Oh, I remember the days when you could go an entire week without any political 'excitement'. We can't go 4 hours without something that draws our attention like a train wreck.
I'm so glad, Joyce, that you keep all this straight for us.
I will try to get into the courtroom either as a press or spectator. If they accept my credentials, I will be able to tap on my mobile device. I just hope that Trump’s head explodes and I catch a piece of it to frame and sell on eBay. Imagine being able to sell a piece of Trump’s head I can’t say brain because he has none.
Couldn’t get inside but landed in the auxiliary room to watch on closed circuit. This will the last for me it’s assume boring. Sitting next to a real estate attorney and got her perspective. She thought the prosecutor was weak under cross but maybe he has a plan. Trump began acting up but zipped it before he lost it. Maybe the afternoon will bring the beast out of TFG
Polls show Trump ahead of Biden. I understand why. It’s because we democrats are so stupid and we don’t realize how electioneering works. Republicans do. They know how to milk an issue until most Americans begin supporting them. But we are incredibly stupid, stupid stupid.
I do not trust polls, especially those a year out from the election.
We must overcome that stupid reluctance to shout from the rooftop the Biden administration's many accomplishments and start enumerating the horrors of what a second Trump administration would bring to our country, turning it from a newly frail democracy into a fascist dictatorship out of which we may never emerge. Yes, it's that serious.
I agree about polls. But this is too close. My concern is that we democrats don’t know how to stop being trapped by republicans. We don’t get it. Aside of everything, Biden just doesn’t exude a kindly, friendliness. He doesn’t play the popularity game well. And for those who are irritated by my clarion call, please remember my words.
With every visit to grieving families, President Biden shows his compassion and empathy.
With every word out of his mouth, he displays the courage it takes to battle his lifelong stutter. Unfortunately, his enemies criticize him for that lack of eloquence while praising a lying, bombastic, demented, evil man.
Agree. What can I say. Maybe many folks just like a smart alack. Let me personalize this. When someone takes offense to me, I immediately wonder what I did wrong. I think that is a healthy response. I almost want to let the cat out of the bag on issues but I won’t. Well maybe I will. Yesterday,I had an argument with someone who said he was voting for Trump. I asked why. Because he said, he is sick and tired of little children being groomed in queerness. Those were his words. Take it for what it’s worth. And the guy happens to be Black. Go figure that out.
There really is no point in arguing with those brainwashed people. Our goal must be to reach the moderates and independents and to bring the young out of their apathy and/or dismay and to the polls next November.
It seems as though there may be reporting on the ground from Ashton Pittman that the polling stations repeatedly ran out of ballots, and every time a certain number was requested, the officials turned up with less than were requested, multiple times -- and then Republicans went to court to stop the voting
Which -- for anyone who watched with horror as Roger Stone's Brooks Brothers rioters created enough of a disturbance in Florida that it allowed time for a Republican-led legal team including Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett to prevail on the then-SCOTUS to stop the vote count -- sounds like all too familiar a move by modern (Confederate) Republicans
I had been solicited by an activist group for funds but instead I gave them advice how to be more effective door to door. Simple things like don’t drink coffee on voting day. Take Imodium. Bring folding chair. Bring energy bars. Often once you step out of line, you lose your place.
Basic advice. They probably didn’t take my advice but I thought it more important than only,
Funny you should say that, because he's always impressed me as kind and compassionate. I think Biden's problem is that he's not a showboat and doesn't understand that Americans want to be entertained - and that's unfortunate. Every day I find more crap to read online about MTG and MAGA/Trump than about Biden, who has made himself a closed-door president like they used to be in the 50's and 60's. Most Americans still don't know what Biden has accomplished in his presidency. His response to Israel's war was tone deaf and he's alienated a lot of younger Americans, and some older ones like me. He could very well lose reelection unless he gets his act together.
IMO the DNC needs to make messaging a top priority. They have, also IMO, always had a lackluster messaging campaign. The existence of this country as a democracy is at a critical juncture and the Dems need a balls to the wall approach to messaging to refute the lies and call out the untruths.
People also think Biden hasn't done much as president, and that's as much the fault of the news media as the WH. Messaging is everything. Trump never shuts up, which is why he's able to spread his lies so effectively. He dominates the narrative and is at the top of the news cycle consistently. People will believe anything if it's repeated enough. One year to go, and Biden seems to care more about Israel than what Americans are thinking. We're in trouble. Biden needs to be reminded that if he loses next year, this country is screwed.
I think he and Dr. Jill converted at least a few 'non-believers' here in Lewiston, Maine. He WAS compassionate and caring and spent quite a bit of time with the families who lost loved ones. I'm sure Trump would never have done that--the weather might have mussed his "hair" .
You make a good point about most Americans not knowing what Biden has accomplished. I find that on almost a daily basis. One of us in here needs to put together a cheat sheet of the Biden Administration's accomplishments, something that can be carried around and shared. I find it very difficult to rattle off a coherent synopsis off the top of my head.
No we don't. They're not important, nor are they indicative of anything other than that 1,000 people are asked on their landline phones a few leading questions.
And quite seriously - WHO actually does answer these calls? As I said before - dont recognize the caller or number - dont answer! And "anonymous" callers asking for my opinion? Nope.
So who exactly DOES pick up & give out information? Hmmm?
Exactly. I don't even answer my door unless I know who's ringing my doorbell, so if someone comes and says they want to talk about the elections or ask me what I think about anything political, I never let them into my home, nor do I speak with them.
I read somewhere recently that polling outcomes also depend heavily upon who is polled and what questions are asked - and how they're worded. And the idea of polling swing state voters a full year before the election is nothing more than a media stunt.
