I have a strong feeling that, while he was clearly robbed of a Supreme Court seat, Merrick Garland could actually do more for American justice in this position than he could as a Supreme Court Judge. He can bring attention and therefore, change to many more important situations than he could in what seems more like the passive position of a Justice. He can shine a light on these things instead of sitting back waiting for cases to be brought before the court through the long journey of decision, appeal, etc.
Yes. He is the kind that regrets nothing because regret indicates admitting being wrong. McConnell will never admit being wrong about anything, but we can hope he is secretly a little worried.... That's probably too much for us to hope for too.
I had to smile wryly when our distinguished (hopefully soon EX-tinguished) governor Kemp called the DOJ's actions "un-Constitutional". That's rich. Garland is probably one of the legal scholars best equipped to know exactly what is and isn't un-Constitutional. I don't think the DOJ would have gone there with Georgia--and other states probably to follow--unless they thought they had a decent case. Okay, they might have done it to make a point and to perhaps cow other states into thinking again before enacting more such laws. We'll see. I must admit I thought the exact same thing when Garland was named AG: he could be more valuable as AG, rather than sitting on a high court handing down decisions. I just wish, in my petty, vengeful little heart, that Garland can somehow or other get the best of Mitch McConnell in SOME way. That would be pay-back I would relish!
Same-same Stacey Abrams not getting the VP. We need her exactly where she is! Operating effectively and unconstrained on the outside, not getting the Big Job and being bound on the Inside.
I enjoyed it. Great? No. But engaging and well-paced. The ending was unrealistic (navigating a catwalk in high heels?); however, even many of our better novelists have trouble nailing the landing. I often read novels to escape from the real world for a few hours.
That's okay. She's probably donating the proceeds to Fair Fight Georgia, so it was money well spent! Look at what's going on here nationally and the (previously) unrealistic events as well . . . .
I'll be shocked if she doesn't run for Governor next year. Kemp robbed her, and I know she wants to trounce him. It just might depend on how well the current national mess is playing out. I believe she'll do whatever is the best use of her efforts - how refreshing.
Governor is the job she wanted all along, Nancy. I agree. She also has a national profile, and an army of fundraisers she can call on. That, immho, is why the GA GOP is so scared of her. She is also whip smart. Her JD is from Yale, and she has experience as a tax attorney. The idiots here in GA who dismiss her do so at their own peril. I look forward to her term(s) as governor. ❤️
Well said, Camilla. If she had won the governorship, I wonder whether Warnock and Ossoff would have won Senate seats. Being governor will position her for national office. Clearly, she has the rare combination of intelligence, character, and organizational skills, and temperament to be outstanding at any post she pursues. The GOP idiots here and elsewhere are terrified of her, and they should be, and she has accomplished all of this with a smile on her face!
Thank you, for your comments about my personal hero!
I really hope she continues to put the country over personal ambition. There is time for that down the road.
I would be terrified if she does run in GA! The national GOP would love to see her boxed in, tied up and bogged down in our state corruption, with a thousand knives cutting her every day. Don’t get me wrong — we desperately need her in GA — and this un-wealthy white guy personally got 10 votes for her against Kemp, I have moved over to Fair Fight Action. Already allied with many other groups effectively working nationally, Stacey is the best long-range strategic weapon we have! And I believe she is just getting started. Another gift from the people of Georgia.
Itchy sees her coming, from many states, to keep the Senate Blue in ‘22. (Did I just invent a slogan? Nah, I’m not that good...)
All that said, if she does run for governor I will support her and Rev. Warnock with everything I’ve got....
Even Stacey Abrams' being robbed of the governorship -- look what she accomplished. (AND while writing some sassy novels. LOL) Sometimes, horribly disappointing outcomes are EXACTLY the right outcomes. The thrill is when we get to see the benefits. Sadly, most often we don't ever know.
"The group [of Biden campaigners threatened in TX] is also suing local law enforcement for refusing to come to their aid despite their frantic phone calls to 911.
This is one of the most disturbing events of the last election season. Brownshirts using violence against The Party's opposition, sanctioned by law enforcement, is one of the undeniable parallels to the rise of fascism just less than a century ago.
