“I want to be crystal clear about what’s on the ballot this year. Your right to choose is on the ballot this year. The Social Security you paid for from the time you had a job is on the ballot. The safety of our kids from gun violence is on the ballot…. The very survival of our planet is on the ballot. Your right to vote is on the ballot. Even…democracy.”
“The MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and economic security,” he said. “They’re a threat to our very democracy. They refuse to accept the will of the people. They embrace…political violence. They don’t believe in democracy.”
“This is why in this moment, those of you who love this country—Democrats, Independents, mainstream Republicans—we must be stronger,” he said.
All of you "disappointed Democrats" worried about "sleepy Joe" can now go to bed without supper.
He's set the campaign: it's not going to be about him - it's going to be about the Thousand Year MAGAts.
As long as the House MAGAts were called out for their PPP hypocrisy, let's recall Senator Skeletor on his super yacht cruise in the Mediterranean. What a fucking moron! No Senatorial campaign manager who's actually serious goes on vacation during August recess.
Our media has become so enamored with the shiniest (loudest) thing, they can't see the ends of their collective noses. Even the "serious" news channels don't go after anything but glitter. Seems to me the only serious journalists we have anymore are the ones who still write for the papers. And even some of them are being turned. It's a damn shame.
Yes, the media (I'm afraid print and digital) are not a small part of the problem. In too many cases, they create the problem. The press tell us what ever they want to and suggest an approved way of thinking about what's happening. They decide what news to report, what to give a spin, what to praise and what to avoid,
And there is precious little we can do about it because it is very difficult to fight with someone who's hiding in the dark.
Please, when you point a finger, be specific about who you are pointing at instead of some general category that would include people who don't deserve to be lumped in with others.
Goodness. I had no intention of "pointing a finger." I'm very sorry if you found my way of wording my reply offensive or insulting in any way. You have my sincere apology
This isn't personal, Dean. It is simply about clarity. "The media" is an awfully big category. It would be helpful if you were more specific about which media or entity you are referring to, and who "they" means, and what specifically "they" are doing that is troublesome. I tend to agree with your statement in specific terms, but as it is, your post is too generic to respond to in any meaningful way.
Some Independent media figures (online) don't have their heads in the corporate shill sand. Forget MSNBC, CNN, Faux... if you wanna really know what's going on.
Thanks, Suz, I actually shouldn't even refer to television news since I haven't watched it since around 2012 when the Obama Bashing started. My news for a long time has come from the NYTimes and the New Yorker. This year I cancelled the NYTimes, discovered HCR and Robert Hubbell and have Slate as the home page on my browser. I found I couldn't live without the New Yorker. I have found I didn't lose a thing due to Professor Richardson's end notes and the writers for Slate regularly referring to the best of the major print sources. And, oh, be still my heart: My home is silent (except for my grandson's construction vehicles videos on the weekend) and if I absolutely need a hit of tv news I can go to YouTube and get ten minutes, which is how I watched the Kavanaugh hearings. And, finally, the icing on the cake: Slate has Dear Prudence!
Sounds great, Dean! There's plenty more... and guess what? Lots of valuable reporting from people way younger than us. That's where the real action is. Gives me hope! Have a wonderful day - evening. And enjoy that grandson!! :-)
Why I appreciate this: all of these are part of the media, too, and you are specific about why you use them or don't. We both turn to some of the same sources, some of which Heather uses as well. The point is that it's not ALL media entities that is the problem. It is SOME media, and it is essential to not lump them all together when making an assertion about what "they" do.
Isn't that why the right-wing press is serving reheated Hunter Biden stew?
Diversions, diversions, the ploy common to bank robbers and crooked politicians...
Apart from distracting people from the real issues and exposing America to acute brainfood poisoning, the HB stew has the advantage of undermining the FBI at a crucial moment after the Lair o' Maga search.
You know, Peter, your images and language are brilliantly illustrative of the medium being the message. It really is just this kind of stew. When I focus my mind for too long on any of it and try for something at least comprehensible I usually end up with a headache. In words I've borrowed from someone, we're trying to make sense out of something that doesn't make sense. In another unoriginal phrase, bench-pressing a brick wall. A raging activist my whole life, I now believe I need to strive for a balance between waiting and working like the devil. The hardest for me is the waiting.
I want to say how much I sympathize -- despite being no activist just a Cassandra. I sympathize with your bellyaching or headaching -- but there's such an overload of mind poison in circulation, who can blame you? -- and I sympathize with your impatience.
Worse than poisoning our soil, our water, the very air we breathe, they're poisoning our institutions... which are neither ethereal abstractions nor tables of stone, but living beings, live emanations of our communities.
First, our complacent neglect -- no care, no food, no water, no exercise -- and now, the poisoners, the poachers, the parasites and vampires...
Is it surprising then if we too get sick? I do... Last but not least, your impatience...
A metaphor cocktail...
The ship has hit an iceberg, side's ripped out, she's listing wildly, but all they can do is continue their poker games in tilting 1st Class staterooms, while most passengers just keep on sleeping, sleeping...
Peter, I thought the reference about Hunter Biden was so off-the-wall weird! Me thinks the ragged right edge is stretching pretty far for some kind of come-back. Don't think it's working much- the same ol' people will think it actually means something, but I think more Real Republicans and a lot of independents will veer away from something that far out. As they seem to be doing.
There are a few mainstream-media columnists who get it and are worth reading. Most of them are women and/or people of color. I've become a serious fan of Jennifer Rubin. She hits the nail on the head almost every time she swings.
There is a rise of independent media fighting the good fight. Meidastouch, Lincoln Project, Politics Girl, and RHQ are making noise. MSNBC has been the only mainstream media doing their job. ABC Australia's 4 Corners, Propublica, and Frontline have also been sounding the fire alarms. Our major networks have failed their first ammendment duties and sold their souls.
Scott knows how badly he’s handled his “job”, starting with his insane platform, which was hard to walk back. He knows the GOP will lose even more seats in the senate this year. Poor thing, it would be disheartening if one had a heart.
IMHO--this passionate speech by Joe has to be one of the biggest challenges for him and it does make me proud. I find him to be an introspective man, one who has been formed by tremendous loss and challenges in life. (IMHO, after losing a spouse and child to a tragic accident, doesn't it make everything else in life seem less important?) I think he holds tremendous faith that carries him forth. The yelling, screaming, posturing must seem........ridiculous for lack of a better term, after all he has endured. To be forced to come out fighting like this, to me is huge! Indeed, "Sleepy Joe" has always seemed to be a misnomer for someone whose maturity and life experiences has enabled them to see what truly matters and ignore the rabble. Bravo, Joe!!
I agree. Joe Biden has never been given the credit he deserves. And he is a champion of education and helping the middle and working classes that have been pretty much stomped on over the past fifty years. He's been through so much in his life that he has learned to let things roll off his back and keep going. I have a great deal of respect for this man. Plus he reads and he gets things done. Bravo Joe.
As one columnist said “Biden has become the dragon”. I can’t tell you that I wasn’t hesitant to vote for Joe. I had seen and heard his guffaws quite a few times. However, when you look at his extensive congressional political background and the tragedies he has faced, I changed my mind. I am very proud that he represents our country and that he has a very competent staff to help guide him. Personally, I feel we need to have a pocket-size card in our purses or wallets that exclaim his accomplishments. We can hand them out to people when they forget what he has done for its inhabitants.
I absolutely agree. Biden is not, nor does he pretend to be, a perfect man. He is that far-preferable thing--a whole man, mistakes, flaws, losses, blessings, embarrassing moments and all. Maybe I can sum up what I'm trying to say with just "Joe Biden is a man". Thanks, Miselle
I think they (right wing leaning media esp) came out with the "sleepy joe" thing because they are used to making headlines with the right wing bombast for so long they don't know how to do real news anymore. I'm sad some of the mainstream picked up the meme, but then a lot of the reporters there are of an age to have picked up bad habits and too old to know it. It seems to be the younger ones and the wiser middle-age ones who've turned back to reporting news instead of noise.
The sleepy joe persona struck a chord with more than a few on the left, especially those that wanted Buttigieg or someone younger. All I hear is these folks saying that Dems need to put someone more energizing up in 2024. I don’t push back in the moment but do make sure to enumerate at other times on the list of positives Biden is doing.
I love your way with words! "Senator Skeletor" and MAGAts"...this just made my day, and it's Friday on top of that! Thanks, TC! And ol' Joe is turning up the heat isn't he? I love that they were ready with the numbers on forgiven debt when the repugs started shouting their disapproval. Throw it back in their faces!
I had been wracking my brain as to who "Senator Skeletor" could be; then some good soul posted the name, along with his other moniker, "Governor Voldemort" and I then saw who Skeletor was. Good grief, where to these people come from?
He did. And was CEO of Columbia/HCA and oversaw the biggest Medicare fraud case in the country. To the tune of 840 million in 2000, and 881 million in 2002. Brilliant that the republicons put him in charge of their National campaign fund. Now they are wondering where their money is 😹😹
Joe Biden also gave us an important descriptor last night, one we need to start using in every conversation we have with neighbors, friends, and relatives; in Letters to the Editor; in signs in our yard:
"Mainstream."
Mainstream Republicans vote FOR democracy. Mainstream Republicans vote FOR women's rights. Mainstream Republicans vote FOR law & order.
So interesting that "Senator Skeleton" seemed to suddenly crawl out from under his rock a few months ago. He was almost dead quiet before that. He has to go. He was already proven corrupt before he was elected to any public office.....the decay has just continued.
"The Social Security you paid for from the time you had a job is on the ballot. " It continues to amaze me that when the Repubs call social security an "entitlement" there is so little pushback of the FACT that we and our employers paid for it - AND frankly yes, we ARE entitled to that money! The same goes for Medicare (or Medicaid). Its ours & PAID FOR!
And, for that matter, calling FICA - that tiny percentage out of our paychecks- is so misunderstood by so many people. And some of our politicians must not understand what it is either from the rhetoric! Of course they likely make too much for it to matter.
Wow, just wow. So much to unpack here. Thank you for putting everything into perspective as always. We live very close to Rockville and I so wanted to be there, but that was a by invitation only event apparently, I couldn’t go. What a speech President Biden gave.
With all due respect to Joe Biden, who is doing the best he can. There is nothing "semi" about Fascism, not Mussolini's, not Trump's. Fascism is either all or nothing and leads inevitably to violence. We are facing an extreme and urgent danger. Too late to hedge our bets.
Christine, I have no way of knowing what Joe Biden knows. But the Fascist nature of the Trump phenomenon -- both broadly and in the details -- has been obvious for many months, if not years. The fact that anyone, including a few otherwise sensible journalists and commentators, is suggesting that there is any substitute for simply subjecting Trump and associates to the rule of law is truly scary. Nixon should have been tried and jailed for his crimes, and Ford's pardon of him has come home to roost big-time.
Joe Biden has a long history as a moderate politician willing to play the Washington game, and he has certain habits and instincts that occasionally hamper his being forceful and decisive. The term "semi-fascist" reflects this. I appreciate that he has finally said "Fascist" and suggested that our Democracy is in danger. Now I will await further signs that he has learned some important lessons since being elected, and that he will further adjust his rhetoric to the gravity of the danger we are all in. His recent comments are a big step in that direction, and I will cheer him on, but I am not a cheerleader.
Simple logic prevents me from expecting him to do more than he can, and it is impossible to know what a different Democratic president might have done in his place. That water has passed under the bridge.
David, I couldn’t agree more with your first paragraph, and would add that Trump’s acquittal on two impeachments added to his belief that he is above the law. For the sake of our democracy, that must not be true.
With all due respect, though, I disagree about the wisdom of the semi-fascist statement. For one, words come back to haunt politicians. Remember Clinton’s basket of deplorables? She was right, but it still impacted her campaign negatively. For another, we are living in a time when the word Nazis is being deployed, weaponized, and falsely used by Russia to demonize Ukrainians, and that word is inextricably linked with the word fascist. We must take care not to be like them, labeling all who disagree with us as Nazis and pedophiles. I suspect that the word “semi” was carefully chosen, for those reasons.
I personally think Biden is an extraordinary president, doing an extraordinary job with the thinnest of majorities. His expertise in the Washington game has helped that success. He wasn’t my first choice in the primaries (even though I voted for him) but I think he’s the president we need right now.
Biden (and his speech writers) gave us another carefully chosen word, "mainstream." MAINSTREAM Republicans vote FOR democracy, women's rights, law & order, climate control. Mainstream Republicans are NOT MAGATs. Biden is dividing the Republican party for them. between good mainstream and bad semi-fascist. We are now at that tipping point. Talk to your Republican neighbor. Help them redefine themselves as "mainstream." Then tell them why they have to vote for Democrats, just this once, or maybe they will never be voting again.
