— No red state that has enacted voter suppression laws will now rescind them based on the overwhelming and indisputable evidence they were duped into believing the Big Lie.
— Not a penny will be returned to the MAGAs who donated $250 million to Trump's non-existent election defense fund.
On a brighter note, Trump and his fellow fraudsters are imagining with more frequency what life behind bars will be like. It will be worse than they think.
Michael, In my view, the GOP controlled state legislatures in red (and purple) states were not “duped into believing the Big Lie.” Rather these state legislators used the “big lie” as cover to lay the groundwork for MAGA Republicans to return to or attain power whether or not they win enough votes. Hence, as we speak, these state leaders are changing state election rules to change who can be in charge, how votes are counted, and how they’re certified.
As for you noting that “life behind bars” for Trump and his coterie “will be worse than they think,” you could be right. Nonetheless, I am far more concerned for the rest of us if we don’t summon all of our resources to reinvigorate the sanctity of our Constitution and the rule of law, without which we lose the capacity for governing ourselves.
Just last week I was asked to sign a petition to about “tightening” election integrity in Michigan. My state had a very well run and fair election and I politely said this to the person seeking my signature. Also, a candidate on the Republiqan gubernatorial primary ticket is running a tv commercial featuring a man dressed as a zombie, while the candidate claims that, if elected, he will purge the voter rolls of dead people, who always vote for Democrats. I wish the local Democratic party would run at least one ad hitting hard on just how fair and secure our last election was. We MUST counter their propaganda.
Small but significant thing: It’s the Democratic Party, not the Democrat Party. As long ago as the 1940s, Republicans started mis-pronouncing the name of the other party, a subtle slur intended to show that Democrats were not entitled to the respect involved in learning the name of their party.
Ah, yes, the "ease of snark" that has undermined civility in social media "discussions." I love the way conversations are so respectful in this community. What helped me here was learning the background of why it matters to get it right.
How many of us remember when 'queer' meant 'peculiar"? Growing up, we had a book in the family bookcase titled "Grandfather was Queer". I'm guessing my maternal grandfather bought it because there was a brief chapter about an 18th century forebear in New England who was transferred from pulpit to pulpit of several churches because of his relationships with various women in the congregations. Eventually, he was forced to marry one whom he made pregnant but soon deserted her and left for a different state. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7146595-grandfather-was-queer
Cathy, My sense is that any of us living in states attempting to upend free and fair elections need to seek out local civic organizations that are pushing back.
I always ask canvassers who is backing the petition. They almost never know. Then I point out why that's an issue for them to be asking for signature and acknowledge I know they are getting paid and it's a job and I'm not down on them... but.... My husband also asks "is it for kids, whales or LGBGQ+?" If not, not signing.
Can’t blame a person for taking a job but can decry a system that makes it cheap to put items on the ballot by petition. In California, for example, anyone (or group) with a couple million dollars can force a recall election for any elected state office. The state must then shell out a couple hundred million to pay for the recall election.
What I wish is that these misleading, false statements will be taken to court. People should pay for lying to the American Public on situations that affect constitutional conduct. Maybe then it will stop.
Maybe it’s better to allow any speech and avoid the problem of having to decide what’s allowed and what isn’t since that process could be abused, but isn’t Trump’s use of the big lie to cause mayhem in our political system the equivalent of someone falsely yelling “Fire!” In a crowded theater?
Someone told me that since our Michigan Democratic Party's candidate, Gretchen Whitmer is running unopposed on the primary ticket, the party doesn't invest in ads against the Republican candidates (yet). Seeing as 3 repugs in that race have already been kicked off the ballot for fraud, I can see the point. Sure would be nice if The Lincoln Project would take a wack at dead clown face though.
I have had this argument with the one ex-classmate in Indiana who is concerned with voter fraud. Here when a person passes, the county issues a death certificate and at the same time takes the person off the voting rolls.
I just read an article about this nonsense being alive and well in Oregon. A libertarian requested the file that checks if software is working properly before the election in each county. This is in Washington County in the Portland area. The county said no and the local district attorney said yes, so the county took it to court which is still pending. Part of the problem is security and having this would allow bad players to interfere. In the meantime this person accidentally received the file which was included in something the county did give him. He was honest that he had it and the county has a restraining order so that he can't share it although he may already have. The sec.of state is involved on the side of the county. Not resolved yet, but there are plenty of people in every state looking to do things like this and be intimidating poll watchers.
It's becoming clearer that the only chance to see Trump in handcuffs is his election tampering here in Georgia. His taped request of Sec. of State Raffensberger to "find the votes," could be his ticket to a jail cell. One can only hope.
Randy, Call me whatever, but I sense that increasing public pressure plus DOJ’s increasing interest in the Select Committee hearings could result in indictments of high-level officials up to and including Trump.
But it is a very clean legal charge, easily proven like tax fraud. So it won't matter what MAGAtes think. What matters is it appears that Rupert (and I suspect Koch and big business bucks) have started dumping trump, and DeSatan will rise out of the muck. Things could get worse in this country unless it catalyzes "The Big Split" in the Republican party. Is Senator Liz Cheney planning a run for President in 2024?
Good morning Barbara. I’m thinking a lot this week about the American people…all of us this time. Politics Girl, Leigh McGowan mirrors a conversation that I had yesterday with a trump supporter that chose to watch the hearings and is, let’s say, having a difficult time. I told this acquaintance almost exactly what Leigh just put out in one of her two minute rants. And asked her the same question at the end. “Do you care about our democracy?” And would only continue our convo when the answer was “yes”. https://youtu.be/mci9EdwqLs4
I'm thinking the ACLU is going to be doing a heckuva lot of fundraising to pay for the multitude of lawsuits that will result from the GQPs tinkering with state level election boards and all the other "tweaking and adjusting" those scoundrels are pulling.
That’s probably part of the overarching plan explained by Bannon as “Flood the Zone with Shit”. They strategize that to go after all the fraud will be too costly and time consuming. Democracy’s Death by a thousand lawsuits.
After their involvement in the Depp-Heard fiasco, they are off my donation list for a while. That's not what I donated and joined to have my support directed into. That's fraud too.
@T L Mills, I think you’re right. Hence my reason for viewing ACLU ( and LDF) donations, plus some others, as rent for their acting on all our behalf’s to protect our democracy.
Yes, it's time right now for us "to summon all our resources." I went to an amazing Arena Summit this weekend and was inspired by a host of powerful citizens doing the hard hard work of resuscitating democracy and as Cecile Richards said, the road ahead is hard, but no one is coming to save us.
The losses at the state level have been going on for years. Democrats are just now wiping the sleep out of their eyes and saying “Golly. How did this happen?”
The Obama presidency got the ball rolling.
“In 2009, President Obama’s party controlled both chambers of 27 state legislatures. Eight years later, Democrats control both chambers in only 13 states. Among the states that slipped from Democratic control are Wisconsin, North Carolina, Iowa and West Virginia; states key to the victory of President-elect Donald Trump last November. According to a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Democratic Party has lost a net total of 13 Governorships and 816 state legislative seats since President Obama entered office, the most of any president since Dwight Eisenhower.“
Yup. These young people understand that better than anybody and are doing something about it. We need to move past endlessly describing the problem and get to work solving it.
@H. H. Rose, I appreciate you amplifying how, contrary to Democrats, Republicans, for decades, have methodically been organizing to fill state and local positions with their own people. I also have noted, as a recent subscriber to Robert Hubbell’s Substack, that Robert regularly introduces readers to civic organization that do extraordinary work mobilizing for democracy at the state and local levels. Like Joy, who is part of this thread, I, too, take heart from the presence, particularly of young people, whose energy and engagement is focused both on out-organizing Republicans and on defending democracy, as mentioned, statewide and locally.
I shouldn't have applied "duped" to everyone on that side. There's no way to know how many of those in power at the state level knew the election wasn't stolen or how many purely exploited the greatest falsehood in the nation's history. At this point anyone who sincerely believes the Big Lie is irrational or willfully ignorant. Despite their gaudy Stars and Stripes attire, they are anything but patriots.
So I assume they don't know Trump's key appointees are saying the Big Lie was a lie all along. Or they believe whatever Trump says is akin to the word of God.
Never before have so many Americans been essentially brain-washed.
There was an article in the NYT today about how Ukraine is undergoing the same persecutions that happened under the Hitler regime, among others. This threat is so real, yet so unrecognized. Lies and more lies brainwashed millions of Germans who bought the lie. This is happening now in the United States of America. I'm at a loss about how to respond to this crisis.
On second thought, with legal experts saying that Trump and others could be convicted of wire fraud for soliciting the donations and then using them for other purposes, it is conceivable that a court judgment could include an order to refund the money.
Upon trump's indictment ALL of his assets, every single penny, will be forfeited into the government coffers to be disbursed according to future Court dispensation determinations.
Indictment is only a formal accusation of a crime. Conviction is what is needed. Though he could transfer assets to others - like Ivanka, etc. - to keep that from happening.
That's certainly a possible legal remedy; a class action is a possibility as well. A granular investigation into several of the 60+ failed "lawsuits" would be useful. Several may have been dismissed in 72 to 96 hours, start to finish. The "Big Lie" turned into the "Big Grift" aka Fraud-in-the-Inducement. Question. Were the very short lived "BS" lawsuits attached to the non-existing "Election Defense Fund" (Sic).
Voter suppression laws should be declared illegal by the federal government and immediately rescinded, before November. I know I sound idealistic, but is there any way we can make that happen?
Mona, I realize your question is not addressed to me and hope you don’t mind my replying. My understanding is that our system provides only one remedy for offsetting the High Court’s gutting, first of Section 5, and more recently of Section 2, of the 1965 Voting Rights Act— Congressional legislation that gets signed into law by the President.
We came mighty close last January when all 50 Senate Democrats voted to advance the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act. Regrettably, its passage ultimately was blocked by Manchin and Sinema, who joined the 50 Republicans to oppose a modest filibuster rule change that would have allowed for an up or down majority vote and would have applied solely to this one bill.
Seeing that the legislation already has passed in the House, we’re waiting on the Senate to act, which appears highly unlikely.
Patricia, What I hear from West Virginians is that Manchin is the only Democrat who could win a statewide election. Additionally, as the state turns more red and increasing numbers of the state’s Democrats are disturbed by his obstruction regarding issues they care about, I’ve been told that Manchin likely could lose his seat in 24 to a Republican.
MaryPat, My understanding is that West Virginians prioritize jobs, healthcare, childcare, housing, and tax reform (all part of Budget Reconciliation —BBB that Manchin opposed ) as their most vital needs. It further is of note that workers associated with the United Coal Miners Union are itching for training that would allow them to make the transition from fossil fuel to clean energy jobs.
Thank you. I don't mind at all. John R. Lewis did so much for this country. What a waste to have his work end up shredded by partisan politics. Remember how Republicans introduced legislation to get rid of the ACA, over and over and over? Well, we need to do something similar about voting rights, over and over and over again, very publicly. And we need to report to constituents in Manchin's and Sinema's states what these 2 elected politicians are doing to our country and who is funding their campaigns. Also, McConnell has way too much power in Congress.
Judith, Though your comment is not addressed to me, I write because I fully agree that obstruction, particularly from Manchin and Sinema, has been especially damaging both to the Biden agenda (BBB) and also to their respective constituents. For example, West Virginians have prioritized jobs, healthcare, childcare, housing, and tax reform as vital to their well-being. Moreover, the state’s workers represented by the United Coal Miners Union are itching for the training to help them make the transition from the fossil fuel industry to clean energy jobs. In Arizona, the prominent issues entail calls for expanding healthcare, while also holding Sinema accountable for her unseemly corporate ties, especially to Big Pharma.
Circling back to your comment, nationwide, the country clearly needs tough, strong leadership to educate people about what they’re losing every time Biden’s agenda is stalled.
Mona, This past January, after the federal voter protection legislation failed to pass, scores of us expressed our deep disappointment that the President had not called out Manchin’s and Sinema’s mere support for voting rights as hollow and performative, absent their resolve to do their part to figure out how the filibuster could be modified to pass the legislation under regular order, even if it meant taking a long time (Dems had proposed 100 hours for each party) to get an up or down majority vote.
I imagine currently, amid the backdrop of the 1/6 Select Committee hearings, not to mention the unilateral passage, in state after state, of bills that restricts voting and nullifies votes, were Democratic leadership, with the federal voter protection safeguards in hand, to go to West Virginia, and also to the red parts of Mississippi and Alabama and to other states and say, “This is what we have tried to deliver and these folks have voted against it, I believe they would be far from alone in concluding that January 6th could well be mere practice for the next time unless we engage now in the necessary actions to ensure eligible votes in every state are cast and counted correctly, without interference, nor diluted through partisan gerrymandering.
In California and, I expect in the other 7 states, the gerrymandering has been more or less stopped due to successful citizen initiatives to remove redistricting from elected officials and have "non-partisan" commissions do the job. However, in California (where I am), there still has been an effort to get partisan members on the commission in order to play gerrymandering games.
trump pitiful soul captured by deception's lie will soon inhabit a community that only knows living by the lie: a well deserved end of life consequence...good riddance, Eh!?
Michael, I agree with your first two observations but as far as your "brighter note" is concerned, not so sure. As much as I'd love, love, love to see trump behind bars, for the sake of the country, I wish he'd run away with his tail tucked between his knees to Russia or anywhere. Even if it's proven to the white supremacy groups that the big lie is just that, it was an opportunity to group and come out in the open. If trump is put in prison, there will be a civil war that we don't want to happen.
