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When, on the same night, on different shows, you have both presidential historian Michael Beschloss and presidential campaign genius David Plouffe say that "the question of whether this country will be a democracy in 2025 is a coin flip," you know we're not in Kansas anymore. It's starting to get clear even to a lot of people I had listed under "Vichy French Morons" that the republic is in danger, and that the guy lighting matches in the fireworks factory is Trump.

Now if we could just get him arrested at dawn this coming Thursday, so that when his "press conference" is held (which should be boycotted by CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, and every other reputable outlet) they announce that he's on a plane being taken to DC for arraignment for "conspiracy to commit treason against the United States," things would be Looking Good.

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Although I have been reading Timothy Snyder and Anne Appelbaum to educate myself about the slippery slope toward autocracy in the last few years, the comments by Plouffe and Beschloss made me shudder as well.

Americans had been lulled into complacency with the inaccurate thought that our democracy was fait accompli and no longer needed our individual participation other than to show up and vote. I desperately hope that enough of us will act on the urgency of active participation in defending our democratic process this year and beyond.

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I have read Timothy Snyder, and his writing terrifies me because it is so accurate. But what really scares me is how very, very fragile our system of government is. Our Constitution was a cobbled together agreement among some colonies to protect themselves against foreign powers. Trump revealed the many cracks our government has and how dependent we have been on the good character of elected officials.

Our situation reminds me of the break up of Yugoslavia after Tito’s death. Milosovic and others tore that country apart and WORKED to divide the population against one another using religion as as pretext. People who had gotten along began to kill one another.

Now we have people who are ready to kill based on the lies of of a mentally unstable “f@&?ing moron” to quote Rex Tillerson.

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Carville is spot on.

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One of my very favorite political operatives.

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I get what he's saying but what are the laws/rules that prevent people being in Congress? DO we need to fine tune those?

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Outlined by the Constitution, there are three simple requirements to serve in the House of Representatives. In order to become a representative, candidates must be:

At least 25 years of age

A citizen of the United States for at least seven years

A resident of the state they wish to represent at the time of election

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The requirements for president and elected officials definitely needs to be updated and fine-tuned as does most of the pillars of our democracy and justice system that protect the wealthy and whack jobs. Can you imagine, if you are a business owner or running a large corporation hiring a narcissistic liar who does not pay his bills or taxes and has been sued for running a fake university and gone bankrupt multiple times, being the CEO of your company?

Well, America, you did it, even if it the entire election in 2016 corrupted and filled with propaganda all the way through. And the media stroked the orange money/optics-whore for the past six years...for what? Money.

Which brings me to the notion that republicans belch about small government, but they are willing to spend obscene amounts of money (including from hostile foreign entities) on elections and propaganda/lies to push their people/agendas through. We have so many things to fix-- all at the same time. Voting Rights and republicans tampering with them are the most important issue right this minute.

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Thank you Barbara. And, OK, that's concerning.

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Damn weak qualifications. Time for a reboot!

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Maria HK - Add Masha Gessen to Tim Snyder and Anne Applebaum - and add Hannah Arendt - she was first and incredibly good.

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Good suggestions! I have read some of their work as well.

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Sandy, add Dr. Barbara F. Walter. Her book is coming soon. “How Civil Wars Start”

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So many of us over the decades haven’t BOTHERED to show up and vote, to participate even that much in Democracy.

“My vote doesn’t make any difference.”

“I hate both parties. I refuse to vote for either of them.”

“I don’t even know who’s running.”

“Why should I vote? Nothing changes.”

In many ways, I understand. Let’s hope after the past hellacious few years the VAST majority of citizens now get it: Your vote DOES matter. “Bad people get elected when good people don’t vote,” says a 2016 button.

We don’t have to win over any particular voters to save Democracy. We just need to get all those good, solid, forgotten Americans to the polls. Maybe this existential crisis will turn out to be a blessing: Awakening or reawakening citizens to the importance of what we could have here in the U.S. if we pull together and claim it for the people — We the People, All of Us this time.

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That apathy is part of their GOO plan. Creating it is part of their strategy. It is as much of their long game as the Southern Strategy and issues like guns and abortion. Then, as an alternative party they offer to the apathetic “Libertarianism” as an alternative. Disgusting.

