Contrast “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered” with ““The fact that he does not abide by the rules of the democracy that we have established is not of my concern…” - Joe Biden, interviewed recently by MeidasTouch Network’s Ben Meisels (sp?) (I’m sorry Substack doesn’t permit videos be attached to comments. I have posted the video…
Contrast “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered” with ““The fact that he does not abide by the rules of the democracy that we have established is not of my concern…” - Joe Biden, interviewed recently by MeidasTouch Network’s Ben Meisels (sp?) (I’m sorry Substack doesn’t permit videos be attached to comments. I have posted the video in a Note I posted earlier tonight. I invite you all to find my post so you can hear Joe Biden say these words.)
We live in tragically different times, when those who took an Oath to defend the Constitution can’t be bothered to do so.
No one is going to save us but us. So, let’s get creative, people. We may not have the money, but we have the motivation and the creative intellect to find a way to prevent the permanent destruction of democracy!
It's at the 5:06 mark of the Ben Meiselas Meidas Touch interview with Joe Biden.
But Biden spoke strongly, Steve, against Trump's betrayal of the Constitution.
Anyone can enter into search engine the key words I've indicated above, and see for oneself.
Note: I'm adding this later, as it's become clear Ben Meiselas interviewed Biden at least twice, the two clips I saw first dating from Dec., 2023, and the one to which Steve above was referring being almost exactly one year later -- this month, this year.
Down a bit on this thread Steve has provided a link to the most recent interview.
“Strongly” you say? Then WHY did Biden say what’s in this clip? And more importantly, why isn’t he doing everything he can to prevent Trump taking office? Look up Jessica Denson, who is championing the use of section 3 of the 14th amendment and has interviewed Professor Lawrence Tribe and other constitutional experts. Her videos where these other people call on the use of Procedures that are legal to prevent Trump taking office should be seen by everyone. I stand by my position … Biden is a failure! Here is Jessica…
You ask “And more importantly, why isn’t he [Biden] doing everything he can to prevent Trump taking office?”
As odious as Trump is, he won the election. Biden believes deeply that American is a nation of laws. That is why.
Once Trump is inaugurated and wields the levers of power, all bets are off as to whether and how long America may continue to be a nation of laws and not of men.
Trump broke the Presidential oath of office within minutes of swearing in in 2017. Dollars to donuts, he will break the oath again as he has already done multiple times since Joe Biden swore the oath.
Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:— "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Biden has given several of the best speeches made by any President in history. His delivery is not as charismatic as Obama, but the press has discounted the content time and again due to his delivery.
On the other hand is there a single time Trump has spoken where he hasn't lied?
"That's some weird shit." George W. Bush after Trump's inaugural words in January, 2017.
Bush was silent during the election. As a former President he owed the American people a response to the constitutional crisis we are now facing. He, Jeb and the rest have NO Moxie!
The problem with Biden’s speeches is that too few listened. Even Thomas Payne, as a man of words, needed a man to action. Maybe I read it here in comments or in my morning paper, but there is a time for words and a time for action. This is a time for action. We need a George Washington. Would he or she step forward.
I am half way through that interview. As obvious as Trump being an insurrectionist may be to you and me, we share an opinion, not a fact from what I have read. Frankly, you are cherry-picking.
No one has established that Trump committed insurrection. One can argue that, at worst, Trump instigated a riot, not an insurrection. Rep. Cheney tried hard to connect those dots of insurrection.
She and the 06jan21 committee implied that Trump committed insurrection by sitting on his fat ass for three hours while others arguably committed insurrection, making him an accessory.
So taking the actions you advocate could precipitate a civil war. Trump clearly violated the Constitution in, at least, one other way (i.e., emoluments). So, why not pursue those infractions?
The question I have is: ¿will the Democrats ever learn? Rep. Pelosi thwarting young progressives further alienates younger voters . . . STUPID. That is why SecState Clinton lost.
Ned. I hear you. But I think the "civil war" has already been ignited. The "MUSKet" has been fired. Congress has been conquered.
Biden and Harris need to lead.
What "established" for me that Trump committed insurrection was on TV. Run the tape where he goads the crowd of supporters to march on the Capitol. Watch the assault. Remember the almost three hours where he watched it on TV and refused to stop what he started. Nobody needs Merrick Garland to tell them that was an insurrection.
Time for America to use some "Common Sense" and dump this reincarnation of King George.
However much Trump is clearly a de facto insurrectionist, he is not an insurrectionist de jure.
That said, it feels like we are spiraling into constitutional terra incognita, a la…
“The Constitution is not a suicide pact" is a phrase in American political and legal discourse. The phrase expresses the belief that constitutional restrictions on governmental power must be balanced against the need for survival of the state and its people.”
Why are you ignoring the MAGA politicians in Congress who have no morals about the constitution? Why is everyone blaming Biden when no one will stand behind him?
As with any explorers who find themselves in terra incognita, it is up to competent cartographers to draw a new and accurate map so as to mark the dangerous parts to allow those come after to travel safely.
As to the de jure part, it will be interesting to see what the as of now unreleased materials compiled by Mr. Smith reveal.
I think there's a major conflict as I think it is Congress alone that has the power to enforce the 14th Amendment. This means that President Biden has no power to invoke it.
Thank-you for sharing this link. It makes it clear that Trump is Constitutionally disqualified to ascend to the presidency due to his being an insurrectionist. I encourage others to watch this piece.
You’re welcome. Yes… it’s really very straight forward.. factual reality… for those that believe we should follow the Constitution. Problem is… people only want to follow it when it’s convenient / easy… including Biden. This is why I say America is no longer a “serious” democracy.
Trump is not convicted of insurrection. It has been 4 years. I don’t even think chargers were brought against him. The constitution calls for the right to a speedy trial, he was never brought to trial. That is a real sim.
Please do more research. This video in which Jessica Denson interviews constitutional experts including Lawrence Tribe shows that Trump
was declared an insurrectionist by a state Supreme Court which said he should not be allowed on the ballot. Then the US Supreme Court said the state had no such power WITHOUT ever ruling that Trump was not an insurrectionist
Exactly. Trump is another Hitler. He lied and deceived the people who voted for him just like Hitler. Trump is planning to turn our democracy into a fascist regime. We cannot allow this!
I have contacted Biden and told him he needs to stop this transfer of power. The election was obviously tampered with. A hand recount of the swing states needs to happen. They will find the truth.
How can Biden stop him? The people themselves -- well, too many of them -- betrayed our country by voting for Trump. What can Biden do other than send the military after Trump and Musk and probably start a second civil war? Believe me, I feel the same way you do, but I don't see a path forward. If there is such a path, then I agree it needs must be taken.
I guess you didn’t watch any of Jessica Denson’s videos. That’s where you’ll find your answer. (I’m tired of repeating the answer to people. Sorry.) https://www.youtube.com/@JessicaDenson07
Ed - Calling on the 14th Amendment would be following the law. We need to do every single thing that we can do to prevent this destruction of our democracy. Nothing should be off board. Our lives and,that of the earth, will pass into The Tipping point if we remain compliant.
