Thank you for adding your voice to those of your MSNBC colleagues on the Ronna McDaniel hiring by NBC. Host after host starting on Morning Joe and throughout the evening tonight voiced solidarity with the notion that a conservative voice on the Network is fine, but a liar is not. A different political opinion is one thing but an accessory to election fraud is not OK. Not just unwelcome, she is unacceptable to the MSNBC team and, most importantly, to MSNBC viewers.
Rachel Madow said that the MSNBC brass signed off on McDaniel's hiring when they were informed of it, and it was only when the staff were told of it and threw a fit with their bosses that they went back and made a statement of opposition. I have to believe that the MSNBC people have to be wondering about whom they're working for. This is a very troubling development.
And … as Lawrence O’Donnell pointed out last night, some of the NBC managers who made this decision weren’t even born before Watergate. If not an outright corrupt move to protect themselves and the benefits that go with positions of tremendous power and influence, this decision, it seems, is a move to appease Trump world. Which will never work, especially if T wins the Whitehouse. Trump is not a politician; he’s a gangster. And so is Ronna.
Is it news to anyone that in major media organizations, the "suits" tend to be richer, whiter, more male, and a lot less liberal than those doing the actual work?
These folks are career oriented to the point of destroying the ground they stand on not understanding that the whole enterprise of respectable news and news opinion depends on presenting and taking the side of the truth and maintaining credibility and reputation. Somehow this had morphed into presenting whatever in the name of presenting "bothsides". It's as if equal they disregarded morality and were unconcerned about how vulnerable people can be especially when they trust a source, a powerful source. Without the anchors revolt, they would let things slide further.
With Trump the media print and online, and after complaints, started calling a lie a lie, a falsehood a falsehood. They had to be told this so lost they became?
That McDaniel continued to rationalize and defend herself and her part in the insurrection was unconscionable; that was passed over. The anchors shamed the powers that be, and subtly, in concert, used their power. Let it be a lesson and an example that many in the "biz" still need. It reflected on the best and they revolted.
My sense is that those at the top are generally business people, not journalists, and that's the way they think, act, and react. The journalists, at least the good ones, are always walking a tightrope between the paymasters and their commitment to their own trade.
It does not make business sense to have those at the top foreign to what the company stands for, it's reputation, history, mission. It's a responsibility. Does it lead for the good, or succomb to money interests alone? As well what good journalism is about even if one does not have training in it.. which they should.
Ari Melber just read the announcement from the head of NBC programming (Cesar ?). He explained the “group think,” recognized the outcry, apologized to anchors. I feel certain his statement will be read each hour this evening.
Every news organization - big & small - has now released the news! Thank heavens NBC found the fortitude to do the right thing and cut Ronna - another liar like tfg - loose.
I'm not sure it's an entirely troubling development. The fact that brass signed off on it is absolutely troubling but the response from MSNBC and NBC staff plus the inundation of emails from so many of us on substack and from elsewhere, causing her hiring to be rescinded, is heartening. May brass have learned something from this, most particularly the message that we out here are watching and letting them know when they "go astray".
Judith, thanks for letting the NBC brass know of your disapproval. Among the lessons I hope they’ve learned is that they need to watch their own network a little more often. If they had done that before they made that, um, ill considered decision, they would have known Ronna McDaniel was over the line.
Hey NBC, if Steve Bannon and Roger Stone sanitized their spiels and tidied up on Linkedin would you hire them? There are not two sides to lies and treason. Full stop.
She's unacceptable in the news business. Shame on NBC.
And I too am grateful for Rachel Maddows show last night. That we have seen scum like drumpf before, but they never had a party machinery, and media behind them, with the exception perhaps of the lord "father" Coughlin.
Her description of the en masse rejection of MSNBC staff was epic.
In Nicolle’s coverage she interviewed Tim Snyder who said, “So this is like a trial run for NBC and everyone else to say okay, we're going to practice appeasing a dictator and then when it comes, we'll be better at it."
In his On Tyrann 20 Lessons, number 1 is “Never Obey In Advance”
Synder's Book "On Tyranny: 20 Lessons from the 20th Century" is required reading for all of us. Good news: it concise: not a long read but a powerful read.
This book is excellent! Rachel recommended it in 2017, shortly after Trump was elected. Little book; quick read -- but then I've gone back and back and back to re-read parts as the book sickeningly and increasingly resonates with what is happening to our country.
Nicolle Wallace on Deadline Whitehouse did a great job as well. She had Yale historian Timithy Snyder the author of "On Tyranny" on to discuss the hire and explain why it works in with the autocratic designs of the conservatives. It was no holds barred and great.
Rachel Madow, Chuck Todd, and the other hosts did a great service when standing up against Ronna McDaniel. If you would like to chime in, the email for NBC is nbcshows@nbcuni.com. I've expressed my displeasure, and will not be buying anything advertised on NBC until she's gone.
Yes - write, write, write people! I also wrote to protest both yesterday and today. I hope NBC realizes the utter humility and hardships many of our families endured to pack up settled lives and moved to free themselves of constantly living in fear, and brought themselves here to establish a better system of governance. The link is posted - please take advantage of that and send in a note!
It was never going to be easy to watch Trump's trials unfold but it was good to hear Judge Merchan hold Trump and his attorney accountable. It's so reassuring to have you provide the facts and an analysis of the law that we can rely on.
He’s not unique in his stupid entitlement but he’s stepped a little closer than he should have to the edge of the cliff by trying to strip us of our democracy. Is he thinking as I hope - that running for president was the worst single decision of his lifetime?
I doubt he thinks it was a bad decision. If he wins all of these Federal charges disappear. He will figure out some way to tank the Georgia case. My concern is how is he planning to get those electoral votes? He isn't campaigning for broad support; he is limiting the people he wants voting for him.
Some captive nerd genius in Moscow is drawing up the numbers needed in each precinct in the USA on Election Day right now. His traitor techs here are worming their way into voting systems in every state where it counts.
BUT if we vote in big enough numbers it won’t matter.
And isn’t that a bunch of BS??!! TC, in my heart of hearts, I feel there will be a landslide victory for Biden-Harris. I am going to keep thinking that. In the meantime, I am sending a solemn request to whatever or whomever is listening to me, that Biden stays healthy.
As I've said before, I think Kamala Harris would be a force to be reckoned with should she need to step up to the presidency. Marlene, I do not know where you are from in CA, but I've seen her work in the Bay Area. Can't say everyone likes Kamala, but no politician is uniquely popular. I think Kamala is being "Hilloried." She is an understudy. And she will listen to those around her.
Louise, I am, in fact, in the Bay Area and we love her. She’s tough and now very experienced because Biden has sought to give her the reins she needs in case something happens (Heaven forbid!) to him.
Actually she’s being racist’d & misogynist’d. She’s receiving a double whammy. She is more than qualified to be president. Moreover she’s been cris crossing the globe doing international policy.
