, I supported the principle of bringing the troops home, which used to be mainstream among Democrats.
And Trump wasn't running in the Democratic primary.
Well, that explains it.
Tulsi Gabbard…John, did you just travel through a worm hole after hitching a ride on her transport from Earth 2? Be careful of shape shifters like TG. They can steal your lunch money without you being fully aware it is happening!
Back when there was a whole gaggle of 2020 Democratic hopefuls, I came up with two core issues: Reinstate Glass-Steagall, and bring the troops home. Tulsi got it right on both, so I supported her.
Stop it. This is a place for intelligent discourse, not trolling and sour grapes.
It seems that you can't tell the difference.
Trump gamed the system for so long, he thinks it’s all crooked.
Getting caught and having to take consequences for his actions is not something he believes in at all.
How do I contact Substack for support on another matter? The person doesn’t say a word but gives me multiple “likes” on my posts. Happening for years on other writer’s also but now, getting very annoying. Also, does anyone wish that their emails do not get clogged up with “likes”? Am I being too petty?
🙄
Stalker the Troll is stalking again
You post in a public forum. Nobody is stalking you, John.
What you say is without.
Yawn.
Why is this creature allowed to hijack comment section of other writers work? Stop, stop, stop responding to him! In Italian, Basta!
Ohhhh, I don’t know why he is allowed... freedom of speech?, entitled to his opinion?, or the fact that he’s so popular that he only has 3 Substack followers? I see him as just another Democrat detractor who has fallen into the abyss - pushing the insane theory that both national parties are the same because something, something, corporatist HCR, genocide Biden. Poor guy just needs some attention. Don’t report him for having an alternative viewpoint, but DO call him out on keeping to the subject at hand, and using “Discourse” and HCR’s “Letters...” to publish his otherwise unread misinformation! After all, he is an expert in his own mind, and therefore entitled to an audience - much like herr drumph of the orange. Sorry, Louis, but I am not above an occasional mocking of such transparent-as-glass egotists.
You make an ass of yourself.
Don’t feed the troll!!
These days, it's not stylish to be an anti-war Democrat.
TFG is trying to wear all of us down. Here is a link to Heather Cox Richardson on how we can win aired 1/23/24:
https://youtu.be/YF83RxtBqKg?si=Q2cHH5zNgG0aZ2Ln
A very interesting analysis from HCR on the likely rationale of tfg supporters, and why the rethugs are in trouble if the only-trumpers don't have tfg as their candidate, bc they may not turn up at the polls in November. However all is not well, as she expects that we will be FLOODED with disinformation from here on out, starting with the manufactured "immigration crisis."
TFG is not well. He may not survive. It’s up to us to counter disinformation wherever and whenever we can. It’s not a done deal.
He is disintegrating before our eyes. His "speeches" are becoming more salad like than ever. He is confusing people with other people. He sounds more and more like that guy screaming from his room in an institution - which is where he belongs and probably will land.
He is having cognitive decline - as malignant narcissists do as they implode. But he is showing a neurological condition as well - it could be a mini-stroke.
Bill, I've never heard that expression (about salad) before. Is it like a salad that has nothing but regular iceberg lettuce? No tomatoes, carrots, or anything else? It's said we learn something new every day. Thanks for doing that for me.
Here is the definition of "word salad" directly from Merriam-Webster:
"Word salad is defined as “a jumble of extremely incoherent speech as sometimes observed in schizophrenia,” and has been used of patients suffering from other kinds of dementia, such as Alzheimer's. Like a salad encased in Jell-O, a 'word salad' doesn't make a lot of sense."
- and from VeryWellMind:
"What is the professional term for word salad?
Logorrhea. Logorrhea is a condition characterized by excessive and often incoherent talking. Word salads are common in those with logorrhea as they may experience difficulty organizing words into coherent sentences, leading to streams of unrelated phrases and words that make no sense. May 15, 2023"
Word salads also are available when interviewing Trump supporters.
But in our family, it's harmless - and we always know what the person is talking about :)
His mental decline is breathtaking. He cannot remember who he ran against in 2016 and 2020, confuses Haley with Pelosi, talks freely about the so-called greatness of strongmen who have destroyed the democracies of their own countries.
And the MAGA-ites just keep eating it all up.
That’s the sad and pathetic part.
As Heather points out Russia, China and Iran are flooding every site with disinformation, spreading lies. Those governments want nothing more than to destroy our country and couldn't be happier with the chaos in America. Case in point is the new story that appeared about Fanni Willis having a relationship with the special prosecutor she appointed. Everyone jumps right on board with it as 'fact' before finding out facts. The point of all of this, destroy the court cases.
Joyce’s message seems like:
Whether or not Trump [ or maybe any Rethuglican? ] is on the ballot this fall, we should expect and prepare for bedlam around Election Day in every case… or worse, i.e. movement to install on day-one, Rethuglican fascist dictatorship.
Seems like everybody involved in voting should have this in mind as of now, and begin concrete planning now for managing the bedlam during and after Election Day.
And 100% of candidates must be asked NOW the point-blank question, whether they pledge to honor the election, and document and tabulate their answers clearly.
I’m on a panel from MSNBC where they send me questions about once a week asking how they did. At EVERY opportunity I state vigorously exactly what you are saying, stop reporting every screed from this whiney liar. Although I agree they are still reporting too much about him, at this week’s show about the NH primary they didn’t show his post results speech and Rachel stated that MSNBC listeners don’t want to hear from him. So yay, others on the panel agree with us!
Rachel was RIGHT!
Millions of us would be happy to never have to hear from him again!!!
If you haven't heard of the Meidas Touch Network (on Youtube, and also they have a website), check them out.
Yes, they are wonderful!
Trump is doing as much now as he did when he was President. Nothing. Zip. Zero. The only difference for him is immunity.
What I don’t get is even excellent reporters such as Joyce write an article like this now. I was saying this back in 2015. Of course I have no agency, but have repeated over and over to friends about who Trump is, and how he consistently shows and tells us. And it takes years and slow evolution before some actually believe it. Trump is a racist rapist who has been in the news for 40 plus years and hasn’t changed. He launders Russian money, called for the death penalty for innocent Blacks, scammed contractors, charities, created a scam university. Everything Trump does is for him. He has no heart, no morals, no ethics. Despicable.
And yet, like most rich guys, the media is in awe of him. He has gotten away with committing crimes all his life because rich equals superior in our pathetic society.
My sediments completely.
Sediments...:)
I agree 100%. I've been very disappointed with MSNBC and turning them off. These are scary times. I just joined the local Indivisable org, and League of Women Voters. I need to take my anger and do something positive.
Brava Sandi!! League is the best. They are non-partisan, and are working tirelessly to promote vote by mail, helping with Con-Am's and stopping voter suppression. They have stood the test of time and are very credible.
Thank you!! Good to know!
My local tv station calls him mr president as well - it's FORMER president. My puppy is wondering why I'm yelling at the tv all the time!
I completely agree. Kristen Welker is doing a terrible job of holding people to account and rebutting their nonsense and disinformation -- she clearly has a list of talking points and goes from one to the next without really listening to or engaging with the person she is interviewing. The interview with Trump was a disgrace. How I miss Chuck Todd. I am pretty terrified Trump could win - and that the repugnantly articulate but extremist, Elise Stephanik, will be his choice for VP.
They’ve sold out or have been sold out. They are no longer the channel they used to be.
I don’t think they’ve sold out. I really have not seen anyone else, as an anchor, do things like these I mentioned. I was very surprised that Chris Jansing allowed her producers to run that coverage. From Ari Melber, Joy Reid, Chris Hayes, Alex Wagner, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, and Stephanie Ruehl, do not run anything on Trump! What I will say is that I am very disappointed in management for messing with Mehdi Hassan. He reported straight up news which made you feel uncomfortable but it was the truth and because of that, he was let go. Very poor decision.
