CNN reported tonight that former president Trump had not one but two executive orders prepared to enable his loyalists to seize voting machines after the 2020 election.
This is an excellent synthesis of the news. Surprising to me was the Kremlin's assessment of Biden, that he's smart and can speak on behalf of the West. Of course that is true but it's good to hear coming from Kadri Liik. I watched Laurence Tribe on The Last Word this evening. He was so eloquent and succinct in explaining the criminality of Trump's scheming and planning the seizing of voting machines and that Trump admitted all this publicly. Among his most important points was that AG Merrick Garland said he will follow the facts where they lead, but he has more than enough information now to indict Trump, and what is he waiting for. I wonder if Garland is too "old school" that he would not indict a former president. I think this would be a grave mistake, as Trump has committed multiple crimes and must be held accountable. One other point Dr. Richardson mentioned was that someone inside Trump's inner circle has most likely been leaking to the press. Even if that person wasn't giving an accurate account (probably afraid for him/herself) it shows there are cracks in the loyalty. If one person will do it, others will follow.
What is Garland waiting for? The criminal case against Trump has to be ironclad. It needs to be bolstered by the findings of the House select committee. The committee's public hearings need to tell the story of sedition against Trump and others in a way that the pubic absorbs. Then come federal charges. And in between all of this, probably quite soon, he will be indicted in New York for tax fraud and other financial crimes. All of this is uncharted territory for the country. Care and precision are paramount, even in the face of the intense frustration we all feel.
I agree Michael. The United States is not in the habit (thankfully) of indicting and imprisoning former or current Presidents. Besides the longer this takes the more trump is running around bloviating all the while indicting himself. This is actually the best scenario. People will believe trump way more when he speaks of his coup attempt actions that the January 6 Committee. The media is loving this story and is also spreading the word of trump's actions concerning the attempted coup.
But sooner or later Garland must suit up and show up here.
History shows us, to varying degrees, that the USA has had some men (and I use the term because no woman has yet held the office) of pretty questionable character / integrity elected to the Presidency. For some reason, we keep making the terrible mistake of ignoring or discounting all the surrounding, supporting, enabling people who make the election win and subsequent administration possible. It's like a willful blindness, telling us that "this time" is going to be different. Except it isn't, and when the bad things begin to happen, we're surprised.
We need to, as a nation under the Rule of Law, do a much better job of teaching our citizens what Rule of Law actually means, and how to see beyond the popular face on the debate stage or at rallies, so that we can objectively decide whether the 1,500 or so people who will be supporting the popular face are themselves worthy of our trust and confidence.
There have been scoundrels, wastrels, white supremacists, slavery advocates, con artists, grifters, know-nothings, and opportunists of every stripe pushing policies and platforms that have nothing to do with improving the lives of the citizens, and everything to do with improving their personal fortunes, and they've been at it since the very beginning, more than 250 years ago. The current crop of degenerates, however, have proved themselves far worse collectively than anything we've had in the past, with the possible exceptions of a) the day Rep. Preston Brooks caned Sen. Charles Sumner nearly to death on the Senate floor; b) our reprehensible and willing participation in the West African slave trade; c) the cheating of indigenous North American tribes of their ancestral lands, and the executive order that allowed it to happen; d) the internment in camps of Japanese-, Italian-, and German-American citizens during WWII; e) the burning of Greenwood, in Tulsa, Oklahoma; f) the "group-think" decision making that authorized the fatal Challenger launch (the decision was as much economically as scientifically driven); g) the decision to refuse asylum in 1939 to the 1,000 Jewish refugees who were trying to escape Hitler and the Final Solution; h) the decision by the Philadelphia mayor who authorized a parade in 1918 that resulted in thousands of influenza deaths during the pandemic.
And of course, Joe McCarthy and the Devil's minion, Roy Cohn, who created endless chaos and woe with their smarmy, evil persecution of citizens using rumor, innuendo, and brute power. Interesting to note that Cohn later became a pseudo-mentor for TFG, isn't it?
Good examples. Sometimes an individual, sometimes a party (like now?) sometimes the misguided or collective agreement of all. I think (hope) History will look back on this Tr Era as a Repub catastrophe that hurt every citizen in some way. Some more than others but suffering for all. And that Tr and the Repub party bore most of the responsibility.
Nixon was not a career mobster criminal like Trump. If not for Fred’s money and his criminal friends, plus Roy Kohn, Donald could likely have gone to jail. Nixon also turned over material after being ordered to do so by the Supreme Court. I am not a Nixon fan, but his criminality is not in Trump’s league.
Jenn As a member of the Nixon White House Enemies List I state categorically that there is no comparison between Nixon’s Watergate and other peccadillos and Donald Trump, who, as a former history professor, I consider our worst president ever—not only in his lack of progress for our country but also in his dreadful character, from lying,
Attempting to destroying others, and being focused on himself rather than our country. Nixon had some goodpoints—with Trump, I can not think of a single aspect that I would want my grand kids to emulate.
As an example of how weird the world has gotten, the longer Trump lurches around the scene, spouting gas and nonsense, the harder it will be for the Republicans to field a more competent Trump. Don't forget that incompetence was Trump's only saving grace.
As it is, Trump is only attractive to the fools, the venal, and the venal fools. It's the Republican oligarchy-posing-as-conservatiism that we have to discredit, somehow.
Tell me your name is pure Shakespearean poetry! Also the image of gaseous Trump going off like a missile then landing like a limp balloon is priceless.
It is certainly frustrating and stressful waiting. I feel like we’ve been tied down onto train tracks and just starting to hear it coming in the distance.
On Twitter I follow @duty2warn, a group of mental health officials who focus on Trump. This tweet today is music to my ears:
"With an early start today, Trump says it's Pence who should be investigated. He is flailing now. No continuity. Pure malignancy. Blame doesn't play when you're guilty. Victimization doesn't fly when you're a bully. He is self-sabotaging. Desperation, disorder, and decompensation."
I wonder if Pence will ever see the light and publicly admit he’s been used by his former partner. Unbelievable that after the 1/6 nightmare, he did not distance himself from his boss. Of course that was the perfect time for the entire party to reject TFG. They all had a chance. Too bad. Timing is everything.
Worse, what it's blowing for is a full-on civil war. He learned NOTHING from January 6th, and because he's not suffered consequences, he's ratcheting things up again.
While we’re all waiting for democracy to be rescued, Trump, his enablers, and supporters keep escalating the violence, stirring up trouble, eroding democracy, and getting away with their crimes.
Since nothing else is being done (like making Nazi/Nazism a terrorist group, cleaning rotten apples & terrorists out of the military & police, etc), people are putting all hopes towards the House Select Committee finding and stopping the guilty and ending this growing nightmare. Voting it away isn’t going to work because we’re going to lose.
We all hope someone will come along and rescue Pauline, tied to the tracks, from her Peril (coincidenally also the name of Woodward and Costa's new book on the last days of the defeated former president's tenure in office), as in the old silent films. The Select Committee? AG Garland? Hope springs eternal ... and you know the rest.
Uncharted territory. Intense frustration. Yes. I think that we should be facing up to the fact that whatever happens in the New York and Georgia litigation, along with whatever action the Attorney-General takes, the defeated former president will not be going to jail. We just don't do that to ex-presidents. And if the stench of this slowly simmering stew is insufficient to keep the Democrats in control of Congress in a bit over nine months, we can say farewell to all of this as we watch an alternate reality take over.
Even after the Civil War, Confederate President Jefferson Davis only served two years in a relatively comfortable prison environment and was never even tried for treason because the gov't feared doing so would have legitimized the Confederacy; they also had their hands full with Lincoln's successor. They never were able to tie Davis to Lincoln's assassination. Ultimately, he was granted amnesty. You are correct in stating that the whole country was thereby imprisoned for another century without real enforcement of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments.. Trying Davis would have opened the door to further civil strife which is not unlike today's situation where a defeated former president tried to defy the Constitution.
There is always a first time. And as far as I am concerned, Trump should have been jailed long before now from all that he has done and gotten away with it all.
Mike, while I totally agree that Trump has acted criminally, I am not a lawyer. Garland’s DOJ has increasingly indicted 1/6 perpetrators for ‘sedition.’ Other perps are being summoned (and subpoenaed) to appear before the House 1/6 committee. I believe that some of these Trump co-conspirators will be indicted.
Dealing with an ex-president, especially such a fake icon as Trump, is on a different level. [Remember that President Ford pardoned ex-Prez Nixon to get our country back on a more even keel.] Ultimately Attorney General Garland will have to decide whether ‘the evidence’ merits a criminal indictment of Messiah Trump. Clearly there are political implications and Trump’s Kool Aid followers would be extremely rambunctious.
Meanwhile, Trump is embroiled in diverse civil and criminal ‘inconveniences.’ I hope that he experiences black garlands from Garland, but I’m ready to wait and see.
Rambunctious is an interesting choice here. I would say they will be very dangerous and already are because of the constant death threats directed at anyone trying to do anything about death star. It is clear that the committee and the DOJ are going up the food chain. I see below a post that says the case must be airtight and I agree with TCinLA. It is very frustrating to be patient.
In order to get to the Godfather, you have to get to his hit men. That’s what the Select Committee and Garland are doing. We are now seeing the pathetic melting-down (think of the Wicked Witch) of a murderous buffoon. Quite frankly, he’s continued to shovel more dirt into his grave and I am enjoying that.
It has to be air tight. No doubt about that. I'm willing to wait to give the bigger brains than mine to do their due diligence. I can't wait for the hearings!!! That's gonna be excellent!
Tribe is a brilliant Constitutional Law scholar; an academician. But he isn’t on the daily update list from Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Secretary of State’s office. More going on behind the scenes I think and Tribe needs to get a grip on his ego. He’s no longer Garland’s law professor and therefore the only expert in the room.
Thanks for the insights into Tribe, Sheila. And, yes, I agree, there's much more going on behind the scenes. How effective will the "super-sting" of tRump be if every law professor and CNN reporter had a daily play-by-play from DOJ et al. We elected Joe Biden to stop the tyranny and the tyrant. Every branch and level of government is doing its part as well. Public Congressional January 6 hearings will be televised live soon. This is a carefully, cleverly orchestrated investigation to:
1) Get the defeated former guy
2) Convince We The People that he needs to be gotten
3) Lock up TDFG's Brown Shirts so his army is disarmed
Each person is entitled to their opinion, of course, but I can't say I ever get a vibe of arrogance from Tribe. It isn't about having been Garland's law professor, I think he is spot on in his analysis and as Sheila said, he is a Constitutional Law Scholar, much like Rep. Jamie Raskin, only years his senior.
I believe it's more sinister. Have all the Trump people been ferreted out of DOJ? He put a lot of his people in the ranks. They could easily be slow walking everything.
This is an aside but tangential to the trump administration stink lingering in DC. The Equal Rights Amendment has been ratified by 38 states, however it is not recognized as part of the Constitution for legal purposes!! Why? The national archivist was directed No to certify the Amendment by the trump admin! That memo is still ‘active’ and preventing the ERA from becoming law!
When the ERA first passed Congress, it had an unusual section saying that it had to be ratified within a limited number of years to be successful. The deadline was extended once or twice, then ran out. The last state ratified years after the deadline expired.
From the Ms. article: "“Earlier this month, Columbia University’s ERA Project released a detailed analysis signed by top constitutional law scholars explaining why the OLC memo was flawed. And 16 scholars, including Tribe, Roberts, Crenshaw and Sullivan, recently released a legal brief arguing that the ERA is validly ratified.
States did not vote for the timeline—states voted for the text of the ERA. The timeline was in a preamble. The timeline is definitely not binding on Congress,” said Georgetown Law Professor Victoria Nourse, who was among the law scholars who signed the statement.
“There is within the language of the amendment itself no deadline for ratification,” said constitutional law scholar and Dean Erwin Chemerinksy of Berkeley Law School. “I think the Trump administration and the Justice Department was just wrong. The OLC memo said that there was a seven-year deadline for ratification based on the preamble to the ERA, not the language of the amendment. There are constitutional amendments that say within the text that they must be ratified within seven years. The ERA is not such an amendment.”
As noted in the article, the archivist has to certify the ratification. Until that is done, according to Ms Maloney’s radio interview, judges cannot cite it in any rulings!
I agree, Michael. Regardless of what we here believe or what the House select committee reveals, there are many adherents to TFG's insanity who will never sign on to his obvious promotion of this farce. His guilt will not be enough to punish him unless Garland and the DOJ can make it stick. This dance must be orchestrated with great precision, regardless of our frustration.
Trump's end game is Putin's end game, which is to create turmoil within our country so we implode. Is it worth it? America is already torn apart. It is worth it because there has to be rule of law in this country. It has to be, because we still have a Constitution. There are already families all over the country that have been torn apart, where adult children cannot speak with their parents, where friends for years no longer speak. It isn't about "getting to Trump", it is about holding him accountable for his actions. He is now speaking publicly about his crimes. That takes a lot of brass and it's because he has gotten away with it so far. He is not king. It is not in the Constitution that we allow dictators to rule in this country. Bannon said early on in 2015 that he wanted to bring down the government of this country. I thought he was nuts, I thought that couldn't happen, and here we are. Not holding Trump accountable will only spawn more like him, and they are out there, DeSantis and Youngkin for example. I'm not waiting for the GOP to win in 2022. I don't think it is a fait accompli. We have a lot of work to do to hold on to our democracy.
Glad you mentioned Bannon - that he was chosen as TFGs Chief Strategist says a lot.... so many of our former friends didn't catch that part of TFG and still don't 'get' that, and likely never will....
Non only Bannon. Paul Manafort was working for free for Trump and that was a mystery to many of us. For years and years, he had been working for the Kremlin, and there he was working for Trump, no doubt in tandem with Russia.
So much happened early on, before TFG even announced he was running for president. It could have been missed if a person wasn't paying close attention.