I’m not persuaded there would be a civil war if Dumpster were put in prison. I think all but a tiny fraction of the MAGA crowd would prefer to yell at the TV from their comfy recliners.
But there are those like the man who posted that he killed his beloved dog to see if he could kill somebody he didn’t know. That the ugliest man alive caused such insanity is hard to fathom.
Wow, I missed that story. So deeply disturbing. One wonders whether he is still a dedicated MAGA supporter, prepared to go to horrific extremes for "the cause" or whether he has had second thoughts. That story is almost Biblical, in a very twisted way. As if Dumpster were a very perverted version of g*d, that man were Abraham, and he actually killed his beloved son (dog) because he thought his g*d demanded it as proof of his devotion.
There won't be a civil war if tRump is imprisoned because the MAGAtes will have a new devil to worship, and Rupert is offering him up on Fox now, Desatan.
But some of them will find the scales falling from their eyes and realize that T___p is not only a crook, but a crook who is after their money--not someone else's. They will cease to support him.
We don't need to get all of his supporters to drop him, just enough to make him less of a danger or no longer a danger.
So, despite the fact that people like Stepien KNOW they are supporting bullshit and testify under oath they supported bullshit they continue to work for candidates who are knowingly spreading bullshit. How can this possibly be legal?
The millions trump raised under false pretenses–isn't that considered wire fraud, mail fraud or some such thing?
Updated: I know wire fraud was brought up in the Letter. As usual, I can't wrap my head around how some people get away with grafting and grafting their entire lives. In reality I know how but sometimes I'm naive enough to think this time they won't get away with it. As Mike S Upstate NY says, rich white men do whatever they want [and get away with it].
I'm sure that journalists will be all over Stepien and Harriet Hageman, the candidate he's serving who's running on the Big Lie. I wonder if she's going to fire him so she can continue to promote that. But now Liz Cheney can use all of this against them. I sure hope she wins.
Me too - but unfortunately (I heard yesterday) she’s apparently behind Hageman in polling by double digits. Because her own party state and local officials keep promoting The Big Lie and Faux News and other right wing media keep throwing Cheney under the bus for her “disloyalty” to TFG. And so people keep believing...
In one sense, Liz is living with the fall out that her father fostered. He helped degrade the gop as much as trump and Gingrich et.al. Now it’s at a point where it could all crash down and she’s trying to clean up the mess. But after that, she’s still Liz Cheney and her policies are her fathers. And we are left having to be thankful she acted like an American? She’s iving with the legacy of weapons of mass destruction. Turns out it was the gop.
Liz might just pull a fast one out of her hat. Her dad, one of the most destructive men of our time, along with Gingrich, yes, has friends who may be propping her up. Your statement about WMD = GOP is absolutely correct.
I was watching Cheney during the hearing just loving her and thought who would have thought Liz Cheney would now be my hero. She normally stands for everything I hate. The world's turned upside down
If their misled voters eliminate Cheney from office, she will continue to be a strong voice against the Big Lie and other corruption in the GOP in other venues. She's now broadly known across the electorate as a champion of integrity and courage. They can't cancel her.
Grace, yes I heard that as well. It doesn't sound like she has any chance in winning. We'll, this has to be the first time I have ever lamented about a Republican losing. 😆
The voters are aware of the Big Lie. They don't care. This their moment. They will hurt themselves to stick it to the elites. trump gave them a voice (which was a brilliant marketing move on his part). They will not stop giving him money and they will not stop hating every single thing about her as much as people hate every single thing about trump.
The divide in this Country may be permanent. Time will tell.
You're probably right, but for some reason I am still rooting for the "City on the hill" America, the "Beacon of hope" America , the "New Jerusalem" that is the America I was raised to believe in. It is the Democracy my father fought in two wars for. It seems like these ideals may have just been reduced to sentimentalism now but I still believe that these dreams can still be our "Beacon of hope" that lights our way once again.
Yes, it is indeed wire fraud per attorney Laurence Tribe whose Tweet Heather shared:
“Actually, @RepZoeLofgren, somebody has decided: Congress criminalized wire fraud long ago. 18 USC 1343. DOJ will need to decide whether Trump's conduct in violation of sec 1343 was excusable because, well, because he was above the law. But weren't we told NO-ONE is above the law?”
If the DOJ doesn’t nail tfg for leading an  insurrection, let’s hope they nail him and his cohorts for wire fraud.
If any of @RepZoeLofgren 's constituents who are age 65 or older were solicited to donate to a non-existent entity, that could be criminal elder abuse under California law. I know a fraudulent solicitation is enough to require a mandated reporter to report suspected elder abuse to the California Attorney General's office. But I'm not an attorney like Congresswoman Lofgren and @RepAdamSchiff and don't know if a small donation is needed to prove it.
Wouldn’t that be something if the California Attorney General’s office opened an investigation of elder abuse?! There’s no question in my mind that many in the 65+ crowd have been pouring money into tfg’s coffers. And in many cases, it was money they could ill afford to lose. 😡
Convicting trump of wire fraud for this particular grift would have to overcome the fact that all those emails included small print saying the money would go to trump’s ‘save America PAC’, which it did.
He’s certainly very successful at cheating people, until he’s not, and then he finds someone else to cheat. He was about to go under financially - no bank in NY would do business with him, and he had squandered his inheritance - when the Kremlin stepped in and backstopped a loan from DeutscheBank. International money laundering saved his financial assets. Is it cleverness to sell yourself to Vladimir Putin?
Yesterday I was stopped behind a car that had a "Save American Again" bumper sticker sitting just inside the back window. Wondered about it bcz I hadn't see that phrase previously. Wonder if I was behind one of the grifted.
Unfortunately, all of the proposed lawsuits will still be floating around the courts long after Trump is dead and buried--all paid for by the very funds he illegally solicited.
Trump spent his entire life doing things every day that someone subsequently asked:
"How can this be legal?"
One example: In Atlantic City, Trump hired thousands of small business contractors to build a casino. Thousands of toilets were installed, sinks, floors, walls, windows......with small contractors.
Then, Trump managed that casino into the ground even though his own Dad poured his own money into to it.
At no time did Trump ever even slightly show any sign of paying all of the contractors that had built the casino.
In fact, he declared bankruptcy, which, in Israel or Germany or in early America, would have put him in jail.
Thousands of small contractors went under because most of their work for years had been at the casino. Trump never paid them a dime.
But, in today's America where rich, white men have written 100% of the laws since inception?
Trump has never gone to jail.
So, basically, the answer to your question is: This is America my friend.
Mike, thank you for pointing out the fact that tfg has so far slithered away from that specific grift. Those facts were known before he won his first election, along with a host of others. Are we too optimistic that somewhere along the line he will pay? Or was he right about his Fifth Avenue brag?
If the duty of the government and those who represent us (one way or another) is to serve us, and we can in some cases be prosecuted for lying to the government, why are those who work in government held accountable (at least when it matters) for lying to us? To err is human, but actual lies are a choice, and sometimes a choice that can be proved.
Some lies can kill, in wars, in racial violence, with COVID, etc.
Correct Daria , Fraud in the Inducement. Calling on New Jersey LFAA Commenters to provide background on Bill Sepien's days in New Jersey during the infamous "Bridgegate" fiasco. I recall Steve Kornacki was already a top notch political reporter in NJ back then before he was scooped up by MSNBC. Update: Per the Guardian's Adam Gabbatt on 7/16/20, "In 2014 [Sepien) was publicly named & shamed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ..." for his active role in New Jersey's "Bridgegate" i.e. his role in inflicting human suffering. Per LA TImes' Mat Pearce, 1/8/14, in the purposely inflicted bridge back-up, paramedics were delayed in reaching an "unconscious 91 year old woman from Ft. Lee, New Jersey." No post-mortem to my knowledge.
Testifying under oath we finally learn what was always whispered and known. Lying to the American People for political gain is “business as usual”. Yesterday’s testimony made me realize I need to look at the whole trump whorl best through the Lens of THE GRIFT. He conned the system on a larger scale than he had for decades, but it is still the same grift. My greatest hope is that through these revelations under oath, many of his supporters begin to see they were used. I know many of them will deny it to the grave because it shows them to be such fools. But there are others who may snap out of the cult-think grip they are in. Then what? I’m not sure. They will still hate Dems no matter what. That’s their Brand.
Totally agree with you Daria! trump has committed so many blatant crimes it is troubling he has not been arrested. And, what is also very disturbing is the rat packs that still are out there! "Nonetheless, leading Republicans are willing to embrace the Big Lie in order to skew our election system to keep those like Trump in power."
George Conway is thinking it could be. Hoffa wasn't convicted of his crimes against people but he was convicted of fraud and jury tampering. Here is an article on the fraud case.
Daria, I love sensing that your outrage is palpable. As for the sinister alliance between Stepien and Hageman, aside from donating to Cheney’s campaign, I’m seriously considering seeking out groups in her district that support her candidacy and doing all I can to support their work.
He’s like the Pied Piper. His base is too enamored with him to believe that he would dupe them. I mean, how could he? He’s their messiah they’ve been waiting for all of their lives…to arise from the ashes.
Septian, not an impressive witness! Failed public speaking 101 as evidenced by repeated verbal pause between sentence fragments! Did dopey Don ever pay him?
We aren't grading on public speaking skills. The frequent verbal pauses were most likely measuring his words under oath. This guy was trump's Campaign Manager. He is working very hard not to be culpable.
Not aware of such ‘hit man’ incidences. Like his abuse of Rex Tillerson while holding the title of Sec of State, tfg was in fact the sec of state undermining NATO and the European Union as per instructions from Putin! Septian May have had the title of campaign manager, but NoOne manages dopey don!
"Notably, the committee itself is measured, polite, and serious, demonstrating to viewers what hearings used to be before they became ways to produce sound bites for right-wing media." Observing these fine representatives and the attorneys at the depositions gave me hope today. I don't know the outcome of the upcoming elections and whether Republicans will have rigged the game so that they can't be overcome -- for now. But I had forgotten how many decent people there are in the world, doing their professional best with courage to serve a higher purpose. I realized that I've been focusing too much on the corrupt, their zombie followers and those who've tuned out. That's a downer if you're trying to fight back against them day by day. Thank you Professor Richardson and all of you for doing what you do and being who you are to bring light and decency to this world.
Gary, I felt just the same, impressed with the professionalism of this presentation and feeling a bit more hopeful for the country. It was a refreshing return to sanity.
Rachel put forward an interesting possibility tonight in her analysis.
While mail-in voting had traditionally favored Republicans, with blue states having expanded mail voting because of COVID. Trump saw pushing his people to reject mail-in voting and to vote on election day, would expand the "red mirage," and give him more argument to cancel out mail voting. She thinks he decided it was easier or more permanent to steal the election to begin with than to try to win outright. I think it's an interesting hypothesis. That he was planning a coup to end voting period. President for Life.
TC, I had the exact same thought just the other day when that was first mentioned. I had thought from the get go last October that his opposition to Republiqans using mail in voting was bizarre at best, and intentional at worst.
I think that was the goal all along; to stage a coup. I think he intentionally set it up so he wouldn't win...
And remember that Trump had said in 2016 that the only way the Dems could win was by cheating. In June-July 2020 he began ramping up with public statements that the only way he could lose was through his opponents' frauds. After that a steady drumbeat of raging about pandemic-related accommodations (mail-in, drop-off boxes, extended periods, etc.) was picked up by his many minions [including The Real Bill Barr]. So, as things looked worse for him it wasn't any big shift to pile in other nefarious, untruthful, and/or illegal maneuvers to enhance doubt, create chaos. As others have commented, Trump has a long pattern of avoiding defeat by blowing things up, blaming others, then finding ways to profit from the wreckage.
It seems to me that with trump, he's in the habit of losing and then denying it, so it's the context he expects. Unlike Lyndon Johnson, who actively created opportunities to steal power for the pleasure of doing it, trump works more from desperation to evade an expected defeat. After all, that has been the pattern of his life: screw up, then screw everyone else.
This was another amazing day for the J6 Committee unrolling the story around Jan 6. That DT actually made losing part of his grift ripping off small donors to the tune of $250 Million. It is so refreshing to have a sober respectful hearing that tells the story so well. Applause to Speaker Pelosi for rejecting Jim Jordan and Jim Banks from the Committee knowing what a chaotic circus they would make it into. Wish they'd stick to this kind of format in the future. The 5 minutes teeter totter between the two parties makes for pathetic disjoint TV. Will definitely continue to be glued to the hearings. The Committee gets an A+ in story telling.
Even if you can't put all that money in your own pocket, a quarter billion dollars pays for a lot of air miles in your private jet, meals, hotel suites, golf outings and any kind of "political event" whatsoever woven into the schedule can justify expensing it all.
Good to hear this about your wife. If it reaches people who don't normally follow like we do here, that's a big plus. My husband for the most part thinks they all act so "high-brow," but was impressed watching the first hearing; said they spoke in plain English so everyone could understand.
It’s important to recognize that even as a candidate before the 2016 election, Donald Trump was a rogue who had no interest in governing in the tradition of American democracy and yet he was elected and still has a staunch following. It speaks to the lack of education about government—what it means, how it can help its citizens, and how easily it can slip away if it’s citizens don’t take it seriously. The fact that Republican politicians still milk the Big Lie for votes bodes Ill for recovery and for the continued existence of democracy. When blatant lies are perpetrated by those who take an oath to support the Constitution, we’re on a very slippery slope.
