Reporters at ProPublica have uncovered yet more news about the right-wing network of wealthy donors who have supported Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas.
I care if the Constitution and the Citizens of the United States Fail.
THESE Supine Courtiers are NOT "teetering" on the edge of illegitimacy. They long ago fell off the cliff of legitimacy into the valley of villainy. They may keep their voices down, but 5 of these clowns are as corrupt as is Trump.
This is Leonard Leo's and Moscow Mitch's gift of corruption all wrapped up in a bow to the American people. Moscow Mitch is so very proud of his legacy to have corrupted our Supreme Court. This is his claim to fame. When Thomas started bitching about money MM told Leo to pay the man. Whatever it takes. So, who's got who by the balls? Thomas is loving it. No more vacations in the Walmart parking lot in the old RV.
I read an interview with a former Thomas girlfriend awhile ago. He has ALWAYS felt disrespected and undervalued. After being treated disrespectfully in seminary and leaving, he finished college elsewhere; he did not get the same offers after law school as his white counterparts and ended up in government instead. (In truth, this does suck but he himself now opposes the laws passed to combat this insidious discrimination.) And then there was the hearing for his position on SCOTUS. I’ve always thought of Thomas as a simmering pot on the verge of boiling over. I wasn’t surprised by the latest account in ProPublica. We need to have someone “properly interpreting” the Constitution, after all.
Ben Carson.....thanks Rickey for ruining my day. I had forgotten about him. Loath that person for the same reasons I loath Thomas. Were I a black American (I am white), wow; I just don't know how to express how I think I would feel.
Yes...and he had no problem pulling up the ladder that helped him, because God forbid that it might help others. Thomas is a piece of scum, just like Alito.
He climbed the ladder to success and pulled it up after him so no one else could use it. He and trump would probably take the last seats on the Titanic life boat.
Seems like an example of systemic racism and the intersection with a particular personality type. That type doesn’t do well in public life: The bullied turning into the bully. It is a common and tragic theme.
Though I am NOT a historian I have watched the Thomas confirmation hearing which then Senator Joe Biden chaired. I seem to remember that Thomas got on his high horse, pulled out the race card, and completely changed the course of the hearing. Thomas' many previous misdeeds were ignored or dismissed and that has continued to this day. The hearing demonstrated that Joe Biden could be made to neglect his duty as a Senator and that Clarence Thomas was completely unfit to be a Supreme Court justice. Nothing Thomas has done since has changed my mind on the subject. He is the prime candidate for impeachment in the entire Federal Government.
And then what was done to Anita Hill at that hearing! Who, I might add, is also black - same race as Thomas - right? Yet he pulls the race card & she gets pilloried! I still do not "get" it!
From third hand information of someone who knew him professionally, Thomas has always been an ass. His harrassment of staff and sexual innuendos are true. It would seem he can't quite face his mediocrity and blames others for his lack of charracter.
Except for the late 20th Century, the Supreme Court was always run to favor the rich and protect businesses. In the beginning the biggest business was slavery. This court would probably reinstate that if it could.
Was slavery ever really banned from the United States, even if it was in the Constitution? Ever been to a chicken processing plant? Don't be fooled by the absence of whips, chains and guards. (And I'm a capitalist.) As Professor Richardson titled one of her more recent books, "How the South Won the Civil War." She meant it.
Corruption is here. Profits over people is the American way. Our Supreme Court is proof of how easily one can buy judge in this country if the price is right.
ProPublica has a story how Wal-fart launders millions of grifted dollars through their stores with gift cards. Millions of people are scammed but Wal-fart makes millions in fee charges so they won't shut it done. The upkeep on their yachts is expensive. They need the money.
While I like "Extreme Court", I also use the abbreviation "SCROTUS". Technically, the additional "R" stands for "Republikan", but it is pronounced like a part of the male anatomy frequently used (at least in some circles) as a derogatory term, similar in application as the common term for an anal orifice.
What we have had is arrogant corruption at the highest level. Now it is blatant and the Republicans mock the Dems for being so naive. Anyway, all Dems are communists. They need to be rounded up and put in camps. If you visit any right wing site, they are all in favor of that.
It's not the individual members of the Court who are a concern, it's the institution itself that's teetering. We can survive quite nicely without any of the current members, but no organization balances well on two legs.
If the court were to rule in Trump's favor, the majority would be voting for an end to democracy and ushering in a dictatorship. So much for "originalism." And so much for the idea that the highest court in the land can't be bribed — without legal consequences.
Tuesday Afternoon Breaking from Colorado Supreme Court: CO has prohibited Wreck from appearing on the CO primary ballot per the Post Civil War Constitutional Amendment STOPPING an "insurrectionist's" name from appearing on the CO Primary Ballot for President
CREW, 2 Law firms & real live People did the Legal Work. 🎯
...
ALAN FEUR at NYT on 12/12/23 did a competent analysis of JACK SMITH's expedited attack on whether the "Constitution confers absolute immunity on a former President for crimes committed in Office".
Short Answer: NO! Sedition is not an "official act" of the Office nor is "Insurrection".
I don't like to make predictions or speculate, but Jack Smith knows what he is doing and I doubt that even this court will come down in death star's favor. I also have no doubt that ruling in death star's favor will appeal to at least a couple of them.
Then let Biden decide to stay in office and call the whole election off. He would be immune to any consequences, right? Some of those presidential powers Trump talks about. Fight fire with fire.
Just stop. So, ‘we have to destroy the village, just to save it’, ring a bell?
If you have to resort to fascist tactics, as Zelensky has done in Ukraine, to ‘save democracy’, the democracy in question isn’t worth a bucket of spit.
We’re still dealing withthe post-9/11 assault on civil liberties brought about by Bush/Cheney under the guise of ‘making us safe’.
The answer to authoritarianism is…. more authoritarianism? No thanks.
Plenty of liberal totalitarianism running around in the U.S. these days, under the guise of ‘saving democracy’. Trump has caused many to lose their minds, on both sides of the political aisle.
Trump and Covid have been really hard on drugged, poorly fed (Big Ag with glucose syrup) Americans. “You are what you eat.” Plus some Roundup, harder to avoid as climate change makes organic farming ever more difficult!
I thought the same as Bonnie MacEvoy. Then I thought if Dems did that, we'd be hypocrites just like MAGA. There is no more Republican party. There are just varying degrees of MAGA crazy.
I am considering reversing my 'retirement' as I am better than average on the "FRE". Federal Rules of Evidence. I also realize, ' ... we are not in Kansas anymore'. Time to suit up again.
I hope not. I understand the desire to give back to MAGA all the misery they give to us, except if Democrats were 'all powerful' as trump wants to be, we would actually do good for people. President Biden is a genuinely good, caring man. Not perfect, but who (except for me, of course 😂) is? j/k
Ok...so here again is the argument, 'when they go low, we go high'. It is the exact argument that got us Trump. Folks...this way if thinking will surely end democracy. We have to step back and consider how we will fix this, not how we will show the Republicans and the country how good politicians act.
I bought the argument, 'just be a good example for your kids and they will follow'. 'Just read to your kids and they will become readers'. You know....it didn't work for us....maybe for others it did. If you don't pay attention when homilies don't work....you're just living in a fantasy world. You lose your opportunity to understand human nature and devise effective solutions.
Democracy isn't a sound bite...maybe Biden refusing to leave office is the right thing to do....maybe not. But depending on a nation of greedy corporations pulling the strings to do the right thing is definitely the wrong thing to do. They never have, they never will.
I wonder if the lying cowardly traitor, our national destroyer, will continue to spew his polarizing poison day and night, relishing in all the free publicity he's getting. Joe has to bring it to him relentlessly. And may the ghosts of the 600,000 Americans who lost their lives fighting against fascist dictators in WWII rise up and overcome this betrayer of democracy.
You k is what they say about absolute power. It’s why we need to viable political parties.
I was thinking about the old conflict in the Constitution, of rights of people v rights of people with property. It’s always been this way. But now the property inequality has gotten completely out of whack to the point we’re nearly a feudal society.
Exactly, Bonnie! It appears that Trump supporters believe that it would be OK for a sitting President to give himself/herself an extra term given such awful mistreatment by politicians, the press, and the people. I mean, Poor Joe….claims that he is too old, too frail, has a wayward son/messed up family, documents in his garage next to his Corvette…. He deserves a FREE extra four years.
I think Bonnie's being provocative to prove a point. Her scenario illustrates just how ludicrous Trump's claim is.
Also, as corrupt as the Supreme Court has become, the justices who have been politely paid off are behold to huge money interests, who oppose Trump and the chaos he would bring to the economy and much more. Those interests want stability AND rulings in their favor.
For sure the far right, fascist, court majority will vote to re-install Trump as President and if they can do that without an election, they will do that.
The amount of money that will then rain down on them will be massive. The Swiss will receive huge amounts of money in Swiss Bank accounts the day after.
So, we do NOT have to wonder how this will go. We already know.
I hate to give you a “correct” on this line of thinking Mike, but I have lost my positive thinking in the last year.
We simply are not able to hear the facts. Everyday ,if we are to survive dump and his con artists we must talk true facts. The “Supremes” ( court failures) should be bounced off the court.
Are we truly going to let those pathetic greedy useless bastards run our country into the ground??? After reading comments over the last year I am losing my faith .
And why aren’t we hearing about those in Congress who are intelligent and good?Those people need to be focused on by the failing press.
I'm not there yet, Mike. Suspect the huge money interests who have bought off Thomas and others like a predictable, relatively stable economy and stock market along with the purchased favorable court rulings. A Trump victory means unprecedented chaos for everything. Obviously, I could be wrong.
"Originalism" is a joke at best and flagrant BS everywhere else. Not a single justice on today's SC could even have voted in colonial Virginia much less judge others. These hypocrites completely benefit from the progress we've made in perfecting America (yes, we still have a long way to that goal) while denigrating that progress and being bribed by some of our most disgusting citizens.
Teetering on the edge of illegitimacy? The legitimacy train left the SCOTUS station a looooong time ago.
Decades ago, the court plunged headlong into the abyss of shameless greed and corruption. We have had nothing but the finest extremist right-wing, theocrat- and oligarch-friendly "justice" that money could buy, with only the rarest of surprising exceptions, since Scalia started promulgating the drivel of "originalism." This latest reporting about Thomas not only adds to the mountain of evidence and unseemly associations stuck to at least four and maybe five of the justices but also shows he very plainly was extorting money from the morbidly rich far-righters: "Get me more money or you'll lose the reliable ultra-right vote you so badly want."
Beyond originalism, recall Bush v. Gore, Heller, Roberts's savaging of the Voting Rights Act, and of course Citizens United and Dobbs. No doubt you could add a couple more truly disastrous decisions to the list. All pretense of even-handed justice in service to the Constitution and its ideals is long gone. SCOTUS has been bought and paid for for a long time.
Right on, maybe those who voted for Thomas didn’t realize that dark skin could cover a skanky greedy bastard as well as white skin. That’s what I think every time I see a black MAGAt. What’s in it for you?
They are greedy humans! Without tthe Law, our ship is listing towards a liar's court. The former President recently stated that he promised he would give them the Supreme Court. "I gave them Roe" he said. By trump referring to GOP as "Them" he is trumping us all with his ability to pursuade as Hitler did. "Them" means, that he could care less about issues, only remaining in power.