To prevent trump from taking office under any guise is wrong Steve. We are all terrified and exhausted. Do we really want to further weaken the Democracy?
trump won the vote. The time to stop him should have begun 9 years ago.
I agree Barbara. Now we just need to stand up to him, by pointing out his BS because the corporate media won't.
What kind of billionaire would each of us be? Would we have supported Trump or Harris knowing that Trump is hell bent on making the US a kleptocracy for the rich and by the rich?
If you believe the Constitution is the law of the land, then you need to understand that defending the Constitution means not letting Trump take the out of office. Please watch Jessica Denson who interviewed Professor Lawrence Tribe and other constitutional experts in this video from her YouTube channel. It will open your eyes to what the founding fathers are calling on us to do but which sadly as my original post showed Joe Biden is not up to doing. If Romania can declare it will redo its election because it’s Supreme Court ruled Russian influence had resulted in a bad election result, America, which claims to be the world‘s pre-eminent democracy can do something this bold as well.
Phil, you raise an intriguing issue, whether anyone has or can be prosecuted for violating an oath unless s/he has been indicted and convicted for breaking a law? I believe that was exactly what Jack Smith was working on until DOJ policy to not initiate legal proceedings against a sitting president. This strikes me as another peculiarity wherein a policy takes precedence over laws.
Article 14, Section Three is perfectly explicit, Barbara.
If U.S. Senate Dems voted whether or not the orange felon's disqualification from any further public office should be lifted, the Senate would not have the 2/3 necessary and the disqualification would stand.
I don’t believe Trump “won” the vote except by cheating.
Thousands of votes were bullet votes where ONLY Trump was selected on the ballot, no one else was selected. This increase in bullet votes FOR Trump happened ONLY in the swing states. The surrounding states did NOT have this increase. Why is that? A hand recount would tell the truth.
We could all go to Washington DC and picket? The number of walkers and wheelchairs would make a statement!
Amen, Barbara, nine years ago and yet here we are. I just hope that enough people will stand up to him. Personally, I think it could happen if enough Rs said we are not going to kowtow. But what do we have....little Johnson planting his face on the ground in a servile manner and muskrat putting his oar in. It will be interesting to see if they actually find a way to fund the government by tomorrow.
I'm guessing that many people figured the problem of trump would flame out and disappear. Everyone hoped and assumed his popularity would wane and the nation could move forward. Belligerence and aggressive action and neutrality and compromise dont seem to work to be able to sustain our government. We are caught in an endless loop of right/ left dominating power.
I've not seen it yet -- it's 20 minutes long and I just want to thank you first.
That Ben Meiselas, Joe Biden interview was apparently some time before Trump was a nominee for the presidency in 2024 -- I've since found another video of that, of one minute and thirty seconds, with the key exchange in it. Dated Dec. 3, 2023. Both in the first one of a total of 7:41 (seven minutes and forty-one seconds -- with the key exchange at the 5:06 mark) and in the shorter one, Biden is firm, for democracy, and very concerned at the Trump criminality and treason.
You’re welcome. The 20 min goes by fast. It’s a passionate but also fact-based video. I look forward to hearing what you think of it after you’ve watched it.
If Romania can declare it will re-run its election after uncovering massive Russian interference, I’d like to think the Democrats would use all legal tools available too.
Ben has been “selling” this interview intensely for about a week before releasing it the other day. My assumption without confirming the sitdown date was that the interview took place after the election. So, I find it hard to believe it would’ve taken place as long ago as one of the dates you mention.
The bottom line for me is, Trump is an insurrectionist. No court has said he is not and if we swear him in as president, then it is we who are breaking the constitution not Trump. So for all the people who say Trump is gonna destroy the constitution, I say guess what we’ve already done so
One great take-away in the 20-minute Jessica Denson, Steve.
She discusses someone else's idea that U.S. Senate Dems could call for a vote on whether to give felon Trump amnesty for having been an insurrectionist.
If convicted criminal and rapist Trump does not get 2/3 vote for amnesty -- just in the Senate alone -- then that vote will let stand the force of the Constitution's Article 14, Section Three. That is, Trump remains an insurrectionist. He simply cannot take office, as Article 14, Section Three clearly says.
The U.S. House of Representatives need not do anything. If felon Trump fails to get the 2/3 vote for amnesty in either the House of the Senate, the disqualification against him remains constitutionally in effect. (As says the last line of Article 14, Section Three.)
Interesting and intriguing….but, alas, would we not then be left w/ Vance as POTUS???? And, then, who would he select as a VP, someone who would need, as I understand it, a majority vote of approval in both houses of Congress.
Thank you, Steve -- this at 30 minutes different from the two I'd seen.
When he says it's not his concern that the orange felon doesn't abide by the rules of democracy doesn't mean he accepts that behavior.
He was, after all, answering Ben Meiselas' Q as to how could he have been so polite to someone so aggressively and dangerously hostile. And he was replying that his behavior, being polite, generous (in transfer of administrations) was part of the America he believed in.
We are at war with fascism. Biden may think he should model the polite world of democracy that he dreams of, but that world is a fantasy. We don’t need modeling of a dream. We need a commander-in-chief fighting to preserve what the founding fathers created, and what he took an oath of office to defend. You may be okay with Biden‘s answer, but I am not. It’s a free country and you can be happy with what he said, I am not. So, we will agree to disagree as the saying goes.
I’m looking for my president to fight for the soul of the nation as he declared he was doing. But of course, if you read Sarah Kendzior’s two best selling books, you will understand that Biden‘s actions regarding the election is all a performance. He did some things that were good economically, but he was always meant to be a placeholder president between Trump‘s first and second terms. He sabotage the Democratic Party by going back on his word to be a one term president. He should’ve let the party decide who was going to run way earlier in the process. Then we might’ve had a candidate who could win even with the Russian influence that has still yet to be fully accounted for (as the people in Romania fully accounted for it). Romania deciding to re-run its election is a role model for the world. What we have let happen shows that we are now an un-serious democracy.
Clearly Biden is guilty of doing/saying too little too late. The election is over. The die are cast. The barbarians have breached the gates. Anything Biden has to say now is meaningless, and I am not sure what he can "do" in any meaningful way.
Certainly not the first time. If not the previous four years, the events of Jan 6 certainly should have brought home to Biden, not by any means ignorant of the lessons of history, what kind of nastiness Trump was up to. Certainly by the time of the 2022 mid-terms he should have been able to detect what was in the wind, that Trump and the MAGAs were not going to blow away, and that Trump was aiming at taking another attempt on the White House.
As has been lamented often in Monday morning QB mode, if Biden had declared in 2022 his intention to not seek the nomination in 2024, a proper vetting process for suitable candidates and subsequent nominating convention could have been held. Whether or not Harris would have emerged as the candidate is not the point. It is that we never got through that selection and decision making process.
Trying times for our souls, indeed. At least for those who can still claim them as their own.
This election was so close that if Elon hadn't had the bully pulpit with Twitter forcing everyone on twitter to receive his tweets, and then pouring an additional $250 million to support Trump, would Trump have won?