All of this is not "just to get Trump". It's one of many undertakings to fight against the monsters released by Trump and to save our democratic union. Trump is a huge figurehead for the extreme right, those threatening mayhem if Trump is charged with the crimes he has committed, and that head needs to be removed in a manner that leaves no uncertainty that he is a criminal who has criminally used the position of the President of the United States of America in his (and others') efforts to turn our democracy into an authoritarian, even fascist, states of america.
To remove the uncertainty you describe will require a trial ... and that might be counterproductive for the preserving of democracy in America. The time is not ripe for one now. The battle against the extreme right, which goes back to John Calhoun before the Civil War, must continue, but within the law. The law cannot be ignored, even if it takes much longer that way.
We're damned if we do and damned if we don't. We must continue forward to hold TFG accountable. Failing to do so will encourage him & his followers in their beliefs that he is right in his claims & right in his desire to become president again. His violent right-wing supporters are already threatening violence if TFG is charged in Georgia or New York. He must be stopped.
I lifted this Churchill quote from the Greg Olear blog of May 21, 2021, link posted here a few days ago: "“An appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile—hoping it will eat him last,” wrote Winston Churchill." Failing to hold TFG accountable is no different from Neville Chamberlain's efforts at appeasement vis a vis Hitler.
If the extreme right goes beyond the freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment, and commits acts of violence, they must be apprehended and punished to the full expent of the law. As guilty of crimes as the defeated former president seems to be, efforts to hold him accountable must also be within the law. As some of the words of "America the Beautiful" advise, "God mend thine ev’ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law."
Earlier today, another commenter charitably characterized the possible reaction of the supporters of the defeated former president to an indictment as 'rambunctious." The "next civil war" will not be like the last one. In fact, we are gradually slipping into it today. It will take place on the internet, in legislatures (both real and rump) and in violent demostrations by both sides ultimately put down by law enforcement allied to one of the sides. Look for more events like those which occurred in Charlottsville, Portland, Minneapolis, and of course, the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The winner will be the side that is most convincing.
Yet another reason why our current government is working not just to investigate, charge and indict, but also is presenting the case for democracy in the congressional court of opinion. Plus, we are already in civil war.
A "congressional court of opinion," so long as Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell call the shots for their party, is not possible. We all know precisely what the vote will be in both Houses. The case must be convincingly presented to a 'public' court of opinion. Agree that we are already in a different kind of civil war right now.
Correct! The plays a coach calls in the last minutes of a football game differ from the rest of the game, as many of the NFL playoff games proved this year. Better to lock in the win before the final minutes of the game arrive. A bit over nine months remain until Election Day.
Old rule of politics going back thousands of years: "When you strike the king, you must kill him." Can you imagine how powerful Trump would be if he was indicted and got off? I want that case tighter than air tight, more solid than granite. Particularly since it would only take one liar getting on the jury to FUBAR the entire thing. As impatient as I am to see his body dropped mid-ocean in an undisclosed location, like Bin Laden, I'll wait to be surer than sure that is what happens.
TC, I too am more than willing to be patient, if the right people are handling this historic process against the most devious, evasive, sociopath ever to despoil the White House. He absolutely despises lawyers and courts and the law; yet he is a weapons-grade master at using them to evade capture and punishment.
In Atlanta-Fulton County, DC, and New York State and City, I absolutely believe we have the right people! I have supplies laid in for the long haul; I’ll patiently wait with you and Michael Bales while ‘our’ lawyers hunt with “care and precision.”
If Trump came to any physical harm, his base would go completely bonkers. I agree it has to be a tight case. I'm not an attorney but I think there is a ton of evidence against him.
Joanna, I think TC was speaking metaphorically. I hope TC was speaking metaphorically. Yes, the MAGAts would go berserk. I’m expecting them to do that anyhow....
I was talking about what happens after he dies in prison at the end of his "life without parole" imprisonment. Where he'd be "killed" by sitting in a windowless cell, forgotten.
Without all the bloody attention the narcissistic vile one gets everyday, he would shrivel up like a raisin in jail without all this attention and his droolers and those who make money off him. I love NOT hearing about the rather large body of power narcissists such as Epstein and Maxwell who we hear about rarely in the news. Ghislaine is rotting and we occasionally hear her muffled cries as she complains about how horrible jail time is for her. Can't wait for tfg and all his minions still in our government to join her. Of course, Jeffrey's cries were muffled permanently and we all know why...money talks or forces those who know something illicit about the powerful...to not talk.
There is, but there's no reason not to use ten tons. You want to be certain that when he's squashed, he'll be so flat you can roll him up and flush him like toilet paper.
TC, you are one of the reasons I subscribed here. There are a number of people whose astute posts I look for. Am I seeing frustration, as your posts are starting to sound aggrieved, (though they are tremendously humorous!)? I used to work with someone who'd pray that while tfg was in office, he'd step out of Air Force One, trip at the top of the st(airs, and fall to the bottom breaking his neck and instantaneously perishing. Perhaps aided by Melania forcefully swatting his hand away and inadvertently--or maybe not?-- propelling him down.)
Anyhow, your posts are well worth seeking out. Do carry on!!
You're quite amusing, too, Miselle. Watching tfg 'step out of Air Force One', in your post, reminded me of him going down the shiny escalator, with Melania looking like a Playboy Bunny behind him (the opening act to announcing his run for the presidency in 2015) And then tfg's fall, with Melania's help, tumbling …down, down, down the steps of Air Force One as told by you was the scene of our dreams!
Even then, Trump, enablers, & cultists won’t care. We really need 100% indisputable proof so we can be justified in doing the necessary - whatever that may be.
Until some possible “heroes” in the Republican Party finally stand up against trumpism, I sadly believe no amount of evidence or proof will ever be able to convince the Republicans that they were and are wrong. Their drug of choice is power and their addiction has lead them to chose the drug over the rule of law, the future of our country, and any sense of integrity they once had.
I agree, Deborah. And I put almost all the blame on the Republican lawmakers b/c they are (supposedly) of sound mind whereas Trump's niece, the psychologist, has "testified" to TFG as being a "high-functioning sociopath." a "chip off the old block" of his father, Fred.
DM, There aren’t any Hero’s among the RR’s (Repugnant Republicans) nor are there any that will ever admit they were wrong or, I believe…very many that are actually loyal to tRump! Only those who will discard him the moment his influence and power are gone…then turn to the next “Provider” and so on! Mr tRump will find himself on history’s “Trash Heap” with the rest of the…use your own imagination!
Agree TC. The subject of Atty Gen Merrick Garland has been discussed on this forum repeatedly repeatedly repeatedly. My opinion is that there are not enough of us that trust in his office, oath, duty and skill to assemble the correct arrows in the quiver to fell the “king”. I believe that Atty Gen Garland is doubted by more people than the lying, obsequious, cowardly Republicans blocking every good thing for the people that can flow from Pres Biden’s agenda. It’s like we are resigned to daily treason as the common mode from legislators.
What disturbs me is the criticism and doubt towards the officials that have worked 24/7 since Jan 20, 2021 to drag this country out of the morass that the former dragged it into. Our patience might be tried but I, for one, cannot stand to see another case against the former treated as if it has no right to even be charged or litigated.
My simmer quickly turns to a rage when I watch the former stage his remarks and appearances to promote blatant racism by accusing those who have been bloodied by it as guilty of it.
The evil has no breath. Let us watch it suffocate itself and not give it any crack to escape.
We are all in this together. There is enough to go around.
Yes, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that TFG could get off. So far he’s survived Impeachments and almost risen from the ashes of 1/6. At some point though he must pay. Or at least that is the great hope.
If he’s determined to be guilty, nothing will happen to him. If they find out before the 2024 election, he will hopefully be barred from running again.
Believe me, the most we can hope for is some sort of comfortable informal exile, even if it is only within the gates of Mar-a-Lago, with no telephone or internet service.
There is no "old school" about not indicting a FORMER president. As Rachel Maddow said tonight talking about her revealing, recent podcast "Bag Man", the origin of the DOJ policy "Don't indict a sitting President" came out of the Nixon-Agnew era. Rachel also announced this evening she is leaving the show temporarily as "Bag Man" is going to made into a movie directed by Ben Stiller. Rachel also advised viewers she has completed further historical research on the "Bag Man" story; I expect solid historical context brought up to current legal events similar to Professor Richardson's methodology. I welcome criticism of my comment. As Rachel often says to guests, "Have I got anything wrong"?
This is part of how she became The $30 Million Woman. She gets to leave the show to work on projects (she mentioned she'll be leaving again later this spring), and she's paid $30 million annually to insure she doesn't go anywhere else. Don't worry, I'm not complaining. I think she's worth every penny. Ari Emanuel is worth every penny of that ten percent agency commission.
Thanks for filling me in, as I had heard earlier in the day Rachel would make an announcement about leaving and I missed it. I didn't think I wanted to hear a word about Spiro Agnew because I lived through all of that, but I listened to the first episode of Bag Man and I was not only hooked, I thought it was so terrific, I listened to the podcast a second time. Interesting that it will be made into a film. I hope the film will do it justice.
Dang it…the “heart” isn’t working again! Stiller directed “Escape from Dannemora” which was incredible. I think he can tackle making this film just fine.
Thank you for highlighting Rachel and Bag Man. It’s a not-to-miss series and so relevant today. Wouldn’t it be another miracle if Trump and his minions would disappear? But that’s not going to happen. What about the papers TFG and others have submitted that are in pieces and shreds? Every day another surprise. And maybe we’re closer to the ending and the beginning.
I keep thinking about the people who salvaged those scraps and ensured that they made it to the National Archives. Some, I've read, were already taped back together so had to have been done at the WH, and that toward the end, scraps were sent to the Archives where they were taped back together. Imagine if TFG had managed to actually trash/destroy those scraps....
I may be wrong, but I think it's the "Office of the Presidency", not the imposter, that Garland respects. I do agree with you that Trump never fulfilled the office of the presidency nor was he ever presidential. He was all about lies and con and grift, and still is.
I think the closest resemblance to Trump we've got from American history is Aaron Burr. Supported by the Democratic-Republicans for Vice President, he attempted to finagle a flaw in the constitution and get himself elected President over Thomas Jefferson. He failed, served his term as Vice President, then went west, supported by a group of armed men. Jefferson issued a warrant for Burr's arrest for treason, for violating the Neutrality Act of 1794. Burr was arrested, tried (with Chief Justice John Marshall presiding), and acquitted. The acquittal somehow left Burr an unpopular figure. He left for Europe, returned after a few years, but was not a factor in national politics again.
Leonard Aaron Burr was dealing with the existing Constitution [It required a swift Constitutional Amendment to assure that equal votes for prez and vice prez wouldn’t provide the latter a chance at the top spot.] Resolution of the presidency came down to Alexander Hamilton [Who, not being American born, could not be president.] Hamilton despised Jefferson with whom he had bloody battles in Washington’s cabinet. However, he loathed Burr and considered him totally unfit to be president. Thus Hamilton held his nose and supported Jefferson’s presidency in the House run off.
Was it coincidental that Burr killed Hamilton in a ‘duel’ a few years later? Burr was acquited of treason by Chief Justice John Marshall serving as a circuit judge—he ruled that there were not two (only one) witness of Burr’s treason.
I, too, think A.G. Garland may be hesitant to take the steps necessary to hold Trump accountable in a real court as well as the one of public opinion. While I do not like to think the U.S. got as bad as Italy/Mussolini (a ruler who is unconstrained by law), I think Trump has cultivated factions that believe he has that right. Unless the DOJ puts Trump in the docket, on the front pages of newspapers, and the top news story night after night (especially on Fox) that he will be held accountable far beyond any $ .25 on the dollar fine, that faction will continue to grow. And that accountability needs to happen no later than early summer. Unlike Watergate, the country cannot afford to wait until after the 2022 election. Trump might not be in office (so he can resign like Nixon) but there could be many that he will have endorsed and set lose to carry forth. Republican voters may not want to vote for Democrats but they must know voting for a Trump candidate is to vote for sedition and civil war.
"Republican voters may not want to vote for Democrats but they must know voting for a Trump candidate is to vote for sedition and civil war." Strong message, very clear.
The most chilling statement from Liik: "Plus, Biden is someone who can speak on behalf of the West. During the whole Trump period, there was no one like that.”
While I have been extremely impatient with Atty General Garland, I am taking a step back and trying to gain perspective and calm myself down. It's pretty easy to fall into the "rage reaction". I repeat two points to myself.
The first has already been expressed here and elsewhere. TFG is feeling more and more desperate. More and more people in the know are talking to the committee. Charges are close to being filed in Georgia and New York. TFG's statements are more and more self-incriminating. And I see the "sinking ship" - rats are starting to travel down the rope to the safety of the dock. TFG's self destruction may lead to a large exodus of formerly loyal capos and picciottos.
The second is that we really should consider the fact that Merrick Garland might be the perfect person for this job. He has a long career of integrity and excellent judgement. I believe that when he acts, he will do so effectively and precisely. Keep in mind he has a judge's point of view. He is not going charge anyone until he ABSOLUTELY knows he will have a conviction.
So I am parking my frustration and anger. I am still looking for a place to put it :) But if you review Garland's impeccable career, and you consider that he has the mind of a Supreme Court justice...perhaps patience is appropriate. In the meantime, don't change the channel. TFG is squirming. Can't you feel it's desperation, smell it's fear?
Thank you for writing this. When I make myself take a step (or several!) back I have to agree 100%. This is why I think Biden, as well, may be an even more brilliant president than I already think he is. I think the administration is trying to deflate as much air out of Trump and Company as they can before the Midterms (this summer may very well be crazy!) all while patiently giving Trump all the rope he needs to keep incriminating himself. They are playing the long game, which requires intelligence, integrity and maturity and also even an empathy for all the pain that America has suffered so far. Trump, and Putin, are definitely starting to realize that they are in a pot of water now - and that water is heating up!
You wrote: "...patiently giving Trump all the rope he needs to keep incriminating himself." As disgusting as tfg is and as audacious those "campaign rallies," it seems he is almost going overboard to tell the world what he's done. I am wondering if it's stupidity, hubris, pride in his perceived "cleverness," or the fact that he believes he IS above the law - or maybe all of the above. He's certainly playing out a lot of rope these days and kudos to Biden for not allowing that rope to distract him from the work of governing.