When I worked in the Department of Justice, in the office of the solicitor general, it was my job to argue cases for the United States before the Supreme court. I always found it very moving to stand before the justices and say, 'I speak for my country.'
I think that they are damaged beyond repair, and that there is no teetering. They have gone over that cliff, and are in the cesspool of illegitimacy. Ignoring Stare Decisis, creating people out of whole corporations, dismantling the Voting Rights Act. John Roberts, your tenure will be the one where SCOTUS lost its way as an arbiter of justice and became a tool of the wealthy elites and religious nuts.
They already toppled over the edge of legitimacy for me. Now, I just want them to be worried about continuing in the corrupt manner they have been going in. ProPublica should be getting everyone's support at this point. They are modeling for the mainstream press what good journalism looks like and breaking very important stories. It is certainly tantalizing to realize we could have lost two of the most corrupt people on the court, and by an even more corrupt move, did not. Until they recuse themselves, and refuse their ill gotten gains, and report the attempts to bribe them, those who do these things taint the legitimacy. It STINKS right now with the ROTTON people like Thomas, Alito and Chief Justice Roberts who enables them in every way, as well as his wife for raking in the money for them. All of these corrupt ones are also inferior in their judicial skills. Their appointments are affirmative action for lying crooks.
I agree, the court is "teetering on the edge of illegitimacy," and it takes only one vote by the court, that Trump cannot be held liable for his crimes while he was POTUS, to bring down our democracy. In that regard, it is democracy in America that is teetering on the brink of total collapse. At this point, what can we, every day citizens, do? In truth, NOTHING, but wait and see.
Maybe that will motivate Roberts and perhaps Cavanaugh to put the breaks on overtly partisan rulings when it comes to Trump who some of them detest but tolerate to advance their own ideological positions
Agreed Annabel, we are at a crossroads between Democracy and a failed republic. Our biggest problem is the only people out there addressing the mis information are Heather Joyce and Robert. Where the hell are our elected democrats pounding on the media and public. Democrats need to flood the airwaves and flood them now!!!!
Democrats need some help from some TOP talent in advertising, PR, strategy, immediate crisis communications and long-term planning such as the Republican playbook “Lewis Powell Memo”
that was envisioned and written 50 or so years ago in service of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce by a man who would himself become an associate justice of the Supreme Court.
Powell’s memo was followed and landed us here now, in this.
We can do the same and reverse engineer this current life-and-death situ. It’s going to take all hands on deck though. Right now.
Now, if Trump were President absolutely nothing would be different in Gaza. Gaza would still be in complete ruins with innocent dead bodies laying around just like today. Trump would have green lit the total destruction of Gaza and its people just like Biden did.
BUT, that which is most obvious to anyone paying attention must not be obvious to Americans because? Whoever took that poll says "Trump would be "better".
Ridiculous. We are sailing into seriously rough seas for a long time here in America.
As for polling and paying attention to a polls “findings” listen to this podcast. The title alone should be reason enough to give it a listen. Simon Rosenberg knows his sh*t. In the podcast he states polling data is a bunch of BS and why.
I agree. Our elected D (d) emocrats need to start speaking up loudly in the MSM. They've got less than a year. Do it now while the REPUBLICAN'TS are on vacation and did nothing as usual before they left. 1/19 ain't far away.
It seems clear that Democracy is targeted by Putin and Putinist peoples like Orban and Meadows and Johnson, etc. who are colluding with media and international corporations to increase their power as well as their immunity from legal consequences. Spotlight the cliff these people are wanting us to fall off by luring people toward false riches, panicking people to do harm to themselves by voting away anyone's -- and, eventually, their own -- rights. Don't vote for this or that billionaire/racist/fascist/misogynist/megalomaniac! As Professor Richardson concludes, "The economic news is tangible proof that a government that serves the majority, rather than a wealthy few, works." Vote for the majority -- Us, the People, We the People!
Now, hold on there, Mr Groesbeck. Can you honesty believe that only three people, THREE, are trying to save democracy? Perhaps there’s an opportunity here for you to extend your scope.
Deutsche Bank and SC Kennedy’s son would be a good place to start. There is such a pile of dung out there and so few dung beetles trying to make use of it,
Biden’s administration has championed pre-distribution spending (more higher wage jobs that don’t require a college degree) instead of post-distribution spending (the traditional safety nets). This allows those whose pride will not allow them to accept “welfare” to have a higher standard of living.
I just wish that the Biden Administration would take a page out of TFG’s handbook (“I’m the only one who cares about you”) and, when they’re speaking at the project sites, say something like “Do you know why we (and any present Democratic Congress Critters) fought so hard for this project and the jobs that come with it? Because we care about you guys. We want you to have a good paying, union job that you can be proud of. We’re fighting inflation as well; our inflation is lower than any European country. We care about you being better off than you were 4 years ago and we’ll never stop fighting for you.”
Yes, I remember. I just want him to say, over and over, that he fought for lower inflation and better jobs because “I care about you guys!” And ask them if they’re better off than 4 years ago when hospitals had temporary morgues.
You're right. He normalized their bigotry. He is the bully they wish they could be. But, ask them if they would let their teenage daughter be alone in a room with him. Actually, a group of men were asked that question at one of his carnival rallies. Well, they looked at each other and stumbled fucked over themselves for an answer. Most said, "no"..."wait"..."yeah, no". Idiots had to think about that one.
Becky, that’s true. But, he’s always stated that, while most politicians don’t care about “you”, he does. He especially uses that theme while campaigning in the “flyover” states. He’s promised to reopen factories, coal mines, etc.
Mary - you need to bring your ideas to Biden's political machine (his PR team needs help). He definitely needs to proclaim that "all these new jobs are because we, the Democrats, care about you!". Help us to continue to bring more of this to your friends and countrymen.
I want to hear decent American conservatives say something like what the government of Italy said today: ”"I would like to point out that there is no political problem on support for Ukraine within the government majority, which intends to respect the role and scrutiny of parliament. Italy has chosen to be on the side of the freedom of nations and respect for international law, with the aim of reaching, in line with the position taken by NATO and EU allies, a just and lasting peace," Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said.” (https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/3802183-italy-approves-extension-of-military-aid-to-ukraine.html)
The only decent American conservatives have no party, and the only decent American conservatives serving in congress had to leave because the stench was so bad.
“The economic news is tangible proof that a government that serves the majority, rather than a wealthy few, works.” This about sums it up. Thank you, as always, Heather.
Elizabeth, While the statement is accurate, I believe we discount at our peril a fundamental truth, namely that the affects of said economy largely are not felt by the 60% living paycheck to paycheck, wherein family income, in many cases, only is sustained by more people working longer hours while still weighted down by mortgage debt, credit card debt, and the like. Accordingly, I would submit, throughout 24, that Democrats focus more on their pro-worker agenda (the social infrastructure piece of Build Back Better)—$15 hourly minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, extension of the child tax credit, affordable, quality childcare, universal healthcare, investments in housing, in eldercare, and more— all of which, in 2019-early 2020, received zero Republican support.
The foregoing notwithstanding, in view of the mighty impressive accomplishments of the current administration despite historically narrow margins in both U.S. Chambers, I would suggest the achievements be presented as a downpayment on more to come if Dems retake the U.S, House, hold their 49 Senate seats, excluding Sinema and, of course, Manchin), flip 1 Republican Senate seat, and hold the White House.
The point is to make clear to working families throughout the country, many of whom are prepared to vote Republican, that if they vote Republican they are voting for a Party, which on every single issue economically runs counter to their interests and concerns. In a word, we need Democratic leadership to be focused and disciplined and not to allow Republican deceptions and distortions related to the state of the economy to go unanswered.
Barbara your post stands out in its calling out the inability of many Americans to see the economy working for them. For them, there is little hope for they cannot get ahead and the American dream remains just that-a dream. I cringe every time I hear NPR talk about how the Federal Reserve has been the main reason inflation has been tamed thru higher interest rates. I agree that repairing broken supply chains was proportionately more responsible for taming inflation. However, the elephant in the room is the greedy corporations who have used the guise of inflation to raise their margins in an inelastic market and maintain those profits rather than lower prices when costs go down. I'm looking at the beef, egg and other commodity producers who maintain artificially high food prices that consumers suffer under. Until Biden and the Dems come together in a serious antitrust effort to address corporate greed, most Americans cannot take the "good economy" news seriously.
The monopoly power of what you call the "commodity producers" - NOT the farmers, who make pennies on every dollar spent on food, but the corporations - is responsible for high food prices. This is where enforcement of antitrust laws is critical.
Bob, this is exactly what I have been thinking. Grocery store prices have not eased at all as the supply chains have improved - corporate greed? I think so and it affects voters where it hurts.
I have been making the case for a long time that mentioning low unemployment and plummeting inflation is fine. But we need to speak to why so many people still think the country is headed in the wrong direction. And the answer is obvious and obviously caused by Republican obstruction.
It's all here - all the ammunition needed for the battle to get votes. Parents are working two or more jobs and are struggling with the basics of life - caring for their kids and elders - and it isn't working. The social safety net is full of holes and most people are falling through while the rich get richer.
The BBB addressed both the need side and the financing side. But REPUBLICANS opposed it. REPUBLICANS oppose helping families, children, mothers and fathers and seniors. REPUBLICANS are for helping rich white men get richer. That's the message and it's an easy one to frame.
But her emails, and Hunter Biden, and THE BORDER. You’re exactly right Bill. Democrats must reframe the message and ensure the tax burden for these programs fall on those who can afford it. And say it loud.
Barbara, living in Florida, my opinion in working with those struggling with paying bills is that they don’t see the achievements because of the extreme GOUGERS in this state. With Desantis’ eyes on the Oval and in the pockets of too many wealthy and white men, the state has become a haven of inflation for regular folks. Rental prices have skyrocketed and the prices of normal things have gone through the roof, leaving young families with minimum wage pay and seniors who had anticipated a secure retirement in financial jeopardy. No one fights back against the gougers, which trump and Desantis have endorsed.
One reason 60% of people' s economic lives are not effected by all this good economic news is most of them cannot participate in the stock market in any meaningful way. For that to happen, I think the number of employee owned businesses needs to be vastly expanded.
This is not an easy process, and would require a re-tooling of how we produce MBAs and other business related degrees, and how workers are educated re: finances.
'People Are Pessimistic About Their Economic Futures. Can You Blame Them?' (NYTimes, Opinion by Steven Rattner, excerpts)
'By many measures — unemployment, inflation, the stock market — the economy is strong. Yet only 23 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction, a strong headwind for President Biden’s approval ratings. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s formidable base of disgruntled voters endures.'
'While inflation has provided the proximate trigger for unhappy feelings, an understandable grimness about our broader economic prospects, particularly for younger Americans, is playing a major part.'
'Start with inflation. Until the chaos of the pandemic, there hadn’t been a year with average annual inflation above 4 percent since 1991. As a result, for more than two-thirds of voting age Americans, 2022 was by far the highest inflation of their adult lifetimes.'
'To them, higher prices just means less spending power. A recent Blueprint/YouGov poll on the economy found that just 7 percent of respondents were principally concerned about the availability of jobs, while 64 percent were most worried about prices.'
'The problem for President Biden is that by a margin of 43 percent to 23 percent, voters believe that he is more focused on jobs. By strikingly similar margins, they credit Republicans with mirroring their priorities: 54 percent said prices while 18 percent mentioned jobs.'