And then there were all of the other oligarchs, buying Senate seats in Ohio, Florida and Montana, not to mention the 15 or so Congressional seats Elon financed.
Citizen's United gave Carte Blanche to the rich to buy the Federal Government. Unfortunately, the sheeple didn't even realize what was happening.
There was a Wall Street Journal Article today that stated that Joe Biden's Infirmities became almost overwhelming since the beginning of his Term as President... They were hidden by his Staff... The WSJ allegedly talked to about 50 of Biden's Staff for the Article.... What We Saw During The DJT Debate Was Joe Biden UnShielded.... Joe Biden should have been more Self-Aware... A Smart Aging Athlete Knows To Quit At, Or Near The Top... Not Go Down In Humililation... Joe Biden Should Have Kept His Word To Only Serve One Term... The Democratic Leadership Definitely Needs Younger Blood...
The WSJ is owned by Murdoch Apache. I do not consider a reliable source at all. You can always check any publication's rated biases:
From Media Bias Fact Check
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS
These media sources are slight to moderately conservative in bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appeals to emotion or stereotypes) to favor conservative causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information but may require further investigation. See all Right-Center sources.
Overall, we rate the Wall Street Journal Right-Center biased due to low-biased news reporting combined with a strong right-biased editorial stance. We also rate them Mostly Factual in reporting rather than High due to anti-climate, anti-science views, and occasional misleading editorials.
Thanks Barbara... Let's see if there is further Collaboration... But if True, it would explain alot, especially Biden's unfettered support of Netanyahu... Hareetz, an Israeli Newspaper is starting to report IDF War Crimes... Regardless, the Democrats need Younger Leadership... Nancy Pelosi is a National Treasure, but she is in her Mid-80s... I also would have liked to have seen AOC elevated to Leadership as well...
I seriously doubt that. The WSJ is a Murdoch rag and they have published several very questionable stories in praise of Trump and denigrating Democrats.
At my 50th high school reunion I had drinks with a former class mate that was a journalist at WSJ when Murdoch purchased it. She said Murdoch came in to speak with all of the staff after the sale and it was such BS that she became physically ill. The next time he entered the building she immediately left until she heard he was gone. It took her and her husband a few months to find new jobs, but she refused to work for a rag that had lost all integrity.
Well if true (and I have no reason to doubt it) then that is sad. Some sort of intervention was needed early on. I know that is hard to do, but still . . . .
Biden did not lose the election the Dems lost it for him. A better approach id to start campaigning right now. Not to beat trump up but put forth why we are the better party.
Biden is a failure in multiple ways. Simply look at Ukraine: FAIL. Look at Israel: FAIL. Staying too long before bowing out of the Party nomination. His delay hamstrung the Party. I went to the suggested Jessica Benson video. Thank you!
Forgive the cynic in me (which took years to develop!), but those many who "seem [not] to realize" are often ill-informed or misinformed by choice. I attribute that factor to laziness. Or, "that sounds about right and I'll buy it." Where we really need and needed leaders, we got politicicans. And now we have two clowns dictating to one political party on how to administer the economic affairs of our country. Musk is an Afrikaner with all the racist trimmings. AND, he is an IMMIGRANT! Is that an expletive, now, "immigrant"? Trump? That's a whole other story.
You cannot follow the electoral process only when it’s convenient and you agree. Otherwise it’s Nov . 2020 again with plans to “Stop the Steal” and deny the duly elected candidate from taking office.
While Biden did some good things he also did some incredibly stupid things which contributed significantly to our titanic loss this election. But not just Biden.
The corporate Democrats are mainly responsible for our loss. Obama, Clinton, Clyburn, Schumer and Pelosi. Pelosi is still screwing over the Democrats with her move to block AOC from advancing. Pelosi has been arrogant, bitter and stupid. This will come back to damage the party - and the country.
Here it comes, the blame game. There is enough of that going around without us contributing to it. We are where we are because we are ALL to blame. The question I keeping coming back to is: What is the most effective thing that WE can do now?
In our comments, we've got to up our own literacy by referring to good memoirs, biographies, histories, novels, and maybe movies, too.
The corporate, as many refer to them, are our elites totally without humanities. They're full of the abstractions, categories, and group think that inform all of standardized testing. Daniel Markovits calls this the meritocracy in his recent "The Meritocracy Trap."
I’m afraid the “corporate democrats” ARE the Democratic Party. What you and I and others in this Substack community want are something closer to the Democratic Socialists or Occupy Wall St. to be running the show. Pelosi just demonstrated her power…heck, she just published a how-to book about it.
absolutely we have only us to save us........creativity is vital......but first and foremost "they" must not shut down our various outlets for news and communication and sharing.....Remember that other wordsmith from our past, "We must all hang together or most assuredly , we shall all hang separately". How brave are we?
Elon Musk made over 150 social media posts about what is going on in congress right now. That is probably more than all the democrats together. If you control the messsage you control the government.
I prayed for the GOP to self-implode after I found out trump had won in 2016 but now I feel that if they implode today they will take everyone down with them. A quote that never left my mind was "Nothing is worse than creativity without taste," to which I've added, "with a lot of money." Here we have the most powerful man in the world who is stupid partnered with the richest man in the world who is brilliant. Both are megalomaniacs and creative. I can't think of anything worse. It's terrifying....
Sophia, Musk is stupid. And cruel. He has relied on the government and the brilliance of people working for him to get where he is today. He is a parasite who has attached himself to a madman.
The irony is that trump is not powerful. He has stolen a seat at the Resolute Desk of the most powerful Country in the world.
Trump is weak and cruel. Musk is stupid and cruel.
Did anyone in the Democratic leadership push back on those lies? If they let them stand unchallenged, shame on them and the Democrat’s communications team that should be working this. Of course, given the venue, even if they did diligently try to respond with some facts, their clarifications and corrections could have been “Xed” out.
Yes! Remembering the “war effort” of WWII, it’s time to “do something.” (France, 2942, Michelle Obama US, 2024.) Find your local Indivisible chapter and join up!
Joe has no power to change this. Should not have conceded, but they did, not realizing the machinations and close race. The reason chump still yammers about the stolen 2020 election is to keep Dems from making the same claim today. They stole it but saying so will erupt in a civil war. Joe won’t say it. But it will have to be said eventually.
Unlike Donald, Joe Biden actually believes in his oath of office. The first duty of the President is to preserve and protect the Constitution. The President is charged with enforcing the laws and protecting the nation from enemies, foreign and domestic.
Joe's inaction, so far, to arrest the criminals in Trump World and protect the nation from these enemies of our Democracy, is inconsistent with his oath.
Joe and the Democratic leaders must tell the truth about Trump's treason, the corruption, the alliances with our foreign adversaries, the money scams, the frauds. Trump disqualified himself from any office of trust in this country. Musk and his fellow autocrats have taken control of our government. And Joe has the power to stop it. Seems our leaders don't have the balls to stand up to this evil.
Thank you Burke. Asking the last person (possibly for all time) who took the oath of office as Commander-in-Chief to do an end-run around it, is madness. Do not ask a Statesman to be an anarchist.
