Today more than half of the Republicans in the House of Representatives signed onto Texas’s lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to overturn the results of the 2020 election and install Trump, rather than the legitimately elected Joe Biden, into the White House.
Black people should not be allowed to vote - this is the basis for all that we see right now. I'm sure the obese greedy lunatic sitting in the people's house watching TV and wetting his depends truly believes that he was robbed because he knows exactly who cast those votes against him in places like Atlanta and Detroit and doesn't believe they are legitimate because of the color of those voters' skins. And there are a lot of people in this country - white people - people who look just like me - who agree with him. If anything has been made perfectly clear to me it is that as a white woman I walk invisibly through enemy lines all the time; but for the first time I've gotten the tiniest and most irrelevant sense of what my Black female friend has tried to envisage for me many times. The enemy is everywhere - the enemy is us. And Black people, people just like my friend, citizens of this country...are forced to walk that gauntlet every damn day of their lives. I'm disgusted. I'm ferocious.
Sign me up for a lifetime membership in the Ferocious Club as well. Last night a 40 year old black man, Brandon Bernard, was executed, another man on death row might be executed tonight. Tя☭mp is obsessed with the death penalty! But where was he as clemency was begged for? At a glitzy WH Christmas party. Those two events on the same evening makes me as ferocious as the seditious R’s and grinchy Mitch. I can’t wait til Jan 20 when Biden/Harris are sworn in, but I’m not here for “getting back to normal”. We need to Build Back much, much Better.
"Build Back, MUCH MUCH BETTER"!! YES!! That's what Biden's rallying call has been missing!!! And he will build our country back - MUCH MUCH BETTER!! Thank You!
As long as we absorbed in the issue of racism - as central as it is - it's an intentional and so far effective ruse by the Lords of Power and Money (conservative think tanks established and funded to chew up any programs not contributing to the money mountains of the Lords of Capital) to divert the Peoples' thoughtful gaze away from carefully examining capitalism as it functions and is practiced today. As I rather vaguely remember, was it back around the days of Reconstruction?, the then Lords-in-training (think ex-slave owners) clearly recognized the powerful political dangers of poor whites identifying their own station in life with that same station of their black brothers and sisters. To "break" and/or forestall any such communal self regard - with its potential explosive power at the ballot box to shape a government in tune to the interests of the poor - hence disempowering the Lords-in-training and with it their anti-social claim of their freedom to make and keep all their profits for themselves (no tax money for social programs), the as-ever cunning and scheming ex-owners of human beings sowed the psycho-emotional seeds that to be white was to be superior, to be black inferior. Yes. Look at today's theatrics. They're still at it. The old "Divide and Conquer" strategy. But it's all staged to keep our intelligence averted away from what the War is essentially all about - capitalism today, monopolies, promotion and concentration and crystallization of wealth and power in the 1%. You bet - they do not want us having a national conversation about alternative forms of capitalism and especially - about forms of socialism. The Republican "Voice" today will do literally everything in their power to - including destroying democracy (an aside, we actually don't have it except in our fantasies) - to effect the Fundamental Intention of the 1% - getting all our wealth for themselves - which includes "you" - ie. the concept of the commodification of the human being. So, now it's not just blacks enslaved, we-becoming-poorer whites-yellows-reds-are too! How about that!
I’ve been wondering how some of the trumpistas will like it when they are also living on the “reservation” as depicted in the 1930ish novel “Brave New World” by Huxley.
Another day dawns (almost). It's not yet 5 AM and I'm already muttering "WTF" and shaking with rage.
Those 106 Republican representatives and 17 Republican-led states are engaging in some of the worst performative "art" ever displayed by a US government, at least in its scale. Part of me says few of them actually believe in what they're doing, and are participating only to point out to Trump's supporters in the future that they stood with the president* today.
But another part of me whispers - well, maybe it's on the verge of yelling - perhaps they do believe. Or maybe we're looking at the horses' asses as they bolt from the barn of democratic process. Could stupidity be more contagious than the coronavirus?
Finally, in what seems like the last part of what's left of my mind, a nagging concern exists that this gambit might actually work, that Trump played his hand perfectly, that not even John Roberts can stay the madness as the new conservative majority on the bench finally fulfills the wet dreams of the Federalist Society. I hope against hope that Gorsuch might look at this and go, nah, not subtle enough. I have no such hopes for Kavanaugh and Barrett, while Alito and Thomas have been lost causes from the jump.
Is it possible that we miss Scalia, who at least at one point had the courage, or smarts, to point out the not every type of weapon should be considered reasonable to be included under the umbrella of the Second Amendment?
My Mom died 2 weeks ago. I was glad she'd seen Trump lose the election. I'm also relieved (?) she didn't have to witness this affront to the country that her family, like so many others, fled to in the hope of a better life. We owe it to all those who came to and helped build America, as well as our children and grandchildren and future generations, to make sure that those heading this "protest" are never allowed to serve in an political capacity again.
Now please excuse me, I have to remove a shoe from the TV screen and put it in the pile that's been growing larger every day this week.
Scott, sorry for your loss. My mom passed in November. 💕
It’s the end of an era for our family and our connection with WWII heroes and survivors of the Great Depression. They lived through fighting horrors of Hitler and the rise of fascism.
And now fascism is rising again right before our eyes. How can this happen in our country? How are we so blind that our citizens cannot see what’s occurring?
I’m scared and discouraged...and more now than ever, appreciate the bravery of the last generation for having the courage to endure and end Hitlers assault. May their memories be a blessing to us all.
My father and all 6 of his brothers were WWII veterans and lived through the Great Depression as children old enough to remember and understand what was happening. Hearing their collective stories throughout the years were fundamental in shaping many of my views. 2020 in America is a travesty like no other. They are surely rolling in their graves.
In addition, hearing the stories from my grandmother, and the wives, regarding the years of united sacrifices on the home front, makes looking at the selfish individualism on full display this year especially difficult.
It causes me to question how can we can ever recover the spirit of the Greatest Generation, and if such a hope is even possible.
First, I am sorry for your loss. Second, you stated perfectly what I believe many are feeling and thinking. I, too, started out with WTF! It just seems like we are living in an alternate universe where the crazy is allowed to run rampant while the rational is held hostage. The fact that Trump has taken so many down this path of crazy....crazy existed before, but he has worked tirelessly to normalized it. 😵
Yes, with the rate at which this bandwagon is growing, it seems that stupidity might just be as contagious as the virus. I feel your anger. So sorry for your loss.
Scott, please accept my condolences. My Mom did not live long enough to see DJT trounced but she loved Joe Biden. I am glad your Mom knew before she died. God bless her and her family and may she rest in peace--truly more peaceful than all of us are right now.
So sorry for your loss, Scott. This is such a hard and dark time and so much harder when we lose our “lights” in this world. Your family knows maybe more than many of us what it is like to flee another country for the hope and ideals of the democracy of the US...only to see it embracing fascism. I share your feelings, this morning.
I'm so sorry for your loss Scott. It's a difficult thing to deal in the best of times, I'm sure it's been extra challenging given the current state of things. Take care and best to you and your family.
This is what I wrote to my state and federal representatives today. Not that they care, but they are all i have as my reps at the state and federal level:
I am furious with all of you! You are supposed to be representatives of us, your constituents. You have joined this ridiculous Texas lawsuit to deny the results of the most secure election ever (as noted by the Republican in charge) to bow to King Donald, the man-child. But not to deny ALL who won in this election, because you aren't disputing down ballot votes. Your actions as representatives of Tennesseans are despicable. Meantime I am isolated in my home to avoid the fate of other Tennesseans who are filling hospitals, desperately sick. Your
self-indulgence is disgusting and your willingness to destroy our democracy breathtaking frightening. You do not deserve the offices you hold.
Inspired by Marcy Meldahl, this is what I wrote to my state Attorney General today:
I'm writing to urge AG Ferguson to investigate, along with AGs of the states of Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Ohio, the possibility of a counter-suit against Texas AG Ken Paxton. The actions of Paxton and the other elected officials in the states and in the U.S. House who have signed on to Texas's spurious suit, must be held accountable for what is clearly an act of sedition. They are seeking to overthrow the duly elected civil government of the United States.
Please be an advocate for the voters of this country, not only for who have chosen Joe Biden as our next President, but for everyone. Our democracy is at risk and those who continue to say, "It will all be okay. He will leave quietly once Biden is inaugurated and things can go back to normal", are delusional. We need leaders willing to take decisive action against this attempt to create a dictatorship - because if Paxton, et al succeed, or if any of the other myriad efforts by the standing President to overthrow the government succeed, that is what we will have. An authoritarian dictatorship similar to those in countries we have always looked at in disbelief - "How can those people let that happen?" We cannot allow this to continue!
Thank you Marcy! I need to get those postcards and start writing as well. I wonder if those of us who were interested in writing postcards or whatever might have a supportive “accountability “ network to help each other get these written?
I just finished sending 55 postcards to Republicans in U.S. Senate who have not publicly acknowledged Biden's win...admonishing their silence which is damaging our country's governmental process.