'Even as inflation has receded from its June 2022 peak, sentiment has hardly shifted. Many Americans appear to believe that it’s not enough for costs to rise more slowly and that prices should fall toward prior levels.'
'To economists, that’s a fantasy. Prices writ-large haven’t declined substantially since the Great Depression, and the price drops that consumers seem to want would most likely indicate the kind of troubled economy they fear.'
'With each disappointing poll — many of the recent ones show Mr. Trump edging out Mr. Biden — the frenzy among Democrats to revive their 2024 prospects has only grown. Efforts by the White House a few months ago to trumpet “Bidenomics” (a portmanteau of two of the Democrats’ largest liabilities in 2024: Mr. Biden and his economy) as a success have fizzled.'
'Maybe that shouldn’t be surprising. Voters may have internalized the fact that Mr. Biden’s initial policy agenda included substantial increases in government spending, a potential source of inflationary pressure.'
'The longer-term issue that bubbles up from polls and other data is deep pessimism about the future. Uncharacteristically, a stunning majority of Americans now believe that the next generation is likely to have a lower standard of living.'
'The pessimism is easy to understand.'
'Consider one marker of generational progress: moving out. Nearly half of all Americans aged 18-29 live at home with their parents, the highest share since the Great Depression. In recent decades, rents in American cities have far outstripped income growth for young Americans, even those with college degrees.'
'Those seeking to buy their first home and “climb the property ladder” face the double whammy of high house prices and high mortgage rates, creating a massive affordability problem.'
'Even more fundamentally, voters — admittedly, not economists — may deserve credit for at least subconsciously comprehending two immense longer-term challenges: lagging productivity and a huge and fast-rising national debt.'
'Increasing productivity — how much output per hour an individual worker generates — is the only lasting mechanism for improving the standard of living. During the halcyon postwar era, between 1947 and 1973, productivity increased at a remarkable 2.8 percent annual rate.'
'Then its growth — save for the computer revolution boom from 1995 to 2005 — slowed markedly, to just 1.8 percent between 1973 and 2019 and an even worse 1.3 percent in the last decade of that period. Living better becomes more challenging.'
'The reasons for this slowdown are myriad and much debated. They range from less innovation and less investment to corporate consolidation, land use restrictions and, over the last 15 years, the sluggish recovery from the Great Recession.'
'Moreover, workers have not shared fully in even these more meager productivity gains, as they did in the past. Since 1990, worker productivity has risen by 91 percent, but compensation (adjusted for inflation) has risen by just 58 percent.'
'The national debt, which was a (relatively) modest $5.7 trillion when President Bill Clinton left office early in 2001, has reached $33 trillion. This constitutes a form of intergenerational theft; while it will most likely never be repaid, rising interest costs will eventually require higher taxes or cuts in federal programs or both.'
'Perhaps this is why younger Americans are particularly troubled. Mr. Biden has far lower support among this cohort than he enjoyed in the 2020 election, when 60 percent of those under 30 pulled the lever for him. Today, his share of that group hovers around 50 percent in polls.'
'And, among 2020 Biden voters in swing states surveyed in another recent poll, just 11 percent of the 18-to-29-year-olds thought positively of the current economy, the smallest share of any age group. (Economics are hardly all that is worrying these Americans; among other things, they are also perturbed by his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, which just 20 percent of young voters approve of.)'
'What can Mr. Biden do, with the election just 11 months away? Probably not much. While inflation is happily showing signs of ebbing, the deeply structural productivity problem, decades in the making, would require many tough choices and require many years to address, even if our deep political divisions were to end and a national consensus were to form around the need for action.'
'Regardless, the narrative that we are in a bad economy is clearly deeply embedded in Americans’ consciousness. And there are early signs in softening retail sales that consumers’ propensity to spend is starting to wane, suggesting weakening economic conditions ahead.'
'But the president is not without hope. Once he has an opponent, he can attack their record and policies. That worked for Barack Obama in 2012 and for George W. Bush in 2004.'
'When stacked up in polls against a “generic Republican,” Mr. Biden trails by 16 percentage points in swing states. Against the likely nominee, Mr. Trump, he trails by just four.'
'Given the extreme views of today’s Republicans on issues like abortion and democracy (not to mention Mr. Trump’s obvious character flaws), shifting the focus of the 2024 campaign to his opponent may work well for Mr. Biden — even if the economic mood remains cranky.' (NYT, 12/7/23)
<rant> Ugh. "...only 23 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction." I HATE this question because I don't think it measures what pollsters think it does. I know how I would answer, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Biden or the actions of his administration. </end rant>
Thank you, Fred, for reading it. My hunch is that Biden and his team need a better message. 'Bidenomics' does not spell out how 'we the people' are doing a lot better than we did under the orange jacket. What can Biden do to enable the younger generation to buy homes of their own?
Who will benefit from a Trump presidency - Putin and the ultrarich!? The orange jacket couldn't fix the country's infra-structure, which he talked about all the time, and who benefited from his presidency - Putin and the ultrarich?! What would we Americans get with Dictator Donald? Spell that one out, Mr. President Biden!
Well said, Barbara. I love the thought of "This is what we've put down for you; give us the chance to finish providing what you are due with congressional majorities. Let us return to "the middle way" where ordinary people can make enough money to buy a house, a car, and food without working 12-18 hours a day."
As posted above, Trump's supporters don't measure his success by what he does FOR them, they measure by what he does AGAINST people they don't like. That's why they see him as being "successful." This is why they will NEVER abandon him. His tormenting of the "others" sustains them.
AND an economy that serves everyone is almost always very effective ……this is another one of THOSE TRUTHS that IS true and so very rarely mentioned…..and is ALWAYS Dem.
I was a new mother in 1991, holding my firstborn as I watched Clarence Thomas sworn in as a member of SCOTUS. I had followed the hearings and my heart ached for Anita Hill. I knew then that this man with such a questionable background who was filling the seat of Thurgood Marshall was an abomination. 32 years, later, Thomas has only added to his infamy.
Let's just call the situation what it is. Clarence Thomas is taking bribes to give "conservatives" with cases before the high court the "proper" interpretation of the law, even if the case is hypothetical and no one has been injured. Alito is not far behind Thomas. Didn't Scalia die while he was on some fancy hunting trip? It is so frustrating that so many politicians, including justices on the high court, think public office should be a ticket to wealth. Thomas was basically telling that congressman, "I have this awesome judicial power. What's it worth to you?" His complaint about having a low salary was not quite as bold as Rod Blagojevich saying the Senate seat vacated by Barack Onama was golden, meaning someone should pay him to become a senator.
Oh, Thomas would bellow “high profile lynching” if he alone were held to account. It has to be a package deal, maybe a RICO case. But are SC Justices “immune” from prosecution? Functionally, yes. And among the smartest in the land in figuring out how to use their positions for corrupt purposes without getting caught.
From any perspective in Corporate America, Clarance Thomas would have been fired immediately for his acceptance of gifts from interested parties. Check EVERY corporate rules of ethics
The Roberts Court is out of control, beholden to Leonard Leo and Trump
Yet Trump is trumpeted as a businessman. Go figure
My dad was a manager at a major corporation, and noted the dismissal of several executives who accepted significant gifts from vendors to the company. Their sin was not that anyone had proved they we biased. Indulging in that sort of "conflict of interest" was just plain against the rules. The argument in favor of such a policy seems even more persuasive when one wields powers of public trust and service.
They run in a big enough crowd (the Redhats) to be able to bully, and to get away with it (mostly). We never should have let it get this bad. They are trying to run roughshod over rule of law by overwhelming and infiltrating it's official guardians. We're at the brink, and the showdown is on.
I have to say that in my former line of work, that "acceptance of gifts" was a termination offense. No free coffee/meals, certainly no free "stuff". We had one restaurant that charged cops a quarter for their dollar cup of coffee*. WOULD NOT CHANGE. That was a test that every field training officer gave their recruit. If they took the quarter cup and paid a quarter, they'd get a "needs improvement" rating in one of the columns. If they talked to the waitress who said "It's policy", and asked the training officer what to do, who would reply "the right thing" and left $1.50 for the coffee, they'd get a "satisfactory". If they left the $1.50 (or more) without asking, they got an "exceeds expectations".
*This was almost 40 years ago, before we all started paying $5 a cup for drive through coffee.
Rules tightened as business evolved. I was a buyer for a while. Lunches, dinners, sports tickets were allowed as long as the salesperson joined the occasion and was considered a normal part of building a relationship on a personal level. Trust, body language, verbal cues helped me to know where to structure negotiations. Once, with a trusted supplier we had a quality problem that turned into a recall (huge expense). It was the supplier’s fault. They trusted me enough to sit in on internal investigations that eventually allowed us to narrow the window of scope and minimize the damage. It would not have happened if they had kept me out. Not an excuse, but rather another side of the coin that was helpful
Clarance Thomas is a judge, not a businessman. His personal relationships are business related and his judgement is effected by his personal Miss Haversham type benefactors to the detriment of justice
For the record, a company tried to buy my business once and when I shut them down they got indignant telling me “this is how business is done”
I am fuming! These people... These public servants.... These Americans.... My heart is hurting for our country because of these greedy con men. I will continue to share these letters however and wherever I can. The Democrats absolutely have to step up their game. Gloves off. No more polite deliveries. We must shout out to everyone in no uncertain terms exactly what is happening in this country. Exactly what the MAGA Republicans are doing as well as their plans for us should they gain control of the White House again. Time is of the essence!
Victoria, I think we see the same thing. The Speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly, Robin Vos (Republican, Rochester, WI) usually comes across like a 1950s Dad, who thinks he knows what's right, and when we "kids" complain, the Dad says that we will thank him later for putting us on the right track. Their willingness to cheat, using gerrymandering and voter suppression, is justified in their minds as necessary desperate measures to save the Republic from the immoral atheist heathens. To Speaker Vos, and the others of his ilk, I say mind your own damned business! We don't need you or anybody else to tell us how to live our lives as American citizens.
People like us have always kept "gloves on", and have delivered our views politely. That won't work in today's corrupt political arena.
Isn't it strange to be saying that we need not be respectful, or "nice" anymore?
We're fighting Trump's people, who deliver hateful and mean-spirited remarks that permeate their thinking and actions. AND they believe, and want to live by, those terrible thoughts.
You're right. We need to stop being so polite and step up the fight for democracy.
, the WH fb page posts several posts a day & the replies are mostly from the cult crowd with remarks echoing the current rant on faux news ranging from impeach to less than Jr High disgusting comments. Just going there & liking or loving the post by the WH just to counter the negative, a voice for what Pres sBiden is doing. Right now the cult owns the page.
There is something (no - many things) wrong with America and its system of government if it allows for Clarence Thomas to still be on the Supreme Court and for that someone like Donald Trump to be the standard bearer for a major political party. As one from the Land Down Under who loves a vegimite sandwich, the odds of this occurring in Australia are almost nil. That is not to say we don't have people here who would jump at the chance of being another Thomas or Trump, or Majorie, or Matt, or ... the list goes on on on. But, we do not have our Senate approving nominations of judges and executive officers; simple majorities are all that is required for legislation to be adopted; we have uniform laws for federal elections, overseen by an independent electoral commission that is responsible for determining lower house boundaries and shape of electorates; we have compulsory voting which, on election day - always a Saturday - has democracy sausages available for citizens when they turn up to vote at an electoral office that is usually no more than a few minutes away from home; and there is nothing approaching an Electoral College. I would also add that its a positive that we don't have a Bill of Rights, although many here would disagree. The US Constitution, so revered by Americans of all political stripes, is a deeply flawed document. Its egregious provisions on slavery led to the Civil War, and its other provisions continue to cast doubt about whether there is truly a democracy in the US, despite what American like to believe. After all, the provisions in the Constitution as drafted by 55 white men in Philadelphia in 1787 were designed to suppress what they saw as the emergence of too much democracy in the states of the Confederation. On the other hand, to the extent that I can, I do apologise for giving you Rupert Murdoch.