It’s not madness. It’s actually following the Constitution, as this video in which Jessica Denson interviews constitutional experts including Lawrence Tribe shows…
“I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on this state or that state, but on every state: up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel; better have too much force than too little, when so great an object is at stake,” Paine wrote. “Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to repulse it.”
This is a time for all of us to pull together. Whether it is making phone calls, writing letters or just speaking out. Heather’s writing today gives me hope that we might awake the sleeping dragon of apathy and rise up and get ready to fight back. We can do it folks. Let's not capitulate and lose what we have. I will tell you that no one wants to live under a dictator where all our rights are taken away so let’s get to work. We just need someone to lead and motivate us. I am old but I will do what I can to save democracy for my grandchildren and great grandchildren and for yours too!
I refer you to the Georgia Fisanick Substack on just this topic:
On the Silence of the Dems
What's the best strategy?
Georgia Fisanick
Dec 20
She writes:
Belle, my personal favorite common sense political analyst these days, has a take that floored me. I have been a great proponent of Democrats’ need to make as much NOISE as possible as we act in opposition to Trump. So have most of the other Democratic commentators on Substack. I have been filled with outrage over Trump’s supposed “mandate.” But Belle is making me rethink what a successful opposition strategy needs to be about. I am not sure she is right. But she has gotten me above my fear and rage to a vantage point where I can begin to assess additional possibilities.
She may have a point. Going limp and putting all the responsibility for success onto the Trimp-ist's shoulders might be effective.
After all, "Conservatives" tend to fall to pieces when you call their bluff. They're notorious for loudly proposing yet routinely failing to perform, so once they've made a dog's breakfast of the job American voters will wake up. Usually that requires the Misery Index climb sky high first, but then, that's in the cards anyway, isn't it?
Very good point! Did the deplorables know that when they voted for the Groper-in-Chief they were electing President Musk? Did the Groper-in-Chief know that he was campaigning for the election of President Musk?
I agree. Going limp is a tactic, not a strategy. Russia eventually went limp under communist authoritarianism and the result was a century of stagnation, loss, & misery before they collapsed. By itself total passivity undermines the regime, but it's clearly not going to be quick or entirely effective. Trump-ism and opportunists like Me-lon still need to be actively (and LOUDLY) opposed.
Good on you, Barbara! Fear and rage keep us too occupied for no good purpose and unable to see things clearly as one might. We are on the defensive at this juncture. There may be opportunity in that. All I know is to stand fast. Be of strong heart and good courage!
Contrast the Bravery of those that fought that Winter, and helped establish the United States with those that Can't Be Bothered To Vote... Contrast the Oratory of Thomas Paine with the Incholate Tweets of Elon Musk, and DJT... George Washington is definitely the Greatest American President So Far... Definitely Not DJT... The Only Race That DJT Is In, Is The Worst President Yet.... It Is A Contest of DJT vs G.W.Bush For The Worst....
These days I hear a lot of talk about young people not being up to the task of defending our democracy in the event of civil war. Past generations (e.g., the Oxford Union in the 1930s) have shown reticence before war only to triumph over evil decisively. Why not with these young people? Unless, of course, they support Trump.
I wish trump , Vance, shadow VP Musk the puppet master, will never be sworn in but if you don't follow the rule of law that we believe in, you are asking for a civil war with the Trump followers.
Do you believe the Trump followers are waking up to his plans? Our country is already so divided. Many of my family members will not even speak to others who voted for Trump in 2016.. I get that their goal is to destroy the economy and the country. Seal team 6?
While it might not be a dramatic event in saving our democracy, the idea of logging off when the inauguration starts, and then reconnecting when it ends, might show the world that there is a significant portion of the population that rejects the administration that has promised to do away with our democracy. So let's network to make our stance unmistakable, and show our support for our democracy.
I write to Jamie Raskin constantly. My husband has been down to the Capitol building with signs multiple times. We give generously to the Democratic party. We descended on Washington 8 years ago to participate in the huge women's rally; and we'll go again this year if scheduled. We live within our means; we donate to charities. The interests of the US should have some non-stupid, non-craven, non-nutball types in the executive branch. People have become unmoored from decency and respect. How to get strangers from both sides to cooperate with one another. It seems like a Sysyphean effort....
We all have more than most of the Revolutionaries had. They fought , most of the time, with no pay and no equipment provided by the newly formed but penniless government. Probably the best and most readable version of this is Rabble in Arms by Kenneth Roberts written in 1937 or if you want it from the British perspective, Oliver Wiswell by the same author. Many Americans were persecuted by the Revolutionaries who weren't loyal to Britain. Both these books are germane to the present situation. DonOLD has shown already although not even inaugurated that he has no interest in governing, no interest in the American people and only mouthed those campaign platitudes to stay out of jail. We've got 4 weeks. He belongs in jail (and not some candy-ass home detention with an ankle bracelet).
Contrast “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered” with ““The fact that he does not abide by the rules of the democracy that we have established is not of my concern…” - Joe Biden, interviewed recently by MeidasTouch Network’s Ben Meisels (sp?) (I’m sorry Substack doesn’t permit videos be attached to comments. I have posted the video in a Note I posted earlier tonight. I invite you all to find my post so you can hear Joe Biden say these words.)
We live in tragically different times, when those who took an Oath to defend the Constitution can’t be bothered to do so.
No one is going to save us but us. So, let’s get creative, people. We may not have the money, but we have the motivation and the creative intellect to find a way to prevent the permanent destruction of democracy!
It's at the 5:06 mark of the Ben Meiselas Meidas Touch interview with Joe Biden.
But Biden spoke strongly, Steve, against Trump's betrayal of the Constitution.
Anyone can enter into search engine the key words I've indicated above, and see for oneself.
Note: I'm adding this later, as it's become clear Ben Meiselas interviewed Biden at least twice, the two clips I saw first dating from Dec., 2023, and the one to which Steve above was referring being almost exactly one year later -- this month, this year.
Down a bit on this thread Steve has provided a link to the most recent interview.
“Strongly” you say? Then WHY did Biden say what’s in this clip? And more importantly, why isn’t he doing everything he can to prevent Trump taking office? Look up Jessica Denson, who is championing the use of section 3 of the 14th amendment and has interviewed Professor Lawrence Tribe and other constitutional experts. Her videos where these other people call on the use of Procedures that are legal to prevent Trump taking office should be seen by everyone. I stand by my position … Biden is a failure! Here is Jessica…
https://youtu.be/gOXsuiyWu4w?si=sxw5JxAQ5oId6kQQ
You ask “And more importantly, why isn’t he [Biden] doing everything he can to prevent Trump taking office?”
As odious as Trump is, he won the election. Biden believes deeply that American is a nation of laws. That is why.
Once Trump is inaugurated and wields the levers of power, all bets are off as to whether and how long America may continue to be a nation of laws and not of men.
If you believe the Constitution is the law of the land, then you CANNOT let an insurrectionist become POTUS!