I agree. I honestly can’t believe this happened in our country. I thought it had just been “let go,” so I am relieved to see that the victims are taking legal action. Justice must prevail here. How can any of these people, including the law enforcement who didn’t respond (!), get away with this?
Systemic problems of control. Agree w Pamsy that it is a relief to know this. Accountability is essential for justice and prevention of anarchistic actions such as that 'train' that was life-threatening.
My friends in New Braunfels are celebrating this turn of events. When Ceh moved his family to NB, he mobilized the local white supremacists there and many citizens have been living in the midst of literal KKK terrorists for some time now. LEO is loaded with these alt righters, so there's no help to be found from them.
The history lesson on the origin of the DoJ is why reading HCR is so important to me. By god we really are still fighting the Civil War in this country. There are millions of our fellow citizens more than willing to be lead back to the plantation and the company town, and to drag the rest of us back with them. They would gladly plant a US flag on the whippimg post in the bargain.
The Republicans knew what they were doing when the kept Judge Garland of the Supreme Court.
As to "...criminal charges against the [Trump] company as soon as next week over tax issues...";
Against the company? Can I safely assume they mean individuals within the company? In my opinion, criminal, and civil,responsibility should only apply to individuals, never organizations. We don't arrest cars for drunk driving. The murder weapon is not the responsible party to the killing. I do not want to see the Trump company fined; I want to see the responsible individuals, especially individual #1, go to jail.
@maddow last night made the point that if trump Org is criminally convicted, there is very real possibility that trump will be forced out of business, all company bank loans will be called, and trump will be ruined. I can’t find the segment now, but she made compelling argument that unraveling is nigh..
The stress and despair of those four years sure took a toll on me. While it’s lessened, the stakes are so very high, and I remain so worried. So yes, torture is a good way to describe it.
Yes Kathy the stress is ongoing and cumulative—I’m in a certain despair about the direction our country is going in terms of immorality and just plain meanness. Not to mention all the damn guns and trigger happy nut jobs.
As correct as you are about the aspects of torture Kathy I believe it has been important to see how absolutely feckless and dishonest the Republicans are in their desire for power. I had thought that there would have been more who would have acted as Liz Cheney did. And Cheney by the way is kind of a low bar as she stuck with the Cheeto during his first impeachment. The Republicans have been despicable since Newt Gingrich. We have had to boil during the thief in chief’s reign. And now we can begin to change the political landscape.
But, the unravelling could lead to a boatload of angry, unintelligent white men causing violence and aggression in the coming weeks. All he has to do is pick a target and incite.
I beg your pardon. It was Daniel Goldman on @nicolledwallace yesterday that said that if org convicted, banks would call loans, and TO would be ruined.
Which morning will we awaken to the news that the Former Guy has relocated to another country? The list of those which will take him may be rather short.
Russia could take him and make him the star host of RT TV. Trump could broadcast whatever Putin wants to Trump's followers from Moscow, thereby further destabilizing the United States. I would imagine that Putin would welcome that opportunity.
I watched it, and felt she was correct. We can't realistically put him in jail for his crimes during his time in the Oval Office, we can choose not to look away from the years and years of tax evasion and other organization money manipulations.
Actually, he can now be tried for his crimes while in office. It's unprecedented, and unlikely, but from a legal standpoint, it can be done. A commenter on Rachel's program (or perhaps Lawrence O'Donnell's) said that it is unlikely that lenders would actually call Trump's loans, as they know he can't come up with the cash, and they want their money - eventually. Still, this is just the tip of the iceberg, and in all probability will bankrupt him and his corrupt business.
Cary, I believe that scenario would run true as his Company would be incorporated thus sheltering him personally. The "business" would take the hit, not him.
If the Deutsche money comes from Russian sources then Trump will be held personally responsible for shortfalls. He's nolonger playing in the minor leagues, these guys play for keeps.
Stuart, if that money went through the "Corporation" first then to him that may fall under a different jurisdiction. I can see a quick call in of loans and dissolve of his business in his near future. The DOJ has to draw blood quickly to show the Trump cult that the Emperor truly has no clothes.