Kathy, I agree with you that Biden has the hardest job in the world and deserves our support because he is on the right (as in "correct") side of just about every issue. And his getting anything even remotely useful through this Senate is close to miraculous. But I think we are nearing a crucial moment when Trump will be arrested and held for questioning and have his passport confiscated. This will freak out many of his supporters, some -- or many -- of whom will be tempted to resort to violence on his behalf, so there will be a need for the rest of us to know exactly what is happening and why.
IMHO, calling what we are risking "Fascism" , semi or otherwise, is no exaggeration and is appropriate. Hillary expressed an opinion and a judgement with her "deplorables", and though I am not sure how many potential supporters she offended, it sure was a media feeding frenzy and it turned out the comment was politically ill-advised. In Biden's case, though, I think we all need to know that what Trump has been doing and will continue doing is trying to overthrow our democratically elected government, take power personally and transform our country into a place few of us will recognize or like. This means Biden -- not given to hyperbole -- needs to get everyone's attention and describe the situation as it is. So, comparing us with pre-Mussolini Italy or pre-Hitler Germany is a legitimate way to do that. And it is irrelevant that the issues specific to the USA in 2022 are not exactly the same as the issues specific to Italy or Germany before WW2. Lots of good Americans seem to have lost their minds in a way similar to the way Italians and Germans lost theirs. Maybe Joe can bring them back to their senses. I sure hope so.
When I post HCR on my FB page and note President Biden's use of "semi-fascism," I explain exactly what FASCISM is. I remind my followers that we fought FASCISTS in WWII. I am doing this because I have followers who apparently have never studied history, are married to the GOP, are getting all their "political" information from fake news sources and evangelical church leaders and just the uninformed who hang out in gyms and bars.
Hear, hear David, I’m 100% with you. Interestingly, my Italian brother-in-law very much objects to my characterization of our situation as a division between democrats and fascists, saying that the word has such a specific meaning for them that it absolutely does not apply to what we are seeing (I disagree). Are you seeing any of that there when you speak to Italians about it?
Kathy, I'm finding Italians generally ill-informed about how we choose our leaders, what the Electoral College is and how it works (or doesn't), the extent to which the 50 states differ from one another, the power (and politicization) of our Supreme Court, and a few other things. Of course, I might also say the same thing about Americans, who have no excuse, and even spottier knowledge of how Italians or other Europeans do things.
When I suggest that Fascism wears a MAGA hat these days, Italians just tell me I'm being a bit extreme (What could I know about Fascism?) and that Americans would never do anything that dumb. To be honest, most of my friends and acquaintances here don't really like to talk politics with me because they are sure I will never really understand them.
When I suggest Trump will soon be in prison, they usually say: "No way, rich people like that never go to prison, " and then change the subject. There is broad agreement that most politicians are corrupt and that politics is inherently corrupting, and on some days I find myself in full agreement, but then I think of Liz Cheney, who may be wrong on almost all the issues but is definitely not corrupt.
That is really well said. Thank you. At this moment in history, we need some competence and some wisdom. And we need a President who is willing to ask for and take advice. It's not all about him, but he is a quietly determined man on a mission to bust the bullies. We absolutely need that now. We need to unify the democrats, independent, and non-MAGA Republicans.
I really appreciate the pointed calmness of your comment, Susan. The heart will probably show up later, but I want to make sure that you know that I wholly agree with you. Your synopsis of what is critical RIGHT NOW is appropriate. I'm tired of being told I have to be in a constant state of panic or I don't know what is going on. We've been there before, don't need to be constantly repeating it.
Question. Since the right wing media daily refers to Democrats as the “radical left”, “communists”, “nazis”, “godless”, and many other words beyond the pale why does it not make sense to match the fight equally??
Because they are playing to their audience. Our audience is a different one, who responds to a more rational, respectful style that speaks truth. The right wing media is reaching for extreme language because it's all they have left.
I do think the Dems should be fighting differently, a la Fetterman, and as the new WH Twitter person is doing. But I think we need to draw the line at lying, don’t you?
I think you are nitpicking the semi fascist quote. Biden is doing an amazing job. He has now drawn the sword and is swinging! Instead of nitpicking, pick up your own sword and get into the fray. Biden will go further as he sense we are behind him. So get behind him already!
Who is nitpicking David? Is it not appropriate for him to have a historical perspective as I do with reference to president Biden. David expressed his appreciation for Biden's latest condemnation of MAGA as well as the need for the president to strongly call out fascism as it is being implemented by the Republican Party.
You're the 'either' ' or' nitpicker, Neither of your targets suggested any such thing. PS Do you think for a moment that having a historical perspective thwarts strongly identifying fascism and fiercely attacking it? We are subscribers to a newsletter founded by an exceptional historian providing readers with a historical perspective on current affairs in America.
Ned, my sword is my pen (keyboard, actually) and I do vote, even from the wilds of Le Marche in Italy because Colorado lets me scan and email my ballot to Boulder County, the last place I resided in the USA. I also have contributed what I can online to various Democratic candidates, including even Hillary and Joe once they had won nomination.
Also, Italy has parliamentary elections on Sep. 25th (in which my wife can vote) and we have a little problem of (resurgent) Fascism here, too. We're trying to do our part to snuff it out.
I think Biden has to slowly bring the truth out to the violent and brainwashed maga crowd in order to not pop their brains out with Truth of their corrupt idols. It has to be done incrementally. They have been groomed and lied to for a very long time. Providing them with Truth has to be done similarly and incrementally. I think he said very powerful words considering the propaganda they have been fed for so long. And I bet we see them grow stronger as the irrefutable evidence keeps unfolding.
I see a need for a combination of both. We can't worry so much about the maga crowd compared to the need to energize and awaken true democrats and create a powerful energy and purpose that awakens and unites us to the battle we must engage with in the next 2 months in order to save democracy at the ballot box in November. The healing/enlightening of the maga crowd will take much longer than that. So for the moment we can't worry about them and how to save them from the lies they are following. Our immediate need is to push the truth in unsparing terms to rally those who believe with us that democracy must be saved.
That's the creepy part. They have been duped and nobody likes to be duped. I suspect Biden is setting the stage for what comes next on the January 6 hearings. Propaganda machines are hard to break, but the Biden Administration includes a lot of smart people who can do this. We need to work together. There were a great many people in Nazi Germany that didn't go along with Hitler. The time to speak up and out and do whatever we can to defeat this group is now. Every one of us.
Yeah, like VOTE! And find people, young & all, to Vote as well!!!
The only real way to get our country going in the best direction is to vote the MAGAts OUT for all the reasons listed in Professor Richardson’s letter, and more! We need to go to any length to get it done!💙
With all due respect, David H., the word "fascist" has been so overused and misused my entire adult life that it's become almost meaningless. My wonderful college history prof (the late Jack Reece, Uof PA), opened his first lecture on European Fascism and Nazism with "What is a fascist -- other than someone you don't like?" And about 3/4 of the class laughed, a little nervously, because that's pretty much how many of us used it: Nixon was a fascist, the Republicans were fascists, the university administration were a bunch of fascists, etc. (This was in 1973.)
Matters haven't improved much in the last almost 50 years. Lefties, neo-lefties, and even some liberals have been calling conservatives "fascists" at the drop of a hat. And it's too bad, because now that we're confronted with something that looks like fascism and quacks like fascism (which has, true, been developing for quite a while), we call it what it is and are surprised that people don't run for the barricades. The old story of the boy who cried "Wolf!" does come to mind.
Consider the possibility that Biden and those around him are reading the electorate more accurately than you are. Logic may tell you otherwise, but it takes more than logic to, well, tell which way the wind blows.
Well-said, Susanna. I hope this comment of yours gets much more attention because what you are getting at is very important right now: we are beginning to build a little bit of something that starts with coming together. Instead of pointing fingers and crying wolf, we need to watch how we ourselves might be contributing to the problem by clinging to indignation. Yes, we need to speak out strongly with the truth, but about what we want to support, not with name-calling, which has always back-fired.
Thanks, Susanna for your thoughtful comment. You're right, "Fascist" has been overused in the USA for years, often by people who have little knowledge of history, and it now does mean "someone you don't like". Of course similar ignorant use has been made of "communist" and "socialist", so perhaps our real problem is inadequate schooling, I'm not sure.
Here in Italy, where the party (Fratelli d'Italia) currently expected to win the most votes in parliamentary elections on Sep. 25th has its historical roots in Mussolini's Fascism, people know what Fascism means and what its roots are. Even the issues of greatest interest to the Right are much the same as in the USA: immigration, high taxes, intrusive government, abortion, assisted suicide, LGBT acceptance, decline of religious beliefs, high gas prices, the sense that life offers fewer opportunities than it once did. And here, there is not even the suggestion that anyone is voting illegally or that vote counts are rigged.
What most worries me about the Trump phenomenon is how little pushback he has received from "old style" (no longer mainstream) Republicans and how willing the GOP is to benefit from what might be as well described as an organized crime syndicate, forget Fascism.
I have no doubt Biden has smart, capable and historically tuned in advisors who are gaming through every imaginable scenario before deciding what to say and do. And leaving the heavy lifting to the Jan. 6th Committee -- and now the DOJ -- has been an effective way to erode Trump's image without risking certain public speaking gaffes to which Biden has been prone in the past. But it will take more than "reading the electorate" to defeat the GOP in the midterm elections; some folks need to be shaken awake and made to confront reality. Biden and his surrogates need to keep hammering home that our nation is at a turning point and that time is running out.
The lack of pushback would -- I think, I hope -- have shocked the Republicans I knew growing up, but that was awhile ago. And I believe that's a big part of the problem: It's easy to look back from 2022 and trace the trajectory of the current GOP back to the Reagan administration, and further back still to Nixon's "southern strategy" in response to the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of the mid-1960s -- but it wasn't so easy to see and feel and, most important, take seriously while it was happening.
It wasn't obvious till Trump was elected just how spineless and devoid of constructive policy ideas the GOP had become, but it didn't become so overnight. This is why I'm so intrigued by Liz Cheney in particular, but also by Adam Kinzinger, the handful of Republican legislators who bailed rather than get primaried by Trumpers, and some of the Republicans who've testified in the 1/6 hearings. They all voted with Trump and went along with the likes of Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, and Mitch McConnell -- but they refused to follow their party over the bridge into territory that was blatantly anti-democratic and anti-Constitution. I think we can all learn a lot from their stories, once they've had a chance to reflect on it all -- and assuming that we collectively manage to ride these rapids into somewhat calmer waters.
P.S. With "socialist" and "communist" I'm not sure better education would make a real difference. HCR has written about how upper-class and corporate interests have been using these particular words (along with "anarchist") for going on two centuries to scare Americans away from unions, civil rights groups, environmental and worker-safety regulations, and anything that might restrain their power. It's only recently that more people are waking up to the fact that the far greater danger in the U.S. has pretty much always come from the right.
"Nixon should have been tried and jailed for his crimes, and Ford's pardon of him has come home to roost big-time."
Absolutely. Ford's pardon of Nixon told the nation that presidential crime is okay, at least in the respect that there is no penalty to pay for that--"that" being the highest level of white collar crime. Ford's action initiated a reign of political crime which just keeps growing and growing with no end in sight.
Interesting that Ford's pardon of Nixon in 1974 came at the same time the decline of the American middle class began. Now is a good time to reread Henry Thoreau's essays "Life without Principle" and "Civil Disobedience."
I say this over and over--I place most of the blame for our current political climate on American citizens for taking the MAGA bait and swallowing it whole. It reminds me of Germany in the 1930's. Hitler shifted from propaganda weapons to oppression to enforce their agenda. DeSantis and others state leaders, through passage of wildly unpopular legislation, are have re-opened the same play book. Soon more and more frightened, disgusted Americans will exit the country.
Agreed. TFG gave them the carte blanche to express the hatred and contempt for those "other" (different from them) and they have gobbled that up like candy and demanded more. I am disgusted with people that I thought were kind, honest, and moral people descend into that grip of fascist, authoritarian, democracy destroying garbage.
I do too Randy. The election of Trump in 2016 was a gigantic wake-up call as to just what Americans are. At least waaaay too many. And it is not pretty. If anyone clings to the notion that a big mistake was merely made by frustrated Americans then, and they see the error of their ways, look no further than Trump's continued grip on the Republican Party, and the shocking popularity of election denial and justification for 1/6. On what fu_king planet.... No, the reason for his continued cult-like popularity is that he and his disgusting values represent a large swath of America. I do not subscribe to the notion that these are mostly good people who have been led astray by the likes of Fox and Limbaugh (burn in hell you MF). I subscribe to the notion that most of these people hear what they want to hear and in Trump they have heard what they want to hear. If this fascist movement wins in 2020 and 2024, count me as one of those citizens looking to jump ship. No longer a proud American....