I also asked them to move forward in a non-partisan manner not for the sake of one man or corporate power, but for the American people. I told them to 'be a patriot' - work across the aisle.
We shall see if anyone reads even one of these cards but I tried and felt like I was doing my civic duty.... As a 73 year old woman I addressed them: 'Sen. Mitch' and Sen. Lindsey...by their first names :)
I also sent cards of thanks to those who acknowledged Biden's win and encouraged them to be willing to work for the American people.
Tip: smaller post offices may not have the pre-stamped cards as they don't sell well.
This is so fabulous of you! I will order my pre-stamped post cards today, inspired by you. As you mail them out, BELIEVE they make a difference. We all have to. Thank you for inspiring me and giving me hope, all of you.
Usually, my phone calls go directly to voicemail. Considering the probably volume of calls right now, are you assuming they will just look at the number of calls but not listen to them all?
Fortunately, even as a Texans, I sent thank you notes to Representative Roy and Senator Cornyn for not supporting the Paxton lawsuit. I've given up on Senator Cruz so I never write to him. Now if they would just pass a bipartisan Survival Bill for pandemic relief to give the economy of ordinary citizens a shot in the arm.
Could the 81.3 MILLION American citizens who voted for Biden/Harris file a class action lawsuit, naming Donald Trump; his legal team; Republican members of both Houses of Congress who have refused to acknowledge the Biden win; the Attorneys General of Texas and 17 other states; and Republican legislative leaders in, especially, PA and MI who have gone along with Trump--suing them for their blatant attempt to nullify our votes, thus disenfranchising us, and for attacking the foundation of our election system and thus the Constitution which specifies that WE THE PEOPLE choose our leaders?
As relief, we should demand that the Republican Party be de-legitimized and not be able to field candidates for national office unless and until they abandon their march toward authoritarianism and single-party rule.
This is sheer madness. As Carole said, the holidays are already difficult, to say the least, not to mention almost 300 thousand of us dead, millions without jobs or food, and we have to be submitted to this lunacy by a "party" (no longer republican in any shape or form) and it's leader, who has become a cult figure. Would that this be a Monty Python farce, but it is not. It has become a never-ending nightmare, ALL of it. I called the Supreme Court today, and I'll call again tomorrow.
Dr. Richardson, thank you for being such a steadying voice of reason. I admit to being terrified of this, probably, fruitless latest attack on our country. Even if it fails though, so much damage has been done. It may sound maudlin, but it makes me weep.
Have you read any of Steven Hassan's books on cults? Netflix also has a series on the Scientology Cult, with Leah Remini, a former Scientology member. It's well done. There are helpful stories on the events that brought people out of the cult of Scientology that might be helpful. Hassan addresses a variety of different cults. His book "Freedom of Mind" describes various basics for helping someone to leave a cult. You're right the fundamentals that Trump has "inspired" are exactly like a cult primer. Good luck. It is a confusing, debilitating, loving journey you are on.
When it comes to women's reproductive rights, Republicans abhor judicial activism. The same for same-sex marriage, I recall. But their American flag lapel pins start to glow with patriotic ardor with the idea that a panel of judges would literally overthrow legitimate government to install, for all intents and purposes, a dictator.
I think, I hope, HCR is right; Texas AG Paxton is angling for a pardon, and the members of the party jumping on his bandwagon fear the loss of MAGA Mob support. I would like to hear more, much more, from the Republican legislators who did not sign on to Paxton's lawsuit. Being silent is an endorsement of a sort as well.
These are not times to sit silently on the sidelines.
Post script: If, when, the Democrats get control of the Senate again, the rules that permit a single senator, the majority leader, to control the entire legislative and judicial/cabinet approval process must be changed.
It's not just that their black hearts go pitter patter at the prospect of subjecting the rest of us to a plutocratic, theocratic autocracy.
The "Flag & Faith" crowd, who once chanted "better dead than Red," is almost orgasmic with the notion of supporting an ignorant man who shares none of their alleged values.
The Republican party may have been working towards this moment for five or six decades. How could we not have imagined what their end game would look like? How could we not see the domino effect when parts all three branches of government decided that the Constitution didn't apply to them? How could we even conceive of a day when so many Americans were told you're not American enough?
This is a gut punch that's leaving us on the floor of the ring, gasping for air, hoping we can rise again to fight this opponent. America has finally seen the wisdom in Walt Kelly's cartoon character Pogo, who said "we have met the enemy and he is us."
American citizens are dying in record number and they want to dick around playing this stupid game of frivolous pointless lawsuits when they should be passing legislation to get aid to people and plan how distribute a vaccine???? Every morning I wake up wanting to throw up. I’m sorry I don’t have anything wise or constructive today.
I appreciate the work you do, Heather, to keep us informed. This is also the only forum I can think of that I look forward to reading the comments, as they are insightful and informative, and it’s a safe place for an occasion rage. (Thanks for indulging me. )
Hey, no apologies needed. I literally called my primary care doc yesterday to get an antidepressant to take some charge off before my head blows off my shoulders. That’s a true story. I feel like I’m living in an alternate universe or I WISH I was!!
No, Elaine, WE'RE living in the real universe, trying to wrap our heads around why 70 million people want to live in an autocracy devoid of facts and science.
Elaine, I empathize! I have started EFT tapping for the anger, sadness, and anxiety. Also daily meditation and “gratitudes.” This IS a traumatic oppressive time. We really do need to care for ourselves, first. There is community and there is goodness.
I do all that and have for years but the undercurrent of trauma and fear are impossible right now. I’m sure all of that is helping me but I’d just like to swallow once in a while (not literally of course).
Elaine - take relief where you can find it! For me - it's wine and Hallmark Christmas movies. I'm also doing letter-writing for Vote Riders and text banking for Fair Fight. As Mim said, WE are living in the real universe, which makes the whole situation even worse.
My husband and I are planning retirement in about 5 years. We are looking overseas. This country will never recover, I fear, at least while the t**** family is still alive.
Thank you for texting for Fair Fight. I’m about to do the same. It’s so sad to even be entertaining the idea of leaving this country that I love. And to hear that other good people are also. Surely there are more of us here who believe in our democracy than those who don’t?
They’re holding up paltry aid over the right for employers to put our lives at risk without threat of legal repercussions. They’re tossing themselves off a political cliff in a gambit to attract Trump’s loyal voters while people die of covid, get stuck with medical bills they can’t afford due to covid after their medical coverage was lost, have no home or are soon to lose it, & are going hungry.
My MUST held accountable. Those involved in sedition in particular must be brought to justice and then dispatched in the most shocking of ways.
Their screams must be so loud they’re heard around the world to drive it though everyone’s brains so they think twice about making another attempt.
Then they must take out the disinformation specialists and their leaders in an even worse manner.
America wants tough, let’s give it to them. While we’re at it, let’s fix the police. Break up their union & their code of silence. Public caning for certain cases deliberate misuse of their authority. That goes for the civilian creeps who killed people or threatened harm to others. Let them have their Law & Order, painfully and publicly.
Another thing, don't mistake these States Attorney Generals as crazies. They are lawyers. This move is deliberate and organized and because our government is a legal shambles; and has been at least since Reagan, and now with the entire country in a physical, emotional, and financial shambles due to a raging pandemic, which has been supported and specifically promulgated by the government in charge, these traitors are making a push for it.
Every state AG or legislator licensed to practice law who signed on to briefs defending this lawsuit should be disbarred in accordance with sanctions available on lawyers filing frivolous and factually erroneous lawsuits
While this paragraph is from CT statutes the same provisions apply in most states.
“Additionally, parties against whom an attorney has filed a frivolous action may file a grievance with the Statewide Grievance Committee alleging that the attorney violated Rule 3.1 of the Connecticut Rules of Professional Conduct. Rule 3.1 prohibits lawyers from bringing or defending an action or asserting or controverting an issue unless there is a basis for doing so that is not frivolous. The comment to the rule states that an action or defense is not frivolous merely because the facts have not first been fully substantiated or because the lawyer expects to develop vital evidence only by discovery. It also is not frivolous if the attorney believes his client's position ultimately will not prevail. It is, however, frivolous if the client desires to have the action taken primarily for the purpose of harassing or maliciously injuring a person or if the attorney is unable to make a good faith argument on the merits of the action. Attorneys who violate the code may be reprimanded, suspended, or disbarred.”
I suggest all contact their state bar association and request information on filing formal complaints on ethics violations on these state AGs and any legislators licensed to practice law singed on to these briefs. I have also requested assistance in this from our states Democratic Party chair and the ACLU. There may be others who can help. I do not intend to allow this outrage to pass without resistance and action. Please let them know this is unacceptable in a way that gets their attention and has real teeth. Let them stand before state board ethics committees and defend their actions in public hearings to explain why they should not be disbarred.
There are 106 legislators in the uS House, some number of Senators, as well as a number of Republican state legislators. If the ACLU or a state ethics board agrees to register a formal complaint it should be easy for them to compile a comprehensive list from SCOTUS. A bit of further research will identify the attorneys from the list. I am having conversations with local Democratic Party chairs and the ACLU to urge this be pursued. Asking others do likewise. More pressure gets action. A small group is opposition, but thousands are the resistance.
