"St. George in Retirement Syndrome: Many who fight injustice come to define themselves by their fight against injustice, so that, as they defeat the injustice, they must invent new injustices to fight against simply to maintain their identity" (Gurwunder; The Prism newsletter).
If there is a theory that can sum up Donald Trump and his allies and by extension the entire Republican brigade, then the above quote can clearly reveal. As Trump is being cornered in the court, he tries to cleverly pick sections of law that favors him and singularly claim that his rights are not being served. While the First Amendment grants everyone the right to express themselves in any way, it does not allow them to act against the same constitution (turning against the will of the people as expressed through the election). Similarly, Republicans' fight are often done through the right-wing media. As the House Committee tries to solve the stalemate surrounding the son of the president, Republicans are trying as much as possible to leak findings from the Committee and feed them to their media. While they claim that they have a secret dosure to reveal, they are yet to do so. Strategically, this is their approach to be under constant sympathy by keeping a cycle of injustices created by them to continue benefiting from them. They "manipulate the facts presented by their own witness just to keep fueling the far-right media’s obsession with fabricating wrongdoing by President Biden." If Biden was not the president, would have Republicans shoved off the case from the court shelf and demand prosecution? I don't think so and reverse is also true, but the timing of it is what they want to harvest emotions from the public as they prepare for 2024.
Behind the court curtains, I am sure Trump is desperate to undermine the judge and call hers despicable names.
For those who have been supporting and intending to subscribe to my newsletter for free, nashukuru sana (I am very thankful). Any time I write a newsletter, I have an underserved community in mind. This is what I stand for and live for. When my time to exit from this cosmos arrives, I will be happy that I have accomplished my mission of serving the underserved. Welcome to my mission to accomplish together.
If Trump was not elected in 2016, would we be paying attention to him now? Not likely. I Biden was not elected in 2020, would we be paying attention to his son? Not likely, either. But they were, and we are.
Our tendency has been to create a false parity, which in this case somehow equates committing 2 years of tax fraud with a political career riddled with serious crimes culminating with the attempted overthrow of the government of the United States. Despite all their bluster and baseless claims, the Trumpists are not fighting dragons, they ARE the dragons.
Roger Stone and his wife had not paid two years of taxes, about 2 million dollars. DOJ told them to pay up or face civil charges. They paid.They were done. Hunter Biden paid two years of taxes late, about a tenth of what the Stones had held back, and still faced criminal charges.
I keep up with news, but I didn’t know that. Thanks, Joan. May many more people learn of this. Poor Republican babies always being targeted by the evil federal government enforcing evil laws against tax evasion.
Hi Joan: Well let’s get Kamala - the prosecutor - elected and watch her go after Donald Trump’s crimes, the Supremes who are not acting in the best interest of the people and instead supporting Trump, and the various judges - like Judge Aileen Cannon - who dismissed Trump’s classified document case. Elizabeth “From Democracy to Democrazy”
Alternatively, restoring the IRS budget for enforcing tax laws against non-payment of existing taxes by those with incomes over $400,000/year would pay for itself threefold and reduce the deficit significantly.
I have read several books about Trump, and he was a criminal BEFORE becoming president. His real estate dealings were shady. He interacted with organized crime figures while owning and bankrupting the Atlantic City casinos, a violation of law. How stupid do you have to be to bankrupt a casino, in whose favor the odds are stacked?
Excellent point. I suspect that he came out of the bankruptcy process in fine financial shape. He manipulates the system - he learned at his father's feet.
And let’s not forget that Roy Cohn was TFG’s “fixer” lawyer…..a real piece of work, another teacher in the School of Grift & Graft along w/ his father. And TFG kicked him to the curb (“dropped” him) when Cohn lay dying of AIDS.
Thank you for reminding all of us that he learned to be a criminal from his father. May I add that the irony of Ivana’s being married to a convicted criminal isn’t lost on me either. Remember crime families? We never expected one as president. (But then a bright friend did warn me many years ago about the effects of television.
Another reader here in the LFFA Substack recommended Greg Olear’s in-depth explanation of tfg’s mafia connections. It’s a bit lengthy, but it clarifies so much!
Greg Olear has superb New York City sources, so I felt confident sharing the article. He reposted this original 2020 article just recently, and it is even more timely now.
Thank you, MaryPat! I couldn’t remember who posted it originally, but I found it to be the best and most informative read on tfg’s criminal background. It essentially explains his arrogance! I have shared it with others numerous times. Thanks again!
Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016 by nearly 3,000,000 votes. We’re the only nation on earth where the candidate with the fewest votes wins. The electoral college is antiquated, only benefits one party (R’s) and has to go.
Since we Americans like to worship our founders and the Constitution, let’s give the Electoral College a ceremonial role. But elect President and Vice President in a way that each voter’s vote has equal weight to every other’s.
We are taught to worship the founders but most of us, including myself included don't know much about them. Some 18th Century attitudes haven't weathered well, but the founders embraced the Enlightenment, which included faith in reason, along alongside authority. The value of their bequest lies in its outcome-based applicability as our foundational procedural infrastructure, not superhuman authority of those who penned it.