And it is hard to get the red hats out of your stomach once swallowed. What ails hurts and won't be given up real easy. Might require a medical treatment to extract the clogged belief system.
Several books which describe soft fascism include "Strongmen" by Ben-Ghiat, "How Fascism Works" by Stanley, " How Democracies Die" by Levitsky, and of course books by Snyder and Applebaum.
Republicans have all 4 feet in the trough and they’re complaining about those who filled the trough. We as usual are watching Washington DC behave like pigs. The pandemic seems to have been an excuse for those on the inside to feed off those on the outside. It’s embarrassing to read about All these great American Maga types. What’s more embarrassing is to figure out how much money we’ve wasted on them and their kind. Meanwhile, the Republicans are just fascinated at the prospect of destroying this government of ours, our educational system, voting rights for those who don’t happen to be of their stripe. This whole mess looks like a pig’s breakfast, do use an expression I learned from a corrupt contractor in Barbados. 
About the bigger piggies in their starched white shirts: "In their eyes there's something lacking, what they needs a damned good whacking!" A very strong LEGAL whacking and repayment to the American people for all the time and money we have had to spend on their evil anti-democracy antics.
Today's NYT long piece on Jones Day lawfirm and the Republican Party work to infest the administrative state and build a conservative judicial branch is very informative. The players and their connection with Trump, not as a goofy goon, but strong force with which to align conservative micro distortions and legalese remains, I suspect, even as lawyers left (2500 on staff at 40 offices). DeSantis will likely draw upon them should he become candidate in 2024 and Jones Day will be back staffing the F-list positions we heard about in 2020-2021.
But, on the plus side, the Republican Party continues to pursue its goal to improve the lives of all Americans by, uh, well, …y’know, uh, jeez, I’m thinkin’ I’m thinkin’! There’s gotta be something ….but, alas, there’s nothing. The Republican Party, the party of Lincoln and trust-busting Teddy Roosevelt, is now the personality cult of TFG.
Republican in name only. They don't even believe in a republic. Lincoln would hate them and they him; their philosophies of government border on antipodes. And the real "Party of Lincoln" never flew Confederate flags.
At long last our venerable President, Joseph Biden, is fighting fire with fire. Let him name EVERY member of Congress, politician, member of the Trump crime family/Trump administration, federal employee, or talking head who dares complain about 10-20K of student loan forgiveness while they benefit from PPP and/or any other federal loan/grant. Publish their names and the amount of debt forgiven EVERY SINGLE DAY from now through election day. Shut those parasites down!
I don't know...I think their intentional lack of action and propaganda in our pandemic felt like an intentional genocide...even of their own supporters who were encouraged not to wear masks or get vaccinated. A modern kind of genocide, in my mind. They totally wear the stink of fascism and lock-stepping.
Fascism is power as used by the rabidly intolerant. It’s dangerous. Tolerance is power to the patient, to the people, it’s decency based on the Golden Rule. The mob is simply chaos for all. MAGA is Mob Power based on rabid intolerance. Intolerance and prejudice grow from ignorance and fear.
Pam, exactly. We don't need anymore articles or opinion pieces illuminating their hypocrisy and/or misdeeds - we need bullet points that succinctly describe the who and the what - just as the White House did yesterday.
Call them out for being traitors and fascists! Call them out for violating and abusing their oath of office. None of them should be in Congress, let alone politics because they don't believe in government and they don't believe in democracy. They hold radical views that only a 1 in 3 Americans support. And like you say Daria, quote their fascist lies and expose their hypocrisy. Time to go all in!!!
Yes, how can these hypocrites represent their constituents when they don't even believe that Biden is POTUS? They hold zero allegiance to our Constitution and the rule of law.
Such a good idea. I am up for a Dark & Stormy cheers to America shining her light into the dark corners this evening! Oh, and to getting caught with bribery checks he denied to Stormy!
May the light of Lady Liberty shine down into American dark corners with the full-throated support of the Lady with her Scales of Justice standing right beside her—to guide her through the night with the light from above.
Time to go low road where the Magats wallow in their filthy, polluted ditch.
Whenever Democrats stand up to the Republicons with the truth they become unglued and do or say something stupid. Republicons are a bunch of petty, vindictive losers who hide behind their shallow, immoral, and depraved character with false bravado.
Christine, let's keep pushing Crist to use his can of "whoop-ass" vs DeSantis. He has got to be relentless on the message that " this boy is running for President. Florida is only his launching pad." Every day hammer away!!!
I just am thinking decisively that he will choose Nikki Fried as running mate. That girl knows about cans of whoop ass. And she ain’t “skeered” of our emotionally and socially impaired guv. He doesn’t like people in his orbit unless totally in control of the agenda to insulate himself.
We were just duscussing this. My husband hopes Nikki will agree to that. She has already pledged to work with Charlie to get DeSantis out. You are right, she already has the whoop-ass in spades.... enough to lend Charlie some!!!
Yes. Agree. This message that Biden delivered today is long overdue but was a knock out punch. The election in November is democracy v fascism, Period. Full stop. Americans need to know the seriousness of our current situation. Everything that we hold dear is on the line. Hell, even women's suffrage is on the chopping block. We all must scream this from the highest rooftops!
For at least the past week, I've seen several different DSCC ads on CNN & MSNBC calling out many of points being made here. Interestingly, they've been the first of a series of commercials when a program goes to break.
The loudest MAGA whiners in Congress got their butts slammed when Dems revealed how much in PPP loans they got. I do love that so much! They benefitted while their constituents got nothing. Wonder if their followers will figure out they had been lied to...
Wasn’t Twitter fun last night? Damn, MAGAts were getting their asses handed to them! Sadly, their followers don’t care or aren’t on Twitter since they are “loyal” to tfg. More fun in Twitter today though with Tucker being deposed in the Dominion lawsuit against Fox. Gonna be a hot time in the ol’ town tonight!!
Their followers do two things: bleat that the Democrats have done the same thing, and then deny that any loans had actually, really been forgiven. The other PPP loan recipients who really stick in my craw with this are Brett Favre and Tom Brady....
Because i try to see things from all angles, I wonder how much and who of the Dems got PPP loans. And why did any of them at all get PPP loans? I didn’t get squat because I am self employed.
Well yes, that would be interesting to know that information too. But let’s just stay on the Pro-Rape’s Party asses right now because they deserve to have their excrement thrown right back on them.
“The MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and economic security,” he said. “They’re a threat to our very democracy.” President Joseph Biden. Thank you Professor for the clear (and frightening) analysis of the state of our union. The coming elections, the court and DOJ findings and the American people will determine the fate of our existence. Voting and the integrity of our courts and elections are more critical and fragile than ever.
Maybe you could call it ersatz-fascism, because it's a cheaper, nastier, leatherette imitation of a cheap, nasty imitation of imperial glory...
But make no mistake about it, there can be no words for the hellishness of such a regime. Just look at Russia today to know what's waiting in the wings... Waiting. Salivating.
A strange fate for a people that idolizes liberty.
LIBERTY: depending on nature of governance; experienced differently at each stage of human development and difficult to understand. I recommend Erich Fromm's 'Escape from Freedom'.
'If humanity cannot live with the dangers and responsibilities inherent in freedom, it will probably turn to authoritarianism.' This is the central idea of Fromm's Escape from Freedom.
Peter, I couldn't agree more. Some people believe that liberty is only for them, and not for "the other". How shocked the ersatz-liberty lovers will be when they become "the other."
I just read that the Koch brothers are switching their allegiance, and funding, to Liz Cheney. I don’t like dark money or the Koch brothers, but Liz Cheney is a worthy candidate. I hope this is the death knell of the MAGA movement.
Well, Scanny Do, I suppose this is good news, though far better news would be that the Koch brothers had decided to stop engaging in the legalized bribery sanctioned by the democracy-ending Citizens United SCOTUS decision and give all their spare cash to worthy charities.
I appreciate Liz Cheney's courage and honesty, but she is a rock-ribbed, radically conservative GOP battle ax, and having her as President would be a disaster for most Americans and the World. I would prefer to hear MAGA's death knell from the DOJ and American voters, the sooner the better.
You’re a good writer. I appreciated especially Liz being “a rock-ribbed, radical conservative.” It occurred to me that Koch might still be giving to Trump, too. Probably is. Hedging his bets now, though. A divided GQP is good for our country for sure.
Has anyone really (been able to) unpick where Liz Cheney actually stands? We know the damage her father did. Have the realities of the Trumpists softened her stance? We can only hope so.
It is clear Ms. Cheney is an advocate of democracy, and that is a wonderful thing from any Republican in these times, but a staunch Republican she remains. What we used to call the "Loyal Opposition"". I admire her from afar.
I don't think guilt by association is the way to look at Liz. Not that I haven't in the past, but I do have to wonder if what happened on January 6th has unshackled her from the hard line Republicans. She is seeing how disasterous a Nation divided truly is.
The way I see it Linda, Liz Cheney didn't leave the Republican Party, the Republican Party left her. Unlike the Romneys of the world, she isn't craven enough to compromise her core beliefs to stay in power.
Cheney is not the only one who believes that the current rendition of the Republican Party has dug their own grave. She is young enough to believe that she'll be there to pick up the pieces. We'll see how that works out. Actually, I doubt I'll live long enough to see that happen.
Some polls show that an election today for prez: orange: 40% ... Biden 32% ... Liz 11% taken from Biden... not orange... sooo we might wanna be careful
hi Marlene! i don't necessarily, either. certainly not actual numbers. trends are something else.
i DO see where Rs have pretty much rejected Liz across the board ... and if she should decide to run for prez... i can absolutely see her support coming mostly from her new adoring Dem fans. NOT from those PO'd Rs who all see her as a traitor. you don't?
as some astute young reporters have noted, right now... it's (sadly) not about policy or platforms... on either R or D sides. it's only about the death star orange flambe. nothing else.
soooo... her entry into the fray... to keep him out of WH... could totally backfire.
❤️ I agree, Suz. Look, I admire her taking a strong stance for democracy and risking her career to be on the J6 committee. Her statements as the vice chair have been wonderfully stinging to her once fellow R’s. But, and that’s a big BUT…she had to be convinced to support LGBTQ issues and she does NOT support abortion. She has still, very hard leaning views and she is, after all, Dick’s daughter. I can’t quite get that sour taste out of mouth. She has plans, believe me, to remain very vocal. She is bot going away silently. No sireee! I will not vote for her for president. I won’t!
Making a hero of Liz Cheney is the proverbial double edged sword. She demonstrates great courage in her opposition to TFG and his MAGA army of traitorous weasels. She believes in the rule of law. But Liz Cheney's politics, the small government, tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations, privatization of services, etc. fail the people. She is no champion of the common person.
Liz Cheney is the perfect example of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. She does seem to have her limits, but she voted against voting rights, if I’m not mistaken. If she is receiving help from the Koch network, even indirectly, she is contributing to the demise of the nation. Koch is a very far right kleptocrat in plutocrat’s clothing.
“Demonstrating great courage” in the gop, we must point out, is a very low bar when it comes to “Profiles in Courage”. Or ethics. Or commitment to democracy.
Voodoo, praying (even though I am not religious!), chanting, white candle or incense burning--anything, indeed! It is lamentable that yet again we must support the lesser of two evils, although I am crossing my fingers that a viable and popular Democrat contender will emerge in the interim.
Koch brother now, but that his support in itself makes me worry about Liz Cheney, even though I respect her opposition to the lawlessness of Trump and his allies.
Anyone who can still have a relationship with a father who caused the needless death or displacement of millions of innocent people.... is suspect in my mind.
Her Dad is a lying murderer. I paraphrase below:
"The Iraqi people will welcome us with open arms and their oil will pay for a very quick war."
Just because Liz is doing the normal thing expected of ANY normal patriot doesn't make her a hero. She would be a monster in the WH. A tool of the Oligarchs.
For GOT fans:
Cheney vs Trump vs Bush - it's a Game - who can remain standing after the slaughter. Think of the Kochs as the "Iron Bank". I think of DeSantis as a Ramsey Bolton. May he suffer a similar fate.
And now, Biden is finally acting as if he has a dragon. Perhaps we are the dragons.