600 is a decent number, and should produce reliable results, if the poll question is not loaded (as so many are), the participants are truly a random cross-section of voters, and they treat the poll sincerely. If I am ever polled, I will lie in my response, and I doubt I'm the only one.
these are land lline folks....who has a landline these days? Old folks, not young voters, most of these folks are over the age of 45......not representative to the millions of young voters that will be voting for the first time in 2024
Yeah - older folks stick to landlines - like me. The only use I have for my cell is when I go someplace - in case of an emergency. I dont have any need to be in constant contact every minute - for what?
I'm working on it -- but keep in mind that part of the problem is the Democrats (or Democratically inclined) who seriously believe that, e.g., Harris, Buttigieg, or Newsom, could win a general election against Trump. All the great current officeholders are Democrats, but too many Democrats are stupid stupid stupid.
I don’t know if you are serious or just poking fun at me, lol. But some here are getting upset. Maybe that’s good because we are just to overconfident just like we were in 2016. I highly recommend reading Miles Taylor for a Birds Eye view of 4 years of Trump. I met his a few weeks ago in New York. He is a brilliant person. Susanna, I once wrote to Senator Sherrod Brown in 2015 when he toyed with running for president. I always thought he would have made an excellent president. Wise, younger, from middle America the rust belt. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Are you still in contact with Senator Brown? I'd like to see Liz Cheney run, even though a lot of people don't like her. I was impressed with her when she was on the Jan. 6th Committee.
From a misogynist like that guy? I don’t entertain conversation with anybody who comes across like that he’s not looking for a discussion he’s looking to be a jerk.
I don't know about stupid, but clearly most people are predisposed to a way of thinking. People think Trump is stupid, but he is anything but stupid.
Surprisingly few people on the left are passionately committed to causes. By nature, most liberals are pacifists and resist power struggles. They are more open to differing points of views. They are more than likely willing to go along to get along.
In contrast, people on the right are blinded by grievance fueled rage and incoherent thinking. It is hard for liberals to relate to people who are essentially living in an alternate reality. Trump is clever and has learned how to manipulate and con people. He knows how to tap into and trigger the mentality of people who are, essentially, losers.
But, I largely agree with you. Democrats are not comfortable giving as good as they get. They want to take the high road when the battle is below in the trenches. Of course, the mainstream media is no friend of the Democrats agenda. As you say, Bill, too, too many people do not understand how elections have increasingly become less democratic. Republicans have successfully gamed the system for decades, and the Republican Senate has installed judges who favor their cause.
I am all for getting out the vote, but that is not enough! There are bigger problems that must be rectified including, money in politics, the Electoral College, gerrymandered districts, rampant voter suppression, and apathy. Apathy because Democratic politicians make promises they don't or can't keep. If you look back at the last 20 or more years, Democrats are far more fractured; centrists have seriously undermined the progressives/liberals and moved the party to the right. Along the way, a lot of people have become disenchanted with the Democrats (e.g. unions.) Democrats have not delivered in supporting blue collar workers, nor did they come through with affordable universal healthcare. It is hard to advance into jobs where there is a livable wage without a college education. Really, who can afford a college education, out of pocket? Consumer protections have been completely lost in favor of wealthy donors and big business. The great recession punished those who played by the rules, while the corrupt bankers walked away with golden parachutes. Thank you, Bush AND Obama. I can go on and on. Today, the media and political gentry are focused on Trump. A goodly share of Americans eligible to vote are more focused on survival - food, shelter, healthcare, child support and just out of this world price increases. Seniors are dumbfounded when they are experience enormous price increases in necessities and then only receive a paltry 3% increase in Social Security this coming year. For most recipients, Social Security is a disaster and politicians don't do anything! I can go on and on. Sorry for the long response, Bill.
We are not stupid. We actually think, certainly more than the fact challenged richt. I think we tend to see nuance and expect perfection. Rethugs just want a braying ass, like the dumb jock the cheerleaders swoon for.
My opinion is that these polls have a helluva time getting real representative samples. I’d like to know how they got responses and what questions were asked. And I think many on the rabid right are all too excited to give their uninformed opinions and the polls never represent young folks.
As we approach the election, I expect national horror at the thought of handing government to a party whose Speaker doesn’t even have a bank account (wtf?) and is as smarmy as they come, with his cowed little wifey, will turn people out.real people, not idiots.
I’m waiting for my second search to gain access to the courtroom. My press credentials were not accepted so I can’t give a live report. Later. But I expect to watch this quasi life form waddle in shortly.
Dang, that's a lot going on. Thank you for keeping track of it all and keeping us informed of the schedule and the details that we're likely to see.
I keep wondering when someone is going to mention to the court that little detail about a well-regulated militia being the point of the second amendment, and NOT about allowing people free rein to slaughter our fellow citizens with assault weapons.
I also want to say that possessions tend to own us: if I had a banjo, I'd want to learn to play it, if I had a new car, I'd want to drive it. If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning, but if someone owns an assault rifle, wouldn't the ownership make them want to use it, just because? No one should have access to these deadly weapons except in the military. We don't, and shouldn't, have the right as citizens to bear nuclear warheads, for goodness sake. Access to and ownership of military assault weapons is inherently dangerous.
Deb, I'm ex-infantry, own a few firearms for the house, was issued an M16 (AR15) in Vietnam. I would not have, nor allow, such a weapon in my house. This weapon should never have been sold to civilians. Period....
Tell me about it! I worked as a women's advocate for survivors of domestic violence. I wrote a play called Rule of Thumb. According to British Common Law, it was permissible for a man to beat his wife, but only if the stick he used was no bigger around than his thumb. The play is based on the true stories of 15 of my clients, and I wrote it at their request, with their written consent. I directed and toured the show as a training and outreach project. It toured for nearly 4 years. 5 actors performed the roles, so my clients had their voices/stories told, but retained their anonymity. Probably more than you wanted to know, but yes, abuse (control!) was legal. Guns, however, should not be in the hands of abusers.