Thanks for this Bruce. Not being a lawyer, I wonder if this sentence from the comment you cite might not be an all-purpose get out of jail free card for the filers: "It also is not frivolous if the attorney believes his client's position ultimately will not prevail." [??!] Though perhaps the following sentence supersedes that. However it parses legally, it is certainly worthwhile to raise questions about their ethics violations.
I have already spoken to several friends who are attorneys as well as two who are law professors at respected law schools and familiar with election law. There have already been a number of articles published in which respected legal authorities have stated the suit is deeply flawed and without merit. I strongly believe the suit is potentially frivolous under Civil Procedures Rules in Texas as well as other states and have the concurrence of others in whose legal judgements and knowledge I trust. I feel that it is important that the complaints be filed and Texas AG Paxton and others be asked to defend their actions under those Civil Procedurs Rules and the threat of potential sanctions.
I have no intention of letting this go without fighting back ... HARD.
I think this action by TX et al. goes way beyond frivolous. It is dangerous and calculated to do great harm not only to the voters in the four states but also to the country. It is perpetrated with great malice aforethought.
I am glad to hear of your research. I completely agree that legal responses are required, especially given the fact that political responses--voting, censure, impeachment, etc.--have been so sadly absent or toothless to date. Your analysis also raises the question of whether one must be a resident of the state to have standing to file formal complaints against state AGs or other elected officials. Do you know?
There is an implied meaning in that sentence from the statute ("It is also not frivolous..."). In ordinary language it means "It also is not automatically frivolous just because the attorney believes his client's position ultimately will not prevail." Some of the qualifiers are left out to make the legal language more concise.
Never let a good crisis go to waste. Cause a problem, and while everyone is distracted trying to deal with it, make your already planned moves to consolidate power. Who could've seen that coming? Only anyone paying attention, that's who.
I listened to an interview on NPR this morning about these GA lawsuits, and one of the reasons they are not filed correctly is because these so called lawyers, don't know the correct way to file, because there is a very specific way to do it, and one would need to be an election specialist as well as know all the GA rules around their election laws. Well I for one am glad they don't know how to do it, dumb dumb dummies.
Much is written affirming Trump’s erratic and narcissistic mental state. That an entire party clings to the fragile coat tails of the deceptive charisma of a former TV personality defies all sane logic— defines a logic of calculated and evil desperation.
We held our breath until the election. Now we hold it until Jan 5 election in Georgia. Then we hold it until Inauguration. Breathe. It aint over until the fat man is dead of natural causes or in prison and even then it aint over. So keep breathing. Holding your breath is not what people mean about turning America blue.
But that’s exactly my problem. We keep thinking the next date (first Nov. 3, then Dec. 14, and so on) will be the end. But it doesn’t end! What if this is successful? Even if it isn’t, we have a malignant bunch of Republicans in Congress willingly throwing sand in the gears, even while people are DYING in record numbers.
In the challenge being mounted by Texas, and joined by a number of other Red states, to overturn the election, the Supreme Court reviewed filings yesterday submitted by the four states arguing against the Texas petition.
At the conclusion of her summary of the filings, Amy Howe mentioned the following:
“The four states were represented by their attorneys general and other state officials, but Georgia was also represented by several private lawyers, including a former law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas and Joseph Hunt, who served as the assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice during the Trump administration.
Texas is likely to file a brief responding to the four states’ filings. There is no timetable for the justices to rule on Texas’ request, although they will probably act quickly.”
Amy Howe was the editor of SCOTUSblog and still serves as a reporter for SCOTUSblog. Amy is a very reliable and knowledgeable source for information about the Supreme Court.
Well, SCOTUSblog isn't wonky today. In what they state "may be our first editorial in the nearly two decades of the blog's existence", they advocate that the SC should not just deny TX permission to file (on obvious grounds). Instead, "The Supreme Court should decimate Texas' original action seeking to invalidate others [sic] states' votes."
Thank you, R Dooley, for finding Amy Howe’s SCOTUS news.
Vocabulary lesson of the day: certiorari
“ a ‘writ of certiorari’ is an order (writ) issued by a higher or ‘appellate’ court to review decisions made by a lower court for any irregularities in legal process or procedures.”
What happens if they wait till Jan 20 to announce their decision? Or what happens if monday's vote of the electors already gives the election to Biden?
Exactly...this whole episode makes me physically ill. What happened to getting on with the business of the nation? What happened to protecting and "doing the right thing" for our citizenry? What about help for hungry families and people about to be evicted from their homes? What about distribution of vaccines to the millions in this country? It makes me so mad I don't even know how I want to respond. A pox on every single one who is backing this idiocy!!!!
Yup. I am one of those who has been out of work for 9 months. Florida's unemployment is $125.00 a week. I have never felt the cruelty of the Power Brokers of this country more so than now. To read about single mothers whose water is being turned off and eviction notices posted to their doors makes me cry.
I'm sorry, Pamsy. For you, for single moms being evicted, for—well, for everything that makes us all weep. It is hard to find joy these days. But we cannot stop seeking it.
On my jigsaw site is a puzzle/photo of a grumpy DT sitting at the Resolute Desk with Rod Serling in the foreground saying:
"Enter Donald J. Trump, two-bit conman, television huckster, a denizen of gaudy casinos and smoke-filled back rooms, who conned himself into the biggest job of all. He is our guide to a new realm you won't find on any map: a world of his own creation, where words like 'truth' and 'lie' no longer have meaning, where man's darkest instincts are given license, and where things like human decency and tolerance are relics of a bygone day. Case in point: Mr. Donald Trump, a man with one foot in his mouth and the other… in the Twilight Zone." Enjoy!
My best guess, and it is a guess, is that the Court will rule before December 14th and I would be surprised (and looking for the exit) if the Court does anything other than toss it, regardless of when they announce their decision. By January 6th this should be history. Another smidgen of speculation – I expect they will toss it on a technicality such as jurisdiction or lack of standing.
I agree! Far too dangerous to do anything else. If they actually accept to hear arguments before throwing it out they are putting in danger their seats and guarrentteeing SCoTUS reform thereafter by Biden ...if anything can be got through the Senate.
The Supreme Court just dismissed the suit as having no standing. Friday 12/11 6p.m. Central time. Yeah! Is it over? Probably still have some death throws to go through.
I wish it was good news but the commentators tonight are very worried. Having so many state AG's and Republican members of Congress join in this suit is freaking people out. Including me...
Feels ironic that this lawsuit basically destroys states rights if you have one state telling another state how to run their elections. So lack of standing would be my guess as well. And, as a Texan, I will note that my Representative to the US Congress and Senator Cornyn are NOT supporting this lawsuit based on the lack of standing and states rights.
“The State of Texas’s motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution. Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections.”
15 minutes ago. 7-2, Alito and Thomas in the minority.
FWIW, there are just 5 women on that list of 106 Republican House members. Rutgers Center for Women and Politics posts "101 women hold seats in the House of Representatives, comprising 23.2% of the 435 members in 2020. The women represent 34 states; 88 are Democrats and 13 are Republicans." This seems worth noting for some late night reason. It feels like some/many Republicans keep rolling dice on Trump to see how far out this bananas gambit will play, and how long it can keep benefiting them. It seems almost cute to think about when I realized that many people in elected office are there for themselves, not for the people who optimistically elected them. And I may be just as naive or ill-informed, but is it not true that the only people whose lives measurably improve under Republican leadership are white and/or well-off. The fact that these Republicans would keep rolling bones under the cynical notion that they'll play out this destructive game for as long as they can is both absurd and infuriating. As someone who lives in a state neighboring Texas, where I've tried hard not to be petty and join in as others bashed Texans, this honestly doesn't help. I mean, as far as this thing goes, eff Texas. Really. Y'all step away from the big, orange button. Take your lumps, suck it up and get on with disregarding public health measures in nearby states and wearing an outrageous amount of makeup whilst skiing badly. I believe in you. You can do it.
Please do not lump all Texans together. All of our major cities are Blue, and there are millions of us who loathe President Trump, and hate that our governor, lt. gov and AG are Republicans. Thank you.
I'm a Texan and feel embarrassed by the action of the sleezy Texas AG Paxton. Please note that both my Representative to the US Congress and Senator Cornyn do NOT support the Paxton lawsuit. I sent them thank you notes. Texas is turning Purple and hopefully Blue. Vilifying entire groups for the action of one person in that group is an autocratic technique used to create a target for hate. We need to stay above such hate.
Hi Kathy - I hear you. Thankfully I'm not an autocrat, just thoughtless and, now, embarrassed for being a twerp. I have high hopes for Texas becoming the place so many of you hope it will be. This in the same way I think we all feel about this country as a whole. That it might better represent our higher ideals. Which, personally, I didn't do so well when I got all carried away last night. I don't hate Texans. I do wonder why so many of the ones that I like move away to somewhere else though. Probably seems like rats jumping ship to those who remain.