Ari Melber's show today was very good. Ari blistered general media framing of the election as a "horse race" election coverage using appropriate visual exhibits like a good ex-prosecutor from SDNY. The sharp message: "things are not normal".
Not only Mehdi. They took Yasmin Vossoughian from her weekend show. I enjoyed her commentary. I think silencing Medhi was an ill-advised move and frankly it's quite disturbing. I've lost respect for MSNBC as a network, but not those who remain whom you mention above.
I so miss Yasmin! She is fab and I hope that her removal was to give her something better! Please make it soon!
I have really missed Mehdi. I watched him first.
I agree
Tragically for everyone, DJT is a master at attracting the spotlight. I’ve been severely disappointed that MSNBC has so often been caught nibbling at his baited lines by covering every tidbit of whatever subject his media room chooses to present from his manipulative public psychodramas. His current life is a charade, ratings food for corporate media giants, and he knows this all too well. I’ve slimmed down my interest in MSNBC to tiny snippets at certain times of the day. Trump does not deserve continuous coverage of his nonsensically choreographed follies at the expense of real news about accomplishments highlighting the effective governance by the Biden Administration—but TFG gets all the unwarranted (& free) airtime he craves, even from MSNBC. It’s no wonder he’s appearing at all of his civil trials in person even if he is not required to do so…they are all campaign appearances as far as his tinpot mind is concerned. Yet, the MSM gobbles it all up as if it were air to breathe.
One has to select MSN journalists carefully. Lawrence O Donnell is top of the line!! I no longer bother w the others
I agree but also Rachel Maddow.
Me the same.
Although I do watch Alex Wagner after I watch Lawrence.
Alex & her producers take full advantage of their 9 PM Eastern & 6 PM Pacific time slot to take the day's cycle much deeper.
Agree.
The issue I see with MSNBC is that no matter what show you watch, they are all talking about THE SAME STORY. And mark my word, you can't listen more than ten minutes without hearing the word, TRUMP. Even of negative, they know where the story is.
Chris Hayes took a slightly different view last night, saying that the media is not covering T**** enough. But what he advocates is more coverage of the gaffes, mistakes, and lies - pointing out each and every one of them. It seems that, the more people see the real Orange Skidmark, the less they like him. It's a risk, perhaps, but anything that lowers the possibility of his winning the election is a good thing. We cannot allow him to ever get near the Oval Office again. Never.
That approach is mind numbing and playing defense. I believe Biden is now on offense and appropriately so. We're snap correcting in real time. Then move to our messaging. The contrast is stark.
What can't be allowed to continue is the huge megaphone of TFG 24/7 (even if negative) that drowns out the messaging of Biden as last year had done. It nullifies Biden's and Dem successes to let the narrative good & bad be constant TFG.
From Tim Russert to Kristen Welker..msnbc please revisit..
I stopped watching MTP after seeing part of the Welker interview with TFG. What a terrible decision made by the NBC News folks! I don’t see Welker as a serious journalist, just another one looking for clicks
She appears to be bending over backwards to a fair, independent, you’ll never figure out my political persuasion style..wrong reporter, wrong job..she should try NPR
So incredibly and sadly true
The DOJ worked at prosecuting all the insurrectionists to develop a base upon which Trump would be prosecuted. The legal system grinds slowly but surely. It tests our patience. However, it works.
Free airtime is one of his favorite things! Shame on MSM for accommodating him each day!
And making such a big deal out of Republican voters in NH, as if we all couldn't see it coming. It reminds me of 2016 when it was 24/7 Trump, Trump, Trump.
Not much more!!!
Yes. Couldn’t agree more.
I run into people who insist that Trump is still president. If he is, the 22nd amendment prohibits him from serving another term in 2024. Ah, details!!
Ha! We need to alert Rick Wilson from the Lincoln Project to this Bill: he can do a commercial: "News Flash!! Attention all election deniers! You win. He is the president and he is ineligible."
Like to see a DC Court of Appeals 3-0 Opinion before the end of January a Marbury vs. Madison sequel.
Absolutely. We need jury selection to commence. 3-0 Opinion is the operative phrase. I’m afraid the one appointment is holding out.
Three (3) Judge Panel: Florence Pan, Karen Henderson & Michelle Childs.
The Panel appeared skeptical by many.
Way overdue on the opinion...wonder what the holdup is. Surely it can't be on the merits of tRump's "absolute immunity" canard. This trial will be lucky if a jury is seated by November...MAL docs case helmed by the irrepressible Judge* Cannon won't kick until next year, and that's how it is.
I believe the initial take (based on her questions) of the most senior of the three judges was whether this appeal was appropriate at this stage of the trial. Former judge Luttig agreed that the appeal was premature.
He may very well have covid, again. And exposing everyone around him to it. Those closest to him know darn well something is amiss. Whatever it may be we can't count on them to do the right thing. They're hanging onto his coattails for dear life.
Do it!!
Correction: the 22nd Amendment prohibits him from being ELECTED three times, not from serving should he be elected.
A proposed "debate" question*: "Mr Trump, you won the 2016 election** and claim you won the 2020 election as well. If that's true, you're ineligible to win this one. So why are you running? Is your candidacy an admission that you lost in 2020?"
* Wouldn't it be nice to see a real debate, rather than one of these joint press conferences?
** On a constitutional technicality; he lost the election itself by almost three million votes.
You are correct on the wording. Another Supreme Court case to decide
Morons following the biggest moron. As Trump often says. “So sad.”
One of his other ridiculous phrases that comes to mind with this discussion is: ".... the likes of which you've NEVER seen before." You can fill in the first part of the quote with his issue for that particular day. Lately, he's been having many issues each day.
Trump still thinks he is the president. He has never exited the stage, like presidents do. He has always interrupted the news cycle with his view of the world, however wrong it is.
The problem is mainstream media. Trump would be a nobody without them.
The two entities have made a deal with the devil: they have become a sick, closed system....Trump needs the sycophantic, money hungry media to broadcast his coded messages and the rest of his ridiculous crapola; the media WANTS (they do not need) drumpy's dangerously seditious (but oh so 'entertaining' & 'riveting') baloney to goose their ratings so they can make more and more $$$.
True, but as long as the Republicans in Congress and the Senate are consulting him (as though he’s still in our White House), they are a huge part of the equation!
...and he is not going to stop until his last lie leaves his filthy mouth. This gig is just too good. Every time he opens it (and the wider the better) money rolls in. Talk about Mega grifting. He is reaching his ultimate low on his path to whatever heaven is to him.
So simple. But nothing in the Constitution is worth anything. Bottom line is trump’s only guide is his addled criminal mind, is just that - his addled criminal mind Everything besides his belief that he is Fuehrer means nothing. Until he is dealt with in the way these sort of individuals are dealt with, there is no law, no reasoning, no outcome one can expect except what we have been watching for 8+ years. When the garbage on TV was “You’re Fired”! That was really all that was needed to know about who he is and no one will ever be able to convince him or his ilk otherwise. Our very reasoning with any historical presentations, our laws, our constitution, any law that he does not agree with does not exist in his orbit. We cannot get our heads wrapped around it because it denies every bit of reasoning that normal humans use.
Well said!
😂🤣
I have no trust left in the press to act responsibly. I hope I’m wrong. We desperately need them to stop elevating trump by constantly reporting about him while simultaneously ignoring almost everything President Joe Biden has accomplished and continues doing on behalf of our country.
We need to continue pressure on them. The quality of journalism has hit hit rock bottom.
they are owned by corporate conglomerates--the sort of fascist billionaire that pulls the puppet strings of RNC officials. Mainstream media has lost its credibility.