Kamala has the basic problem Hillary had, she’s a woman. That she is also a woman of color makes two strikes against her. She also is a woman of high intelligence and knowledge, she would be an excellent Commander in Chief.
I hope we have learned from the 2016 election and keep our eyes on Russia trying to steal the 2024 election. I don't trust the repugs or the Russians (they are the same)
"Some captive nerd genius in Moscow is drawing up the numbers needed in each precinct in the USA on Election Day right now. His traitor techs here are worming their way into voting systems in every state where it counts."
I think this is the sort of bogus nonsense that the MAGA-QANON conspiracy mobs spout ... I don't think it's necessary on here where rational people reside; the electoral machinery is much more hardened than that.
He is certainly making sure that a lot of marginal states are doing their very best to (illegally) suppress the votes of those who would most likely vote for President Biden.
Fortunately, they are idiots. About 277 are doing time in the pokey and another 133 or so are wearing decorative ankle bracelets. This does not represent good planning on their part. I guess idiots don’t plan very well - which should inure to our benefit if push comes to shove.
It's not that the"electoral machinery" is the problem. Russian disguised Misinfo and disinfo online was viewed by millions of Americans in the last 2 elections. Plus , we now have several online fake news orgs from Russia disguised as American news orgs. If they only convince 5% of the people who view their propaganda, may be enuf to change the result in swing States . AS a former supporter of ACLU, I'm sad to say that their view of freedom of the press is so extreme that they are fine with Russia online election propaganda. I changed my support to Democracy Docket and ProPublica.
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is a contract among cooperating states such that when they have a collective group representing a majority of the electoral votes (currently 270) by July before the next Presidential election, they will be activated. The compact is an agreement to assign all of the group's electoral votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote. As of March 2024, states completing the process of joining represent 205 electoral votes; states having partially completed the process represent another 101 electoral votes (source: Wikipedia). Getting to 270 votes by July (4 months from now) seems unlikely, but it could very well be in effect for 2028. The NPVIC would leave the Electoral College in place but would render it moot.
"I doubt he thinks it was a bad decision. If he wins all of these Federal charges disappear."
I agree he had no choice but to run this time ... but for my money the worst decision he made was to run for president in 2016. If he had not - none of these charges would now be confronting him. He could be playing golf every day and making bogus millions.
He claims that he has been treated worse than any previous president, and apart from those who were assassinated in office, I actually think he's right. He's brought all sorts of mayhem upon himself because he stepped out of his grift zone into politics. More fool him.
My guess is he’ll never regret running and winning the presidency. He got to be on TV for five years straight (six now? Seven?). I think celebrity and attention were always at the core of Trump‘s soul… if you can call that a soul. Which, now that I think of it, you can’t. I hereby expunge my first use of the word soul. Totally redacted. Blacked out. Never even existed OK?
He will be in jail after the hush money trial. Then his minions can vote for him while he's in the can and the fence-sitters will have a decision to make.
He will never see the inside of a prison. All of the big lawyers including Joyce have said as much. Moreover, you can be a felon and still be president. There is nothing in our constitution to stop it. Plus he’s still considered a first time offender.
Don Poorleone has experienced the chickens coming home to roost. In the early 1990s in Connecticut, Trump visited Hartford to try and receive approval to build a casino. But our then governor, Lowell Wicker and my friend and Hartford mayor, Carrie Saxon Perry, were already working an exclusive deal with our Native tribes to which Trump mused, “They don’t look like Indians to me.”
Well Donald Trump, you don’t look like a billionaire to me.
(I have my press credentials and intend to be in court writing about it.)
Thank you, Joyce for lining things up for us. Also, was very happy to see MSNBC newscasters call out Ronna Romney McDaniels over the air and in real time. She is not to be trusted and obviously, neither are the execs at NBC. They too, may be complicit for all we know. I loved it when Lawrence said if he had an opportunity to interview her, which he said he won’t, he would ask her why she succumbed to what Trump wanted. That was to remove her maiden name when she was RNC chair. Gotta love Lawrence!
Brushed off by the cheerleader moms in the suburbs as “locker room talk.” And since the primary objective of Maga is to own the Libs, irritate the libs, annoy the libs… while being entertaining, is the whole game for the Maga people. The more outrageous the better from their point of view. And that’s why if the fat slob is still alive in November, he’ll get millions of votes. The thirst for fascism in this country is on a different shelf altogether.
Watching Morning Joe, Nicolle, Ari, Maddow (right now cause I nodded off before the end of Ari) flat out say No to having Rona on makes me realize just how much integrity the on air people really have unlike Fox or Newsmax. I don’t see Rona being around much longer cause we the viewers and the biggest names on MSNBC won’t allow it. I would even venture to say that the person that hired her is on shaky ground. Notice TFG hasn’t said anything about Rona? Cause she could promote the big lie for him. Everyone has stuck together and that’s what we need to defeat this scourge on our country of the party of Trump. The GOP died in 2017 and although a few stragglers are left it won’t rise out of the ashes like a phoenix. Those stragglers are without a party.
I'm hoping another couple of Congressional GOP Reps throw in the towel so the Dems can have a majority before the election. Jen Psaki asked Nancy Pelosi on last Sunday's show if it were possible that Hakim Jeffries would become speaker before the election and Pelosi would not say, spoke of her support for Jeffries, then quietly agreed. That would be something, the GOP imploding.
I respect your opinion but once he is gone in 2026 or 27 because appeals won’t be decided until then, the rest of the Red State Rs will try to make believe he never happened by never again mentioning his name in public. I suspect their party will be weaker on the national scene but they will continue to dominate in much of South and Midwest in State legislatures and Governors. However, younger voters will be in the majority in 2030 and thereafter on the Federal level and battleground states! The dichotomy will intensify!
Ira, do you think the younger Maga voters have already been indoctrinated into “brown shirts”? My thought is that Gen Z’ers will over power them. At least, that is my hope.
Young conservative AI experts will figure out how to build a new opposition party to the Dems. Best I can tell, the people most interested in devoting their lives to money view the Trump years not as a disaster, but as a tremendous business opportunity for the future.
“We cannot let these people pretend it never happened.” This is exactly what NBC is doing..
"Nicolle Wallace, discussing NBC's hiring of Ronna McDaniel, reads on @MSNBC this except from Timothy Snyder's 'On Tyranny':
"Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do." NBC is practicing appeasing a Dictator with McDaniel..This must remain in the news cycle and continue to pressure NBC until they dump McDaniel..It is unacceptable!
I would encourage everyone who hasn’t purchased it, to buy a copy of Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny” - a primer on the language and tactics of a dictator in the rise. It’s laid out like a children’s book, appropriately so.
This is a very good idea! It’s a $6.30 book on Amazon, likely the same as a Covid home test..the Biden Admin should put one into every household in the country!
There's also a Graphic Edition, illustrated by Nora Krug, published by Ten Speed Press. It's excellent. I've read both editions, and am thinking it's time for a re-read.
Yes, that’s what I have. It’s the superior edition, I think. Since we are struggling in the fog of this crisis, the illustrated version brings ultimate, stark clarity while the graphics keep us calm.