The president/vice president is the only elected official I can think of whose constituents are the whole nation. From an equal protection, democratic perspective, the EC is woefully incongruent. One citizen/one vote; no more, no less. Lightly populated states are already over-represented in the Senate.
Such a sad day when the results were reported. I was volunteering at a Hillary Clinton campaign office in Berkeley, CA. We were shocked to learn James Comey, then the FBI director, sent a letter to Congress announcing the reopening of the email probe on Oct. 28, 2016, 11 days before the Nov. 8 election. Comey’s acknowledgement that he may have subconsciously expected Hillary Clinton to win the presidency when he disclosed days before the 2016 election the reopening of a probe of her emails shows that the then-FBI chief was driven by political motivation and self-interest, according to a White House spokesperson. Clinton has said she thinks Comey's announcement about the email probe so close to the election killed her chances of winning. Well Comey got his, being fired by Trump on TV.
And we must be dragonslayers, though not in the vein (pun intended) of DeSantis and his promised/threatened throat slitting of bureaucrats. What on earth possesses that individual?
Your dragonslayers reminds of early maps of the British Islands (early middle ages) where large portions of uncharted Wales were marked with "here be dragons" including pictures of dragons. Hence the symbol of Wales today.
Maybe we should change the GOP elephant to a Red Dragon.
There are said to be "lucky dragons" (different tradition though). I can think of no more fitting emblem for the modern "GOP" than a COVID-19 virus. If nothing else, they've been partners in crime.
He is so rabid about anything concerning LGBTQ people one suspects 'homosexual panic'…as originally defined, not as used as defense. That, and a significant helping of megalomania…
Sure. I agree with you. Every side tries to illegitimize the other and this case Republicans are good in dirty games more than the Democrats. It is a game of public display to maintain identity. And it is a matter of using wrong means to achieve the right thing.
I mostly agree with you, Edwin, except that I can’t figure out what “right thing” might be associated with the Republicans’ end (achieved via the wrong means). The majority of the current cadre of self-righteous right-wingers only aspires to power and economic prosperity—and is willing to destroy our nation’s economy and democracy to that end.
If Republicans go by the right thing, then they need to denounce Trump's near-likely overturn of the 2020, adopt bipartisan approach, agree to cooperate with the Democrats on House Committee. If they do these, they know they will lose their identity and voting base, so they resort to using wrong means.
“which in this case somehow equates committing 2 years of tax fraud with a political career riddled with serious crimes culminating with the attempted overthrow of the government of the United States”. Trump committed serious crimes, both before and during his time as president. Hunter Biden committed tax fraud. Hunter Biden was/is not president, or elected to any office. You seem to have unwittingly equated the misdemeanors of President Biden’s son with the felonies of ex-president Trump. Which is what Republicans would like us to do.
You nailed it. Cultivate a constant feeling of injustice “getting screwed” which fuels resentment. This is exactly what Fox and Donald Trump have been doing. There are a lot of people feel screwed and follow Trump as their spokes person.
Yes, the Trumpers are a collection of grudge holders. That includes every known Trump voter in my apartment building! Whether it is a racial grudge or government issue grudge, legal grudges, everyone I know that is still Republican fits one of these categories!
I have to admit that I harbor resentment too. I resent Donald and the Republicans trying to destroy democracy in America! I resent that they are taking freedom away from my grandchildren and great grandchildren. I that why I have come to hate Donald Trump? I that why Kevin McCarthy almost drives me to drink? Is it why DeSantis causes me nausea? The only difference is my strong belief in the System and the majority of the American people, to hold these people responsible ultimately, whether through criminal prosecution or loss of voter confidence in them, so they lose their offices of power over discisions for me and mine.
I think the next election is going to be a close call again, but I will do everything in my power to help get out the vote for Democracy. Vote Blue everyone as if your very life and future depend on it! We must not be intimated into silence! I am going to put more bumper stickers on my car, whether the MAGAS try to ambush me or not!
I just want tfg and his cadre of clowns OFF my tv and radio news. Even NPR and PBS caved into having tfg's lawyer on their programs this week. Yes, I want a silo of real news, and a filter that works so I never hear his voice again. There, that's my rant. I, like you, will do every thing in my power to push these people out of any hope of power. Vote Blue. (I wish one of the senators from my state, Wisconsin, could be forced out.)
Oh, Louise! I feel your pain! I occasionally have to take breaks from following the news because I get so infuriated by how incredibly surreal our political climate has become. I wish you courage and strength, and the comfort of knowing you have lots of company and support in this forum.
That reflects most of them being unable to take any responsibility for their situation and instead blaming everything and everyone else for their unhappiness. In this way they make themselves powerless and helpless. No insight, absolutist thinking, and childish processing. They seem like a whole group of two year olds throwing a perpetual tantrum. This isn't to say that there aren't environmental issues that might create some barriers for them, but many of them seem unwilling or incapable of finding any way around them. If they weren't so dangerous they would just be pathetic.
The “someone else is getting something I am not, but I should because I want it and I deserve it because I am me” grudge. I am reminded of the opinion that Trump’s defense is “I am Donald Trump!”
It's like the battered person's syndrome. While abusing the victim, in many ways, they complain about how poorly they've been treated and take no responsibility for the mess they've made. In fact they blame the very people they target with their nefarious behavior.