He's doing what he knows best from days of yore: Confounding others by accusing them of faults he himself has committed, lying through his teeth, bullying the little guys, promising his flock he will provide for them (though with little follow through,) dazzling a few with his good looks and money (fading, fading) and generally being a piece of work. Back in the day, with relatively few who noticed, he got away with Mafiosi tactics. Now he's playing with the big boys, some of whom are Black women. Oh, may they prevail!
Bill, I agree with you and despite the anger and eagerness and impatience of many of our fellow readers (and writers) I have also watched, read and listened to people, many former prosecutors, who explain how tricky it is to make a charge stick because the issue of whether or not the person, in this case, the former guy, has ever actually believed the election was stolen. If his lawyers can make the case that all his actions have been due to his belief that "they've" been "after him" since day one, any DOJ case falls apart. So, much of any of these cases and issues hangs on proving he really believed everything was rigged against him. So, the DOJ must build cases and charges around their ability to prove he has always known exactly what he was doing and he wanted to take over. Pure and simple. At least, that's what I think.
He said early on that if he didn’t win, the reason would be rigging. Before any votes were cast. And that he would accept election results only if he won. Does this point to sincere belief in a steal (not on his behalf, that is)? If he is paranoid, does that excuse him? If a paranoid schizophrenic kills because voices in his head urge him to do it, he doesn’t go scot free, does he?
No question. Trump is not one to merely react. He plots and sets up conditions to give himself space to operate, just like his statement that he could shoot someone without losing a supporter. Just like Putin, placing 100,000 troops on the Ukraine border and claim it is a defensive position against NATO. And this is after Putin took Crimea and sent out of uniform Russian soldiers with arms for militia groups into the eastern industrial section of Ukraine. They have killed about 30,000 Ukrainians so far. And there was the shooting down of a European commercial plane over Ukraine.
Both Putin and Trump rely on their opposition and supporters having short memories, and focusing only on the moment and the redirection of blame onto the victims.
With Trump's message this past weekend that Pence could have "changed the election," I think a strong argument could be made that Trump knew he had lost the election and was doing everything he could to grab back and hold on to the power the voters had taken from him. (Thank goodness!)
Thank you. Being temperamentally an impatient feminist hothead New England WASP (did you see the contradiction in there??), I've been focusing over the last five years on legal writers and podcasters who can keep me focused on how the law works, and why that is a good thing. Among many other things, it helps me resist the impatient, often ignorant hotheads who are ALL OVER social media.
I am not a president, just a citizen who would not be considered for the same patience from the courts as what trump and supporters get with their lies and antics to the courts. I like one Clinton secretary would be sitting in jail till I talked. That is the aggravating part.
Yes, concur with all these feelings. Listen to Laurence Tribe, his teacher. He too, has confidence in Garland. We can only pray he is right. But every day I wake up to these stories saying "how is TFG not behind bars already?" Then I take a deep breath to realize I'm not a lawyer nor a judge, just another hurt American watching this monster deface our country to see how much further the leash can reach.
I had a very interesting conversation with a Trump supporter today. She volunteered that she didn't think she wanted Trump to be President again. Too much chaos. I was pleasantly surprised. Hope it's a trend. It does feel that a few more Republicans put a bit of more space between themselves and DT. Hope that's a trend as well.
His biggest political mistake is losing that last election. That’s a vote of no confidence by the American electorate, and he’ll never get over it. Polls are one thing to these politicians, but an election, especially an election lost, is the real thing.
I'm not sure that he understands the concept of belief. His "beliefs" are brief and convenient for the moment as they support today's plans...but tomorrow? Another day, another belief.
This fits with what people who observed Trump in the White House said. He was more likely to believe what the last person told him about a policy issue or just about anything else.
Well, wasn’t it yesterday he said plainly that Mike Pence could have “overturned the election “ for him and did not. So he knows he lost, and apparently he thinks his followers are catching on. The radical right is going open with their real argument all along: that they are entitled to win, so it’s cheating for too many people to vote for anyone else.
Thank you Joan. Your words are so true. So much encouraging and heartening discussion today. The radical right accusing the majority of cheating is the crux of the Big Lie.
We continually make the mistake when we begin to think in terms of trump being a rational person. (I am not accusing you of this Mike). To a narcissist there is never a defeat; only an adjustment.
For some reason, I am thinking of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." Once a liar, always a liar, even if one decides to actually tell a truth - just one truth. I really don't think he believes he won, but that he just cannot face the fact that he lost - again - and that over 7 million of us despise him. Those would be pretty awful ratings for a reality tv failure.
Totally with you here Ruth. His biggest fear is that he’s the biggest loser around. It’s that very deep insecurity and self-loathing that causes him to insult people madly and widely and broadly. Considering he has 37 women (I think that number is right) accusing him of sex attacks, and he’s been a financial and tax fraud his entire life, and he takes money from a murdering dictator with similar self-esteem issues (Vlad), and his father was the same and never loved him or respected him, and on and on and on, well . . .
Cathy, I have the same conversations with my sister who voted for Trump, but, now says he is a "problem".
She told me a member of her church thinks Trump is the "antichrist". BUT, churches are still supporting Trump because he supports moving public money into (any private entity).
Cathy Learoyd, this is a heartening bit of news to hear on the first day of the coldest month. It is hard to stay patient with the slow progress of the investigations, but I agree with the above commenters who believe everything needs to be airtight. Along the way, perhaps the evidence coming out against trump is chipping away at more and more supporters each month. We need them not to allow him to run again. Meanwhile dems need to really make a difference in people’s lives for the better and talk about it ad nausea.
"In a reversal from Mr. Trump’s White House days, an NBC News poll in late January found that 56 percent of Republicans now define themselves more as supporters of the Republican Party, compared to 36 percent who said they are supporters of Mr. Trump first.
"Mr. Trump remains the most powerful figure in the Republican Party.
The Trump-first faction had accounted for 54 percent of Republican voters in October 2020. The erosion since then spanned every demographic: men and women, moderates and conservatives, people of every age.
"Among the biggest swings was in a group widely seen as Mr. Trump’s most loyal constituency: white Republicans without college degrees, who went from 62 percent identifying first with Mr. Trump to 36 percent."
If he's lost that demographic (white Republicans without college degrees) it must mean they are bored with the script and story line of the reality show "President Apprentice." I was wondering how much longer they would hang in, given they can recite his rants by heart now. Dull stuff for dull people who need to be titillated in order to feel alive makes for cancelation of yet another failed "show."
Good! I love Olear's work, not just the substance but the way he writes. His commentary today makes one wonder, yet again, how can a person as flawed as Trump still hold so much sway. The kicker ending:
"For this monster—this bully and brat, this racist and rapist, this mob money launderer and tax cheat, this thrice married philanderer, this sadistic strongman who allowed a plague to take hold because he thought all that death would help him, this sore loser who attacked our democracy and did everything in his power to overturn the election, this dismal, disgraceful, deplorable failure of a human being—a quarter of the country, and maybe more, are willing to do almost anything, including kill and be killed.
We are entering the Year of the Tiger. Because of how slowly justice is working, especially the Department of Justice, I started thinking that 2021 must be the Year of the Snail, so I had to look it up. 2021 was the Year of the Ox. Slow but powerful movement, steady and methodical; perhaps that’s an auspicious sign of the Chinese zodiac right now. From slow and powerful to ferocious. What do you think?
Right after I read your comment, I came across this in a Facebook post.
"From the latest templestyle newsletter:
In Chinese tradition, this is the year of the Water Tiger!
Here are a couple of contemplations for you, from our Daoist lineage of how we can attune to the unique energies symbolized by this animal-element combination.
First, the Tiger represents strength particularly an earthly, sinewy, muscular strength. In our qigong and martial arts traditions the Tiger is used as a symbol of cultivating the bodily vitality, the flexibility of the joints, and our animal-level power to keep going!
I think this is a potent archetype to invoke in this time on planet earth when we're running up against hardships and we just have to keep going. We can invoke the spirit of the Tiger to give us an exemplar of this graceful, cat-like, but very powerful inner strength.
It's not just any Tiger, though, it's the Water Tiger. And water in Daoist tradition is it's own type of strength. It's flexible, soft, yielding, yet it has a quality of being inexorable.
So as we raise up the spirit of Vitality to rip through or leap over obstacles like a Tiger, let us also keep Water in mind - so that we may easily flow around obstacles, under them, or even through.
We'll need to nourish ourselves by going inward, resting, meditating, attuning to our spirit, if we're going to continue to demonstrate the strength these times of change and confusion require of us. By invoking Water we can have this power of coolness, stillness, and inexorable progress!
May these great archetypes inform your life in a way that leads to inner strength, deeper meaning, and a very fruitful and prosperous year!
Nice Judith! This isn’t really the place for non-mainstream thought, or anything mystical, but I think it’s critical that we read between the rational lines and see beyond the purely intellectual. That’s where hope comes from, hope and encouragement about where all this is going.
My little post about Year of the Tiger is tongue-in-cheek at one level, but also reminding us of other viewpoints. The ancients picked these animals to describe the tenor of the times, as symbols of a particular quality. Describing a particular quality isn’t always easy. The Water Tiger suggests a year of ferocious activity, a year of power, but tempered by flexibility and perhaps resilience.
Hmm, If I keep this up I’ll have to consider starting an astrology or horoscope column. 😆
I'm so glad you posted this, Judith! I was just thinking today that I needed to know more about the meaning of "The Year of the Tiger" and here it is! Thanks for making it easy!
Well, if the Parliament thinks " honesty and decency matters" they really wouldn't like it on this side of the pond. It's non existent in most aspects of the GOP.
What keeps me up at night is the sheer reality that everything being documented and uncovered about Trump may never come to a conclusion or retribution.
Lately, everyday has discoveries that in an earlier version of this Country would be "stop the presses" headlines. Today they are discounted by the GOP. As I watch the daily White House presser, I am amazed that the outstanding news coming from Jen Psaki never makes it past the Brady Room doors. Very discouraging and frankly upsetting how the media is tanking this Administration.
Agreed. Why doesn't someone more influential than we are ask the "mainstream media" why they seem to be so intent on making Joe biden into another Jimmy Carter. I mean the editors and TV news producers, who are actually in charge NOT the columnists or front people on screen.
Perhaps because the economic business model MSM organizations are based on will never give up a winning financial strategy. Bad news, outrage, sensationalism, and the horse race bring the eyeballs that the ads demand. People in those organizations are needing to pay their mortgages and rent. The MSM is not a service. It’s a business out to make as much money as possible. The fact that that reality doesn’t help create a strong citizenry, doesn’t seem to matter too much. Would citizens ever consider paying the true price for truthful information? Would citizens ever consider pushing for true accountability for all publishers of information? We have not so far.
What a stench is coming from your irresponsible media, they really need to purge themselves and relearn their job. And to break free of lobbies once and for all.
And yes, those all-powerful lobbies are the lowest of swamp life, their stranglehold on Congress is incompatible with democratic governance.
And the New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy (D) was interviewed along with Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas governor (R) together on Meet the Press on Sunday. It was a breath of fresh air to hear them agree on the benefits of the infrastructure bill and the need for masking and vaccinations/boosters, among other things. Last Aug. Hutchinson even said he regretted opposing masking.
It didn't matter too much to the Tories when they chose him, though. When he has been fired in his career in politics and journalism...and that is often... it has always been for lying. Johnson is "predictably inconstant, incorrigibly optimistic and reliably egotistical" and everyone in Whitehall and half of London knew it well........but NYC also knew Trump! Johnson has been getting away with it on the wings of a "classic quote" all his life.
The Conservatives just wanted power and they knew Johnson could keep it for them in the chaos generated by May and surrounding Brexit negotiations. Their party is ostensibly the most successful and assuredly the oldest in the western world. They are very succesful in attaining power and keeping it by adapting themselves to the current needs and demands of the electorate.....however that was defined....for the past several centuries.
I didn't see it but heard of it. My thought is firstly her best intentions were as bad as his worst instincts when it comes to leading the country. My second is that both live in a mental fog and don't see the world as it really is. So effectively "the pot calling the kettle black" !
It's ironic that Putin and Russian oligarchs choose to invest their money in capitalist, democratic countries instead of autocracies like Russia, where control from the top down does little to stimulate innovation or the economy, and the ruble has little value.
US and the UK should freeze their assets now, and then release them when Russia withdraws its troops from Ukrainian borders.
Yes, that is how Putin met Trump. Trump laundered money from Russian Oligarch's into western properties. The two most well known are his Scottish Golf Courses where his son, essentially openly during a press interview, admitted to laundering Russian money into those.
Let's face it, most of that money was looted from the Russian/Ukrainian people and their economies in the first place. Not that is anything new in the development of the financial markets or in the history of the City of London or that the Western rich created their fortunes in any other way. However.... The "least cost" option as far as the "Lords of the City" are concerned is the threat and the uncertainty that it induces anout the security of theeastern oligarchs' hoarded cash. Confiscation, if it comes, will thereafter feed the mill for others. Time this was brought under closer control and the origins of wealth were more clearly investigated before allowing such massive flows.
I hear that the UK may enact laws controlling foreign investments.
The oligarchs made their money by privatizing government owned industries. The republicans want to privatize government resources. I wonder if they learned from the Russians.
That money has made cities around the globe too expensive and basically unlivable for 30 years. Empty apartments and streets of boarded up businesses are common in lower Manhattan, which was thriving in comparison in the early 80’s.
And do we have these homegrown oligarchs in both political parties here? Chris Hedges says the Democrats are a party of oligarchs and the Republicans the party of autocrats, but he said that in 2007. Perhaps things have changed. Bushes gave heavily to Liz Cheney.