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The system is rigged now to discount the opinions of the majority of citizens with the uncontrolled influence of money in elections and in influencing policy position votes, ie no gun safety reform for decades despite the uniquely American crisis of GV deaths, no sensible limits on drug prices despite the fact that Americans pay 3-5x more than Europeans for medications, no meaningful legislation to address climate change for decades while the science has been clear on the CO2 greenhouse effect. All of these are supported by 70% or more of Americans but also have the most special interest political spending obstructing political action. It takes a lot to motivate voters to go back to the polls after the years long message that they can't win against big money but hopefully they will.

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Marie, I would add that even on George Stephanopoulos “This Week” the conservatives on the round table were continuing to belch out, “there are good people / bad people on both sides“ Type of argument. Trying to draw parallels between black lives matters demonstrations and the unfortunate accompanying destruction of property by some as equal to the insurrection. What reality are they living in?

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Yes, Robin The what-aboutism false equivalency propaganda is vile. They are living in political spin world where many of their voters only listen to the 10 sec sound bite or get most of their 'news' from the

info-tainment platforms of Fox & OANN.

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Marie I do believe from what I’m seeing and reading the work to save our Democracy is @ 24/7 365 effort. I don’t believe even the Repubs want a Putin like country. Seeing it going on all over the Globe brings it closer to our own reality of vision. We can all do something however small.

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"I don't believe even the repubs want a putin like country", Really? They've put bounties on women's heads, They've rigged our state elections, and the cult followers still adore their putin-like ex leader.

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Yes. White male dominance. They fear all the intelligent women and POC rising to such high levels across our country. The backlash and final straw against President Obama's eloquency, education and decency...and being born in our country. Do NOT underestimate what the brainwashed wolf pack mentality is capable. We have three hours of violence against our country on Jan. 6th where the sitting, so-called POTUS did nothing after inciting the seditious insurrection and violence. And, we STILL pay the salaries of those in our government who supported that coup against our country. Depose all of them— they mean our republic NO GOOD. Fear not if we wish to keep wannabe dictators out of our Oval Office.

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And TFG "religiously" took advice from Putin, who, no doubt, also watched the melee on Jan. 6 from a comfortable position.

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I just asked my local Democrat club if there's anything that can be done to get rid of the annoying let's go Brandon flags flying in the neighborhood? we got the nazi flag down by screaming at the homeowner, and he took it down. Now, we have this bullshit.

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100% agree that we can all do something. I'm not confident yet that enough will recognize that the time is NOW. I've been active in grassroots work to achieve a constitutional amendment to rein in uncontrolled big money in politics for 4 yrs, a long term goal to be sure (HJ Res 1/SJ Res 25). 76% of all Americans agree that the skyrocketing amounts of money in our elections needs to be reduced. Yet, with Covid and the political struggle of the last 5 yrs, many volunteers have 'hit the wall'.

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Marie, I hear you. But when push came to shove, and sometimes it was physical . We got Biden elected didn’t we. On 1/6 I was watching the Repubs debate the election. Mostly it was the accommodations due to CoVid that was their gripe. Like Mail in Voting that TFG did himself. Now they are into bigger and better things so they ‘Actually can Steal an Election.All I can say is “ No pain, No Gain.” But some of what they are trying to change is not going to pass if it infringes on others ability and availability to vote. Biden can have the National Guard at the polls if need be also.

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He had better, it will be a fracas

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As a "person of integrity".... I view to "do something however small", akin to making a piss-hole in the snow. A somewhat co-local xpresshun here in Maine, Ms Heather is surely familiar with (sp - my choice:)).

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And THAT attitude, my friend, is how THEY win. If you fail to make trouble - good trouble - by whatever collective efforts possible, you are an accessory to the crime.

Yeah, my daily emails and phone calls are tiny, minor acts. I know that. But if my Senators receive thousands of such protests, they know what their constituents want. Besides, it feels good to rant at a politician. Try it, you'll like it.

In the time it has taken you to type a few comments here, you could have added your voice to the growing chorus of outrage by letting your elected reps know what you care about. Wouldn't it feel good to scream at Susan Collins? And if you don't join others in a serious effort to stop him, you will have Paul LePage savaging your state again. Get to work! Mainers are not lazy.

Don't eat the yellow snow. There is a lot of it now...

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Sorry Bill, I was in no way referring to the actions you cite. But, you certainly could not know that. And, I stand proud to say that I am quite guilty of engaging in every one you cite. By "Small" I refer to the "Mueller" debacle. By small, I'm referring to the pitiful little criticsm leveled at the Repubs for "proven" cheating in W.VA. and other places. Or, hammering home the demand for witness protection during the trial of the Supreme Ct Dushbag to enable more to testify. Or, demanding that the REAL transcript be released of Numbnutz's conversation with the poor president. These Bill, I consider to have been huge, but to me they were handled so poorly, all the morons did was laugh. So if those things couldn't be acted more heavily upon, then smaller lesser issues of significance might as well have been just a "pisshole in the snow". And, to me, from what I see on the street, the "Dems", "lib-tards", Commies, Socialists, pedophiles, cancel-culturists, etc are the Joke Du Jur. Time to turn that around, and THAT is the new approach I want to see.