Hyping the hate pays the bills, lavishly. I always have that song from "Cabaret" running through my head when I think of these individuals and companies. "Money, money, money, . . ."
Persecution mania now is endemic to the GOP in every way. "Harvest the emotions from the public" is precisely the means by which tfg has acquired much of his means to keep his Ponzi show running. This old Navy boiler man says that when you are running low on steam your ship begins to create undertow. Resistance. The man will fall apart in this judge's courtroom. If we have gained anything as a nation here, I believe it is an overwhelming call to become more engaged gatekeepers of our beloved country and her constitution. I now view appeals for support from Democratic candidates as an invitation to join hands in the party to rid ourselves of the predatory parasites in public office. Give, if you can. Every small donor matters greatly. Small donors are the backbone of our party.
The sad part is that the middle class small donors are now so depleted financially that everyone, as the price of food goes up faster than wages not in the top 10% must give to Democrats as they formerly gave to charities.
True that my ancestral home is in a coastal area that attracts the 1%, but the national park attracts visitors. I have never, ever seen so many expensive cars on the roads as I have in the last couple of years. Lots of folks appear to be doing very well! I have wondered about how many made out well from the extra pandemic infusion of $$. Just an observation.
Thank you for the observation. Observing the opposite where I am, mailbox flooded with appeals from every charity I’ve ever donated to, rising food costs affecting grocery store selections, particularly of organic food (which I understand).
Join your local Indivisible chapter, or start one. Get information on how to write GOTV postcards to states having early primaries. Getting together with friends to do such projects is a good way to reconnect after Covid separation (though we may be back in masks again).
This is the way entire generations of white Southerners have been raised for over 150 years. They were the *real* victims in the Civil War. They were just defending themselves from Yankee aggression and defending their rights. Bring up slavery and they'll change the subject or, as we are now seeing in Florida, simply lie about it.
These people have been nursing grievances and a victim identity for generations. They have been fantasizing about mass violence for generations. They happily committed atrocities when they were in charge of the police and the courts and knew they could get away with it.
The descendants of the Confederacy are America's Nazis. They always have been. And they plan to take control by any means necessary. It would be best not to lose sight of that. Making Trump and his crew pay for their crimes will just be one more grievance to add to their list. They will be a long-term terrorist threat. We must not lose sigh of this or we are as doomed as the Germans were in the 1930s.
"Gibson's Law: In matters of law and policy, anyone can find a subject-matter expert who supports their view. Because they are more skilled at being wrong." Are Republicans good in this?
I had taken a break for 1 week and some days to recharge, but I am back now. I have more newsletters to post this week. And thank you for subscribing and your concern.
You are the only person in Substack that I know of writing about Africa, a continent of almost 1.5 billion people, so the odds would be great that I would want to hear what you have to say.
Sure and I am always thankful for your support. I have deep, authentic information about African people, culture, technology, politics, locals, underserved communities, and much more. I have prepared lots of data and stories about different aspects of life here in Africa. Over the next months, I will visit every African country to derive real, primary information that isn't showcased in the mainstream media. So, you will get more unknowns from me. Thank you Linda for believing in me 👏
Rose, too bad the judge didn’t tell TFG’s lawyer John Lauro, not to go on a friendly television show and admit that his client is guilty. Looks as though it’s not only his client who has a problem with saying the quiet parts out loud—“at least he didn’t send in the tanks”! (Can we say that invoking the Insurrection Act was part of the plan?)
I do believe his poll numbers would go up. At this point, I have no doubt his rabid cult is essentially a mindless group of frenzied fascists. To them, he can do no wrong. To them, the worse he behaves, the better. If he was ever right about anything, he was right about these people. If he shot someone on 5th Ave, it wouldn’t matter. They would follow this criminal monster right off a cliff into the abyss. Well...they already have.
The dangerous reteric that his sycophants (in office still) are saying is so dangerous and disgusting. Ron DeSantis was giving a speech in New Hampshire yesterday where he said, "The first day I am in office, I will start slitting the throats of the bureaucrats in the Deep State!" I just saw the clip of the campaign speech on Morning Joe, MSNBC, this morning.
I would hope so. Wouldn't that be nice! It would mean he would have to spend even more money to get from campaign events to campaign events to even spread such violent reteric!
The indictee is sucking all the air out of the room so our Fl “ Governor” is desperately trying to draw attention to his free-falling campaign while exposing how truly evil he is…
Well if the Orange One isn't accomplishing anything else, at least The Donald is making DeSantis expose all his ugly warts to the American Voting Public before they unwittingly vote him into the Office of the Presidency!
*jaw drop* Boyoboy, those ol' fascists no longer 'hide their light in a bushel', do they? That's right, Ron: say the quiet part out loud! However Ron is such a charmless specimen, I doubt even that will garner him any votes. Not as long as 'Trump the Persecuted Champion of the Downtrodden' (as he loves to style himself in order to con more money out of his dimmest adherents) is able to conjure any sympathy at all, that is.
A cult leader can do no wrong. Murder is one thing subverting the government is another. Consider the effect of murder compared to becoming a dictator's affect on the country and world.