Today a mid day NPR program played 45’s comments forever. We don’t need to hear all his ranting, his criticism of judges and how he’s being victimized. That just helps his lies become embedded in the air. They did point out some if the lies but nothing that justified giving him all that air time. That happens too often.
True, true. However, our President Biden does not participate in ranting and raving, nor provide fodder for the tabloid type rantings like Trump does. Our president is a diplomatic, mature individual who does not engage in such behavior.
'...Judge Juan Merchan seems to have taken the measure of the man.'
'I moved on her, and I failed. I'll admit it. I did try and fuck her, she was married." (Trump)
'She wanted to get some furniture. I said I'll show you where they have some nice furniture. I moved on her like a bitch. I couldn't get there and she was married. Then all-of-a-sudden I see her, she's now got the big phony tits and everything. She's totally changed her look." (Trump)
Trump: "Look at you. You are a pussy."
'...I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything." (Trump)
Trump: "Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."
'That’s why Trump was desperate to keep Stormy Daniels from going public about their sexual relationship before the election. The case is best understood as one about an effort by a candidate to conceal material information from voters ahead of an election—election interference.' (Joyce Vance)
This man was the president of the United States and is currently The Republican candidate running for a 2nd term as the country's president.
It is the United States of America that is on trial. Let the people decide.
So hard to even believe that we had him as a “leader” and I say that loosely, of our precious nation. A hideous, vile human being describes Donald J. Trump. May dementia take him to a place bigger and better than he’s ever gone to before.
Marlene, right before I read your reply, I was lying in bed unable to sleep thinking about him and his latest Al Capone performances. I was imaging a Trumperama campaign, a la Cinerama; continuous clips of him from 'pussy' talk, his non-sequiturs, lies, lies, lies to his mobster mimicry. It would make us even more nauseas than we are, but, finally, maybe, get it through Americans minds the measure of this despicable man.
Fern, I should be in bed but my mind is churning away, like yours. Remember when Obama won and that glorious feeling we had? I honestly believe we will achieve it again. Look at the House, for instance. It's falling apart because even some R’s with a little integrity can’t take it anymore. Nobody wants to hang around with MTG because she’s like a ticking time bomb! She isn't the only one…just the loudest and the most obnoxious, second to Jordan. I also think a lot about how Nancy Pelosi handled things so eloquently and with unsurmountable patience. Patience has gotten us this far, albeit scratching on the chalkboards!
Your thoughts of a play re: trump’s words and antics is probably being written and rewritten by Lin Manuel, as we speak. Goodnight my sweet friend. We have tomorrow to moan about when Scotus, once again, votes against women. 🥱😴
Fern, “It is the United States of America that is on trial. Let the people decide.” it appears to me that “The People” are losing their toe hold on being the final arbiters of who might lead our country. A number of scenarios exist that could throw an election into the House of Representatives or back to the states ( with a slim Red Majority) that extinguishes the voice of the People
Similarly our untouchable Gang of Six have taken to rule by fiat obliterating precedent with impunity
I’m not really sure what you are intimating here, “me of all people”? That my confidence in Justice is waning at the hands of despots and loopholes? That I should have faith the somehow the Magician’s spell over MAGAe will be broken, that the Trumpians will come to their senses?
We fight the good fight but the deck seems stacked, the scales thumbed
Please explain to me what your intention was with the link
Open the link, when you are able to temporarily stop lecturing/hectoring me, otherwise, what are you doing about changing your scenario?... Ask yourself that if you can. Enough, goodbye, for now!
I opened the link. There was no intent on my part to lecture you. My comment was rhetorical with intent to suggest that the voice of the people is being diminished. You could have asked for clarification but instead You chose to interpret it your own way, then without context posted a link that was supposed to “school” me on some tangent known only to yourself
My comment centered around the character of Trump as represented in his very well known 'Pussy' video, and was, nevertheless, elected president. Some readers may they have
connected that many voters, although not the majority, have
an attraction to his 'character'. A question about a great number of American voters was raised.
The comment ended with 'Let the people decide'. Again, 'the people
were brought to the fore. You and I have both pointed to the vital role of 'the people'. I stated that America was on trial and that the voters would decide, with my last sentence, 'Let the people decide'.
I recommended that you look into the subject of the book, 'Let the People Decide', so that you might understand the nature of my comment.
'Moye concluded that "the class differences that developed in African American communities over time [which] profoundly affected the goals and strategies of the movements they created" as stated on p. 23.[1] Moye stated that there were many civil rights movements occurring throughout the United States and that the influences of economics and social class also caused differences.' (Wikipedia)
I thought that referring to the substance of the book might lead you to consider the various factors impacting voters' preferences. My comment advocated considering candidate Trump's character; voters' preferences, and the need in the presidential election to motivate all potential voters as well as figuring out which segments of voters are most crucial to attract. (Always a critical component of getting out the vote.)
I did not not present a step by step campaign but tried to provide associations, which would lead readers to have more of a sense of what is at state in the coming presidential election.
Thank you Joyce for always giving us clear, understandable facts and explanations of the law. I end each night with your words of encouragement and resolve. We are truly in this together!
Whatever happens with the trial it distracts and alters his ability to campaign and he is always in the news for fraud and criminal activity. Remember after Vicksburg and Gettysburg is still took almost 2 years to end the civil war. The difference was the North was on the way to ending the war. We may not win right away but like the confederacy Trump is always on the defensive.
Trump is charged with 34 counts by the Manhattan DA. If he is convicted on all (probably not likely) that has to be quite a jail sentence. I've heard 4 years for each felony count?
Given two to three years for appeals as an 80 yr old he probably gets house arrest forever with his Secret Service detail and perhaps without his cellphone.
His secret service should be stopped immediately. I didn’t know the Secret Service was required to guard someone charged with felonies? It seems maybe the rules need to change.
Ah, the grotesque spectacle unfolds again, a hideous ballet of privilege and power, dancing on the grave of what we once naively called justice. This scene, starring none other than the titan of American absurdity, Donald Trump, is nothing short of a depraved mockery of every principle we've been spoon-fed since birth. The courts, those supposed bastions of fairness, have twisted themselves into a grotesque shape, reducing a financial verdict for Trump as if it were a mere trifle, a plaything for the rich.
Hell, why not? Why shouldn't every battered soul drowning in debt scream into the void, demanding their dues be slashed to pennies on the dollar? "I owe what? Trim it down, judge! Didn’t you see the Trump discount? I’m as American as that bloated icon of excess!" It’s as if we’ve stumbled into a bizarro world where the scales of justice are not just blind but blithely snorting the cocaine of privilege off a golden blade.
The audacity is almost admirable in its naked villainy. This isn’t a mere court decision; it’s a flaming arrow shot into the heart of the concept of equality. It’s an open declaration that the rules are not just bent but obliterated for those with the right connections, the right bank accounts. The message is clear: In the eyes of a warped system, some animals are more equal than others.