...and yet here we all are. I know, me too 😵💫
I totally agree!
Like you, I take Trump's threats seriously. But a few things will be different this time around if he loses the general election. One, if he loses by a lot - and if he gets fewer votes than he received in 2020 - he'll have a difficult time convincing anyone other than a (small?) group of hard-core supporters to believe in the '2nd Big Lie' - that he actually won. Also, if he loses and it is reasonably close, he is not in a position of power as he was (as the former President) in 2020 to wield such measures as calling out the military to seize voting machines, etc. The former 'fake elector scheme' will likely not be repeated, especially as the VP counting the ballots will be Kamala Harris. Plus, the saga of the fate of the Jan 6 rioters will hopefully have a chilling effect on any enraged Trump supporters entertaining thoughts of trying to overturn the election results.
But yet this whole situation with Trump and his Republican party of grievance - no matter what happens in the election - will continue to sow doubt (amplified by many media outlets) about the authenticity of our democracy.
Liz Cheney martyred herself to stand against Trump. Unfortunately, it is the policies of the Cheney republicans that created the grievances that have made Trump possible. If we don't correct the grievances people feel...then those grievances build to the point of rejecting the grievances. While I don't mean to praise Hitler, he did address some grievances though he created many more to accomplish the social reforms he did accomplish. The war against Jews did give more wealth to non-Jews. The issue we face does not die with Trump. If democracy succeeds it has to address the causes of many people's displeasure. I came across this article:
https://aeon.co/essays/on-the-shared-histories-of-reconstruction-in-the-americas
It compares the reconstruction eras from three western hempheric civil wars (Mexico, Argentina and U.S.) that all occurred roughly at the same time and he suggests the failures of reconstruction to address the issues and to not suppress the opposition, but within a few years try to embrace them back into governance have continued to plague civil life in all three nations.
I don't know all of the answers but I am pretty well certain that government must revise its own notions of itself. Otherwise progressive democracy remains mired in congratulating itself for being progressive and becomes stale democracy. And you can't let proponents of Trump's insurrection aid and abet the idea of his insurrection (14th amendment). It's going to take more than just silencing Trump.
Ken, you may be right. But we are in the mess we are in here in the United States because the evangelicals were given the green light by Reagan to implant their Christian nationalist ideology into our Constitution. That ideology embraces racism and is especially cruel toward women's rights. The race was on from that point forward: they installed Orange Jesus (his 'brand' did not). They gave him his win with their blatherskite preaching - and he paid them back with Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh. Vote blue, up-down-sideways - the house is burning and work for Biden's re-election like the house is burning down. Because it is. 💙
The most disgusting aspect of this is the youthful boy-men like Charlie Kirk, etc. that are bought into essentially a Taliban position on women and hate of others in society. My Father taught me much better and I'm 59. Not sure what the hell happened. The sissification and then the chest thumping righteousness by same as some claim of manhood is infuriating to watch.
Hi Bill, the name Charles Kirk sent me to Google. I have never heard of him. He’s one of the racist individuals who have been hiding under their rock. I just now read about him on Wikipedia, and while he didn’t graduate from college, he received an honorary doctorate from liberty University. Land of the racist Fallerlks and mentors of our current house, Mike Johnson, who want to bring slavery back to the United States, reverse, gay rights, such as same-sex, marriage, and Nail the coffin shut on Women healthcare rights. He will go under his rock after Biden is elected. Thank you for letting me know about him. Indeed, your father taught you better because he didn’t people of different colors, nationalities, ideologies, and most likely taught you that everyone has the right to be themselves and there is no need for xenophobia. I’m glad for you and us for your father. Indeed, Trump has created a following of armed and hostile cult members who believe his lies. And indeed, it is a dangerous situation, however, even more dangerous is electing him. We must never ever appease him, no matter how many threats he spews he’s appears to be devolving cognitively, and that was even before he started having his mini stroke behavior.
agreed. but the dems don't win unless they do something to address the issues that have nade people feel the country has not addressed their. issues; therein lies the problem, because everyone's issues that need to be addressed are not necessarily the same. Solving those problems takes wiser heads than mine, but that they must be addressed and I think it must be done rapidly.
A wall street capitalist said, "Democracy and Capitalism are incompatible". The grievance of many is the treatment of labor as a cost element on the ledger to be reduced for profit's sake.
Paul Ryan, the Ayn Rand "utopian" of selfish'ism, embraced viral capitalism and the neutering of Government to be the force for the people against the human nature of greed. TFG promised a new gilded age. Like everything else, he lied.
Biden understands the real friction between companies, the economy, and protection of workers that do put their back into delivering the products and services. I will never be satisfied until JarVanka are held accountable and TFG for his family's "theft to wealth" model.
Thank you Vickie for this info - I didn’t know but I’ll check her out. Thank you so much.
I have a real problem with your statement “The war against Jews did give more wealth to non-Jews.” Please explain that because it sounds like you are saying all Jews are/were wealthy and that is a myth!
I'm steaming about his disgusting statement. I replied, too. Thanks for commenting, Marlene. This casual antisemitism terrifies me because it seems to be everywhere and sneaks into ordinary conversations and comments, whether deliberate or not. It's still dangerous and insidious.
LaurieOregon,
I responded to him above (I confronted his statement about Hitler, so you can read my comment and chime in. He simply has faulty reasoning in other things that he writes about. And the stuff he presents as valid has no depth. He completely misrepresents fax, such as claiming that the problems today can be blamed on the Cheney Republicans when the problems of today arose before Liz Cheney was born with the evangelical movement that wanted to stop abortion. That wasn’t recent. That began in the early 50s. And led directly to Mike Johnson today. Those early on opponents of women’s health rights were Mike Johnson mentors. Proposed project, 2025, which used Hitler’s implemented plan to get rid of the German constitution through the Legal system as their template. Warriors were not allowed to represent liberals or Jews - or they were threatened with concentration camps. And judges were told to think and make decisions as Hitler would like them to, meaning, persecute, Jews, and liberals, and if you do not, you will go to concentration, camp yourself, or be murdered.
Even worse, Marlene, is the idea that Hitler did "address some grievances" such as giving more wealth to non-Jews by waging a war against Jews. (You're right, of course, that all Jews are not wealthy.)
But it is an outrageous comment to say that waging a war against Jews (even if they all were wealthy) to address the grievances of non-Jews who felt they didn't have enough money, was one of the worthwhile moves Hitler made since it resolved some of the German citizens' grievances. I see no other way to interpret that statement and I was stunned to see it released in this comment section.
CC, I am the daughter of Holocaust victims and I found his comments demeaning and hateful! I will NOT BE SILENT!
Hi C C - I have confronted his faulty Ken Taylor’s faulty statements here, and in other posts he has made today. He is simply out of his league. He’s picking and choosing fragments from who knows where, but I suspect right wing webs webs websites then he plants them here thinking we don’t know the difference. When I first read one of his post earlier today it was so outlandish my only comment was “what are you talking about“ then I came across this one, and I simply had to tell him how wrong he was regarding Hitler and regarding the origin of our problems today with the fascist supported Christian nationalist Evangelical movement.
Feel free to chime in on any of my comments to him.
I responded to him above. His thinking isn’t straight and I told him so.
Hitler, just like Traitor, did not care one iota for their grievances. It only mattered that he could rile up ordinary people into such hatred that they would turn on their fellow humans. Traitor is using the same playbook.
Surely you jest: Normalizing Germany's and Europe's war against Jews by saying wealth got redistributed!!! Millions of Jews and non-Jews, rich and poor alike, were imprisoned and killed from the 1930s - 1945, and people and governments stole their property and money. Your casual dismissal of the Holocaust is sickening. You're right, you don't know all the answers; do you even know the questions?