This is Jessica Denson with Lawrence Tribe and others. They all believe the Constitution demands Trump not be sworn in…
https://youtu.be/gOXsuiyWu4w?si=sxw5JxAQ5oId6kQQ
Trump broke the Presidential oath of office within minutes of swearing in in 2017. Dollars to donuts, he will break the oath again as he has already done multiple times since Joe Biden swore the oath.
Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:— "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Biden has given several of the best speeches made by any President in history. His delivery is not as charismatic as Obama, but the press has discounted the content time and again due to his delivery.
On the other hand is there a single time Trump has spoken where he hasn't lied?
"That's some weird shit." George W. Bush after Trump's inaugural words in January, 2017.
Bush was silent during the election. As a former President he owed the American people a response to the constitutional crisis we are now facing. He, Jeb and the rest have NO Moxie!
And who is holding trump accountable!
You noted “ Trump broke the Presidential oath of office within minutes of swearing in in 2017.”
No. Trump broke it during the swearing in itself by untruthfully swearing to defend the constitution.
But I take your point.
The problem with Biden’s speeches is that too few listened. Even Thomas Payne, as a man of words, needed a man to action. Maybe I read it here in comments or in my morning paper, but there is a time for words and a time for action. This is a time for action. We need a George Washington. Would he or she step forward.
I am half way through that interview. As obvious as Trump being an insurrectionist may be to you and me, we share an opinion, not a fact from what I have read. Frankly, you are cherry-picking.
No one has established that Trump committed insurrection. One can argue that, at worst, Trump instigated a riot, not an insurrection. Rep. Cheney tried hard to connect those dots of insurrection.
She and the 06jan21 committee implied that Trump committed insurrection by sitting on his fat ass for three hours while others arguably committed insurrection, making him an accessory.
So taking the actions you advocate could precipitate a civil war. Trump clearly violated the Constitution in, at least, one other way (i.e., emoluments). So, why not pursue those infractions?
The question I have is: ¿will the Democrats ever learn? Rep. Pelosi thwarting young progressives further alienates younger voters . . . STUPID. That is why SecState Clinton lost.
Ned. I hear you. But I think the "civil war" has already been ignited. The "MUSKet" has been fired. Congress has been conquered.
Biden and Harris need to lead.
What "established" for me that Trump committed insurrection was on TV. Run the tape where he goads the crowd of supporters to march on the Capitol. Watch the assault. Remember the almost three hours where he watched it on TV and refused to stop what he started. Nobody needs Merrick Garland to tell them that was an insurrection.
Time for America to use some "Common Sense" and dump this reincarnation of King George.
"No one has established that Trump is an insurrectionist."
Established in the Colorado hearing in Anderson. Not disturbed in the decision. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_v._Anderson
You nailed with Pelosi. She should hit the pasture!
We missed our opportunity that existed the last 4 years. The evidence the committee collected is now deemed irrelevant
Please finish watching the video.
However much Trump is clearly a de facto insurrectionist, he is not an insurrectionist de jure.
That said, it feels like we are spiraling into constitutional terra incognita, a la…
“The Constitution is not a suicide pact" is a phrase in American political and legal discourse. The phrase expresses the belief that constitutional restrictions on governmental power must be balanced against the need for survival of the state and its people.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Constitution_is_not_a_suicide_pact
Why are you ignoring the MAGA politicians in Congress who have no morals about the constitution? Why is everyone blaming Biden when no one will stand behind him?
As with any explorers who find themselves in terra incognita, it is up to competent cartographers to draw a new and accurate map so as to mark the dangerous parts to allow those come after to travel safely.
As to the de jure part, it will be interesting to see what the as of now unreleased materials compiled by Mr. Smith reveal.
Without accountability none of this matters. If you cant bring a person up on charges in 4 years you have no accountability
I think there's a major conflict as I think it is Congress alone that has the power to enforce the 14th Amendment. This means that President Biden has no power to invoke it.
Thank-you for sharing this link. It makes it clear that Trump is Constitutionally disqualified to ascend to the presidency due to his being an insurrectionist. I encourage others to watch this piece.
You’re welcome. Yes… it’s really very straight forward.. factual reality… for those that believe we should follow the Constitution. Problem is… people only want to follow it when it’s convenient / easy… including Biden. This is why I say America is no longer a “serious” democracy.
Trump is not convicted of insurrection. It has been 4 years. I don’t even think chargers were brought against him. The constitution calls for the right to a speedy trial, he was never brought to trial. That is a real sim.
Please do more research. This video in which Jessica Denson interviews constitutional experts including Lawrence Tribe shows that Trump
was declared an insurrectionist by a state Supreme Court which said he should not be allowed on the ballot. Then the US Supreme Court said the state had no such power WITHOUT ever ruling that Trump was not an insurrectionist
https://youtu.be/gOXsuiyWu4w?si=df6YstvHy4W86b1S
Exactly. Trump is another Hitler. He lied and deceived the people who voted for him just like Hitler. Trump is planning to turn our democracy into a fascist regime. We cannot allow this!
I have contacted Biden and told him he needs to stop this transfer of power. The election was obviously tampered with. A hand recount of the swing states needs to happen. They will find the truth.
Both Trump and Musk are running from prison.
How can Biden stop him? The people themselves -- well, too many of them -- betrayed our country by voting for Trump. What can Biden do other than send the military after Trump and Musk and probably start a second civil war? Believe me, I feel the same way you do, but I don't see a path forward. If there is such a path, then I agree it needs must be taken.
I guess you didn’t watch any of Jessica Denson’s videos. That’s where you’ll find your answer. (I’m tired of repeating the answer to people. Sorry.) https://www.youtube.com/@JessicaDenson07
Ed - Calling on the 14th Amendment would be following the law. We need to do every single thing that we can do to prevent this destruction of our democracy. Nothing should be off board. Our lives and,that of the earth, will pass into The Tipping point if we remain compliant.
To prevent trump from taking office under any guise is wrong Steve. We are all terrified and exhausted. Do we really want to further weaken the Democracy?
trump won the vote. The time to stop him should have begun 9 years ago.
I agree Barbara. Now we just need to stand up to him, by pointing out his BS because the corporate media won't.
What kind of billionaire would each of us be? Would we have supported Trump or Harris knowing that Trump is hell bent on making the US a kleptocracy for the rich and by the rich?
I know people with a lot of zeroes behind numbers in their banking accounts. They are not billionaires but are far from these awful people.
Gary, if I were rich, I would hope that I would be like the ex of Jeff Bezos. We are not rich, but we try to be generous as much as we can.
Nicely stated, Barbara. Thank you.
If you believe the Constitution is the law of the land, then you need to understand that defending the Constitution means not letting Trump take the out of office. Please watch Jessica Denson who interviewed Professor Lawrence Tribe and other constitutional experts in this video from her YouTube channel. It will open your eyes to what the founding fathers are calling on us to do but which sadly as my original post showed Joe Biden is not up to doing. If Romania can declare it will redo its election because it’s Supreme Court ruled Russian influence had resulted in a bad election result, America, which claims to be the world‘s pre-eminent democracy can do something this bold as well.