I think you misunderstand me. No, I weary of hearing: "THIS is going to be what sinks T***p & Co....they're on their way to prison...yada yada yada" I'm sick and tired of being led down yet another primrose path that these a$$holes are going to face retribution for their crimes, and what happens??? NOTHING. Nobody cares more about this democracy than yours truly, but I want to start seeing heads roll and sentences handed down, not keep hearing "Okay now folks, THIS is going to be the 'gotcha'!" As long as they keep stringing us along and getting those ratings...
Maybe timing is an important element here: we have mid-term elections coming up. Dropping judicial bombs on the Reptiles might be more effective just before elections. If its done now, the surprise /shock value would perhaps dissipate
I am very interested in seeing tRump’s head hit the basket and a few of his more criminal supporters like Lindsey get the same treatment. Lindsey should go to jail for what he did in Georgia.
There has been a lot of info on this on MSNBC lately. Melber has been explaining why it makes more sense to go after the organization. They are a criminal enterprise.
He has also been explaining the RICO act which I am still trying to understand, but appears it might cover the corrupt Trump businesses and t***p family of racketeers. RICO, RICO, RICO!! Considering their fake university and charity-- they should have a lot of steaks slapped against them for corruption of everything they touch, including the so-called dicey way to the presidency and the immediate violation of emoluments clauses by the nepotists and Alternative Universe royalty.
Cars and guns are not legal persons who can sue and be sued, own property, or pay taxes. Corporations act through people who should also be held individually responsible for their crimes, but there are good public policy reasons for holding organizations liable as well, especially when criminal behavior is pervasive within the entity.
The shareholders are impacted when the corporation's assets are attached, however, shareholders have little to no say in policy and have nothing to do with any criminal conduct.
Today’s LFAA sums up why HCR is incredibly helpful. So often she takes the news cycle of the day and puts it into context. And as an added bonus, she gives us pertinent historical perspective.
I knew every story in her post today. But never once had I thought of the fact that yesterday’s cumulative effect was one of legal forces acting in the way they are supposed to. Having finished her letter, I have a sense that the legal system is at work diligently, is neither cowed nor indifferent to justice, and that there may be some cause for solid optimism.
I have been hard on the DOJ for its seeming paralysis. I must now publicly show appreciation for this lawsuit against Georgia. I feel reasonably confident that it is the first of many against copycat states and that it might be a serious deterrent to other states to shrink changes to voting laws that they are now contemplating, or not to consider instituting the legislative process to bring about such scurrilous new law.
However there are always concerns. One is that this lawsuit against Georgia and perhaps others will play out too slowly to deny their implementation in the 2022 election. No doubt the Respondent will drag its heels at every step of the way in order to have those restrictions still on the books come election time.
My other concern is that the Supreme Court, as it is currently constituted, may at some far-off point take an axe to the DOJ case.
All in all, though, it’s good to know that justice, so often conceptually in doubt in the last five years, may still be able to cope with the whirlwind of malignity afoot in America.
All we can do at this point is speculate. That said, my layman's understanding of RICO is that it was specifically intended to go after the kingpins of criminal organizations who were "untouchable" because they, themselves, committed no crimes. RICO cases are difficult to prosecute, but they CAN go after the top management of a corrupt organization. Bringing a case against the Trump Organization could be a first step in going after Trump himself on RICO charges, and it could be a wide net that scoops up a lot of other members of the organization. It's no wonder that Jared Kushner suddenly wants a "simpler" relationship with his father-in-law.
As a matter of fact, companies can be gone after, since corporations are "persons." Going after the company means it can be dissolved, thereby cutting Trumplestiltskin from his "wealth" and kicking his ass. Anything and everything that accomplishes that is good.
Another strategy in notifying a business entity of a potential indictment is whether it will cause the entity to enter into a deferred prosecution agreement. In most DPAs the business entity generally admits responsibility for criminal wrongdoing but the government defers prosecution of the case contingent upon full cooperation, unfettered access to records, and fulfillment of obligations such as making restitution for damages caused by the misconduct. Think of it as a plea deal by a corporation that avoids the business death sentence a felony conviction can cause because that conviction triggers acceleration or default clauses in loans, loss of licenses to conduct many kinds of business, and other such consequences. As the case unfolds the strategy will become clear. One of the principals of Federal criminal prosecution is that the focus should be on the agents within the corporation who committed crimes; I assume New York approaches these cases in a similar fashion and fully expect indictments of individuals to be part of what we see.