Many months ago, Professor Heather wrote a piece about the importance of damaging the election process by those on the right. Trump repeated the lie that the election was rigged early in his 2016 campaign. Repeated it over and over again. No significant trace of election fraud was established prior to his maniacal repeating of the lie, nor since he lost the 2020 election!
Why is it that he can splatter his ‘bs’ all over himself then the media regurgitates it rather than challenging him to prove it or shut up?
Thanks for another eloquent summary. Amazing how many people are saying _under oath_ what they did not say when it could have changed the course of political life and more. Shame on them. I didn't know the USFL/NFL story; Trump has been a con man forever---but why have people continued to believe him---although he does have an amazing "presence" if you look at videos and don't get turned off---think about the way he used nicknames to reduce people to virtually nothing (Jeb Bush and others). Well I go on too long. However, it looks to me like it may be simple wire fraud that brings a lot of people down--- Whatever one thinks of her politics, Liz Cheney is terrific in the hearings!!! Fierce prosecutor manner. It works. Peace and Courage. Looking forward to more hearings!!
"Trump has been a con man forever---but why have people continued to believe him"
Here I recommend reading the eye opening book "Elmer Gantry" to better understand America's attraction to Charlatans.
Also, "The Power of the Charlatan", written in Europe in the late 1800's, although a hard to find book, is well worth reading. In this book we learn that Charlatan's are not an American phenomena.
The answer is complex, but, the two books above will give much insight into "why people are attracted to Charlatan's", especially people from European cultures.
Lastly, IF you have ever been to church, and listened to the (man) at the front of the church tell you what God wants, then, you yourself have listened to the rough equivalent of a Charlatan.
Because, no man knows if God exists, or, what God wants, but PLENTY of men pretend to know every Sunday. And.....worse....plenty of people sit and train themselves to listen to the man at the front of the church.
Then, they convert that skill into listening to........Trump.
Yup. Within weeks of his "election", I commented (on WaPo, a vast and stormy ocean) that the US now had Elmer Gantry for president, but this is the first time that I've encountered anybody else with the same thought!
Mike, having been raised in the deep South, white tents popped up everywhere in fields to bring in the hopeful, the meek, the poor, to evangelism. These “God-given” preachers told their congregations they would be healed, if only they believed. People crying in the aisles, the disabled claimed they could “walk” again. All an act, grand performances. Them preachers…their coffers overfilled because people kept coming back. Look no further than at the 700 Club, Jim and Tammy Baker, and the likes of Joel Osteen.
Anyone remember Mrs O'Malley down in the valley? She swallowed a cake of Grandma's Lye Soap, got the cleanest ulcers in the land! Then let us sing right out for Grandma's Lye Soap, sing it out, all over the place," etc. It's in the book!
I LOVED that song. My parents bought a 78 rpm. It was on the other side of the record. I'm only now realizing that our having that record tells me something about my parents' political outlook, something they never talked about with me and my sister.
Yes, “Then, they convert that skill into listening to........Trump.” And they have permission for their antisemitism and racism, really an almost ancient story and history of religion across the world.
Those nicknames. Now, who do we know that could cook a few up and apply them to Dodgy Donald? They have to be childishly crude and yet contain a pinpoint of insulting accuracy. Actually, there was one: Little Rocket Man called him "The Dotard". And then as we were all told, they fell in love...
I didn't know this story either, and watched the short film last night by Michael Tollin: Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? It ended with Trump bringing an antitrust lawsuit (of course) against the NFL. His attorney? Roy Cohn.
There is enough evidence of criminality in today's narrative to bury a multitude of political parties. I've been a student of American history since my childhood, and I have never seen any political party that has accumulated a history of wrongdoing and malfeasance that equals the one that Donald Trump co-opted and created. I've been cogitating about what it is and conservative orthodoxy that makes them so damn vulnerable to corruption. I think it has to do with something to do with their fear of weakness, and their instinctive distrust of other people. Conservatives are often the first to insist on the rule of law, which, in and of itself is unobjectionable; what they really want is a monopoly on the 'gotcha' laws that allow immoral things to be done under the rubric that they are 'strictly legal'. It is the law of the dominant against everyone else. Donald Trump thinks of himself as something like a Cosimo D' Medici, except that he's too stupid, and to careless to survive in Renaissance Florence. What is striking is that Trump proved to be so skilled at co-opting the institutions of government, bending them to his will. This is the legacy of the Reagan Revolution, its worship of power and office for their own sake. Reagan was held in check by a Democratic Congress. During his reign as Speaker, Newt Gingrich destroyed the honor of the House of Representatives. Mitch McConnell destroyed the honor of the Senate. And none of them were strong enough to withstand the rapaciousness and destructiveness of Donald Trump. So, we can see how the party of Trump is nothing more than a gang of thieves, devoid of patriotism, and any claim to decency and public morality. All I can say is that I am thankful that I don't work there anymore; I couldn't look at myself in the mirror. I worked before administrations in the 1970s and 1980s, three of which were Republican. None of them were as bad and demoralized as the Trump administration.
Well said. "I've been cogitating about what it is and conservative orthodoxy that makes them so damn vulnerable to corruption." Well - I have not been a student of American history since my childhood, but sure have the last 15 years or so. I have a different take on that question. The word conservative means that you are wary of change, that you believe in the good old days, or "traditional values". In a changing world, those who refuse to change their views as required to stay compatible with change, more and more, become irrelevant. Their beliefs, if once true, often cannot stand the test of time. Same is true of much of religion - the more we as humans find that is incompatible with religious teachings, the more irrelevant that religion becomes unless it can morph into something more compatible with the times. That is why Republicans do not play well with science, for the scientific method by its own definition is a response to changing data or changing findings. Climate change is a perfect example. Climate change, as Al Gore called it, is the "inconvenient truth". It upends just about everything Republicans stand for - unfettered capitalism, limited government, their view of who god is. If they are unwilling to change, and unwilling to become irrelevant, then the only thing left to do is to try to change reality. When you do that, then you resort to corruption - lies, cheating, killing, etc. On the other hand, progressives accept that change is happening, and seek to adapt to it in a way that benefits society. Less corruption in a belief system like that.
Hasn't the very label "conservative" shrunk so much that you can no longer read the small print? The only things they care to "conserve" are their ill-gotten gains. So, the constipated view of reality you ascribe to them is perhaps a little too flattering.
As for other things that fall apart, there has if anything been too much runaway pseudo-religion... with the Donald Dreck Cult changing doctrine every two hours or so...
I was recently asked a question. “If the Republican Party splits, what should their new name be”. This question brought into focus for me a flaw in liberal “talking points”. The fact is that these insurrectionists are the ones who should have their name changed. How could you possibly think of Abraham Lincoln and the right-wing thugs in the House of Representatives as equal partners? Or perhaps Thugs vs. Eisenhower, or pick any other outstanding Republican? Mr. Stimson (R) of the FDR(D) administration comes to mind — pointing out to Pres. Hoover(R) that the German school of economics would fail to stop the coming depression — and then working with FDR(D) to solve those terrible economic problems. I’m sure there are many other examples of (R) statesmen in our records. We need to follow Newt’s example and start referring to the (R) extremists as they are — The Seditionist Party. Disclaimer: I am (and have been for years) a Democrat of the Democrat-IC party.
I would argue that while conservative voters might believe in traditional values, all their representatives believe in is power and money, and are grasping at which buttons to push that will motivate their voters to, well, vote for them. And because they are not grounded in truth, or honor, or good will, or a desire to make the country work better, but are only motivated by the desire to stay in office, they are easily corrupted. While Republicans don’t have a monopoly on this, they seem far more vulnerable to it, and I think this is why.
" I've been cogitating about what it is and conservative orthodoxy that makes them so damn vulnerable to corruption."
I would argue that the reason "conservatives" are so easily taken in by a guy like Trump is that "conservatives" also claim religion as a key part of their lives.
Being religious means that folks have already taught themselves to believe "that for which there is no supporting evidence". This ability, to believe, is only a tiny step away from believing a lie.
Trump actually understands this effect and uses it.....witness his holding a Bible up after using the army to clear peaceful protesters.
I get that Mike. But I do not think that the deplorables are more religious than other portions of the population (have not seen stats on that though). I feel strongly it is also fueled by under-education. Well educated persons are less likely to be over-religious, and tend to have better BS meters. Emphasis on "tend to" - these are not absolute statements I make. It is also fueled by racism and zenophobia, which are traits of human behavior that are as old as our species. Traits that worked fine 5000 years ago, but certainly not today. I believe that a good well rounded education works wonders on magical thinking and fear of the other. And if one allows good learning to displace clearly outmoded religious beliefs, well only good can come from that. And I also think that some people are just plain mean or deceitful or cruel. For whatever reason. It is rare that I find a progressive person who fits in that category. But they seem to abound in conservative strongholds, if such folks have any political persuasion at all. Look at militias for instance. And to me it makes sense. If your world view is always under attack by a changing world, you can get pretty defensive and fearful about it. A good place for mean folks to thrive.
Not just mean, uneducated folks... The problem isn't just change or people's inability to conceive of or adapt to it.
It is the unprecedented extent, speed and acceleration of change.
Such that even the best motivated, most able politicians are left running after the train... and the label "progressive" can easily become a bad joke.
So, sure, the blockheads get confused and can even turn nasty, but everyone has some reason to get scared by the rough ride we're all getting.
And when shocks become too frequent, people all too often can't cope and give way to chronic fear... when that fear ceases to protect us from danger but comes to rule our lives...
Paranoia.
Criminals like the last occupant of the White House know well how to play such times to their advantage, maximizing rage, hatred, confusion. Diversions while they rob...
“Criminals like the last occupant of the White House” don’t act alone. They attract other criminals who are waiting to join their games. We (the USA) are too big. Not too big to fail, but too big to control.
I think it's people who are or were raised Catholic who don't care about anything but abortion.
Of the 100+ people I know (big part is my exes family) 99% are or were raised Catholic.
Weird fact, back in '77 when my kid was born in a Catholic hospital they refused to put my exes name on the birth certificate because we weren't married.
After we got married my ex had to adopt his own son. It was just some paper work but it still burns me that my son's first birth certificate has no father listed.
❤️ Good Grief!! Wonder if you can get that corrected if you petition the county. I had to do that in my old county in NC. They had my first name spelled wrong on my birth certificate. I had to pay $10 but it was worth it.
Money and Power. Simple. Predictable. And more in the making unless somehow laws and enforcement and even punishment happen. Real consequences. We learn how to stop a toddler’s tantrums, but TFG has had no outside discipline that made a difference. Ever.
In fact all of Ronnie’s policies, fed to him by Annenberg, were accomplished because of Democrat House Speaker Tip O’Neill. Two old time ‘horse traders washing each other’s back!’
“One of the key points the hearings raise is that all these senior officials who, now under oath, are saying that Trump lied and attacked our democracy against their advice and evidence, kept their mouths shut until forced to speak. They could—and should—have spoken up before January 6.”
As I watched and listened yesterday morning I became more and more angry at the glaring hypocrisy of all those Republican “patriots’” public silence in the weeks and months after the election and leading up to Jan. 6.
With the barrage of news daily, I can't always keep up--but about a week or so ago, didn't Barr say he'd support tfg if he got the 2024 nomination? That thought was making my head spin when I listened to his testimony yesterday!
A. brilliant précis of today’s hearing, Your prize line tonight, Heather … “But get this: the so-called Election Defense Fund was never real.” Love it!
Someone on this stream pointed out that fine print on the ask said the fund would be used by Trump's superpac, which could undermine a fraud charge. Afterall, who reads the fine print.?
We need to make sure that everyone who supported the Big Lie is removed from office and exempt from running for any public office.
Those who practice moral gymnastics and fictional "facts" are a cancer in our society. They need to be excised and closely watched for the rest of their lives.
We've never truly been a country of white hats, but we were headed that way. Now we have the red caps. If you are familiar with the Red Cap mythos, you know they dipped their caps in blood. The MAGAs seem to be of the same ilk.
I'm sure I oversimplify, but in contrast to the usual narrative that modern Republicans "hate government" or want "small government", it seemed to me from the get-go with Reagan, that the real target for destruction has always been democracy, not government per se, which the modern "GOP" has often wielded heavy-handedly. From systematic voting restrictions to the coup attempt, it has been access and benefits for ALL the people that have been sidelined and diminished; abandonment of the common weal; as their COVID and climate policy vividly demonstrate. Jan 6th followed a decades long and systematic move away from democratic principles, which while extreme, have to a large degree have already penetrated the public's sense of normalcy.
A Way Out of No Way: A Memoir of Truth, Transformation, and the New American Story https://a.co/d/e3kMFPw
Folks, out today is a Black man’s truth - and he’s running to keep his Senate seat. Georgia’s white racists will join with Trump supporters and January 6 racists and Ted Cruz and DeSantis and Josh Hawley - all American racists - to suppress Black voters nationwide. Buy A Way Out of No Way and read it. MLK’s church and this author are at one with the racist truth of America and our Republican Party tonight. These racists prefer guns to Blacks and Hispanic children. Senator Warnock is the light, or there will be darkness in the land and more daily mass murders of Blacks and the folks with color in their beautiful skin. Heather Cox Richardson got it right tonight - finally. The slaughter she describes - finally - is one of many - then and now.