I understand. These are tense, stressful times. There are a lot of people moving into Texas from California and other places. And the Hispanic population is growing. These are causing big changes in the demographics of the state. One thing I do like about the old Texas is the politeness and civility. Yes, Ma'm and Yes, Sir are expected especially from the young people. In my travels around the world I have always found things to admire and things that I didn't care for in each culture I visited. What I try to avoid is categorizing anything or anyone into a bifurcation -- us vs. them, black vs. white. I like to see the world and the subtleties of all things in full color. That's my problem with the two party system now. I'm an "and" person and see no problem with being both a fiscal conservative and a social liberal for instance.
I'm ashamed to say that our only Republican representative in Congress (our other 7 are Dems, as are both our Senators) is one of the 106. Glad he doesn't represent my district. What an MWL (mega-wicked loser).
Let he that has never sin cast the first stone. In St. Matthew's gospel, Pontius Pilate 'washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person'. This was to show the crowd he did not want Jesus dead, but ordered his death because that is what the people wanted. He was washing his hands of the responsibility. I've sometimes wondered if I were in that crowd at the trial of Jesus whether I would have had the courage to say no when the mob around me was yelling to kill him. I think most people in that situation would have gone with the mob. Personally, I try not to judge others, especially out of the context of their time. I hope you find a way to channel your anger into something constructive. Life is much more fun that way.
Thank you so much. With some of these comments, I feel like I used to feel on Facebook. Ugh. Honestly, I seriously doubt that Heather would appreciate negativity and hateful comments being posted on her site.
I agree. Negativity and hate don't let us work toward understanding each other's philosophy and positions. I'm here to listen and understand, to have respectful dialog and not to judge.
And, to add. One of the Texas State Representatives has just put a bill into the state legislature to secede from the union. Can Texas legally secede? Current Supreme Court precedent, in Texas v. White, holds that the states cannot secede from the union by an act of the state. More recently, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia stated, "If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede." These past four years it has felt Texans would be better off building the wall on the other borders rather than along the Rio Grande. Rather than 1,241 miles of border wall, we'd need 1539 miles along Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Texas was a Republic once; may not so bad to be so again. Enjoy!
I should have clarified: I live in Maryland, in northern Baltimore County. We are fairly Blue here, despite being, originally, a colony settled by Roman Catholics and still have a plethora of churches of all denominations (so religion notwithstanding).
Kay, there is the fact that a majority of Texans elected your governor, lt. governor and AG (and let's not forget that idiot Gohmert, that snake Cruz and the corrupt Cornyn). For those of us in the rest of the country, they are the face of Texas. And what they are trying to pull off is a serious threat to our country, and our democracy. I'm sorry you have to live with them, but you have to understand that many of us have come to despise Texas because of your political leaders.
I apologize. It wasn’t fair to conflate a state government’s action with all of its folks. Also I should have been clear my real ire lies with the maneuver- that’s where the eff belongs and where it was intended.
Fifth generation Texan here and I say "Eff Texas" in a loud, unhappy, disappointed, and angry voice. We had a chance to turn blue and we failed. Corruption here is so entrenched I fear we will never dig it out. I'm thinking about leaving for the first time in my 67 years as a proud Texan. Tired of death, rotten leadership, and white supremacists. Blue cities are great, but red leaders in government don't care. Women here are dying at a rate unsurpassed in the nation. Enough already. Sorry. Don't mess with Texas? OK. I'm out.
New Yorker here. No love lost for Texas. I get excited when they start fuming about secession. Can't say I'd miss it all that much. They'd be calling it Texico soon enough.
Hi Leah. I'm sorry to hear that. It's hard when places we love come not to deserve it. As a result of this thread - and my frankly glib comments - I've been thinking a lot about why I think and feel as I do about my own home state, and Texas too. I'm afraid it's a lot of the same things you mention. So frustrating and disappointing.
Regarding your comment abou the white and well-off doing well under Republican control, do they do badly under Democratic control? It strikes that they win both ways.
Robin, maybe you mean that under Republican control, white and well-off--but not Others (cap intentional)--do well, whereas under Democratic control, all do (at least) better if not well.
Since Trump first won office many people have said some variation of “it can’t get any worse than this.” Of course it always did — usually by the next news cycle. So we shouldn’t be surprised that we — the country — have reached these depths thanks to Trump.
You have to give him credit. Trump has certainly exceeded all expectations— of incompetence, criminality, vulgarity and the ability to turn America into his own surrealist nightmare.
He’s also revealed just how weak and easily manipulated our political institutions can be and the moral and ethical corruption of the average Republicans office holder. I suppose we should thank him for taking away our illusions.
When are the so-called Republican moderates going to ban together and put their foot down? All it would take would be a small coalition. They were very few profiles in courage among most Republicans. It appears that the state office holders in Georgia demonstrate that courage. On PBS NewsHour yesterday lieutenant governor of Georgia use the word duped to describe what’s going on and in no uncertain terms condemn the actions of the president and other members of the republican party. It’s high time for people like Romney and Collins in Portman to speak out in unequivocal terms. Where is the so-called educated Ben Sasse? Their silence is colluding with sedition
As I said yesterday, look for the Whig Party to make a comeback! (They did elect two presidents, both of whom died in office, but for a while, they offered a refuge for those Americans dissatisfied with our then-existing Parties.)
This law suit may not have much to stand on, but the fact that so many other states have joined in, so many Republican members of Congress and even Republicans in the states that are being attacked shows how much damage Trump and his gang of corruption have done and how much power they still wield. I find it terrifying. And with this Supreme Court, I am worried. They have broken so many of our institutions, our laws and destroyed our reputation.
Black people should not be allowed to vote - this is the basis for all that we see right now. I'm sure the obese greedy lunatic sitting in the people's house watching TV and wetting his depends truly believes that he was robbed because he knows exactly who cast those votes against him in places like Atlanta and Detroit and doesn't believe they are legitimate because of the color of those voters' skins. And there are a lot of people in this country - white people - people who look just like me - who agree with him. If anything has been made perfectly clear to me it is that as a white woman I walk invisibly through enemy lines all the time; but for the first time I've gotten the tiniest and most irrelevant sense of what my Black female friend has tried to envisage for me many times. The enemy is everywhere - the enemy is us. And Black people, people just like my friend, citizens of this country...are forced to walk that gauntlet every damn day of their lives. I'm disgusted. I'm ferocious.
Sign me up for a lifetime membership in the Ferocious Club as well. Last night a 40 year old black man, Brandon Bernard, was executed, another man on death row might be executed tonight. Tя☭mp is obsessed with the death penalty! But where was he as clemency was begged for? At a glitzy WH Christmas party. Those two events on the same evening makes me as ferocious as the seditious R’s and grinchy Mitch. I can’t wait til Jan 20 when Biden/Harris are sworn in, but I’m not here for “getting back to normal”. We need to Build Back much, much Better.
So much for being pro-life right?
They want women "quivering" -- producing more and more souls to save. Glory!
And nothing to do with the mother (ie a woman)
resist, support Warnock and Ossof
Just donated to them again today!
Bot he LOVES pardons! Potentially giving them away like Christmas candy
He loves playing god.
"but"
We knew what you meant 😉
"Build Back, MUCH MUCH BETTER"!! YES!! That's what Biden's rallying call has been missing!!! And he will build our country back - MUCH MUCH BETTER!! Thank You!
You nailed it, Jennifer! Feeling fury and getting ferocious. ❤️🤍💙
As long as we absorbed in the issue of racism - as central as it is - it's an intentional and so far effective ruse by the Lords of Power and Money (conservative think tanks established and funded to chew up any programs not contributing to the money mountains of the Lords of Capital) to divert the Peoples' thoughtful gaze away from carefully examining capitalism as it functions and is practiced today. As I rather vaguely remember, was it back around the days of Reconstruction?, the then Lords-in-training (think ex-slave owners) clearly recognized the powerful political dangers of poor whites identifying their own station in life with that same station of their black brothers and sisters. To "break" and/or forestall any such communal self regard - with its potential explosive power at the ballot box to shape a government in tune to the interests of the poor - hence disempowering the Lords-in-training and with it their anti-social claim of their freedom to make and keep all their profits for themselves (no tax money for social programs), the as-ever cunning and scheming ex-owners of human beings sowed the psycho-emotional seeds that to be white was to be superior, to be black inferior. Yes. Look at today's theatrics. They're still at it. The old "Divide and Conquer" strategy. But it's all staged to keep our intelligence averted away from what the War is essentially all about - capitalism today, monopolies, promotion and concentration and crystallization of wealth and power in the 1%. You bet - they do not want us having a national conversation about alternative forms of capitalism and especially - about forms of socialism. The Republican "Voice" today will do literally everything in their power to - including destroying democracy (an aside, we actually don't have it except in our fantasies) - to effect the Fundamental Intention of the 1% - getting all our wealth for themselves - which includes "you" - ie. the concept of the commodification of the human being. So, now it's not just blacks enslaved, we-becoming-poorer whites-yellows-reds-are too! How about that!