"Unfortunately, it is the policies of the Cheney republicans that created the grievances that have made Trump possible. If we don't correct the grievances people feel...then those grievances build to the point of rejecting the grievances. "
THIS x 1000% (I know not a real %. But, Ad Astra)
Hi Bill,
What is ad Astra?
I referred his comments by the way: Pierre blatherskite times 1000.
To the stars
Ken Taylor,
Will you kindly check facts before you start writing? I don’t expect everyone on here to be steeped in history, but at least you need to know that the problems we are incurring today began before Reagan and long before Liz Cheney. We have them because Evangelicals, beginning in the early fifties wanted to stop abortion. Reagan was their
willing puppet. Trump is as well (he was amazed in 2016 that he’win.’ And all he had to do was install Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. Oh, he had to pretend to be the orange Jesus that’s right. And now we have two lap dogs on the Supreme Court who have facilitated the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Trump took credit for this Tuesday night in New Hampshire by the way. It is absolutely true that as he said. “I did this” at the campaign rally, he can take credit because he’s stacked the Supreme Court with Amy Coney Barrett (who was raised in a Catholic Christian nationalist cult, and still is a member), and Brett Kavanaugh was somehow got his hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt paid off so he could accept his appointment. Evangelical supporting him didn’t mind that he had sexually harassed women in high school in college. Just so long as he voted to reverse women’s rights. And he will reverse LGBTQ rights as well.
The Evangelical campaign began in the 1950s. The put Trump in power in 2015, and he became their willing puppets/dictator. He put the lapdog in and gratitude for being established as their puppet. He is them and they use him and they will continue that charade as he pretends that he won the election because of his brand.
Please save your blatherskite about ‘Hitler addressing grievances.’ Are you trying to say that because Hitler favored those who did his bidding that his murders of millions of Jews and homosexuals was appropriate? Equivalent? Justified?
I read your linked article above. It is empty nonsense. There is no comparison at all between countries that shoot those who have differences and our current effort to use the court system to bring justice to insurrectionist. That’s a democracy, and so far as I can see, neither Mexico or Argentina have achieved democracy. Mexico democracy is undermined by cartels and corruption at every level of government. Argentina‘s newly elected president, Javier, Milei is a fascist. He might as well change his name to Trump Junior. We are trying to prevent a civil war and the reconstructionist Christian nationalist evangelicals propose to add their brand of Christian nationalism to our constitution. The Christian nationalist evangelical movement represents using revisionist history to deconstruct - not reconstruct. They are not stopping with an attempted insurrection on January 6, 2021.
We are trying to prevent a fascist dictator from taking over a paper that compares our democracy with failed. Democracies fails itself on every level. Thanks for sharing it though. It tells us where you are and you’re thinking.
I did not mean to imply Liz Cheney began the "rightest movement" in any way. I indicated only it was the politics that she had followed, the brand of republicans that led to too many in midwest (especially) feeling the government had let them down.
I appreciate being confronted as having learned my info from right wing sites---where did you get yours? A great right wing source about Hitler you might check out is the Jewish Encyclopedia. The authors of the sections on Hitler do suggest that many did feel Hitler was addressing their needs. A loaf of bread at its worst cost an entire wheelbarrow full of marks. Many Jews (acc. to the Encyclopedia) were also attracted to Hitler because of that. Because they felt he articulated their feelings of despair. His popularity began to fade in the latter part of the decade, but his party had taken over the apparatus of several state govts and because they created a lot of civil disturbances in the streets, and then got a minority into the Bundestag that prevented it from functioning, etc, and learn enough history yourself before you criticise mine and then we can debate on how we interpret the facts. Unless you believe neither Hitler nor Trump are seen by many as offering a solution to their grievances. I did not say it was the right way to address them, I said many see it that way and if democracy is to survive then it must address those grievances and make those not feeling part of the govt. more included. And just for your information I don't read much right wing "stuff" unless it's relevant but every member of both my family and my wife's are ardent Trumpists and I have listened to why they feel Trump can help them and I have told them they are wrong and none speak to me any longer. But I have read numerous magazines, newspapers from 1920's Germany since I read fluent German and have read the pro-communist pamphlets, from the SPD, KPD, and daily newspapers,and Bar Kochba and Central Verein-Zeitung that I inherited from my grandfather.
As for Barrett she was a member of the People of Praise and even though it is estimated that close to 90% are from Catholic backgrounds they are in no way affiliated with the Roman Catholic church. I don't know a great deal about them except they are a charismatic group and that its members can't take communion in the Roman church.
But I would like to know where you get your information that evangelicalism began in the 1950's. I would like to suggest your facts on that, because you're around 13 and half centuries. I'm not going into the complete history of evangelicalism, but in America it goes back to colonial days. I would like to suggest that the 1950's date is a little late because that reference tends to refer to the revival of evangelicalism from 1946-1947 and Billy Graham became its most noted proponent. Since that time (as in every evangelical era) it has fractured. The 1947 group that Graham was a part of splintered into at least a dozen different movements by the end of 50's. The big political involvement began in the early 70's which included catholics, jewish conservatives, as well as protestants. but the Jews were cast out, and the catholics broke off. Protestant Jerry Falwell then joined the Catholic Richard Viguerie. who helped him get a show on TV. Paul Weyrich (the only Protestant from Christian Voice leadership the returned to Falwell and urged him to drop Viguerie and found the Moral Majority in 1976. At that time, Falwell was "separated" from his Baptist affiliation (there being several, the Southern Baptist being the largest) because they taught that politics was off limits to ministers. Falwell went his own way, but his success brought dollar signs into the SBC and they brought Falwell back. Since then it has fractured,but has very little to do with much of the "christian right" of today, although even there they are not all in agreement and the commentators who currently lump the "christian right" into one big unified group frankly don't know a lot they are talking about or even understand what "evangelical" means. Of course I dare venture to say most of your christian rightwingers don't either.
You can refute my ideas if you will, or you can challenge awkward statements that I apparently wrote, but before you challenge my history, please extend your own beyond the superficial, go to original sources, not secondary and then you're welcome to challenge my interpretation as you well. My interpretation may be incorrect, but I try to make facts, when I am stating them accurate. I was careless if I gave the idea I was suggesting somehow began the politics that led to much of the dissettlement in people today who follow Trump today, I meant to imply she was part of the republican that did so, but better than saying I'm stupid or a Nazi, why not ask for clarification about a statement.
Dear Ken,
Thank you for your response. As a Ph.D. researcher in policy studies (my degree is in democracy in education, which looks at education as an institution, encompassing politics, policies, impact on medicine, business and our legal institution). I have had decades of experience in researching and teaching in graduate studies in this field at a Research One university as well as running a policy center. Thus, I am well aware of the practice of seeking original sources. My focus is on stopping the attack by the Christian nationalist movement on our Constitution. I appreciate that you are seeking original sources in German, and I think those will be very valuable to you. I recommend that you read this journal article written by a law professor who studied the way that Hitler took over the legal institution through threats and actual imprisonment and executions of lawyers and judges during the Third Reich: 'Complicity in the Perversion of Justice: The Role of Lawyers in Eroding the Rule of Law in the Third Reich' July 2020, published by St. Mary's University Journal on Legal Malpractice and Evidence. So far as the origination of the Christian nationalist evangelical movement, I realize there are twists and turns and levels of involvement as greed and other vices took over. If you have not seen Frank Schaeffer's interview on The Meidas Touch, a program called Burn the Boats, entitled 'You Disgust Me.' While Schaeffer is directing much of the interview to the issue of Trump's installation in office by the evangelicals (and not his brand or the MAGAs, many of whom did not vote); he does discuss the 'religious lineage' of Mike Johnson. You can find this on YouTube. Finally, I hope after Biden wins that there is a way to repair your relationship with your family, if you choose. Our focus now is on re-electing Biden: the research you are doing will be most valuable after we put re-elect Biden, when we will have much work to do in booting the insurrectionists from our bicameral Congress. I won't have much time to dialogue further as I have an over-whelming schedule at the moment. Good luck with your research, and I hope it leads to a publication.