A Way Out of No Way: A Memoir of Truth, Transformation, and the New American Story https://a.co/d/e3kMFPw
Morning, Sandy. I have been supporting ($) Senator Warnock since before he was elected Senator and now as he heads to another election in November. Good to hear from you that he is the right choice for Georgia and America.
I absolutely support Reverend Warnock - conscience and integrity personified. Just look at (and listen to - if patience allows) the opposing candidate ... I trust people of color will know, and vote for the difference ... local white loyalists likely do not care to know the difference (what a tragic waste of human potential) - they will have to rig the vote to win the election - still a loser's game ....
I've worked as a Middle School Social Studies teacher, and I'm very sorry to admit I never heard of the Wilmington Massacre before. Thank you, Heather, for remedying this! And thank you, Sandy, for the information about Reverend Warnock's book. Step One in my personal re-education project begins today.
Massacres are documented. Many in books. All in local records. Schools of education do not teach knowledge. They award degrees for process knowledge oblivious of details. Wilkerson is good.
Eileen, I think that you've already taken step one. Maybe Rev. Warnock's book will be your first text book.
I had never heard of Wilmington or the Oklahoma City Race Massacre before about 3 years ago from a much more well informed (and constantly curious) friend told me about them. I had never heard of the Colfax (LA) Massacre until today.
My initial reaction to the news that Bill Stepien was with his wife who was in labor was that he must have arranged for her labor to be induced so he could have a good excuse to avoid testifying in person. I am that skeptical of the GOP.
If the JAN6 case had started with the D.O.J. and with closed-door grand jury hearings, we'd be hearing nothing about Trump and his minions. By allowing the JAN6 Committee to go first, while in secret the D.O.J. is building its own case, the country gets to see the evidence put on the table and hear the voices of the witnesses.
If there are to be bombshells, it will be in the last two hearings. The JAN6 Committee can only RECOMMEND that the D.O.J. indict Trump and his minions, people like Giuliani and Bannon and Eastman and Jeffrey Clark and Roger Stone, and the Big Money that funded Trump's gathering on the Ellipse on January 6th, and the Republican representatives like Mo Brooks who led reconnaissance tours at the Capitol in the days before the siege.
My strategy is that of George Carlin... start now to distance myself from the outcome. I know there is a good chance that the Democrats will lose the House and Senate in November, probably because of inflation, something Biden can do little to ease, and because of red-state cheating. That means we must suffer another round of right-wing in-your-face fascism. Unless, of course, the aliens get their green fannies down here ASAP and set things straight.
If every Democrat encourages 10 other Democrats to vote, we can overcome the obstacles! Democrats can win if we talk with neighboring Dems/write postcards!
I am part of the (Democratic) Neighborhood Leader Program (Oregon). In the recent mid-term, I was neighborhood leader of 20 Democratic voters. I went to their door and after introductions, asked if they'd received their ballots (mail-in), gave them a paper stating whom Progressive Dems were supporting and asked if we could count on them voting in the Primary. If they had questions to call me.
Guess what?...19 of 20 of MY PEOPLE VOTED! Poco a poco -this works!
Through NLP efforts, our excellent, relatively unknown progressive Dem candidate (who took no PAC $), ousted the well-funded, 25+ year yellow-dog Dem incumbent!
FOLKS....IT CAN BE DONE! Get with the program - spread the news! Get Dems to VOTE!!!!!
That is great. But Oregon is blue. I live in TN. It's hard enough to find 20 Democrats locally, period. If you do and you convince them to vote, then you get to see their meager numbers get swamped by a red wave. If I lived in a purple state, I would be much more active.
I have a similar problem, albeit a pleasanter one: Massachusetts is blue, my representatives from city council member to US Senators are all excellent already. So I write postcards to help get voters registered in other states.
Oregon is mainly blue in Portland, Eugene...big urban areas. In my area east of Salem, the capitol, I am surrounded by red. These folks are well meaning, single issue voters. So outside the big cities and in most rural areas, we are red.
What I'm trying to say is NLP is a super strategy -connecting with Dems for mutual support. I've observed, when there is a majority party in control anywhere, they often get careless about voting. We can make it happen...
Hi Maigen - check out the link on Marion County Democrats site regarding the Neighborhood Leadership Program...get one started in your county (for states with mail-in ballots). This strategy goes beyond passing out literature, it's about connecting people to people. If you're uneasy about approaching fellow Dems door to door, write a postcard or call. Not only do you encourage them to vote, you ask for a commitment to vote.
There is an electronic second part to this program which would work for mail-in ballots and early voting states. This part keeps track of our 'neighbors' who have voted as recorded by the county election offices. Our neighborhood program coordinator in our area helps us, cheerleads, inspires us and makes postcards, stickers, yard signs etc. available to us. We celebrate that our NLP program boosted Democratic voting in our county. by 67%
Midterms are not decided. Democrats are still squabbling among themselves. Chairman Benny Thompson and Co-Chair Liz Cheney are spectacular. Tucker the F-er may get clobbered, we, the people, may wise up. I believe in Santa Claus. And Peter Pan. And Lamont Cranston. And Clark Kent. I HAVE A DREAM!!!
I mean, Carlin was a fucking genius for all time and I do standup for fun so don’t say it lightly. But I firmly believe deep within my heart that were he alive, he’d be running for Congress today rather than sitting it out because these are the times that try men’s souls. Can’t count on the aliens; they watch kids go hungry and people die from want of a dime’s worth of basic preventative care. (PS: turned in my petitions for NY CD 10 Friday night and am official “fuck Trump and Giuliani party” candidate from lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn in a race of 15 Dems -no incumbent in newly-gerrymandered district- for an August 23 primary.)
So kind! I’m waiting to ask until I see whether deBlasio’s $600-an-hour attorneys successfully knock me off the ballot-I’ve already been “objected” first thing Monday just waiting for my rep to be served. I take it as a compliment that I was the first in a field of 15 (yes 15) Dems vying for the primary. (1 R candidate; they all know it’s a losing battle in NY).
Giving up now is self-defeating. Give your pessimism its due time in your head, then go ahead and do whatever you have it in you to do to nudge the outcome in the direction you want.
It seems that raising interest rates is counter-productive. As I see it, we have an "artificial inflationary period," fueled by Putin and Covid. As soon as those are under control, things will go back to normal. Raising interest rates will hurt the common American most, the people who are most likely to flee to the republican side, which could result in a loss of the House and Senate in November.
Americans need to understand that this inflation is world-wide. Every government is struggling to contain it. Rough waters ahead for the new Finance Minister in Australia, working on the forthcoming Budget - but we're so relieved to have got rid of our mini-Trump and elected a sensible and hardworking prime minister that the nation is likely to understand the need to tighten its belts.
Inflation is made far worse by corporate profiteering, enabled by industry consolidation and motivated by a combination of greed and delight in the political consequences.
So glad to see her receive this recognition. Love the photo - Heather embodies transparency, honesty, and the tranquility that comes from generously sharing the truth.
Going out on a limb here...
— No red state that has enacted voter suppression laws will now rescind them based on the overwhelming and indisputable evidence they were duped into believing the Big Lie.
— Not a penny will be returned to the MAGAs who donated $250 million to Trump's non-existent election defense fund.
On a brighter note, Trump and his fellow fraudsters are imagining with more frequency what life behind bars will be like. It will be worse than they think.
Michael, In my view, the GOP controlled state legislatures in red (and purple) states were not “duped into believing the Big Lie.” Rather these state legislators used the “big lie” as cover to lay the groundwork for MAGA Republicans to return to or attain power whether or not they win enough votes. Hence, as we speak, these state leaders are changing state election rules to change who can be in charge, how votes are counted, and how they’re certified.
As for you noting that “life behind bars” for Trump and his coterie “will be worse than they think,” you could be right. Nonetheless, I am far more concerned for the rest of us if we don’t summon all of our resources to reinvigorate the sanctity of our Constitution and the rule of law, without which we lose the capacity for governing ourselves.
Just last week I was asked to sign a petition to about “tightening” election integrity in Michigan. My state had a very well run and fair election and I politely said this to the person seeking my signature. Also, a candidate on the Republiqan gubernatorial primary ticket is running a tv commercial featuring a man dressed as a zombie, while the candidate claims that, if elected, he will purge the voter rolls of dead people, who always vote for Democrats. I wish the local Democratic party would run at least one ad hitting hard on just how fair and secure our last election was. We MUST counter their propaganda.
Small but significant thing: It’s the Democratic Party, not the Democrat Party. As long ago as the 1940s, Republicans started mis-pronouncing the name of the other party, a subtle slur intended to show that Democrats were not entitled to the respect involved in learning the name of their party.
Thank you. Last time I pointed that out, I was accused of being "nit-picky".
Just because you're nit-picky doesn't mean you're wrong, it means you're paying close attention and that words matter.
Indeed they do!
Ah, yes, the "ease of snark" that has undermined civility in social media "discussions." I love the way conversations are so respectful in this community. What helped me here was learning the background of why it matters to get it right.
Not by me, I trust
Fixed, thank you.
I dunno, can't we just appropriate that, like the word "queer" or "nerd"?
That doesn't sit well with me. YMMV. (And I am a queer band geek).
How many of us remember when 'queer' meant 'peculiar"? Growing up, we had a book in the family bookcase titled "Grandfather was Queer". I'm guessing my maternal grandfather bought it because there was a brief chapter about an 18th century forebear in New England who was transferred from pulpit to pulpit of several churches because of his relationships with various women in the congregations. Eventually, he was forced to marry one whom he made pregnant but soon deserted her and left for a different state. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7146595-grandfather-was-queer
Tit for tat...
Republikers.
Cathy, My sense is that any of us living in states attempting to upend free and fair elections need to seek out local civic organizations that are pushing back.
League of Women voters have been active in suing to rescind some of these laws.
I always ask canvassers who is backing the petition. They almost never know. Then I point out why that's an issue for them to be asking for signature and acknowledge I know they are getting paid and it's a job and I'm not down on them... but.... My husband also asks "is it for kids, whales or LGBGQ+?" If not, not signing.
excellent point.
Ask the same of ANY advertising.
Always follow the money.
Can’t blame a person for taking a job but can decry a system that makes it cheap to put items on the ballot by petition. In California, for example, anyone (or group) with a couple million dollars can force a recall election for any elected state office. The state must then shell out a couple hundred million to pay for the recall election.
What I wish is that these misleading, false statements will be taken to court. People should pay for lying to the American Public on situations that affect constitutional conduct. Maybe then it will stop.
I wish so too. However, these "cheaters" revel in their lying prowess.
Personally, I feel when people lie to your face, they should be exposed, shunned and face dire consequences.
Maybe it’s better to allow any speech and avoid the problem of having to decide what’s allowed and what isn’t since that process could be abused, but isn’t Trump’s use of the big lie to cause mayhem in our political system the equivalent of someone falsely yelling “Fire!” In a crowded theater?
I think it is. But maybe there's a better shot at making a case for wire fraud because clearly there was no legal fraud fund.
Yes, money is the cleanest way to the (pig) pen.
Yes, yes, yes
Wish Dems had not dissed Bloomberg. He has the means to counter the lies, not local but Rupert’s lies all around the land.
Yes, but I truly resent the idea that we have to buy our democracy.
Someone told me that since our Michigan Democratic Party's candidate, Gretchen Whitmer is running unopposed on the primary ticket, the party doesn't invest in ads against the Republican candidates (yet). Seeing as 3 repugs in that race have already been kicked off the ballot for fraud, I can see the point. Sure would be nice if The Lincoln Project would take a wack at dead clown face though.
I have had this argument with the one ex-classmate in Indiana who is concerned with voter fraud. Here when a person passes, the county issues a death certificate and at the same time takes the person off the voting rolls.
I just read an article about this nonsense being alive and well in Oregon. A libertarian requested the file that checks if software is working properly before the election in each county. This is in Washington County in the Portland area. The county said no and the local district attorney said yes, so the county took it to court which is still pending. Part of the problem is security and having this would allow bad players to interfere. In the meantime this person accidentally received the file which was included in something the county did give him. He was honest that he had it and the county has a restraining order so that he can't share it although he may already have. The sec.of state is involved on the side of the county. Not resolved yet, but there are plenty of people in every state looking to do things like this and be intimidating poll watchers.
😡
It's becoming clearer that the only chance to see Trump in handcuffs is his election tampering here in Georgia. His taped request of Sec. of State Raffensberger to "find the votes," could be his ticket to a jail cell. One can only hope.
Randy, Call me whatever, but I sense that increasing public pressure plus DOJ’s increasing interest in the Select Committee hearings could result in indictments of high-level officials up to and including Trump.
No doubt. We must let this concert play out to its crescendo end at DOJ!
When I heard that, I thought well, he’s cooked his goose. Only to hear MAGAts say that they didn’t care.
But it is a very clean legal charge, easily proven like tax fraud. So it won't matter what MAGAtes think. What matters is it appears that Rupert (and I suspect Koch and big business bucks) have started dumping trump, and DeSatan will rise out of the muck. Things could get worse in this country unless it catalyzes "The Big Split" in the Republican party. Is Senator Liz Cheney planning a run for President in 2024?
Or, as we learned during the J6 Hearing on Monday, wire fraud could be his downfall.