And what does this tell the average Joe? It tells them that the game is rigged, that the house always wins, and that the notion of 'justice for all' is as mythical as unicorns and as extinct as dodos. It’s a carnival of madness where the rich and powerful ride the Ferris wheel of fortune, while the rest of us can barely afford a ticket to the sideshow.
This isn’t just a blow; it’s a loud and clear call to arms. A wake-up slap for every sleeping soul who thought maybe, just maybe, there was a shred of fairness left in this country. We need to rise, not in quiet despair, but in roaring defiance. To demand a system that doesn’t grovel at the feet of mammon and power. To reclaim the tattered remnants of our dignity and demand not just equality but justice – real justice, blind to wealth and status.
So let’s not just seethe in silent fury. Let’s take this travesty, this obscene perversion of justice, and use it as fuel. Fuel for change, for action. Because if we don’t stand up now, if we don’t scream from every rooftop that we’ve had enough of this farcical charade, then we might as well admit that the soul of America is not just sick, but on its deathbed.
This is our fight, not just against a ruling, but against the very forces that would have us believe that we are powerless. They’ve shown their hand, and it’s up to us to call their bluff. With the ferocity of a thunderstorm, with the unyielding force of a tidal wave, we must demand a return to sanity, to a world where justice isn’t just a plaything for the rich. It’s time to take back what’s ours.
Here's a wild idea: Rather than dutifully mailing our tax payments like the obedient American lambs we've been, how about we pen a defiant note to the IRS? "Dear IRS, the coffers are bare, and my wallet's as thin as political promises. So, here's a crisp $20 bill. Let's just square up and call it a day, shall we?"
As someone who pays all of their taxes on time and fully i am pissed. I live in one state, work in another and am taxed to death...i pay way more than GE, DJT and all the other rich people and corporations...yep my SS is still on the line? It is wrong!
Well said. Now, in this moment, we can organize and vote the Trumpublicans out of office. Then send your powerful message to everyone in politics, and at every level of government, from the town council to the SCOTUS, that we demand justice, equality, liberty, and fairness. That we are watching their every move and will respond in massive numbers to replace those who choose to play us for fools or use us as pawns.
Gloria, Our descent from middle-class America began in 1981 with Reaganomics. In 1986, the Tax Law was passed, eliminating the deduction Americans could take for credit card interest. Middle class Americans stopped investing the money they saved on deductions. After we get out the vote and vote Blue to re-elect Biden and the Blue bicameral congress, we need to restore our rights: including eliminating tax laws that allow billionaires to pay 3.9% taxes.
Except that tfg doesn't ask, he demands. "Here's your $20, you owe me change. And just try coming after me for tax evasion. You didn't deliver on the government promises, I'm not paying."
I have had to mentally refrain from expecting help from our justice system. If we can't beat this dictator wannabee at the polls, we are lost. The courts really are not going to help us.
They are compromised by The Federalist Society, politics in their social standing and social life, and fear of violence and threats to them and their family.
NY Appeals Court offered no reason for cutting his bond by over 60%, and they stayed several key clauses in the judgment imposed by Judge Arthur Engeron, leaving only the Monitor and Compliance Director in place. Such a deal! How many judges does this guy own anyway? Just sickening, all of it.
You could take a more positive view ... they cut out the huge bond (and some other stuff) on the grounds that it seriously messes with the appeals process time-line, and they want to get to that expeditiously, and confirm the major $$$ decisions of Judge Engeron. Am I naïve?
We can hope. But I don’t think you’re right (what do I know?) the bond needed to be posted so he could appeal. No bond. No appeal. Pay up. This isn’t about getting to trial
He had already lodged his appeal to the substantial ruling (you owe NYS $450 mill), and then he made a "sub-appeal" to avoid putting up the full amount of the finding - and today he won that. But he still has to argue why the lower court decision should be overturned ... that is a steep hill to climb, given the forensic evidence in the lower court decision.
Does he have any grounds at all, other than he doesn't like the decision?
I am reminded of the contest at the county fair in which the participants attempted to catch a greased pig. It was a hoot. This is not. I keep hoping though.
Thank you for adding your voice to those of your MSNBC colleagues on the Ronna McDaniel hiring by NBC. Host after host starting on Morning Joe and throughout the evening tonight voiced solidarity with the notion that a conservative voice on the Network is fine, but a liar is not. A different political opinion is one thing but an accessory to election fraud is not OK. Not just unwelcome, she is unacceptable to the MSNBC team and, most importantly, to MSNBC viewers.
Rachel Madow said that the MSNBC brass signed off on McDaniel's hiring when they were informed of it, and it was only when the staff were told of it and threw a fit with their bosses that they went back and made a statement of opposition. I have to believe that the MSNBC people have to be wondering about whom they're working for. This is a very troubling development.
And … as Lawrence O’Donnell pointed out last night, some of the NBC managers who made this decision weren’t even born before Watergate. If not an outright corrupt move to protect themselves and the benefits that go with positions of tremendous power and influence, this decision, it seems, is a move to appease Trump world. Which will never work, especially if T wins the Whitehouse. Trump is not a politician; he’s a gangster. And so is Ronna.
Trump will never peacefully get to the White House.
You are right. He and his supporters have told us so. Why do we keep questioning what they have told us.,,,
He will never get to the White House. We won't allow it, one way or another.
Is it news to anyone that in major media organizations, the "suits" tend to be richer, whiter, more male, and a lot less liberal than those doing the actual work?
Carrie Budoff Brown did the hiring. Has she attempted to explain herself yet?
Does anyone think she did it entirely on her own, i.e., without consulting anybody?
These folks are career oriented to the point of destroying the ground they stand on not understanding that the whole enterprise of respectable news and news opinion depends on presenting and taking the side of the truth and maintaining credibility and reputation. Somehow this had morphed into presenting whatever in the name of presenting "bothsides". It's as if equal they disregarded morality and were unconcerned about how vulnerable people can be especially when they trust a source, a powerful source. Without the anchors revolt, they would let things slide further.
With Trump the media print and online, and after complaints, started calling a lie a lie, a falsehood a falsehood. They had to be told this so lost they became?
That McDaniel continued to rationalize and defend herself and her part in the insurrection was unconscionable; that was passed over. The anchors shamed the powers that be, and subtly, in concert, used their power. Let it be a lesson and an example that many in the "biz" still need. It reflected on the best and they revolted.
My sense is that those at the top are generally business people, not journalists, and that's the way they think, act, and react. The journalists, at least the good ones, are always walking a tightrope between the paymasters and their commitment to their own trade.
It does not make business sense to have those at the top foreign to what the company stands for, it's reputation, history, mission. It's a responsibility. Does it lead for the good, or succomb to money interests alone? As well what good journalism is about even if one does not have training in it.. which they should.
Which is why substack is so good. But we are channeling and are channeled.
Good point. We haven’t heard the end of that story yet.
Ronna is out.
Good. Haven’t seen a link yet.