I was too terse. What I meant is that WHEN this nation reaches its end -- next year, next decade, next century, or next millennium -- it will still be fighting the civil war.
I'm pretty sure that a winding-up order can be obtained either resulting from bankruptcy or causing bankruptcy especially if patterns can be shown across the organization and across the range of decision maker. Smoking guns would be written policy documents, board decisions etc.
More than 20 years prison time for a cop, dismissal of fraudulent ballot claims in GA, the Justice Department suing GA for its elections bill and more DOJ law suits to come, a civil law suit against the Texas terrorist KKK-like caravan and their police supporters, and criminal charges for the Trump Organization in NY -- chickens coming home to roost.
This forum has squirmed in our seats wanting to be the rabbit in the justice race, not the turtle…..as has been one of many unflattering terms describing Merrick Garland. Today’s letter and your comment, Leonard, are so satisfying. Actually, uplifting.
I hope someone credible is keeping track of the money the last guy is costing us. The golf games and paying for secret service to stay in his hotels which he raised the rates on as soon as he became president, we knew about those. But what is the tally of 1/6 damage, overtime, additional security, repairs, lawyers, meetings, and sooooooo much more. What is the cost and where might we see an annotated running tally? Ballot recounts, the time taken to undo the damage to the bureaucracy,…
Not just swing states. The San Luis Obispo county clerk (third generation American named Tommy Gong) is leaving the county (although not the job; he's moving to Contra Costa County) after some pretty incredible threats/accusations/allegations, including that he was a Chinese Communist plant.
I don’t know if you ever read anything from Marc Elias or subscribe to his Democracy Docket but he just wrote about how media must not video, photograph, or reveal election officials or poll workers. They would be doing more harm than good. Already, poll workers lives have been threatened!
In Texas the voting "integrity" bill criminally penalizes election workers yet doesn't even require training for poll watchers. Where are the legal consequences for the poll watchers if they start intimidating with the election workers who are just doing their job? And, threats have to be addressed and face legal consequences unless this is now a banana republic. It certainly is going in that direction!
This is off topic, but as the wife of a disabled veteran, I just found out this morning that USAA advertises on faux news, especially on Tucker Carlson.
I guess there is a lot of people who are giving USAA notice that they will be taking their business elsewhere if they don't stop advertising on faux.
I sent an email to them just 10 minutes ago telling them that they have 60 days to make a public announcement about pulling their ad from faux. Looking forward to their response.
As for what HCR talked about, I am glad the cop who killed George Flyod a good amount of years behind bars.
My husband and I were talking yesterday that we are so happy to live in NV. We have a governor who made it easier for everyone to vote and we don't have to do anything to get a mail in ballot.
** Remember also that Fox's real pot of gold is in cable fees, not advertising. About $2± per bundled subscriber per month goes into Rupert's giant maw. Protesting the forced bundling of Fox and the others in cable packages by terminating (and letting the cable provider know why when you do it) is also an excellent method of objecting with your wallet and making a statement. **
This is exactly why I canceled DISH as my TV provider. I now read my news and stream movies and shows. I was adamant that the customer service rep inform his higher ups why I was canceling my account of several years. I’m just one person but as my Father in Law used to say whenever stooping over to pick up a penny, “ You’ve got to count the onesies. They add up!” I hope there are multiple onesies canceling their cable and satellite networks.
Tucker Carlson made derogatory comments about General Milley (sp?). You'd think anyone related to the military would run from him. And of course Tucker never served. He's a disgusting, privileged, asshole.
Hi Roland. We don't necessarily care for sure about the latest Maga rallies etc. In the system that "the former racist president" was trying to impose any defendant facing criminal charges would have no right to a defense; trial by pronouncement on Twitter. It is a hallmark of the system that we are hoping to protect and reinforce that the defandant has a right to a fair trial, due counsel and the possibility of speaking in their own defense. The policeman who killed George Floyd was discussed and quoted in all the media too...so why not Trump...he killed over 600,000 people? More and more though history is moving on and he gets pushed down the page or well between the covers somewhere. More important things are taking the space. Great stuff and long may it continue. Even the worm Pence is turning little by little.