It's not a small group that's in the current cult. And it will make no difference to them what anyone but the Traitor tells them. They are preparing for a war they truly believe in, that they've somehow been screwed, that they are the true Patriots defending Democracy and all the rest of us are standing in their way. They mean it. They want Traitor to be their dictator. They believe only he has their backs. They've learned lessons from their practice run on January 6. It's truly mind boggling and batsht crazy. But there it is. I'm just on the outskirts of Northern Virginia and it's unnerving. We have to come out to vote in numbers so overwhelming as to leave no doubt we are the true Patriots. And the military better be on high alert prior to election day and for at least the following year.
"The former 'fake elector scheme' will likely not be repeated, especially as the VP counting the ballots will be Kamala Harris."
Brilliant analysis Vincent.
It only takes a small number of people with a plan to do great damage. He could be coordinating this now.
With Heritage Foundation backing, plus other right-wing funders. Trump probably couldn't coordinate anything in his current mental state, but there are plenty of people willing to do the dirty work for him.
You think?!?!?! - I'm yipping with laughter - he doesn't have a strategic brain cell in his body. But Steve Bannon sure does. Steve Bannon (who should be indicted just for being Steve Bannon, the blackops liar liar pants on fire original promotor of the election was stolen theme) and Roger Stone (the bag man for everyone but facing a federal trial himself for ‘the wall’ fraud in New York in February) are obviously coordinating.
And Stephen Miller (corrected spelling of first name)
Yes. I’ve never considered him in the league of Bannon, but he certainly is. My mistake. Thank you Leslie.
Oh! Stephen Miller is a very important part of TFG’s team of sociopaths. He gets off on taking babies away from their mothers.
It’s easy to believe TFG’s claim that he’s never read “Mein Kampf”… because Stephen Miller reads it to him at bedtime. Those Hitler soundbites in TFG’s recent speeches most probably came from Miller’s warped brain, the voice of which is unmistakable in rumps speeches. (TFG only can only just read from a large print teleprompter.)
https://www.amazon.com/Hatemonger-Stephen-Miller-Donald-White-Nationalist/dp/0062986716/
Thank you Chris. I think I am so overwhelmed at the moment with all things Trump, Bannon, Stone, and company - including Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey Clark et al, I couldn't bear to revisit the horrid Stephen Miller. I am remiss. I have saved the link in my 'to order to read stack.' I was googling 'Mike Johnson' last week to get a more in-depth understanding of him and found a You Tube video of Frank Schaeffer being interviewed on Meides Touch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ9wp5PyD2Y
It is from the perspective of an 'insider-insider' who grew up in the evangelical movement. As he grew older, he made propaganda films for them. His parents were leaders as well - but left in disgust. He knows the players - and speaks openly about their now sixty some year plan. I know many of us are overwhelmed with 'life' and it is 1 hour and 6 minutes long. I wondered if I would regret squeezing out that time: I am so glad I did. Nothing can explain the roles and ambitions of the Christian nationalist evangelicals like an insider. He was 'one of them' from babyhood until his thirties. He knows Mike Johnson mentors and their plans. So if you want to know hair-raising and jaw drop: take a gander. It is truly informative because I have spent a bit of time attempting to challenge and confront the revisionist history of Kevin Roberts at the Heritage Foundation - and this video explains the amount of money and power behind the arrogance of Roberts and his colleagues. Last summer, I was reviewing a paper he wrote, and I remember thinking: 'who is this goofball? Is he recreating the original writings of the founders from the website at Monticello and biographers who are known as premier historians for Madison, Washington, Jefferson and others (all deists and atheists who had determined to not have church and state after fighting off King George III - head of the Church of England). Indeed. Please let me know if you watch the You Tube. I would love to get your view. 💙
He is coordinating this now sewing seeds of doubt with disinformation, promoting a national ban on abortion and at a hotrod pace spreading lies about Biden and how is mishandling the Middle East etc hoping we will lose faith in our government and in each other.
But Congress has also been shoring up the electoral process too.
Vincent, love the argument you present. However, history shows that Dictators have always taken power through nefarious means or directly. Trump has no barriers to continue his dirty quest. Remember one bad dude who only got 44% of the vote in 1933, and found an excuse to take power. Trump has shown us repeatedly that he is capable of doing the same. Be prepared on election night.
If he makes it to election night. His health is failing and he is in cognitive decline.
I have to believe that every precaution will be made, every scenario about what might happen, sorted out.
love your optimism MLB, but be prepared anyways.
I'll never forget when Bill Marhe said on his show. "....he's never going away..." I predict he will lose this November and will cry the election was stolen....again. This guy is a piece of shit that you can't get off the bottom of your shoe@
Heather! "This guy is a piece of shit that you can't get off the bottom of your shoe@"
(Nor from our brains/memories. We are all suffering collective PTSD).
😂😂👏🏻👏🏻
He won't just cry it, Heather. He and his co-conspirators will be ready with something much more compelling this time (see Project 2025 B.). He doesn't even care if he goes to prison. I would posit that he even wants to be put there (as was his Idol in Nov. 1924 in a crucial step toward his evil dictatorship. That was 10 years before he grabbed complete control). Be prepared.
I doubt if the orange blob has 10 more years left in it.
TFG is already spreading disinformation about the votes being rigged. He did the same thing long before the 2020 election took place.
Far too many still don’t get it. You do. Keep preaching and so will we.
We tend to be in our own information bubble. We need to find a way to reach out to moderate and non-MAGA voters. That is a tougher nut to crack.
Write to your local newspapers. It doesn’t have to be NYT, WSJ, or WaPo. This is where you get all parties attention.
I have been commenting directly with Texas Tribune authors. Sometimes, I use the Letter to Editor format with other Publishers..
Talk to your MAGA-ish friends and convert one at a time. It doubles your vote. What an investment return that is!
Pretty clear from exit polls in Iowa and New Hampshire that the Big Lie about the 2020 election is the pivot point for the 2024 election. Need a public review of the allegations made and how they were debunked/ resolved. Shocking how many voters are still under this spell.
TFG should be sitting in prison for J6 which he encouraged, promoted and supported. But we have a 2 tiered justice system. No offense to Garland but that should have been priority on Day 1! Did he soften in his years since Oklahoma City? TFG has done enough damage and it’s past time the damage gets done to him, not just financially but legally incarcerated!
If it wasn't for the evidence that the Jan 6 Committee unearthed and presented, I doubt whether the DOJ would have brought the Jack Smith charges against Trump. The DOJ were distracted by the 'confidential documents' situation in Florida and didn't devote proper resources to figuring out how to prosecute Trump for Jan 6 until the Committees findings were publicized.
That is very true, Vincent. The J6 Committee did what the DOJ did not do. Thank goodness Nancy Pelosi had the foresight to put that committee together!
That was Nancy? Not Nikki?
😜
Har!
Yes, indeed Nancy had the foresight to do so: and to put Liz and Adam on it - and to hire the ex-CIA guy former Congressman from Kentucky (I think) to sift the data. That giant effort was what allowed J6 to present their case. 💙
Amen Vincent. They did a spot on with Florida - but now we have the judge with questionable behavior.
Perhaps DOJ passed on immediate prosecution because it thought Congress should have the opportunity to exercise its responsibility to impeach Trump - and then actually do it. Had Congress done its job the DOJ process would be all about the Law and not about politics. We need to focus more on Congress and less on what DOJ coulda/shoulda/woulda done. Congress is the controlling body to a President's actions, not the DOJ.