2016: "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?" Trump remarked at a campaign stop at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. "It's, like, incredible."
Suggestion: it’s at this point in history that we need to bring back Aristophanes. I don’t remember which play, but maybe somebody out there knows exactly the right one. I get through lots of the mess of these days just remembering that the Greeks said “the gods laughed,” which always makes me smile to remember. And Aristophanes must have kept them laughing. (Actually, Aristophanes is more accessible to us than Gilbert and Sullivan.)
My favorite was Oedipus erectus. I agree that Gilbert & Sullivan have rich material (‘I’ve got him on the list, he’ll never be missed), but Sophocles and Shakespeare have some ragged harpoons.
Heck, he doesn’t even have the cojones to fire people in person, unless it’s on a scripted “reality” TeeVee show. Maybe he inadvertently coined a term Tweet-Termination?
Bravo, Keith! Glad you’re taking him on. What I’m enjoying is that the super racist has two judges of color whose bios and intelligence are light years beyond his. I hope this doesn’t offend anyone, but I am offended by racism and enjoy sticking it to racists of any stripe, particularly those who have their photo ops with upside down Bibles!
Both judges are highly qualified women of color. Somehow it gives me great satisfaction for him to be under their thumb every day. I really enjoyed how Lauro was effectively told to shut up and sit down after three objections. This country needs to see this trial warts and all.
Not wanting to be jailed, or more likely suffering house arrest, the indicted former president will probably avoid saying things that would influence jurors but that won't stop his non-indicted supporters from doing that ... and having it spread through right-wing media such as Newsmax, OAN, or even Fox. And are the judge's words about not influencing jurors operative before a jury is even selected ... or might they apply to the entire pool of prospective jurors?
What are the chances that the dumpster and his council will be hit with a gag order? I would call what they are both doing as trying to influence potential jurors.
I hope that judge feels emboldened to use her powers to bring full consequences to bear on that aged lifetime crook who has forever escaped meaningful consequences for his multitude of crimes
Rose (WNY etc.). The judge made a nonsensical statement. Trump can be accused of committing new crimes, but for the judge to say that Trump cannot **commit** new crimes would require another trial to prove Trump committed the crimes.
Do judges today even know the law? Or is there no law. If you are accused of a crime you are guilty.
“The judge warned him that one of the conditions of his release was that he must not commit new crimes.”
Given his past record, I will safely bet he can’t resist the impulse…
UPDATE, And less than 24 hours later:
“IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!”
"St. George in Retirement Syndrome: Many who fight injustice come to define themselves by their fight against injustice, so that, as they defeat the injustice, they must invent new injustices to fight against simply to maintain their identity" (Gurwunder; The Prism newsletter).
If there is a theory that can sum up Donald Trump and his allies and by extension the entire Republican brigade, then the above quote can clearly reveal. As Trump is being cornered in the court, he tries to cleverly pick sections of law that favors him and singularly claim that his rights are not being served. While the First Amendment grants everyone the right to express themselves in any way, it does not allow them to act against the same constitution (turning against the will of the people as expressed through the election). Similarly, Republicans' fight are often done through the right-wing media. As the House Committee tries to solve the stalemate surrounding the son of the president, Republicans are trying as much as possible to leak findings from the Committee and feed them to their media. While they claim that they have a secret dosure to reveal, they are yet to do so. Strategically, this is their approach to be under constant sympathy by keeping a cycle of injustices created by them to continue benefiting from them. They "manipulate the facts presented by their own witness just to keep fueling the far-right media’s obsession with fabricating wrongdoing by President Biden." If Biden was not the president, would have Republicans shoved off the case from the court shelf and demand prosecution? I don't think so and reverse is also true, but the timing of it is what they want to harvest emotions from the public as they prepare for 2024.
Behind the court curtains, I am sure Trump is desperate to undermine the judge and call hers despicable names.
For those who have been supporting and intending to subscribe to my newsletter for free, nashukuru sana (I am very thankful). Any time I write a newsletter, I have an underserved community in mind. This is what I stand for and live for. When my time to exit from this cosmos arrives, I will be happy that I have accomplished my mission of serving the underserved. Welcome to my mission to accomplish together.
If Trump was not elected in 2016, would we be paying attention to him now? Not likely. I Biden was not elected in 2020, would we be paying attention to his son? Not likely, either. But they were, and we are.
Our tendency has been to create a false parity, which in this case somehow equates committing 2 years of tax fraud with a political career riddled with serious crimes culminating with the attempted overthrow of the government of the United States. Despite all their bluster and baseless claims, the Trumpists are not fighting dragons, they ARE the dragons.
Roger Stone and his wife had not paid two years of taxes, about 2 million dollars. DOJ told them to pay up or face civil charges. They paid.They were done. Hunter Biden paid two years of taxes late, about a tenth of what the Stones had held back, and still faced criminal charges.
How odd....somehow that doesn't sound like equal justice before the law to me. /s
I keep up with news, but I didn’t know that. Thanks, Joan. May many more people learn of this. Poor Republican babies always being targeted by the evil federal government enforcing evil laws against tax evasion.