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I feel your frustration. I hear what you say. My wife just expressed something similar. My approach is twofold: Make noise with our elected officials and make noise in numbers. I'll be at a vigil Thursday night because I want to be part of the millions who are demanding justice.

Second. I don't care what the whacko wing nuts think. They are long past redemption. Gone, baby, gone.

But there is a HUGE section of America that do not get as involved emotionally as we do. They work, they feed kids, they sleep, repeat, repeat, repeat. They need to hear the truth. We need to be loud. We need to scare them with what is unfolding.

And that's why I will be standing in the cold in a crowd Thursday night. (I Hate Crowds).

WE are the heavy lifters and can only get it off the ground as a unified group.

BTW, thanks for the thoughtful response. Peace.

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Yupp.. unfortunately if we think that 50,000,000 (mowrons) are going to be scared into changing their minds(?) by reading historical utterings by Mssr's Plouffe and Beschloss, we are delusional.

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This is true. The "base" of TFG will always be what they are: ignorant and/or bitter about being "replaced" by others. They would follow Mussolini if he showed up tomorrow. Remember that leading up to Pearl Harbor, a huge percentage of Americans were "America Firsters" who wanted NO involvement with the World War that was slaughtering people all across the globe.

But consider this:

"Gallup. On December 17, 2020, Gallup polling found that 31% of Americans identified as Democrats, 25% identified as Republican, and 41% as Independent."

You can see why the GQP is worried. Their numbers are dwindling, so they must cheat to preserve power. But there WILL be voting rights legislation. And there WILL be a reassertion of democracy in America. Let's all do our part. Contact your Senators and demand a change in the filibuster and an immediate passage of Voting Rights!

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In my dreams, I see dopey don losing the 2024 election by a landslide! Then I realize that he probably will get that number of votes as you note, 50,000,000 down from the 70,000,000 votes in 2019! Tragic that many people have a very distorted version of democracy!

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Exactly right!

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It was Ben Franklin who told us something like this: "Democracy is the best government, but we must work to keep it."

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Tim Snyder recently wrote in his substack that the USSR once had a huge prison population but that the US now has the largest in the world. Even though I already knew about the size of the US prison population the comparison to the Soviet prison system struck me as very alarming.

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Marie, exactly! I was complacent. Never in my life did I believe we would or could lose our democracy! I keep saying there are more of us that want to keep our democracy intact but if our congress doesn’t work to safeguard our voting rights, will all of our voices and actions be enough? 🙏🏻

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As Bill Alstrom said above "my daily emails and phone calls are tiny, minor acts. I know that. But if my Senators receive thousands of such protests, they know what their constituents want." In the 1st months of 2017, when cabinet nominations were being voted on, I led visits to my Senators office organized through MoveOn. The phones were literally ringing off the hook & we had between 25 and 70 voters meet with the in-district staff each week. It convinced our centrist Senator that supporting nominations as a 'courtesy' was NOT acceptable. The Senate needs to hear from us all in the same way for voting rights now!

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YES! YES! YES! We each have to use our individual voice and collectively our voices will be heard!

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There are those of us who have been walking around since the 2017 inauguration with a pit in our stomach knowing our Democracy was under siege.

On September 21, 2021 Jon Meacham said this to Brian Williams on Williams' 11th Hour program: "Jon Meacham: "Democracy is hanging by a thread... to paraphrase President Kennedy, I really do believe this is democracy's hour of maximum danger."

So it is with deep gratitude and relief to see others begin to take up this rallying cry as Beschloss and Plouffe have. I am further excited that Liz Cheney stood for many Sunday show interviews yesterday. Her firm, clear voice and patriotic conviction in stating the facts rang loud and clear.

If you haven't already read it here is the link to the New York Times article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/01/opinion/january-6-attack-committee.html#:~:text=Every%20Day%20Is%20Jan.%206%20Now

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Yes! I heard an author about Stop the Steal speaking on show and how STS and fomenting election distrust started in 2016, organized by Roger Stone, in Colorado. I had no idea. I guess it seems like a farfetched scheme back in this good old days. But Trump kept spinning distrust throughout his presidency. We need MSM to connect those dots and plaster the front pages.