Thanks! I worked with the actors in my hometown and we all went out on tour together. I had to change out actors from time to time, which was really challenging-- to get everyone back up to speed. It ran 50 minutes. If it ran 52 minutes, it was dragging. I wanted it to be top notch! What changed from town to town was the printed program. Each venue's program included the phone numbers and websites for the local DV support agency, as well as the national hotline and websites. If this project were to be produced again, I would ask agencies/theatres to make sure to include these numbers as well as having an advocate standing by after the Q & A discussion at the end of the show.
Thank you for doing this. So important to tell these stories, and to give voice to victims, even though they remained anonymous. I’m sure knowing you were sharing their stories gave them immeasurable healing. And I hope they are fully healed and thriving today.
And abortion was not a politcol issue, it was not "illegal" . POV, many of the issues held by "originalists" are used to gaslight their constiuents and the courts.
Oh, but you know that this particular supreme court would find that citizens are entitled to nuclear warheads because 14th Amendment or some such garbage.
If I can stay in focus and follow what Joyce writes, it is so helpful, clear, and important - for that I am deeply grateful. But I am experiencing burn-out with a desire to shut it all out and listen to music, like nothing is amiss. I will keep at it, but the barrage is exhausting. It is uplifting to read these comments and hear that others care and what they are thinking. Thanks for the community.
Bonnie, may I respectfully suggest that you do what your mind and body are telling you to: "shut it all out and listen to music" --add Dance!
Breathe, work in the yard (the odor of soil is a proven de-stressor) and whatever else you love to do. It will all be there when you come back, but you'll be stronger and calmer.
We need you!
I personally limit my inputs during the week, and from late Friday until I feel ready on Monday there is NO TV, NO internet news, just a few Authors on Substack. I have soil. music--I occasionally bust out some jerky moves to Santana--and housework or equipment maintenance. My 25 yr old truck and old tractor always "need input!" I'm disabled so it takes a lot longer to do stuff, but that just keeps me away from the world a bit longer. You should see me try to get into the bed of my truck, and if that's not funny enough, you should see my get down!
It is the only way that I can face the next week. My best to you! We ARE in this together....
Gus, Thank you so much. I walked my puppies to the river tonight (it is a few feet from my door, but if I walk down the lane, we can go down a path to the river’s edge. If we are quiet, which we usually are not, we can see the ducks otherwise we flush them, and hear them leave just as we round the bend. Thanks for most people that would not be much R&R but I did resistance stretching (mine is with Bob Cooley, so I do his classes on zoom, then an hour and a half on my Gazelle, and then made Ethiopian red lentil soup. Cold, rainy night in the canyon and it was perfect. I’m now reading Trump’s attorneys’ Motions, but I think I’ll leave them for tonight and start again tomorrow:) So my self care today was exercise, healthy food and time for puppies:))
They absolutely should have allowed cameras in federal court decades ago. He committed these crimes in front of the whole world. We need everyone to be able to see the proceedings and there are multiple ways to protect the jury.
We see him each day walk out from the court and spew lies to the press; things that did not happen, were not said, or were not decided. If it is not filmed, he will gift his version to the world tied up with a Pinocchio-nose bow. We're paying for this spectacle; we get to monitor it.
Thank you Joyce for this update. Oh my lord: I have never felt so over-whelmed with school. "Be ready for a little law school 101." When do we get to move up a little bit to 102? Why do the Kardashians always stick their hips out? I can't wait to read Jack Smith's responses to Trump's dispositive motions. Jack Smith said right in the indictments that Trump was able to continue to talk about any and all of his lies because that is his First Amendment Right. Woo hoo!! "we will take up the substance of all of the motions tomorrow." It would be a gift if Steve Bannon were to go away soon. Thank you and night night.
“Loose Cannon” isnt really appropriate. If i understand the derivation of that term, it has to do with a cannon on a ship coming loose from its mount, so that you can’t be sure which way it’s going to shoot. In Kanga’s case it’s all too predictble-- toward Jack Smith and away from Trump.
"The court concluded that “§922(g)(8)’s ban on possession of firearms is an ‘outlier[] that our ancestors would never have accepted.’…Therefore, the statute is unconstitutional.” And they, what? used a ouija board, or attended a seance to determine what our ancestors would or would no accept? Or maybe they have back -in-time extra sensory perception that allows them to KNOW. This is pure unadulterated b*** s***.. While women were considered chattel at that time, nothing I have read in the history of the United States or the British Isles gives me reason to believe that in the late 18th, early 19th Century the judiciary would either feel or rule that a man's right to shoot his wife or his lover succeeded her right to life.
Thank you, Joyce for keeping us apprised of the law cases in the week ahead. I look forward to your reports on the outcome.
You are so right. Of all the silly bases for rulings this is surely the silliest. The Founding Fathers, were we so favored as to have them on the Supreme Court, would laugh it out of court.
Faye, I'm pondering your statement: "...nothing I have read in the history of the United States or the British Isles gives me reason to believe that in the late 18th, early 19th Century the judiciary would either feel or rule that a man's right to shoot his wife or his lover succeeded her right to life." Do you remember when a "crime of passion," i.e., a man claiming his wife had driven him to murder her because of her infidelity, was actually a defence? And it worked till very late in the 20th Century.
Yes, that was and occasionally is still true, but it has nothing to do with the case in Rahini, where the woman being threatened obtained a restraining order against the guy and he was able to purchase a gun, with no restraint on him to use it to kill her. Women were considered chattel - that is the property of the male. And he was even legally allowed to beat her with stick no larger in its circumference than a man's thumb (British law). And crimes of passion, where a spouse comes across their partner engaging in copulation with another person has been used to reduce a charge from murder to voluntary manslaughter. But so far as I have read there were no laws permitting a stalker to purchase and use a gun on his/her victim. These "red flag" laws exist to save lives and to claim they are unconstitutional in order to further enrich the entire weapons industry is ludicrous. Personally I would never claim to KNOW how people 247 years ago might have thought, I do not believe they would not have objected to "red flag" laws. As an aside, I have no confidence in 'restraining orders. When I was an Eligibility Worker in a rural County. one of my clients obtained a restraining order against an abusive sometime partner. According to the local newspaper he knocked on her door and she called 911, while she was on the phone begging for help, he shot her through the window.