Hey, I do blame Garland. I did not at first and took great pains in defending him. I just can’t do that now.
Marlene. I blame Garland, too. I also defended him for years. "Being meticulous. Dotting all the i's crossing all the t's. Researching all the potential defense strategies so there's no loopholes." But damn! If you or I had been accused of what TFG has, we'd already have been charged, tried, convicted, and sent to prison. Deny it if you will, but there IS a double standard.
But he waited too long. He should have started as soon as he took his oath. If you have money (or gullible suckers to donate) you can play the waiting game, abuse the system in appeals. If you’re poor or a person of color you sit in jail until trial.
Absolutely!!
Jack Smith is going to win the case and Trump will be incacerated.
Yes but when? After the election? When Cannon decides it’s convenient? How many appeals will he use to abuse the system like he has in the past? While I appreciate the DC appeals court after just listening to Joyce and Katie Brenner on the 11th Hour, these judges need to hurry up and get their decision in writing (sit in a room for a full day and hash it out) so the full appeals court can shoot him down again and then SCOTUS not hear the case until after the trial.
Hi Rusty: It doesn't matter. It has to be bullet-proof. Of course Trump will appeal. He will appeal if the case is iron-clad and he will appeal if it is full of holes. Every prosecutor prosecuting and judge sitting knows these cases are going to appeal. They cannot afford a single mistake. They need iron-clad bullet proof cases because they are 100% going to be appealed. Are you saying he could have en banc after having the three judge appeal for the immunity? What matters is that they get the answer back by the end of January so judge Chutkan can start jury selection. I may be wrong (hello Joyce?) but Jack Smith already did cert on this for this very reason. This is not going to the SCOTUS after the 3 judge panel. They sent it back with either a 'no' or 'not accepting to hear' with no reason. Attorneys please correct me here 💙 I know even attorneys on this Substack disagree with me about the speed with which Merrick Garland has moved (he might have called Jack Smith months prior to him breaking his leg); but we have a democracy. We have to have valid reasons for subpoenas, and Grand Juries have to be sitting to make requests for indictments. Garland was dealing with a 5,000 (count them) headed snake. I think our trusty Republican senators called him for questioning too.
Valere, we need four things to happen simultaneously or by Nov 5, 2024. First the American people need to defeat Mango Muffin et al at the election. Second we need to defeat him in the courts. Third we need to put in place a force to stop him from taking power on election night, even if he is in Jail. Fourth, we need to double time a reconciliation effort with the disaffected parts of our un-equal populations. We need to prepare for the worst, because he has nothing to lose, and we need to prepare for a better equality in the future.
Absolutely - but on point 3: do you mean he would have a proxy sitting in the White House and how do you think that would happen? A military coup? The military has come out very strongly that they do not work for ‘a person.’ I think General Milley was the one who made that statement. We absolutely must focus on equality. And I need to add a fifth ‘must.’
Regarding how we got here in the first place, going back to Reagan: we must insist on transparency, and addressing Christian nationalist blather who are attempting to reconstruct the constitution. We had separation of church and state from the beginning of our nation. They are trying to replace that with a theocracy, with orange, Jesus, simply the puppet figure. That’s enough to feed his ego. He paid them back while he was in office by putting Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, as unqualified and biased as both of them are.
While I respectfully disagree on some points SCOTUS refused to hear the case while it was in appeals court. Respected Jusge Littig said he didn’t have the right to appeal before his trial which is the same treatment that normal defendants get. By hearing appeals on immunity prior to his trial that is elevating him above the law.
Valere, I agree that Jack Smith is trying to avoid mistakes, and that accounts for the slow procedure, and he did indeed try to bypass the DC Circuit by asking the Supremes to step in, in order to speed up the case; however it appears that the DC Circuit is moving very fast on the matter now. And sorry but it will probably go BACK. up to the Supreme Court after the DC Circuit finishes with it. Another reason Jack Smith took the matter to SCOTUS was to get a feel for what they might do with the issue once it reaches the Supreme Court. We’re kind of lucky that Trump’s lawyers are such boob-heads (sorry) because they are not helping his case with their ridiculous legal argument that a president has TOTAL immunity unless impeached by the House & convicted by the Senate. Not even the four most conservative justices can afford to buy into that argument. And despite the different, more conservative makeup of the Supreme Court, there are some issues that they won’t touch with a 10-foot pole, and I’m just guessing that presidential immunity is one of them.
Thank you Laura. No worried that you called the attorneys boob-heads. Everyone agrees with that and they’ve been called worse. They’re scratching and clawing to come up with anything to appeal. I hope the three court appeal comes up with a response soon, so we are not too far out with the March 4 date election interference case. Thank you so much for your analysis. But do you think Jack Smith got a clue from his cert? Responding with no response: does that mean they won’t touch it with a barge pole?
Hoping Smith becomes impatient with Cannon’s shenanigans and has, I believe, the Ninth Court to step in and either admonish her or remove her.
🙏
Yes he will win the case.
Marlene, In a democracy, the law has to be followed to bring the kinds of indictments DOJ needed to bring against Trump and Company. It has all been a team effort. I am not dismissing your anger: but time to stop pointing fingers, shooting slings and arrows and concentrate on pulling together to vote up, down, sideways and for Biden 💙 We can all disparage Garland: but trying to move past the stall tactics of Trump and Company to gain the missing documents was a major achievement. I'm 'guessing' Garland was doing simul interviews with J6 interviewees - some of whom were indicted for no shows - and some of whom are being sentenced (Peter Navarro, sentencing tomorrow - Thursday Jan 25 and Steve Bannon was convicted in January and facing two years in prison with sentencing October 2024). Roger Stone is being investigated for an audio tape in which he allegedly has called for the assassination of two congress-members. So two of the three headed snake are down: one to go. And still to go, Trump and company. The DOJ indicted 1265 individuals; 718 made guilty plea deals (saving expense and time of trials); 749 were adjudicated and found guilty and sentenced. Some were several decades - at least two decades and some years. DOJ got the worst of the worst followers off the streets and behind bars. It takes a while in a democracy to bring individuals to justice - I think the slow and steady, let's not miss the mark approach is best because the DOJ cannot afford to make a mistake with Trump and company.
I know they have been very effective in indicting the frontline but honestly, Garland and his team did not have the data, the footage that the J6 Committee had. That has been proven to be fact and not fiction, Valere. I am pleased as punch that weasel Navarro is going to be sentenced but the bigger guns, Bannon and Stone, have been free for too dang long! They both have caused havoc and how Bannon is allowed to run a broadcast is beyond me. He reminds me of that awful Father Charles Coughlin who in the 1930’s spread antisemitism. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/charles-e-coughlin
Bannon was convicted for fraud re the 'wall' and then Trump pardoned him on his last day in office. He has been indicted in NY for the same fraud and will go to trial in Feb 2024. He was convicted by the US DOJ for not appearing at the J6 when subpoened. But: he has not been indicted for calling for the execution of Anthony Fauci and Christopher Wray. He should be indicted for that. His Twitter account was permanently suspended. Yahoo. He is now on his War Room podcast 6 days per week: poisoning the minds of Trump's minions. He will be in jail, most likely in New York first. He was the mastermind behind Cambridge Analytica, who stole 75 Million Face Book accounts and used your personal data to get Trump elected in 2016. Trump rewarded him by appointing him to be his senior tactician after taking office in 2017. The military officers in the situation room refused to allow him to enter. He was booted by Trump in 2019 - and then proceeded to inaugurate the War Room. When he was sentenced by the DOJ in 2021, Trump pardoned him (after not having spoken to him for almost two years): my opinion is that his 'thank you note' included the promise to spew forth the 'election was stolen lie' and to continue his blackops activities to 'get Trump elected' in 2024, and this may be besides the point but it has been well-publicized that Rudy Guillani was collecting $1 Million pay-offs for pardons so who knows? However, he cannot do his War Room from jail in New York. NY can use the information DOJ had from their trial - so he likely will be convicted. He will appeal. It's too bad we had a rapist, criminal president, just like a banana republic. It's like the Republicans and evangelicals all gathered together and said as the US said about Noriega: "He's a crook, but he's our crook."
