53 Comments

A little good news today: Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, TX, of Friday Night Lights fame, is changing its name! https://www.mrt.com/news/article/MISD-board-to-change-name-of-Lee-HS-15438457.php

I attended but moved before graduation. A Black gay alum, who also is a teacher, started the petition in June. The debate raged on Facebook every day, but was mainly civil. A small but important victory.

Expand full comment

It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that a botched break-in and subsequent coverup was enough to remove Pres. Nixon from office, a lie under oath about an illicit affair was enough to get Pres. Clinton impeached, but the thousands of lies and the constant subversion of the rule of law and the Constitution by the Trump administration aren’t enough to get previously respected Republicans to act in defense of America or honor the oath they took to protect and defend the country and Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. And they’re not done - in fact it seems like they’re just getting started. And civil protest seems to be what they want so they can move in even more troops. I think the protests should be massive sit-ins to reduce their ability to call them anarchist riots.

Expand full comment

At least there is some push back against Barr and DHS:

A D.C. National Guard Major was the senior NG officer on scene at Lafayette Square on June 1. Barr had said the protesters were violent and deserved gassing and physical assault. The NG officer is scheduled to testify before the House Committee on Natural Resources that “my observation, those demonstrators—our fellow American citizens—were engaged in the peaceful expression of their First Amendment rights. Yet they were subjected to an unprovoked escalation and excessive use of force.”

https://twitter.com/huffpost/status/1287929757930328064?s=21

After the Oregon DOJ lawsuit against DHS was dismissed for lack of standing, Protect Democracy filed a lawsuit against DHS on behalf of the Portland Wall of Moms and Don’t Shoot Portland for authoritarian abuse of power against peaceful protesters. As plaintiffs who directly suffered the gassing and assaults by DHS officers, they would have standing.

https://twitter.com/protctdemocracy/status/1287824463501959169?s=21

Expand full comment

Your phrase "Once again, the Republican narrative is running into reality" is a perfect description of the moment. Make reality real again!

Expand full comment

You capture Barr's vile machinations perfectly. And Trump's description of Portland protesters is breathtakingly demented, not to mention grotesquely false.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, interviewed tonight by Ali Velshi (subbing for Rachel Maddow), spoke about how what's happening here in Portland is triggering protests across the country, including in her city. Her point: Trump is inciting unrest by deploying a secret police force that is escalating violence, and he will do so around the country.

Most revealing is Durkin's account of a conversation with Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf. She said Wolf assured her she would be notified if feds would be sent to Seattle. Not long after they spoke, she learned the feds were on the way. Wolf lied.

Expand full comment

Watching Gym Jordan and Louie the Gomer leap to the defense of Barr tomorrow is going to require that I leave my shoes and coffee cup in the writing office before going into the living room to watch those two miserable pieces of something I scrape off my shoe, the damned traitors.

Barr needs to be arrested at 12:01pm on January 20 and charged with treason.

Expand full comment

The closer we get to November 3rd the more frantic and panicked this administration and the Republican enablers in Congress will get. So expect drastic attempts at voter suppression, threats of martial law, massive levels of lying (although Trump is up to more than a hundred lies a day), and racist dog whistling and encouragement of rightwing acts of violence. There are a few--very few--Republican senators and congressmen who are starting (!) to become alarmed by what is going on, but not enough to stem the flow. They've all drunk the Kool-aid and my hope is that they all go down with Trump.

However, I am also very very concerned about the period between November 4th and Inauguration Day: Even if Biden wins in a landslide, this administration and its goons in the Senate can do a huge amount of damage in that time, and it will be very difficult to control Moscow Mitch, especially if he loses his seat.

Expand full comment

At the same time, McConnell announced his opening gambit in the trillion dollar economic support program. Having said it might take weeks for this to appear, it now comes out at the beginning of the week at a convenient "ant-trump news" moment. Mitch seems to have got the hang of the situation he and his fellow senatorial gang members find themselves in if they rally still too closely around Trump's "flag". They have pitched a 66% cut in the unemployment payment and matched it with a non-liability" clause. Its a poor start but one which the Democrats will now be able to let some light into and leverage much closer to their own position. Clearly, McConnell has abondoned the "pork-barrel" Trumpism of a cut in payroll taxes as an electoral non-starter.

Barr at the Senate will be a non-event at which bravado will replace integrity and conspiracy theorist will be fed a gourmet dinner. The GOP will use the event to publish their own talking points and circumscribe much of the Democratic minority's rights and legitimate concerns and to attempt to portay their strategy as purely electoralist and fed by "Ant-Fa" radical interests. It shames the American Constitutions, the nation's institutions, its history and its people;

Expand full comment

My plea to the Portland protestors would be to negotiate with the Portland Mayor and Police Chief another Portland venue/location for peaceful protests where federal authorities have no authority to police. Portland police/law enforcement can even offer protection and safety for protestors expressing their first amendment rights peacefully. There is a need to demonstrate the peaceful statement of legitimate grievances without providing Trump and Barr the picture they wish to portray to core Trump supporters of lawless civil unrest. It would provide an effective contrast to the message Trump is trying to deliver. I believe this strategy is first in the hands of the Portland Mayor and Police Chief to initiate with an outreach to the protestors and their leaders and spokes people.

Expand full comment

Thank you HCR for this letter and all of your letters and lectures. I'd especially like to thank you for your writing style; it is clean, uncomplicated and unpretentious. It is accessible to anyone who has a mind to read your work. In a time of political smoke and mirrors your ability to communicate clearly is an invaluable asset. Again, many thanks.

Expand full comment

Regarding the sending of federal law enforcement into cities where they were not requested and are not wanted, my fear is that if that isn't stopped soon--like, immediately--it will become accepted practice. Governors and mayors have the means to stop it, don't they? They could activate their National Guard and put them on ready status, call AJ Barr and tell him he has until (give him a deadline) to remove his Stormtroopers or the National Guard will be sent in to do it. Why is nobody taking decisive action against this clearly unconstitutional action on the part of the AJ and DHS?

Expand full comment

Preach the truth! Brava HCR! I can feel the justice in your words.

Expand full comment

One big question is: “Why would Barr sign up for this?” He had a solid, albeit highly partisan, reputation before Trump. He knew what he was getting into. He saw respected men like Tillerson, Kelly, Mattis, McMaster, Coates, (okay, semi-respected) Sessions et al. resign or be forced out. He knew Trump was unfit for office. He knew that to serve as Trump’s AG meant disregarding the rule of law and corrupting the DOJ. Yet, Barr signed on anyways. I can only think of two possible reasons. One, Barr has long dreamed of having the power to dismantle the Constitution and install an autocracy. Certainly, the conditions are in place for him to do so (hence HCR’s essay today), and the predilections are there, as Barr has given speeches about the theocracy he wishes America would become. Or two, Trump has promised Barr the next seat on the Supreme Court, in return for serving as Trump’s consiglieri. For Barr, becoming a Supreme might be worth destroying his reputation and trashing the DOJ. It’s a puzzle, to be sure.

Expand full comment

Barr appears to be moving towards martial law. Now, THAT will be a frightening development. Perhaps it's time to consider organizing an underground movement. We may be needing it to assure a free election in November. Who would have ever thought that Democracy in America would be this vulnerable?

Expand full comment

Yesterday we talked about ways to get involved. Here’s one: 2020.Indivisible.org. It gives several options for ways to participate.

Expand full comment

Outrage and Anger! Hope Biden gets Democrats on all fronts and gets safety measures in place to protect our democracy from ever going through this again! 💙

Thank you!

Expand full comment