Yes of course. I agree completely. But why do we keep having to subject ourselves to the same stupid false accusations? Why continue repeating ad nauseum the same white racist tropes masquerading as partisan targeting of the poor victim D. Trump? Oh the poor man, he is being targeted. We should make certain that his concerns about his unfair treatment get repeated, so that he isn’t unfairly spoken of in the court of public opinion. After all, his voice is hardly ever heard out here in the public forum.
I am speaking sarcastically, of course.
His comments are not supporting him in a court of law, he’ll get plenty of opportunity for that in the near future, they are propaganda designed to rally white supremacists (advocates for the Great White Cause) around him. I’m not finding fault with Heather, I never do that, I am just questioning why we have to repeat his lousy troops, his lousy racist propaganda, when it isn’t necessary to do so. It’s not like we haven’t been listening to it for four straight years. It’s not like he is a poor barely heard and barely appreciated voice.
Hello, Roland. Donald may be heard but not appreciated by the majority. It's the majority's job to make sure he and his ilk are shown the door when elections roll around.
Donald Trump doesn't represent racism, but is an open and honest example of a racist, and he's proud of it. His rallies are magnets for all white racists to come get incited to do his future bidding. Look at the people that are interviewed attending these rallies and decide for yourself who is able to think for themselves and who can't. The "who can'ts" are the ones milling around excited to go to these rallies.
I have always referred to him as the "so-called" president, or even more accurately, the "installed occupier" of our Oval office. I do not believe he won the election, but if so, certainly not fairly with all the propaganda, lies and hostile domestic and foreign financial support. Jail is the only thing that will rest my heart regarding that cult figure. Besides all his travesties, more than 500,000 people died because of his idiocy. He is a tragedy of humanity, just like Hitler. And welcome back, Roland!
I prefer disgraced former president (dfp) even if he doesn't acknowledge the disgrace. He won by the same rules he contested in 2020 and the rest of your comment is spot on, especially the jail part.
I remain convinced that had the Democrats not fallen victim to Hilarymania we'd be 5 months in to President Warren's second term.
And we are now over 600,000 deaths reported. As his cult refuses to protect themselves and continues putting everyone else at risk by rejecting vaccines.
yes, development of additional variants is most concerning. Public health as bad politics. Clearly, ANY thing is grist for the divisive mill, no matter how ridiculous.
I wrote a comment on Nick Anderson's 'Counterpoint' a couple of days ago when one of the opposing cartoonists accused the Democrats of over-reach because they are attempting to protect voters and the constitution.
"Rather than going to trial, the RNC agreed to settle the case, and it settled the case in what's called a consent decree, which means that the settlement between the parties was embodied in a court order. And if the RNC ever violated that order, they could be found in contempt. And so this was a very powerful tool that the Democrats have been able to use for the last few decades."
During the last election, the DNC again took the RNC to task because of assaults on the election process by the Trump campaign. The court decided only Trump was at fault and lifted the consent decree against the RNC. The result of that decision is what we see today. The RNC, GOP, and every Republican-controlled state are doing a full-court press to prevent as many people from voting as possible. This is the very thing the consent decree was in place for. This is the Republican party without adult supervision.
"Depriving people of the right to vote is not winning. It is cheating."
That's either from Steven Beschloss or Jon Meachum. I think.
Republicans have gone beyond legal means to win. It is now 'do or die' because that any integrity they may have had, Trump has eaten. Trump only threatens Republicans, knowing their panic will keep them responding to everything he says.
Hopefully, the Justice Department will start prosecuting all the violations. Hopefully, there will be another suit against the RNC, this time, not allowing them to escape with a consent decree.
I had to go back and find the quote. It is from Stephen Beschloss, brother of Michael, the presidential historian. However, I had left out the first word:
"Winning by denying people the right to vote is not winning. It is cheating."
That consent decree the cartoonist referred to ended in 2019, and as soon as it did, the RNC went right back to what they were doing that got them charged to begin with.
"Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said: ““The Biden Administration continues to do the bidding of Stacey Abrams and spreads more lies about Georgia’s election law…. "
..., oh now I see, so Stacy Abrams is in charge here, and good ol' Sleepy Joe is just a bobblehead in her command ...?