I'm not too fond of the system myself (to put it very mildly). Trump could get away with shooting someone on 5th Avenue while the poor slob who littered on the same street but was already on law "enforcement" radar would get thrown in the slammer so fast it would make your head spin.
I really think because of mass media, people’s attention spans are nil and they just put together snippets and then feel informed but if they thought it through they’d probably be just as horrified as you and me.
This is what I fear, hence why I'm fucking sick of the so-called justice system and the inability of the DOJ to go after people committing hate crimes out in the open.
Honestly don't know how you do it Joyce! You teach actual classes to true students and then you "teach classes" to those of us who are not students but those interested in what is going on in the legal system. AND you make it understandable too! Oh yes, you also do commentary on MSNBC!!! When I see or hear you are going to comment on a program I make sure I don't miss it...I even record it if I cannot watch live! Thank you !
Thank you so much again Joyce! For years now I’ve been so grateful for your commitment to help us all weather and understand the legal and moral quagmire that Trump and his followers have inflicted on the country. Your voice has always stood out from all the other good legal analyst folks in the media as the most clear and reliable voice to depend on.
I feel like I just took a semester’s worth of credits in your class, Professor. Whew! My mind is swirling. That’s a lot to keep track of, and thankfully you do. I’ll be one of those Kentuckians voting for Governor Beshear on Tuesday, in a too close for comfort race. Republicans control both statehouse chambers. We can’t afford a trifecta.
I could not disagree more on the TV issue. I’m old enough to remember the OJ Simpson case, and Trump is very experienced at manipulating media. Televising his trials would be a disaster.
I thought Johnny Cochran outplayed the prosecuting attorneys. OJ Simpson was obviously guilty and everyone in America knew it. I see no comparison. Sorry.
I agree about Cochrane. My point was that the TV circus didn’t serve the cause of justice, was a massive distraction that hurt the court’s credibility, and played into Cochrane’s strategy of portraying Simpson as a victim of racist police (which the LAPD certainly is). And it worked. I think the same thing (on steroids) would happen with a televised Trump trial. I also think televising would increase the risks of violence from Trump’s supporters.
Oh, I remember the days when you could go an entire week without any political 'excitement'. We can't go 4 hours without something that draws our attention like a train wreck.
I'm so glad, Joyce, that you keep all this straight for us.
Me, too!
I will try to get into the courtroom either as a press or spectator. If they accept my credentials, I will be able to tap on my mobile device. I just hope that Trump’s head explodes and I catch a piece of it to frame and sell on eBay. Imagine being able to sell a piece of Trump’s head I can’t say brain because he has none.
Lordy! Get in there and spill every detail to us!
I need to go nite nite so I can arise and get there from Connecticut before sun up.
Good night!
I’m in line hopefully I won’t be remanded to the overflow room with closed circuit.
Keep us posted.
Couldn’t get inside but landed in the auxiliary room to watch on closed circuit. This will the last for me it’s assume boring. Sitting next to a real estate attorney and got her perspective. She thought the prosecutor was weak under cross but maybe he has a plan. Trump began acting up but zipped it before he lost it. Maybe the afternoon will bring the beast out of TFG
Polls show Trump ahead of Biden. I understand why. It’s because we democrats are so stupid and we don’t realize how electioneering works. Republicans do. They know how to milk an issue until most Americans begin supporting them. But we are incredibly stupid, stupid stupid.
I do not trust polls, especially those a year out from the election.
We must overcome that stupid reluctance to shout from the rooftop the Biden administration's many accomplishments and start enumerating the horrors of what a second Trump administration would bring to our country, turning it from a newly frail democracy into a fascist dictatorship out of which we may never emerge. Yes, it's that serious.
I agree about polls. But this is too close. My concern is that we democrats don’t know how to stop being trapped by republicans. We don’t get it. Aside of everything, Biden just doesn’t exude a kindly, friendliness. He doesn’t play the popularity game well. And for those who are irritated by my clarion call, please remember my words.
And Trump exudes kindliness and friendliness??
With every visit to grieving families, President Biden shows his compassion and empathy.
With every word out of his mouth, he displays the courage it takes to battle his lifelong stutter. Unfortunately, his enemies criticize him for that lack of eloquence while praising a lying, bombastic, demented, evil man.
Agree. What can I say. Maybe many folks just like a smart alack. Let me personalize this. When someone takes offense to me, I immediately wonder what I did wrong. I think that is a healthy response. I almost want to let the cat out of the bag on issues but I won’t. Well maybe I will. Yesterday,I had an argument with someone who said he was voting for Trump. I asked why. Because he said, he is sick and tired of little children being groomed in queerness. Those were his words. Take it for what it’s worth. And the guy happens to be Black. Go figure that out.
There really is no point in arguing with those brainwashed people. Our goal must be to reach the moderates and independents and to bring the young out of their apathy and/or dismay and to the polls next November.
Narcissists never think about themselves other than thinking of themselves as always right…don’t flatter yourself
A Bombast who rambles and whines and moans about himself constantly. Trump is anything but likeable.
I am riding with Biden all the way to save the USA! 🇺🇸
But that's just what he does exude. imho.
Disagree. Biden does exude compassion. He is just not a great communicator, and that is his Achilles heel.
I don’t disagree
I am curious what plan you might have for this level of voter suppression by Republicans:
Professor Joyce wrote this
https://twitter.com/JoyceWhiteVance/status/1722036661335265396
It seems as though there may be reporting on the ground from Ashton Pittman that the polling stations repeatedly ran out of ballots, and every time a certain number was requested, the officials turned up with less than were requested, multiple times -- and then Republicans went to court to stop the voting
Which -- for anyone who watched with horror as Roger Stone's Brooks Brothers rioters created enough of a disturbance in Florida that it allowed time for a Republican-led legal team including Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett to prevail on the then-SCOTUS to stop the vote count -- sounds like all too familiar a move by modern (Confederate) Republicans
https://twitter.com/ashtonpittman/status/1722085405137195144
https://twitter.com/JNelsonLDF/status/1722096821097353396
https://twitter.com/notcapnamerica/status/1722075984826880076
How about “Scream?”