I’ve been wondering how some of the trumpistas will like it when they are also living on the “reservation” as depicted in the 1930ish novel “Brave New World” by Huxley.
I'm with you all the way Jennifer: disgusted, furious, ferocious.
100%, Jennifer.
It just keeps recycling over and over again for people of color. They live in Groundhog Day. I cannot imagine!
Stay mighty.
Are you another Mary Chaplin Carpenter fan? :)
(Watched ONL 16 times)!
Absolutely.
I too am ferocious.
Another day dawns (almost). It's not yet 5 AM and I'm already muttering "WTF" and shaking with rage.
Those 106 Republican representatives and 17 Republican-led states are engaging in some of the worst performative "art" ever displayed by a US government, at least in its scale. Part of me says few of them actually believe in what they're doing, and are participating only to point out to Trump's supporters in the future that they stood with the president* today.
But another part of me whispers - well, maybe it's on the verge of yelling - perhaps they do believe. Or maybe we're looking at the horses' asses as they bolt from the barn of democratic process. Could stupidity be more contagious than the coronavirus?
Finally, in what seems like the last part of what's left of my mind, a nagging concern exists that this gambit might actually work, that Trump played his hand perfectly, that not even John Roberts can stay the madness as the new conservative majority on the bench finally fulfills the wet dreams of the Federalist Society. I hope against hope that Gorsuch might look at this and go, nah, not subtle enough. I have no such hopes for Kavanaugh and Barrett, while Alito and Thomas have been lost causes from the jump.
Is it possible that we miss Scalia, who at least at one point had the courage, or smarts, to point out the not every type of weapon should be considered reasonable to be included under the umbrella of the Second Amendment?
My Mom died 2 weeks ago. I was glad she'd seen Trump lose the election. I'm also relieved (?) she didn't have to witness this affront to the country that her family, like so many others, fled to in the hope of a better life. We owe it to all those who came to and helped build America, as well as our children and grandchildren and future generations, to make sure that those heading this "protest" are never allowed to serve in an political capacity again.
Now please excuse me, I have to remove a shoe from the TV screen and put it in the pile that's been growing larger every day this week.
Scott, sorry for your loss. My mom passed in November. 💕
It’s the end of an era for our family and our connection with WWII heroes and survivors of the Great Depression. They lived through fighting horrors of Hitler and the rise of fascism.
And now fascism is rising again right before our eyes. How can this happen in our country? How are we so blind that our citizens cannot see what’s occurring?
I’m scared and discouraged...and more now than ever, appreciate the bravery of the last generation for having the courage to endure and end Hitlers assault. May their memories be a blessing to us all.
How can they not see? Education enhanced memory skills. Their education has devolved into cartoons and fantasies of what they want to believe.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Scott. Losing one’s Mom is often the hardest loss of all. Blessings of comfort to you and yours.
I second Karen, Scott. My father fought in WWII and was a life-long Republican and I’m glad he isn’t here to see this. May you be comforted.
My father and all 6 of his brothers were WWII veterans and lived through the Great Depression as children old enough to remember and understand what was happening. Hearing their collective stories throughout the years were fundamental in shaping many of my views. 2020 in America is a travesty like no other. They are surely rolling in their graves.
In addition, hearing the stories from my grandmother, and the wives, regarding the years of united sacrifices on the home front, makes looking at the selfish individualism on full display this year especially difficult.
It causes me to question how can we can ever recover the spirit of the Greatest Generation, and if such a hope is even possible.
Mine also. He’d be mortified especially seeing as my sister voted for this scum bag creep.
First, I am sorry for your loss. Second, you stated perfectly what I believe many are feeling and thinking. I, too, started out with WTF! It just seems like we are living in an alternate universe where the crazy is allowed to run rampant while the rational is held hostage. The fact that Trump has taken so many down this path of crazy....crazy existed before, but he has worked tirelessly to normalized it. 😵
Yes, with the rate at which this bandwagon is growing, it seems that stupidity might just be as contagious as the virus. I feel your anger. So sorry for your loss.
Scott, to quote a Jewish saying (I'm not Jewish so forgive me!) May your mother's memory be a revolution.
Lynell, she'd enjoy that!!
Scott, please accept my condolences. My Mom did not live long enough to see DJT trounced but she loved Joe Biden. I am glad your Mom knew before she died. God bless her and her family and may she rest in peace--truly more peaceful than all of us are right now.
So sorry for your loss, Scott. This is such a hard and dark time and so much harder when we lose our “lights” in this world. Your family knows maybe more than many of us what it is like to flee another country for the hope and ideals of the democracy of the US...only to see it embracing fascism. I share your feelings, this morning.
I’m so sorry for your loss. It is especially hard at this cruel and dark time, to lose a “light” in your life. Wishing you comfort in this time.
I'm so sorry for your loss Scott. It's a difficult thing to deal in the best of times, I'm sure it's been extra challenging given the current state of things. Take care and best to you and your family.
SCOTUS rejected Texass’es attempt at sedition and I burst out cheering.
This is what I wrote to my state and federal representatives today. Not that they care, but they are all i have as my reps at the state and federal level:
I am furious with all of you! You are supposed to be representatives of us, your constituents. You have joined this ridiculous Texas lawsuit to deny the results of the most secure election ever (as noted by the Republican in charge) to bow to King Donald, the man-child. But not to deny ALL who won in this election, because you aren't disputing down ballot votes. Your actions as representatives of Tennesseans are despicable. Meantime I am isolated in my home to avoid the fate of other Tennesseans who are filling hospitals, desperately sick. Your
self-indulgence is disgusting and your willingness to destroy our democracy breathtaking frightening. You do not deserve the offices you hold.
Inspired by Marcy Meldahl, this is what I wrote to my state Attorney General today:
I'm writing to urge AG Ferguson to investigate, along with AGs of the states of Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Ohio, the possibility of a counter-suit against Texas AG Ken Paxton. The actions of Paxton and the other elected officials in the states and in the U.S. House who have signed on to Texas's spurious suit, must be held accountable for what is clearly an act of sedition. They are seeking to overthrow the duly elected civil government of the United States.
Please be an advocate for the voters of this country, not only for who have chosen Joe Biden as our next President, but for everyone. Our democracy is at risk and those who continue to say, "It will all be okay. He will leave quietly once Biden is inaugurated and things can go back to normal", are delusional. We need leaders willing to take decisive action against this attempt to create a dictatorship - because if Paxton, et al succeed, or if any of the other myriad efforts by the standing President to overthrow the government succeed, that is what we will have. An authoritarian dictatorship similar to those in countries we have always looked at in disbelief - "How can those people let that happen?" We cannot allow this to continue!
Way to go! Thank you.
Bravo! Great letter! 👏👏
You were my inspiration, Marcy!
Thank you Marcy! I need to get those postcards and start writing as well. I wonder if those of us who were interested in writing postcards or whatever might have a supportive “accountability “ network to help each other get these written?
I just finished sending 55 postcards to Republicans in U.S. Senate who have not publicly acknowledged Biden's win...admonishing their silence which is damaging our country's governmental process.
I also asked them to move forward in a non-partisan manner not for the sake of one man or corporate power, but for the American people. I told them to 'be a patriot' - work across the aisle.
We shall see if anyone reads even one of these cards but I tried and felt like I was doing my civic duty.... As a 73 year old woman I addressed them: 'Sen. Mitch' and Sen. Lindsey...by their first names :)
I also sent cards of thanks to those who acknowledged Biden's win and encouraged them to be willing to work for the American people.
Tip: smaller post offices may not have the pre-stamped cards as they don't sell well.
This is so fabulous of you! I will order my pre-stamped post cards today, inspired by you. As you mail them out, BELIEVE they make a difference. We all have to. Thank you for inspiring me and giving me hope, all of you.
Thanks for the encouragement- That's what we need to do...support all that is good-
From what I've read (at Indivisible Ventura), phone calls are more effective.
Usually, my phone calls go directly to voicemail. Considering the probably volume of calls right now, are you assuming they will just look at the number of calls but not listen to them all?
I don't know -- good question to ask the folks at Indivisible. I'd appreciate hearing what they tell you.
Thank you, that’s good to know.
Fortunately, even as a Texans, I sent thank you notes to Representative Roy and Senator Cornyn for not supporting the Paxton lawsuit. I've given up on Senator Cruz so I never write to him. Now if they would just pass a bipartisan Survival Bill for pandemic relief to give the economy of ordinary citizens a shot in the arm.
Well, good for Cornyn. He’s been bothering me since 1968 -
“someone whose first foray into politics was as a vocal supporter of George Wallace for president.”
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/government/2020/06/28/tilove-reflecting-on-symmetry-in-cornynrsquos-support-for-wallace-and-trump/42458061/
Cornyn is cagey. Wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him.
I do think sending letters or postcards supporting their actions are also important. They know we are looking.