Ari Melber just read the announcement from the head of NBC programming (Cesar ?). He explained the “group think,” recognized the outcry, apologized to anchors. I feel certain his statement will be read each hour this evening.
Every news organization - big & small - has now released the news! Thank heavens NBC found the fortitude to do the right thing and cut Ronna - another liar like tfg - loose.
I'm not sure it's an entirely troubling development. The fact that brass signed off on it is absolutely troubling but the response from MSNBC and NBC staff plus the inundation of emails from so many of us on substack and from elsewhere, causing her hiring to be rescinded, is heartening. May brass have learned something from this, most particularly the message that we out here are watching and letting them know when they "go astray".
Judith, thanks for letting the NBC brass know of your disapproval. Among the lessons I hope they’ve learned is that they need to watch their own network a little more often. If they had done that before they made that, um, ill considered decision, they would have known Ronna McDaniel was over the line.
They are working for people who lost their sense of the importance of integrity and responsibility to the public mind.
Rachel said it best!
Lawrence O'Donnell also did a good job of explaining why he wouldn't interview her or any liar.
Nichole Wallace was also brilliant as always; she led her A block with a severe condemnation of the hire.
Is there a video link somewhere?
I'm sure you can find it on utube.
Hey NBC, if Steve Bannon and Roger Stone sanitized their spiels and tidied up on Linkedin would you hire them? There are not two sides to lies and treason. Full stop.
She's unacceptable in the news business. Shame on NBC.
And I too am grateful for Rachel Maddows show last night. That we have seen scum like drumpf before, but they never had a party machinery, and media behind them, with the exception perhaps of the lord "father" Coughlin.
Her description of the en masse rejection of MSNBC staff was epic.
Rachel was on 🔥
In Nicolle’s coverage she interviewed Tim Snyder who said, “So this is like a trial run for NBC and everyone else to say okay, we're going to practice appeasing a dictator and then when it comes, we'll be better at it."
In his On Tyrann 20 Lessons, number 1 is “Never Obey In Advance”
Synder's Book "On Tyranny: 20 Lessons from the 20th Century" is required reading for all of us. Good news: it concise: not a long read but a powerful read.
This book is excellent! Rachel recommended it in 2017, shortly after Trump was elected. Little book; quick read -- but then I've gone back and back and back to re-read parts as the book sickeningly and increasingly resonates with what is happening to our country.
Yes! MSNBC hosts did exactly what had to be done! Kudos to all of them for speaking the truth!
Nicolle Wallace on Deadline Whitehouse did a great job as well. She had Yale historian Timithy Snyder the author of "On Tyranny" on to discuss the hire and explain why it works in with the autocratic designs of the conservatives. It was no holds barred and great.
Rachel Madow, Chuck Todd, and the other hosts did a great service when standing up against Ronna McDaniel. If you would like to chime in, the email for NBC is nbcshows@nbcuni.com. I've expressed my displeasure, and will not be buying anything advertised on NBC until she's gone.
I wrote to protest Ronna's hiring by NBC. I stated that NBC is now in the same basket as FOX. I can't think of a worse insult.
Me, too! Feels good!!
Yes - write, write, write people! I also wrote to protest both yesterday and today. I hope NBC realizes the utter humility and hardships many of our families endured to pack up settled lives and moved to free themselves of constantly living in fear, and brought themselves here to establish a better system of governance. The link is posted - please take advantage of that and send in a note!
NBC News plans to drop ex RNC-chair RONNA McDANIEL as a paid contributor,” Puck’s Dylan Byers
It was never going to be easy to watch Trump's trials unfold but it was good to hear Judge Merchan hold Trump and his attorney accountable. It's so reassuring to have you provide the facts and an analysis of the law that we can rely on.
Does anyone see the irony in the trial starting on April 15…get your popcorn ready!
He’s not unique in his stupid entitlement but he’s stepped a little closer than he should have to the edge of the cliff by trying to strip us of our democracy. Is he thinking as I hope - that running for president was the worst single decision of his lifetime?
That would require him to have a piece of equipment he has never demonstrated he possesses - a brain.
Agree 100% TCinLA
And the irony is he never wanted to be president. He just wanted his own network.
I doubt he thinks it was a bad decision. If he wins all of these Federal charges disappear. He will figure out some way to tank the Georgia case. My concern is how is he planning to get those electoral votes? He isn't campaigning for broad support; he is limiting the people he wants voting for him.
Some captive nerd genius in Moscow is drawing up the numbers needed in each precinct in the USA on Election Day right now. His traitor techs here are worming their way into voting systems in every state where it counts.
BUT if we vote in big enough numbers it won’t matter.
The only problem with that is that massive turnout in blue states won't matter in the electoral college count, the only count that "counts."
And isn’t that a bunch of BS??!! TC, in my heart of hearts, I feel there will be a landslide victory for Biden-Harris. I am going to keep thinking that. In the meantime, I am sending a solemn request to whatever or whomever is listening to me, that Biden stays healthy.
As I've said before, I think Kamala Harris would be a force to be reckoned with should she need to step up to the presidency. Marlene, I do not know where you are from in CA, but I've seen her work in the Bay Area. Can't say everyone likes Kamala, but no politician is uniquely popular. I think Kamala is being "Hilloried." She is an understudy. And she will listen to those around her.
I'm tired of hearing people trash her.
Kamala will be the law and order president, should she step in. And boy-oh-boy will we need law and order.
Louise, I am, in fact, in the Bay Area and we love her. She’s tough and now very experienced because Biden has sought to give her the reins she needs in case something happens (Heaven forbid!) to him.
Actually she’s being racist’d & misogynist’d. She’s receiving a double whammy. She is more than qualified to be president. Moreover she’s been cris crossing the globe doing international policy.
Kamala has the basic problem Hillary had, she’s a woman. That she is also a woman of color makes two strikes against her. She also is a woman of high intelligence and knowledge, she would be an excellent Commander in Chief.
Hear! Hear!
Yes indeed!!
I think so too! I hope we are right! I worry for his safety especially if desperation takes over. Too many.crazies?
But Kamala will hold back the wild horses!
I’m listening Marlene…..I’m giving it some thought….OK, I’m done thinking and I’m good with it.
I hope we have learned from the 2016 election and keep our eyes on Russia trying to steal the 2024 election. I don't trust the repugs or the Russians (they are the same)
"Some captive nerd genius in Moscow is drawing up the numbers needed in each precinct in the USA on Election Day right now. His traitor techs here are worming their way into voting systems in every state where it counts."
I think this is the sort of bogus nonsense that the MAGA-QANON conspiracy mobs spout ... I don't think it's necessary on here where rational people reside; the electoral machinery is much more hardened than that.
I was stretching things admittedly - though unless I’m wrong (and I don’t believe I am) his idiot troops are plotting some cretinous level schemes.
He is certainly making sure that a lot of marginal states are doing their very best to (illegally) suppress the votes of those who would most likely vote for President Biden.