Yes is the short answer. The Democratic variety outspent the Republicans in 2020. Both have a lot of money that they put where their mouthpieces are, both are intent on telling people how they should live either with what they say is for the "good" of the people or that desired by the rich. Neither have seemingly much interest in what the people actually might want...nobody is listening.
Diana, I really like that idea. They invest with us in order to keep it away from Putin. Freezing their money would really motivate the Russians to see things our way, but it might also instigate a sacrificial move of one of their pieces in the chess game they think they are playing. But I really like your idea!
"it might also instigate a sacrificial move of one of their pieces in the chest game . . ." Can you expand on that? Do you think they would make a move to demonstrate that they don't care if their assets have been frozen?
Great summary of key events and backstory. Thank you! I worry when I read that the “judge” is allowing Eastman to sort through emails with client attorney privilege. This smells of deception. The “fox” is straightening up the “henhouse”. How will the committee know they have the applicable emails if Eastman sorts out those emails he deems “privileged”? This is the same worry I have when the committee waits months to issue subpoenas. This just delays justice. And once the midterms are here…..ugh. Why is it Republicans can insist on Hillary answering to them… but this committee and Dems in general, are supplicants? I know they are building a timeline, but hire some additional investigators and move this along please.
"His former employer, Chapman University, will give Eastman's legal team access to his nearly 19,000 emails by midday on Tuesday, so they can sort through and identify which emails they believe should stay confidential as legal advice between Eastman and Trump, who was Eastman's client as he shopped a legal theory to overturn the 2020 election on January 6.
A third party -- potentially the judge or a team of reviewers -- will then decide whether the emails can stay secret, as attorney-client privileged records."
Seditionists should not be allowed these kinds of rights. I would say they give up their rights once they are revealed as part of a dark coup against our country and we have (enough already) evidence.
Yes, we have a long way to go to ensure that *all* the people have the same rights. We won't get there by taking rights away from our political opponents. We also won't get there by letting authoritarians take over our democracy.
Well, of course I mean they must be convicted. And that looks fairly secure from what we have witnessed. I would take them out for security purposes if they are being tried for national security purposes.
Trump is, in essence, ripping up the Constitution. The House Select Committee is, in essence, trying to piece our Constitution back together. If the Department of Justice fails to hold Trump, Giuliani, Bannon, and the other traitors accountable for crimes against our nation, they will, in essence, be sending the taped together Constitution to the paper shredder. If Trump is not held accountable, he and his seditionist allies will be empowered, the Constitution will be shredded, and our nation will be more.
Holding the seditionists accountable is important. At the same time, remember that the would be oligarchs in this country have a back bench of would-be authoritarian bigshots. Whatever you are doing for democracy, keep doing it. Run for office. Donate money and time to register and get out voters. Write letters. Whatever it is that fits you, do it.
Indeed! Gather up ten people..make sure when they arrrive at the polls they will be "good to go" . And, maybe you stand quietly, in the background, close enough to 'assist' politely if need be. We get more flies with sugar than salt.
Thank you sister Heather. Isn’t it as interesting as it is concerning that two of the world’s highest profile megalomaniacs - tfg and his idol VP - are the instigators of so much unrest? I don’t envy President Biden, but I’m grateful it’s him in our Oval Office. And, as a cat person, I’m grateful Willow’s in near proximity to him - pets and purrs can calm the soul. >^..^<
Putin has never 'gotten over' the collapse of the Soviet Union. Even though he personally benefitted from it.
People are saying 'no one, not even Putin knows what he will do next.' But we know Putin wants the collapse of Western democracy.
And in that he is aligned with America's enemies, allies such as Hungary, Poland, Turkey etc etc - oh, and the entire apparatus of the Republican party.
Spheres of influence. Sovereignty. These things get very complicated.
I agree that Putin wants the collapse of Western democracy. I don't see Poland as America's enemy, they were a democracy until the Law and Justice Party came into power. A Polish physicist friend for many decades who still lives in Poland said in an email that in the 2023 elections in Poland, it is likely the Law and Justice Party will be out because of a number of issues, not the least is the handling of Covid. I think Putin wants Ukraine not only because in his mind it is supposed to be part of Russia, but he wants to intimidate all these Eastern European countries as he encroaches upon them and there's a mass exodus of people seeking asylum, which will once again cause it's own set of issues in destabilizing other countries.
I don't remember the source of this quote, but he was referring to an old czar. Putin claims that Kiev was once the center of "Russia", that is only possible if you ignore proper history writing and indulge in myths to create a future.
The WaPo reported this morning that TFG also deliberately tore up official government-owned documents and threw them on the floor on a regular basis, despite people telling him that he was not allowed to do that. This required a staff member of the NARA (who is paid about $70,000 a year and has numerous degrees) to spend all his time piecing together bits of paper and taping them together. Apparently there are quite a few documents that arrived at NARA in plastic bags in pieces. This is a felony. It would be the easiest thing to charge him with.
It as if a fuzzy TV image slowly clears and comes into sharp focus. The truth has emerged. Now we need those who lived the truth to tell their story in person under questioning. Imagine a split screen: on one side the witnesses building an ironclad case of seditious conspiracy and on the other Trump watching the hearings in a rage and pacing as he takes out his anger and fear on the grotesquely adorned decor of Mar-a-Lago.
Has the idea been posed that Putin's threat to Ukraine is primarily an attempt to disrupt and undermine Biden's presidency? Instilling chaos to benefit a run by TFG, or like? Perhaps this is just too obvious.
Possibly. Putin and trump have common goals: disband NATO. As long as trump was in office, disbanding NATO was a possibility. Now that Biden is in office, Putin is using threat of war to achieve his goal.
My guess would be TFG was only dancing to Putin's bidding as TFG is only looks out for personal gain of the dark money and social status, real or phony, the "carrot" Putin dangles still seeking to corrupt American politics.
I'd remove the word "primarily" and regard the current military build-up along Ukraine's frontiers as getting into synch with Xi's designs against Taiwan. If DT et al can perform their part of the action and destabilize the US enough, the Kremlin, the Chinese regime and every regional titan will have a field day.
Meanwhile, the Russian regime has shown successfully that it cannot be either ignored or circumvented. They seem at least to expect to be paid to go away...(?)
Putin's strategy of "repatriating [Ukrainian] Russians with Russia" is a strategy that has been used by prior dictators to invade and make claim to countries/regions. It rings hollow, especially since Russian Ukrainians enjoy a higher standard of living in Ukraine than they would in Russia.
But - - we can make it more cost-effective for Russia militarily, monetarily, and save Russian lives, by buying homes in Russia for the Ukrainian Russians who want to be Russian instead of Ukraine, and paying to resettle them in Russia. It would be a win-win situation. No war. Ukrainian Russians would be back where they want to be - - motherland Russia, expenses prepaid. But this isn't what Putin really wants, is it? He wants to dominate countries that were forced to be part of the USSR. So he will never accept this reasonable cost- and life-saving offer.
It looks to be that Donald Trump is coming apart at the seams. Today's news that Trump openly admitted that he was attempting to overturn the election came right out of his mouth, together with a promise that if he were to be reelected, he would pardon the insurrectionists indicted and convicted in the January 6 insurrection. I have not speculated how much more evidence prosecutors would need to put together an ironclad case, but the events of the day, coupled with testimony by potential witnesses and hundreds of thousands of incriminating documents attesting to the conspiracy concocted by Trump and his cronies, as well as his unforced, out-of-court statements that basically admitted to the facts, and compound the felonies that he is already committed, all lead to one inevitable conclusion: Trump is guilty as charged, and so are his closest associates, the people who funded this conspiracy, and those who participated in in every way.
From the late 1930s onward, it became popular among the cognoscenti and academics to describe Joseph Stalin's so-called 'show trials' of those whom Stalin and his secret police chief, Beria, considered to be enemies of the regime. Bringing Trump and his associates to trial would not be so much of any show trial, as an absolute circus, on a par with the Nuremberg war crimes trials, given the scope of those conspiracies, and how deeply into the fabric of the American government they reached. But that is what they did, at the behest of a half mad narcissist. Who can figure that one out?
You wrote: "Bringing Trump and his associates to trial would not be so much of any show trial, as an absolute circus...." Absolutely. I can envision the likes of MTG, Boebert, Hawley, Meadows, McCarthy, Jordan, Cruz, etc. putting on a reality-tv level performance the likes of which could not be described in any other way than "circus." Or maybe, "zoo"?
Well, it is comforting to know that Putin recognizes Biden's intelligence and understands his ability with smart diplomacy. What's the matter with the republican hoard along with some democrats, both elected and in the public forum, that minute-by-minute do everything in their power to denigrate Biden in a year the likes of which we haven't seen since the enslavers tried to destroy the still-young United States.
The Republican Party is the new KKK. They want whites, and esp. male whites, in every position of authority. Biden is an enemy. He is choosing a black woman to replace Breyer, among many other “horrible” things. His VP is a woman with a Jamaican father and Indian mother. Of course they are going to denigrate Biden, every chance they get.
This is an excellent synthesis of the news. Surprising to me was the Kremlin's assessment of Biden, that he's smart and can speak on behalf of the West. Of course that is true but it's good to hear coming from Kadri Liik. I watched Laurence Tribe on The Last Word this evening. He was so eloquent and succinct in explaining the criminality of Trump's scheming and planning the seizing of voting machines and that Trump admitted all this publicly. Among his most important points was that AG Merrick Garland said he will follow the facts where they lead, but he has more than enough information now to indict Trump, and what is he waiting for. I wonder if Garland is too "old school" that he would not indict a former president. I think this would be a grave mistake, as Trump has committed multiple crimes and must be held accountable. One other point Dr. Richardson mentioned was that someone inside Trump's inner circle has most likely been leaking to the press. Even if that person wasn't giving an accurate account (probably afraid for him/herself) it shows there are cracks in the loyalty. If one person will do it, others will follow.
What is Garland waiting for? The criminal case against Trump has to be ironclad. It needs to be bolstered by the findings of the House select committee. The committee's public hearings need to tell the story of sedition against Trump and others in a way that the pubic absorbs. Then come federal charges. And in between all of this, probably quite soon, he will be indicted in New York for tax fraud and other financial crimes. All of this is uncharted territory for the country. Care and precision are paramount, even in the face of the intense frustration we all feel.
I agree Michael. The United States is not in the habit (thankfully) of indicting and imprisoning former or current Presidents. Besides the longer this takes the more trump is running around bloviating all the while indicting himself. This is actually the best scenario. People will believe trump way more when he speaks of his coup attempt actions that the January 6 Committee. The media is loving this story and is also spreading the word of trump's actions concerning the attempted coup.
But sooner or later Garland must suit up and show up here.
Other presidents were not mobster type criminals like Trump.
History shows us, to varying degrees, that the USA has had some men (and I use the term because no woman has yet held the office) of pretty questionable character / integrity elected to the Presidency. For some reason, we keep making the terrible mistake of ignoring or discounting all the surrounding, supporting, enabling people who make the election win and subsequent administration possible. It's like a willful blindness, telling us that "this time" is going to be different. Except it isn't, and when the bad things begin to happen, we're surprised.
We need to, as a nation under the Rule of Law, do a much better job of teaching our citizens what Rule of Law actually means, and how to see beyond the popular face on the debate stage or at rallies, so that we can objectively decide whether the 1,500 or so people who will be supporting the popular face are themselves worthy of our trust and confidence.
There have been scoundrels, wastrels, white supremacists, slavery advocates, con artists, grifters, know-nothings, and opportunists of every stripe pushing policies and platforms that have nothing to do with improving the lives of the citizens, and everything to do with improving their personal fortunes, and they've been at it since the very beginning, more than 250 years ago. The current crop of degenerates, however, have proved themselves far worse collectively than anything we've had in the past, with the possible exceptions of a) the day Rep. Preston Brooks caned Sen. Charles Sumner nearly to death on the Senate floor; b) our reprehensible and willing participation in the West African slave trade; c) the cheating of indigenous North American tribes of their ancestral lands, and the executive order that allowed it to happen; d) the internment in camps of Japanese-, Italian-, and German-American citizens during WWII; e) the burning of Greenwood, in Tulsa, Oklahoma; f) the "group-think" decision making that authorized the fatal Challenger launch (the decision was as much economically as scientifically driven); g) the decision to refuse asylum in 1939 to the 1,000 Jewish refugees who were trying to escape Hitler and the Final Solution; h) the decision by the Philadelphia mayor who authorized a parade in 1918 that resulted in thousands of influenza deaths during the pandemic.
And of course, Joe McCarthy and the Devil's minion, Roy Cohn, who created endless chaos and woe with their smarmy, evil persecution of citizens using rumor, innuendo, and brute power. Interesting to note that Cohn later became a pseudo-mentor for TFG, isn't it?
Your comment is very well worded indeed, yet I'd say it is significant that Cohn mentored TFG... on their boss's behalf.
If Macbeth drank from the witches' cauldron, TFG behaves as though he'd bathed in it.
Good examples. Sometimes an individual, sometimes a party (like now?) sometimes the misguided or collective agreement of all. I think (hope) History will look back on this Tr Era as a Repub catastrophe that hurt every citizen in some way. Some more than others but suffering for all. And that Tr and the Repub party bore most of the responsibility.
Nixon was.
Nixon was not a career mobster criminal like Trump. If not for Fred’s money and his criminal friends, plus Roy Kohn, Donald could likely have gone to jail. Nixon also turned over material after being ordered to do so by the Supreme Court. I am not a Nixon fan, but his criminality is not in Trump’s league.
Jenn As a member of the Nixon White House Enemies List I state categorically that there is no comparison between Nixon’s Watergate and other peccadillos and Donald Trump, who, as a former history professor, I consider our worst president ever—not only in his lack of progress for our country but also in his dreadful character, from lying,
Attempting to destroying others, and being focused on himself rather than our country. Nixon had some goodpoints—with Trump, I can not think of a single aspect that I would want my grand kids to emulate.
But in Nixon's early years in Congress, he was part of Joe McCarthy's awful witch hunt for Communists which ruined the lives of many people.
Agreed! Nixon paranoid and insecure but did not possess trump’s level of Di stain for the law!