Yes, I have friends in the UK glad they do not have a written Constitution because it hamstrings so much innovation, especially in regard to lying and bearing lethal weapons. And it's hard to change a Constitution, witness South America this week. We have to deal with 330 million people who are free to lie as long as they don't commit felonies with lies, free to buy lethal weapons as long as they keep them safe from their 6 year old children. Nothing is perfect, as you well know down under.
The Constitution serves as a mission statement, a rule book, and a flywheel to some of our less sober moments. It's only lives to the extent we engage with it. Like democracy itself, it complicates things, but mostly in a good way compared to autocracy.
I like the stability and predictability that the Constitution offers. I don't want us to become like those nations who change their constitutions periodically. There is apparently a fairly strong movement among "movement conservatives", or some agglomeration of political entities, to invoke a constitutional convention. Imagine having our Constitution rewritten by maga!
It seems to me that the Constitution has become “gamified”. Deep pockets buy new, innovative, self-serving interpretations of the armature -of-our Republic. “Originalism”? Is the result of this game. Truth is left in the dust. “Winning” for your side is framed as the most important thing. It is the defacto genesis philosophy behind all “American Justice”. In short: there is BIG money made in Lying. Always has been. Always will? Perhaps, but at our peril.
At a certain point the compulsive love of money moves beyond the things it can buy (even ship-sized yachts, multiple mansions/survival bunkers, and joyrides to the bottom of the ocean and outer space, and becomes all about attaining absolute power.
A number of articles are claiming that many young people are lukewarm to democracy and have an unfavorable opinion regarding President Biden. I would be great if Professor Richardson would go on a tour of college campuses to given an historians perspective regarding the threats of authoritarianism, the advantages of democracy, and the accomplishments of Biden. I think young people would listen to her.
Who’s going to fund this college tour? I agree Prof Richardson carries & delivers a very powerful, important message about democracy. Where’s the organization & funding for such a tour?
I would prefer that Professor HCR would continue to write her "Letters from an American", and continue to write and talk about democracy. The maga crowd is disconnected from American history. Every American citizen needs to be reminded of our history. I believe the book tour required a lot of time and energy, and if it were me, it would take me some time to recover. We could give "Democracy Awakening" as a holiday gift.
The fact that you have to ask that question indicates we are in deeper trouble than we think. Just imagine the organization and funding power of the Heritage Foundation. This is not a drill. It is almost game-over. Or should I say 'over before it began'? The college students are not engaged. An unspeakable outrage.
Consider the cost of college education, the cost of medical care, the cost of running for political office, the cost of living, all driven by clever investment. A little over 40 years ago some of these things were affordable.
This is not disconnected from the recent campus upheavals regarding Israel/Palestine that had donors going nuts and led to the loss of at least one Ivy president. Only certain outrage is acceptable.
I heard a story on the TV news this morning claiming that young people who identify as progressives and who voted for Biden last time around are no longer supporting him. That's very concerning. It's not that they support Trump, but they are more inclined to vote for a third-party candidate who they feel reflects their views, or to not vote at all (which would effectively have the same outcome).
If Democrats control next year, they need to make a LOT of changes to prevent the ship of state from keeling over so readily. This should include considering impeachment for at least one “justice.”
Steven Aden, the chief legal officer of the antiabortion group Americans United for Life, told Alice Miranda Ollstein and Megan Messerly of Politico: “Because we believe that abortion is truly about the right to life of human individuals in the womb, we don’t believe those rights should be subjected to majority vote.”
His listeners will believe it because what they hear is "morality shouldn't be decided by majority vote." Of course, the morality of forcing a women to build and carry a fetus from the cells of her own body doesn't even enter the equation.
I'm listening to reading a series of sci fi books (The Grand Tour) by Ben Bova in which "The New Morality" has taken over most Earth based governments, schools, and religions. The series was written well before Trump yet it's eerily prescient about the under handed and authoritarian ways the group gains and keeps political power. (It is also is quite sexist in its portrayal of men reacting to women.)
I read "1984" one summer when I was no older that 12. It certainly got my attention and I knew enough about the world to get the message, but I thought is was way exaggerated. Not nearly so exaggerated as I had thought, it turns out, just more stylized. I think of it frequently.
Unf**kingbelievable. Zygotes are human individuals. Maybe viability should enter into it. And I don’t believe that your “belief” is more important than mine. Let’s vote on it…
Everyone all around ought to be alarmed that those with wealthy interests are influencing how the world is viewed by the courts. Lady Justice can peak under her blindfold and tip the scales against anyone, anytime, with enough pressure or bribe. We all have an interest in preventing that from happening if we expect to have a just society.
Indifferent to privilege and payoffs anyway, if it's really justice. Eyes wide open when it comes to truth; exactly what those who would be king don't want.
Canon 2: A Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in all Activities
(A) Respect for Law. A judge should respect and comply with the law and should act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.
(B) Outside Influence. A judge should not allow family, social, political, financial, or other relationships to influence judicial conduct or judgment. A judge should neither lend the prestige of the judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others nor convey or permit others to convey the impression that they are in a special position to influence the judge. A judge should not testify voluntarily as a character witness.
(C) Nondiscriminatory Membership. A judge should not hold membership in any organization that practices invidious discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, or national origin.
This court is teetering on the edge of illegitimacy. What they do about Trump will help decide whether they are a failed body or merely a damaged one.
I hope they choose carefully.
Who cares if THESE Supine Courtiers FALL?
I care if the Constitution and the Citizens of the United States Fail.
THESE Supine Courtiers are NOT "teetering" on the edge of illegitimacy. They long ago fell off the cliff of legitimacy into the valley of villainy. They may keep their voices down, but 5 of these clowns are as corrupt as is Trump.
Better call it the “Extreme Court”…
This is Leonard Leo's and Moscow Mitch's gift of corruption all wrapped up in a bow to the American people. Moscow Mitch is so very proud of his legacy to have corrupted our Supreme Court. This is his claim to fame. When Thomas started bitching about money MM told Leo to pay the man. Whatever it takes. So, who's got who by the balls? Thomas is loving it. No more vacations in the Walmart parking lot in the old RV.
I read an interview with a former Thomas girlfriend awhile ago. He has ALWAYS felt disrespected and undervalued. After being treated disrespectfully in seminary and leaving, he finished college elsewhere; he did not get the same offers after law school as his white counterparts and ended up in government instead. (In truth, this does suck but he himself now opposes the laws passed to combat this insidious discrimination.) And then there was the hearing for his position on SCOTUS. I’ve always thought of Thomas as a simmering pot on the verge of boiling over. I wasn’t surprised by the latest account in ProPublica. We need to have someone “properly interpreting” the Constitution, after all.
Well said. HE benefited from all the programs he opposes. Just like Ben Carson.
Ben Carson.....thanks Rickey for ruining my day. I had forgotten about him. Loath that person for the same reasons I loath Thomas. Were I a black American (I am white), wow; I just don't know how to express how I think I would feel.
Ricky, I was thinking the very same thing!
Yes...and he had no problem pulling up the ladder that helped him, because God forbid that it might help others. Thomas is a piece of scum, just like Alito.
He climbed the ladder to success and pulled it up after him so no one else could use it. He and trump would probably take the last seats on the Titanic life boat.
Seems like an example of systemic racism and the intersection with a particular personality type. That type doesn’t do well in public life: The bullied turning into the bully. It is a common and tragic theme.
Exactly - the bullied turning into the bully.
It’s so true. I see it all the time.
Though I am NOT a historian I have watched the Thomas confirmation hearing which then Senator Joe Biden chaired. I seem to remember that Thomas got on his high horse, pulled out the race card, and completely changed the course of the hearing. Thomas' many previous misdeeds were ignored or dismissed and that has continued to this day. The hearing demonstrated that Joe Biden could be made to neglect his duty as a Senator and that Clarence Thomas was completely unfit to be a Supreme Court justice. Nothing Thomas has done since has changed my mind on the subject. He is the prime candidate for impeachment in the entire Federal Government.
And then what was done to Anita Hill at that hearing! Who, I might add, is also black - same race as Thomas - right? Yet he pulls the race card & she gets pilloried! I still do not "get" it!
PBS did an excellent episode on Thomas and his wife, showing all of the above. Felt I understood him much better after watching it.
Did watching the PBS episode on Thomas and Ginni T change your mind about what should be done with them?
And where did that understanding take you? You don’t say specifically.
From third hand information of someone who knew him professionally, Thomas has always been an ass. His harrassment of staff and sexual innuendos are true. It would seem he can't quite face his mediocrity and blames others for his lack of charracter.
Sounds like so many others out there!
And who else does that sound like?
And now Thomas is giving us all the finger!
Yes he is, Wallis. With both hands.
Except for the late 20th Century, the Supreme Court was always run to favor the rich and protect businesses. In the beginning the biggest business was slavery. This court would probably reinstate that if it could.
Was slavery ever really banned from the United States, even if it was in the Constitution? Ever been to a chicken processing plant? Don't be fooled by the absence of whips, chains and guards. (And I'm a capitalist.) As Professor Richardson titled one of her more recent books, "How the South Won the Civil War." She meant it.
That's what forced birth is -- slavery
You tell it like it is, Lisa. And then Rump keeps ranting on about "shithole countries"... It seems corruption isn't that far away, though...
Corruption is here. Profits over people is the American way. Our Supreme Court is proof of how easily one can buy judge in this country if the price is right.
Yeah. What a crock. Which Walmart- there’s more to every story.
ProPublica has a story how Wal-fart launders millions of grifted dollars through their stores with gift cards. Millions of people are scammed but Wal-fart makes millions in fee charges so they won't shut it done. The upkeep on their yachts is expensive. They need the money.
While I like "Extreme Court", I also use the abbreviation "SCROTUS". Technically, the additional "R" stands for "Republikan", but it is pronounced like a part of the male anatomy frequently used (at least in some circles) as a derogatory term, similar in application as the common term for an anal orifice.
“Scrotus” is a very good one, too 😆
Perfect!! “Extreme Court”
What we have had is arrogant corruption at the highest level. Now it is blatant and the Republicans mock the Dems for being so naive. Anyway, all Dems are communists. They need to be rounded up and put in camps. If you visit any right wing site, they are all in favor of that.
Thank goodness I dont visit any and dont have to read that s.......
…and then people wonder about the concentration camps here in Germany… “How in the world could THAT have happened??” Well…
I prefer to call it the Stench Court.
Nailed it!
It's not the individual members of the Court who are a concern, it's the institution itself that's teetering. We can survive quite nicely without any of the current members, but no organization balances well on two legs.
And WE KNOW IT. WHAT CAN WE DO?!???!!!!