I had been solicited by an activist group for funds but instead I gave them advice how to be more effective door to door. Simple things like don’t drink coffee on voting day. Take Imodium. Bring folding chair. Bring energy bars. Often once you step out of line, you lose your place.
Basic advice. They probably didn’t take my advice but I thought it more important than only,
“How About ‘Scream’”
I think we’re going to need a little more help than that
"Often once you step out of line, you lose your place."
That is emphatically not what happened here
This is live from Jackson - the capitol – in Hinds County, MS
https://twitter.com/cliff_notes/status/1722087041347776795
Funny you should say that, because he's always impressed me as kind and compassionate. I think Biden's problem is that he's not a showboat and doesn't understand that Americans want to be entertained - and that's unfortunate. Every day I find more crap to read online about MTG and MAGA/Trump than about Biden, who has made himself a closed-door president like they used to be in the 50's and 60's. Most Americans still don't know what Biden has accomplished in his presidency. His response to Israel's war was tone deaf and he's alienated a lot of younger Americans, and some older ones like me. He could very well lose reelection unless he gets his act together.
IMO the DNC needs to make messaging a top priority. They have, also IMO, always had a lackluster messaging campaign. The existence of this country as a democracy is at a critical juncture and the Dems need a balls to the wall approach to messaging to refute the lies and call out the untruths.
People also think Biden hasn't done much as president, and that's as much the fault of the news media as the WH. Messaging is everything. Trump never shuts up, which is why he's able to spread his lies so effectively. He dominates the narrative and is at the top of the news cycle consistently. People will believe anything if it's repeated enough. One year to go, and Biden seems to care more about Israel than what Americans are thinking. We're in trouble. Biden needs to be reminded that if he loses next year, this country is screwed.
I think he and Dr. Jill converted at least a few 'non-believers' here in Lewiston, Maine. He WAS compassionate and caring and spent quite a bit of time with the families who lost loved ones. I'm sure Trump would never have done that--the weather might have mussed his "hair" .
That's good to know. I only wish the message could be louder.
You make a good point about most Americans not knowing what Biden has accomplished. I find that on almost a daily basis. One of us in here needs to put together a cheat sheet of the Biden Administration's accomplishments, something that can be carried around and shared. I find it very difficult to rattle off a coherent synopsis off the top of my head.
We need to know a lot more detail about the underpinnings of these polls.
No we don't. They're not important, nor are they indicative of anything other than that 1,000 people are asked on their landline phones a few leading questions.
And quite seriously - WHO actually does answer these calls? As I said before - dont recognize the caller or number - dont answer! And "anonymous" callers asking for my opinion? Nope.
So who exactly DOES pick up & give out information? Hmmm?
Exactly. I don't even answer my door unless I know who's ringing my doorbell, so if someone comes and says they want to talk about the elections or ask me what I think about anything political, I never let them into my home, nor do I speak with them.
I read somewhere recently that polling outcomes also depend heavily upon who is polled and what questions are asked - and how they're worded. And the idea of polling swing state voters a full year before the election is nothing more than a media stunt.
Got that right.
ask yourself who they are polling....please, put the polling aside and just talk about how much better biden is than trump......
Catherine, 600 people per state. Not reliable enough for now, much less a year from now!
Plus, the polls have been garbage for the last 9 years. Do not panic! Read Robert Hubble....
600 is a decent number, and should produce reliable results, if the poll question is not loaded (as so many are), the participants are truly a random cross-section of voters, and they treat the poll sincerely. If I am ever polled, I will lie in my response, and I doubt I'm the only one.
these are land lline folks....who has a landline these days? Old folks, not young voters, most of these folks are over the age of 45......not representative to the millions of young voters that will be voting for the first time in 2024
People also are called during the day, when most folks are at work, so what you get are retired people who still keep their landlines.
Yeah - older folks stick to landlines - like me. The only use I have for my cell is when I go someplace - in case of an emergency. I dont have any need to be in constant contact every minute - for what?
Why would you lie?
I am curious about your strategy
The race should be described democracy vs dictatorship. Main Stream Media is in the weeds on this subject.
I'm working on it -- but keep in mind that part of the problem is the Democrats (or Democratically inclined) who seriously believe that, e.g., Harris, Buttigieg, or Newsom, could win a general election against Trump. All the great current officeholders are Democrats, but too many Democrats are stupid stupid stupid.
I don’t know if you are serious or just poking fun at me, lol. But some here are getting upset. Maybe that’s good because we are just to overconfident just like we were in 2016. I highly recommend reading Miles Taylor for a Birds Eye view of 4 years of Trump. I met his a few weeks ago in New York. He is a brilliant person. Susanna, I once wrote to Senator Sherrod Brown in 2015 when he toyed with running for president. I always thought he would have made an excellent president. Wise, younger, from middle America the rust belt. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Are you still in contact with Senator Brown? I'd like to see Liz Cheney run, even though a lot of people don't like her. I was impressed with her when she was on the Jan. 6th Committee.
Liz Cheney is impressive, but I hope you mean "as a Republican." If not -- please take a closer look at her politics.
I ask you again – like I asked upthread – about voter suppression, as well as voter apathy. And here’s the reason why
I don’t know about the last time you looked at the numbers of eligible voters who ACTUALLY VOTED in 2016 – but Karen Hunter has some.
~60 million people voted for Secretary Clinton.
~60 million people voted for Donald Trump.