Liz is doing her constitutional duty to sit on the J6 committee and uncover the truth of the Insurrection. That. Is. All. She voted with trump 90% of the time. She does NOT believe women should be trusted to make the best choice for their reproductive lives with safe, effective pregnancy termination choices. The fact that the nefarious koch money is sidling her way is just another catastrophe waiting too happen. Liz Cheney does NOT believe in WE The People.
I think she has been running for President from the moment she was seated on the committee. She is front and center, has a single message campaign, and is cemented to the roots of the Republican Party. The Maga party could prove to be as fickle as it is heartless and flip their votes to Liz Cheney. Just my opinion, I hope I am wrong😕.
Koch brother, David Koch died on 8/23/2019. Per Bloomberg Billionaires' Index, older brother, Charles Koch is the 15th richest person in the World. The money is not so dark.
…and what about how much the Koches (now Charles) have used their money to take hold of the state legislatures. Do you have an idea of how much of ring-wing ideology and control in the Red states have been bought and paid for with what I call 'Koch & Co. & Red State America'? It's not only money; it's their 'troika' of money, ideology and control. Connections with Putin? I do not know, except that the Koch company continues to do business in Russia.
Koch Family money came from an oil cracking method selling worldwide. Later Koch sold natural gas overwhelming minor US state land owning citizens who blocked Koch's way to Koch oil wells when Koch was stopped from burning off natural gas deades ago, for example, in east Utah just south of the Uintas mountain range.
Make the case, Bryan. It could be a crucial profile of one of the country's leading power-brokers. In comment form, if you care to take it on, it would provide a lesson in who is in charge of what.
As a teenager, I ghost wrote a demand letter ( don't laugh ) for 2 Utah brothers who had inherited 160 acress of original Utah homstead land. This was about 20 years before I had a JD & knew the Latin terms for a Court order telling Koch to get your property-destroying-gas-pipeline off my ( the brothers' ) homestead property i.e. MANDAMUS. I Learned a Big Life Lesson: Koch got lawyers that bought off the Utah folks for $500 per easement, per tresspass. I now know common law torts from Old England would have done the trick. East of the mountains was controlled by thr Mormon church -- west of the mountains was Dodge City.
I can think of a million other ways the Koch family could spend their money, and it's NOT by playing politics. Just think of all the good they could do. What a waste.
Oh oh, I disagree. I admire Liz Cheney’s courage greatly. She has proven to be courageous strong, tenacious. She is I find very charismatic. However she voted with Trump 90 % of the time. Koch money funded Reagan and the nefarious Mont Pellerin Society. Frederick Hayek encouraged Augusto Pinochet who personally approved the torture to death of at least 28,000 people in Chile. They have supported the formation of the Quincy Institute for statecraft, which I follow. However I am not a supporter of Dick Cheney. I view the Iraq war as a major, major fossil fuel catastrophe for hundreds of millions of people and a major contributor to our ecologic catastrophes God know how many Iraqi children died as a result of the war and the destruction of infrastructure . This war destroyed a Christian community who had prayed together for almost two millennia and created the brutal Islamic State terrorists. I would be cautious about Liz Cheney although i am immensely grateful to her. I am very impressed with all members of the Bush family . I think George junior made mistakes. I still am captivated by him and I love his daughters. I can see them making very fine leaders. I wish Liz Cheney health and happiness and will keep an open mind . She is proving to be a true patriot in my view.
Excuse me, Frances, but how can you "view the Iraq war as a major, major fuel catastrophe for hundreds of millions of people" and at the same time somehow be "captivated" by George Bush Junior? And why do you love his daughters? And what makes you think they might make better leaders than, let's say, thousands, if not millions of other people in their generation? And what does that have to do with Liz Cheney or Trump or anything else in your comment?
Again ..... read Shock Doctrine - essential (if rather long) read - which puts so much of the current world mess into perspective. Thank (whatever) that Milton Friedman is dead.
First, there's only one Koch brother in the game now... just to be fair to the other living brother, Bill, who has little interest in the fascist campaign that Charles has been waging. Second, Charles has been undergoing a re-branding as a "caring and compassionate Philanthropist", so it's predictable that he would throw some money towards Liz Cheney, but let's see the hidden numbers on how much he's spending on her competition....
The timing is very interesting. It would be easy to read into what this means but I'll wait to see how it unfolds. David is gone and Charles is alone and calling the shots. He is not going to shift his strategy unless it gets him closer to establishing a plutocracy.
Plutocracy and oligarchy. For public relations, David Koch established the foundation that supports the arts. Expiation for sins, or so they hope, I imagine.
Incredible. A politician, the president told the truth. 100%. He did not mince words. He defended the WH & his actions. The GQP deserved his rebuke of their attacks. Some think he should not have done it. I think he was totally appropriate. I respect him more now & believe others do too.
Has anyone ever published how much PPP money Sean Hannity may have gotten to prop up his real estate empire? I’m assuming millions. I don’t know that he has complained about that kind of “socialism”.
Again, the hypocrisy of the "GOP" must be called out constantly for what it is - no holding back. And, MAGA philosophy and actions goes way past "semi-facism"; they are a full fledged fascist, criminal cabal. Hiding behind BS veils of made up political immunity, they are getting away with destroying democracy in this country and anyone with at least one dangling brain cell is well aware of the trouble we are in. We have a bunch of criminal anarchists and evil thugs who rule the roost.
Agree or disagree with the tuition program, at least Biden (who continues to follow a moral/ethical compass and is trying to help some of the "99%") has put something on the table that merits an ongoing discussion of the bigger issue of how money is used in higher ed. The MAGA repugs never put forth anything . . . they say no to everything, commit crimes, and attack.
Yesterday a friend, who is now retired from being on the inside of the "top secret" world, gave some of us a pretty detailed view on how all that works in reality. She shudders to think of the hit to national security - trump, or his minions have undoubtedly sold out the country. The mere fact those documents were removed in the first place is grounds for immediate arrest and jail. trump is a clear and present threat.
Just finishing the book about Garfield and the scofflaws who reigned in his time. We talk about the need for civics classes. I'm thinking the curriculum has to go beyond government structure and the importance of voting to how to be vigilant to detect wrongdoing, maybe ramp up background checks for anyone running for election at any level to prevent infiltration of anti-democratic interlopers. We also as a country need more training about identifying and responding appropriately and compassionately to mental illness. We just don't get it.
Muller's investigation hampered by Trump allies? Who were these allies? Can DOJ go after them now about Trump's Russian Collusion. And then because the investigation was blocked, Barr gives a predetermined presumption of innocence?
These guys are taking our justice system to the limit and giving the American people "the business".
I'm loving Joe Biden's come back. Yeah, what about all that PPP?
One thing I've learned from HCR is that our tax revenue can either go up to private business or come down to serve the American people. Thanks for your all your efforts Heather Richardson.
Barr cashed out. Too bad he won't live long enough to spend all the money that he was given to betray America, eviscerate the Department of Justice, and undermine our democracy. He's the worst of the worst. A Bonafide Judas.
“I want to be crystal clear about what’s on the ballot this year. Your right to choose is on the ballot this year. The Social Security you paid for from the time you had a job is on the ballot. The safety of our kids from gun violence is on the ballot…. The very survival of our planet is on the ballot. Your right to vote is on the ballot. Even…democracy.”
“The MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and economic security,” he said. “They’re a threat to our very democracy. They refuse to accept the will of the people. They embrace…political violence. They don’t believe in democracy.”
“This is why in this moment, those of you who love this country—Democrats, Independents, mainstream Republicans—we must be stronger,” he said.
All of you "disappointed Democrats" worried about "sleepy Joe" can now go to bed without supper.
He's set the campaign: it's not going to be about him - it's going to be about the Thousand Year MAGAts.
As long as the House MAGAts were called out for their PPP hypocrisy, let's recall Senator Skeletor on his super yacht cruise in the Mediterranean. What a fucking moron! No Senatorial campaign manager who's actually serious goes on vacation during August recess.
The Kooky Kollection of Klucks of MAGA.
Maybe now that the President has said it, the media will sit up and take notice: Democracy itself is on the ballot this year.
Our media has become so enamored with the shiniest (loudest) thing, they can't see the ends of their collective noses. Even the "serious" news channels don't go after anything but glitter. Seems to me the only serious journalists we have anymore are the ones who still write for the papers. And even some of them are being turned. It's a damn shame.
Shocking, as I’ve watched them follow Rupert down the rabbit hole to hell.
Yes, the media (I'm afraid print and digital) are not a small part of the problem. In too many cases, they create the problem. The press tell us what ever they want to and suggest an approved way of thinking about what's happening. They decide what news to report, what to give a spin, what to praise and what to avoid,
And there is precious little we can do about it because it is very difficult to fight with someone who's hiding in the dark.
Please, when you point a finger, be specific about who you are pointing at instead of some general category that would include people who don't deserve to be lumped in with others.
Goodness. I had no intention of "pointing a finger." I'm very sorry if you found my way of wording my reply offensive or insulting in any way. You have my sincere apology
This isn't personal, Dean. It is simply about clarity. "The media" is an awfully big category. It would be helpful if you were more specific about which media or entity you are referring to, and who "they" means, and what specifically "they" are doing that is troublesome. I tend to agree with your statement in specific terms, but as it is, your post is too generic to respond to in any meaningful way.
Some Independent media figures (online) don't have their heads in the corporate shill sand. Forget MSNBC, CNN, Faux... if you wanna really know what's going on.
Thanks, Suz, I actually shouldn't even refer to television news since I haven't watched it since around 2012 when the Obama Bashing started. My news for a long time has come from the NYTimes and the New Yorker. This year I cancelled the NYTimes, discovered HCR and Robert Hubbell and have Slate as the home page on my browser. I found I couldn't live without the New Yorker. I have found I didn't lose a thing due to Professor Richardson's end notes and the writers for Slate regularly referring to the best of the major print sources. And, oh, be still my heart: My home is silent (except for my grandson's construction vehicles videos on the weekend) and if I absolutely need a hit of tv news I can go to YouTube and get ten minutes, which is how I watched the Kavanaugh hearings. And, finally, the icing on the cake: Slate has Dear Prudence!
Sounds great, Dean! There's plenty more... and guess what? Lots of valuable reporting from people way younger than us. That's where the real action is. Gives me hope! Have a wonderful day - evening. And enjoy that grandson!! :-)
Why I appreciate this: all of these are part of the media, too, and you are specific about why you use them or don't. We both turn to some of the same sources, some of which Heather uses as well. The point is that it's not ALL media entities that is the problem. It is SOME media, and it is essential to not lump them all together when making an assertion about what "they" do.
Isn't that why the right-wing press is serving reheated Hunter Biden stew?
Diversions, diversions, the ploy common to bank robbers and crooked politicians...
Apart from distracting people from the real issues and exposing America to acute brainfood poisoning, the HB stew has the advantage of undermining the FBI at a crucial moment after the Lair o' Maga search.
Pseudo-conservative wokery at its wackiest!
You know, Peter, your images and language are brilliantly illustrative of the medium being the message. It really is just this kind of stew. When I focus my mind for too long on any of it and try for something at least comprehensible I usually end up with a headache. In words I've borrowed from someone, we're trying to make sense out of something that doesn't make sense. In another unoriginal phrase, bench-pressing a brick wall. A raging activist my whole life, I now believe I need to strive for a balance between waiting and working like the devil. The hardest for me is the waiting.
I want to say how much I sympathize -- despite being no activist just a Cassandra. I sympathize with your bellyaching or headaching -- but there's such an overload of mind poison in circulation, who can blame you? -- and I sympathize with your impatience.
Worse than poisoning our soil, our water, the very air we breathe, they're poisoning our institutions... which are neither ethereal abstractions nor tables of stone, but living beings, live emanations of our communities.
First, our complacent neglect -- no care, no food, no water, no exercise -- and now, the poisoners, the poachers, the parasites and vampires...
Is it surprising then if we too get sick? I do... Last but not least, your impatience...
A metaphor cocktail...
The ship has hit an iceberg, side's ripped out, she's listing wildly, but all they can do is continue their poker games in tilting 1st Class staterooms, while most passengers just keep on sleeping, sleeping...
What drug did they take?
We all know.
Seen on TV...
Peter, I thought the reference about Hunter Biden was so off-the-wall weird! Me thinks the ragged right edge is stretching pretty far for some kind of come-back. Don't think it's working much- the same ol' people will think it actually means something, but I think more Real Republicans and a lot of independents will veer away from something that far out. As they seem to be doing.
There are a few mainstream-media columnists who get it and are worth reading. Most of them are women and/or people of color. I've become a serious fan of Jennifer Rubin. She hits the nail on the head almost every time she swings.
Agree, agree, agree. And I cling to them like lifeboats. Thanks for the reminder
I second that.