If the court were to rule in Trump's favor, the majority would be voting for an end to democracy and ushering in a dictatorship. So much for "originalism." And so much for the idea that the highest court in the land can't be bribed — without legal consequences.
Tuesday Afternoon Breaking from Colorado Supreme Court: CO has prohibited Wreck from appearing on the CO primary ballot per the Post Civil War Constitutional Amendment STOPPING an "insurrectionist's" name from appearing on the CO Primary Ballot for President
CREW, 2 Law firms & real live People did the Legal Work. 🎯
...
ALAN FEUR at NYT on 12/12/23 did a competent analysis of JACK SMITH's expedited attack on whether the "Constitution confers absolute immunity on a former President for crimes committed in Office".
Short Answer: NO! Sedition is not an "official act" of the Office nor is "Insurrection".
You'd think.
Say it again. Say it LOUD.
SEDITION IS NOT AN OFFICIAL ACT OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT.
Makes a good billboard doesnt it???
I don't like to make predictions or speculate, but Jack Smith knows what he is doing and I doubt that even this court will come down in death star's favor. I also have no doubt that ruling in death star's favor will appeal to at least a couple of them.
Honestly, like no shit, Sherlock.... right???😵💫🤔
Thank you!
Thank you, Bryan.
Then let Biden decide to stay in office and call the whole election off. He would be immune to any consequences, right? Some of those presidential powers Trump talks about. Fight fire with fire.
Just stop. So, ‘we have to destroy the village, just to save it’, ring a bell?
If you have to resort to fascist tactics, as Zelensky has done in Ukraine, to ‘save democracy’, the democracy in question isn’t worth a bucket of spit.
We’re still dealing withthe post-9/11 assault on civil liberties brought about by Bush/Cheney under the guise of ‘making us safe’.
The answer to authoritarianism is…. more authoritarianism? No thanks.
I took Bonnie's comment to be more tongue-in-cheek than actual suggestion.
Plenty of liberal totalitarianism running around in the U.S. these days, under the guise of ‘saving democracy’. Trump has caused many to lose their minds, on both sides of the political aisle.
Just Stop
Trump and Covid have been really hard on drugged, poorly fed (Big Ag with glucose syrup) Americans. “You are what you eat.” Plus some Roundup, harder to avoid as climate change makes organic farming ever more difficult!
"Sometimes when I'm choking, more food helps."
Dems are not dictators, but sometimes I wish they were. Repubs would deserve it and I would love to live in that world, until some ass screwed it up.
I thought the same as Bonnie MacEvoy. Then I thought if Dems did that, we'd be hypocrites just like MAGA. There is no more Republican party. There are just varying degrees of MAGA crazy.
BC, you have just followed my thinking exactly. Is that the only way to get past this? To lower ourselves to their standards?
Concur Jeanne; our standards will not be lowered.
I am considering reversing my 'retirement' as I am better than average on the "FRE". Federal Rules of Evidence. I also realize, ' ... we are not in Kansas anymore'. Time to suit up again.
I hope not. I understand the desire to give back to MAGA all the misery they give to us, except if Democrats were 'all powerful' as trump wants to be, we would actually do good for people. President Biden is a genuinely good, caring man. Not perfect, but who (except for me, of course 😂) is? j/k
We can no longer go high when they go low. This is a fight for the life of democracy and economic security for all.
Ok...so here again is the argument, 'when they go low, we go high'. It is the exact argument that got us Trump. Folks...this way if thinking will surely end democracy. We have to step back and consider how we will fix this, not how we will show the Republicans and the country how good politicians act.
I bought the argument, 'just be a good example for your kids and they will follow'. 'Just read to your kids and they will become readers'. You know....it didn't work for us....maybe for others it did. If you don't pay attention when homilies don't work....you're just living in a fantasy world. You lose your opportunity to understand human nature and devise effective solutions.
Democracy isn't a sound bite...maybe Biden refusing to leave office is the right thing to do....maybe not. But depending on a nation of greedy corporations pulling the strings to do the right thing is definitely the wrong thing to do. They never have, they never will.
I wonder if the lying cowardly traitor, our national destroyer, will continue to spew his polarizing poison day and night, relishing in all the free publicity he's getting. Joe has to bring it to him relentlessly. And may the ghosts of the 600,000 Americans who lost their lives fighting against fascist dictators in WWII rise up and overcome this betrayer of democracy.
You k is what they say about absolute power. It’s why we need to viable political parties.
I was thinking about the old conflict in the Constitution, of rights of people v rights of people with property. It’s always been this way. But now the property inequality has gotten completely out of whack to the point we’re nearly a feudal society.
Exactly, Bonnie! It appears that Trump supporters believe that it would be OK for a sitting President to give himself/herself an extra term given such awful mistreatment by politicians, the press, and the people. I mean, Poor Joe….claims that he is too old, too frail, has a wayward son/messed up family, documents in his garage next to his Corvette…. He deserves a FREE extra four years.
The last thing we need is adolescents or younger in a food fight!
I think Bonnie's being provocative to prove a point. Her scenario illustrates just how ludicrous Trump's claim is.
Also, as corrupt as the Supreme Court has become, the justices who have been politely paid off are behold to huge money interests, who oppose Trump and the chaos he would bring to the economy and much more. Those interests want stability AND rulings in their favor.
Hmm. There’s a thought.
But then …
Who gets to call for a Constitutional Convention to correct these circumstances unforeseen by the original writers of the Constitution?
The ship WILL BE RIGHTED.
One hopes, though I prefer it to be "CENTERED" or even "LEFTED".
Michael,
For sure the far right, fascist, court majority will vote to re-install Trump as President and if they can do that without an election, they will do that.
The amount of money that will then rain down on them will be massive. The Swiss will receive huge amounts of money in Swiss Bank accounts the day after.
So, we do NOT have to wonder how this will go. We already know.
I hate to give you a “correct” on this line of thinking Mike, but I have lost my positive thinking in the last year.
We simply are not able to hear the facts. Everyday ,if we are to survive dump and his con artists we must talk true facts. The “Supremes” ( court failures) should be bounced off the court.
Are we truly going to let those pathetic greedy useless bastards run our country into the ground??? After reading comments over the last year I am losing my faith .
And why aren’t we hearing about those in Congress who are intelligent and good?Those people need to be focused on by the failing press.
Boy, help me believe in truth and faith...
I'm not there yet, Mike. Suspect the huge money interests who have bought off Thomas and others like a predictable, relatively stable economy and stock market along with the purchased favorable court rulings. A Trump victory means unprecedented chaos for everything. Obviously, I could be wrong.
"Originalism" is a joke at best and flagrant BS everywhere else. Not a single justice on today's SC could even have voted in colonial Virginia much less judge others. These hypocrites completely benefit from the progress we've made in perfecting America (yes, we still have a long way to that goal) while denigrating that progress and being bribed by some of our most disgusting citizens.
Teetering on the edge of illegitimacy? The legitimacy train left the SCOTUS station a looooong time ago.
Decades ago, the court plunged headlong into the abyss of shameless greed and corruption. We have had nothing but the finest extremist right-wing, theocrat- and oligarch-friendly "justice" that money could buy, with only the rarest of surprising exceptions, since Scalia started promulgating the drivel of "originalism." This latest reporting about Thomas not only adds to the mountain of evidence and unseemly associations stuck to at least four and maybe five of the justices but also shows he very plainly was extorting money from the morbidly rich far-righters: "Get me more money or you'll lose the reliable ultra-right vote you so badly want."
Beyond originalism, recall Bush v. Gore, Heller, Roberts's savaging of the Voting Rights Act, and of course Citizens United and Dobbs. No doubt you could add a couple more truly disastrous decisions to the list. All pretense of even-handed justice in service to the Constitution and its ideals is long gone. SCOTUS has been bought and paid for for a long time.
Right on, maybe those who voted for Thomas didn’t realize that dark skin could cover a skanky greedy bastard as well as white skin. That’s what I think every time I see a black MAGAt. What’s in it for you?
Excellent assessment, pts.
Teetering? That is full on African style corruption..... but it's ok, "it won't happen here"
? Teetering ? They long ago tottered under the weight of hubris; there is no teeter possible.
Pretty damaged for some time to come; though I think that public sentiment may be getting to some of the plutocratic toadies. Somewhat.
They are greedy humans! Without tthe Law, our ship is listing towards a liar's court. The former President recently stated that he promised he would give them the Supreme Court. "I gave them Roe" he said. By trump referring to GOP as "Them" he is trumping us all with his ability to pursuade as Hitler did. "Them" means, that he could care less about issues, only remaining in power.
When I worked in the Department of Justice, in the office of the solicitor general, it was my job to argue cases for the United States before the Supreme court. I always found it very moving to stand before the justices and say, 'I speak for my country.'
___John Roberts
That ship done left the dock, got into deep water, caught fire and sank.
Could that dude ever swim even in shallow water?
I think not. His die was cast a long, long time ago.
"Lord, give me the confidence of a mediocre white man."
Becky - Love it!
Hello Fern!
Great reminder.
Thank you.
Carey Sipp
csipppaces@icloud.com
I think that they are damaged beyond repair, and that there is no teetering. They have gone over that cliff, and are in the cesspool of illegitimacy. Ignoring Stare Decisis, creating people out of whole corporations, dismantling the Voting Rights Act. John Roberts, your tenure will be the one where SCOTUS lost its way as an arbiter of justice and became a tool of the wealthy elites and religious nuts.
They already toppled over the edge of legitimacy for me. Now, I just want them to be worried about continuing in the corrupt manner they have been going in. ProPublica should be getting everyone's support at this point. They are modeling for the mainstream press what good journalism looks like and breaking very important stories. It is certainly tantalizing to realize we could have lost two of the most corrupt people on the court, and by an even more corrupt move, did not. Until they recuse themselves, and refuse their ill gotten gains, and report the attempts to bribe them, those who do these things taint the legitimacy. It STINKS right now with the ROTTON people like Thomas, Alito and Chief Justice Roberts who enables them in every way, as well as his wife for raking in the money for them. All of these corrupt ones are also inferior in their judicial skills. Their appointments are affirmative action for lying crooks.
I agree, the court is "teetering on the edge of illegitimacy," and it takes only one vote by the court, that Trump cannot be held liable for his crimes while he was POTUS, to bring down our democracy. In that regard, it is democracy in America that is teetering on the brink of total collapse. At this point, what can we, every day citizens, do? In truth, NOTHING, but wait and see.
It's long past legitimacy. Overturning the Roe precedent (that they swore not to touch) proves that.
Annabel,
IF the far right, fake "justices" can re-install Trump, without an election, they will.
That would flood their Swiss Bank accounts with enough money for the next four generations.
So, they will absolutely "choose carefully".
They will choose to enrich themselves.
But a failed Supreme Court may well = a burgeoning autocracy
Maybe that will motivate Roberts and perhaps Cavanaugh to put the breaks on overtly partisan rulings when it comes to Trump who some of them detest but tolerate to advance their own ideological positions
I believe they are not teetering but there. The fact that Thomas is so protected is disgusting.
Agreed Annabel, we are at a crossroads between Democracy and a failed republic. Our biggest problem is the only people out there addressing the mis information are Heather Joyce and Robert. Where the hell are our elected democrats pounding on the media and public. Democrats need to flood the airwaves and flood them now!!!!
Thanks Heather!
There's a few others of us shouting too.
There is a new TV ad for Democrats that is shockingly good.
Can you provide a You-Tube link?