Good morning Barbara. I’m thinking a lot this week about the American people…all of us this time. Politics Girl, Leigh McGowan mirrors a conversation that I had yesterday with a trump supporter that chose to watch the hearings and is, let’s say, having a difficult time. I told this acquaintance almost exactly what Leigh just put out in one of her two minute rants. And asked her the same question at the end. “Do you care about our democracy?” And would only continue our convo when the answer was “yes”. https://youtu.be/mci9EdwqLs4
UNITA.
Christine, As one who does not know how to speak with Trump supporters, I so appreciate the link. Warmly, Barbara
Very sharable.
Thank you Christine. This is so right on. Just subscribed.
I'm thinking the ACLU is going to be doing a heckuva lot of fundraising to pay for the multitude of lawsuits that will result from the GQPs tinkering with state level election boards and all the other "tweaking and adjusting" those scoundrels are pulling.
That’s probably part of the overarching plan explained by Bannon as “Flood the Zone with Shit”. They strategize that to go after all the fraud will be too costly and time consuming. Democracy’s Death by a thousand lawsuits.
On my donation list
After their involvement in the Depp-Heard fiasco, they are off my donation list for a while. That's not what I donated and joined to have my support directed into. That's fraud too.
Ugh, had no idea. What were they thinking…
Yep, mine as well. Has been for years--they do good and necessary work!
https://action.aclu.org/give/now
@T L Mills, I think you’re right. Hence my reason for viewing ACLU ( and LDF) donations, plus some others, as rent for their acting on all our behalf’s to protect our democracy.
Yes, it's time right now for us "to summon all our resources." I went to an amazing Arena Summit this weekend and was inspired by a host of powerful citizens doing the hard hard work of resuscitating democracy and as Cecile Richards said, the road ahead is hard, but no one is coming to save us.
Bumpy but so is life
The losses at the state level have been going on for years. Democrats are just now wiping the sleep out of their eyes and saying “Golly. How did this happen?”
The Obama presidency got the ball rolling.
“In 2009, President Obama’s party controlled both chambers of 27 state legislatures. Eight years later, Democrats control both chambers in only 13 states. Among the states that slipped from Democratic control are Wisconsin, North Carolina, Iowa and West Virginia; states key to the victory of President-elect Donald Trump last November. According to a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Democratic Party has lost a net total of 13 Governorships and 816 state legislative seats since President Obama entered office, the most of any president since Dwight Eisenhower.“
https://www.quorum.us/data-driven-insights/under-obama-democrats-suffer-largest-loss-in-power-since-eisenhower/
This has been the Republican plan for many years. Start of the local level and move up.
And the losses continue.
Yup. These young people understand that better than anybody and are doing something about it. We need to move past endlessly describing the problem and get to work solving it.
A half black president brought the slime from under their rocks. Sorry slime
And that was absolutely a big part of the situation.
A Black Family moving into a White House. More than a lot of people were prepared to accept.
And then he wanted to make America over into his liberal, community organizer image. More than a lot of people were prepared to accept.
A truly nice person with minimal legislative victories to show for eight years.
@H. H. Rose, I appreciate you amplifying how, contrary to Democrats, Republicans, for decades, have methodically been organizing to fill state and local positions with their own people. I also have noted, as a recent subscriber to Robert Hubbell’s Substack, that Robert regularly introduces readers to civic organization that do extraordinary work mobilizing for democracy at the state and local levels. Like Joy, who is part of this thread, I, too, take heart from the presence, particularly of young people, whose energy and engagement is focused both on out-organizing Republicans and on defending democracy, as mentioned, statewide and locally.
RedMap 2010
I shouldn't have applied "duped" to everyone on that side. There's no way to know how many of those in power at the state level knew the election wasn't stolen or how many purely exploited the greatest falsehood in the nation's history. At this point anyone who sincerely believes the Big Lie is irrational or willfully ignorant. Despite their gaudy Stars and Stripes attire, they are anything but patriots.
I have acquaintances who refuse to watch the J-6 Committee Hearings because it is all a pack of lies.
So I assume they don't know Trump's key appointees are saying the Big Lie was a lie all along. Or they believe whatever Trump says is akin to the word of God.
Never before have so many Americans been essentially brain-washed.
There was an article in the NYT today about how Ukraine is undergoing the same persecutions that happened under the Hitler regime, among others. This threat is so real, yet so unrecognized. Lies and more lies brainwashed millions of Germans who bought the lie. This is happening now in the United States of America. I'm at a loss about how to respond to this crisis.
They believe that anything said by “main stream media” is a lie (because DJT told them this).
And they will never know that tRump’s closest allies/appointees told him he lost the election because it will only be reported by MSM.
This is a tragedy, for your acquaintances and the country. All caused by Trump, a national malignancy like no other.
On second thought, with legal experts saying that Trump and others could be convicted of wire fraud for soliciting the donations and then using them for other purposes, it is conceivable that a court judgment could include an order to refund the money.
Upon trump's indictment ALL of his assets, every single penny, will be forfeited into the government coffers to be disbursed according to future Court dispensation determinations.
🙏🏻
Indictment is only a formal accusation of a crime. Conviction is what is needed. Though he could transfer assets to others - like Ivanka, etc. - to keep that from happening.
Seriously?
That's certainly a possible legal remedy; a class action is a possibility as well. A granular investigation into several of the 60+ failed "lawsuits" would be useful. Several may have been dismissed in 72 to 96 hours, start to finish. The "Big Lie" turned into the "Big Grift" aka Fraud-in-the-Inducement. Question. Were the very short lived "BS" lawsuits attached to the non-existing "Election Defense Fund" (Sic).
George Conway tweeted that there is good cause for a class action suit.
As long as he’s still married to the alternate facts woman I have no respect for his opinion.
How those two cohabitate is beyond me!
Maybe a call to the lawyers who handled the "Trump University" fraud?
I'm torn as to which to call it, the Big Grift or the Big Rip-off🤔
Both fit!
Words are important; I am going with the "Big Grift", grifters, grift targets: create words & meaning that work. Linguists help!
I agree. It just sounds better, too.
Rip off. I suspect a lot of grifters (and their fans) don't know what the term "grifter" means.
Voter suppression laws should be declared illegal by the federal government and immediately rescinded, before November. I know I sound idealistic, but is there any way we can make that happen?
Mona, I realize your question is not addressed to me and hope you don’t mind my replying. My understanding is that our system provides only one remedy for offsetting the High Court’s gutting, first of Section 5, and more recently of Section 2, of the 1965 Voting Rights Act— Congressional legislation that gets signed into law by the President.
We came mighty close last January when all 50 Senate Democrats voted to advance the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act. Regrettably, its passage ultimately was blocked by Manchin and Sinema, who joined the 50 Republicans to oppose a modest filibuster rule change that would have allowed for an up or down majority vote and would have applied solely to this one bill.
Seeing that the legislation already has passed in the House, we’re waiting on the Senate to act, which appears highly unlikely.
I’m convince JM is a Republican who ran as a Democrat so that no matter which party won WV would get a Republican.
Patricia, What I hear from West Virginians is that Manchin is the only Democrat who could win a statewide election. Additionally, as the state turns more red and increasing numbers of the state’s Democrats are disturbed by his obstruction regarding issues they care about, I’ve been told that Manchin likely could lose his seat in 24 to a Republican.
His Dem opponent will get my last dollar in donations.
Coal and timber still rule and rot.
MaryPat, My understanding is that West Virginians prioritize jobs, healthcare, childcare, housing, and tax reform (all part of Budget Reconciliation —BBB that Manchin opposed ) as their most vital needs. It further is of note that workers associated with the United Coal Miners Union are itching for training that would allow them to make the transition from fossil fuel to clean energy jobs.
Thank you. I don't mind at all. John R. Lewis did so much for this country. What a waste to have his work end up shredded by partisan politics. Remember how Republicans introduced legislation to get rid of the ACA, over and over and over? Well, we need to do something similar about voting rights, over and over and over again, very publicly. And we need to report to constituents in Manchin's and Sinema's states what these 2 elected politicians are doing to our country and who is funding their campaigns. Also, McConnell has way too much power in Congress.
Also need to report over and over again, specifically, the benefits for them that Manchin and Sinema are blocking.
Judith, Though your comment is not addressed to me, I write because I fully agree that obstruction, particularly from Manchin and Sinema, has been especially damaging both to the Biden agenda (BBB) and also to their respective constituents. For example, West Virginians have prioritized jobs, healthcare, childcare, housing, and tax reform as vital to their well-being. Moreover, the state’s workers represented by the United Coal Miners Union are itching for the training to help them make the transition from the fossil fuel industry to clean energy jobs. In Arizona, the prominent issues entail calls for expanding healthcare, while also holding Sinema accountable for her unseemly corporate ties, especially to Big Pharma.
Circling back to your comment, nationwide, the country clearly needs tough, strong leadership to educate people about what they’re losing every time Biden’s agenda is stalled.
Although my comment was in response to Mona's, I have no problem with you or anyone else responding to my own comment.
Mona, This past January, after the federal voter protection legislation failed to pass, scores of us expressed our deep disappointment that the President had not called out Manchin’s and Sinema’s mere support for voting rights as hollow and performative, absent their resolve to do their part to figure out how the filibuster could be modified to pass the legislation under regular order, even if it meant taking a long time (Dems had proposed 100 hours for each party) to get an up or down majority vote.
I imagine currently, amid the backdrop of the 1/6 Select Committee hearings, not to mention the unilateral passage, in state after state, of bills that restricts voting and nullifies votes, were Democratic leadership, with the federal voter protection safeguards in hand, to go to West Virginia, and also to the red parts of Mississippi and Alabama and to other states and say, “This is what we have tried to deliver and these folks have voted against it, I believe they would be far from alone in concluding that January 6th could well be mere practice for the next time unless we engage now in the necessary actions to ensure eligible votes in every state are cast and counted correctly, without interference, nor diluted through partisan gerrymandering.
I
And drop gerrymandering immediately as well.
@Pensa_VT, The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act I discuss as part of this thread virtually ends gerrymandering.
Ohio has a law against gerrymandering and gop has manage to manipulate it by digging their heels in and not coming up with a decent map.
Michigan's law works!
I checked. CA has dropped gerrymandering! It stopped in 8 states so far. Long way to go.
In California and, I expect in the other 7 states, the gerrymandering has been more or less stopped due to successful citizen initiatives to remove redistricting from elected officials and have "non-partisan" commissions do the job. However, in California (where I am), there still has been an effort to get partisan members on the commission in order to play gerrymandering games.
Absolutely! No matter who is doing it. Gerrymandering must end. If officials involved cannot provide a map, one will be drawn for them.
Well, after SCROTUS dismantled the Voting Rights Act by saying "no longer a problem" we lost the law we had...
(I like the snark description of the "highest" court.)
Joe M would have to become human
Not in our lifetime.
Not happening
trump pitiful soul captured by deception's lie will soon inhabit a community that only knows living by the lie: a well deserved end of life consequence...good riddance, Eh!?
🤞
Oh I hope so!
Michael, I agree with your first two observations but as far as your "brighter note" is concerned, not so sure. As much as I'd love, love, love to see trump behind bars, for the sake of the country, I wish he'd run away with his tail tucked between his knees to Russia or anywhere. Even if it's proven to the white supremacy groups that the big lie is just that, it was an opportunity to group and come out in the open. If trump is put in prison, there will be a civil war that we don't want to happen.
I’m not persuaded there would be a civil war if Dumpster were put in prison. I think all but a tiny fraction of the MAGA crowd would prefer to yell at the TV from their comfy recliners.
But there are those like the man who posted that he killed his beloved dog to see if he could kill somebody he didn’t know. That the ugliest man alive caused such insanity is hard to fathom.
Wow, I missed that story. So deeply disturbing. One wonders whether he is still a dedicated MAGA supporter, prepared to go to horrific extremes for "the cause" or whether he has had second thoughts. That story is almost Biblical, in a very twisted way. As if Dumpster were a very perverted version of g*d, that man were Abraham, and he actually killed his beloved son (dog) because he thought his g*d demanded it as proof of his devotion.
Agree. If the Clotheless Emperor is called out, his exposed supporters will run for the trees.
I agree!
There won't be a civil war if tRump is imprisoned because the MAGAtes will have a new devil to worship, and Rupert is offering him up on Fox now, Desatan.
Hmm. Will T___p still be addressed as Mr. President when he’s behind bars?
I never called him that before and never will. Jon, I think he will be called Prisoner No. 67456.
Prison is too good for them.
Yikes!
Most of the donors won't even ask for their money back, they'll convince themselves it was well used.
But some of them will find the scales falling from their eyes and realize that T___p is not only a crook, but a crook who is after their money--not someone else's. They will cease to support him.
We don't need to get all of his supporters to drop him, just enough to make him less of a danger or no longer a danger.
Every step in the right direction, no matter how small, is progress. I'd like to see him be no further danger at all.
So, despite the fact that people like Stepien KNOW they are supporting bullshit and testify under oath they supported bullshit they continue to work for candidates who are knowingly spreading bullshit. How can this possibly be legal?
The millions trump raised under false pretenses–isn't that considered wire fraud, mail fraud or some such thing?
Updated: I know wire fraud was brought up in the Letter. As usual, I can't wrap my head around how some people get away with grafting and grafting their entire lives. In reality I know how but sometimes I'm naive enough to think this time they won't get away with it. As Mike S Upstate NY says, rich white men do whatever they want [and get away with it].
I'm sure that journalists will be all over Stepien and Harriet Hageman, the candidate he's serving who's running on the Big Lie. I wonder if she's going to fire him so she can continue to promote that. But now Liz Cheney can use all of this against them. I sure hope she wins.