Almost. But in comparison, he was a wonky statesman.
Hurts to say it but Nixon actually did some good things for the country. https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/richard-m-nixon/
That reminds me of what Nixon told the citizens of the U.S. and the world on TV: "I'M NOT A CROOK." Yeah, right.
Ha! Pales in comparison to being told to utilize bleach and UV lights to clean innards.
Disagree, Barbara. Nixon was crass and entitled to break the law, but he wasn't a mobster with a lifelong history of criminal behavior.
As an example of how weird the world has gotten, the longer Trump lurches around the scene, spouting gas and nonsense, the harder it will be for the Republicans to field a more competent Trump. Don't forget that incompetence was Trump's only saving grace.
As it is, Trump is only attractive to the fools, the venal, and the venal fools. It's the Republican oligarchy-posing-as-conservatiism that we have to discredit, somehow.
Tell me your name is pure Shakespearean poetry! Also the image of gaseous Trump going off like a missile then landing like a limp balloon is priceless.
Thanks for the compliment! Not that Trump would go very far -- he'd probably just skittle circles around on the floor making sad, wheezing sounds.
Exactly right.
It is certainly frustrating and stressful waiting. I feel like we’ve been tied down onto train tracks and just starting to hear it coming in the distance.
No doubt how Trump feels right now. There’s probably really bad news for him this week - his desperate plea for protesting “racists” is such a tell.
On Twitter I follow @duty2warn, a group of mental health officials who focus on Trump. This tweet today is music to my ears:
"With an early start today, Trump says it's Pence who should be investigated. He is flailing now. No continuity. Pure malignancy. Blame doesn't play when you're guilty. Victimization doesn't fly when you're a bully. He is self-sabotaging. Desperation, disorder, and decompensation."
https://twitter.com/duty2warn/status/1488528286246395906?s=20&t=nQdrUS9HCJ0wjQTkIoNQqA
I wonder if Pence will ever see the light and publicly admit he’s been used by his former partner. Unbelievable that after the 1/6 nightmare, he did not distance himself from his boss. Of course that was the perfect time for the entire party to reject TFG. They all had a chance. Too bad. Timing is everything.
Doubt it. He wants back in the game, though his chances are slim until (if) his party regains its lost mind.
Music to my ears!! 🎶 self sabotage is perfect ending for him. Godspeed!
Just possibly flailing TFG will twirl like a drill bit into the ground and find himself at the molten core of the Earth, aka Hell.
Exactly, the whistle is blowing
Worse, what it's blowing for is a full-on civil war. He learned NOTHING from January 6th, and because he's not suffered consequences, he's ratcheting things up again.
We've been hearing it coming since November 2016.
More like waiting on the platform than being tied to the tracks, which can be fatal.
No, I meant it to be ‘fatal’.
While we’re all waiting for democracy to be rescued, Trump, his enablers, and supporters keep escalating the violence, stirring up trouble, eroding democracy, and getting away with their crimes.
Since nothing else is being done (like making Nazi/Nazism a terrorist group, cleaning rotten apples & terrorists out of the military & police, etc), people are putting all hopes towards the House Select Committee finding and stopping the guilty and ending this growing nightmare. Voting it away isn’t going to work because we’re going to lose.
We all hope someone will come along and rescue Pauline, tied to the tracks, from her Peril (coincidenally also the name of Woodward and Costa's new book on the last days of the defeated former president's tenure in office), as in the old silent films. The Select Committee? AG Garland? Hope springs eternal ... and you know the rest.
Uncharted territory. Intense frustration. Yes. I think that we should be facing up to the fact that whatever happens in the New York and Georgia litigation, along with whatever action the Attorney-General takes, the defeated former president will not be going to jail. We just don't do that to ex-presidents. And if the stench of this slowly simmering stew is insufficient to keep the Democrats in control of Congress in a bit over nine months, we can say farewell to all of this as we watch an alternate reality take over.
As a foreigner, I just cannot make sense of what you have written.
Either crime is punished, regardless of the identity and status of the criminal, or the whole country is in effect imprisoned.
Even after the Civil War, Confederate President Jefferson Davis only served two years in a relatively comfortable prison environment and was never even tried for treason because the gov't feared doing so would have legitimized the Confederacy; they also had their hands full with Lincoln's successor. They never were able to tie Davis to Lincoln's assassination. Ultimately, he was granted amnesty. You are correct in stating that the whole country was thereby imprisoned for another century without real enforcement of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments.. Trying Davis would have opened the door to further civil strife which is not unlike today's situation where a defeated former president tried to defy the Constitution.
There is always a first time. And as far as I am concerned, Trump should have been jailed long before now from all that he has done and gotten away with it all.
He shall be Al Caponed
Mike, while I totally agree that Trump has acted criminally, I am not a lawyer. Garland’s DOJ has increasingly indicted 1/6 perpetrators for ‘sedition.’ Other perps are being summoned (and subpoenaed) to appear before the House 1/6 committee. I believe that some of these Trump co-conspirators will be indicted.
Dealing with an ex-president, especially such a fake icon as Trump, is on a different level. [Remember that President Ford pardoned ex-Prez Nixon to get our country back on a more even keel.] Ultimately Attorney General Garland will have to decide whether ‘the evidence’ merits a criminal indictment of Messiah Trump. Clearly there are political implications and Trump’s Kool Aid followers would be extremely rambunctious.
Meanwhile, Trump is embroiled in diverse civil and criminal ‘inconveniences.’ I hope that he experiences black garlands from Garland, but I’m ready to wait and see.
Rambunctious is an interesting choice here. I would say they will be very dangerous and already are because of the constant death threats directed at anyone trying to do anything about death star. It is clear that the committee and the DOJ are going up the food chain. I see below a post that says the case must be airtight and I agree with TCinLA. It is very frustrating to be patient.
I agree. And the case WILL be airtight. I am stocking up on popcorn and St. Ambrose Cellars mead for the Congressional 1/6 hearings.
Does single malt go with popcorn??!
Mmmmmmmm.!!
In order to get to the Godfather, you have to get to his hit men. That’s what the Select Committee and Garland are doing. We are now seeing the pathetic melting-down (think of the Wicked Witch) of a murderous buffoon. Quite frankly, he’s continued to shovel more dirt into his grave and I am enjoying that.
It has to be air tight. No doubt about that. I'm willing to wait to give the bigger brains than mine to do their due diligence. I can't wait for the hearings!!! That's gonna be excellent!
Exactly right, Michael Bales and TC. Will someone please explain this to Lawrence Tribe? I'm beginning to wonder who is paying his salary.
Tribe is a brilliant Constitutional Law scholar; an academician. But he isn’t on the daily update list from Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Secretary of State’s office. More going on behind the scenes I think and Tribe needs to get a grip on his ego. He’s no longer Garland’s law professor and therefore the only expert in the room.
Thanks for the insights into Tribe, Sheila. And, yes, I agree, there's much more going on behind the scenes. How effective will the "super-sting" of tRump be if every law professor and CNN reporter had a daily play-by-play from DOJ et al. We elected Joe Biden to stop the tyranny and the tyrant. Every branch and level of government is doing its part as well. Public Congressional January 6 hearings will be televised live soon. This is a carefully, cleverly orchestrated investigation to:
1) Get the defeated former guy
2) Convince We The People that he needs to be gotten
3) Lock up TDFG's Brown Shirts so his army is disarmed
4) Make it stick.
Do we have a date yet for when the televised hearings will start?
Not more than "early February" as far as I know.
I've read late March or early April.
Each person is entitled to their opinion, of course, but I can't say I ever get a vibe of arrogance from Tribe. It isn't about having been Garland's law professor, I think he is spot on in his analysis and as Sheila said, he is a Constitutional Law Scholar, much like Rep. Jamie Raskin, only years his senior.
Well he is no doubt enjoying the spotlight.
I believe it's more sinister. Have all the Trump people been ferreted out of DOJ? He put a lot of his people in the ranks. They could easily be slow walking everything.
This is an aside but tangential to the trump administration stink lingering in DC. The Equal Rights Amendment has been ratified by 38 states, however it is not recognized as part of the Constitution for legal purposes!! Why? The national archivist was directed No to certify the Amendment by the trump admin! That memo is still ‘active’ and preventing the ERA from becoming law!
When the ERA first passed Congress, it had an unusual section saying that it had to be ratified within a limited number of years to be successful. The deadline was extended once or twice, then ran out. The last state ratified years after the deadline expired.
From the Ms. article: "“Earlier this month, Columbia University’s ERA Project released a detailed analysis signed by top constitutional law scholars explaining why the OLC memo was flawed. And 16 scholars, including Tribe, Roberts, Crenshaw and Sullivan, recently released a legal brief arguing that the ERA is validly ratified.
States did not vote for the timeline—states voted for the text of the ERA. The timeline was in a preamble. The timeline is definitely not binding on Congress,” said Georgetown Law Professor Victoria Nourse, who was among the law scholars who signed the statement.
“There is within the language of the amendment itself no deadline for ratification,” said constitutional law scholar and Dean Erwin Chemerinksy of Berkeley Law School. “I think the Trump administration and the Justice Department was just wrong. The OLC memo said that there was a seven-year deadline for ratification based on the preamble to the ERA, not the language of the amendment. There are constitutional amendments that say within the text that they must be ratified within seven years. The ERA is not such an amendment.”
The information shared was from Rep Maloney (NY) during a morning interview on NPR. Yes the extension was mentioned.
A commenter(sorry I can’t remember who?) recently shared this link:
https://msmagazine.com/2022/01/27/equal-rights-amendment-resolution-us-house-28th-amendment-constitution/
As noted in the article, the archivist has to certify the ratification. Until that is done, according to Ms Maloney’s radio interview, judges cannot cite it in any rulings!
Agreed !But for some, like me:), it helps to be able to read through the process.
I agree, Michael. Regardless of what we here believe or what the House select committee reveals, there are many adherents to TFG's insanity who will never sign on to his obvious promotion of this farce. His guilt will not be enough to punish him unless Garland and the DOJ can make it stick. This dance must be orchestrated with great precision, regardless of our frustration.
And as soon as Trump is charged with a crime at a federal level, the next civil war will begin.
State against state.
Republican against Democrat.
Neighbor against neighbor.
Family against family.
Is it worth tearing America apart just to get to Trump? Or just maybe this is his game plan? “ If I can’t rule America, I will destroy it”
Trump's end game is Putin's end game, which is to create turmoil within our country so we implode. Is it worth it? America is already torn apart. It is worth it because there has to be rule of law in this country. It has to be, because we still have a Constitution. There are already families all over the country that have been torn apart, where adult children cannot speak with their parents, where friends for years no longer speak. It isn't about "getting to Trump", it is about holding him accountable for his actions. He is now speaking publicly about his crimes. That takes a lot of brass and it's because he has gotten away with it so far. He is not king. It is not in the Constitution that we allow dictators to rule in this country. Bannon said early on in 2015 that he wanted to bring down the government of this country. I thought he was nuts, I thought that couldn't happen, and here we are. Not holding Trump accountable will only spawn more like him, and they are out there, DeSantis and Youngkin for example. I'm not waiting for the GOP to win in 2022. I don't think it is a fait accompli. We have a lot of work to do to hold on to our democracy.
Glad you mentioned Bannon - that he was chosen as TFGs Chief Strategist says a lot.... so many of our former friends didn't catch that part of TFG and still don't 'get' that, and likely never will....
Non only Bannon. Paul Manafort was working for free for Trump and that was a mystery to many of us. For years and years, he had been working for the Kremlin, and there he was working for Trump, no doubt in tandem with Russia.
So much happened early on, before TFG even announced he was running for president. It could have been missed if a person wasn't paying close attention.
All of this is not "just to get Trump". It's one of many undertakings to fight against the monsters released by Trump and to save our democratic union. Trump is a huge figurehead for the extreme right, those threatening mayhem if Trump is charged with the crimes he has committed, and that head needs to be removed in a manner that leaves no uncertainty that he is a criminal who has criminally used the position of the President of the United States of America in his (and others') efforts to turn our democracy into an authoritarian, even fascist, states of america.
To remove the uncertainty you describe will require a trial ... and that might be counterproductive for the preserving of democracy in America. The time is not ripe for one now. The battle against the extreme right, which goes back to John Calhoun before the Civil War, must continue, but within the law. The law cannot be ignored, even if it takes much longer that way.
We're damned if we do and damned if we don't. We must continue forward to hold TFG accountable. Failing to do so will encourage him & his followers in their beliefs that he is right in his claims & right in his desire to become president again. His violent right-wing supporters are already threatening violence if TFG is charged in Georgia or New York. He must be stopped.
I lifted this Churchill quote from the Greg Olear blog of May 21, 2021, link posted here a few days ago: "“An appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile—hoping it will eat him last,” wrote Winston Churchill." Failing to hold TFG accountable is no different from Neville Chamberlain's efforts at appeasement vis a vis Hitler.
If the extreme right goes beyond the freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment, and commits acts of violence, they must be apprehended and punished to the full expent of the law. As guilty of crimes as the defeated former president seems to be, efforts to hold him accountable must also be within the law. As some of the words of "America the Beautiful" advise, "God mend thine ev’ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law."
YES. Exactly what you said Judith.
Earlier today, another commenter charitably characterized the possible reaction of the supporters of the defeated former president to an indictment as 'rambunctious." The "next civil war" will not be like the last one. In fact, we are gradually slipping into it today. It will take place on the internet, in legislatures (both real and rump) and in violent demostrations by both sides ultimately put down by law enforcement allied to one of the sides. Look for more events like those which occurred in Charlottsville, Portland, Minneapolis, and of course, the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The winner will be the side that is most convincing.
Well, that was Hitler's end scheme - he even sent people out to dynamite what the Allies hadn't knocked down (which fortunately didn't much happen)
Yes. They’re all creeps. We don’t have an America with them in it. They need to be rounded up and exiled.
Nice thought, but we don't exile people.