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Don't forget Roger Stone was the original "rat f**ker" during Nixon's disgraceful administration.

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There is no polite word for Roger Stone, so I'll refrain. He was also behind the Brooks Brothers riot that stopped the recount in Fla. after the 2000 election. Which ultimately led to the presidency of GW Bush, and all the wonders that cursed administration brought to the world. I try not to speak Stone's name, because I always have to spit when I do.

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Roger Stone… he looks like a villain, he walks like a villain, he talks like a villain. The fact that he was allowed to be pardoned by tfg is another flaw in our “rule of law”. There should be a check on a president’s pardon power.

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We know that Al Gore requested a recount of a few counties after the "hanging chad" debacle. He was found to have lost by a little more than one hundred votes, and so he conceded. The SCOTUS had declared Bush president. However, and I hope I recall this correctly, The St Petersburg Times organized a recount of the entire state's ballots with the help of other newspapers. The recount found Gore had won. The Republicans have played loosey-goosey with elections forever. It's their MO and it is primarily geared to canceling POC votes.

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With the blessings of future SCOTUS judges (all sent to Florida by the Republican party for the W. Bush/Gore recount) Roberts, Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett..

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Kim, The plastering can't begin soon enough! Good call.

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“So it is with deep gratitude and relief to see others begin to take up this rallying cry as Beschloss and Plouffe have.” Yes Barbara, thank God more are speaking up. I sure hope it isn’t too late.

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Barbara, absolutely true. This didn't begin on January 6th.

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Barbara, that's exactly how I've felt!

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Someone is supplying the matches.

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Indeed....

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They also hold the insurance polices which will pay out an inflated amount when it burns down. Just ask yourself, if the poop really hits the propeller who benefits?

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And teaching him how the magic sticks work....

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Mike Flynn?

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Much much higher than Mike. And wealthier.

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Heather’s article was filled with explosive reporting today. All in all, a barnburner.

It seems to me that the Committee has been very purposeful by seizing the New Year and framing it thus on the Sunday shows. They came out swinging, essentially showing a “trailer” for the upcoming public hearings. Revealing that they have such an inside source gives them an added dollop of credibility - credibility which they have been diligently building since Day 1.

This is, in my mind, a sudden and highly aggressive move, designed to spook anybody sitting on the fence about testifying. It is a grim pleasure to see the other side wrong-footed for once.

It’s clear that they are throwing the dice on the upcoming hearings tilting the country against Trump decisively. This is their one shot at the king and they are unafraid to take it.

In some ways it seems now to be a good thing that an independent committee was shit-canned by the Republicans. Had one been brought into being, it might have been as cautious and institutionalist as the Mueller team was. As diligent as its work was, it ultimately failed to drive Trump into disgrace and Barr easily managed to “disappear” it in the public eye.

This Committee is Democratic, but its credibility has been vastly enhanced by Republicans Adam Kinzinger and, especially, Liz Cheney. It has had from the start a fight on its hands to establish that it would not simply produce a partisan hack job. It has done so by dint of extraordinarily good planning in framing what to go for, undying work to get it, and an unabashedly strategic approach to producing a blockbuster report, worthy of the deep infamy they have clearly uncovered.

There remain big hurdles to navigate. How will the Supreme Court rule on contentious issues? What new tactics will the scofflaws come up with to delay the Committee out of existence? Will they come up with evidence sufficient for the DOJ to indict?

This latter remains highly problematic. There was an excellent episode on the podcast Cafe Insider on which prosecutors Joyce Vance and Barbara McQuaid discussed this point. They noted that federal prosecutions have a success rate of ~95% - and the reason for that is that the DOJ does not move unless it has a case which is a virtual lock. What can appear obvious to the ordinary citizen may not be acted on if the DOJ does not believe its evidence is bulletproof.

The Committee is doing much of the investigating for the DOJ. It seems obvious that they want to go further than issuing a report that will occupy a few news cycles. Their goal is to make the DOJ an offer it can’t refuse.

This will be a tense time for America.

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I concur with your analysis. Sunday's shows were a 'shaping operation'. Their interviews are not unscripted.

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"Vichy French Morons" - that's really good. It won't play in Peoria, where I'm afraid it will most likely be confused with fillet minot, but still very good none the less.

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Never going to happen.He doesn’t need to be in the Presidency to be in Ppl’s head either. The Indians used to have a saying about our Gov. “ Two wings of the same bird”. I really believe that was TFG’s goal.That being more powerful and fearsome than all of them. And he is isn’t he.