Me too!
Me too - but unfortunately (I heard yesterday) she’s apparently behind Hageman in polling by double digits. Because her own party state and local officials keep promoting The Big Lie and Faux News and other right wing media keep throwing Cheney under the bus for her “disloyalty” to TFG. And so people keep believing...
In one sense, Liz is living with the fall out that her father fostered. He helped degrade the gop as much as trump and Gingrich et.al. Now it’s at a point where it could all crash down and she’s trying to clean up the mess. But after that, she’s still Liz Cheney and her policies are her fathers. And we are left having to be thankful she acted like an American? She’s iving with the legacy of weapons of mass destruction. Turns out it was the gop.
Liz might just pull a fast one out of her hat. Her dad, one of the most destructive men of our time, along with Gingrich, yes, has friends who may be propping her up. Your statement about WMD = GOP is absolutely correct.
I despise her politics, but have some hope since she changed her position on LGBQT rights last year (for her sister).
I despise her politics too. She did change her mind but not about voting for the Equality Act. See the last paragraph. https://www.npr.org/2021/09/27/1040856038/liz-cheney-says-she-was-wrong-in-opposing-same-sex-marriage
I was watching Cheney during the hearing just loving her and thought who would have thought Liz Cheney would now be my hero. She normally stands for everything I hate. The world's turned upside down
The question of our time, And I thought that was as low as repubs could go.
Can anybody shut Rupert up? That has always been the question…
YES to this, Jeri. It’s what I keep saying now. Down with Faux “News”!!
Only if he and his ilk are deported.
Not even then - the devils have to be "departed."
If their misled voters eliminate Cheney from office, she will continue to be a strong voice against the Big Lie and other corruption in the GOP in other venues. She's now broadly known across the electorate as a champion of integrity and courage. They can't cancel her.
My hope is she launches "The Big Split" in the Republican party.
Grace, yes I heard that as well. It doesn't sound like she has any chance in winning. We'll, this has to be the first time I have ever lamented about a Republican losing. 😆
She's like 30 pts down.
But Cheney has huge financial backing. What’s that Cajun phrase?
I hope you are correct. My faith is the MSM media - in terms of "telling both sides of the story - is dismal.
Nothing of the sort will happen. The Big Lie mentality is too embedded as a superfluous fact in our National Politics. It will be politics as usual.
The voters are aware of the Big Lie. They don't care. This their moment. They will hurt themselves to stick it to the elites. trump gave them a voice (which was a brilliant marketing move on his part). They will not stop giving him money and they will not stop hating every single thing about her as much as people hate every single thing about trump.
The divide in this Country may be permanent. Time will tell.
Oh my!
You're probably right, but for some reason I am still rooting for the "City on the hill" America, the "Beacon of hope" America , the "New Jerusalem" that is the America I was raised to believe in. It is the Democracy my father fought in two wars for. It seems like these ideals may have just been reduced to sentimentalism now but I still believe that these dreams can still be our "Beacon of hope" that lights our way once again.
That doesn't mean we give up! This is who and what we are dealing with. I am with you. We fight.
Yes, it is indeed wire fraud per attorney Laurence Tribe whose Tweet Heather shared:
“Actually, @RepZoeLofgren, somebody has decided: Congress criminalized wire fraud long ago. 18 USC 1343. DOJ will need to decide whether Trump's conduct in violation of sec 1343 was excusable because, well, because he was above the law. But weren't we told NO-ONE is above the law?”
If the DOJ doesn’t nail tfg for leading an  insurrection, let’s hope they nail him and his cohorts for wire fraud.
If any of @RepZoeLofgren 's constituents who are age 65 or older were solicited to donate to a non-existent entity, that could be criminal elder abuse under California law. I know a fraudulent solicitation is enough to require a mandated reporter to report suspected elder abuse to the California Attorney General's office. But I'm not an attorney like Congresswoman Lofgren and @RepAdamSchiff and don't know if a small donation is needed to prove it.
Wouldn’t that be something if the California Attorney General’s office opened an investigation of elder abuse?! There’s no question in my mind that many in the 65+ crowd have been pouring money into tfg’s coffers. And in many cases, it was money they could ill afford to lose. 😡
But gave willingly, even knowing the truth.
Jeri, willingly yes. Accepting it , no. You are right.
Wire fraud is cleanest indictment.
Well, that's interesting!
all we need to keep in mind they didn't convict Capone of murder, but of tax evasion, small justice for those he murdered, but it worked
Convicting trump of wire fraud for this particular grift would have to overcome the fact that all those emails included small print saying the money would go to trump’s ‘save America PAC’, which it did.
Exactly. This was a well thought out con. I may add, it's still going on. I received another request this morning.
Ugh!
Marlene, it's as if these hearings aren't happening
But they are, Linda, and we have to keep that in mind. Garland and his prosecutors are watchimg.
TFG is diabolically clever. He's been grifting like this all his life. And getting away with it. So far.
He’s certainly very successful at cheating people, until he’s not, and then he finds someone else to cheat. He was about to go under financially - no bank in NY would do business with him, and he had squandered his inheritance - when the Kremlin stepped in and backstopped a loan from DeutscheBank. International money laundering saved his financial assets. Is it cleverness to sell yourself to Vladimir Putin?
Yesterday I was stopped behind a car that had a "Save American Again" bumper sticker sitting just inside the back window. Wondered about it bcz I hadn't see that phrase previously. Wonder if I was behind one of the grifted.
Judith, yes it's Trumps 2024 slogan. With an outrageous "donation" he was giving these to donors, I mean stooges.
It's a trump in 2024 slogan.
Looks like wire fraud---maybe it will bring a few people down. Al Capone was sent to prison for tax evasion.
I hope so G, I truly do.
Unfortunately, all of the proposed lawsuits will still be floating around the courts long after Trump is dead and buried--all paid for by the very funds he illegally solicited.
I think he spends it as he gets it.
So do I…on paying his attorneys.
I understand that he sometimes doesn't pay his attorneys.
Besides, unless you've heard otherwise, he doesn't need to because the RNC has taken on paying his legal fees.
daria,
"How can this possibly be legal?"
Trump spent his entire life doing things every day that someone subsequently asked:
"How can this be legal?"
One example: In Atlantic City, Trump hired thousands of small business contractors to build a casino. Thousands of toilets were installed, sinks, floors, walls, windows......with small contractors.
Then, Trump managed that casino into the ground even though his own Dad poured his own money into to it.
At no time did Trump ever even slightly show any sign of paying all of the contractors that had built the casino.
In fact, he declared bankruptcy, which, in Israel or Germany or in early America, would have put him in jail.
Thousands of small contractors went under because most of their work for years had been at the casino. Trump never paid them a dime.
But, in today's America where rich, white men have written 100% of the laws since inception?
Trump has never gone to jail.
So, basically, the answer to your question is: This is America my friend.
Rich, white men can do whatever they want.
Mike, thank you for pointing out the fact that tfg has so far slithered away from that specific grift. Those facts were known before he won his first election, along with a host of others. Are we too optimistic that somewhere along the line he will pay? Or was he right about his Fifth Avenue brag?
And tRump knows it, and brags about it.
Mike, trump lives by the motto, "Rich white men can do whatever they want".
So it is being demonstrated
If the duty of the government and those who represent us (one way or another) is to serve us, and we can in some cases be prosecuted for lying to the government, why are those who work in government held accountable (at least when it matters) for lying to us? To err is human, but actual lies are a choice, and sometimes a choice that can be proved.
Some lies can kill, in wars, in racial violence, with COVID, etc.
sorry, Not held accountable.
Correct Daria , Fraud in the Inducement. Calling on New Jersey LFAA Commenters to provide background on Bill Sepien's days in New Jersey during the infamous "Bridgegate" fiasco. I recall Steve Kornacki was already a top notch political reporter in NJ back then before he was scooped up by MSNBC. Update: Per the Guardian's Adam Gabbatt on 7/16/20, "In 2014 [Sepien) was publicly named & shamed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ..." for his active role in New Jersey's "Bridgegate" i.e. his role in inflicting human suffering. Per LA TImes' Mat Pearce, 1/8/14, in the purposely inflicted bridge back-up, paramedics were delayed in reaching an "unconscious 91 year old woman from Ft. Lee, New Jersey." No post-mortem to my knowledge.
So really, Stepien has always been about lies big and small.
"Went into labor?"
Named and shamed by Chris Christie?? Ha! That's rich.....
Deflecting when he thought he might run against tfg.
Spreading bullshit is allowed for the same reason Fox News is allowed to continue- money. Follow the money, always.
Yes, yes, this is what I was saying earlier. They knew and did nothing . . .
Testifying under oath we finally learn what was always whispered and known. Lying to the American People for political gain is “business as usual”. Yesterday’s testimony made me realize I need to look at the whole trump whorl best through the Lens of THE GRIFT. He conned the system on a larger scale than he had for decades, but it is still the same grift. My greatest hope is that through these revelations under oath, many of his supporters begin to see they were used. I know many of them will deny it to the grave because it shows them to be such fools. But there are others who may snap out of the cult-think grip they are in. Then what? I’m not sure. They will still hate Dems no matter what. That’s their Brand.
Totally agree with you Daria! trump has committed so many blatant crimes it is troubling he has not been arrested. And, what is also very disturbing is the rat packs that still are out there! "Nonetheless, leading Republicans are willing to embrace the Big Lie in order to skew our election system to keep those like Trump in power."
George Conway is thinking it could be. Hoffa wasn't convicted of his crimes against people but he was convicted of fraud and jury tampering. Here is an article on the fraud case.
https://www.nytimes.com/1964/07/27/archives/hoffa-convicted-on-use-of-funds-faces-20-years-he-and-6-others-are.html#:~:text=HOFFA%20CONVICTED%20ON%20USE%20OF%20FUNDS%3B%20FACES%2020%20YEARS%3B%20He%20and%206%20Others%20Are%20Guilty%20of%20Fraud%20and%20Conspiracy%20With%20Teamster%20Pensions
Daria, I love sensing that your outrage is palpable. As for the sinister alliance between Stepien and Hageman, aside from donating to Cheney’s campaign, I’m seriously considering seeking out groups in her district that support her candidacy and doing all I can to support their work.
Barbara, I am absolutely in synch with you.
I was just trying to figure out the same thing Daria
Karen, how brazen he is and his base loves it.
He’s like the Pied Piper. His base is too enamored with him to believe that he would dupe them. I mean, how could he? He’s their messiah they’ve been waiting for all of their lives…to arise from the ashes.
Septian, not an impressive witness! Failed public speaking 101 as evidenced by repeated verbal pause between sentence fragments! Did dopey Don ever pay him?
We aren't grading on public speaking skills. The frequent verbal pauses were most likely measuring his words under oath. This guy was trump's Campaign Manager. He is working very hard not to be culpable.
True, but his constant use of "you know" was maddening.
Yes. But it was a "convincing technique." It's a way of getting buy in.
Interesting. I've never considered it that way.
I've known folks in Sales. They learn all kinds of techniques. A campaign manager is the ultimate sales manager in my opinion.
I do not know Louis, but tfg certainly liked his Roy Cohn, hit man style.
Not aware of such ‘hit man’ incidences. Like his abuse of Rex Tillerson while holding the title of Sec of State, tfg was in fact the sec of state undermining NATO and the European Union as per instructions from Putin! Septian May have had the title of campaign manager, but NoOne manages dopey don!
❤️
He needs Toastmasters to whip him into shape.
"Notably, the committee itself is measured, polite, and serious, demonstrating to viewers what hearings used to be before they became ways to produce sound bites for right-wing media." Observing these fine representatives and the attorneys at the depositions gave me hope today. I don't know the outcome of the upcoming elections and whether Republicans will have rigged the game so that they can't be overcome -- for now. But I had forgotten how many decent people there are in the world, doing their professional best with courage to serve a higher purpose. I realized that I've been focusing too much on the corrupt, their zombie followers and those who've tuned out. That's a downer if you're trying to fight back against them day by day. Thank you Professor Richardson and all of you for doing what you do and being who you are to bring light and decency to this world.
Gary, I felt just the same, impressed with the professionalism of this presentation and feeling a bit more hopeful for the country. It was a refreshing return to sanity.
Read TC in LA’s piece on Liz Cheney. He hits on all 8 cylinders
Can you please leave a link? I can’t find it. Thanks
https://tcinla757.substack.com/p/liz-cheneys-2-questions-for-all-of?s=r
TC’s article is a must read! Thank you TC!
Search for That’s Another Fine Mess. Or for TCinLA.
The only piece I saw was from Robert Reich.
He nailed it!
Rachel put forward an interesting possibility tonight in her analysis.
While mail-in voting had traditionally favored Republicans, with blue states having expanded mail voting because of COVID. Trump saw pushing his people to reject mail-in voting and to vote on election day, would expand the "red mirage," and give him more argument to cancel out mail voting. She thinks he decided it was easier or more permanent to steal the election to begin with than to try to win outright. I think it's an interesting hypothesis. That he was planning a coup to end voting period. President for Life.
Rachel seems to have gotten it right. The coup was long in the making.
She usually does.
Like Putin.
It certainly looked that way at the time.
TC, I had the exact same thought just the other day when that was first mentioned. I had thought from the get go last October that his opposition to Republiqans using mail in voting was bizarre at best, and intentional at worst.
I think that was the goal all along; to stage a coup. I think he intentionally set it up so he wouldn't win...