Does anyone know why they call Biden 'Sleepy Joe ' ...?
"Georgia governor Brian Kemp, whose victory over Stacey Abrams in the 2018 election has been widely associated with voter suppression, accused the Biden administration of “weaponizing the Department of Justice to serve their own partisan goals.”"
... really? After the last five years of that very dynamic in the former admin ... in other words, it's ok if it's your own vested interest group - otherwise, not allowed ...?
"Their false and baseless allegations are, quite honestly, disgusting.""
I love how the Georgia GQP invokes Stacey Abrams name to every issue. They are so afraid of her because she is a brilliant & strong black woman. Bravo for Stacey, my heroine!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
The Raffensperger remark in re Stacey Abrams is ridiculous. Does he really believe that the DOJ, judges, lawyers and everyday people aren't reading and analyzing the voter restriction laws being enacted around the country? Republicans operate on the principle that that the general population is stupid. Maybe with this crock they've pushed that idea one step too far.
Stacy Abrams is the Republicans trigger. When she approved Manchin's compromise on S1 all of them immediately stated pretty much that if Stacy Abrams liked the compromise then it was automatically a bad thing and said No deal. She makes them nuts since she's a smart, assertive Black woman who won't go away. Bravo Ms Abrams.
Shellee, she also drives them nuts because she’s spent the years since 2018 building a national fundraising profile that Kemp can’t match. She’s used it to date for voting protection activism, but her personal profile is also highly respected, if not revered. I fall into the latter camp. Stacey is one of my sheroes.
Kemp, on the other hand, has spent these last years being pretty much an ignorant yahoo. That’s his personal brand. Like IQ45, he’s a useful tool to the GA GOP, but I believe the national recognition will always elude him. For that, I’m grateful.
"Republicans operate on the principle that that the general population is stupid."
... the general population is ... if not stupid, grossly under/miss/dis-informed ... those who adhere to and serve the powers that secure and profit from that ignorance - honoring only those who share their own views - well ..., is it any wonder that all they can see reflected is "STUPID" ...?
“Ebben nincs kompromisszum. We will not compromise.”
This is a long post because I have included a significant portion of an essay discussing American election politics written by a German lawyer/blogger.
From time to time, I’ve referred to a newsletter (Verfassungsblog) here in Germany that focuses “On Matters Constitutional” which, while primarily about Europe, also covers Constitutional issues in the United States.
This morning the topic was Hungary and Victor Orban’s ruling party that has just passed a new law banning LGBTQI+ references for minors. It is quite broad (See: https://www.euractiv.com/section/non-discrimination/news/portrayal-and-promotion-hungarys-latest-anti-lgbt-law-explained/) prompting the following statement from the EU: “[EU] Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the law "a shame" and pledged in German, French, English, and Hungarian to use all her legal power to stop it: Ebben nincs kompromisszum. We will not compromise. You can't brand LGBT people as a danger to children by law and at the same time be committed to the EU's fundamental values of "human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities".
Today’s post went on to discuss voting rights in the US. Included is a large excerpt from the essay:
A matter of reflection
“I had the opportunity to meet with our old friend and supporter Mattias Kumm at the WZB this week, at last after a long pandemic break, and talk about the USA, among other things, where he spends half the year teaching at NYU. In our conversation, we came up with a hypothesis that appears pretty plausible to me: What if Republicans actually have a entirely different idea of what an election is about? What if their idea of correct and functional elections is not so much about adherence to procedural rules at all? What if they regard democratic collective self-determination rather as a kind of mirror in which "the people" reflect and recognize and reassure themselves of their identity? What if that is what these normal, law-abiding, God-fearing American patriots actually expect from a democratic election most: to recognise in it their own normal, law-abiding, God-fearing patriotic likeness, as opposed to minorities, socialists, elites and foreigners?
If that is so, then there is indeed little point in calling the Republicans to account about how little evidence there is for Democrat election rigging in the past and how much there is for Republican election rigging in future. Procedure, for them, is all just technicalities and legal niceties, not what actually matters in a democratic election, which is the correct reflection of the people. From that correct reflection, or what they consider it to be, they read whether the election worked, and if it didn't, then, regardless of procedure, the official winner of the election is a fake. Then the real President is Trump. Then storming the Capitol is just consequential.