Yes? How can I see it in Australia? YouTube?
Gonna look it up. If you have it and can post it would be helpful.
If I find it I will share.
Didn’t find it outside of FB
📸 Watch this video on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/v/2nmRP392PubSiwke/?mibextid=Za9qux&startTimeMs=42000
Democrats need some help from some TOP talent in advertising, PR, strategy, immediate crisis communications and long-term planning such as the Republican playbook “Lewis Powell Memo”
(https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/democracy/the-lewis-powell-memo-a-corporate-blueprint-to-dominate-democracy/)
that was envisioned and written 50 or so years ago in service of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce by a man who would himself become an associate justice of the Supreme Court.
Powell’s memo was followed and landed us here now, in this.
We can do the same and reverse engineer this current life-and-death situ. It’s going to take all hands on deck though. Right now.
I found Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's "Scheme" a detailed dive into the deep currents and brazen hotdogging emerging from this "long term planning".
"we are at a crossroads between Democracy and a failed republic."
Yes, the NY Times confirms your perspective today with a Times/Sienna poll of "Who Would Handle the War in Gaza Better, Trump or Biden".
You guys can all guess the answer but here is gift link to the article.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/19/us/politics/biden-israel-gaza-poll.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HE0.K4QW.ZQdV7Nv2A_Nv&smid=url-share
Now, if Trump were President absolutely nothing would be different in Gaza. Gaza would still be in complete ruins with innocent dead bodies laying around just like today. Trump would have green lit the total destruction of Gaza and its people just like Biden did.
BUT, that which is most obvious to anyone paying attention must not be obvious to Americans because? Whoever took that poll says "Trump would be "better".
Ridiculous. We are sailing into seriously rough seas for a long time here in America.
As for polling and paying attention to a polls “findings” listen to this podcast. The title alone should be reason enough to give it a listen. Simon Rosenberg knows his sh*t. In the podcast he states polling data is a bunch of BS and why.
https://play.prx.org/listen?ge=a4007012-70f6-11ed-b14b-8723a81ebaba&uf=https%3A%2F%2Fpublicfeeds.net%2Ff%2F5571%2Finside-the-hive
You wrote:
“Trump would have green lit the total destruction of Gaza and its people just like Biden did.”
Huh? Biden green lit the total destruction of Gaza and its people. Really? When did that happen?
Are you even KIDDING ME, Mike S?!!?!??!
“Trump would have green lit the total destruction of Gaza and its people JUST LIKE BIDEN DID.”
What the holy heckenbob? What are you READING? Where are you hanging out? Where do you get this flaming nonsense?
I agree. Our elected D (d) emocrats need to start speaking up loudly in the MSM. They've got less than a year. Do it now while the REPUBLICAN'TS are on vacation and did nothing as usual before they left. 1/19 ain't far away.
Not just MSNBC
“REPUBLICAN’TS” — nicely done, Mr Whitman.
Where are they? Complacency rules - "it wouldn't happen here".
Lambs to the slaughter
A very good question…where are these ‘other’ Dems? They should be both visible AND voluable! Currently they are MIA!
It seems clear that Democracy is targeted by Putin and Putinist peoples like Orban and Meadows and Johnson, etc. who are colluding with media and international corporations to increase their power as well as their immunity from legal consequences. Spotlight the cliff these people are wanting us to fall off by luring people toward false riches, panicking people to do harm to themselves by voting away anyone's -- and, eventually, their own -- rights. Don't vote for this or that billionaire/racist/fascist/misogynist/megalomaniac! As Professor Richardson concludes, "The economic news is tangible proof that a government that serves the majority, rather than a wealthy few, works." Vote for the majority -- Us, the People, We the People!
Now, hold on there, Mr Groesbeck. Can you honesty believe that only three people, THREE, are trying to save democracy? Perhaps there’s an opportunity here for you to extend your scope.
Credit MSNBC for routinely calling out MAGA disinformation.
And of course they are not enough. We Democrats can be raising our voices to the media:
https://open.substack.com/pub/roberthubbell/p/help-shape-the-narrative?r=6pp8t&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Are we any closer to finding out who paid off Brett Kavanaugh‘s debt around the time he was appointed to the Supreme Court? And if not, why not?
The difficulty lies in reducing the list of suspects to a manageable size.
That where the RICO act come in.
LOL!
Leonard Leo and his chums paid Kavanaugh’s debts off. Proof? I am waiting for the good people at ProPublica to find that info out.
Deutsche Bank and SC Kennedy’s son would be a good place to start. There is such a pile of dung out there and so few dung beetles trying to make use of it,
I still want to know the details of Kennedy's retirement. Bought and paid for.
I’ve asked for that many times. It was completely lost in all that followed.
Good questions. Stink all over that situation, isn't there?
Great question!
This Q used to be regularly posted on what was then Twitter (I forget by whom). Happy to continue to see people asking it.
Biden’s administration has championed pre-distribution spending (more higher wage jobs that don’t require a college degree) instead of post-distribution spending (the traditional safety nets). This allows those whose pride will not allow them to accept “welfare” to have a higher standard of living.
I just wish that the Biden Administration would take a page out of TFG’s handbook (“I’m the only one who cares about you”) and, when they’re speaking at the project sites, say something like “Do you know why we (and any present Democratic Congress Critters) fought so hard for this project and the jobs that come with it? Because we care about you guys. We want you to have a good paying, union job that you can be proud of. We’re fighting inflation as well; our inflation is lower than any European country. We care about you being better off than you were 4 years ago and we’ll never stop fighting for you.”
You may recall that President Biden went to one of the UAW picket lines and spoke to the workers.
Yes, I remember. I just want him to say, over and over, that he fought for lower inflation and better jobs because “I care about you guys!” And ask them if they’re better off than 4 years ago when hospitals had temporary morgues.
Or how The Party of Trump brushed away Obama's in place pandemic preparation plans.
The arse should have been tarred and feathered for that.
At least held accountable, and it wasn't just Trump.
Exactly right, Mary!
Only >Fearless Leader< can fix it vs We can solve our problems together.
From a meme:
Trump's supporters don't measure
his success by what he does FOR
them, they measure by what he
does AGAINST people they don't
like. That's why they see him as
being "successful." This is why
they will NEVER abandon him.
His tormenting of the "others"
sustains them.
You're right. He normalized their bigotry. He is the bully they wish they could be. But, ask them if they would let their teenage daughter be alone in a room with him. Actually, a group of men were asked that question at one of his carnival rallies. Well, they looked at each other and stumbled fucked over themselves for an answer. Most said, "no"..."wait"..."yeah, no". Idiots had to think about that one.
Becky, that’s true. But, he’s always stated that, while most politicians don’t care about “you”, he does. He especially uses that theme while campaigning in the “flyover” states. He’s promised to reopen factories, coal mines, etc.
Mary - you need to bring your ideas to Biden's political machine (his PR team needs help). He definitely needs to proclaim that "all these new jobs are because we, the Democrats, care about you!". Help us to continue to bring more of this to your friends and countrymen.
I’ve written to the White House about this—I suggest that everyone who agrees should do the same. I chose the President option.
I want to hear decent American conservatives say something like what the government of Italy said today: ”"I would like to point out that there is no political problem on support for Ukraine within the government majority, which intends to respect the role and scrutiny of parliament. Italy has chosen to be on the side of the freedom of nations and respect for international law, with the aim of reaching, in line with the position taken by NATO and EU allies, a just and lasting peace," Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said.” (https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/3802183-italy-approves-extension-of-military-aid-to-ukraine.html)
The only decent American conservatives have no party, and the only decent American conservatives serving in congress had to leave because the stench was so bad.
Surely they can hire a good screenwriter. Apply for the job…
Jeri, I would be tempted, but I may find out that I’m a one-trick pony —“say that you care for them and are fighting to make their lives better “. :-)
“The economic news is tangible proof that a government that serves the majority, rather than a wealthy few, works.” This about sums it up. Thank you, as always, Heather.
Elizabeth, While the statement is accurate, I believe we discount at our peril a fundamental truth, namely that the affects of said economy largely are not felt by the 60% living paycheck to paycheck, wherein family income, in many cases, only is sustained by more people working longer hours while still weighted down by mortgage debt, credit card debt, and the like. Accordingly, I would submit, throughout 24, that Democrats focus more on their pro-worker agenda (the social infrastructure piece of Build Back Better)—$15 hourly minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, extension of the child tax credit, affordable, quality childcare, universal healthcare, investments in housing, in eldercare, and more— all of which, in 2019-early 2020, received zero Republican support.
The foregoing notwithstanding, in view of the mighty impressive accomplishments of the current administration despite historically narrow margins in both U.S. Chambers, I would suggest the achievements be presented as a downpayment on more to come if Dems retake the U.S, House, hold their 49 Senate seats, excluding Sinema and, of course, Manchin), flip 1 Republican Senate seat, and hold the White House.
The point is to make clear to working families throughout the country, many of whom are prepared to vote Republican, that if they vote Republican they are voting for a Party, which on every single issue economically runs counter to their interests and concerns. In a word, we need Democratic leadership to be focused and disciplined and not to allow Republican deceptions and distortions related to the state of the economy to go unanswered.
Barbara your post stands out in its calling out the inability of many Americans to see the economy working for them. For them, there is little hope for they cannot get ahead and the American dream remains just that-a dream. I cringe every time I hear NPR talk about how the Federal Reserve has been the main reason inflation has been tamed thru higher interest rates. I agree that repairing broken supply chains was proportionately more responsible for taming inflation. However, the elephant in the room is the greedy corporations who have used the guise of inflation to raise their margins in an inelastic market and maintain those profits rather than lower prices when costs go down. I'm looking at the beef, egg and other commodity producers who maintain artificially high food prices that consumers suffer under. Until Biden and the Dems come together in a serious antitrust effort to address corporate greed, most Americans cannot take the "good economy" news seriously.
The monopoly power of what you call the "commodity producers" - NOT the farmers, who make pennies on every dollar spent on food, but the corporations - is responsible for high food prices. This is where enforcement of antitrust laws is critical.
Bob, this is exactly what I have been thinking. Grocery store prices have not eased at all as the supply chains have improved - corporate greed? I think so and it affects voters where it hurts.
Exactly. And thank you.
I have been making the case for a long time that mentioning low unemployment and plummeting inflation is fine. But we need to speak to why so many people still think the country is headed in the wrong direction. And the answer is obvious and obviously caused by Republican obstruction.
The answers to the devastating difficulties faced by a typical family with children and elders to care for were addressed in the Build Back Better Bill - passed by the House and defeated by Senate REPUBLICANS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Build_Back_Better_Plan#:~:text=The%20plan%20included%20%24213%20billion,wastewater%2C%20and%20storm%20water%20systems.
It's all here - all the ammunition needed for the battle to get votes. Parents are working two or more jobs and are struggling with the basics of life - caring for their kids and elders - and it isn't working. The social safety net is full of holes and most people are falling through while the rich get richer.
The BBB addressed both the need side and the financing side. But REPUBLICANS opposed it. REPUBLICANS oppose helping families, children, mothers and fathers and seniors. REPUBLICANS are for helping rich white men get richer. That's the message and it's an easy one to frame.
But her emails, and Hunter Biden, and THE BORDER. You’re exactly right Bill. Democrats must reframe the message and ensure the tax burden for these programs fall on those who can afford it. And say it loud.