Yet another reason why our current government is working not just to investigate, charge and indict, but also is presenting the case for democracy in the congressional court of opinion. Plus, we are already in civil war.
A "congressional court of opinion," so long as Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell call the shots for their party, is not possible. We all know precisely what the vote will be in both Houses. The case must be convincingly presented to a 'public' court of opinion. Agree that we are already in a different kind of civil war right now.
Timing is everything.
Correct! The plays a coach calls in the last minutes of a football game differ from the rest of the game, as many of the NFL playoff games proved this year. Better to lock in the win before the final minutes of the game arrive. A bit over nine months remain until Election Day.
Old rule of politics going back thousands of years: "When you strike the king, you must kill him." Can you imagine how powerful Trump would be if he was indicted and got off? I want that case tighter than air tight, more solid than granite. Particularly since it would only take one liar getting on the jury to FUBAR the entire thing. As impatient as I am to see his body dropped mid-ocean in an undisclosed location, like Bin Laden, I'll wait to be surer than sure that is what happens.
TC, I too am more than willing to be patient, if the right people are handling this historic process against the most devious, evasive, sociopath ever to despoil the White House. He absolutely despises lawyers and courts and the law; yet he is a weapons-grade master at using them to evade capture and punishment.
In Atlanta-Fulton County, DC, and New York State and City, I absolutely believe we have the right people! I have supplies laid in for the long haul; I’ll patiently wait with you and Michael Bales while ‘our’ lawyers hunt with “care and precision.”
They must not fail.
My only wish. Let the charges against trump prohibit him from running for office ever again.
The most important sentence to be written, ever, in our history
Agree, but I prefer "verdict" to "charges"
🙏🏼👍🏼👏🏼
I can think of nothing more fitting than Trump being prosecuted by a humble Black woman. Such just desserts!
If Trump came to any physical harm, his base would go completely bonkers. I agree it has to be a tight case. I'm not an attorney but I think there is a ton of evidence against him.
Joanna, I think TC was speaking metaphorically. I hope TC was speaking metaphorically. Yes, the MAGAts would go berserk. I’m expecting them to do that anyhow....
I was talking about what happens after he dies in prison at the end of his "life without parole" imprisonment. Where he'd be "killed" by sitting in a windowless cell, forgotten.
Without all the bloody attention the narcissistic vile one gets everyday, he would shrivel up like a raisin in jail without all this attention and his droolers and those who make money off him. I love NOT hearing about the rather large body of power narcissists such as Epstein and Maxwell who we hear about rarely in the news. Ghislaine is rotting and we occasionally hear her muffled cries as she complains about how horrible jail time is for her. Can't wait for tfg and all his minions still in our government to join her. Of course, Jeffrey's cries were muffled permanently and we all know why...money talks or forces those who know something illicit about the powerful...to not talk.
Pensa, An orange raisin....
I sort of like the TP version....
I clean up a lot of different shit with TP. :-)
Can’t give him a tomb at Arlington. No way. Bottom of undisclosed ocean much better.
There is, but there's no reason not to use ten tons. You want to be certain that when he's squashed, he'll be so flat you can roll him up and flush him like toilet paper.
TC, you are one of the reasons I subscribed here. There are a number of people whose astute posts I look for. Am I seeing frustration, as your posts are starting to sound aggrieved, (though they are tremendously humorous!)? I used to work with someone who'd pray that while tfg was in office, he'd step out of Air Force One, trip at the top of the st(airs, and fall to the bottom breaking his neck and instantaneously perishing. Perhaps aided by Melania forcefully swatting his hand away and inadvertently--or maybe not?-- propelling him down.)
Anyhow, your posts are well worth seeking out. Do carry on!!
If you like his posts, Miselle, check out his essays on Substack. https://tcinla757.substack.com/
Highly recommended.
❤💙
You're quite amusing, too, Miselle. Watching tfg 'step out of Air Force One', in your post, reminded me of him going down the shiny escalator, with Melania looking like a Playboy Bunny behind him (the opening act to announcing his run for the presidency in 2015) And then tfg's fall, with Melania's help, tumbling …down, down, down the steps of Air Force One as told by you was the scene of our dreams!
Or walking up the steps of Air Force One with tp stuck on his shoe. ( full circle ).
Nice imagery....I suppose you would want to use said TP first?
To clean up cat barf, sure.
That’s not what I use TP for — oh, I get your meaning....
Don’t insult my cat. She/He would
Want no contact with TFG in any form!
Yup.
Perhaps Trump will choke to death on a double cheeseburger. Then his base could mourn him at his favorite golf tee.
Gosh I sure got a kick outta that visual! 😁
How many will stand by him one he Trades the spray tan for an orange jumpsuit.
Even then, Trump, enablers, & cultists won’t care. We really need 100% indisputable proof so we can be justified in doing the necessary - whatever that may be.
Until some possible “heroes” in the Republican Party finally stand up against trumpism, I sadly believe no amount of evidence or proof will ever be able to convince the Republicans that they were and are wrong. Their drug of choice is power and their addiction has lead them to chose the drug over the rule of law, the future of our country, and any sense of integrity they once had.
I agree, Deborah. And I put almost all the blame on the Republican lawmakers b/c they are (supposedly) of sound mind whereas Trump's niece, the psychologist, has "testified" to TFG as being a "high-functioning sociopath." a "chip off the old block" of his father, Fred.
DM, There aren’t any Hero’s among the RR’s (Repugnant Republicans) nor are there any that will ever admit they were wrong or, I believe…very many that are actually loyal to tRump! Only those who will discard him the moment his influence and power are gone…then turn to the next “Provider” and so on! Mr tRump will find himself on history’s “Trash Heap” with the rest of the…use your own imagination!
So then we’re going to be at war within the next decade.
They won't believe the proof.
Agree TC. The subject of Atty Gen Merrick Garland has been discussed on this forum repeatedly repeatedly repeatedly. My opinion is that there are not enough of us that trust in his office, oath, duty and skill to assemble the correct arrows in the quiver to fell the “king”. I believe that Atty Gen Garland is doubted by more people than the lying, obsequious, cowardly Republicans blocking every good thing for the people that can flow from Pres Biden’s agenda. It’s like we are resigned to daily treason as the common mode from legislators.
What disturbs me is the criticism and doubt towards the officials that have worked 24/7 since Jan 20, 2021 to drag this country out of the morass that the former dragged it into. Our patience might be tried but I, for one, cannot stand to see another case against the former treated as if it has no right to even be charged or litigated.
My simmer quickly turns to a rage when I watch the former stage his remarks and appearances to promote blatant racism by accusing those who have been bloodied by it as guilty of it.
The evil has no breath. Let us watch it suffocate itself and not give it any crack to escape.
We are all in this together. There is enough to go around.
When the indictment finally comes, I will remember that you stood with Merrick Garland through thick and thin...morning, Christine!
Morning Lynell.
Exactly
Yes, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that TFG could get off. So far he’s survived Impeachments and almost risen from the ashes of 1/6. At some point though he must pay. Or at least that is the great hope.
If he’s determined to be guilty, nothing will happen to him. If they find out before the 2024 election, he will hopefully be barred from running again.
Look, surely the choice is between the Republic and him.
You are still technically a republic, not an imperium... under a geriatric Caligula.
TC, I might have phrased it somewhat differently, but agree wholeheartedly with the point you are making.
Believe me, the most we can hope for is some sort of comfortable informal exile, even if it is only within the gates of Mar-a-Lago, with no telephone or internet service.
Tim Snyder op-ed Oct 2020 in the Commowheel was less generous.
There is no "old school" about not indicting a FORMER president. As Rachel Maddow said tonight talking about her revealing, recent podcast "Bag Man", the origin of the DOJ policy "Don't indict a sitting President" came out of the Nixon-Agnew era. Rachel also announced this evening she is leaving the show temporarily as "Bag Man" is going to made into a movie directed by Ben Stiller. Rachel also advised viewers she has completed further historical research on the "Bag Man" story; I expect solid historical context brought up to current legal events similar to Professor Richardson's methodology. I welcome criticism of my comment. As Rachel often says to guests, "Have I got anything wrong"?
This is part of how she became The $30 Million Woman. She gets to leave the show to work on projects (she mentioned she'll be leaving again later this spring), and she's paid $30 million annually to insure she doesn't go anywhere else. Don't worry, I'm not complaining. I think she's worth every penny. Ari Emanuel is worth every penny of that ten percent agency commission.
I lost track of "Ari Emanuel"
after he merged with the Morris Agency. Quick Update?
Now the head of the biggest, most important agency, WME/Endeavor, the inheritor of Ovitz's crown.
Thanks for filling me in, as I had heard earlier in the day Rachel would make an announcement about leaving and I missed it. I didn't think I wanted to hear a word about Spiro Agnew because I lived through all of that, but I listened to the first episode of Bag Man and I was not only hooked, I thought it was so terrific, I listened to the podcast a second time. Interesting that it will be made into a film. I hope the film will do it justice.
Ben Stiller is "hit and miss" but if he "gets it" it can be good. One can bet it will be a "comedy with teeth" which is the only way to do it.
Dang it…the “heart” isn’t working again! Stiller directed “Escape from Dannemora” which was incredible. I think he can tackle making this film just fine.
Lorne Michaels will be co-producing. I believe Universal has the distribution & promo bucks. "Watch this Space,"
Me too and I agree
Me too! I thought the podcast was excellent and engaging.
It's a terrific story and Rachel tells it in her inimitable style.
I am going to miss her while she is away.
"You live, you learn" ... "I recommend biting off more than you can chew to anyone. I certainly do." New chapter.
Love this.....thanks.
Never had the chance to thank Alanis.
Thank you for highlighting Rachel and Bag Man. It’s a not-to-miss series and so relevant today. Wouldn’t it be another miracle if Trump and his minions would disappear? But that’s not going to happen. What about the papers TFG and others have submitted that are in pieces and shreds? Every day another surprise. And maybe we’re closer to the ending and the beginning.
"And the beginning" ...Thank you.
I keep thinking about the people who salvaged those scraps and ensured that they made it to the National Archives. Some, I've read, were already taped back together so had to have been done at the WH, and that toward the end, scraps were sent to the Archives where they were taped back together. Imagine if TFG had managed to actually trash/destroy those scraps....
I do not know the details but, the National Archives does have an OIG, an Office of Inspector General.
I wouldn't have thought an "old school" person would have any qualms about indicting Trump. He never at any time fulfilled the office of president.
I may be wrong, but I think it's the "Office of the Presidency", not the imposter, that Garland respects. I do agree with you that Trump never fulfilled the office of the presidency nor was he ever presidential. He was all about lies and con and grift, and still is.
I think the closest resemblance to Trump we've got from American history is Aaron Burr. Supported by the Democratic-Republicans for Vice President, he attempted to finagle a flaw in the constitution and get himself elected President over Thomas Jefferson. He failed, served his term as Vice President, then went west, supported by a group of armed men. Jefferson issued a warrant for Burr's arrest for treason, for violating the Neutrality Act of 1794. Burr was arrested, tried (with Chief Justice John Marshall presiding), and acquitted. The acquittal somehow left Burr an unpopular figure. He left for Europe, returned after a few years, but was not a factor in national politics again.
But he had killed a great mind.
Leonard Aaron Burr was dealing with the existing Constitution [It required a swift Constitutional Amendment to assure that equal votes for prez and vice prez wouldn’t provide the latter a chance at the top spot.] Resolution of the presidency came down to Alexander Hamilton [Who, not being American born, could not be president.] Hamilton despised Jefferson with whom he had bloody battles in Washington’s cabinet. However, he loathed Burr and considered him totally unfit to be president. Thus Hamilton held his nose and supported Jefferson’s presidency in the House run off.
Was it coincidental that Burr killed Hamilton in a ‘duel’ a few years later? Burr was acquited of treason by Chief Justice John Marshall serving as a circuit judge—he ruled that there were not two (only one) witness of Burr’s treason.
Except… maybe not for a paid position but he changed history.
Not for one nanosecond.
I, too, think A.G. Garland may be hesitant to take the steps necessary to hold Trump accountable in a real court as well as the one of public opinion. While I do not like to think the U.S. got as bad as Italy/Mussolini (a ruler who is unconstrained by law), I think Trump has cultivated factions that believe he has that right. Unless the DOJ puts Trump in the docket, on the front pages of newspapers, and the top news story night after night (especially on Fox) that he will be held accountable far beyond any $ .25 on the dollar fine, that faction will continue to grow. And that accountability needs to happen no later than early summer. Unlike Watergate, the country cannot afford to wait until after the 2022 election. Trump might not be in office (so he can resign like Nixon) but there could be many that he will have endorsed and set lose to carry forth. Republican voters may not want to vote for Democrats but they must know voting for a Trump candidate is to vote for sedition and civil war.
"Republican voters may not want to vote for Democrats but they must know voting for a Trump candidate is to vote for sedition and civil war." Strong message, very clear.
The most chilling statement from Liik: "Plus, Biden is someone who can speak on behalf of the West. During the whole Trump period, there was no one like that.”
While I have been extremely impatient with Atty General Garland, I am taking a step back and trying to gain perspective and calm myself down. It's pretty easy to fall into the "rage reaction". I repeat two points to myself.
The first has already been expressed here and elsewhere. TFG is feeling more and more desperate. More and more people in the know are talking to the committee. Charges are close to being filed in Georgia and New York. TFG's statements are more and more self-incriminating. And I see the "sinking ship" - rats are starting to travel down the rope to the safety of the dock. TFG's self destruction may lead to a large exodus of formerly loyal capos and picciottos.
The second is that we really should consider the fact that Merrick Garland might be the perfect person for this job. He has a long career of integrity and excellent judgement. I believe that when he acts, he will do so effectively and precisely. Keep in mind he has a judge's point of view. He is not going charge anyone until he ABSOLUTELY knows he will have a conviction.
So I am parking my frustration and anger. I am still looking for a place to put it :) But if you review Garland's impeccable career, and you consider that he has the mind of a Supreme Court justice...perhaps patience is appropriate. In the meantime, don't change the channel. TFG is squirming. Can't you feel it's desperation, smell it's fear?