Seeing it in real time every day. Their tactics to sew up the Attorney Generals position in those states gets the hairs up on the back of my neck.
Still we have advocates who work to thwart them (like Democracy Docket) - it’s a chess game.
Fortunately, they are idiots. About 277 are doing time in the pokey and another 133 or so are wearing decorative ankle bracelets. This does not represent good planning on their part. I guess idiots don’t plan very well - which should inure to our benefit if push comes to shove.
True - reliably moronic .
(I just worry that they’re armed morons). But yes.
It isn't much of a stretch, Patris.
It's not that the"electoral machinery" is the problem. Russian disguised Misinfo and disinfo online was viewed by millions of Americans in the last 2 elections. Plus , we now have several online fake news orgs from Russia disguised as American news orgs. If they only convince 5% of the people who view their propaganda, may be enuf to change the result in swing States . AS a former supporter of ACLU, I'm sad to say that their view of freedom of the press is so extreme that they are fine with Russia online election propaganda. I changed my support to Democracy Docket and ProPublica.
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is a contract among cooperating states such that when they have a collective group representing a majority of the electoral votes (currently 270) by July before the next Presidential election, they will be activated. The compact is an agreement to assign all of the group's electoral votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote. As of March 2024, states completing the process of joining represent 205 electoral votes; states having partially completed the process represent another 101 electoral votes (source: Wikipedia). Getting to 270 votes by July (4 months from now) seems unlikely, but it could very well be in effect for 2028. The NPVIC would leave the Electoral College in place but would render it moot.
Thank you for the explanation! I knew the details years ago, but forgot them.
We pooh-poohed the idea of Russia attempting to subvert our elections, too. How did that work out?
"I doubt he thinks it was a bad decision. If he wins all of these Federal charges disappear."
I agree he had no choice but to run this time ... but for my money the worst decision he made was to run for president in 2016. If he had not - none of these charges would now be confronting him. He could be playing golf every day and making bogus millions.
He claims that he has been treated worse than any previous president, and apart from those who were assassinated in office, I actually think he's right. He's brought all sorts of mayhem upon himself because he stepped out of his grift zone into politics. More fool him.
My guess is he’ll never regret running and winning the presidency. He got to be on TV for five years straight (six now? Seven?). I think celebrity and attention were always at the core of Trump‘s soul… if you can call that a soul. Which, now that I think of it, you can’t. I hereby expunge my first use of the word soul. Totally redacted. Blacked out. Never even existed OK?
He won't win Penny. He would already be in jail had he not declared his campaign for the 2024 presidency - it has been part of his delay plan.
I agree with you!
Love this substack when folks agree with me:)) 💙
He will be in jail after the hush money trial. Then his minions can vote for him while he's in the can and the fence-sitters will have a decision to make.
He’s going to cheat; that’s been the plan all along. Delay the trials, win the election by any means necessary, problem solved.
Patris, he is not thinking at all. He is desperately attempting to avoid jail. But he will be in jail for the remainder of his life.
He will never see the inside of a prison. All of the big lawyers including Joyce have said as much. Moreover, you can be a felon and still be president. There is nothing in our constitution to stop it. Plus he’s still considered a first time offender.
It totally was.
Don Poorleone has experienced the chickens coming home to roost. In the early 1990s in Connecticut, Trump visited Hartford to try and receive approval to build a casino. But our then governor, Lowell Wicker and my friend and Hartford mayor, Carrie Saxon Perry, were already working an exclusive deal with our Native tribes to which Trump mused, “They don’t look like Indians to me.”
Well Donald Trump, you don’t look like a billionaire to me.
(I have my press credentials and intend to be in court writing about it.)
Billkatz@substract.com
Thank you, Joyce for lining things up for us. Also, was very happy to see MSNBC newscasters call out Ronna Romney McDaniels over the air and in real time. She is not to be trusted and obviously, neither are the execs at NBC. They too, may be complicit for all we know. I loved it when Lawrence said if he had an opportunity to interview her, which he said he won’t, he would ask her why she succumbed to what Trump wanted. That was to remove her maiden name when she was RNC chair. Gotta love Lawrence!
Reading the verbatim of the Access tape leaves me shaking my head and wondering how did tfg get beyond that.
Because a lot of people (men) out there admire it, wish they were as rich & famous, and would like to be able to do the same thing?
Cargill, bingo, the curtain got pulled back
Very many
Because you have to be a moron to be a Fundiescum.
Brushed off by the cheerleader moms in the suburbs as “locker room talk.” And since the primary objective of Maga is to own the Libs, irritate the libs, annoy the libs… while being entertaining, is the whole game for the Maga people. The more outrageous the better from their point of view. And that’s why if the fat slob is still alive in November, he’ll get millions of votes. The thirst for fascism in this country is on a different shelf altogether.
Watching Morning Joe, Nicolle, Ari, Maddow (right now cause I nodded off before the end of Ari) flat out say No to having Rona on makes me realize just how much integrity the on air people really have unlike Fox or Newsmax. I don’t see Rona being around much longer cause we the viewers and the biggest names on MSNBC won’t allow it. I would even venture to say that the person that hired her is on shaky ground. Notice TFG hasn’t said anything about Rona? Cause she could promote the big lie for him. Everyone has stuck together and that’s what we need to defeat this scourge on our country of the party of Trump. The GOP died in 2017 and although a few stragglers are left it won’t rise out of the ashes like a phoenix. Those stragglers are without a party.
I'm hoping another couple of Congressional GOP Reps throw in the towel so the Dems can have a majority before the election. Jen Psaki asked Nancy Pelosi on last Sunday's show if it were possible that Hakim Jeffries would become speaker before the election and Pelosi would not say, spoke of her support for Jeffries, then quietly agreed. That would be something, the GOP imploding.
All it’s gonna take is 2 more defections.
You know, Nancy has a tremendous amount of patience. That’s something I should really learn from her. I guess it comes after raising so many children.
We're working on it in CD4. Ken Bucks seat can go D
I respect your opinion but once he is gone in 2026 or 27 because appeals won’t be decided until then, the rest of the Red State Rs will try to make believe he never happened by never again mentioning his name in public. I suspect their party will be weaker on the national scene but they will continue to dominate in much of South and Midwest in State legislatures and Governors. However, younger voters will be in the majority in 2030 and thereafter on the Federal level and battleground states! The dichotomy will intensify!
He won’t be gone unless he’s in prison or dead. Even in prison he’ll be running his con game with his cult.
I still want to see him in a wheelchair drooling into his lap. Still trying to smear on his makeup.
Does he wear it sweating at golf?
Ira, do you think the younger Maga voters have already been indoctrinated into “brown shirts”? My thought is that Gen Z’ers will over power them. At least, that is my hope.
Young conservative AI experts will figure out how to build a new opposition party to the Dems. Best I can tell, the people most interested in devoting their lives to money view the Trump years not as a disaster, but as a tremendous business opportunity for the future.
Ugh
“We cannot let these people pretend it never happened.” This is exactly what NBC is doing..