❤️
There is a rise of independent media fighting the good fight. Meidastouch, Lincoln Project, Politics Girl, and RHQ are making noise. MSNBC has been the only mainstream media doing their job. ABC Australia's 4 Corners, Propublica, and Frontline have also been sounding the fire alarms. Our major networks have failed their first ammendment duties and sold their souls.
I hope the President AND Democrats learn from this - and keep SAYING it!! Its obvious that that works. Being mealy-mouthed & polite does not.
Why TC...you outdid yourself! “Senator Skeletor” is an absolutely fabulous depiction of Scott. 👏🏼👏🏼
I always called him Governor Voldemort and then he morphed to Senator Skeletor. 😜
🗽
Scott knows how badly he’s handled his “job”, starting with his insane platform, which was hard to walk back. He knows the GOP will lose even more seats in the senate this year. Poor thing, it would be disheartening if one had a heart.
His “platform” should strike fear in the heart of those who have one.
Scott’s Republican Platform should be on display on thousands of billboards across the nation
Amen!
He certainly looks and acts like something out of a horror film or an evil persona.
IMHO--this passionate speech by Joe has to be one of the biggest challenges for him and it does make me proud. I find him to be an introspective man, one who has been formed by tremendous loss and challenges in life. (IMHO, after losing a spouse and child to a tragic accident, doesn't it make everything else in life seem less important?) I think he holds tremendous faith that carries him forth. The yelling, screaming, posturing must seem........ridiculous for lack of a better term, after all he has endured. To be forced to come out fighting like this, to me is huge! Indeed, "Sleepy Joe" has always seemed to be a misnomer for someone whose maturity and life experiences has enabled them to see what truly matters and ignore the rabble. Bravo, Joe!!
And excellent post as always, TC!
I agree. Joe Biden has never been given the credit he deserves. And he is a champion of education and helping the middle and working classes that have been pretty much stomped on over the past fifty years. He's been through so much in his life that he has learned to let things roll off his back and keep going. I have a great deal of respect for this man. Plus he reads and he gets things done. Bravo Joe.
As one columnist said “Biden has become the dragon”. I can’t tell you that I wasn’t hesitant to vote for Joe. I had seen and heard his guffaws quite a few times. However, when you look at his extensive congressional political background and the tragedies he has faced, I changed my mind. I am very proud that he represents our country and that he has a very competent staff to help guide him. Personally, I feel we need to have a pocket-size card in our purses or wallets that exclaim his accomplishments. We can hand them out to people when they forget what he has done for its inhabitants.
I absolutely agree. Biden is not, nor does he pretend to be, a perfect man. He is that far-preferable thing--a whole man, mistakes, flaws, losses, blessings, embarrassing moments and all. Maybe I can sum up what I'm trying to say with just "Joe Biden is a man". Thanks, Miselle
I think they (right wing leaning media esp) came out with the "sleepy joe" thing because they are used to making headlines with the right wing bombast for so long they don't know how to do real news anymore. I'm sad some of the mainstream picked up the meme, but then a lot of the reporters there are of an age to have picked up bad habits and too old to know it. It seems to be the younger ones and the wiser middle-age ones who've turned back to reporting news instead of noise.
The sleepy joe persona struck a chord with more than a few on the left, especially those that wanted Buttigieg or someone younger. All I hear is these folks saying that Dems need to put someone more energizing up in 2024. I don’t push back in the moment but do make sure to enumerate at other times on the list of positives Biden is doing.
'...now go to bed without supper.'
'The Kooky Kollection of The Klucks of MAGA'. (edit: I added 'The' before 'Klucks')
I see the beginnings of TC's graphic, political comic book series with an echo of MAD Magazine:
'The Kooky Kollection of The Klucks of MAGA.' Its got that thing.
(What, me worry?)
“Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea to See What’s on the Bottom”
"Where's the bottom?"
You'll find it. Just keep sinking.
HA!
China? <g>
...of the Swamp...
EXACTLY!
With apologies to The Addams Family theme song:
they're creepy and they're spooky,
mysterious and spooky;
they;'re all together ooky:
the Maga family.
Creeps
Sneaks
Cheats
their house is a museum
to make people believe 'em
they really are freak 'ums
the Maga family.
They put a witch's shawl on
a broomstick they will crawl on
And then they make a call on
The American family
Strange
Deranged
The Maga Family
Ever notice how easy it is to go from MAGA to maggot?
That was sure clever and fun!!😄
Brilliant
Love it!
I love your way with words! "Senator Skeletor" and MAGAts"...this just made my day, and it's Friday on top of that! Thanks, TC! And ol' Joe is turning up the heat isn't he? I love that they were ready with the numbers on forgiven debt when the repugs started shouting their disapproval. Throw it back in their faces!
I had been wracking my brain as to who "Senator Skeletor" could be; then some good soul posted the name, along with his other moniker, "Governor Voldemort" and I then saw who Skeletor was. Good grief, where to these people come from?
Republicans have a passel plus spares…
From the depths of soulless evil.
I think Central Casting. And may I say they're doing a right fine job!
Didn’t he make his money on nursing homes and psychological hospitals? If so, his new name is perfectamente!
He did. And was CEO of Columbia/HCA and oversaw the biggest Medicare fraud case in the country. To the tune of 840 million in 2000, and 881 million in 2002. Brilliant that the republicons put him in charge of their National campaign fund. Now they are wondering where their money is 😹😹
Joe Biden also gave us an important descriptor last night, one we need to start using in every conversation we have with neighbors, friends, and relatives; in Letters to the Editor; in signs in our yard:
"Mainstream."
Mainstream Republicans vote FOR democracy. Mainstream Republicans vote FOR women's rights. Mainstream Republicans vote FOR law & order.
Mainstream Republicans are NOT MAGATs.
Are there any Mainstream Republicans? I though the putsch had pretty much cleared them out.
How about
“Real Republicans Reject MAGA Fascism”?
MAGAts is great! But a bit too in-your-face for a yard sign or billboard, IMO.
Mainstream Republicans believe in democracy. This year that means we vote for Democrats.
👍👍
Hiya, uncle!
Alan Hingston, I think of you often in our fight to return democracy to America.
Well, okay, but Republicans aren’t Republicans, either. All the ones with any decency are now Democrats.
That would be me after 70 years a Republican. Not my father’s party anymore.
Love the “…can go to bed without supper” line.
So interesting that "Senator Skeleton" seemed to suddenly crawl out from under his rock a few months ago. He was almost dead quiet before that. He has to go. He was already proven corrupt before he was elected to any public office.....the decay has just continued.
Republicans love corrupt, it’s a rite of passage…
The MAGA ones.
VOTE VOTE
MAGATs. I love it, TC.
Yep!
Tom I like your KKK of MAGA. They are Mafioso hoods.
Damn. When and where is Mr Biden's next RALLY FOR JOE. 🤔
"The Social Security you paid for from the time you had a job is on the ballot. " It continues to amaze me that when the Repubs call social security an "entitlement" there is so little pushback of the FACT that we and our employers paid for it - AND frankly yes, we ARE entitled to that money! The same goes for Medicare (or Medicaid). Its ours & PAID FOR!
And, for that matter, calling FICA - that tiny percentage out of our paychecks- is so misunderstood by so many people. And some of our politicians must not understand what it is either from the rhetoric! Of course they likely make too much for it to matter.
I thought you would appreciate this bit of irony, TC. Parts of this need to be made into a campaign commercial. It is priceless!
https://youtu.be/zmF14loVkgA
Everyone must see this!!!!
Wow, just wow. So much to unpack here. Thank you for putting everything into perspective as always. We live very close to Rockville and I so wanted to be there, but that was a by invitation only event apparently, I couldn’t go. What a speech President Biden gave.
With all due respect to Joe Biden, who is doing the best he can. There is nothing "semi" about Fascism, not Mussolini's, not Trump's. Fascism is either all or nothing and leads inevitably to violence. We are facing an extreme and urgent danger. Too late to hedge our bets.
Reframe, David.
President Biden is doing the best.
🗽
Christine, I have no way of knowing what Joe Biden knows. But the Fascist nature of the Trump phenomenon -- both broadly and in the details -- has been obvious for many months, if not years. The fact that anyone, including a few otherwise sensible journalists and commentators, is suggesting that there is any substitute for simply subjecting Trump and associates to the rule of law is truly scary. Nixon should have been tried and jailed for his crimes, and Ford's pardon of him has come home to roost big-time.
Joe Biden has a long history as a moderate politician willing to play the Washington game, and he has certain habits and instincts that occasionally hamper his being forceful and decisive. The term "semi-fascist" reflects this. I appreciate that he has finally said "Fascist" and suggested that our Democracy is in danger. Now I will await further signs that he has learned some important lessons since being elected, and that he will further adjust his rhetoric to the gravity of the danger we are all in. His recent comments are a big step in that direction, and I will cheer him on, but I am not a cheerleader.
Simple logic prevents me from expecting him to do more than he can, and it is impossible to know what a different Democratic president might have done in his place. That water has passed under the bridge.
David, I couldn’t agree more with your first paragraph, and would add that Trump’s acquittal on two impeachments added to his belief that he is above the law. For the sake of our democracy, that must not be true.
With all due respect, though, I disagree about the wisdom of the semi-fascist statement. For one, words come back to haunt politicians. Remember Clinton’s basket of deplorables? She was right, but it still impacted her campaign negatively. For another, we are living in a time when the word Nazis is being deployed, weaponized, and falsely used by Russia to demonize Ukrainians, and that word is inextricably linked with the word fascist. We must take care not to be like them, labeling all who disagree with us as Nazis and pedophiles. I suspect that the word “semi” was carefully chosen, for those reasons.
I personally think Biden is an extraordinary president, doing an extraordinary job with the thinnest of majorities. His expertise in the Washington game has helped that success. He wasn’t my first choice in the primaries (even though I voted for him) but I think he’s the president we need right now.
Biden (and his speech writers) gave us another carefully chosen word, "mainstream." MAINSTREAM Republicans vote FOR democracy, women's rights, law & order, climate control. Mainstream Republicans are NOT MAGATs. Biden is dividing the Republican party for them. between good mainstream and bad semi-fascist. We are now at that tipping point. Talk to your Republican neighbor. Help them redefine themselves as "mainstream." Then tell them why they have to vote for Democrats, just this once, or maybe they will never be voting again.
MaryPat, this is great, thank you!
You are most welcome, KR. We all have important work to do!
Kathy, I agree with you that Biden has the hardest job in the world and deserves our support because he is on the right (as in "correct") side of just about every issue. And his getting anything even remotely useful through this Senate is close to miraculous. But I think we are nearing a crucial moment when Trump will be arrested and held for questioning and have his passport confiscated. This will freak out many of his supporters, some -- or many -- of whom will be tempted to resort to violence on his behalf, so there will be a need for the rest of us to know exactly what is happening and why.
IMHO, calling what we are risking "Fascism" , semi or otherwise, is no exaggeration and is appropriate. Hillary expressed an opinion and a judgement with her "deplorables", and though I am not sure how many potential supporters she offended, it sure was a media feeding frenzy and it turned out the comment was politically ill-advised. In Biden's case, though, I think we all need to know that what Trump has been doing and will continue doing is trying to overthrow our democratically elected government, take power personally and transform our country into a place few of us will recognize or like. This means Biden -- not given to hyperbole -- needs to get everyone's attention and describe the situation as it is. So, comparing us with pre-Mussolini Italy or pre-Hitler Germany is a legitimate way to do that. And it is irrelevant that the issues specific to the USA in 2022 are not exactly the same as the issues specific to Italy or Germany before WW2. Lots of good Americans seem to have lost their minds in a way similar to the way Italians and Germans lost theirs. Maybe Joe can bring them back to their senses. I sure hope so.
When I post HCR on my FB page and note President Biden's use of "semi-fascism," I explain exactly what FASCISM is. I remind my followers that we fought FASCISTS in WWII. I am doing this because I have followers who apparently have never studied history, are married to the GOP, are getting all their "political" information from fake news sources and evangelical church leaders and just the uninformed who hang out in gyms and bars.
Hear, hear David, I’m 100% with you. Interestingly, my Italian brother-in-law very much objects to my characterization of our situation as a division between democrats and fascists, saying that the word has such a specific meaning for them that it absolutely does not apply to what we are seeing (I disagree). Are you seeing any of that there when you speak to Italians about it?
Kathy, I'm finding Italians generally ill-informed about how we choose our leaders, what the Electoral College is and how it works (or doesn't), the extent to which the 50 states differ from one another, the power (and politicization) of our Supreme Court, and a few other things. Of course, I might also say the same thing about Americans, who have no excuse, and even spottier knowledge of how Italians or other Europeans do things.