*should have been “breathtakingLY”
Could the 81.3 MILLION American citizens who voted for Biden/Harris file a class action lawsuit, naming Donald Trump; his legal team; Republican members of both Houses of Congress who have refused to acknowledge the Biden win; the Attorneys General of Texas and 17 other states; and Republican legislative leaders in, especially, PA and MI who have gone along with Trump--suing them for their blatant attempt to nullify our votes, thus disenfranchising us, and for attacking the foundation of our election system and thus the Constitution which specifies that WE THE PEOPLE choose our leaders?
As relief, we should demand that the Republican Party be de-legitimized and not be able to field candidates for national office unless and until they abandon their march toward authoritarianism and single-party rule.
I like this! Yes, surely I have a right to have my legitimate vote count, along with the millions of other ones of those who stood in lines for hours.
I have wondered are these briefs what they refer to as “Friend of the Court” briefs?
I wrote to my state AG asking him to work with other AGs who have NOT signed onto this spurious suit to consider a countersuit against Paxton, et al.
I would love to sign on to something like this!
This is exactly what I was thinking last night.
This is sheer madness. As Carole said, the holidays are already difficult, to say the least, not to mention almost 300 thousand of us dead, millions without jobs or food, and we have to be submitted to this lunacy by a "party" (no longer republican in any shape or form) and it's leader, who has become a cult figure. Would that this be a Monty Python farce, but it is not. It has become a never-ending nightmare, ALL of it. I called the Supreme Court today, and I'll call again tomorrow.
Dr. Richardson, thank you for being such a steadying voice of reason. I admit to being terrified of this, probably, fruitless latest attack on our country. Even if it fails though, so much damage has been done. It may sound maudlin, but it makes me weep.
I’m furious and weeping, too. How does one call SCOTUS? ❤️🤍💙
+1 (202) 479-3000 This is the number for SCOTUS. They are all working remotely, but you can leave your comments on voicemail
Have you read any of Steven Hassan's books on cults? Netflix also has a series on the Scientology Cult, with Leah Remini, a former Scientology member. It's well done. There are helpful stories on the events that brought people out of the cult of Scientology that might be helpful. Hassan addresses a variety of different cults. His book "Freedom of Mind" describes various basics for helping someone to leave a cult. You're right the fundamentals that Trump has "inspired" are exactly like a cult primer. Good luck. It is a confusing, debilitating, loving journey you are on.
Thank you, Jan
When it comes to women's reproductive rights, Republicans abhor judicial activism. The same for same-sex marriage, I recall. But their American flag lapel pins start to glow with patriotic ardor with the idea that a panel of judges would literally overthrow legitimate government to install, for all intents and purposes, a dictator.
I think, I hope, HCR is right; Texas AG Paxton is angling for a pardon, and the members of the party jumping on his bandwagon fear the loss of MAGA Mob support. I would like to hear more, much more, from the Republican legislators who did not sign on to Paxton's lawsuit. Being silent is an endorsement of a sort as well.
These are not times to sit silently on the sidelines.
Post script: If, when, the Democrats get control of the Senate again, the rules that permit a single senator, the majority leader, to control the entire legislative and judicial/cabinet approval process must be changed.
It's not just that their black hearts go pitter patter at the prospect of subjecting the rest of us to a plutocratic, theocratic autocracy.
The "Flag & Faith" crowd, who once chanted "better dead than Red," is almost orgasmic with the notion of supporting an ignorant man who shares none of their alleged values.
The Republican party may have been working towards this moment for five or six decades. How could we not have imagined what their end game would look like? How could we not see the domino effect when parts all three branches of government decided that the Constitution didn't apply to them? How could we even conceive of a day when so many Americans were told you're not American enough?
This is a gut punch that's leaving us on the floor of the ring, gasping for air, hoping we can rise again to fight this opponent. America has finally seen the wisdom in Walt Kelly's cartoon character Pogo, who said "we have met the enemy and he is us."
American citizens are dying in record number and they want to dick around playing this stupid game of frivolous pointless lawsuits when they should be passing legislation to get aid to people and plan how distribute a vaccine???? Every morning I wake up wanting to throw up. I’m sorry I don’t have anything wise or constructive today.
I appreciate the work you do, Heather, to keep us informed. This is also the only forum I can think of that I look forward to reading the comments, as they are insightful and informative, and it’s a safe place for an occasion rage. (Thanks for indulging me. )
Hey, no apologies needed. I literally called my primary care doc yesterday to get an antidepressant to take some charge off before my head blows off my shoulders. That’s a true story. I feel like I’m living in an alternate universe or I WISH I was!!
No, Elaine, WE'RE living in the real universe, trying to wrap our heads around why 70 million people want to live in an autocracy devoid of facts and science.
Correction: Make that 74,222,484 people.
An impossible task. My brain just.wont.go.there!
Elaine, I empathize! I have started EFT tapping for the anger, sadness, and anxiety. Also daily meditation and “gratitudes.” This IS a traumatic oppressive time. We really do need to care for ourselves, first. There is community and there is goodness.
EFT works!! Even when all is well and Biden is Building Back Better. Good healthy habit to keep.
I do all that and have for years but the undercurrent of trauma and fear are impossible right now. I’m sure all of that is helping me but I’d just like to swallow once in a while (not literally of course).
Elaine - take relief where you can find it! For me - it's wine and Hallmark Christmas movies. I'm also doing letter-writing for Vote Riders and text banking for Fair Fight. As Mim said, WE are living in the real universe, which makes the whole situation even worse.
My husband and I are planning retirement in about 5 years. We are looking overseas. This country will never recover, I fear, at least while the t**** family is still alive.
Thank you for texting for Fair Fight. I’m about to do the same. It’s so sad to even be entertaining the idea of leaving this country that I love. And to hear that other good people are also. Surely there are more of us here who believe in our democracy than those who don’t?
Contributed $$$ to Fair Fight today. And prayers for a miracle.
THIS!! I’ve been so angry about it all all.
They’re holding up paltry aid over the right for employers to put our lives at risk without threat of legal repercussions. They’re tossing themselves off a political cliff in a gambit to attract Trump’s loyal voters while people die of covid, get stuck with medical bills they can’t afford due to covid after their medical coverage was lost, have no home or are soon to lose it, & are going hungry.
My MUST held accountable. Those involved in sedition in particular must be brought to justice and then dispatched in the most shocking of ways.
Their screams must be so loud they’re heard around the world to drive it though everyone’s brains so they think twice about making another attempt.
Then they must take out the disinformation specialists and their leaders in an even worse manner.
America wants tough, let’s give it to them. While we’re at it, let’s fix the police. Break up their union & their code of silence. Public caning for certain cases deliberate misuse of their authority. That goes for the civilian creeps who killed people or threatened harm to others. Let them have their Law & Order, painfully and publicly.
Whew! Did I mention I’m angry?
Yep, so angry I didn’t proofread and edit my numerous mistakes... 😳
Another thing, don't mistake these States Attorney Generals as crazies. They are lawyers. This move is deliberate and organized and because our government is a legal shambles; and has been at least since Reagan, and now with the entire country in a physical, emotional, and financial shambles due to a raging pandemic, which has been supported and specifically promulgated by the government in charge, these traitors are making a push for it.
Every state AG or legislator licensed to practice law who signed on to briefs defending this lawsuit should be disbarred in accordance with sanctions available on lawyers filing frivolous and factually erroneous lawsuits
https://www.cga.ct.gov/PS98/rpt%5Colr%5Chtm/98-R-0916.htm
While this paragraph is from CT statutes the same provisions apply in most states.
“Additionally, parties against whom an attorney has filed a frivolous action may file a grievance with the Statewide Grievance Committee alleging that the attorney violated Rule 3.1 of the Connecticut Rules of Professional Conduct. Rule 3.1 prohibits lawyers from bringing or defending an action or asserting or controverting an issue unless there is a basis for doing so that is not frivolous. The comment to the rule states that an action or defense is not frivolous merely because the facts have not first been fully substantiated or because the lawyer expects to develop vital evidence only by discovery. It also is not frivolous if the attorney believes his client's position ultimately will not prevail. It is, however, frivolous if the client desires to have the action taken primarily for the purpose of harassing or maliciously injuring a person or if the attorney is unable to make a good faith argument on the merits of the action. Attorneys who violate the code may be reprimanded, suspended, or disbarred.”
I suggest all contact their state bar association and request information on filing formal complaints on ethics violations on these state AGs and any legislators licensed to practice law singed on to these briefs. I have also requested assistance in this from our states Democratic Party chair and the ACLU. There may be others who can help. I do not intend to allow this outrage to pass without resistance and action. Please let them know this is unacceptable in a way that gets their attention and has real teeth. Let them stand before state board ethics committees and defend their actions in public hearings to explain why they should not be disbarred.
Thank you Bruce. Excellent idea. I will do this. Is there a list of the names of the legislators who signed onto this?