Thank you for writing this. When I make myself take a step (or several!) back I have to agree 100%. This is why I think Biden, as well, may be an even more brilliant president than I already think he is. I think the administration is trying to deflate as much air out of Trump and Company as they can before the Midterms (this summer may very well be crazy!) all while patiently giving Trump all the rope he needs to keep incriminating himself. They are playing the long game, which requires intelligence, integrity and maturity and also even an empathy for all the pain that America has suffered so far. Trump, and Putin, are definitely starting to realize that they are in a pot of water now - and that water is heating up!
You wrote: "...patiently giving Trump all the rope he needs to keep incriminating himself." As disgusting as tfg is and as audacious those "campaign rallies," it seems he is almost going overboard to tell the world what he's done. I am wondering if it's stupidity, hubris, pride in his perceived "cleverness," or the fact that he believes he IS above the law - or maybe all of the above. He's certainly playing out a lot of rope these days and kudos to Biden for not allowing that rope to distract him from the work of governing.
He's doing what he knows best from days of yore: Confounding others by accusing them of faults he himself has committed, lying through his teeth, bullying the little guys, promising his flock he will provide for them (though with little follow through,) dazzling a few with his good looks and money (fading, fading) and generally being a piece of work. Back in the day, with relatively few who noticed, he got away with Mafiosi tactics. Now he's playing with the big boys, some of whom are Black women. Oh, may they prevail!
All of the above. Hopefully, justice is in his future (and Justice, as in DOJ).
Bill, I agree with you and despite the anger and eagerness and impatience of many of our fellow readers (and writers) I have also watched, read and listened to people, many former prosecutors, who explain how tricky it is to make a charge stick because the issue of whether or not the person, in this case, the former guy, has ever actually believed the election was stolen. If his lawyers can make the case that all his actions have been due to his belief that "they've" been "after him" since day one, any DOJ case falls apart. So, much of any of these cases and issues hangs on proving he really believed everything was rigged against him. So, the DOJ must build cases and charges around their ability to prove he has always known exactly what he was doing and he wanted to take over. Pure and simple. At least, that's what I think.
He said early on that if he didn’t win, the reason would be rigging. Before any votes were cast. And that he would accept election results only if he won. Does this point to sincere belief in a steal (not on his behalf, that is)? If he is paranoid, does that excuse him? If a paranoid schizophrenic kills because voices in his head urge him to do it, he doesn’t go scot free, does he?
No question. Trump is not one to merely react. He plots and sets up conditions to give himself space to operate, just like his statement that he could shoot someone without losing a supporter. Just like Putin, placing 100,000 troops on the Ukraine border and claim it is a defensive position against NATO. And this is after Putin took Crimea and sent out of uniform Russian soldiers with arms for militia groups into the eastern industrial section of Ukraine. They have killed about 30,000 Ukrainians so far. And there was the shooting down of a European commercial plane over Ukraine.
Both Putin and Trump rely on their opposition and supporters having short memories, and focusing only on the moment and the redirection of blame onto the victims.
With Trump's message this past weekend that Pence could have "changed the election," I think a strong argument could be made that Trump knew he had lost the election and was doing everything he could to grab back and hold on to the power the voters had taken from him. (Thank goodness!)
Thank you. Being temperamentally an impatient feminist hothead New England WASP (did you see the contradiction in there??), I've been focusing over the last five years on legal writers and podcasters who can keep me focused on how the law works, and why that is a good thing. Among many other things, it helps me resist the impatient, often ignorant hotheads who are ALL OVER social media.
I am not a president, just a citizen who would not be considered for the same patience from the courts as what trump and supporters get with their lies and antics to the courts. I like one Clinton secretary would be sitting in jail till I talked. That is the aggravating part.
Yes, concur with all these feelings. Listen to Laurence Tribe, his teacher. He too, has confidence in Garland. We can only pray he is right. But every day I wake up to these stories saying "how is TFG not behind bars already?" Then I take a deep breath to realize I'm not a lawyer nor a judge, just another hurt American watching this monster deface our country to see how much further the leash can reach.
I had a very interesting conversation with a Trump supporter today. She volunteered that she didn't think she wanted Trump to be President again. Too much chaos. I was pleasantly surprised. Hope it's a trend. It does feel that a few more Republicans put a bit of more space between themselves and DT. Hope that's a trend as well.
His biggest political mistake is losing that last election. That’s a vote of no confidence by the American electorate, and he’ll never get over it. Polls are one thing to these politicians, but an election, especially an election lost, is the real thing.
The interesting thing about making up a lie is that, as time goes past, the more one says it the more one cannot remember what was actually true.
I think Trump now believes he actually won.
I'm not sure that he understands the concept of belief. His "beliefs" are brief and convenient for the moment as they support today's plans...but tomorrow? Another day, another belief.
This fits with what people who observed Trump in the White House said. He was more likely to believe what the last person told him about a policy issue or just about anything else.
Agree.
Well, wasn’t it yesterday he said plainly that Mike Pence could have “overturned the election “ for him and did not. So he knows he lost, and apparently he thinks his followers are catching on. The radical right is going open with their real argument all along: that they are entitled to win, so it’s cheating for too many people to vote for anyone else.
Those comments were also on his teleprompter - not off the cuff - so at some level, calculated.
Is Manafort still able to advise him from home?
Thank you Joan. Your words are so true. So much encouraging and heartening discussion today. The radical right accusing the majority of cheating is the crux of the Big Lie.
Their real argument, perfectly stated. Thank you!
We continually make the mistake when we begin to think in terms of trump being a rational person. (I am not accusing you of this Mike). To a narcissist there is never a defeat; only an adjustment.
For some reason, I am thinking of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." Once a liar, always a liar, even if one decides to actually tell a truth - just one truth. I really don't think he believes he won, but that he just cannot face the fact that he lost - again - and that over 7 million of us despise him. Those would be pretty awful ratings for a reality tv failure.
I think they think that he *should have* won, so stealing the election was the right thing to do.
YES‼️
Agreed 100% Mike!
25th Amendment material for sure.
He lost the popular vote twice. Was impeached twice. And is facing indictment for some serious crimes against the United States, Georgia and Arizona.
Only a narcissist could walk around in the hurricane of these facts and still think they are the winner above all else.
A sociopathic narcissist....
It has also been said before by people certainly more qualified than me that he is a sadist as well.
And plain old butt ugly.
Now Grace….! 💯
Yes. So says his psychologist niece, as well, a professional in the field.
Oh, I suspect that at base level, he doesn't think he's a winner -- and therein lies the basis of his behaviors.
Totally with you here Ruth. His biggest fear is that he’s the biggest loser around. It’s that very deep insecurity and self-loathing that causes him to insult people madly and widely and broadly. Considering he has 37 women (I think that number is right) accusing him of sex attacks, and he’s been a financial and tax fraud his entire life, and he takes money from a murdering dictator with similar self-esteem issues (Vlad), and his father was the same and never loved him or respected him, and on and on and on, well . . .
Except when you can declare it a "non-event" as he patently tried to do.
Cathy, I have the same conversations with my sister who voted for Trump, but, now says he is a "problem".
She told me a member of her church thinks Trump is the "antichrist". BUT, churches are still supporting Trump because he supports moving public money into (any private entity).
Agreed. I have a few relatives in Maryland and Virginia who say they don't want Trump the next time.
Cathy Learoyd, this is a heartening bit of news to hear on the first day of the coldest month. It is hard to stay patient with the slow progress of the investigations, but I agree with the above commenters who believe everything needs to be airtight. Along the way, perhaps the evidence coming out against trump is chipping away at more and more supporters each month. We need them not to allow him to run again. Meanwhile dems need to really make a difference in people’s lives for the better and talk about it ad nausea.
From a very telling poll:
"In a reversal from Mr. Trump’s White House days, an NBC News poll in late January found that 56 percent of Republicans now define themselves more as supporters of the Republican Party, compared to 36 percent who said they are supporters of Mr. Trump first.
"Mr. Trump remains the most powerful figure in the Republican Party.
The Trump-first faction had accounted for 54 percent of Republican voters in October 2020. The erosion since then spanned every demographic: men and women, moderates and conservatives, people of every age.
"Among the biggest swings was in a group widely seen as Mr. Trump’s most loyal constituency: white Republicans without college degrees, who went from 62 percent identifying first with Mr. Trump to 36 percent."
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/us/politics/trump-grip-republicans-polls.html
If he's lost that demographic (white Republicans without college degrees) it must mean they are bored with the script and story line of the reality show "President Apprentice." I was wondering how much longer they would hang in, given they can recite his rants by heart now. Dull stuff for dull people who need to be titillated in order to feel alive makes for cancelation of yet another failed "show."
I copied this post of yours and emailed to Greg Olear. He would love it. A failed show as a theme for one of his regular pieces.
Good! I love Olear's work, not just the substance but the way he writes. His commentary today makes one wonder, yet again, how can a person as flawed as Trump still hold so much sway. The kicker ending:
"For this monster—this bully and brat, this racist and rapist, this mob money launderer and tax cheat, this thrice married philanderer, this sadistic strongman who allowed a plague to take hold because he thought all that death would help him, this sore loser who attacked our democracy and did everything in his power to overturn the election, this dismal, disgraceful, deplorable failure of a human being—a quarter of the country, and maybe more, are willing to do almost anything, including kill and be killed.
"This is the real Donald John Trump."
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/portrait-of-an-american-strongman
Thank you! I love his substack!
Nice Ellen‼️
Wow, thank you for this news Michael. The good news just keeps on coming. 🎉🎉
YES!!! Good News! Thanks Cathy. I am feeling that trend, too.
Cathy, your news is the most encouraging and lovely news of the day 🎉🍀🙏
We are entering the Year of the Tiger. Because of how slowly justice is working, especially the Department of Justice, I started thinking that 2021 must be the Year of the Snail, so I had to look it up. 2021 was the Year of the Ox. Slow but powerful movement, steady and methodical; perhaps that’s an auspicious sign of the Chinese zodiac right now. From slow and powerful to ferocious. What do you think?
I think it is "Grrrrrrreat!" — T. the T.
You crack me up 😂
Right after I read your comment, I came across this in a Facebook post.
"From the latest templestyle newsletter:
In Chinese tradition, this is the year of the Water Tiger!
Here are a couple of contemplations for you, from our Daoist lineage of how we can attune to the unique energies symbolized by this animal-element combination.
First, the Tiger represents strength particularly an earthly, sinewy, muscular strength. In our qigong and martial arts traditions the Tiger is used as a symbol of cultivating the bodily vitality, the flexibility of the joints, and our animal-level power to keep going!
I think this is a potent archetype to invoke in this time on planet earth when we're running up against hardships and we just have to keep going. We can invoke the spirit of the Tiger to give us an exemplar of this graceful, cat-like, but very powerful inner strength.
It's not just any Tiger, though, it's the Water Tiger. And water in Daoist tradition is it's own type of strength. It's flexible, soft, yielding, yet it has a quality of being inexorable.
So as we raise up the spirit of Vitality to rip through or leap over obstacles like a Tiger, let us also keep Water in mind - so that we may easily flow around obstacles, under them, or even through.
We'll need to nourish ourselves by going inward, resting, meditating, attuning to our spirit, if we're going to continue to demonstrate the strength these times of change and confusion require of us. By invoking Water we can have this power of coolness, stillness, and inexorable progress!
May these great archetypes inform your life in a way that leads to inner strength, deeper meaning, and a very fruitful and prosperous year!
#daoism #chinesenewyear #lunarnewyear #watertiger "
Nice Judith! This isn’t really the place for non-mainstream thought, or anything mystical, but I think it’s critical that we read between the rational lines and see beyond the purely intellectual. That’s where hope comes from, hope and encouragement about where all this is going.
My little post about Year of the Tiger is tongue-in-cheek at one level, but also reminding us of other viewpoints. The ancients picked these animals to describe the tenor of the times, as symbols of a particular quality. Describing a particular quality isn’t always easy. The Water Tiger suggests a year of ferocious activity, a year of power, but tempered by flexibility and perhaps resilience.
Hmm, If I keep this up I’ll have to consider starting an astrology or horoscope column. 😆
I'm so glad you posted this, Judith! I was just thinking today that I needed to know more about the meaning of "The Year of the Tiger" and here it is! Thanks for making it easy!
I would not want to be in the shoes of the sycophants with the TIGER about to pounce on their dear leader.
Thank you Heather.
Well, if the Parliament thinks " honesty and decency matters" they really wouldn't like it on this side of the pond. It's non existent in most aspects of the GOP.
What keeps me up at night is the sheer reality that everything being documented and uncovered about Trump may never come to a conclusion or retribution.
Lately, everyday has discoveries that in an earlier version of this Country would be "stop the presses" headlines. Today they are discounted by the GOP. As I watch the daily White House presser, I am amazed that the outstanding news coming from Jen Psaki never makes it past the Brady Room doors. Very discouraging and frankly upsetting how the media is tanking this Administration.
In plain site.
Be safe. Be well.
Agreed. Why doesn't someone more influential than we are ask the "mainstream media" why they seem to be so intent on making Joe biden into another Jimmy Carter. I mean the editors and TV news producers, who are actually in charge NOT the columnists or front people on screen.
Perhaps because the economic business model MSM organizations are based on will never give up a winning financial strategy. Bad news, outrage, sensationalism, and the horse race bring the eyeballs that the ads demand. People in those organizations are needing to pay their mortgages and rent. The MSM is not a service. It’s a business out to make as much money as possible. The fact that that reality doesn’t help create a strong citizenry, doesn’t seem to matter too much. Would citizens ever consider paying the true price for truthful information? Would citizens ever consider pushing for true accountability for all publishers of information? We have not so far.
What a stench is coming from your irresponsible media, they really need to purge themselves and relearn their job. And to break free of lobbies once and for all.
And yes, those all-powerful lobbies are the lowest of swamp life, their stranglehold on Congress is incompatible with democratic governance.