And remember that Trump had said in 2016 that the only way the Dems could win was by cheating. In June-July 2020 he began ramping up with public statements that the only way he could lose was through his opponents' frauds. After that a steady drumbeat of raging about pandemic-related accommodations (mail-in, drop-off boxes, extended periods, etc.) was picked up by his many minions [including The Real Bill Barr]. So, as things looked worse for him it wasn't any big shift to pile in other nefarious, untruthful, and/or illegal maneuvers to enhance doubt, create chaos. As others have commented, Trump has a long pattern of avoiding defeat by blowing things up, blaming others, then finding ways to profit from the wreckage.
❤️
It seems to me that with trump, he's in the habit of losing and then denying it, so it's the context he expects. Unlike Lyndon Johnson, who actively created opportunities to steal power for the pleasure of doing it, trump works more from desperation to evade an expected defeat. After all, that has been the pattern of his life: screw up, then screw everyone else.
Yup.
This was another amazing day for the J6 Committee unrolling the story around Jan 6. That DT actually made losing part of his grift ripping off small donors to the tune of $250 Million. It is so refreshing to have a sober respectful hearing that tells the story so well. Applause to Speaker Pelosi for rejecting Jim Jordan and Jim Banks from the Committee knowing what a chaotic circus they would make it into. Wish they'd stick to this kind of format in the future. The 5 minutes teeter totter between the two parties makes for pathetic disjoint TV. Will definitely continue to be glued to the hearings. The Committee gets an A+ in story telling.
Kudos to HCR for pointing out the folly of McCarthy’s handling of the committee’s formation. Being outplayed by Pelosi: PRICELESS
Mdm Speaker plays three dimensional chess while Kevin struggles just to get his pieces out of the box.
🤣🤣🤣
... the "big box" ...!!
😅
That is both funny and true!!
Little ‘Kevin’ is not at beginner tic-tac-toe level!
Now if Schumer could just corral those two Trojan horses
Now if Schumer would just grow a pair maybe?
Even if you can't put all that money in your own pocket, a quarter billion dollars pays for a lot of air miles in your private jet, meals, hotel suites, golf outings and any kind of "political event" whatsoever woven into the schedule can justify expensing it all.
My wife, who is not interested in politics in general, is glued to the Hearings. Her comment is “this is clear, straight forward; understandable”.
Good to hear this about your wife. If it reaches people who don't normally follow like we do here, that's a big plus. My husband for the most part thinks they all act so "high-brow," but was impressed watching the first hearing; said they spoke in plain English so everyone could understand.
Which can make it even more impactful and used in soundbites without a lawyer interpreting meaning.
It’s important to recognize that even as a candidate before the 2016 election, Donald Trump was a rogue who had no interest in governing in the tradition of American democracy and yet he was elected and still has a staunch following. It speaks to the lack of education about government—what it means, how it can help its citizens, and how easily it can slip away if it’s citizens don’t take it seriously. The fact that Republican politicians still milk the Big Lie for votes bodes Ill for recovery and for the continued existence of democracy. When blatant lies are perpetrated by those who take an oath to support the Constitution, we’re on a very slippery slope.
Many months ago, Professor Heather wrote a piece about the importance of damaging the election process by those on the right. Trump repeated the lie that the election was rigged early in his 2016 campaign. Repeated it over and over again. No significant trace of election fraud was established prior to his maniacal repeating of the lie, nor since he lost the 2020 election!
Why is it that he can splatter his ‘bs’ all over himself then the media regurgitates it rather than challenging him to prove it or shut up?
Thanks for another eloquent summary. Amazing how many people are saying _under oath_ what they did not say when it could have changed the course of political life and more. Shame on them. I didn't know the USFL/NFL story; Trump has been a con man forever---but why have people continued to believe him---although he does have an amazing "presence" if you look at videos and don't get turned off---think about the way he used nicknames to reduce people to virtually nothing (Jeb Bush and others). Well I go on too long. However, it looks to me like it may be simple wire fraud that brings a lot of people down--- Whatever one thinks of her politics, Liz Cheney is terrific in the hearings!!! Fierce prosecutor manner. It works. Peace and Courage. Looking forward to more hearings!!
"Trump has been a con man forever---but why have people continued to believe him"
Here I recommend reading the eye opening book "Elmer Gantry" to better understand America's attraction to Charlatans.
Also, "The Power of the Charlatan", written in Europe in the late 1800's, although a hard to find book, is well worth reading. In this book we learn that Charlatan's are not an American phenomena.
The answer is complex, but, the two books above will give much insight into "why people are attracted to Charlatan's", especially people from European cultures.
Lastly, IF you have ever been to church, and listened to the (man) at the front of the church tell you what God wants, then, you yourself have listened to the rough equivalent of a Charlatan.
Because, no man knows if God exists, or, what God wants, but PLENTY of men pretend to know every Sunday. And.....worse....plenty of people sit and train themselves to listen to the man at the front of the church.
Then, they convert that skill into listening to........Trump.
Yup. Within weeks of his "election", I commented (on WaPo, a vast and stormy ocean) that the US now had Elmer Gantry for president, but this is the first time that I've encountered anybody else with the same thought!
Mike, having been raised in the deep South, white tents popped up everywhere in fields to bring in the hopeful, the meek, the poor, to evangelism. These “God-given” preachers told their congregations they would be healed, if only they believed. People crying in the aisles, the disabled claimed they could “walk” again. All an act, grand performances. Them preachers…their coffers overfilled because people kept coming back. Look no further than at the 700 Club, Jim and Tammy Baker, and the likes of Joel Osteen.
Anyone remember Mrs O'Malley down in the valley? She swallowed a cake of Grandma's Lye Soap, got the cleanest ulcers in the land! Then let us sing right out for Grandma's Lye Soap, sing it out, all over the place," etc. It's in the book!
I LOVED that song. My parents bought a 78 rpm. It was on the other side of the record. I'm only now realizing that our having that record tells me something about my parents' political outlook, something they never talked about with me and my sister.
Both songs here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnGQiSfS8XA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_in_the_Book
HA!! 😆👏🏼👏🏼
Check out Kurt Andersen’s “Fantasyland.” It’s an excellent explanation of why Americans believe the charlatans.
Yes, “Then, they convert that skill into listening to........Trump.” And they have permission for their antisemitism and racism, really an almost ancient story and history of religion across the world.
Those nicknames. Now, who do we know that could cook a few up and apply them to Dodgy Donald? They have to be childishly crude and yet contain a pinpoint of insulting accuracy. Actually, there was one: Little Rocket Man called him "The Dotard". And then as we were all told, they fell in love...
I didn't know this story either, and watched the short film last night by Michael Tollin: Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? It ended with Trump bringing an antitrust lawsuit (of course) against the NFL. His attorney? Roy Cohn.
There is enough evidence of criminality in today's narrative to bury a multitude of political parties. I've been a student of American history since my childhood, and I have never seen any political party that has accumulated a history of wrongdoing and malfeasance that equals the one that Donald Trump co-opted and created. I've been cogitating about what it is and conservative orthodoxy that makes them so damn vulnerable to corruption. I think it has to do with something to do with their fear of weakness, and their instinctive distrust of other people. Conservatives are often the first to insist on the rule of law, which, in and of itself is unobjectionable; what they really want is a monopoly on the 'gotcha' laws that allow immoral things to be done under the rubric that they are 'strictly legal'. It is the law of the dominant against everyone else. Donald Trump thinks of himself as something like a Cosimo D' Medici, except that he's too stupid, and to careless to survive in Renaissance Florence. What is striking is that Trump proved to be so skilled at co-opting the institutions of government, bending them to his will. This is the legacy of the Reagan Revolution, its worship of power and office for their own sake. Reagan was held in check by a Democratic Congress. During his reign as Speaker, Newt Gingrich destroyed the honor of the House of Representatives. Mitch McConnell destroyed the honor of the Senate. And none of them were strong enough to withstand the rapaciousness and destructiveness of Donald Trump. So, we can see how the party of Trump is nothing more than a gang of thieves, devoid of patriotism, and any claim to decency and public morality. All I can say is that I am thankful that I don't work there anymore; I couldn't look at myself in the mirror. I worked before administrations in the 1970s and 1980s, three of which were Republican. None of them were as bad and demoralized as the Trump administration.
Well said. "I've been cogitating about what it is and conservative orthodoxy that makes them so damn vulnerable to corruption." Well - I have not been a student of American history since my childhood, but sure have the last 15 years or so. I have a different take on that question. The word conservative means that you are wary of change, that you believe in the good old days, or "traditional values". In a changing world, those who refuse to change their views as required to stay compatible with change, more and more, become irrelevant. Their beliefs, if once true, often cannot stand the test of time. Same is true of much of religion - the more we as humans find that is incompatible with religious teachings, the more irrelevant that religion becomes unless it can morph into something more compatible with the times. That is why Republicans do not play well with science, for the scientific method by its own definition is a response to changing data or changing findings. Climate change is a perfect example. Climate change, as Al Gore called it, is the "inconvenient truth". It upends just about everything Republicans stand for - unfettered capitalism, limited government, their view of who god is. If they are unwilling to change, and unwilling to become irrelevant, then the only thing left to do is to try to change reality. When you do that, then you resort to corruption - lies, cheating, killing, etc. On the other hand, progressives accept that change is happening, and seek to adapt to it in a way that benefits society. Less corruption in a belief system like that.
Hasn't the very label "conservative" shrunk so much that you can no longer read the small print? The only things they care to "conserve" are their ill-gotten gains. So, the constipated view of reality you ascribe to them is perhaps a little too flattering.
As for other things that fall apart, there has if anything been too much runaway pseudo-religion... with the Donald Dreck Cult changing doctrine every two hours or so...
I was recently asked a question. “If the Republican Party splits, what should their new name be”. This question brought into focus for me a flaw in liberal “talking points”. The fact is that these insurrectionists are the ones who should have their name changed. How could you possibly think of Abraham Lincoln and the right-wing thugs in the House of Representatives as equal partners? Or perhaps Thugs vs. Eisenhower, or pick any other outstanding Republican? Mr. Stimson (R) of the FDR(D) administration comes to mind — pointing out to Pres. Hoover(R) that the German school of economics would fail to stop the coming depression — and then working with FDR(D) to solve those terrible economic problems. I’m sure there are many other examples of (R) statesmen in our records. We need to follow Newt’s example and start referring to the (R) extremists as they are — The Seditionist Party. Disclaimer: I am (and have been for years) a Democrat of the Democrat-IC party.
Let’s just call them the Pro-Rape Party, for now.
I've been calling them The American Fascist Party since 2017.
❤️ The small print says “Donate to my personal fund”.
I would argue that while conservative voters might believe in traditional values, all their representatives believe in is power and money, and are grasping at which buttons to push that will motivate their voters to, well, vote for them. And because they are not grounded in truth, or honor, or good will, or a desire to make the country work better, but are only motivated by the desire to stay in office, they are easily corrupted. While Republicans don’t have a monopoly on this, they seem far more vulnerable to it, and I think this is why.
" I've been cogitating about what it is and conservative orthodoxy that makes them so damn vulnerable to corruption."
I would argue that the reason "conservatives" are so easily taken in by a guy like Trump is that "conservatives" also claim religion as a key part of their lives.
Being religious means that folks have already taught themselves to believe "that for which there is no supporting evidence". This ability, to believe, is only a tiny step away from believing a lie.
Trump actually understands this effect and uses it.....witness his holding a Bible up after using the army to clear peaceful protesters.
I get that Mike. But I do not think that the deplorables are more religious than other portions of the population (have not seen stats on that though). I feel strongly it is also fueled by under-education. Well educated persons are less likely to be over-religious, and tend to have better BS meters. Emphasis on "tend to" - these are not absolute statements I make. It is also fueled by racism and zenophobia, which are traits of human behavior that are as old as our species. Traits that worked fine 5000 years ago, but certainly not today. I believe that a good well rounded education works wonders on magical thinking and fear of the other. And if one allows good learning to displace clearly outmoded religious beliefs, well only good can come from that. And I also think that some people are just plain mean or deceitful or cruel. For whatever reason. It is rare that I find a progressive person who fits in that category. But they seem to abound in conservative strongholds, if such folks have any political persuasion at all. Look at militias for instance. And to me it makes sense. If your world view is always under attack by a changing world, you can get pretty defensive and fearful about it. A good place for mean folks to thrive.
"A good place for mean folks to thrive".
Not just mean, uneducated folks... The problem isn't just change or people's inability to conceive of or adapt to it.
It is the unprecedented extent, speed and acceleration of change.
Such that even the best motivated, most able politicians are left running after the train... and the label "progressive" can easily become a bad joke.
So, sure, the blockheads get confused and can even turn nasty, but everyone has some reason to get scared by the rough ride we're all getting.
And when shocks become too frequent, people all too often can't cope and give way to chronic fear... when that fear ceases to protect us from danger but comes to rule our lives...
Paranoia.
Criminals like the last occupant of the White House know well how to play such times to their advantage, maximizing rage, hatred, confusion. Diversions while they rob...
“Criminals like the last occupant of the White House” don’t act alone. They attract other criminals who are waiting to join their games. We (the USA) are too big. Not too big to fail, but too big to control.
❤️
I add to your ❤️this many more: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
WOW!??
I agree with her.
I think it's people who are or were raised Catholic who don't care about anything but abortion.