No question that THE BORDER is being used to distract people from the Republican opposition to anything that helps American families!
Barbara, living in Florida, my opinion in working with those struggling with paying bills is that they don’t see the achievements because of the extreme GOUGERS in this state. With Desantis’ eyes on the Oval and in the pockets of too many wealthy and white men, the state has become a haven of inflation for regular folks. Rental prices have skyrocketed and the prices of normal things have gone through the roof, leaving young families with minimum wage pay and seniors who had anticipated a secure retirement in financial jeopardy. No one fights back against the gougers, which trump and Desantis have endorsed.
One reason 60% of people' s economic lives are not effected by all this good economic news is most of them cannot participate in the stock market in any meaningful way. For that to happen, I think the number of employee owned businesses needs to be vastly expanded.
This is not an easy process, and would require a re-tooling of how we produce MBAs and other business related degrees, and how workers are educated re: finances.
'People Are Pessimistic About Their Economic Futures. Can You Blame Them?' (NYTimes, Opinion by Steven Rattner, excerpts)
'By many measures — unemployment, inflation, the stock market — the economy is strong. Yet only 23 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction, a strong headwind for President Biden’s approval ratings. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s formidable base of disgruntled voters endures.'
'While inflation has provided the proximate trigger for unhappy feelings, an understandable grimness about our broader economic prospects, particularly for younger Americans, is playing a major part.'
'Start with inflation. Until the chaos of the pandemic, there hadn’t been a year with average annual inflation above 4 percent since 1991. As a result, for more than two-thirds of voting age Americans, 2022 was by far the highest inflation of their adult lifetimes.'
'To them, higher prices just means less spending power. A recent Blueprint/YouGov poll on the economy found that just 7 percent of respondents were principally concerned about the availability of jobs, while 64 percent were most worried about prices.'
'The problem for President Biden is that by a margin of 43 percent to 23 percent, voters believe that he is more focused on jobs. By strikingly similar margins, they credit Republicans with mirroring their priorities: 54 percent said prices while 18 percent mentioned jobs.'
'Even as inflation has receded from its June 2022 peak, sentiment has hardly shifted. Many Americans appear to believe that it’s not enough for costs to rise more slowly and that prices should fall toward prior levels.'
'To economists, that’s a fantasy. Prices writ-large haven’t declined substantially since the Great Depression, and the price drops that consumers seem to want would most likely indicate the kind of troubled economy they fear.'
'With each disappointing poll — many of the recent ones show Mr. Trump edging out Mr. Biden — the frenzy among Democrats to revive their 2024 prospects has only grown. Efforts by the White House a few months ago to trumpet “Bidenomics” (a portmanteau of two of the Democrats’ largest liabilities in 2024: Mr. Biden and his economy) as a success have fizzled.'
'Maybe that shouldn’t be surprising. Voters may have internalized the fact that Mr. Biden’s initial policy agenda included substantial increases in government spending, a potential source of inflationary pressure.'
'The longer-term issue that bubbles up from polls and other data is deep pessimism about the future. Uncharacteristically, a stunning majority of Americans now believe that the next generation is likely to have a lower standard of living.'
'The pessimism is easy to understand.'
'Consider one marker of generational progress: moving out. Nearly half of all Americans aged 18-29 live at home with their parents, the highest share since the Great Depression. In recent decades, rents in American cities have far outstripped income growth for young Americans, even those with college degrees.'
'Those seeking to buy their first home and “climb the property ladder” face the double whammy of high house prices and high mortgage rates, creating a massive affordability problem.'
'Even more fundamentally, voters — admittedly, not economists — may deserve credit for at least subconsciously comprehending two immense longer-term challenges: lagging productivity and a huge and fast-rising national debt.'
'Increasing productivity — how much output per hour an individual worker generates — is the only lasting mechanism for improving the standard of living. During the halcyon postwar era, between 1947 and 1973, productivity increased at a remarkable 2.8 percent annual rate.'
'Then its growth — save for the computer revolution boom from 1995 to 2005 — slowed markedly, to just 1.8 percent between 1973 and 2019 and an even worse 1.3 percent in the last decade of that period. Living better becomes more challenging.'
'The reasons for this slowdown are myriad and much debated. They range from less innovation and less investment to corporate consolidation, land use restrictions and, over the last 15 years, the sluggish recovery from the Great Recession.'
'Moreover, workers have not shared fully in even these more meager productivity gains, as they did in the past. Since 1990, worker productivity has risen by 91 percent, but compensation (adjusted for inflation) has risen by just 58 percent.'
'The national debt, which was a (relatively) modest $5.7 trillion when President Bill Clinton left office early in 2001, has reached $33 trillion. This constitutes a form of intergenerational theft; while it will most likely never be repaid, rising interest costs will eventually require higher taxes or cuts in federal programs or both.'
'Perhaps this is why younger Americans are particularly troubled. Mr. Biden has far lower support among this cohort than he enjoyed in the 2020 election, when 60 percent of those under 30 pulled the lever for him. Today, his share of that group hovers around 50 percent in polls.'
'And, among 2020 Biden voters in swing states surveyed in another recent poll, just 11 percent of the 18-to-29-year-olds thought positively of the current economy, the smallest share of any age group. (Economics are hardly all that is worrying these Americans; among other things, they are also perturbed by his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, which just 20 percent of young voters approve of.)'
'What can Mr. Biden do, with the election just 11 months away? Probably not much. While inflation is happily showing signs of ebbing, the deeply structural productivity problem, decades in the making, would require many tough choices and require many years to address, even if our deep political divisions were to end and a national consensus were to form around the need for action.'
'Regardless, the narrative that we are in a bad economy is clearly deeply embedded in Americans’ consciousness. And there are early signs in softening retail sales that consumers’ propensity to spend is starting to wane, suggesting weakening economic conditions ahead.'
'But the president is not without hope. Once he has an opponent, he can attack their record and policies. That worked for Barack Obama in 2012 and for George W. Bush in 2004.'
'When stacked up in polls against a “generic Republican,” Mr. Biden trails by 16 percentage points in swing states. Against the likely nominee, Mr. Trump, he trails by just four.'
'Given the extreme views of today’s Republicans on issues like abortion and democracy (not to mention Mr. Trump’s obvious character flaws), shifting the focus of the 2024 campaign to his opponent may work well for Mr. Biden — even if the economic mood remains cranky.' (NYT, 12/7/23)
<rant> Ugh. "...only 23 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction." I HATE this question because I don't think it measures what pollsters think it does. I know how I would answer, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Biden or the actions of his administration. </end rant>
Thanks for sharingnthis summation of Biden's problems, amidst his administration's successes.
Thank you, Fred, for reading it. My hunch is that Biden and his team need a better message. 'Bidenomics' does not spell out how 'we the people' are doing a lot better than we did under the orange jacket. What can Biden do to enable the younger generation to buy homes of their own?
Who will benefit from a Trump presidency - Putin and the ultrarich!? The orange jacket couldn't fix the country's infra-structure, which he talked about all the time, and who benefited from his presidency - Putin and the ultrarich?! What would we Americans get with Dictator Donald? Spell that one out, Mr. President Biden!
Barbara, I couldn’t agree more.....
Thank you, Elizabeth, for your reply.
Well said, Barbara. I love the thought of "This is what we've put down for you; give us the chance to finish providing what you are due with congressional majorities. Let us return to "the middle way" where ordinary people can make enough money to buy a house, a car, and food without working 12-18 hours a day."
As posted above, Trump's supporters don't measure his success by what he does FOR them, they measure by what he does AGAINST people they don't like. That's why they see him as being "successful." This is why they will NEVER abandon him. His tormenting of the "others" sustains them.
AND an economy that serves everyone is almost always very effective ……this is another one of THOSE TRUTHS that IS true and so very rarely mentioned…..and is ALWAYS Dem.
Truman said the same, that’s why repubs have to call it socialism.
These days for sure.
I was a new mother in 1991, holding my firstborn as I watched Clarence Thomas sworn in as a member of SCOTUS. I had followed the hearings and my heart ached for Anita Hill. I knew then that this man with such a questionable background who was filling the seat of Thurgood Marshall was an abomination. 32 years, later, Thomas has only added to his infamy.
I was a new mom watching the hearings too. It was chilling and still is. So nice to feel not alone, reading this. Thank you!
Looking back, we now realize how guilty Thomas must have been, and what a raw deal Anita Hill received by not being believed.
My son was 10 in 1991. Maybe I can qualify as a young mom then.
Let's just call the situation what it is. Clarence Thomas is taking bribes to give "conservatives" with cases before the high court the "proper" interpretation of the law, even if the case is hypothetical and no one has been injured. Alito is not far behind Thomas. Didn't Scalia die while he was on some fancy hunting trip? It is so frustrating that so many politicians, including justices on the high court, think public office should be a ticket to wealth. Thomas was basically telling that congressman, "I have this awesome judicial power. What's it worth to you?" His complaint about having a low salary was not quite as bold as Rod Blagojevich saying the Senate seat vacated by Barack Onama was golden, meaning someone should pay him to become a senator.
Jenn, Didn’t Rod do big time for his crime? Would love to see the same for Clarence. Long jail time...let him die thinking about his perfidy.....
Yes, Rod did go to prison for eight years. His sentence was commuted by tRump in 2020.
Who's Rod, please?
Rod Blagojevich, former Governor of Illinois, 2003-2009. Convicted felon.
Rod Blagojevich also was promptly disbarred by the Illinois ARDC upon his release.
Rachel Maddow used to call him "Governor F-Bomb".
Of course it was.
Oh, Thomas would bellow “high profile lynching” if he alone were held to account. It has to be a package deal, maybe a RICO case. But are SC Justices “immune” from prosecution? Functionally, yes. And among the smartest in the land in figuring out how to use their positions for corrupt purposes without getting caught.
From any perspective in Corporate America, Clarance Thomas would have been fired immediately for his acceptance of gifts from interested parties. Check EVERY corporate rules of ethics
The Roberts Court is out of control, beholden to Leonard Leo and Trump
Yet Trump is trumpeted as a businessman. Go figure
My dad was a manager at a major corporation, and noted the dismissal of several executives who accepted significant gifts from vendors to the company. Their sin was not that anyone had proved they we biased. Indulging in that sort of "conflict of interest" was just plain against the rules. The argument in favor of such a policy seems even more persuasive when one wields powers of public trust and service.
The benchmark was “creating AN APPEARANCE of impropriety” as seen by a third party observer
Today’s Republicans are cheering when their brethren are so brazen
They run in a big enough crowd (the Redhats) to be able to bully, and to get away with it (mostly). We never should have let it get this bad. They are trying to run roughshod over rule of law by overwhelming and infiltrating it's official guardians. We're at the brink, and the showdown is on.
I’d consider moving to Canada, but Trump will invade them soon after he’s crowned King
Yeah, I'd worry about that. May daughter married a Canadian.
As I recall the limit where I worked was around 20 dollars :-)
I have to say that in my former line of work, that "acceptance of gifts" was a termination offense. No free coffee/meals, certainly no free "stuff". We had one restaurant that charged cops a quarter for their dollar cup of coffee*. WOULD NOT CHANGE. That was a test that every field training officer gave their recruit. If they took the quarter cup and paid a quarter, they'd get a "needs improvement" rating in one of the columns. If they talked to the waitress who said "It's policy", and asked the training officer what to do, who would reply "the right thing" and left $1.50 for the coffee, they'd get a "satisfactory". If they left the $1.50 (or more) without asking, they got an "exceeds expectations".