When I suggest that Fascism wears a MAGA hat these days, Italians just tell me I'm being a bit extreme (What could I know about Fascism?) and that Americans would never do anything that dumb. To be honest, most of my friends and acquaintances here don't really like to talk politics with me because they are sure I will never really understand them.
When I suggest Trump will soon be in prison, they usually say: "No way, rich people like that never go to prison, " and then change the subject. There is broad agreement that most politicians are corrupt and that politics is inherently corrupting, and on some days I find myself in full agreement, but then I think of Liz Cheney, who may be wrong on almost all the issues but is definitely not corrupt.
That is really well said. Thank you. At this moment in history, we need some competence and some wisdom. And we need a President who is willing to ask for and take advice. It's not all about him, but he is a quietly determined man on a mission to bust the bullies. We absolutely need that now. We need to unify the democrats, independent, and non-MAGA Republicans.
I really appreciate the pointed calmness of your comment, Susan. The heart will probably show up later, but I want to make sure that you know that I wholly agree with you. Your synopsis of what is critical RIGHT NOW is appropriate. I'm tired of being told I have to be in a constant state of panic or I don't know what is going on. We've been there before, don't need to be constantly repeating it.
I Totally Agree, KR (OH) I couldn’t have said it better myself!
KR.
Question. Since the right wing media daily refers to Democrats as the “radical left”, “communists”, “nazis”, “godless”, and many other words beyond the pale why does it not make sense to match the fight equally??
Because they are playing to their audience. Our audience is a different one, who responds to a more rational, respectful style that speaks truth. The right wing media is reaching for extreme language because it's all they have left.
I do think the Dems should be fighting differently, a la Fetterman, and as the new WH Twitter person is doing. But I think we need to draw the line at lying, don’t you?
Love this comment, dear KR💙
💙 Ashley! Hope you had a great bday!
It’s so hard not to fall into the excesses of your enemies. Thank you.
I think you are nitpicking the semi fascist quote. Biden is doing an amazing job. He has now drawn the sword and is swinging! Instead of nitpicking, pick up your own sword and get into the fray. Biden will go further as he sense we are behind him. So get behind him already!
Who is nitpicking David? Is it not appropriate for him to have a historical perspective as I do with reference to president Biden. David expressed his appreciation for Biden's latest condemnation of MAGA as well as the need for the president to strongly call out fascism as it is being implemented by the Republican Party.
Sometimes it's more important to make history, than to discuss the correct historical perspective.
You're the 'either' ' or' nitpicker, Neither of your targets suggested any such thing. PS Do you think for a moment that having a historical perspective thwarts strongly identifying fascism and fiercely attacking it? We are subscribers to a newsletter founded by an exceptional historian providing readers with a historical perspective on current affairs in America.
Ned, my sword is my pen (keyboard, actually) and I do vote, even from the wilds of Le Marche in Italy because Colorado lets me scan and email my ballot to Boulder County, the last place I resided in the USA. I also have contributed what I can online to various Democratic candidates, including even Hillary and Joe once they had won nomination.
Also, Italy has parliamentary elections on Sep. 25th (in which my wife can vote) and we have a little problem of (resurgent) Fascism here, too. We're trying to do our part to snuff it out.
I think Biden has to slowly bring the truth out to the violent and brainwashed maga crowd in order to not pop their brains out with Truth of their corrupt idols. It has to be done incrementally. They have been groomed and lied to for a very long time. Providing them with Truth has to be done similarly and incrementally. I think he said very powerful words considering the propaganda they have been fed for so long. And I bet we see them grow stronger as the irrefutable evidence keeps unfolding.
I see a need for a combination of both. We can't worry so much about the maga crowd compared to the need to energize and awaken true democrats and create a powerful energy and purpose that awakens and unites us to the battle we must engage with in the next 2 months in order to save democracy at the ballot box in November. The healing/enlightening of the maga crowd will take much longer than that. So for the moment we can't worry about them and how to save them from the lies they are following. Our immediate need is to push the truth in unsparing terms to rally those who believe with us that democracy must be saved.
It was an excellent speech by Biden and his speechwriters. Thank you for your thoughts and place on this page.
Agreed! And Justice should help!
That's the creepy part. They have been duped and nobody likes to be duped. I suspect Biden is setting the stage for what comes next on the January 6 hearings. Propaganda machines are hard to break, but the Biden Administration includes a lot of smart people who can do this. We need to work together. There were a great many people in Nazi Germany that didn't go along with Hitler. The time to speak up and out and do whatever we can to defeat this group is now. Every one of us.
Very true words and actions needed by all of us who believe in and desire a true, functional democracy, Susan!!
There are important, nay, vital things to do. Let’s not argue about details.
Yeah, like VOTE! And find people, young & all, to Vote as well!!!
The only real way to get our country going in the best direction is to vote the MAGAts OUT for all the reasons listed in Professor Richardson’s letter, and more! We need to go to any length to get it done!💙
You have to know by now the folks here will nit-pic everything to death.
Don’t forget the long standing, since the founding of “our country” taboo on arresting criminals who are rich, white, and male.
This taboo extends to other areas as well.
Like defrauding the PPP money then having that entire fraud be “forgiven” as outlined in this letter.
YES!
With all due respect, David H., the word "fascist" has been so overused and misused my entire adult life that it's become almost meaningless. My wonderful college history prof (the late Jack Reece, Uof PA), opened his first lecture on European Fascism and Nazism with "What is a fascist -- other than someone you don't like?" And about 3/4 of the class laughed, a little nervously, because that's pretty much how many of us used it: Nixon was a fascist, the Republicans were fascists, the university administration were a bunch of fascists, etc. (This was in 1973.)
Matters haven't improved much in the last almost 50 years. Lefties, neo-lefties, and even some liberals have been calling conservatives "fascists" at the drop of a hat. And it's too bad, because now that we're confronted with something that looks like fascism and quacks like fascism (which has, true, been developing for quite a while), we call it what it is and are surprised that people don't run for the barricades. The old story of the boy who cried "Wolf!" does come to mind.
Consider the possibility that Biden and those around him are reading the electorate more accurately than you are. Logic may tell you otherwise, but it takes more than logic to, well, tell which way the wind blows.
Well-said, Susanna. I hope this comment of yours gets much more attention because what you are getting at is very important right now: we are beginning to build a little bit of something that starts with coming together. Instead of pointing fingers and crying wolf, we need to watch how we ourselves might be contributing to the problem by clinging to indignation. Yes, we need to speak out strongly with the truth, but about what we want to support, not with name-calling, which has always back-fired.
Thanks, Susanna for your thoughtful comment. You're right, "Fascist" has been overused in the USA for years, often by people who have little knowledge of history, and it now does mean "someone you don't like". Of course similar ignorant use has been made of "communist" and "socialist", so perhaps our real problem is inadequate schooling, I'm not sure.
Here in Italy, where the party (Fratelli d'Italia) currently expected to win the most votes in parliamentary elections on Sep. 25th has its historical roots in Mussolini's Fascism, people know what Fascism means and what its roots are. Even the issues of greatest interest to the Right are much the same as in the USA: immigration, high taxes, intrusive government, abortion, assisted suicide, LGBT acceptance, decline of religious beliefs, high gas prices, the sense that life offers fewer opportunities than it once did. And here, there is not even the suggestion that anyone is voting illegally or that vote counts are rigged.
What most worries me about the Trump phenomenon is how little pushback he has received from "old style" (no longer mainstream) Republicans and how willing the GOP is to benefit from what might be as well described as an organized crime syndicate, forget Fascism.
I have no doubt Biden has smart, capable and historically tuned in advisors who are gaming through every imaginable scenario before deciding what to say and do. And leaving the heavy lifting to the Jan. 6th Committee -- and now the DOJ -- has been an effective way to erode Trump's image without risking certain public speaking gaffes to which Biden has been prone in the past. But it will take more than "reading the electorate" to defeat the GOP in the midterm elections; some folks need to be shaken awake and made to confront reality. Biden and his surrogates need to keep hammering home that our nation is at a turning point and that time is running out.
The lack of pushback would -- I think, I hope -- have shocked the Republicans I knew growing up, but that was awhile ago. And I believe that's a big part of the problem: It's easy to look back from 2022 and trace the trajectory of the current GOP back to the Reagan administration, and further back still to Nixon's "southern strategy" in response to the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of the mid-1960s -- but it wasn't so easy to see and feel and, most important, take seriously while it was happening.
It wasn't obvious till Trump was elected just how spineless and devoid of constructive policy ideas the GOP had become, but it didn't become so overnight. This is why I'm so intrigued by Liz Cheney in particular, but also by Adam Kinzinger, the handful of Republican legislators who bailed rather than get primaried by Trumpers, and some of the Republicans who've testified in the 1/6 hearings. They all voted with Trump and went along with the likes of Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, and Mitch McConnell -- but they refused to follow their party over the bridge into territory that was blatantly anti-democratic and anti-Constitution. I think we can all learn a lot from their stories, once they've had a chance to reflect on it all -- and assuming that we collectively manage to ride these rapids into somewhat calmer waters.
P.S. With "socialist" and "communist" I'm not sure better education would make a real difference. HCR has written about how upper-class and corporate interests have been using these particular words (along with "anarchist") for going on two centuries to scare Americans away from unions, civil rights groups, environmental and worker-safety regulations, and anything that might restrain their power. It's only recently that more people are waking up to the fact that the far greater danger in the U.S. has pretty much always come from the right.
"Nixon should have been tried and jailed for his crimes, and Ford's pardon of him has come home to roost big-time."
Absolutely. Ford's pardon of Nixon told the nation that presidential crime is okay, at least in the respect that there is no penalty to pay for that--"that" being the highest level of white collar crime. Ford's action initiated a reign of political crime which just keeps growing and growing with no end in sight.
Interesting that Ford's pardon of Nixon in 1974 came at the same time the decline of the American middle class began. Now is a good time to reread Henry Thoreau's essays "Life without Principle" and "Civil Disobedience."
Agree that Fascism is on the March and closer than many think. But not willing to criticize Joe, the “progressives” take care of that
I'd call it positive encouragement in this case, Jeri
Thank You Christine.
Hmmmmm. Welcome MaryPat. My comment apparently created a tangent path. Thank you for getting my meaning.
🗽
Oh, My.
I have to agree that semi fascism is too mild. Death star and his minions are full bore fascist. But great speech.
I say this over and over--I place most of the blame for our current political climate on American citizens for taking the MAGA bait and swallowing it whole. It reminds me of Germany in the 1930's. Hitler shifted from propaganda weapons to oppression to enforce their agenda. DeSantis and others state leaders, through passage of wildly unpopular legislation, are have re-opened the same play book. Soon more and more frightened, disgusted Americans will exit the country.
Agreed. TFG gave them the carte blanche to express the hatred and contempt for those "other" (different from them) and they have gobbled that up like candy and demanded more. I am disgusted with people that I thought were kind, honest, and moral people descend into that grip of fascist, authoritarian, democracy destroying garbage.
I do too Randy. The election of Trump in 2016 was a gigantic wake-up call as to just what Americans are. At least waaaay too many. And it is not pretty. If anyone clings to the notion that a big mistake was merely made by frustrated Americans then, and they see the error of their ways, look no further than Trump's continued grip on the Republican Party, and the shocking popularity of election denial and justification for 1/6. On what fu_king planet.... No, the reason for his continued cult-like popularity is that he and his disgusting values represent a large swath of America. I do not subscribe to the notion that these are mostly good people who have been led astray by the likes of Fox and Limbaugh (burn in hell you MF). I subscribe to the notion that most of these people hear what they want to hear and in Trump they have heard what they want to hear. If this fascist movement wins in 2020 and 2024, count me as one of those citizens looking to jump ship. No longer a proud American....
And it is hard to get the red hats out of your stomach once swallowed. What ails hurts and won't be given up real easy. Might require a medical treatment to extract the clogged belief system.
I agree David. There is no "semi". They are all in Facists
Several books which describe soft fascism include "Strongmen" by Ben-Ghiat, "How Fascism Works" by Stanley, " How Democracies Die" by Levitsky, and of course books by Snyder and Applebaum.
Madeline Albright also wrote a good book on Fascism . I think it was her last book.
Read her book. It was not specific enough.......maybe needed more examples.
Semi is rhetorical. Actually metaphor fo a Fricken 18-wheel semi carry fertilizer.
Ha!!
While I agree about the "semi" part, it seems like an odd thing to focus on.