Do you have a quick, succinct link Joan? I would love to share that info and did not know that about the Stones. If not, I will search for it. Thanks!
https://www.floridabulldog.org/2023/06/hunter-biden-sweetheart-deal-tougher-roger-stone-tax-deal/
https://www.justsecurity.org/75954/is-roger-stone-getting-off-easy-for-tax-fraud/
Awesome!! ❤️🙏 Thank you!!
Dyn-o-mite! Thanks.
Hi Joan: Well let’s get Kamala - the prosecutor - elected and watch her go after Donald Trump’s crimes, the Supremes who are not acting in the best interest of the people and instead supporting Trump, and the various judges - like Judge Aileen Cannon - who dismissed Trump’s classified document case. Elizabeth “From Democracy to Democrazy”
Joan Friedman: End the Income Tax and all the problems you mention go away.
Alternatively, restoring the IRS budget for enforcing tax laws against non-payment of existing taxes by those with incomes over $400,000/year would pay for itself threefold and reduce the deficit significantly.
Joan: PS: Those IRS agents aren't going after the Big Boys. They are going after you and me.
I have read several books about Trump, and he was a criminal BEFORE becoming president. His real estate dealings were shady. He interacted with organized crime figures while owning and bankrupting the Atlantic City casinos, a violation of law. How stupid do you have to be to bankrupt a casino, in whose favor the odds are stacked?
Excellent point. I suspect that he came out of the bankruptcy process in fine financial shape. He manipulates the system - he learned at his father's feet.
And let’s not forget that Roy Cohn was TFG’s “fixer” lawyer…..a real piece of work, another teacher in the School of Grift & Graft along w/ his father. And TFG kicked him to the curb (“dropped” him) when Cohn lay dying of AIDS.
Cohn.
Thank you for reminding all of us that he learned to be a criminal from his father. May I add that the irony of Ivana’s being married to a convicted criminal isn’t lost on me either. Remember crime families? We never expected one as president. (But then a bright friend did warn me many years ago about the effects of television.
Another reader here in the LFFA Substack recommended Greg Olear’s in-depth explanation of tfg’s mafia connections. It’s a bit lengthy, but it clarifies so much!
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/tinker-tailor-mobster-trump?utm_source=direct&r=3y3z2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Greg Olear has superb New York City sources, so I felt confident sharing the article. He reposted this original 2020 article just recently, and it is even more timely now.
Thank you, MaryPat! I couldn’t remember who posted it originally, but I found it to be the best and most informative read on tfg’s criminal background. It essentially explains his arrogance! I have shared it with others numerous times. Thanks again!
Rose, thanks for the link
I’m forwarding your thanks to MaryPat Sercu, who originally posted that link.
Trump also committed bank fraud, multiple times. To the extent that no bank will do business with him.
John, I believe the dumpster stays afloat from a bank that has a guarantor of the Sovereign wealth fund of Russia. somewhere in Germany.
That is Deutsche Bank.
And I heard that they do not allow gaming at his hotel in Las Vegas!
Sharon, I checked with Snopes and they indicate that is a false rumor.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/nevada-gaming-denied-trump/
Thank you, Rose. I heard it when I was in Las Vegas several years ago.
Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016 by nearly 3,000,000 votes. We’re the only nation on earth where the candidate with the fewest votes wins. The electoral college is antiquated, only benefits one party (R’s) and has to go.
Has to go, or has to change. Empty land should not get the same number of votes as a city.
Since we Americans like to worship our founders and the Constitution, let’s give the Electoral College a ceremonial role. But elect President and Vice President in a way that each voter’s vote has equal weight to every other’s.
We are taught to worship the founders but most of us, including myself included don't know much about them. Some 18th Century attitudes haven't weathered well, but the founders embraced the Enlightenment, which included faith in reason, along alongside authority. The value of their bequest lies in its outcome-based applicability as our foundational procedural infrastructure, not superhuman authority of those who penned it.
The president/vice president is the only elected official I can think of whose constituents are the whole nation. From an equal protection, democratic perspective, the EC is woefully incongruent. One citizen/one vote; no more, no less. Lightly populated states are already over-represented in the Senate.
Such a sad day when the results were reported. I was volunteering at a Hillary Clinton campaign office in Berkeley, CA. We were shocked to learn James Comey, then the FBI director, sent a letter to Congress announcing the reopening of the email probe on Oct. 28, 2016, 11 days before the Nov. 8 election. Comey’s acknowledgement that he may have subconsciously expected Hillary Clinton to win the presidency when he disclosed days before the 2016 election the reopening of a probe of her emails shows that the then-FBI chief was driven by political motivation and self-interest, according to a White House spokesperson. Clinton has said she thinks Comey's announcement about the email probe so close to the election killed her chances of winning. Well Comey got his, being fired by Trump on TV.
I cringe remembering that situation, courtesy of deplorable Comey!
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is one way around an amendment to make it happen, tho not enough states have signed on to “make it work”:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Popular_Vote_Interstate_Compact#:~:text=The%20National%20Popular%20Vote%20Interstate,and%20the%20District%20of%20Columbia.
Cathy Gellert: The candidate with the most votes in 2016 was None of the Above. 38% didn't vote. Hillary and Trump pretty much split the rest.
We would all be better off if None of the Above was in the White House. Turn the place into a museum.