There are 106 legislators in the uS House, some number of Senators, as well as a number of Republican state legislators. If the ACLU or a state ethics board agrees to register a formal complaint it should be easy for them to compile a comprehensive list from SCOTUS. A bit of further research will identify the attorneys from the list. I am having conversations with local Democratic Party chairs and the ACLU to urge this be pursued. Asking others do likewise. More pressure gets action. A small group is opposition, but thousands are the resistance.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-election-republicans-trump/2020/12/10/2cba806e-3b43-11eb-9276-ae0ca72729be_story.html
This link has the list
Sorry, signed on to these briefs
Thanks for this Bruce. Not being a lawyer, I wonder if this sentence from the comment you cite might not be an all-purpose get out of jail free card for the filers: "It also is not frivolous if the attorney believes his client's position ultimately will not prevail." [??!] Though perhaps the following sentence supersedes that. However it parses legally, it is certainly worthwhile to raise questions about their ethics violations.
I have already spoken to several friends who are attorneys as well as two who are law professors at respected law schools and familiar with election law. There have already been a number of articles published in which respected legal authorities have stated the suit is deeply flawed and without merit. I strongly believe the suit is potentially frivolous under Civil Procedures Rules in Texas as well as other states and have the concurrence of others in whose legal judgements and knowledge I trust. I feel that it is important that the complaints be filed and Texas AG Paxton and others be asked to defend their actions under those Civil Procedurs Rules and the threat of potential sanctions.
I have no intention of letting this go without fighting back ... HARD.
Words are great, but only action counts.
I think this action by TX et al. goes way beyond frivolous. It is dangerous and calculated to do great harm not only to the voters in the four states but also to the country. It is perpetrated with great malice aforethought.
I am glad to hear of your research. I completely agree that legal responses are required, especially given the fact that political responses--voting, censure, impeachment, etc.--have been so sadly absent or toothless to date. Your analysis also raises the question of whether one must be a resident of the state to have standing to file formal complaints against state AGs or other elected officials. Do you know?
There is an implied meaning in that sentence from the statute ("It is also not frivolous..."). In ordinary language it means "It also is not automatically frivolous just because the attorney believes his client's position ultimately will not prevail." Some of the qualifiers are left out to make the legal language more concise.
Yes, thanks.
Never let a good crisis go to waste. Cause a problem, and while everyone is distracted trying to deal with it, make your already planned moves to consolidate power. Who could've seen that coming? Only anyone paying attention, that's who.
I listened to an interview on NPR this morning about these GA lawsuits, and one of the reasons they are not filed correctly is because these so called lawyers, don't know the correct way to file, because there is a very specific way to do it, and one would need to be an election specialist as well as know all the GA rules around their election laws. Well I for one am glad they don't know how to do it, dumb dumb dummies.
Much is written affirming Trump’s erratic and narcissistic mental state. That an entire party clings to the fragile coat tails of the deceptive charisma of a former TV personality defies all sane logic— defines a logic of calculated and evil desperation.
These are ugly times.
We held our breath until the election. Now we hold it until Jan 5 election in Georgia. Then we hold it until Inauguration. Breathe. It aint over until the fat man is dead of natural causes or in prison and even then it aint over. So keep breathing. Holding your breath is not what people mean about turning America blue.
But that’s exactly my problem. We keep thinking the next date (first Nov. 3, then Dec. 14, and so on) will be the end. But it doesn’t end! What if this is successful? Even if it isn’t, we have a malignant bunch of Republicans in Congress willingly throwing sand in the gears, even while people are DYING in record numbers.
Unfortunately, after the fat man is dead there's still don jr...
But everyone hates him. I mean really hates him. And he's super stupid. SO I suspect that as soon as the Cheeto keels over, the Drumpf family is done.
If only Trump and his cronies worked this hard dealing with the pandemic.
Do we have any idea when the SCOTUS will respond to this stupidity? A one-liner would seem appropriate....as they did with the previous attempt.
In the challenge being mounted by Texas, and joined by a number of other Red states, to overturn the election, the Supreme Court reviewed filings yesterday submitted by the four states arguing against the Texas petition.
At the conclusion of her summary of the filings, Amy Howe mentioned the following:
“The four states were represented by their attorneys general and other state officials, but Georgia was also represented by several private lawyers, including a former law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas and Joseph Hunt, who served as the assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice during the Trump administration.
Texas is likely to file a brief responding to the four states’ filings. There is no timetable for the justices to rule on Texas’ request, although they will probably act quickly.”
Amy Howe was the editor of SCOTUSblog and still serves as a reporter for SCOTUSblog. Amy is a very reliable and knowledgeable source for information about the Supreme Court.
You can find her summary of this case here: http://amylhowe.com/2020/12/10/states-tell-justices-to-deny-texas-request-to-overturn-2020-election/
Thanks for the reference. SCOTUSblog is always useful though some posts get a bit wonky at times. I didn't know of Howe's separate blog. Thanks.
Well, SCOTUSblog isn't wonky today. In what they state "may be our first editorial in the nearly two decades of the blog's existence", they advocate that the SC should not just deny TX permission to file (on obvious grounds). Instead, "The Supreme Court should decimate Texas' original action seeking to invalidate others [sic] states' votes."
https://www.scotusblog.com/2020/12/opinion-dont-just-deny-texas-original-action-decimate-it/
I just shared the blog post, by the blog's publisher, on Facebook. Thanks.
Thank you, R Dooley, for finding Amy Howe’s SCOTUS news.
Vocabulary lesson of the day: certiorari
“ a ‘writ of certiorari’ is an order (writ) issued by a higher or ‘appellate’ court to review decisions made by a lower court for any irregularities in legal process or procedures.”
https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-writ-of-certiorari-4164844
You're welcome. Ms. Howe is a scholar and a reliable source for SC developments. She was kind enough to permit the use of her posts for my class.
What kind of class do you teach?
English for Lawyers
What happens if they wait till Jan 20 to announce their decision? Or what happens if monday's vote of the electors already gives the election to Biden?
Exactly...this whole episode makes me physically ill. What happened to getting on with the business of the nation? What happened to protecting and "doing the right thing" for our citizenry? What about help for hungry families and people about to be evicted from their homes? What about distribution of vaccines to the millions in this country? It makes me so mad I don't even know how I want to respond. A pox on every single one who is backing this idiocy!!!!
Yup. I am one of those who has been out of work for 9 months. Florida's unemployment is $125.00 a week. I have never felt the cruelty of the Power Brokers of this country more so than now. To read about single mothers whose water is being turned off and eviction notices posted to their doors makes me cry.
I'm sorry, Pamsy. For you, for single moms being evicted, for—well, for everything that makes us all weep. It is hard to find joy these days. But we cannot stop seeking it.
It’s truly a twilight zone nightmare.
On my jigsaw site is a puzzle/photo of a grumpy DT sitting at the Resolute Desk with Rod Serling in the foreground saying:
"Enter Donald J. Trump, two-bit conman, television huckster, a denizen of gaudy casinos and smoke-filled back rooms, who conned himself into the biggest job of all. He is our guide to a new realm you won't find on any map: a world of his own creation, where words like 'truth' and 'lie' no longer have meaning, where man's darkest instincts are given license, and where things like human decency and tolerance are relics of a bygone day. Case in point: Mr. Donald Trump, a man with one foot in his mouth and the other… in the Twilight Zone." Enjoy!
My best guess, and it is a guess, is that the Court will rule before December 14th and I would be surprised (and looking for the exit) if the Court does anything other than toss it, regardless of when they announce their decision. By January 6th this should be history. Another smidgen of speculation – I expect they will toss it on a technicality such as jurisdiction or lack of standing.
I agree! Far too dangerous to do anything else. If they actually accept to hear arguments before throwing it out they are putting in danger their seats and guarrentteeing SCoTUS reform thereafter by Biden ...if anything can be got through the Senate.
Texas has filed its reply brief, so now we are waiting on the ruling, which could come at any time.
Looks like Monday morning. We'll see. For the Court followers out there who are interested ... Amy Howe's Twitter: https://twitter.com/AHoweBlogger
The Supreme Court just dismissed the suit as having no standing. Friday 12/11 6p.m. Central time. Yeah! Is it over? Probably still have some death throws to go through.
Great news - came in after my bedtime. Nice to wake up to this.
Me too
Morning? What part of the world are you in?
I wish it was good news but the commentators tonight are very worried. Having so many state AG's and Republican members of Congress join in this suit is freaking people out. Including me...
Feels ironic that this lawsuit basically destroys states rights if you have one state telling another state how to run their elections. So lack of standing would be my guess as well. And, as a Texan, I will note that my Representative to the US Congress and Senator Cornyn are NOT supporting this lawsuit based on the lack of standing and states rights.
I just read that they should have a response from SCOTUS by Monday
“The State of Texas’s motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution. Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections.”
15 minutes ago. 7-2, Alito and Thomas in the minority.
I don’t think they can until and when it’s under their noses.
I trust they are holding their noses now. Medieaval judges carried "nosegays" (flowers) thinking the perfume would ward off the Back Plague!