Here is Jessica…
https://youtu.be/gOXsuiyWu4w?si=df6YstvHy4W86b1S
But, Barbara, the Constitution says what it says.
And all those public officials took oaths to it.
Phil, you raise an intriguing issue, whether anyone has or can be prosecuted for violating an oath unless s/he has been indicted and convicted for breaking a law? I believe that was exactly what Jack Smith was working on until DOJ policy to not initiate legal proceedings against a sitting president. This strikes me as another peculiarity wherein a policy takes precedence over laws.
I keep saying this to no avail : Trump is NOT a sitting president !
The constitution says a lot of things. Interpreting it is a whole other matter.
Especially with trump supreme court
Article 14, Section Three is perfectly explicit, Barbara.
If U.S. Senate Dems voted whether or not the orange felon's disqualification from any further public office should be lifted, the Senate would not have the 2/3 necessary and the disqualification would stand.
I don’t believe Trump “won” the vote except by cheating.
Thousands of votes were bullet votes where ONLY Trump was selected on the ballot, no one else was selected. This increase in bullet votes FOR Trump happened ONLY in the swing states. The surrounding states did NOT have this increase. Why is that? A hand recount would tell the truth.
We could all go to Washington DC and picket? The number of walkers and wheelchairs would make a statement!
Amen, Barbara, nine years ago and yet here we are. I just hope that enough people will stand up to him. Personally, I think it could happen if enough Rs said we are not going to kowtow. But what do we have....little Johnson planting his face on the ground in a servile manner and muskrat putting his oar in. It will be interesting to see if they actually find a way to fund the government by tomorrow.
Barbara, watch the video Steve linked.
I'm guessing that many people figured the problem of trump would flame out and disappear. Everyone hoped and assumed his popularity would wane and the nation could move forward. Belligerence and aggressive action and neutrality and compromise dont seem to work to be able to sustain our government. We are caught in an endless loop of right/ left dominating power.
Thank you for the Jessica Denson, Steve.
I've not seen it yet -- it's 20 minutes long and I just want to thank you first.
That Ben Meiselas, Joe Biden interview was apparently some time before Trump was a nominee for the presidency in 2024 -- I've since found another video of that, of one minute and thirty seconds, with the key exchange in it. Dated Dec. 3, 2023. Both in the first one of a total of 7:41 (seven minutes and forty-one seconds -- with the key exchange at the 5:06 mark) and in the shorter one, Biden is firm, for democracy, and very concerned at the Trump criminality and treason.
You’re welcome. The 20 min goes by fast. It’s a passionate but also fact-based video. I look forward to hearing what you think of it after you’ve watched it.
If Romania can declare it will re-run its election after uncovering massive Russian interference, I’d like to think the Democrats would use all legal tools available too.
Ben has been “selling” this interview intensely for about a week before releasing it the other day. My assumption without confirming the sitdown date was that the interview took place after the election. So, I find it hard to believe it would’ve taken place as long ago as one of the dates you mention.
The bottom line for me is, Trump is an insurrectionist. No court has said he is not and if we swear him in as president, then it is we who are breaking the constitution not Trump. So for all the people who say Trump is gonna destroy the constitution, I say guess what we’ve already done so
Off to bed now. Have a good one.
One great take-away in the 20-minute Jessica Denson, Steve.
She discusses someone else's idea that U.S. Senate Dems could call for a vote on whether to give felon Trump amnesty for having been an insurrectionist.
If convicted criminal and rapist Trump does not get 2/3 vote for amnesty -- just in the Senate alone -- then that vote will let stand the force of the Constitution's Article 14, Section Three. That is, Trump remains an insurrectionist. He simply cannot take office, as Article 14, Section Three clearly says.
The U.S. House of Representatives need not do anything. If felon Trump fails to get the 2/3 vote for amnesty in either the House of the Senate, the disqualification against him remains constitutionally in effect. (As says the last line of Article 14, Section Three.)
Interesting and intriguing….but, alas, would we not then be left w/ Vance as POTUS???? And, then, who would he select as a VP, someone who would need, as I understand it, a majority vote of approval in both houses of Congress.
DJT is also a Traitor, and Putin's & Musk's Puppet... That Definitely Makes Him A Traitor...
I agree. If only (some of us) could be convicted on the basis of the company we keep. But that would be a dangerous precedent to set.
This Ben Meisalis interview was filmed post election, as they talk about it.
One last point… here’s the recently release Biden interview with Ben. It says it took place Dec 16, 2024
https://youtu.be/TJfOAjUleTc?si=EqDuvCgi6BgfSPLZ
Thank you, Steve -- this at 30 minutes different from the two I'd seen.
When he says it's not his concern that the orange felon doesn't abide by the rules of democracy doesn't mean he accepts that behavior.
He was, after all, answering Ben Meiselas' Q as to how could he have been so polite to someone so aggressively and dangerously hostile. And he was replying that his behavior, being polite, generous (in transfer of administrations) was part of the America he believed in.
We are at war with fascism. Biden may think he should model the polite world of democracy that he dreams of, but that world is a fantasy. We don’t need modeling of a dream. We need a commander-in-chief fighting to preserve what the founding fathers created, and what he took an oath of office to defend. You may be okay with Biden‘s answer, but I am not. It’s a free country and you can be happy with what he said, I am not. So, we will agree to disagree as the saying goes.
I’m looking for my president to fight for the soul of the nation as he declared he was doing. But of course, if you read Sarah Kendzior’s two best selling books, you will understand that Biden‘s actions regarding the election is all a performance. He did some things that were good economically, but he was always meant to be a placeholder president between Trump‘s first and second terms. He sabotage the Democratic Party by going back on his word to be a one term president. He should’ve let the party decide who was going to run way earlier in the process. Then we might’ve had a candidate who could win even with the Russian influence that has still yet to be fully accounted for (as the people in Romania fully accounted for it). Romania deciding to re-run its election is a role model for the world. What we have let happen shows that we are now an un-serious democracy.
www.sarahkendzior.com
Clearly Biden is guilty of doing/saying too little too late. The election is over. The die are cast. The barbarians have breached the gates. Anything Biden has to say now is meaningless, and I am not sure what he can "do" in any meaningful way.
Certainly not the first time. If not the previous four years, the events of Jan 6 certainly should have brought home to Biden, not by any means ignorant of the lessons of history, what kind of nastiness Trump was up to. Certainly by the time of the 2022 mid-terms he should have been able to detect what was in the wind, that Trump and the MAGAs were not going to blow away, and that Trump was aiming at taking another attempt on the White House.
As has been lamented often in Monday morning QB mode, if Biden had declared in 2022 his intention to not seek the nomination in 2024, a proper vetting process for suitable candidates and subsequent nominating convention could have been held. Whether or not Harris would have emerged as the candidate is not the point. It is that we never got through that selection and decision making process.
Trying times for our souls, indeed. At least for those who can still claim them as their own.
This election was so close that if Elon hadn't had the bully pulpit with Twitter forcing everyone on twitter to receive his tweets, and then pouring an additional $250 million to support Trump, would Trump have won?
And then there were all of the other oligarchs, buying Senate seats in Ohio, Florida and Montana, not to mention the 15 or so Congressional seats Elon financed.