*This was almost 40 years ago, before we all started paying $5 a cup for drive through coffee.
Rules tightened as business evolved. I was a buyer for a while. Lunches, dinners, sports tickets were allowed as long as the salesperson joined the occasion and was considered a normal part of building a relationship on a personal level. Trust, body language, verbal cues helped me to know where to structure negotiations. Once, with a trusted supplier we had a quality problem that turned into a recall (huge expense). It was the supplier’s fault. They trusted me enough to sit in on internal investigations that eventually allowed us to narrow the window of scope and minimize the damage. It would not have happened if they had kept me out. Not an excuse, but rather another side of the coin that was helpful
Clarance Thomas is a judge, not a businessman. His personal relationships are business related and his judgement is effected by his personal Miss Haversham type benefactors to the detriment of justice
For the record, a company tried to buy my business once and when I shut them down they got indignant telling me “this is how business is done”
“Not here!” I smiled as they left empty handed
I am fuming! These people... These public servants.... These Americans.... My heart is hurting for our country because of these greedy con men. I will continue to share these letters however and wherever I can. The Democrats absolutely have to step up their game. Gloves off. No more polite deliveries. We must shout out to everyone in no uncertain terms exactly what is happening in this country. Exactly what the MAGA Republicans are doing as well as their plans for us should they gain control of the White House again. Time is of the essence!
The weed of Greedy Old Plutocracy bears bitter fruit.
They are lying and breaking laws because they care about us,.... Our saviors protecting us, they believe!
Victoria, I think we see the same thing. The Speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly, Robin Vos (Republican, Rochester, WI) usually comes across like a 1950s Dad, who thinks he knows what's right, and when we "kids" complain, the Dad says that we will thank him later for putting us on the right track. Their willingness to cheat, using gerrymandering and voter suppression, is justified in their minds as necessary desperate measures to save the Republic from the immoral atheist heathens. To Speaker Vos, and the others of his ilk, I say mind your own damned business! We don't need you or anybody else to tell us how to live our lives as American citizens.
Amaza, I share your hurt and "fume."
People like us have always kept "gloves on", and have delivered our views politely. That won't work in today's corrupt political arena.
Isn't it strange to be saying that we need not be respectful, or "nice" anymore?
We're fighting Trump's people, who deliver hateful and mean-spirited remarks that permeate their thinking and actions. AND they believe, and want to live by, those terrible thoughts.
You're right. We need to stop being so polite and step up the fight for democracy.
, the WH fb page posts several posts a day & the replies are mostly from the cult crowd with remarks echoing the current rant on faux news ranging from impeach to less than Jr High disgusting comments. Just going there & liking or loving the post by the WH just to counter the negative, a voice for what Pres sBiden is doing. Right now the cult owns the page.
Carole, many of the posts are from bots. FB is full of them. I applaud your tenacity!
I realize that. No need to read their trash. Just a like on the post so there are more likes than trolls
There is something (no - many things) wrong with America and its system of government if it allows for Clarence Thomas to still be on the Supreme Court and for that someone like Donald Trump to be the standard bearer for a major political party. As one from the Land Down Under who loves a vegimite sandwich, the odds of this occurring in Australia are almost nil. That is not to say we don't have people here who would jump at the chance of being another Thomas or Trump, or Majorie, or Matt, or ... the list goes on on on. But, we do not have our Senate approving nominations of judges and executive officers; simple majorities are all that is required for legislation to be adopted; we have uniform laws for federal elections, overseen by an independent electoral commission that is responsible for determining lower house boundaries and shape of electorates; we have compulsory voting which, on election day - always a Saturday - has democracy sausages available for citizens when they turn up to vote at an electoral office that is usually no more than a few minutes away from home; and there is nothing approaching an Electoral College. I would also add that its a positive that we don't have a Bill of Rights, although many here would disagree. The US Constitution, so revered by Americans of all political stripes, is a deeply flawed document. Its egregious provisions on slavery led to the Civil War, and its other provisions continue to cast doubt about whether there is truly a democracy in the US, despite what American like to believe. After all, the provisions in the Constitution as drafted by 55 white men in Philadelphia in 1787 were designed to suppress what they saw as the emergence of too much democracy in the states of the Confederation. On the other hand, to the extent that I can, I do apologise for giving you Rupert Murdoch.
Yes, I have friends in the UK glad they do not have a written Constitution because it hamstrings so much innovation, especially in regard to lying and bearing lethal weapons. And it's hard to change a Constitution, witness South America this week. We have to deal with 330 million people who are free to lie as long as they don't commit felonies with lies, free to buy lethal weapons as long as they keep them safe from their 6 year old children. Nothing is perfect, as you well know down under.
The Constitution serves as a mission statement, a rule book, and a flywheel to some of our less sober moments. It's only lives to the extent we engage with it. Like democracy itself, it complicates things, but mostly in a good way compared to autocracy.
I like the stability and predictability that the Constitution offers. I don't want us to become like those nations who change their constitutions periodically. There is apparently a fairly strong movement among "movement conservatives", or some agglomeration of political entities, to invoke a constitutional convention. Imagine having our Constitution rewritten by maga!
That’s the plan of Charles Koch, so I hear
They would remove rights except for the second amendment and make the constitution give rights to corporations and the wealthy over human beings.
Erased.
Dissolution?
It seems to me that the Constitution has become “gamified”. Deep pockets buy new, innovative, self-serving interpretations of the armature -of-our Republic. “Originalism”? Is the result of this game. Truth is left in the dust. “Winning” for your side is framed as the most important thing. It is the defacto genesis philosophy behind all “American Justice”. In short: there is BIG money made in Lying. Always has been. Always will? Perhaps, but at our peril.
At a certain point the compulsive love of money moves beyond the things it can buy (even ship-sized yachts, multiple mansions/survival bunkers, and joyrides to the bottom of the ocean and outer space, and becomes all about attaining absolute power.
And absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Yes. It manifests itself as a true dis-ease. An all-consuming black-hole of consumptive need. It is never satisfied.
Most impressive from a country established as a penal colony. Wish we could find the resolve to take a few lessons from your system.
Yep. That last sentence says it all, money can buy anyone or anything it seems.
A number of articles are claiming that many young people are lukewarm to democracy and have an unfavorable opinion regarding President Biden. I would be great if Professor Richardson would go on a tour of college campuses to given an historians perspective regarding the threats of authoritarianism, the advantages of democracy, and the accomplishments of Biden. I think young people would listen to her.
Who’s going to fund this college tour? I agree Prof Richardson carries & delivers a very powerful, important message about democracy. Where’s the organization & funding for such a tour?
I would prefer that Professor HCR would continue to write her "Letters from an American", and continue to write and talk about democracy. The maga crowd is disconnected from American history. Every American citizen needs to be reminded of our history. I believe the book tour required a lot of time and energy, and if it were me, it would take me some time to recover. We could give "Democracy Awakening" as a holiday gift.
The fact that you have to ask that question indicates we are in deeper trouble than we think. Just imagine the organization and funding power of the Heritage Foundation. This is not a drill. It is almost game-over. Or should I say 'over before it began'? The college students are not engaged. An unspeakable outrage.
Consider the cost of college education, the cost of medical care, the cost of running for political office, the cost of living, all driven by clever investment. A little over 40 years ago some of these things were affordable.
This is not disconnected from the recent campus upheavals regarding Israel/Palestine that had donors going nuts and led to the loss of at least one Ivy president. Only certain outrage is acceptable.
I heard a story on the TV news this morning claiming that young people who identify as progressives and who voted for Biden last time around are no longer supporting him. That's very concerning. It's not that they support Trump, but they are more inclined to vote for a third-party candidate who they feel reflects their views, or to not vote at all (which would effectively have the same outcome).
Recipe for total disaster.
There are several organizations dedicated to registering and GOTV among new voters. Support them.
A GO FUND ME PAGE?
I don’t think she necessarily needs more money, maybe just more time.
Thanks, ML.
I agree wholeheartedly!!!!
I read the ProPublica piece.
If Democrats control next year, they need to make a LOT of changes to prevent the ship of state from keeling over so readily. This should include considering impeachment for at least one “justice.”
When you have 66 Senators who will vote for conviction, let us know. That's not too likely next year.
Might it be a campaign rallying cry...the imperative for taking both the House and the Senate?"A clean up is desperately needed".
They can make a lot of progress, but for impeachment, they don't have nearly enough votes to get that through.
Hence, consider, but of course they’ll probably never have the votes for it. But letting this situation fester isn’t an option.
As always, your letter is appreciated Professor ⭐
Steven Aden, the chief legal officer of the antiabortion group Americans United for Life, told Alice Miranda Ollstein and Megan Messerly of Politico: “Because we believe that abortion is truly about the right to life of human individuals in the womb, we don’t believe those rights should be subjected to majority vote.”
DID HE REALLY SAY THAT OUT LOUD?!?!?
His listeners will believe it because what they hear is "morality shouldn't be decided by majority vote." Of course, the morality of forcing a women to build and carry a fetus from the cells of her own body doesn't even enter the equation.
"morality shouldn't be decided by majority vote."
It should be decided by ME (and only by those who think like me).
In my humble opinion, everyone has to be like me. God says so.
I'm listening to reading a series of sci fi books (The Grand Tour) by Ben Bova in which "The New Morality" has taken over most Earth based governments, schools, and religions. The series was written well before Trump yet it's eerily prescient about the under handed and authoritarian ways the group gains and keeps political power. (It is also is quite sexist in its portrayal of men reacting to women.)
I read "1984" one summer when I was no older that 12. It certainly got my attention and I knew enough about the world to get the message, but I thought is was way exaggerated. Not nearly so exaggerated as I had thought, it turns out, just more stylized. I think of it frequently.
They 'BELIEVE' ! Being "Good Christians" and all that White Christian Nationalist stuff including their pointy white hoods...
Unf**kingbelievable. Zygotes are human individuals. Maybe viability should enter into it. And I don’t believe that your “belief” is more important than mine. Let’s vote on it…
Yes.
Because the Biden approach is working, the other side will be working twice as hard to roll it back and convince voters it isn’t good for them.
Everyone all around ought to be alarmed that those with wealthy interests are influencing how the world is viewed by the courts. Lady Justice can peak under her blindfold and tip the scales against anyone, anytime, with enough pressure or bribe. We all have an interest in preventing that from happening if we expect to have a just society.
Bonnie, Lady Justice can peek under her blindfold, but that would defeat the analogy: Justice is blind to privilege and all the other human evils....
Indifferent to privilege and payoffs anyway, if it's really justice. Eyes wide open when it comes to truth; exactly what those who would be king don't want.
Exactly as it ought to be, blinded. But influencing judges is asking for that balance to be undone.
Canon 2: A Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in all Activities
(A) Respect for Law. A judge should respect and comply with the law and should act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.
(B) Outside Influence. A judge should not allow family, social, political, financial, or other relationships to influence judicial conduct or judgment. A judge should neither lend the prestige of the judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others nor convey or permit others to convey the impression that they are in a special position to influence the judge. A judge should not testify voluntarily as a character witness.
(C) Nondiscriminatory Membership. A judge should not hold membership in any organization that practices invidious discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, or national origin.
https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/code-conduct-united-states-judges