If trump was not born rich we would NEVER know of him. Once again money the route of all evil.
Harvey, don’t know where you got the spelling, or is it mine? I thought “root” all these years, but “route” gives a whole different sense. Thank you.
I read sometime ago someone posit that he would be selling fake merch on the streets of NYC….sounds about right, the same grift w/o the greenbacks.
And we must be dragonslayers, though not in the vein (pun intended) of DeSantis and his promised/threatened throat slitting of bureaucrats. What on earth possesses that individual?
Your dragonslayers reminds of early maps of the British Islands (early middle ages) where large portions of uncharted Wales were marked with "here be dragons" including pictures of dragons. Hence the symbol of Wales today.
Maybe we should change the GOP elephant to a Red Dragon.
There are said to be "lucky dragons" (different tradition though). I can think of no more fitting emblem for the modern "GOP" than a COVID-19 virus. If nothing else, they've been partners in crime.
Ambition-- his and his wife's.
She wants to be Jackie Kennedy.
You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.
He is so rabid about anything concerning LGBTQ people one suspects 'homosexual panic'…as originally defined, not as used as defense. That, and a significant helping of megalomania…
Malignant narcissism. "GOP" leadership is septic with it.
Sure. I agree with you. Every side tries to illegitimize the other and this case Republicans are good in dirty games more than the Democrats. It is a game of public display to maintain identity. And it is a matter of using wrong means to achieve the right thing.
I mostly agree with you, Edwin, except that I can’t figure out what “right thing” might be associated with the Republicans’ end (achieved via the wrong means). The majority of the current cadre of self-righteous right-wingers only aspires to power and economic prosperity—and is willing to destroy our nation’s economy and democracy to that end.
If Republicans go by the right thing, then they need to denounce Trump's near-likely overturn of the 2020, adopt bipartisan approach, agree to cooperate with the Democrats on House Committee. If they do these, they know they will lose their identity and voting base, so they resort to using wrong means.
Ahhhh… I see your point now, Edwin. Thanks for the clarification.
So well said and perfectly illustrated, Steve!!!
“which in this case somehow equates committing 2 years of tax fraud with a political career riddled with serious crimes culminating with the attempted overthrow of the government of the United States”. Trump committed serious crimes, both before and during his time as president. Hunter Biden committed tax fraud. Hunter Biden was/is not president, or elected to any office. You seem to have unwittingly equated the misdemeanors of President Biden’s son with the felonies of ex-president Trump. Which is what Republicans would like us to do.
You nailed it. Cultivate a constant feeling of injustice “getting screwed” which fuels resentment. This is exactly what Fox and Donald Trump have been doing. There are a lot of people feel screwed and follow Trump as their spokes person.
Yes, the Trumpers are a collection of grudge holders. That includes every known Trump voter in my apartment building! Whether it is a racial grudge or government issue grudge, legal grudges, everyone I know that is still Republican fits one of these categories!
Resentment leads to hate which can and often does lead to violence.
I have to admit that I harbor resentment too. I resent Donald and the Republicans trying to destroy democracy in America! I resent that they are taking freedom away from my grandchildren and great grandchildren. I that why I have come to hate Donald Trump? I that why Kevin McCarthy almost drives me to drink? Is it why DeSantis causes me nausea? The only difference is my strong belief in the System and the majority of the American people, to hold these people responsible ultimately, whether through criminal prosecution or loss of voter confidence in them, so they lose their offices of power over discisions for me and mine.
I think the next election is going to be a close call again, but I will do everything in my power to help get out the vote for Democracy. Vote Blue everyone as if your very life and future depend on it! We must not be intimated into silence! I am going to put more bumper stickers on my car, whether the MAGAS try to ambush me or not!
I just want tfg and his cadre of clowns OFF my tv and radio news. Even NPR and PBS caved into having tfg's lawyer on their programs this week. Yes, I want a silo of real news, and a filter that works so I never hear his voice again. There, that's my rant. I, like you, will do every thing in my power to push these people out of any hope of power. Vote Blue. (I wish one of the senators from my state, Wisconsin, could be forced out.)
Oh, Louise! I feel your pain! I occasionally have to take breaks from following the news because I get so infuriated by how incredibly surreal our political climate has become. I wish you courage and strength, and the comfort of knowing you have lots of company and support in this forum.
Louise, I wish I had said that.
That reflects most of them being unable to take any responsibility for their situation and instead blaming everything and everyone else for their unhappiness. In this way they make themselves powerless and helpless. No insight, absolutist thinking, and childish processing. They seem like a whole group of two year olds throwing a perpetual tantrum. This isn't to say that there aren't environmental issues that might create some barriers for them, but many of them seem unwilling or incapable of finding any way around them. If they weren't so dangerous they would just be pathetic.
The “someone else is getting something I am not, but I should because I want it and I deserve it because I am me” grudge. I am reminded of the opinion that Trump’s defense is “I am Donald Trump!”
It's like the battered person's syndrome. While abusing the victim, in many ways, they complain about how poorly they've been treated and take no responsibility for the mess they've made. In fact they blame the very people they target with their nefarious behavior.
The comparison between tfg and a serial abuser has been noted since he announced in 2015.