Citizen's United gave Carte Blanche to the rich to buy the Federal Government. Unfortunately, the sheeple didn't even realize what was happening.
There was a Wall Street Journal Article today that stated that Joe Biden's Infirmities became almost overwhelming since the beginning of his Term as President... They were hidden by his Staff... The WSJ allegedly talked to about 50 of Biden's Staff for the Article.... What We Saw During The DJT Debate Was Joe Biden UnShielded.... Joe Biden should have been more Self-Aware... A Smart Aging Athlete Knows To Quit At, Or Near The Top... Not Go Down In Humililation... Joe Biden Should Have Kept His Word To Only Serve One Term... The Democratic Leadership Definitely Needs Younger Blood...
The WSJ is owned by Murdoch Apache. I do not consider a reliable source at all. You can always check any publication's rated biases:
From Media Bias Fact Check
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS
These media sources are slight to moderately conservative in bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appeals to emotion or stereotypes) to favor conservative causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information but may require further investigation. See all Right-Center sources.
Overall, we rate the Wall Street Journal Right-Center biased due to low-biased news reporting combined with a strong right-biased editorial stance. We also rate them Mostly Factual in reporting rather than High due to anti-climate, anti-science views, and occasional misleading editorials.
Thanks Barbara... Let's see if there is further Collaboration... But if True, it would explain alot, especially Biden's unfettered support of Netanyahu... Hareetz, an Israeli Newspaper is starting to report IDF War Crimes... Regardless, the Democrats need Younger Leadership... Nancy Pelosi is a National Treasure, but she is in her Mid-80s... I also would have liked to have seen AOC elevated to Leadership as well...
Barbara- I said the same thing above (probably below now).
Will he ever die?
I seriously doubt that. The WSJ is a Murdoch rag and they have published several very questionable stories in praise of Trump and denigrating Democrats.
At my 50th high school reunion I had drinks with a former class mate that was a journalist at WSJ when Murdoch purchased it. She said Murdoch came in to speak with all of the staff after the sale and it was such BS that she became physically ill. The next time he entered the building she immediately left until she heard he was gone. It took her and her husband a few months to find new jobs, but she refused to work for a rag that had lost all integrity.
Well if true (and I have no reason to doubt it) then that is sad. Some sort of intervention was needed early on. I know that is hard to do, but still . . . .
Biden actually mouthed that he would be a one-term president, but then ego got the best of him.
Biden did not lose the election the Dems lost it for him. A better approach id to start campaigning right now. Not to beat trump up but put forth why we are the better party.
I disagree. He should have stayed with his first impulse to be a "one-term" president. He failed.
Biden is a failure in multiple ways. Simply look at Ukraine: FAIL. Look at Israel: FAIL. Staying too long before bowing out of the Party nomination. His delay hamstrung the Party. I went to the suggested Jessica Benson video. Thank you!
You’re welcome! And thank you for watching the video I recommended. We are in a much more challenging time than many seem to realize.
Forgive the cynic in me (which took years to develop!), but those many who "seem [not] to realize" are often ill-informed or misinformed by choice. I attribute that factor to laziness. Or, "that sounds about right and I'll buy it." Where we really need and needed leaders, we got politicicans. And now we have two clowns dictating to one political party on how to administer the economic affairs of our country. Musk is an Afrikaner with all the racist trimmings. AND, he is an IMMIGRANT! Is that an expletive, now, "immigrant"? Trump? That's a whole other story.
You cannot follow the electoral process only when it’s convenient and you agree. Otherwise it’s Nov . 2020 again with plans to “Stop the Steal” and deny the duly elected candidate from taking office.
While Biden did some good things he also did some incredibly stupid things which contributed significantly to our titanic loss this election. But not just Biden.
The corporate Democrats are mainly responsible for our loss. Obama, Clinton, Clyburn, Schumer and Pelosi. Pelosi is still screwing over the Democrats with her move to block AOC from advancing. Pelosi has been arrogant, bitter and stupid. This will come back to damage the party - and the country.
We need to dump the corporate Democrats - now.
Here it comes, the blame game. There is enough of that going around without us contributing to it. We are where we are because we are ALL to blame. The question I keeping coming back to is: What is the most effective thing that WE can do now?
First, Colette, we've got to up our game.
In our comments, we've got to up our own literacy by referring to good memoirs, biographies, histories, novels, and maybe movies, too.
The corporate, as many refer to them, are our elites totally without humanities. They're full of the abstractions, categories, and group think that inform all of standardized testing. Daniel Markovits calls this the meritocracy in his recent "The Meritocracy Trap."
I’m afraid the “corporate democrats” ARE the Democratic Party. What you and I and others in this Substack community want are something closer to the Democratic Socialists or Occupy Wall St. to be running the show. Pelosi just demonstrated her power…heck, she just published a how-to book about it.
absolutely we have only us to save us........creativity is vital......but first and foremost "they" must not shut down our various outlets for news and communication and sharing.....Remember that other wordsmith from our past, "We must all hang together or most assuredly , we shall all hang separately". How brave are we?
How brave are we? We are going to find out!
Yes we are.
I’m afraid they were made of stronger stuff than a great many of us are made of. I hope I am wrong.
Elon Musk made over 150 social media posts about what is going on in congress right now. That is probably more than all the democrats together. If you control the messsage you control the government.
Musk & Trump crashed & burned today with 38 House R's saying NO!
Friday Morning Postscript: And, it takes a 2/3 vote folks.
There's some hope in that worth grasping for.
That's only one battle, the war is just beginning.
No to what?
Fund Wreck's giveaways to the richest-of-the rich through 2027 via massive Deficit Spending & trying burden Biden with fraudulent accounting.
"Never Interfere With an Enemy While He’s in the Process of Destroying Himself"
Source disputed
According to some opinions the Democrats are letting the Republicans implode all by themselves.
That should not be the only strategy. There's too much at risk.
I prayed for the GOP to self-implode after I found out trump had won in 2016 but now I feel that if they implode today they will take everyone down with them. A quote that never left my mind was "Nothing is worse than creativity without taste," to which I've added, "with a lot of money." Here we have the most powerful man in the world who is stupid partnered with the richest man in the world who is brilliant. Both are megalomaniacs and creative. I can't think of anything worse. It's terrifying....
Sophia, Musk is stupid. And cruel. He has relied on the government and the brilliance of people working for him to get where he is today. He is a parasite who has attached himself to a madman.
The irony is that trump is not powerful. He has stolen a seat at the Resolute Desk of the most powerful Country in the world.
Trump is weak and cruel. Musk is stupid and cruel.
Got that right Sophia & hat tip to Timothy Snyder who has named it ...
"The Mump Regime".
Snyder’s article on “Mump” is brilliant.
And most of Musk's many tweets were either inaccurate or bald-faced lies.
Someone get that man a Xanax.
Did anyone in the Democratic leadership push back on those lies? If they let them stand unchallenged, shame on them and the Democrat’s communications team that should be working this. Of course, given the venue, even if they did diligently try to respond with some facts, their clarifications and corrections could have been “Xed” out.