Of the 100+ people I know (big part is my exes family) 99% are or were raised Catholic.
Weird fact, back in '77 when my kid was born in a Catholic hospital they refused to put my exes name on the birth certificate because we weren't married.
After we got married my ex had to adopt his own son. It was just some paper work but it still burns me that my son's first birth certificate has no father listed.
❤️ Good Grief!! Wonder if you can get that corrected if you petition the county. I had to do that in my old county in NC. They had my first name spelled wrong on my birth certificate. I had to pay $10 but it was worth it.
I add to your ❤️this many more: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Money and Power. Simple. Predictable. And more in the making unless somehow laws and enforcement and even punishment happen. Real consequences. We learn how to stop a toddler’s tantrums, but TFG has had no outside discipline that made a difference. Ever.
In fact all of Ronnie’s policies, fed to him by Annenberg, were accomplished because of Democrat House Speaker Tip O’Neill. Two old time ‘horse traders washing each other’s back!’
“One of the key points the hearings raise is that all these senior officials who, now under oath, are saying that Trump lied and attacked our democracy against their advice and evidence, kept their mouths shut until forced to speak. They could—and should—have spoken up before January 6.”
As I watched and listened yesterday morning I became more and more angry at the glaring hypocrisy of all those Republican “patriots’” public silence in the weeks and months after the election and leading up to Jan. 6.
Cowards! All of them, especially Barr.
Barr is, perhaps a coward, however, he could also have.....
1. Refused to testify.
2. Taken the fifth.
3. Lied under oath.
So, I will give him some credit today.
Barr's testimony is his effort to clean his reputation. Too little too late in my book.
I’ll always think of him as a haughty sleezeball, taking the path of “me first”
Perhaps I am just an older and fatter version of my junior high self, but I cannot look at him and not think "Yabba Dabba Do!" or "Wilma!!!"
🤣😅😂
And, of course, to sell his book
❤️ my sentiments, exactly, Pam. He’s guilty as charged.
With the barrage of news daily, I can't always keep up--but about a week or so ago, didn't Barr say he'd support tfg if he got the 2024 nomination? That thought was making my head spin when I listened to his testimony yesterday!
Sorry, Barr should have shouted “Treason!” the day he quit. He’s just trying to save his own reputation.
A. brilliant précis of today’s hearing, Your prize line tonight, Heather … “But get this: the so-called Election Defense Fund was never real.” Love it!
Someone on this stream pointed out that fine print on the ask said the fund would be used by Trump's superpac, which could undermine a fraud charge. Afterall, who reads the fine print.?
Right!😔
We need to make sure that everyone who supported the Big Lie is removed from office and exempt from running for any public office.
Those who practice moral gymnastics and fictional "facts" are a cancer in our society. They need to be excised and closely watched for the rest of their lives.
We've never truly been a country of white hats, but we were headed that way. Now we have the red caps. If you are familiar with the Red Cap mythos, you know they dipped their caps in blood. The MAGAs seem to be of the same ilk.
whoops...what I read the first time was "white rats". Silly me...
🤩
LOL
That must have been quite the mental image!
Support Dr. Bob Lorinser for Michigan's 1st Congressional District, and send seditionist Jack Bergman back to his real home in Louisiana.
https://www.votedrbob.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw46CVBhB1EiwAgy6M4o8ZDFCBVZmuX8ovL82PLb2_j564Ul9X-LqU0RIi5gV0mPu4xE7uABoCehkQAvD_BwE
I'm sure I oversimplify, but in contrast to the usual narrative that modern Republicans "hate government" or want "small government", it seemed to me from the get-go with Reagan, that the real target for destruction has always been democracy, not government per se, which the modern "GOP" has often wielded heavy-handedly. From systematic voting restrictions to the coup attempt, it has been access and benefits for ALL the people that have been sidelined and diminished; abandonment of the common weal; as their COVID and climate policy vividly demonstrate. Jan 6th followed a decades long and systematic move away from democratic principles, which while extreme, have to a large degree have already penetrated the public's sense of normalcy.
A Way Out of No Way: A Memoir of Truth, Transformation, and the New American Story https://a.co/d/e3kMFPw
Folks, out today is a Black man’s truth - and he’s running to keep his Senate seat. Georgia’s white racists will join with Trump supporters and January 6 racists and Ted Cruz and DeSantis and Josh Hawley - all American racists - to suppress Black voters nationwide. Buy A Way Out of No Way and read it. MLK’s church and this author are at one with the racist truth of America and our Republican Party tonight. These racists prefer guns to Blacks and Hispanic children. Senator Warnock is the light, or there will be darkness in the land and more daily mass murders of Blacks and the folks with color in their beautiful skin. Heather Cox Richardson got it right tonight - finally. The slaughter she describes - finally - is one of many - then and now.
A Way Out of No Way: A Memoir of Truth, Transformation, and the New American Story https://a.co/d/e3kMFPw
Morning, Sandy. I have been supporting ($) Senator Warnock since before he was elected Senator and now as he heads to another election in November. Good to hear from you that he is the right choice for Georgia and America.
Good. He’s terrific.
Have also been supporting Warnock, esp. his first election which was so critical. TY Sandy for the info on the book.
Supporting Sen Reverend Warnock. A man of the people.
Salud, Sandy.
I absolutely support Reverend Warnock - conscience and integrity personified. Just look at (and listen to - if patience allows) the opposing candidate ... I trust people of color will know, and vote for the difference ... local white loyalists likely do not care to know the difference (what a tragic waste of human potential) - they will have to rig the vote to win the election - still a loser's game ....
Super.
I've worked as a Middle School Social Studies teacher, and I'm very sorry to admit I never heard of the Wilmington Massacre before. Thank you, Heather, for remedying this! And thank you, Sandy, for the information about Reverend Warnock's book. Step One in my personal re-education project begins today.
Massacres are documented. Many in books. All in local records. Schools of education do not teach knowledge. They award degrees for process knowledge oblivious of details. Wilkerson is good.
Eileen, I think that you've already taken step one. Maybe Rev. Warnock's book will be your first text book.
I had never heard of Wilmington or the Oklahoma City Race Massacre before about 3 years ago from a much more well informed (and constantly curious) friend told me about them. I had never heard of the Colfax (LA) Massacre until today.
Isabelle Wilkinson :: two best sellers... fascinating and helpful
Bought it
Thank you. Just ordered it on my Kindle
My initial reaction to the news that Bill Stepien was with his wife who was in labor was that he must have arranged for her labor to be induced so he could have a good excuse to avoid testifying in person. I am that skeptical of the GOP.
Yes. Paranoia is justified. He’s working for Liz. Cheney’s opponent in Wyoming.
Yes, I would like to see the baby, immediately, please.
I Googled Stepien. He has no wife listed because of privacy.
I guess we won't get to see the baby.
My suspicion grows.
If the JAN6 case had started with the D.O.J. and with closed-door grand jury hearings, we'd be hearing nothing about Trump and his minions. By allowing the JAN6 Committee to go first, while in secret the D.O.J. is building its own case, the country gets to see the evidence put on the table and hear the voices of the witnesses.
If there are to be bombshells, it will be in the last two hearings. The JAN6 Committee can only RECOMMEND that the D.O.J. indict Trump and his minions, people like Giuliani and Bannon and Eastman and Jeffrey Clark and Roger Stone, and the Big Money that funded Trump's gathering on the Ellipse on January 6th, and the Republican representatives like Mo Brooks who led reconnaissance tours at the Capitol in the days before the siege.
My strategy is that of George Carlin... start now to distance myself from the outcome. I know there is a good chance that the Democrats will lose the House and Senate in November, probably because of inflation, something Biden can do little to ease, and because of red-state cheating. That means we must suffer another round of right-wing in-your-face fascism. Unless, of course, the aliens get their green fannies down here ASAP and set things straight.
If every Democrat encourages 10 other Democrats to vote, we can overcome the obstacles! Democrats can win if we talk with neighboring Dems/write postcards!
I am part of the (Democratic) Neighborhood Leader Program (Oregon). In the recent mid-term, I was neighborhood leader of 20 Democratic voters. I went to their door and after introductions, asked if they'd received their ballots (mail-in), gave them a paper stating whom Progressive Dems were supporting and asked if we could count on them voting in the Primary. If they had questions to call me.
Guess what?...19 of 20 of MY PEOPLE VOTED! Poco a poco -this works!
Through NLP efforts, our excellent, relatively unknown progressive Dem candidate (who took no PAC $), ousted the well-funded, 25+ year yellow-dog Dem incumbent!
FOLKS....IT CAN BE DONE! Get with the program - spread the news! Get Dems to VOTE!!!!!
It can be done, it was done and Trump was OUT.
"Poco a poco -this works!"
Little by little.
:-)
Maybe so. I hope so.
That is great. But Oregon is blue. I live in TN. It's hard enough to find 20 Democrats locally, period. If you do and you convince them to vote, then you get to see their meager numbers get swamped by a red wave. If I lived in a purple state, I would be much more active.
I have a similar problem, albeit a pleasanter one: Massachusetts is blue, my representatives from city council member to US Senators are all excellent already. So I write postcards to help get voters registered in other states.
Oregon is mainly blue in Portland, Eugene...big urban areas. In my area east of Salem, the capitol, I am surrounded by red. These folks are well meaning, single issue voters. So outside the big cities and in most rural areas, we are red.
What I'm trying to say is NLP is a super strategy -connecting with Dems for mutual support. I've observed, when there is a majority party in control anywhere, they often get careless about voting. We can make it happen...
Contact Oregon's (Marion County) Neighborhood Leadership Program: https://mariondemocrats.org/nlp-neighborhood-leader-program
Hey Kathy, I’m in Oregon, too! I would love to get involved. Can we connect?
Hi Maigen - check out the link on Marion County Democrats site regarding the Neighborhood Leadership Program...get one started in your county (for states with mail-in ballots). This strategy goes beyond passing out literature, it's about connecting people to people. If you're uneasy about approaching fellow Dems door to door, write a postcard or call. Not only do you encourage them to vote, you ask for a commitment to vote.
There is an electronic second part to this program which would work for mail-in ballots and early voting states. This part keeps track of our 'neighbors' who have voted as recorded by the county election offices. Our neighborhood program coordinator in our area helps us, cheerleads, inspires us and makes postcards, stickers, yard signs etc. available to us. We celebrate that our NLP program boosted Democratic voting in our county. by 67%
Poco a poco accelerando!
Midterms are not decided. Democrats are still squabbling among themselves. Chairman Benny Thompson and Co-Chair Liz Cheney are spectacular. Tucker the F-er may get clobbered, we, the people, may wise up. I believe in Santa Claus. And Peter Pan. And Lamont Cranston. And Clark Kent. I HAVE A DREAM!!!
HA, Sandy!! 😀
I mean, Carlin was a fucking genius for all time and I do standup for fun so don’t say it lightly. But I firmly believe deep within my heart that were he alive, he’d be running for Congress today rather than sitting it out because these are the times that try men’s souls. Can’t count on the aliens; they watch kids go hungry and people die from want of a dime’s worth of basic preventative care. (PS: turned in my petitions for NY CD 10 Friday night and am official “fuck Trump and Giuliani party” candidate from lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn in a race of 15 Dems -no incumbent in newly-gerrymandered district- for an August 23 primary.)
Sincere congrats, Laura. That you muscled through the petition process is worthy unto itself. A real example of working to make democracy work!
Let our forum know if there is a way to donate to and support your OFFICIAL campaign!
UNITA!
So kind! I’m waiting to ask until I see whether deBlasio’s $600-an-hour attorneys successfully knock me off the ballot-I’ve already been “objected” first thing Monday just waiting for my rep to be served. I take it as a compliment that I was the first in a field of 15 (yes 15) Dems vying for the primary. (1 R candidate; they all know it’s a losing battle in NY).
Kudos to you, Laura!! 👏🏼👏🏼 Keep the fight up and let us know how we can help.
Well said!
Giving up now is self-defeating. Give your pessimism its due time in your head, then go ahead and do whatever you have it in you to do to nudge the outcome in the direction you want.
It seems that raising interest rates is counter-productive. As I see it, we have an "artificial inflationary period," fueled by Putin and Covid. As soon as those are under control, things will go back to normal. Raising interest rates will hurt the common American most, the people who are most likely to flee to the republican side, which could result in a loss of the House and Senate in November.
Americans need to understand that this inflation is world-wide. Every government is struggling to contain it. Rough waters ahead for the new Finance Minister in Australia, working on the forthcoming Budget - but we're so relieved to have got rid of our mini-Trump and elected a sensible and hardworking prime minister that the nation is likely to understand the need to tighten its belts.
Yes, and in fact, our inflation is lower than that in many peer nations.
Yes. Unfortunately the trumpers we've run across don't pay attention to world news. So they think inflation is isolated to the US.
Inflation is made far worse by corporate profiteering, enabled by industry consolidation and motivated by a combination of greed and delight in the political consequences.
Let’s look at the oil industries, for example. Record profits!
Yes! 100%
Yes! Exactly.
Congratulations to HCR! An especially well deserved and earned honor!
https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/bcnews/humanities/history/heather-cox-richardson-elected-to-aaas.html?fbclid=IwAR1H7VF3yyuk5qQIOXCA0Hyvl8O6jkakvqJgs4cdQMjOks3CsJsqsON4Z6Q
So glad to see her receive this recognition. Love the photo - Heather embodies transparency, honesty, and the tranquility that comes from generously sharing the truth.