...also by any person resembling a woman living in NYC since the late 1980s.
Projection is what I am thinking all the time they are speaking out of their hat.
Hyping the hate pays the bills, lavishly. I always have that song from "Cabaret" running through my head when I think of these individuals and companies. "Money, money, money, . . ."
You have to sabotage conscience to have a shot at absolute power; a bargain with the devil, so to speak.
Persecution mania now is endemic to the GOP in every way. "Harvest the emotions from the public" is precisely the means by which tfg has acquired much of his means to keep his Ponzi show running. This old Navy boiler man says that when you are running low on steam your ship begins to create undertow. Resistance. The man will fall apart in this judge's courtroom. If we have gained anything as a nation here, I believe it is an overwhelming call to become more engaged gatekeepers of our beloved country and her constitution. I now view appeals for support from Democratic candidates as an invitation to join hands in the party to rid ourselves of the predatory parasites in public office. Give, if you can. Every small donor matters greatly. Small donors are the backbone of our party.
Well said, sailor.
Thanks,Jim. I so look forward to witness any falling apart Trump may do, in court, preferably, but anywhere publicly. Fifth Avenue, maybe?
Yes, I think we have gained in awareness that we must be engaged.
The sad part is that the middle class small donors are now so depleted financially that everyone, as the price of food goes up faster than wages not in the top 10% must give to Democrats as they formerly gave to charities.
True that my ancestral home is in a coastal area that attracts the 1%, but the national park attracts visitors. I have never, ever seen so many expensive cars on the roads as I have in the last couple of years. Lots of folks appear to be doing very well! I have wondered about how many made out well from the extra pandemic infusion of $$. Just an observation.
Thank you for the observation. Observing the opposite where I am, mailbox flooded with appeals from every charity I’ve ever donated to, rising food costs affecting grocery store selections, particularly of organic food (which I understand).
Good point Virginia!
Here we are Edwin, in the same boat. And what a fine boat it is. Shall we name it Principle?
My thoughts conclude -with so many others- such as you, Heather, Joyce ,Ruth Charlie, Simon ( Principle is a mighty boat as is her crew) ... pen .
Their ship is lips , loud lips , which pitch and bitch .
Will yet another win quell that dogged pursuit, or as history fills more shelves /has proven WE MUST STAY EVER VIGILANT.
I remain privileged to read the many you , education is afforded to far to few people,these voices DO form a collective , WE are in this together .
Thank you .
Just one of the crew on the good ship Principle.
💙💙VOTE💙💙
Join your local Indivisible chapter, or start one. Get information on how to write GOTV postcards to states having early primaries. Getting together with friends to do such projects is a good way to reconnect after Covid separation (though we may be back in masks again).
Thank you so much Patricia
🫶
This is the way entire generations of white Southerners have been raised for over 150 years. They were the *real* victims in the Civil War. They were just defending themselves from Yankee aggression and defending their rights. Bring up slavery and they'll change the subject or, as we are now seeing in Florida, simply lie about it.
These people have been nursing grievances and a victim identity for generations. They have been fantasizing about mass violence for generations. They happily committed atrocities when they were in charge of the police and the courts and knew they could get away with it.
The descendants of the Confederacy are America's Nazis. They always have been. And they plan to take control by any means necessary. It would be best not to lose sight of that. Making Trump and his crew pay for their crimes will just be one more grievance to add to their list. They will be a long-term terrorist threat. We must not lose sigh of this or we are as doomed as the Germans were in the 1930s.
"Gibson's Law: In matters of law and policy, anyone can find a subject-matter expert who supports their view. Because they are more skilled at being wrong." Are Republicans good in this?
I subscribed to your newsletter but have gotten nothing from you for a while.
I had taken a break for 1 week and some days to recharge, but I am back now. I have more newsletters to post this week. And thank you for subscribing and your concern.
You are the only person in Substack that I know of writing about Africa, a continent of almost 1.5 billion people, so the odds would be great that I would want to hear what you have to say.
Sure and I am always thankful for your support. I have deep, authentic information about African people, culture, technology, politics, locals, underserved communities, and much more. I have prepared lots of data and stories about different aspects of life here in Africa. Over the next months, I will visit every African country to derive real, primary information that isn't showcased in the mainstream media. So, you will get more unknowns from me. Thank you Linda for believing in me 👏
What are the odds he littered something the second he stepped out of the courthouse?
Rose, too bad the judge didn’t tell TFG’s lawyer John Lauro, not to go on a friendly television show and admit that his client is guilty. Looks as though it’s not only his client who has a problem with saying the quiet parts out loud—“at least he didn’t send in the tanks”! (Can we say that invoking the Insurrection Act was part of the plan?)
Mary, It seems to me that Lauro and the dumpster are dangerously flirting with a gag order. MSNBC lawyers are aghast at the behavior.
What if you put him in the middle of Fifth Avenue with, er, a gun?
I do believe his poll numbers would go up. At this point, I have no doubt his rabid cult is essentially a mindless group of frenzied fascists. To them, he can do no wrong. To them, the worse he behaves, the better. If he was ever right about anything, he was right about these people. If he shot someone on 5th Ave, it wouldn’t matter. They would follow this criminal monster right off a cliff into the abyss. Well...they already have.