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Amen 🙏 brother 😎

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If only TC, if only...

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Indeed.

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Exactly.

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Unfortunately, this strategy sounds like yelling "lock im up". Hahh.. even an illiterate (by legal standards) script by Sydnee Poww-ell would keep him from being escorted to the "plane". Next?

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Amen, indeed.

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TCinLA, Yes, that would be good. But I question your use of the word 'reputable' for those corporate networks.

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I’m trying to find the Plouffe and Beschloss quotes you mention. Can you tell me what night was this same night and what the shows were? Thanks.

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While in general I do not agree with Liz Cheney on her political stance on many fronts , on her service on the Jan 6 Committee her work and words have been exemplary. I wish she would show that same toughness when it comes to things like the BBB act and the voting rights legislation. In memory of the late Ms Betty White a quote "Why do people say "grow some balls"? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding.”

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That reminds me of the old quote "Balls," said the Queen, "If I had two, I'd be King."

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Made me laugh! Thank you Pamela, and thank you Betty White, a treasure. Truth.

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Thank you!

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Daria, are you home?

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Pam, yes! We got in early yesterday morning safe and sound. I'm truly glad to be home.

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Glad you're back. We'll be down that way at the end of the month.

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Thanks, Ally! We'll see you then. Safe travels.

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👍 I'm sure you're glad to be home. Glad you had safe travels.

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Thanks, Pam. Me too!

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Welcome home Daria! Wherever that is .... I know some bridges were torched, but that will pass.

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Thanks, Gus! We're back in Mérida where it's "icy"*... cool (70°F) & drizzling. Frankly, we're relieved that the elephant in the room was finally called the elephant in the room and we're free of it.

*I swear to you, icy is what "cool" weather is called here. Imagine my surprise when, my first winter here, I went into stores to find parkas, sweaters and other cold weather gear on sale.

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Been holding you in safe travel thoughts. Could feel you in the States. Finally getting a cool weather front for a few days in Florida. Rummaging for my jackets. Only thing “cool” in FL. DeSantis still MIA.

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I’ll remember that one. Betty White was a force to be reckoned with.

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Elaine, you can just hear Betty saying that gem out loud, can't you? They'll never replace her.

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Pamela, considering childbirth, and what makes that necessary, you will get no arguments from me. Neither did my wife of 50 years and 15 days. You win! My spherical equipment avoids pounding at all costs....

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You are a gentleman most sublime, Gus!

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BWAHAHAHA!

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Thanks for the belly laugh, Pamela!

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God bless Betty White!

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fabulous!

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“The Republican Party “can either be loyal to Donald Trump or we can be loyal to the Constitution, but we cannot be both.”

Nailed it Ms. Cheney!

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To dumb it down: we can have presidents, or we can have dictators, we can't have both.

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The more we (learned people) preach that 'line'.., the more the 50,000,000 (mowrons) feel empowered to defend THEIR convenient understanding of "the Constitution"...as provided (of course) to them by the Sydney Powells and Margie Greens and Candace Owens of our world. It's time we "People of Integrity" recognize that a 'new approach' is needed.

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Just what “new approach” would THAT be, MadRussian12A?

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Heather provides further evidence of the Trump-led conspiracy behind the BIG LIE and the 1/6 Capitol Hill insurrection. I am increasingly confident that the Department of Justice, based on the ‘smoking gun’ evidence being assembled by the Hous 1/6 committee and the diligent work of over 40 staffers and former federal prosecutors, will issue criminal indictments of some of the perpetrators by Spring, while the 1/6 committee public hearings are being conducted. One or more of the scum bags are likely to seek a John Dean-type deal to spill the beans to avoid or lessen a prison sentence.

While a criminal indictment of Jabba the Hutt seems politically unlikely, in Watergate, though Nixon was spared indictment, many of his sycophants squealed and/or went to the slammer. The House 1’6 committee should move swiftly, long before the November elections. I write as someone who was privileged to be on the Nixon White House Enemies List.

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While indictment of Trump seems politically unlikely, I think it is needed so others understand that no one is above the law. I think between the Committee and the DOJ they probably have enough or close to enough to take him and his co-conspirators down. This wasn't just a burglary.

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If trump is not indicted for his many criminal actions against the country, there is no rule of law.

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What we are witnessing is that the rule of law is selective, and being rich and powerful allows for the lawless to be their own prosecutor and jury. The Judges, the Gang of Six, have already demonstrated their partisan intent via loyalty to their benefactor. Pip hangs his head

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