110 million either stayed home – or had their votes suppressed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfomkGt0FTA&pp=ygUXa2FyZW4gaHVudGVyIHRlZCBoYXJsZW0%3D
R U one of those folks that has the wool pulled neatly down over her eyes? My gosh. Snap out of it. Please.
you've been reported, there is no room for your type of misogyny and bullying. Go away
Seriously? No room for any disagreement or back and forth? Really?
From a misogynist like that guy? I don’t entertain conversation with anybody who comes across like that he’s not looking for a discussion he’s looking to be a jerk.
I did say please. I have manners.
I’m reported? Silly you. I’m expressing myself like anyone else. Now go stand in the corner and repeat, “I will be a good girl” 100 times.
You just put proof to Catherine's assessment.
No contest
Not sure. Majority of elections since 2016 have gone to the liberal side.
How come we lost the House?
We Dems were asleep at the wheel, that’s why.
Only elections ever "won" by republicans in the last 50 years are due to the electoral college, they didn't win the popular vote.
Thanks Bill, won't bother reading your assessments anywhere. Have a happy, stupid life.
Oh dear… me thinks I hurt some feelings. Are you staying here if Trump wins? I will think seriously of returning to Europe.
Bon voyage!
I don't know about stupid, but clearly most people are predisposed to a way of thinking. People think Trump is stupid, but he is anything but stupid.
Surprisingly few people on the left are passionately committed to causes. By nature, most liberals are pacifists and resist power struggles. They are more open to differing points of views. They are more than likely willing to go along to get along.
In contrast, people on the right are blinded by grievance fueled rage and incoherent thinking. It is hard for liberals to relate to people who are essentially living in an alternate reality. Trump is clever and has learned how to manipulate and con people. He knows how to tap into and trigger the mentality of people who are, essentially, losers.
But, I largely agree with you. Democrats are not comfortable giving as good as they get. They want to take the high road when the battle is below in the trenches. Of course, the mainstream media is no friend of the Democrats agenda. As you say, Bill, too, too many people do not understand how elections have increasingly become less democratic. Republicans have successfully gamed the system for decades, and the Republican Senate has installed judges who favor their cause.
I am all for getting out the vote, but that is not enough! There are bigger problems that must be rectified including, money in politics, the Electoral College, gerrymandered districts, rampant voter suppression, and apathy. Apathy because Democratic politicians make promises they don't or can't keep. If you look back at the last 20 or more years, Democrats are far more fractured; centrists have seriously undermined the progressives/liberals and moved the party to the right. Along the way, a lot of people have become disenchanted with the Democrats (e.g. unions.) Democrats have not delivered in supporting blue collar workers, nor did they come through with affordable universal healthcare. It is hard to advance into jobs where there is a livable wage without a college education. Really, who can afford a college education, out of pocket? Consumer protections have been completely lost in favor of wealthy donors and big business. The great recession punished those who played by the rules, while the corrupt bankers walked away with golden parachutes. Thank you, Bush AND Obama. I can go on and on. Today, the media and political gentry are focused on Trump. A goodly share of Americans eligible to vote are more focused on survival - food, shelter, healthcare, child support and just out of this world price increases. Seniors are dumbfounded when they are experience enormous price increases in necessities and then only receive a paltry 3% increase in Social Security this coming year. For most recipients, Social Security is a disaster and politicians don't do anything! I can go on and on. Sorry for the long response, Bill.
We are not stupid. We actually think, certainly more than the fact challenged richt. I think we tend to see nuance and expect perfection. Rethugs just want a braying ass, like the dumb jock the cheerleaders swoon for.
My opinion is that these polls have a helluva time getting real representative samples. I’d like to know how they got responses and what questions were asked. And I think many on the rabid right are all too excited to give their uninformed opinions and the polls never represent young folks.
As we approach the election, I expect national horror at the thought of handing government to a party whose Speaker doesn’t even have a bank account (wtf?) and is as smarmy as they come, with his cowed little wifey, will turn people out.real people, not idiots.
It’s all blather resulting from too much repetition with no facts. We’ll see.
I never heard the word electioneering before. I like it!
It is incredibly problematic!!!
Agree!
Bill,
You're right! Since his head is hollow, you won't need a catcher's mitt to scoop up his brain.
I can picture eBay exploding, too, because all the Trump Cult members will be fighting for the highest bid to have such a "treasure."
What will happen to his beautiful orange hair?
P.S. Take good notes for us. And please wear a hazmat suit, just to be on the safe side.
Ooh! 💕
I already witnessed Trump making his grand entrance into Court last week. Just as I thought. He isn’t human. He is some kind of sub species.
I’m waiting for my second search to gain access to the courtroom. My press credentials were not accepted so I can’t give a live report. Later. But I expect to watch this quasi life form waddle in shortly.
His brain is the third-smallest organ in his body!
Dang, that's a lot going on. Thank you for keeping track of it all and keeping us informed of the schedule and the details that we're likely to see.
I keep wondering when someone is going to mention to the court that little detail about a well-regulated militia being the point of the second amendment, and NOT about allowing people free rein to slaughter our fellow citizens with assault weapons.
I also want to say that possessions tend to own us: if I had a banjo, I'd want to learn to play it, if I had a new car, I'd want to drive it. If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning, but if someone owns an assault rifle, wouldn't the ownership make them want to use it, just because? No one should have access to these deadly weapons except in the military. We don't, and shouldn't, have the right as citizens to bear nuclear warheads, for goodness sake. Access to and ownership of military assault weapons is inherently dangerous.
Wishing you all a safe, sane week.
Deb, I'm ex-infantry, own a few firearms for the house, was issued an M16 (AR15) in Vietnam. I would not have, nor allow, such a weapon in my house. This weapon should never have been sold to civilians. Period....
Thank you for your service. Thank you for your comment. And thank you for helping us all be safer! I couldn't agree with you more!
Deb, You are most welcome!