"Nicolle Wallace, discussing NBC's hiring of Ronna McDaniel, reads on @MSNBC this except from Timothy Snyder's 'On Tyranny':
"Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do." NBC is practicing appeasing a Dictator with McDaniel..This must remain in the news cycle and continue to pressure NBC until they dump McDaniel..It is unacceptable!
I would encourage everyone who hasn’t purchased it, to buy a copy of Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny” - a primer on the language and tactics of a dictator in the rise. It’s laid out like a children’s book, appropriately so.
This is a very good idea! It’s a $6.30 book on Amazon, likely the same as a Covid home test..the Biden Admin should put one into every household in the country!
There's also a Graphic Edition, illustrated by Nora Krug, published by Ten Speed Press. It's excellent. I've read both editions, and am thinking it's time for a re-read.
Yes, that’s what I have. It’s the superior edition, I think. Since we are struggling in the fog of this crisis, the illustrated version brings ultimate, stark clarity while the graphics keep us calm.
The Biden Campaign should hand this book out at all public events, Have them distributed at all Trump rallies!
Amen. Required reading. On the top of my near-at-hand book stack.
All of us need to write to NBC/MSNBC to let them know how we feel and why why feel this way.
I sent my messages yesterday morning.
"We're all in this together."
Yes we do.
Today a mid day NPR program played 45’s comments forever. We don’t need to hear all his ranting, his criticism of judges and how he’s being victimized. That just helps his lies become embedded in the air. They did point out some if the lies but nothing that justified giving him all that air time. That happens too often.
Trump gets too much free air time which is unmatched for Biden. We need the law back that requires equal time on the air.
True, true. However, our President Biden does not participate in ranting and raving, nor provide fodder for the tabloid type rantings like Trump does. Our president is a diplomatic, mature individual who does not engage in such behavior.
'...Judge Juan Merchan seems to have taken the measure of the man.'
'I moved on her, and I failed. I'll admit it. I did try and fuck her, she was married." (Trump)
'She wanted to get some furniture. I said I'll show you where they have some nice furniture. I moved on her like a bitch. I couldn't get there and she was married. Then all-of-a-sudden I see her, she's now got the big phony tits and everything. She's totally changed her look." (Trump)
Trump: "Look at you. You are a pussy."
'...I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything." (Trump)
Trump: "Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."
'That’s why Trump was desperate to keep Stormy Daniels from going public about their sexual relationship before the election. The case is best understood as one about an effort by a candidate to conceal material information from voters ahead of an election—election interference.' (Joyce Vance)
This man was the president of the United States and is currently The Republican candidate running for a 2nd term as the country's president.
It is the United States of America that is on trial. Let the people decide.
And yet, we must also get the correct number of electoral college votes!
So hard to even believe that we had him as a “leader” and I say that loosely, of our precious nation. A hideous, vile human being describes Donald J. Trump. May dementia take him to a place bigger and better than he’s ever gone to before.
Marlene, right before I read your reply, I was lying in bed unable to sleep thinking about him and his latest Al Capone performances. I was imaging a Trumperama campaign, a la Cinerama; continuous clips of him from 'pussy' talk, his non-sequiturs, lies, lies, lies to his mobster mimicry. It would make us even more nauseas than we are, but, finally, maybe, get it through Americans minds the measure of this despicable man.
Fern, I should be in bed but my mind is churning away, like yours. Remember when Obama won and that glorious feeling we had? I honestly believe we will achieve it again. Look at the House, for instance. It's falling apart because even some R’s with a little integrity can’t take it anymore. Nobody wants to hang around with MTG because she’s like a ticking time bomb! She isn't the only one…just the loudest and the most obnoxious, second to Jordan. I also think a lot about how Nancy Pelosi handled things so eloquently and with unsurmountable patience. Patience has gotten us this far, albeit scratching on the chalkboards!
Your thoughts of a play re: trump’s words and antics is probably being written and rewritten by Lin Manuel, as we speak. Goodnight my sweet friend. We have tomorrow to moan about when Scotus, once again, votes against women. 🥱😴
Lin Manuel. I love it! I can hear it so clearly. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Marlene! I can sleep now I think.
That is so point on! The people of the United States have a chance to show their solidarity…please don’t fail the country.
Fern, the issue is becoming “which people do you mean, real people or ‘electoral’ people? Montana Electoral People or New York People people?”
Or perhaps just the State’s Congressional People
Or perhaps the untouchable SCOTUS Gang of Six?
The notion that “The People” should decide? That ship is leaving port
All of the people, Dave Dalton.
Do you know the book 'Let the People Decide by J. Dodd Moye? It is worthwhile to look into.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_the_People_Decide
Fern, “It is the United States of America that is on trial. Let the people decide.” it appears to me that “The People” are losing their toe hold on being the final arbiters of who might lead our country. A number of scenarios exist that could throw an election into the House of Representatives or back to the states ( with a slim Red Majority) that extinguishes the voice of the People
Similarly our untouchable Gang of Six have taken to rule by fiat obliterating precedent with impunity
I’m not really sure what you are intimating here, “me of all people”? That my confidence in Justice is waning at the hands of despots and loopholes? That I should have faith the somehow the Magician’s spell over MAGAe will be broken, that the Trumpians will come to their senses?
We fight the good fight but the deck seems stacked, the scales thumbed
Please explain to me what your intention was with the link
Open the link, when you are able to temporarily stop lecturing/hectoring me, otherwise, what are you doing about changing your scenario?... Ask yourself that if you can. Enough, goodbye, for now!
KA-BOOM!
Sisterhood, a beautiful embrace, crucial joint action and a perfect sound! Thank you, dear Marlene.
I opened the link. There was no intent on my part to lecture you. My comment was rhetorical with intent to suggest that the voice of the people is being diminished. You could have asked for clarification but instead You chose to interpret it your own way, then without context posted a link that was supposed to “school” me on some tangent known only to yourself
Dave Dalton,
My comment centered around the character of Trump as represented in his very well known 'Pussy' video, and was, nevertheless, elected president. Some readers may they have
connected that many voters, although not the majority, have
an attraction to his 'character'. A question about a great number of American voters was raised.
The comment ended with 'Let the people decide'. Again, 'the people
were brought to the fore. You and I have both pointed to the vital role of 'the people'. I stated that America was on trial and that the voters would decide, with my last sentence, 'Let the people decide'.
I recommended that you look into the subject of the book, 'Let the People Decide', so that you might understand the nature of my comment.
'Moye concluded that "the class differences that developed in African American communities over time [which] profoundly affected the goals and strategies of the movements they created" as stated on p. 23.[1] Moye stated that there were many civil rights movements occurring throughout the United States and that the influences of economics and social class also caused differences.' (Wikipedia)
I thought that referring to the substance of the book might lead you to consider the various factors impacting voters' preferences. My comment advocated considering candidate Trump's character; voters' preferences, and the need in the presidential election to motivate all potential voters as well as figuring out which segments of voters are most crucial to attract. (Always a critical component of getting out the vote.)