Republicans have all 4 feet in the trough and they’re complaining about those who filled the trough. We as usual are watching Washington DC behave like pigs. The pandemic seems to have been an excuse for those on the inside to feed off those on the outside. It’s embarrassing to read about All these great American Maga types. What’s more embarrassing is to figure out how much money we’ve wasted on them and their kind. Meanwhile, the Republicans are just fascinated at the prospect of destroying this government of ours, our educational system, voting rights for those who don’t happen to be of their stripe. This whole mess looks like a pig’s breakfast, do use an expression I learned from a corrupt contractor in Barbados. 
You apologize to pigs right now. Pigs are way better than what's in Washington.
Indeed. Love our pigs.
I apologize to your pig(s) and to all pigs.
🤣
Memories of George Harrison
https://youtu.be/RhY1x8CpWeI
About the bigger piggies in their starched white shirts: "In their eyes there's something lacking, what they needs a damned good whacking!" A very strong LEGAL whacking and repayment to the American people for all the time and money we have had to spend on their evil anti-democracy antics.
That song sums it up perfectly! Thanks for posting it, Dave!
Perfect!
Great music...
Beautiful song.
Thanks, Dave. The Beatles' music is timeless.
Groundbreaking Social Protest disguised as pop songs
McCartney’s Blackbird included
That is one dang colorful post, Sandy.
Salud. 🥂🗽
Doin’ my midnight best, Christine. Sleepless in Seattle and Essex, New York - see Matt v. Elise.
I’m watching that one too, Sandy!
Good one, Sandy. I can see the likes of Marjorie 3-names, Matt Gaetz etc with their heads deep in the piggy feed trough. Thanks for the morning laugh.
All 4 hooves and snout in the trough
Today's NYT long piece on Jones Day lawfirm and the Republican Party work to infest the administrative state and build a conservative judicial branch is very informative. The players and their connection with Trump, not as a goofy goon, but strong force with which to align conservative micro distortions and legalese remains, I suspect, even as lawyers left (2500 on staff at 40 offices). DeSantis will likely draw upon them should he become candidate in 2024 and Jones Day will be back staffing the F-list positions we heard about in 2020-2021.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/25/magazine/jones-day-trump.html?campaign_id=52&emc=edit_ma_20220826&instance_id=70289&nl=the-new-york-times-magazine®i_id=79278305&segment_id=102434&te=1&user_id=0cecef8c2dcc36c65ac2d66f95da2ebd
But, on the plus side, the Republican Party continues to pursue its goal to improve the lives of all Americans by, uh, well, …y’know, uh, jeez, I’m thinkin’ I’m thinkin’! There’s gotta be something ….but, alas, there’s nothing. The Republican Party, the party of Lincoln and trust-busting Teddy Roosevelt, is now the personality cult of TFG.
May they all sink with him.
Republican in name only. They don't even believe in a republic. Lincoln would hate them and they him; their philosophies of government border on antipodes. And the real "Party of Lincoln" never flew Confederate flags.
Nor did they carry that flag into the Capitol.
All cult; no personality.
At long last our venerable President, Joseph Biden, is fighting fire with fire. Let him name EVERY member of Congress, politician, member of the Trump crime family/Trump administration, federal employee, or talking head who dares complain about 10-20K of student loan forgiveness while they benefit from PPP and/or any other federal loan/grant. Publish their names and the amount of debt forgiven EVERY SINGLE DAY from now through election day. Shut those parasites down!
Huzzah!
Sen. Whitehouse, report to the bridge! And bring your white board.
Senator Whitehouse = President Lincoln =
Sen. Whitehouse needs to join a Lincoln Project-like group and, every day until election day, produce a white-board presentation for the media.
Semi-Fascist = FASCIST w/o Auschwitz... crematoriums missing.. just Ukraine.
I don't know...I think their intentional lack of action and propaganda in our pandemic felt like an intentional genocide...even of their own supporters who were encouraged not to wear masks or get vaccinated. A modern kind of genocide, in my mind. They totally wear the stink of fascism and lock-stepping.
Yes, Sandy. Those Repub fascists who grind their teeth at still having to operate in a Democracy.
Fascism is power as used by the rabidly intolerant. It’s dangerous. Tolerance is power to the patient, to the people, it’s decency based on the Golden Rule. The mob is simply chaos for all. MAGA is Mob Power based on rabid intolerance. Intolerance and prejudice grow from ignorance and fear.
To be announced . . .
I'm with you, Daria. The. party of tRump needs to be called out EVERYDAY on their hypocrisy.
Pam, exactly. We don't need anymore articles or opinion pieces illuminating their hypocrisy and/or misdeeds - we need bullet points that succinctly describe the who and the what - just as the White House did yesterday.
Call them out for being traitors and fascists! Call them out for violating and abusing their oath of office. None of them should be in Congress, let alone politics because they don't believe in government and they don't believe in democracy. They hold radical views that only a 1 in 3 Americans support. And like you say Daria, quote their fascist lies and expose their hypocrisy. Time to go all in!!!
Yes, how can these hypocrites represent their constituents when they don't even believe that Biden is POTUS? They hold zero allegiance to our Constitution and the rule of law.
100% agree, ChipsPOV
IMO: Sandy Lewis had a good one: "..Republicans have all 4 feet in the trough and they’re complaining about those who filled the trough."
Huzzah! Woohoo!
It’s Friday, Fab Dar. 🥂🗽
Woo-hoo indeed, dear Christine!
Oh, yeah. I shall toast the day with a rum punch at the appropriate hour, aiming it south and east!
Aiming mine northeast & northwest!
Woohoo! I’ve already put my cheers radar on you, Fab one. !
Salud,Christine!
Such a good idea. I am up for a Dark & Stormy cheers to America shining her light into the dark corners this evening! Oh, and to getting caught with bribery checks he denied to Stormy!
May the light of Lady Liberty shine down into American dark corners with the full-throated support of the Lady with her Scales of Justice standing right beside her—to guide her through the night with the light from above.
🗽🥂 north and West we toast! Cheers, Sister Ally.
South and southeast from where I am. Appropriate hour negotiable.
🙂
Time to go low road where the Magats wallow in their filthy, polluted ditch.
Whenever Democrats stand up to the Republicons with the truth they become unglued and do or say something stupid. Republicons are a bunch of petty, vindictive losers who hide behind their shallow, immoral, and depraved character with false bravado.
👍🏼
At last! Some real tub-thumping to get the job done. Now we need this every day untill the elections to drive the message forward.
EVERY DAMN DAY FROM THE ROOFTOPS, FROM THE GARDENS, FROM OUR HOMES, FROM THE STREETS. The dems #1 issue is lack of communication strategy.
Not any more. President Biden just opened a can of whoop-ass, Laurie.
Unita! 🗽
Christine, let's keep pushing Crist to use his can of "whoop-ass" vs DeSantis. He has got to be relentless on the message that " this boy is running for President. Florida is only his launching pad." Every day hammer away!!!
I just am thinking decisively that he will choose Nikki Fried as running mate. That girl knows about cans of whoop ass. And she ain’t “skeered” of our emotionally and socially impaired guv. He doesn’t like people in his orbit unless totally in control of the agenda to insulate himself.
Salud, Carol.
We were just duscussing this. My husband hopes Nikki will agree to that. She has already pledged to work with Charlie to get DeSantis out. You are right, she already has the whoop-ass in spades.... enough to lend Charlie some!!!
Marshall the troops!
Unita! 🗽🥂
Should be, "Florida is only his lynching pad."
And about time. Hoping it's the giant economy sized can.
And the first one in a large case.
And I hope that the” press” will follow!
Yes. Agree. This message that Biden delivered today is long overdue but was a knock out punch. The election in November is democracy v fascism, Period. Full stop. Americans need to know the seriousness of our current situation. Everything that we hold dear is on the line. Hell, even women's suffrage is on the chopping block. We all must scream this from the highest rooftops!
YES YES YES!!!
For at least the past week, I've seen several different DSCC ads on CNN & MSNBC calling out many of points being made here. Interestingly, they've been the first of a series of commercials when a program goes to break.
The loudest MAGA whiners in Congress got their butts slammed when Dems revealed how much in PPP loans they got. I do love that so much! They benefitted while their constituents got nothing. Wonder if their followers will figure out they had been lied to...
Particularly Ms Three-Names! Particularly!
Wasn’t Twitter fun last night? Damn, MAGAts were getting their asses handed to them! Sadly, their followers don’t care or aren’t on Twitter since they are “loyal” to tfg. More fun in Twitter today though with Tucker being deposed in the Dominion lawsuit against Fox. Gonna be a hot time in the ol’ town tonight!!
Tucker and Hannity!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Their followers do two things: bleat that the Democrats have done the same thing, and then deny that any loans had actually, really been forgiven. The other PPP loan recipients who really stick in my craw with this are Brett Favre and Tom Brady....
That is disgusting!!
Because i try to see things from all angles, I wonder how much and who of the Dems got PPP loans. And why did any of them at all get PPP loans? I didn’t get squat because I am self employed.
Well yes, that would be interesting to know that information too. But let’s just stay on the Pro-Rape’s Party asses right now because they deserve to have their excrement thrown right back on them.
I also wonder why members of Congress got PPP loans- totally scamming the system.
“The MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and economic security,” he said. “They’re a threat to our very democracy.” President Joseph Biden. Thank you Professor for the clear (and frightening) analysis of the state of our union. The coming elections, the court and DOJ findings and the American people will determine the fate of our existence. Voting and the integrity of our courts and elections are more critical and fragile than ever.
WILLIAM P. BARR: It is his turn. May the light shine brightly on Barr until justice rings.
Yes, Yes, Yes!!!
Semi-fascism, Mr President, "semi"?
Yeah, that caught my eye as well.
Maybe you could call it ersatz-fascism, because it's a cheaper, nastier, leatherette imitation of a cheap, nasty imitation of imperial glory...
But make no mistake about it, there can be no words for the hellishness of such a regime. Just look at Russia today to know what's waiting in the wings... Waiting. Salivating.
A strange fate for a people that idolizes liberty.
LIBERTY: depending on nature of governance; experienced differently at each stage of human development and difficult to understand. I recommend Erich Fromm's 'Escape from Freedom'.
'If humanity cannot live with the dangers and responsibilities inherent in freedom, it will probably turn to authoritarianism.' This is the central idea of Fromm's Escape from Freedom.
Wonderful quote, Fern. I will add it to my list.
Thank you, JennSH. I believe the quote is from Fromm.
Ditto all the comments. Thanks for the reminder.
That is powerful. Gonna go read that.
Ally, it is powerful. We'll discuss.
Peter, I couldn't agree more. Some people believe that liberty is only for them, and not for "the other". How shocked the ersatz-liberty lovers will be when they become "the other."
He's hedging.
I just read that the Koch brothers are switching their allegiance, and funding, to Liz Cheney. I don’t like dark money or the Koch brothers, but Liz Cheney is a worthy candidate. I hope this is the death knell of the MAGA movement.
Well, Scanny Do, I suppose this is good news, though far better news would be that the Koch brothers had decided to stop engaging in the legalized bribery sanctioned by the democracy-ending Citizens United SCOTUS decision and give all their spare cash to worthy charities.
I appreciate Liz Cheney's courage and honesty, but she is a rock-ribbed, radically conservative GOP battle ax, and having her as President would be a disaster for most Americans and the World. I would prefer to hear MAGA's death knell from the DOJ and American voters, the sooner the better.
You’re a good writer. I appreciated especially Liz being “a rock-ribbed, radical conservative.” It occurred to me that Koch might still be giving to Trump, too. Probably is. Hedging his bets now, though. A divided GQP is good for our country for sure.
Thanks for the compliment, ScannyDo.
Yep, I totally agree with everything you say.
Has anyone really (been able to) unpick where Liz Cheney actually stands? We know the damage her father did. Have the realities of the Trumpists softened her stance? We can only hope so.
It is clear Ms. Cheney is an advocate of democracy, and that is a wonderful thing from any Republican in these times, but a staunch Republican she remains. What we used to call the "Loyal Opposition"". I admire her from afar.
I don't think guilt by association is the way to look at Liz. Not that I haven't in the past, but I do have to wonder if what happened on January 6th has unshackled her from the hard line Republicans. She is seeing how disasterous a Nation divided truly is.
The way I see it Linda, Liz Cheney didn't leave the Republican Party, the Republican Party left her. Unlike the Romneys of the world, she isn't craven enough to compromise her core beliefs to stay in power.
Cheney is not the only one who believes that the current rendition of the Republican Party has dug their own grave. She is young enough to believe that she'll be there to pick up the pieces. We'll see how that works out. Actually, I doubt I'll live long enough to see that happen.
Well, that is a fact. They left her by the curb and drove away like someone who no longer wants their puppy that won't behave as they want.