I’m not there yet but I’m close, the more I learn about the legal system, the more I become aware of what a mine-field it is, and he knows way more than I do about pathways through it.
Thank you very much Dick.
Thank you for the note of calm Dick.
No kidding!
you mean tFfg, don't you?
It’s clear she’s stalling for TFG cause she shouldn’t even be in that position and that’s why he placed her there.
well the 14th amendment was enforced by the Justice Dept. Garland and Biden have not done so out of fear of being thought political? But if that is the reason their reluctance has turned it into accusations of political interference. Biden and his Justice Dept must politically interfere to stem the entire insurrection (Or should have). Instead they arrested the soldiers and let the generals and political ideologues go free.
It is not political interference to interfere with the leaders who want to interfere politically. It is not democratic to deny undemocratic proponents to be elected to office. That was the intent of the 14th, sections 2,3 &4. They all said the government must interfere to prevent insurrectionists, or those holding, supporting, or abetting the creation of not only a present, but a future insurrection against the government. If democracy permits those who suggest its demise, it ends.
Ken Taylor: You said: "Biden and his Justice Dept must politically interfere to stem the entire insurrection (Or should have). Instead they arrested the soldiers and let the generals and political ideologues go free."
What are you talking about? (You must have mistaken this for another Substack). No US soldiers were at the Capitol during the insurrection. The generals with impeccable character (Miley, Mattis, McMaster, Kelly are only some of them) LEFT Trump - they resigned because they had a moral code - they were not staying another minute than they had to with that malignant narcissist. So far as 'political idealogues;' yes, we still have a democracy in which those with opposing views are allowed free expression - and they have to be plenty dangerous before they are not allowed to 'go free.' For example: Steve Bannon, former chief strategist in Trump's White House called for the execution of Christopher Wray and Anthony Fauci: he had his Twitter account permanently deleted. Facebook and YouTube removed his video posting of this outrageous and violent statement. So even with that kind of egregious spewing forth of disinformation and a violent suggestion, Bannon is free to blatherskite another day.
Biden was not in office when Trump called for the insurrection. That's why we have indictments of Trump now: 'Biden's DOJ' which has acted independently has made 91 indictments of Trump. Following the insurrection, Biden spent the first year in office repairing the vast damage Trump inflicted on us both domestically and internationally.
Valere,
Soldiers and generals is meant metaphorically, not literally. The soldiers where the people attacking the capital; the generals those who planned and organized.
Thank you for clarifying. But the ‘ planners and organizers, such as Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey, Clark, Rudy Julie, Marc Meadows, Sydney Powell, Eastman (listed in the DC trial as co-conspirators and numbered) we’re planning and colluding right up until January 5 when they collected the false elector signatures from New Mexico. Who has gone free are Mike Johnson, Jeff the fast runner in the Capitol
running for his life on video, Tommy Tuberville whom Trump called while he was safely in the bunker below the… Asking “where is Tommie?” but called Mike Lee by mistake.. kept his marching orders to stop approval of Promotions of senior officers, including that of the commandant of the Marine Corps. What do you think that was? Now we know about project 2025 with the intent to give Trump executive power should he be reelected. Who protects him but handpicked lower rank officers, who are minions of Trump. That’s how that works because General Milley came out in a very public speech to say to all of his service people in every branch that he therefore they served constitution not one ‘person.’ Do you think he knew about the project 2025 plan for the military should Trump be elected?
Our big task after Biden is reelected is going to be addressing the issue of the Christian nationalist reconstructionist who want to take away our democracy with church and state separation and make it a theocracy with some kind of orange Jesus, or other color, but not brown and black by the way, at the helm as a puppet dictator, and the Christian nationalist religion would be implanted as the theocracy. Who would be the head of the theocracy like the
Ayatollah in Iran? If you think women’s rights to Health Care, having voice, sitting at the table and government are impacted now pick up a copy of project 2025: we will be between Iran, 1979 and today and the inquisition in the 12th century. So we don’t need to quibble at all about whether DOJ is moving ahead quickly enough. The house is burning down. We need to stick together with every single person on this sub, stuck with a mission in our minds of voting blue and getting at least one other person to vote blue with us. And if we have young people among the millennials and Gen Z’s ‘ who are not happy at all with what has happened in Gaza’ what we need to explain to them is Biden had treaties with Israel beginning back in 1947 extending to 1982, two more in the 80s and 90s for a total of four treaties involving our military protection of Israel. Had we not abide it by the treaties we would’ve been in violation of NATO. Furthermore, he instructed Blinkin to go to APAC and tell his Israeli counterpart United States the United States would only accept a two state negotiation to the end of the fighting. That Israel needed to stop attacking civilians in Gaza. Number three that Hamas (all of it) had to go. Blinken has been to Israel and the Middle East 18 times since October. Biden has been there as well. Netanyahu finds that the discord keeps him in power. So what Biden has done is abide by treaties that he did not initiate. He has attempted to end a horrific attack by Hamas and response by Israel to innocent civilians in Gaza, who don’t approve of what Hamas has done. You can fault Biden for his first response that “we stand by Israel.“ But we don’t stand by Israel slaughtering Gazza, innocent babies, and children and civilians and he has publicly said so. So explain this to the young folks, to explain that part of the inheritance they have of being able to protest and live in a democracy is number one, because our elected president chooses to abide by signed treaties, whether they are working as anyone of us would wish. And secondly, unless they vote for Biden, they will not have the democracy. They have now: they will have a theocracy and a dictator and a life they can’t imagine in their wildest nightmares. Should Trump be elected, from the first day of his dictatorship very soon if they are LGBTQ, brown or black, they will wonder which cycle of Dantes hell they are in. If they haven’t read about Dante‘’s hell, hand them a copy.
It’s quite descriptive. If they haven’t read Project 2025, which is really kind of hard to find and download at the Heritage foundation, just go, Wikipedia, and it’s outline there every single word and every single page. If they think MTG is kidding about separating the United States to re-create slavery, then wait-and-see. Why do you think these racist Hoochie mamas are hanging around Trump? so they won’t be shipped off to a camp somewhere? Read, read, read: it’s all available to read. there’s a video on YouTube by Frank Schaeffer that is quite descriptive about Mike Johnson, and how he was mentored by the Evangelicals who have planned the theocracy. One can watch and listen to that and not have to read. I could care squat how anybody gets the information about the danger of a Trump presidency so long as they get the image in their head: the house is burning down, and we will not have a house if he is elected. And all the weeping and moaning about ‘who got indicted and who didn’t’ isn’t going to matter. Not if Trump is elected. But those indictments still will continue and court convictions will go on. Jack Smith is focusing on Trump for a very good reason. But I expect after we win in November, and we have a Blue Senate and House many more indictments and convictions are going to happen because they must happen. We must bring back law and order to our Congress. The American has to see and understand that we are a nation that does not tolerate insurrection. That trust has to be reestablished. So how do we gain back trust in the supreme court of the United States? There has to be a lot of questioning, and a lot of pressure and the two lapdogs must be forced to resign So save this energy and work your tails off to re-elect Biden. The conversation should be about all the good things he’s done for us. Yes he wears tennis shoes and he’s old. He doesn’t have 91 indictments and he’s not a convicted rapist.