I did not not present a step by step campaign but tried to provide associations, which would lead readers to have more of a sense of what is at state in the coming presidential election.
Thank you Joyce for always giving us clear, understandable facts and explanations of the law. I end each night with your words of encouragement and resolve. We are truly in this together!
Whatever happens with the trial it distracts and alters his ability to campaign and he is always in the news for fraud and criminal activity. Remember after Vicksburg and Gettysburg is still took almost 2 years to end the civil war. The difference was the North was on the way to ending the war. We may not win right away but like the confederacy Trump is always on the defensive.
Thanks Joyce!
Trump is charged with 34 counts by the Manhattan DA. If he is convicted on all (probably not likely) that has to be quite a jail sentence. I've heard 4 years for each felony count?
Given two to three years for appeals as an 80 yr old he probably gets house arrest forever with his Secret Service detail and perhaps without his cellphone.
His secret service should be stopped immediately. I didn’t know the Secret Service was required to guard someone charged with felonies? It seems maybe the rules need to change.
I would like to see that, as well, but alas…he’s a man. Now, if they could put him in government housing, I could live with that!
Ah, the grotesque spectacle unfolds again, a hideous ballet of privilege and power, dancing on the grave of what we once naively called justice. This scene, starring none other than the titan of American absurdity, Donald Trump, is nothing short of a depraved mockery of every principle we've been spoon-fed since birth. The courts, those supposed bastions of fairness, have twisted themselves into a grotesque shape, reducing a financial verdict for Trump as if it were a mere trifle, a plaything for the rich.
Hell, why not? Why shouldn't every battered soul drowning in debt scream into the void, demanding their dues be slashed to pennies on the dollar? "I owe what? Trim it down, judge! Didn’t you see the Trump discount? I’m as American as that bloated icon of excess!" It’s as if we’ve stumbled into a bizarro world where the scales of justice are not just blind but blithely snorting the cocaine of privilege off a golden blade.
The audacity is almost admirable in its naked villainy. This isn’t a mere court decision; it’s a flaming arrow shot into the heart of the concept of equality. It’s an open declaration that the rules are not just bent but obliterated for those with the right connections, the right bank accounts. The message is clear: In the eyes of a warped system, some animals are more equal than others.
And what does this tell the average Joe? It tells them that the game is rigged, that the house always wins, and that the notion of 'justice for all' is as mythical as unicorns and as extinct as dodos. It’s a carnival of madness where the rich and powerful ride the Ferris wheel of fortune, while the rest of us can barely afford a ticket to the sideshow.
This isn’t just a blow; it’s a loud and clear call to arms. A wake-up slap for every sleeping soul who thought maybe, just maybe, there was a shred of fairness left in this country. We need to rise, not in quiet despair, but in roaring defiance. To demand a system that doesn’t grovel at the feet of mammon and power. To reclaim the tattered remnants of our dignity and demand not just equality but justice – real justice, blind to wealth and status.
So let’s not just seethe in silent fury. Let’s take this travesty, this obscene perversion of justice, and use it as fuel. Fuel for change, for action. Because if we don’t stand up now, if we don’t scream from every rooftop that we’ve had enough of this farcical charade, then we might as well admit that the soul of America is not just sick, but on its deathbed.
This is our fight, not just against a ruling, but against the very forces that would have us believe that we are powerless. They’ve shown their hand, and it’s up to us to call their bluff. With the ferocity of a thunderstorm, with the unyielding force of a tidal wave, we must demand a return to sanity, to a world where justice isn’t just a plaything for the rich. It’s time to take back what’s ours.
Here's a wild idea: Rather than dutifully mailing our tax payments like the obedient American lambs we've been, how about we pen a defiant note to the IRS? "Dear IRS, the coffers are bare, and my wallet's as thin as political promises. So, here's a crisp $20 bill. Let's just square up and call it a day, shall we?"
Hi Gloria, Or we could say we will pay when the 'trickle down' that Reagan promised comes in. 💙
Yes!!
That’s brilliant! A national everyone send in their taxes 2 days late, and as big a % discount as the former Prez got.
As someone who pays all of their taxes on time and fully i am pissed. I live in one state, work in another and am taxed to death...i pay way more than GE, DJT and all the other rich people and corporations...yep my SS is still on the line? It is wrong!
Same!
A brilliant rousing Call to Arms. No taxation without true social justice being seen to be done. Equally applicable to post Brexit UK.
Well said. Now, in this moment, we can organize and vote the Trumpublicans out of office. Then send your powerful message to everyone in politics, and at every level of government, from the town council to the SCOTUS, that we demand justice, equality, liberty, and fairness. That we are watching their every move and will respond in massive numbers to replace those who choose to play us for fools or use us as pawns.
Knowledge is power.
We can still dump their tea in the water.
Gloria, Our descent from middle-class America began in 1981 with Reaganomics. In 1986, the Tax Law was passed, eliminating the deduction Americans could take for credit card interest. Middle class Americans stopped investing the money they saved on deductions. After we get out the vote and vote Blue to re-elect Biden and the Blue bicameral congress, we need to restore our rights: including eliminating tax laws that allow billionaires to pay 3.9% taxes.
Elegant. Beautifully written. Your last paragraph, however, would get us little people promptly jailed for tax evasion.
Probably but we can dream, can’t we? 😀
Except that tfg doesn't ask, he demands. "Here's your $20, you owe me change. And just try coming after me for tax evasion. You didn't deliver on the government promises, I'm not paying."
I feel angry and frustrated. It's infuriating.
I have had to mentally refrain from expecting help from our justice system. If we can't beat this dictator wannabee at the polls, we are lost. The courts really are not going to help us.
They are compromised by The Federalist Society, politics in their social standing and social life, and fear of violence and threats to them and their family.
NY Appeals Court offered no reason for cutting his bond by over 60%, and they stayed several key clauses in the judgment imposed by Judge Arthur Engeron, leaving only the Monitor and Compliance Director in place. Such a deal! How many judges does this guy own anyway? Just sickening, all of it.
You could take a more positive view ... they cut out the huge bond (and some other stuff) on the grounds that it seriously messes with the appeals process time-line, and they want to get to that expeditiously, and confirm the major $$$ decisions of Judge Engeron. Am I naïve?
We can hope. But I don’t think you’re right (what do I know?) the bond needed to be posted so he could appeal. No bond. No appeal. Pay up. This isn’t about getting to trial
I'm not sure that's right.
He had already lodged his appeal to the substantial ruling (you owe NYS $450 mill), and then he made a "sub-appeal" to avoid putting up the full amount of the finding - and today he won that. But he still has to argue why the lower court decision should be overturned ... that is a steep hill to climb, given the forensic evidence in the lower court decision.
Does he have any grounds at all, other than he doesn't like the decision?
Apparently his inconsistent statements about cash on hand were not part of the record.
I am reminded of the contest at the county fair in which the participants attempted to catch a greased pig. It was a hoot. This is not. I keep hoping though.