She's in her mid 50's, so in Republican math, she'll be around another 40 years.
I want to see her fight the good fight and bring Trump and his insurrectionists down.
When the J6 Committee concludes, she will need to reinvent herself.
I think she is on her way to that.
Some polls show that an election today for prez: orange: 40% ... Biden 32% ... Liz 11% taken from Biden... not orange... sooo we might wanna be careful
Like Biden, I don’t believe the polls.
hi Marlene! i don't necessarily, either. certainly not actual numbers. trends are something else.
i DO see where Rs have pretty much rejected Liz across the board ... and if she should decide to run for prez... i can absolutely see her support coming mostly from her new adoring Dem fans. NOT from those PO'd Rs who all see her as a traitor. you don't?
as some astute young reporters have noted, right now... it's (sadly) not about policy or platforms... on either R or D sides. it's only about the death star orange flambe. nothing else.
soooo... her entry into the fray... to keep him out of WH... could totally backfire.
❤️ I agree, Suz. Look, I admire her taking a strong stance for democracy and risking her career to be on the J6 committee. Her statements as the vice chair have been wonderfully stinging to her once fellow R’s. But, and that’s a big BUT…she had to be convinced to support LGBTQ issues and she does NOT support abortion. She has still, very hard leaning views and she is, after all, Dick’s daughter. I can’t quite get that sour taste out of mouth. She has plans, believe me, to remain very vocal. She is bot going away silently. No sireee! I will not vote for her for president. I won’t!
Absolutely!!
Making a hero of Liz Cheney is the proverbial double edged sword. She demonstrates great courage in her opposition to TFG and his MAGA army of traitorous weasels. She believes in the rule of law. But Liz Cheney's politics, the small government, tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations, privatization of services, etc. fail the people. She is no champion of the common person.
Liz Cheney is the perfect example of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. She does seem to have her limits, but she voted against voting rights, if I’m not mistaken. If she is receiving help from the Koch network, even indirectly, she is contributing to the demise of the nation. Koch is a very far right kleptocrat in plutocrat’s clothing.
“Demonstrating great courage” in the gop, we must point out, is a very low bar when it comes to “Profiles in Courage”. Or ethics. Or commitment to democracy.
and FOSSIL FUEL BUSINESS. How is that for an enemy so tied to Dick and Liz Cheney.
I couldn’t believe this, so I researched and, YES, you are correct, ScannyDo! https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/08/23/the-koch-network-and-other-trump-allies-are-quietly-backing-his-biggest-gop-critic-rep-liz-cheney.html
I don’t like dark money either, but am pleased to see the MAGA cult losing some of its grip. Thanks for bringing light to this!
Rose, if Liz Cheney has to use voodoo to keep Trump away from the Oval Office, I'm all for it.
Voodoo, praying (even though I am not religious!), chanting, white candle or incense burning--anything, indeed! It is lamentable that yet again we must support the lesser of two evils, although I am crossing my fingers that a viable and popular Democrat contender will emerge in the interim.
Koch brother now, but that his support in itself makes me worry about Liz Cheney, even though I respect her opposition to the lawlessness of Trump and his allies.
I wonder if the demise of one brother might change the direction of the libertarians, but . . . I digress.
Anyone who can still have a relationship with a father who caused the needless death or displacement of millions of innocent people.... is suspect in my mind.
Her Dad is a lying murderer. I paraphrase below:
"The Iraqi people will welcome us with open arms and their oil will pay for a very quick war."
Just because Liz is doing the normal thing expected of ANY normal patriot doesn't make her a hero. She would be a monster in the WH. A tool of the Oligarchs.
For GOT fans:
Cheney vs Trump vs Bush - it's a Game - who can remain standing after the slaughter. Think of the Kochs as the "Iron Bank". I think of DeSantis as a Ramsey Bolton. May he suffer a similar fate.
And now, Biden is finally acting as if he has a dragon. Perhaps we are the dragons.
Liz is doing her constitutional duty to sit on the J6 committee and uncover the truth of the Insurrection. That. Is. All. She voted with trump 90% of the time. She does NOT believe women should be trusted to make the best choice for their reproductive lives with safe, effective pregnancy termination choices. The fact that the nefarious koch money is sidling her way is just another catastrophe waiting too happen. Liz Cheney does NOT believe in WE The People.
I think she has been running for President from the moment she was seated on the committee. She is front and center, has a single message campaign, and is cemented to the roots of the Republican Party. The Maga party could prove to be as fickle as it is heartless and flip their votes to Liz Cheney. Just my opinion, I hope I am wrong😕.
Agreed. They may hate Liz Cheney right now, but they will always hate liberals more.
Koch brother, David Koch died on 8/23/2019. Per Bloomberg Billionaires' Index, older brother, Charles Koch is the 15th richest person in the World. The money is not so dark.
…and what about how much the Koches (now Charles) have used their money to take hold of the state legislatures. Do you have an idea of how much of ring-wing ideology and control in the Red states have been bought and paid for with what I call 'Koch & Co. & Red State America'? It's not only money; it's their 'troika' of money, ideology and control. Connections with Putin? I do not know, except that the Koch company continues to do business in Russia.
Koch Family money came from an oil cracking method selling worldwide. Later Koch sold natural gas overwhelming minor US state land owning citizens who blocked Koch's way to Koch oil wells when Koch was stopped from burning off natural gas deades ago, for example, in east Utah just south of the Uintas mountain range.
Make the case, Bryan. It could be a crucial profile of one of the country's leading power-brokers. In comment form, if you care to take it on, it would provide a lesson in who is in charge of what.
As a teenager, I ghost wrote a demand letter ( don't laugh ) for 2 Utah brothers who had inherited 160 acress of original Utah homstead land. This was about 20 years before I had a JD & knew the Latin terms for a Court order telling Koch to get your property-destroying-gas-pipeline off my ( the brothers' ) homestead property i.e. MANDAMUS. I Learned a Big Life Lesson: Koch got lawyers that bought off the Utah folks for $500 per easement, per tresspass. I now know common law torts from Old England would have done the trick. East of the mountains was controlled by thr Mormon church -- west of the mountains was Dodge City.
Good story, Bryan. I missed getting an answer to my question but, perhaps, that's the answer. See you at the next roundup.
Republicans made a pact with the devil when they started taking Koch money.
I can think of a million other ways the Koch family could spend their money, and it's NOT by playing politics. Just think of all the good they could do. What a waste.
Oh oh, I disagree. I admire Liz Cheney’s courage greatly. She has proven to be courageous strong, tenacious. She is I find very charismatic. However she voted with Trump 90 % of the time. Koch money funded Reagan and the nefarious Mont Pellerin Society. Frederick Hayek encouraged Augusto Pinochet who personally approved the torture to death of at least 28,000 people in Chile. They have supported the formation of the Quincy Institute for statecraft, which I follow. However I am not a supporter of Dick Cheney. I view the Iraq war as a major, major fossil fuel catastrophe for hundreds of millions of people and a major contributor to our ecologic catastrophes God know how many Iraqi children died as a result of the war and the destruction of infrastructure . This war destroyed a Christian community who had prayed together for almost two millennia and created the brutal Islamic State terrorists. I would be cautious about Liz Cheney although i am immensely grateful to her. I am very impressed with all members of the Bush family . I think George junior made mistakes. I still am captivated by him and I love his daughters. I can see them making very fine leaders. I wish Liz Cheney health and happiness and will keep an open mind . She is proving to be a true patriot in my view.
Excuse me, Frances, but how can you "view the Iraq war as a major, major fuel catastrophe for hundreds of millions of people" and at the same time somehow be "captivated" by George Bush Junior? And why do you love his daughters? And what makes you think they might make better leaders than, let's say, thousands, if not millions of other people in their generation? And what does that have to do with Liz Cheney or Trump or anything else in your comment?
Just curious.
Again ..... read Shock Doctrine - essential (if rather long) read - which puts so much of the current world mess into perspective. Thank (whatever) that Milton Friedman is dead.
Pres. Biden ought to hire her asap, and create an official Office Of Rooting Out The Criminals. She'll have two more years to eradicate the magghats,
Well Dan, we the people will crush them in November, and she can go around collecting the carcasses.
🗽
Nobody in the Bush family ever had an original idea in their lives. Bunch of worthless schmoozers.
FYI . . . David Koch died in 2019, so now it’s just Charles
Now that really is good news.
Do you have a link for that? The Koch Brothers are never to be trusted.
https://uk.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/former-trump-allies-are-now-backing-liz-cheney-as-she-eyes-2024-run-including-billionaire-charles-koch-2730453
Yeah, not even the dead one.
First, there's only one Koch brother in the game now... just to be fair to the other living brother, Bill, who has little interest in the fascist campaign that Charles has been waging. Second, Charles has been undergoing a re-branding as a "caring and compassionate Philanthropist", so it's predictable that he would throw some money towards Liz Cheney, but let's see the hidden numbers on how much he's spending on her competition....
The timing is very interesting. It would be easy to read into what this means but I'll wait to see how it unfolds. David is gone and Charles is alone and calling the shots. He is not going to shift his strategy unless it gets him closer to establishing a plutocracy.
Plutocracy and oligarchy. For public relations, David Koch established the foundation that supports the arts. Expiation for sins, or so they hope, I imagine.
Source?
https://uk.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/former-trump-allies-are-now-backing-liz-cheney-as-she-eyes-2024-run-including-billionaire-charles-koch-2730453
This is interesting. Do you mind sharing the link of this news?
https://uk.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/former-trump-allies-are-now-backing-liz-cheney-as-she-eyes-2024-run-including-billionaire-charles-koch-2730453
ScannyDo - "I just read that the Koch brothers are switching their allegiance, and funding, to Liz Cheney."
There are many sources for this, just Google Koch brothers liz chaney. This is an example:
https://uk.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/former-trump-allies-are-now-backing-liz-cheney-as-she-eyes-2024-run-including-billionaire-charles-koch-2730453
Incredible. A politician, the president told the truth. 100%. He did not mince words. He defended the WH & his actions. The GQP deserved his rebuke of their attacks. Some think he should not have done it. I think he was totally appropriate. I respect him more now & believe others do too.
Has anyone ever published how much PPP money Sean Hannity may have gotten to prop up his real estate empire? I’m assuming millions. I don’t know that he has complained about that kind of “socialism”.
Again, the hypocrisy of the "GOP" must be called out constantly for what it is - no holding back. And, MAGA philosophy and actions goes way past "semi-facism"; they are a full fledged fascist, criminal cabal. Hiding behind BS veils of made up political immunity, they are getting away with destroying democracy in this country and anyone with at least one dangling brain cell is well aware of the trouble we are in. We have a bunch of criminal anarchists and evil thugs who rule the roost.
Agree or disagree with the tuition program, at least Biden (who continues to follow a moral/ethical compass and is trying to help some of the "99%") has put something on the table that merits an ongoing discussion of the bigger issue of how money is used in higher ed. The MAGA repugs never put forth anything . . . they say no to everything, commit crimes, and attack.
Yesterday a friend, who is now retired from being on the inside of the "top secret" world, gave some of us a pretty detailed view on how all that works in reality. She shudders to think of the hit to national security - trump, or his minions have undoubtedly sold out the country. The mere fact those documents were removed in the first place is grounds for immediate arrest and jail. trump is a clear and present threat.
Just finishing the book about Garfield and the scofflaws who reigned in his time. We talk about the need for civics classes. I'm thinking the curriculum has to go beyond government structure and the importance of voting to how to be vigilant to detect wrongdoing, maybe ramp up background checks for anyone running for election at any level to prevent infiltration of anti-democratic interlopers. We also as a country need more training about identifying and responding appropriately and compassionately to mental illness. We just don't get it.
Muller's investigation hampered by Trump allies? Who were these allies? Can DOJ go after them now about Trump's Russian Collusion. And then because the investigation was blocked, Barr gives a predetermined presumption of innocence?
These guys are taking our justice system to the limit and giving the American people "the business".
I'm loving Joe Biden's come back. Yeah, what about all that PPP?
One thing I've learned from HCR is that our tax revenue can either go up to private business or come down to serve the American people. Thanks for your all your efforts Heather Richardson.
Does Barr get his law license suspended or get otherwise disciplined for his helping Tfg crime?
My first thought was why are there absolutely no repercussions for Engel and Barr?
And once again, why did Barr really sign on with tfg?
Barr cashed out. Too bad he won't live long enough to spend all the money that he was given to betray America, eviscerate the Department of Justice, and undermine our democracy. He's the worst of the worst. A Bonafide Judas.
I agree he's worthless, but what money was he given and by whom?