I would counter this by saying that, "We", in great numbers are very influential.
I’ve noticed a change, however slight, in the tenor of the headlines since Biden’s speech in Georgia.
And the New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy (D) was interviewed along with Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas governor (R) together on Meet the Press on Sunday. It was a breath of fresh air to hear them agree on the benefits of the infrastructure bill and the need for masking and vaccinations/boosters, among other things. Last Aug. Hutchinson even said he regretted opposing masking.
Write letters and send them. Tell people what you wrote and to whom. It adds up.
Apparently “honesty and decency matters” to the Conservative Party of the UK, but not to our Republicans.
It didn't matter too much to the Tories when they chose him, though. When he has been fired in his career in politics and journalism...and that is often... it has always been for lying. Johnson is "predictably inconstant, incorrigibly optimistic and reliably egotistical" and everyone in Whitehall and half of London knew it well........but NYC also knew Trump! Johnson has been getting away with it on the wings of a "classic quote" all his life.
The Conservatives just wanted power and they knew Johnson could keep it for them in the chaos generated by May and surrounding Brexit negotiations. Their party is ostensibly the most successful and assuredly the oldest in the western world. They are very succesful in attaining power and keeping it by adapting themselves to the current needs and demands of the electorate.....however that was defined....for the past several centuries.
Did you see Theresa stand up and scold him during Questions and Answers?
I didn't see it but heard of it. My thought is firstly her best intentions were as bad as his worst instincts when it comes to leading the country. My second is that both live in a mental fog and don't see the world as it really is. So effectively "the pot calling the kettle black" !
Yes, but another crack in the ice!!
Johnson's ice will likely disappear in the spring thaw. The Tories are ruthless.
It's ironic that Putin and Russian oligarchs choose to invest their money in capitalist, democratic countries instead of autocracies like Russia, where control from the top down does little to stimulate innovation or the economy, and the ruble has little value.
US and the UK should freeze their assets now, and then release them when Russia withdraws its troops from Ukrainian borders.
Yes, that is how Putin met Trump. Trump laundered money from Russian Oligarch's into western properties. The two most well known are his Scottish Golf Courses where his son, essentially openly during a press interview, admitted to laundering Russian money into those.
Does Trump owe the oligarchs? Initially, it was reported (rumored?) that he owed $400,000,000 +.
😧😯😮😦😵
Let's face it, most of that money was looted from the Russian/Ukrainian people and their economies in the first place. Not that is anything new in the development of the financial markets or in the history of the City of London or that the Western rich created their fortunes in any other way. However.... The "least cost" option as far as the "Lords of the City" are concerned is the threat and the uncertainty that it induces anout the security of theeastern oligarchs' hoarded cash. Confiscation, if it comes, will thereafter feed the mill for others. Time this was brought under closer control and the origins of wealth were more clearly investigated before allowing such massive flows.
I hear that the UK may enact laws controlling foreign investments.
The oligarchs made their money by privatizing government owned industries. The republicans want to privatize government resources. I wonder if they learned from the Russians.
I read that the UK will "seize" the real estate in London owned by the oligarchs. Apparently, that got their attention.
That money has made cities around the globe too expensive and basically unlivable for 30 years. Empty apartments and streets of boarded up businesses are common in lower Manhattan, which was thriving in comparison in the early 80’s.
Such corruption is as old as the hills and universal where you find seats of power.
And do we have these homegrown oligarchs in both political parties here? Chris Hedges says the Democrats are a party of oligarchs and the Republicans the party of autocrats, but he said that in 2007. Perhaps things have changed. Bushes gave heavily to Liz Cheney.
Yes is the short answer. The Democratic variety outspent the Republicans in 2020. Both have a lot of money that they put where their mouthpieces are, both are intent on telling people how they should live either with what they say is for the "good" of the people or that desired by the rich. Neither have seemingly much interest in what the people actually might want...nobody is listening.
South Dakota doesn't help-they passed laws that allow political parties and rich people to create "trusts" in order to deposit money into them. This article also discusses that the Pandora Papers exposed this. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/pandora-papers-south-dakota-trusts-us-legislation-enablers-act/
Diana, I really like that idea. They invest with us in order to keep it away from Putin. Freezing their money would really motivate the Russians to see things our way, but it might also instigate a sacrificial move of one of their pieces in the chess game they think they are playing. But I really like your idea!
"it might also instigate a sacrificial move of one of their pieces in the chest game . . ." Can you expand on that? Do you think they would make a move to demonstrate that they don't care if their assets have been frozen?
Yes, to save face it is very possible, in my opinion. Face keeps them in power at home.
Great summary of key events and backstory. Thank you! I worry when I read that the “judge” is allowing Eastman to sort through emails with client attorney privilege. This smells of deception. The “fox” is straightening up the “henhouse”. How will the committee know they have the applicable emails if Eastman sorts out those emails he deems “privileged”? This is the same worry I have when the committee waits months to issue subpoenas. This just delays justice. And once the midterms are here…..ugh. Why is it Republicans can insist on Hillary answering to them… but this committee and Dems in general, are supplicants? I know they are building a timeline, but hire some additional investigators and move this along please.
"His former employer, Chapman University, will give Eastman's legal team access to his nearly 19,000 emails by midday on Tuesday, so they can sort through and identify which emails they believe should stay confidential as legal advice between Eastman and Trump, who was Eastman's client as he shopped a legal theory to overturn the 2020 election on January 6.
A third party -- potentially the judge or a team of reviewers -- will then decide whether the emails can stay secret, as attorney-client privileged records."
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/24/politics/eastman-january-6-committee-subpoena-chapman-university/index.html
Seditionists should not be allowed these kinds of rights. I would say they give up their rights once they are revealed as part of a dark coup against our country and we have (enough already) evidence.
Frustrating as it is, the rule of law means everyone has the same rights until convicted. Otherwise, we are playing tfg’s game of ‘Lock Her Up.’
It appears that there are rights and there are “rights.”
Yes, we have a long way to go to ensure that *all* the people have the same rights. We won't get there by taking rights away from our political opponents. We also won't get there by letting authoritarians take over our democracy.
Well, of course I mean they must be convicted. And that looks fairly secure from what we have witnessed. I would take them out for security purposes if they are being tried for national security purposes.
100%
Trump is, in essence, ripping up the Constitution. The House Select Committee is, in essence, trying to piece our Constitution back together. If the Department of Justice fails to hold Trump, Giuliani, Bannon, and the other traitors accountable for crimes against our nation, they will, in essence, be sending the taped together Constitution to the paper shredder. If Trump is not held accountable, he and his seditionist allies will be empowered, the Constitution will be shredded, and our nation will be more.
Holding the seditionists accountable is important. At the same time, remember that the would be oligarchs in this country have a back bench of would-be authoritarian bigshots. Whatever you are doing for democracy, keep doing it. Run for office. Donate money and time to register and get out voters. Write letters. Whatever it is that fits you, do it.
And join together with others who are active......start a movement.
Indeed! Gather up ten people..make sure when they arrrive at the polls they will be "good to go" . And, maybe you stand quietly, in the background, close enough to 'assist' politely if need be. We get more flies with sugar than salt.
Thank you sister Heather. Isn’t it as interesting as it is concerning that two of the world’s highest profile megalomaniacs - tfg and his idol VP - are the instigators of so much unrest? I don’t envy President Biden, but I’m grateful it’s him in our Oval Office. And, as a cat person, I’m grateful Willow’s in near proximity to him - pets and purrs can calm the soul. >^..^<
Putin has never 'gotten over' the collapse of the Soviet Union. Even though he personally benefitted from it.
People are saying 'no one, not even Putin knows what he will do next.' But we know Putin wants the collapse of Western democracy.
And in that he is aligned with America's enemies, allies such as Hungary, Poland, Turkey etc etc - oh, and the entire apparatus of the Republican party.
Spheres of influence. Sovereignty. These things get very complicated.
I agree that Putin wants the collapse of Western democracy. I don't see Poland as America's enemy, they were a democracy until the Law and Justice Party came into power. A Polish physicist friend for many decades who still lives in Poland said in an email that in the 2023 elections in Poland, it is likely the Law and Justice Party will be out because of a number of issues, not the least is the handling of Covid. I think Putin wants Ukraine not only because in his mind it is supposed to be part of Russia, but he wants to intimidate all these Eastern European countries as he encroaches upon them and there's a mass exodus of people seeking asylum, which will once again cause it's own set of issues in destabilizing other countries.
Putin replaced history with mythology, and in Russian mythology Russia with Ukraine is a superpower, and Russia without Ukraine is no superpower.
For those of us wanting to learn, why is this?
I don't remember the source of this quote, but he was referring to an old czar. Putin claims that Kiev was once the center of "Russia", that is only possible if you ignore proper history writing and indulge in myths to create a future.
Along with HCR I follow Timothy Snyder, another great historian giving us hope of a future. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/Timothy+Snyder/FMfcgzGmtNbPdLhVpJNJzztNLRhgnwQf
I just started following Timothy Snyder. Need to catch up, you just gave me the push. Thank you
Snyder is really excellent. His books are brilliant.
The WaPo reported this morning that TFG also deliberately tore up official government-owned documents and threw them on the floor on a regular basis, despite people telling him that he was not allowed to do that. This required a staff member of the NARA (who is paid about $70,000 a year and has numerous degrees) to spend all his time piecing together bits of paper and taping them together. Apparently there are quite a few documents that arrived at NARA in plastic bags in pieces. This is a felony. It would be the easiest thing to charge him with.
Hahhh, "a felony"... and tell me..., what are the sentencing options for such? NEXT!
This is something that seems unbelievable in a President.......another check mark for TFG.
It as if a fuzzy TV image slowly clears and comes into sharp focus. The truth has emerged. Now we need those who lived the truth to tell their story in person under questioning. Imagine a split screen: on one side the witnesses building an ironclad case of seditious conspiracy and on the other Trump watching the hearings in a rage and pacing as he takes out his anger and fear on the grotesquely adorned decor of Mar-a-Lago.
Would love to see that!
Has the idea been posed that Putin's threat to Ukraine is primarily an attempt to disrupt and undermine Biden's presidency? Instilling chaos to benefit a run by TFG, or like? Perhaps this is just too obvious.
Timothy Snyder (author of “On Tyranny”) has posed this idea.
Possibly. Putin and trump have common goals: disband NATO. As long as trump was in office, disbanding NATO was a possibility. Now that Biden is in office, Putin is using threat of war to achieve his goal.
My guess would be TFG was only dancing to Putin's bidding as TFG is only looks out for personal gain of the dark money and social status, real or phony, the "carrot" Putin dangles still seeking to corrupt American politics.
I agree with you. Ethics and loyalty to country mean nothing to trump, so he is easily swayed by those with nefarious incentives.
See my post of few minutes ago. Same idea. Thanks. Not alone.
I'd remove the word "primarily" and regard the current military build-up along Ukraine's frontiers as getting into synch with Xi's designs against Taiwan. If DT et al can perform their part of the action and destabilize the US enough, the Kremlin, the Chinese regime and every regional titan will have a field day.
Meanwhile, the Russian regime has shown successfully that it cannot be either ignored or circumvented. They seem at least to expect to be paid to go away...(?)
Putin's strategy of "repatriating [Ukrainian] Russians with Russia" is a strategy that has been used by prior dictators to invade and make claim to countries/regions. It rings hollow, especially since Russian Ukrainians enjoy a higher standard of living in Ukraine than they would in Russia.
But - - we can make it more cost-effective for Russia militarily, monetarily, and save Russian lives, by buying homes in Russia for the Ukrainian Russians who want to be Russian instead of Ukraine, and paying to resettle them in Russia. It would be a win-win situation. No war. Ukrainian Russians would be back where they want to be - - motherland Russia, expenses prepaid. But this isn't what Putin really wants, is it? He wants to dominate countries that were forced to be part of the USSR. So he will never accept this reasonable cost- and life-saving offer.
It looks to be that Donald Trump is coming apart at the seams. Today's news that Trump openly admitted that he was attempting to overturn the election came right out of his mouth, together with a promise that if he were to be reelected, he would pardon the insurrectionists indicted and convicted in the January 6 insurrection. I have not speculated how much more evidence prosecutors would need to put together an ironclad case, but the events of the day, coupled with testimony by potential witnesses and hundreds of thousands of incriminating documents attesting to the conspiracy concocted by Trump and his cronies, as well as his unforced, out-of-court statements that basically admitted to the facts, and compound the felonies that he is already committed, all lead to one inevitable conclusion: Trump is guilty as charged, and so are his closest associates, the people who funded this conspiracy, and those who participated in in every way.
From the late 1930s onward, it became popular among the cognoscenti and academics to describe Joseph Stalin's so-called 'show trials' of those whom Stalin and his secret police chief, Beria, considered to be enemies of the regime. Bringing Trump and his associates to trial would not be so much of any show trial, as an absolute circus, on a par with the Nuremberg war crimes trials, given the scope of those conspiracies, and how deeply into the fabric of the American government they reached. But that is what they did, at the behest of a half mad narcissist. Who can figure that one out?
You wrote: "Bringing Trump and his associates to trial would not be so much of any show trial, as an absolute circus...." Absolutely. I can envision the likes of MTG, Boebert, Hawley, Meadows, McCarthy, Jordan, Cruz, etc. putting on a reality-tv level performance the likes of which could not be described in any other way than "circus." Or maybe, "zoo"?
Well, it is comforting to know that Putin recognizes Biden's intelligence and understands his ability with smart diplomacy. What's the matter with the republican hoard along with some democrats, both elected and in the public forum, that minute-by-minute do everything in their power to denigrate Biden in a year the likes of which we haven't seen since the enslavers tried to destroy the still-young United States.
The Republican Party is the new KKK. They want whites, and esp. male whites, in every position of authority. Biden is an enemy. He is choosing a black woman to replace Breyer, among many other “horrible” things. His VP is a woman with a Jamaican father and Indian mother. Of course they are going to denigrate Biden, every chance they get.