Yes! Remembering the “war effort” of WWII, it’s time to “do something.” (France, 2942, Michelle Obama US, 2024.) Find your local Indivisible chapter and join up!
Oops, 1942! With apologies, everyone.
No problem Virgina -- one of those three little dots off to the right "..." is an edit tool --- helpful for my stubby fingers. : ---)
🤷♂️🙏
https://indivisible.org/
Thank you, Mr. Drinkwater. Having been part of Indivisible since 2016, I was unaware of this site.
We in southern DE are doing just that!
Joe has no power to change this. Should not have conceded, but they did, not realizing the machinations and close race. The reason chump still yammers about the stolen 2020 election is to keep Dems from making the same claim today. They stole it but saying so will erupt in a civil war. Joe won’t say it. But it will have to be said eventually.
Unlike Donald, Joe Biden actually believes in his oath of office. The first duty of the President is to preserve and protect the Constitution. The President is charged with enforcing the laws and protecting the nation from enemies, foreign and domestic.
Joe's inaction, so far, to arrest the criminals in Trump World and protect the nation from these enemies of our Democracy, is inconsistent with his oath.
Joe and the Democratic leaders must tell the truth about Trump's treason, the corruption, the alliances with our foreign adversaries, the money scams, the frauds. Trump disqualified himself from any office of trust in this country. Musk and his fellow autocrats have taken control of our government. And Joe has the power to stop it. Seems our leaders don't have the balls to stand up to this evil.
Let's hope for a strong, strong summary report by special prosecutor Jack Smith.
Thank you Burke. Asking the last person (possibly for all time) who took the oath of office as Commander-in-Chief to do an end-run around it, is madness. Do not ask a Statesman to be an anarchist.
It’s not madness. It’s actually following the Constitution, as this video in which Jessica Denson interviews constitutional experts including Lawrence Tribe shows…
https://youtu.be/gOXsuiyWu4w?si=df6YstvHy4W86b1S
- Pulled Quote -
“I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on this state or that state, but on every state: up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel; better have too much force than too little, when so great an object is at stake,” Paine wrote. “Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to repulse it.”
NOW is the time!
Now is the time…
To do what?
Inspiring
This is a time for all of us to pull together. Whether it is making phone calls, writing letters or just speaking out. Heather’s writing today gives me hope that we might awake the sleeping dragon of apathy and rise up and get ready to fight back. We can do it folks. Let's not capitulate and lose what we have. I will tell you that no one wants to live under a dictator where all our rights are taken away so let’s get to work. We just need someone to lead and motivate us. I am old but I will do what I can to save democracy for my grandchildren and great grandchildren and for yours too!
I refer you to the Georgia Fisanick Substack on just this topic:
On the Silence of the Dems
What's the best strategy?
Georgia Fisanick
Dec 20
She writes:
Belle, my personal favorite common sense political analyst these days, has a take that floored me. I have been a great proponent of Democrats’ need to make as much NOISE as possible as we act in opposition to Trump. So have most of the other Democratic commentators on Substack. I have been filled with outrage over Trump’s supposed “mandate.” But Belle is making me rethink what a successful opposition strategy needs to be about. I am not sure she is right. But she has gotten me above my fear and rage to a vantage point where I can begin to assess additional possibilities.
She may have a point. Going limp and putting all the responsibility for success onto the Trimp-ist's shoulders might be effective.
After all, "Conservatives" tend to fall to pieces when you call their bluff. They're notorious for loudly proposing yet routinely failing to perform, so once they've made a dog's breakfast of the job American voters will wake up. Usually that requires the Misery Index climb sky high first, but then, that's in the cards anyway, isn't it?
The Democrats are making hay about how the Musk/trump funding Bill failed. Even Chip Roy is screaming at the MAGAs.
Let them destroy themselves. But. This is a tricky play. We need to know when to scream and when to let them fail.
"when to let them fail"
Very good point! Did the deplorables know that when they voted for the Groper-in-Chief they were electing President Musk? Did the Groper-in-Chief know that he was campaigning for the election of President Musk?
I agree. Going limp is a tactic, not a strategy. Russia eventually went limp under communist authoritarianism and the result was a century of stagnation, loss, & misery before they collapsed. By itself total passivity undermines the regime, but it's clearly not going to be quick or entirely effective. Trump-ism and opportunists like Me-lon still need to be actively (and LOUDLY) opposed.
Good on you, Barbara! Fear and rage keep us too occupied for no good purpose and unable to see things clearly as one might. We are on the defensive at this juncture. There may be opportunity in that. All I know is to stand fast. Be of strong heart and good courage!
Contrast the Bravery of those that fought that Winter, and helped establish the United States with those that Can't Be Bothered To Vote... Contrast the Oratory of Thomas Paine with the Incholate Tweets of Elon Musk, and DJT... George Washington is definitely the Greatest American President So Far... Definitely Not DJT... The Only Race That DJT Is In, Is The Worst President Yet.... It Is A Contest of DJT vs G.W.Bush For The Worst....
These days I hear a lot of talk about young people not being up to the task of defending our democracy in the event of civil war. Past generations (e.g., the Oxford Union in the 1930s) have shown reticence before war only to triumph over evil decisively. Why not with these young people? Unless, of course, they support Trump.
Ah, but there was no social media and so forth back then!😊
Fine insight there, Robert. Thank you.
I wish trump , Vance, shadow VP Musk the puppet master, will never be sworn in but if you don't follow the rule of law that we believe in, you are asking for a civil war with the Trump followers.
Do you believe the Trump followers are waking up to his plans? Our country is already so divided. Many of my family members will not even speak to others who voted for Trump in 2016.. I get that their goal is to destroy the economy and the country. Seal team 6?
While it might not be a dramatic event in saving our democracy, the idea of logging off when the inauguration starts, and then reconnecting when it ends, might show the world that there is a significant portion of the population that rejects the administration that has promised to do away with our democracy. So let's network to make our stance unmistakable, and show our support for our democracy.
I write to Jamie Raskin constantly. My husband has been down to the Capitol building with signs multiple times. We give generously to the Democratic party. We descended on Washington 8 years ago to participate in the huge women's rally; and we'll go again this year if scheduled. We live within our means; we donate to charities. The interests of the US should have some non-stupid, non-craven, non-nutball types in the executive branch. People have become unmoored from decency and respect. How to get strangers from both sides to cooperate with one another. It seems like a Sysyphean effort....
We all have more than most of the Revolutionaries had. They fought , most of the time, with no pay and no equipment provided by the newly formed but penniless government. Probably the best and most readable version of this is Rabble in Arms by Kenneth Roberts written in 1937 or if you want it from the British perspective, Oliver Wiswell by the same author. Many Americans were persecuted by the Revolutionaries who weren't loyal to Britain. Both these books are germane to the present situation. DonOLD has shown already although not even inaugurated that he has no interest in governing, no interest in the American people and only mouthed those campaign platitudes to stay out of jail. We've got 4 weeks. He belongs in jail (and not some candy-ass home detention with an ankle bracelet).