The dangerous reteric that his sycophants (in office still) are saying is so dangerous and disgusting. Ron DeSantis was giving a speech in New Hampshire yesterday where he said, "The first day I am in office, I will start slitting the throats of the bureaucrats in the Deep State!" I just saw the clip of the campaign speech on Morning Joe, MSNBC, this morning.
Isn’t that a threat that should land DeSantis on some watch-list?
I would hope so. Wouldn't that be nice! It would mean he would have to spend even more money to get from campaign events to campaign events to even spread such violent reteric!
The indictee is sucking all the air out of the room so our Fl “ Governor” is desperately trying to draw attention to his free-falling campaign while exposing how truly evil he is…
Well if the Orange One isn't accomplishing anything else, at least The Donald is making DeSantis expose all his ugly warts to the American Voting Public before they unwittingly vote him into the Office of the Presidency!
*jaw drop* Boyoboy, those ol' fascists no longer 'hide their light in a bushel', do they? That's right, Ron: say the quiet part out loud! However Ron is such a charmless specimen, I doubt even that will garner him any votes. Not as long as 'Trump the Persecuted Champion of the Downtrodden' (as he loves to style himself in order to con more money out of his dimmest adherents) is able to conjure any sympathy at all, that is.
Yes! All of the above! Thank Goodness for the "Charmless" part!
One of those small blunt-nosed animals with a few short whiskers and sloping foreheads. They live in holes in the ground. Or sewers.
OMG!
Thank you. Unsurprising, but necessary to publicize.
Jessie, given what I see from my former work cohort, you have described them most accurately.
They remind me of the crowd yelling "Yaaay!!" from the old Rocky and His Friends cartoons.
It would matter. It would elevate him further. What boggles my mind is how they don’t comprehend they are more likely to be his victim then not.
A cult leader can do no wrong. Murder is one thing subverting the government is another. Consider the effect of murder compared to becoming a dictator's affect on the country and world.
2016: "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?" Trump remarked at a campaign stop at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. "It's, like, incredible."
A-L I’m ready to face Donnie on Fifth Avenue at 10 paces with AR 47s. I’m confident that there would be a yellow spot under Bone Spur Donnie.
But Keith, you know that he'd never show for an evenly armed contest.
Tuba Then Donnie will have earned the Caine Mutiny rubric—Yellow Spot.
🤣🤣🤣
Suggestion: it’s at this point in history that we need to bring back Aristophanes. I don’t remember which play, but maybe somebody out there knows exactly the right one. I get through lots of the mess of these days just remembering that the Greeks said “the gods laughed,” which always makes me smile to remember. And Aristophanes must have kept them laughing. (Actually, Aristophanes is more accessible to us than Gilbert and Sullivan.)
My favorite was Oedipus erectus. I agree that Gilbert & Sullivan have rich material (‘I’ve got him on the list, he’ll never be missed), but Sophocles and Shakespeare have some ragged harpoons.
Heck, he doesn’t even have the cojones to fire people in person, unless it’s on a scripted “reality” TeeVee show. Maybe he inadvertently coined a term Tweet-Termination?
Bravo, Keith! Glad you’re taking him on. What I’m enjoying is that the super racist has two judges of color whose bios and intelligence are light years beyond his. I hope this doesn’t offend anyone, but I am offended by racism and enjoy sticking it to racists of any stripe, particularly those who have their photo ops with upside down Bibles!
Both judges are highly qualified women of color. Somehow it gives me great satisfaction for him to be under their thumb every day. I really enjoyed how Lauro was effectively told to shut up and sit down after three objections. This country needs to see this trial warts and all.
I grew up with women who sounded like that judge, firm, politely unyielding. Perfect judge tone.
Well they wanted to give Rittenhouse a cushy jobs and medals, so it’s clear they advocate murder without consequences.
Not wanting to be jailed, or more likely suffering house arrest, the indicted former president will probably avoid saying things that would influence jurors but that won't stop his non-indicted supporters from doing that ... and having it spread through right-wing media such as Newsmax, OAN, or even Fox. And are the judge's words about not influencing jurors operative before a jury is even selected ... or might they apply to the entire pool of prospective jurors?
Let's hope he can't resist!!!
Yes, Rosalind! That’s my hope.
Agreed!
His very existence is a crime...
He probably has already commited a new crime.... 24 hours has passed. We will probably hear about it in a few days.
Indeed! Less than 24 hours later, he’s intimidating potential jurors: “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!”
What are the chances that the dumpster and his council will be hit with a gag order? I would call what they are both doing as trying to influence potential jurors.
So what happens when he defies what the judge stated he could not do? Bring him in and jail him? take away his tech toys? Or???
I hope that judge feels emboldened to use her powers to bring full consequences to bear on that aged lifetime crook who has forever escaped meaningful consequences for his multitude of crimes
Rose (WNY etc.). The judge made a nonsensical statement. Trump can be accused of committing new crimes, but for the judge to say that Trump cannot **commit** new crimes would require another trial to prove Trump committed the crimes.
Do judges today even know the law? Or is there no law. If you are accused of a crime you are guilty.