FWIW, there are just 5 women on that list of 106 Republican House members. Rutgers Center for Women and Politics posts "101 women hold seats in the House of Representatives, comprising 23.2% of the 435 members in 2020. The women represent 34 states; 88 are Democrats and 13 are Republicans." This seems worth noting for some late night reason. It feels like some/many Republicans keep rolling dice on Trump to see how far out this bananas gambit will play, and how long it can keep benefiting them. It seems almost cute to think about when I realized that many people in elected office are there for themselves, not for the people who optimistically elected them. And I may be just as naive or ill-informed, but is it not true that the only people whose lives measurably improve under Republican leadership are white and/or well-off. The fact that these Republicans would keep rolling bones under the cynical notion that they'll play out this destructive game for as long as they can is both absurd and infuriating. As someone who lives in a state neighboring Texas, where I've tried hard not to be petty and join in as others bashed Texans, this honestly doesn't help. I mean, as far as this thing goes, eff Texas. Really. Y'all step away from the big, orange button. Take your lumps, suck it up and get on with disregarding public health measures in nearby states and wearing an outrageous amount of makeup whilst skiing badly. I believe in you. You can do it.
Please do not lump all Texans together. All of our major cities are Blue, and there are millions of us who loathe President Trump, and hate that our governor, lt. gov and AG are Republicans. Thank you.
I'm a Texan and feel embarrassed by the action of the sleezy Texas AG Paxton. Please note that both my Representative to the US Congress and Senator Cornyn do NOT support the Paxton lawsuit. I sent them thank you notes. Texas is turning Purple and hopefully Blue. Vilifying entire groups for the action of one person in that group is an autocratic technique used to create a target for hate. We need to stay above such hate.
Hi Kathy - I hear you. Thankfully I'm not an autocrat, just thoughtless and, now, embarrassed for being a twerp. I have high hopes for Texas becoming the place so many of you hope it will be. This in the same way I think we all feel about this country as a whole. That it might better represent our higher ideals. Which, personally, I didn't do so well when I got all carried away last night. I don't hate Texans. I do wonder why so many of the ones that I like move away to somewhere else though. Probably seems like rats jumping ship to those who remain.
I understand. These are tense, stressful times. There are a lot of people moving into Texas from California and other places. And the Hispanic population is growing. These are causing big changes in the demographics of the state. One thing I do like about the old Texas is the politeness and civility. Yes, Ma'm and Yes, Sir are expected especially from the young people. In my travels around the world I have always found things to admire and things that I didn't care for in each culture I visited. What I try to avoid is categorizing anything or anyone into a bifurcation -- us vs. them, black vs. white. I like to see the world and the subtleties of all things in full color. That's my problem with the two party system now. I'm an "and" person and see no problem with being both a fiscal conservative and a social liberal for instance.
I'm ashamed to say that our only Republican representative in Congress (our other 7 are Dems, as are both our Senators) is one of the 106. Glad he doesn't represent my district. What an MWL (mega-wicked loser).
Just like the "good and decent Germans", circa 1945. Sorry, folks, but your state is out of control and deserves to be kicked out of this country.
Let he that has never sin cast the first stone. In St. Matthew's gospel, Pontius Pilate 'washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person'. This was to show the crowd he did not want Jesus dead, but ordered his death because that is what the people wanted. He was washing his hands of the responsibility. I've sometimes wondered if I were in that crowd at the trial of Jesus whether I would have had the courage to say no when the mob around me was yelling to kill him. I think most people in that situation would have gone with the mob. Personally, I try not to judge others, especially out of the context of their time. I hope you find a way to channel your anger into something constructive. Life is much more fun that way.
Thank you so much. With some of these comments, I feel like I used to feel on Facebook. Ugh. Honestly, I seriously doubt that Heather would appreciate negativity and hateful comments being posted on her site.
I agree. Negativity and hate don't let us work toward understanding each other's philosophy and positions. I'm here to listen and understand, to have respectful dialog and not to judge.
And, to add. One of the Texas State Representatives has just put a bill into the state legislature to secede from the union. Can Texas legally secede? Current Supreme Court precedent, in Texas v. White, holds that the states cannot secede from the union by an act of the state. More recently, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia stated, "If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede." These past four years it has felt Texans would be better off building the wall on the other borders rather than along the Rio Grande. Rather than 1,241 miles of border wall, we'd need 1539 miles along Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Texas was a Republic once; may not so bad to be so again. Enjoy!
I should have clarified: I live in Maryland, in northern Baltimore County. We are fairly Blue here, despite being, originally, a colony settled by Roman Catholics and still have a plethora of churches of all denominations (so religion notwithstanding).
Thank you!
You are so right, and I was wrong. It’s this move by the government that is loathsome, not all Texans. I’m sorry.
Thank you so much. I understand your feelings, I really do. ❤️
You are right, Kay. It's not okay to stereotype.
Honestly, I did not appreciate, especially on Heather’s page, the “eff Texas.” We are Americans first. Happy holidays to you and yours. ❤️
Kay, there is the fact that a majority of Texans elected your governor, lt. governor and AG (and let's not forget that idiot Gohmert, that snake Cruz and the corrupt Cornyn). For those of us in the rest of the country, they are the face of Texas. And what they are trying to pull off is a serious threat to our country, and our democracy. I'm sorry you have to live with them, but you have to understand that many of us have come to despise Texas because of your political leaders.
No, I do NOT have to understand any such thing. Take your hate towards your fellow Americans elsewhere, please.
I apologize. It wasn’t fair to conflate a state government’s action with all of its folks. Also I should have been clear my real ire lies with the maneuver- that’s where the eff belongs and where it was intended.
Fifth generation Texan here and I say "Eff Texas" in a loud, unhappy, disappointed, and angry voice. We had a chance to turn blue and we failed. Corruption here is so entrenched I fear we will never dig it out. I'm thinking about leaving for the first time in my 67 years as a proud Texan. Tired of death, rotten leadership, and white supremacists. Blue cities are great, but red leaders in government don't care. Women here are dying at a rate unsurpassed in the nation. Enough already. Sorry. Don't mess with Texas? OK. I'm out.
New Yorker here. No love lost for Texas. I get excited when they start fuming about secession. Can't say I'd miss it all that much. They'd be calling it Texico soon enough.
Hi Leah. I'm sorry to hear that. It's hard when places we love come not to deserve it. As a result of this thread - and my frankly glib comments - I've been thinking a lot about why I think and feel as I do about my own home state, and Texas too. I'm afraid it's a lot of the same things you mention. So frustrating and disappointing.
Thank you. God bless us all, right? Take good care and breathe safely. 💕
Thank you so much.
Regarding your comment abou the white and well-off doing well under Republican control, do they do badly under Democratic control? It strikes that they win both ways.
Even if they don’t they spent their time resenting those they think are undeserving (which is everyone else) and worrying about their money and power.
True. Maybe it just feels like it’s more exclusively so?
exclusivity seems to be the core Republican value these days
Robin, maybe you mean that under Republican control, white and well-off--but not Others (cap intentional)--do well, whereas under Democratic control, all do (at least) better if not well.
Whilst skiing badly: Amen to that! Haha. (I won't say anything nastier than that, but geez, WTF is right.)
Since Trump first won office many people have said some variation of “it can’t get any worse than this.” Of course it always did — usually by the next news cycle. So we shouldn’t be surprised that we — the country — have reached these depths thanks to Trump.
You have to give him credit. Trump has certainly exceeded all expectations— of incompetence, criminality, vulgarity and the ability to turn America into his own surrealist nightmare.
He’s also revealed just how weak and easily manipulated our political institutions can be and the moral and ethical corruption of the average Republicans office holder. I suppose we should thank him for taking away our illusions.
When are the so-called Republican moderates going to ban together and put their foot down? All it would take would be a small coalition. They were very few profiles in courage among most Republicans. It appears that the state office holders in Georgia demonstrate that courage. On PBS NewsHour yesterday lieutenant governor of Georgia use the word duped to describe what’s going on and in no uncertain terms condemn the actions of the president and other members of the republican party. It’s high time for people like Romney and Collins in Portman to speak out in unequivocal terms. Where is the so-called educated Ben Sasse? Their silence is colluding with sedition
Romney has spoken about the "madness"of all this. But his lone voice doesn't seem to register even with those of us watching this circus.
Susan Collins. It is time to stand up for democracy!
Forgetabouit she’s a weasel.
No because DT supporters especially see him as a conspiring outlier. DT made sure of that! Looks good now doesn’t he? Dear god.
As I said yesterday, look for the Whig Party to make a comeback! (They did elect two presidents, both of whom died in office, but for a while, they offered a refuge for those Americans dissatisfied with our then-existing Parties.)
Seth Dunn, but that same lt. governor both voted for Trump and still supports him and what he is doing. Really scary.
There are Republicans Against Trump led by George Conway and The Lincoln Project and numerous other republicans.
This law suit may not have much to stand on, but the fact that so many other states have joined in, so many Republican members of Congress and even Republicans in the states that are being attacked shows how much damage Trump and his gang of corruption have done and how much power they still wield. I find it terrifying. And with this Supreme Court, I am worried. They have broken so many of our institutions, our laws and destroyed our reputation.