Every day he horrifies us. We must never not be outraged, must speak out, refuse to accept the debasement of everything he touches. Support and work for good, moral candidates.
Great post. Yes. Time to stop pretending it won’t happen. He means every word. How has this happened?? I’d say: spineless media figures and corrupt republicans plus trump’s uncanny ability to do and say what would doom other public figures.
I have been thinking about his references to Obama when he means Biden and everyone saying he is losing it. I just wonder if this is a prelude to his challenging that Obama has been the "president" telling Biden what to do. Obama has been speaking out, supporting Biden by asking for donations, and speaking the truth. I just wonder what Trump has up his sleeve. He definitely will not accept a loss in this election. We can only hope and pray that he is being detained somewhere when the election happens. And today we hear that the Turtle doesn't want to support the immigration reform plan because that's what Trump wants to run on. Mitch McConnell who had the chance to rid us of Trump in the Impeachment, is now giving him a platform to run on? Where does it end?
This crisis really is on the shoulders of the Republicans in the Senate. They took an oath to decide according to the facts. They did not even come close to that ideal.
Mitt Romney and a few others did.
They were the brave ones. Some of the Senators were fearful of threats to their families, so they did not vote to impeach Trump.
I would change that wording from Some to Most, shee-rah.
Too afraid of what Trump would do/say about them. Meek little mice.
On Tuesday in NH, I participated in the Write-In Biden campaign with others. We held signs in a designated area at our poling station. Some of us worked to encourage our friends and neighbors to get out and vote. In our small town, political discourse is generally civil and elections are well-run and uneventful.
Democratic candidates generally win elections here. But the number of Trump supporters who overtly support Trump has grown, as has the number of disaffected voters.
Unlike 2020, the Trump supporters were much more angry. Some felt the need to come over and hostilely inform us that we were supporting the wrong candidate and that they were making the intelligent choice by voting for Trump.
One young guy yelled across the parking lot before he roared away that we must hate America and love the 5 dollar a gallon price of gas and struggling 401K. Gas is $2.99 here at the moment and the stock market is at a record high, but facts....
A grandmother approached us twice to inform us how awful Joe Biden was and school us on the Fox talking point reasons why Biden is not the actual or legitimate president, that Biden is senile and that Obama is actually running the corrupt administration. Of course, the borders are wide-open and Trump is a strong leader.
A significant number of Republicans voters, however, do see the danger Trump represents and do not want his chaos. They voted for Nikki Haley-she got more votes than Trump here.
It is hard to know what voters will do in November since many do not perceive the danger in another Trump presidency. The 2024 election seems like a long way off but so much can happen before then.
Trump has done incalculable damage to our country and democracy but he is not the only one. Mitch McConnell is now backpedaling from a Senate border deal because Trump doesn’t want the Republicans to make one.
Well said Karen,
Thank you for this detailed explanation of what New Hampshire was like. Indeed the cultists have been brain washed.
Thank you, Valere.
Terrifying. So many people get their news solely from the likes of FB or FOX and MSM, ‘left’ media aren’t that left so all these facts get washed away and never repeated in context. They cling to the buzz words. I’m scared
Trump and those who agree to live in his corrupt, deceit-filled world are clearly willing to witness the collapse of our democracy. It’s hard to know which of them are corrupt to their core and which ones are simply self-serving power seekers, loving power more than country. Trump is obviously squarely in both camps. Either way, none of us has the luxury to stand by idly and watch them torch our freedoms and institutions.
A short open letter to the Orange Emperor wannabe;
Dear Sir;
I'd like to point out that you are a mortal, a mere mortal like the rest of us. Given your age, the actuarial tables give you, at most, a decade remaining on this earth. Most of us are going to outlast you. We will survive you, get past your quixotic moment of notariety in history. Your children have partly withdrawn from the public face of your political activities or have been raised to be sycophants. When there isn't a big blustering patriarch with whom to line up, they'll run for the exits or find a new champion to worship. You may or may not understand how much you have damaged our democratic institutions by sewing so much doubt regarding their integrity amongst your doting faithful, but we know and we won't easily forget. Before the dirt over your coffin has settled, we will begin spitting on your grave. For as many as 250 years we're going to write about how you are were a poster child for EVERYTHING wrong with a candidate for high office. You'll be a case study in law schools across the nation for how to muzzle a malignant narcissist. If that sounds like a posterity you look forward to, you are right on track to fulfill your dreams. You may actually inspire legislation up to and including constitutional amendments to blunt the impact of future imitators. Yes, you have truly had an impact on us as a nation, testing the very fibers of our deeply held beliefs about democracy. But, you won't stand up with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Roosevelt, Isenhauer, Kennedy or any other of our past presidential champions for democracy. You'll stand as a counter example of what to avoid at all costs. And, you won't be around to yell any louder or longer to the contrary. That's the cruel reality about being mortal. Eventually, history catches up to you and puts it's stamp on your legacy; nothing you can do about it. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can rely on Mini-me and/or his siblings. They lack your peculiar charisma and they are about as loyal as your remaining minutes in the spotlight. Your last time in the spotlight is the 2024 primary season. The sooner it's over, the sooner people are going to start counting up the accomplishments and the position on the issues that have been betrayed in what you call your "speeches". It's going to become more and more clear what America is really made of and the MAGAts just don't add up to an adequate majority to let you survive past November. Also, you're forgetting about the gauntlet that is your rap sheet and list of indictments. They aren't going away either. Plan to spend plenty of time in paneled rooms where you'll be admonished to keep quiet or the fines will just keep escalating, or you'll get a hotel room on Uncle Sam, replete with a thin mattress and a stainless steel toilet.
all the best in 2024;
Just Sayin'
Hear Hear!!!
Just Sayin', you need to send this to the NYT as an op-ed. If they do not print it, send to WaPo. Truth in every word. I'm saving a copy:) Then when I'm spent with the nonsense blatherskite of Trump, I can settle in and re-read with a cup of hibiscus tea. What a treat this was - it needs to be plastered somewhere for him to read though - and I recognize that he doesn't read, so perhaps Stephen Miller can read it to him. You were spot on with every word: the kids will be long gone as soon as he is. I predict to one of the stans. Uzbekistan comes to mind. They can start over there.
Valere💙
It makes my heart warm to reach a kindred spirit..!!
I think there are many of us on this Substack. No matter our backgrounds. We have common goals. Did you hear the news about? E. Jean’s award?
I think it was $83 million. And I think that’s quite appropriate because if he manages to appeal it, it’s not so huge that they would kick it back and question it. so I am celebrating that tonight:) I was out this afternoon, but the jury probably didn’t spend over two hours deliberating. I guess I’ll get the details later. I hope you send your wonderful letter on to one of the major newspapers:)
I think that if Trump feels that he is losing he will cheat in any way he can.
WE CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK. HE WILL DO IT.
Yes, to “debank”!
Including using violence.
I remember hearing Trump "duck" the question about accepting the 2020 election result and say his usual "We'll have to see what happens". I knew then he would fight leaving the White House any way he could. I told my family and close friends about my fears and was told there was no way Trump could not accept the election result. They all said "It's in our Constitution".
I have lived with stress ever since and fear that Trump's crass followers who apparently never read a newspaper or listen to any news except Fox, will again show their wild acceptance of anything Trump says or does.
Tonight I listened to the MSNBC reports of the New Hampshire voting and while i believe the numbers they are telling me and the success Joe Biden's write-in votes showed Trump who really won that primary election, I am still afraid Trump will find a lawyer who is willing to try to upset our Constitution.
I would appreciate anyone telling me why they think otherwise. I very much value you commenters on this substack..
Being found guilty in any trial will help defeat him.