Don’t forget that back in the Founder’s days, it was legal for men to abuse their wives. So clearly it’s okay for an abuser to own a gun. 🙄
Tell me about it! I worked as a women's advocate for survivors of domestic violence. I wrote a play called Rule of Thumb. According to British Common Law, it was permissible for a man to beat his wife, but only if the stick he used was no bigger around than his thumb. The play is based on the true stories of 15 of my clients, and I wrote it at their request, with their written consent. I directed and toured the show as a training and outreach project. It toured for nearly 4 years. 5 actors performed the roles, so my clients had their voices/stories told, but retained their anonymity. Probably more than you wanted to know, but yes, abuse (control!) was legal. Guns, however, should not be in the hands of abusers.
Wow! What an on-the-ground teaching venue. Just wondering - if the actors were always the same - did they change with the locale?
Thanks! I worked with the actors in my hometown and we all went out on tour together. I had to change out actors from time to time, which was really challenging-- to get everyone back up to speed. It ran 50 minutes. If it ran 52 minutes, it was dragging. I wanted it to be top notch! What changed from town to town was the printed program. Each venue's program included the phone numbers and websites for the local DV support agency, as well as the national hotline and websites. If this project were to be produced again, I would ask agencies/theatres to make sure to include these numbers as well as having an advocate standing by after the Q & A discussion at the end of the show.
Thank you for doing this. So important to tell these stories, and to give voice to victims, even though they remained anonymous. I’m sure knowing you were sharing their stories gave them immeasurable healing. And I hope they are fully healed and thriving today.
And abortion was not a politcol issue, it was not "illegal" . POV, many of the issues held by "originalists" are used to gaslight their constiuents and the courts.
Oh, but you know that this particular supreme court would find that citizens are entitled to nuclear warheads because 14th Amendment or some such garbage.
If I can stay in focus and follow what Joyce writes, it is so helpful, clear, and important - for that I am deeply grateful. But I am experiencing burn-out with a desire to shut it all out and listen to music, like nothing is amiss. I will keep at it, but the barrage is exhausting. It is uplifting to read these comments and hear that others care and what they are thinking. Thanks for the community.
Bonnie, may I respectfully suggest that you do what your mind and body are telling you to: "shut it all out and listen to music" --add Dance!
Breathe, work in the yard (the odor of soil is a proven de-stressor) and whatever else you love to do. It will all be there when you come back, but you'll be stronger and calmer.
We need you!
I personally limit my inputs during the week, and from late Friday until I feel ready on Monday there is NO TV, NO internet news, just a few Authors on Substack. I have soil. music--I occasionally bust out some jerky moves to Santana--and housework or equipment maintenance. My 25 yr old truck and old tractor always "need input!" I'm disabled so it takes a lot longer to do stuff, but that just keeps me away from the world a bit longer. You should see me try to get into the bed of my truck, and if that's not funny enough, you should see my get down!
It is the only way that I can face the next week. My best to you! We ARE in this together....
Spot on Gus!
You are very wise.
Thank you!
I get it on Amazon....
🤣🤣🤣 Gus, oh, your humorous self!
Thank you for this gentle reminder for self care. I’m glad we are in this together💛
Me too. Keep on commenting--it makes me think....
If I make you think, we are all in trouble. I need to slow down my rant, and do more self-care:) 💙
Valere, yes, please take care! We are like machines --we all need maintenance and down time. And we need to be at full capacity for the year to come.
Matter of fact, I have some scheduled down time coming soon...
Be well! (Soon)
Gus, Thank you so much. I walked my puppies to the river tonight (it is a few feet from my door, but if I walk down the lane, we can go down a path to the river’s edge. If we are quiet, which we usually are not, we can see the ducks otherwise we flush them, and hear them leave just as we round the bend. Thanks for most people that would not be much R&R but I did resistance stretching (mine is with Bob Cooley, so I do his classes on zoom, then an hour and a half on my Gazelle, and then made Ethiopian red lentil soup. Cold, rainy night in the canyon and it was perfect. I’m now reading Trump’s attorneys’ Motions, but I think I’ll leave them for tonight and start again tomorrow:) So my self care today was exercise, healthy food and time for puppies:))
The Motions will wait until tomorrow. 🩵
Are you voting, wherever you are?
Gus, enjoy your time off:))
I am also exhausted but we cannot lose hope. We have to do whatever we can for humanity to prevail. For decency to prevail. Vote Blue.
🗳️🗳️🗳️🗳️🗳️🗳️🗳️🗳️🗳️
They absolutely should have allowed cameras in federal court decades ago. He committed these crimes in front of the whole world. We need everyone to be able to see the proceedings and there are multiple ways to protect the jury.
We see him each day walk out from the court and spew lies to the press; things that did not happen, were not said, or were not decided. If it is not filmed, he will gift his version to the world tied up with a Pinocchio-nose bow. We're paying for this spectacle; we get to monitor it.
I think if televised, trump would turn the trial into an unmitigated circus and make all kinds of trouble.
The judge(s) wouldn't allow it.
I think we need a bonus 🐓 picture after everything
Thanks for the info on Bannon. I keep wondering why it took almost a year and a half to get this hearing. The slow wheels of justice…
Someone slowed it down.
Too slow!
Thank you Joyce for this update. Oh my lord: I have never felt so over-whelmed with school. "Be ready for a little law school 101." When do we get to move up a little bit to 102? Why do the Kardashians always stick their hips out? I can't wait to read Jack Smith's responses to Trump's dispositive motions. Jack Smith said right in the indictments that Trump was able to continue to talk about any and all of his lies because that is his First Amendment Right. Woo hoo!! "we will take up the substance of all of the motions tomorrow." It would be a gift if Steve Bannon were to go away soon. Thank you and night night.
... Stick their hips out and stand around in gangs looking to be admired ... Ivanka fits in perfectly.
Yes!
But she'll need a hip and buttocks implant to fit in.
The extremes of expensive emptiness.
👏
Bannon has friends in all the wrong places.
I’m still not over Jack Smith having the audacity to go over 200 words without leave from the (kangaroo) Florida Court.
With all due respect, Kangaroo Cannon does have a ring to it.
Didn't you know, her first name is really Lucy. Lucy Cannon. :-)
I adore your sense of humor.
“Loose Cannon” isnt really appropriate. If i understand the derivation of that term, it has to do with a cannon on a ship coming loose from its mount, so that you can’t be sure which way it’s going to shoot. In Kanga’s case it’s all too predictble-- toward Jack Smith and away from Trump.
Really? What else you got?????
Mike, Yeah, he should be disbarred for that.... NOT!
They proceeded to decide, of course, that gun rights are more important than women’s lives...
what are horrific thing to have to write about our court.
"The court concluded that “§922(g)(8)’s ban on possession of firearms is an ‘outlier[] that our ancestors would never have accepted.’…Therefore, the statute is unconstitutional.” And they, what? used a ouija board, or attended a seance to determine what our ancestors would or would no accept? Or maybe they have back -in-time extra sensory perception that allows them to KNOW. This is pure unadulterated b*** s***.. While women were considered chattel at that time, nothing I have read in the history of the United States or the British Isles gives me reason to believe that in the late 18th, early 19th Century the judiciary would either feel or rule that a man's right to shoot his wife or his lover succeeded her right to life.
Thank you, Joyce for keeping us apprised of the law cases in the week ahead. I look forward to your reports on the outcome.
You are so right. Of all the silly bases for rulings this is surely the silliest. The Founding Fathers, were we so favored as to have them on the Supreme Court, would laugh it out of court.
Preamble: ensure domestic tranquillity, promote the general welfare, secure the blessings of liberty.
[of course this is a different meaning of “domestic”]
I fail to see why it’s not obvious that common sense gun control does fall under “domestic tranquillity.” I’m a “Preamblist.”
Love it, Barbara B!
Back @ ya!
I would love to quote your ‘Preamblist’. Too funny:))
Feel free: lets declare it public domain.
Faye, I'm pondering your statement: "...nothing I have read in the history of the United States or the British Isles gives me reason to believe that in the late 18th, early 19th Century the judiciary would either feel or rule that a man's right to shoot his wife or his lover succeeded her right to life." Do you remember when a "crime of passion," i.e., a man claiming his wife had driven him to murder her because of her infidelity, was actually a defence? And it worked till very late in the 20th Century.
Yes, that was and occasionally is still true, but it has nothing to do with the case in Rahini, where the woman being threatened obtained a restraining order against the guy and he was able to purchase a gun, with no restraint on him to use it to kill her. Women were considered chattel - that is the property of the male. And he was even legally allowed to beat her with stick no larger in its circumference than a man's thumb (British law). And crimes of passion, where a spouse comes across their partner engaging in copulation with another person has been used to reduce a charge from murder to voluntary manslaughter. But so far as I have read there were no laws permitting a stalker to purchase and use a gun on his/her victim. These "red flag" laws exist to save lives and to claim they are unconstitutional in order to further enrich the entire weapons industry is ludicrous. Personally I would never claim to KNOW how people 247 years ago might have thought, I do not believe they would not have objected to "red flag" laws. As an aside, I have no confidence in 'restraining orders. When I was an Eligibility Worker in a rural County. one of my clients obtained a restraining order against an abusive sometime partner. According to the local newspaper he knocked on her door and she called 911, while she was on the phone begging for help, he shot her through the window.
Unfortunately she first didn’t buy a gun.
Joyce- I hate our criminal "justice" system to my very core. The process is stacked in favor of all these traitors to democracy.
I'm not too fond of the system myself (to put it very mildly). Trump could get away with shooting someone on 5th Avenue while the poor slob who littered on the same street but was already on law "enforcement" radar would get thrown in the slammer so fast it would make your head spin.
I really think because of mass media, people’s attention spans are nil and they just put together snippets and then feel informed but if they thought it through they’d probably be just as horrified as you and me.
Which is why parts of this document should be put on billboards across America.
Hang in there, Carrie! It’s not over...
Have you read this nightmare document? project2025.org
This is what I fear, hence why I'm fucking sick of the so-called justice system and the inability of the DOJ to go after people committing hate crimes out in the open.
I have read parts of project 2025. In similar vein, start of “Democracy Awakening” by Heather cox Richardson is terrifying.
As they say, our justice system is the worst one, except for all the others.
Peace to you!
Honestly don't know how you do it Joyce! You teach actual classes to true students and then you "teach classes" to those of us who are not students but those interested in what is going on in the legal system. AND you make it understandable too! Oh yes, you also do commentary on MSNBC!!! When I see or hear you are going to comment on a program I make sure I don't miss it...I even record it if I cannot watch live! Thank you !
Thank you so much again Joyce! For years now I’ve been so grateful for your commitment to help us all weather and understand the legal and moral quagmire that Trump and his followers have inflicted on the country. Your voice has always stood out from all the other good legal analyst folks in the media as the most clear and reliable voice to depend on.
I feel like I just took a semester’s worth of credits in your class, Professor. Whew! My mind is swirling. That’s a lot to keep track of, and thankfully you do. I’ll be one of those Kentuckians voting for Governor Beshear on Tuesday, in a too close for comfort race. Republicans control both statehouse chambers. We can’t afford a trifecta.
I could not disagree more on the TV issue. I’m old enough to remember the OJ Simpson case, and Trump is very experienced at manipulating media. Televising his trials would be a disaster.
I thought Johnny Cochran outplayed the prosecuting attorneys. OJ Simpson was obviously guilty and everyone in America knew it. I see no comparison. Sorry.
I agree about Cochrane. My point was that the TV circus didn’t serve the cause of justice, was a massive distraction that hurt the court’s credibility, and played into Cochrane’s strategy of portraying Simpson as a victim of racist police (which the LAPD certainly is). And it worked. I think the same thing (on steroids) would happen with a televised Trump trial. I also think televising would increase the risks of violence from Trump’s supporters.