Perhaps it has always been the case that a great many people care much less about procedure than we lawyers would like to believe. It's just that it didn't matter that much because it didn't affect the result most of the time: The normal, law-abiding, God-fearing patriots were reliably in the majority anyway, and there were procedural rules in place to make sure it stayed that way, so procedurally by-and-large correct elections could usually be relied upon to reflect just what they were supposed to reflect.
They were, after all, the normal folks, and the ab-normal minorities had a claim to tolerance at best, but certainly not to power. That was held by their likeness, Democrat or Republican, and the more certain they could be about that, the more fairness, bipartisanship and procedural openness of outcome they could safely afford.
That is no longer the case. Minorities don't necessarily stay in the minority, if they ever were, and normal folks are having their normality and normativity disputed with increasing vigour and success. It has become possible, if not probable, that the procedural outcome and the mirror image fall apart. What, in that case, will people be faithful to? That's not exactly obvious, is it?
If that is so, if this is about whether democratic legitimacy comes from correct procedure or from identitarian reflection – how can we trust that this dispute can be settled between political opponents within the framework of rule-based democratic procedures itself?
It may have been a big mistake for the Democrats in the Senate not to abolish the filibuster when they could – as if the Republicans would flinch before doing the same to them if they were in their place. This is going to be a long, hard fight. It already has been for a while, actually. Not just in the US. Ebben nincs kompromisszum. We will not compromise.”
I don’t know about you, but it is more than a little unsettling to note the comparison being made between the Republican party in the United States and Victor Orban’s Fidesz party in Hungary.
Thanks for this source, I've put it in my "stack" for future reference.
"What if they regard democratic collective self-determination rather as a kind of mirror in which "the people" reflect and recognize and reassure themselves of their identity?"
Perhaps, the only difference here between this and Putin's elections in Russia is that the mirror that is held up to the people for them to see themselves ....collectively... and the historical context in which they find themselves is significantly warped by those that are holding it. But then.... is this any different from the current GOP/trumpite's approach?....I think not! This allows tyrants to "legitimize" their autocratic hold on people and their suppression of all dissent....as not being in conformity with the official image projected in the "magic" mirror. The mirror always declares those holding the mirror "the most beautiful". (à la Wicked Witch courtesy of Disney) and not those looking dispairingly into its depths for their own reality.
Unsettling, indeed. Wouldn't it be wondrous if our politicos took a no-compromise pledge relative to rights (voting and otherwise), climate action, insert your concern here.
I was surprised to hear Raffensburger's adamant claim of dirty play by the "Biden appointed " DOJ and how he can't wait to beat him in court.. Isn't this the same guy that cried on 60 Minutes about being threatened by Trump about overturning an election? Oh that's right, he's a Republican, what did I expect, integrity? Somehow I feel we are going to be seeing that video again.
I watched the Chauvin sentencing today, yet the 22.5 didn't seem like a fair exchange for willfully taking someone's life. Maybe it's a start to prevent the next cop from taking the life of another and trying to hide behind their badge. I did hear someone say, I'm afraid I didn't catch his name, that with the possibility of parole, Chavin could actually only see roughly 6 years behind bars. That would be disgusting, at best.
With respect to the Chauvin sentence, it is in line with what Minnesota gives for other Felony Murder cases, and provides no legal precedent for the sentence and/or trial being overturned.
Ally, yes it is. It actually was a safe sentence and hopefully will stick. Did you hear those magic words, " without the possibility of parole "? I did not.
I think that what might appear to be a change of values on the part of Raffensburger really isn't. In the first case, Trump was asking him to put himself in legal jeopardy by manufacturing numbers, and at the same time impugning his previous work. His instinct was to defend his track record and his reputation and refuse the request. With the DOJ, again he (and his party, this time) are being attacked, this time for having racist motivation for the new laws, and again he is defending himself and his reputation.
Interestingly, the new laws give his power away to the Georgia legislature if they don't like the results. Who would want to stay in a job, work hard during elections, and then have no power to do their job?
Removing him from having any influence on vote count and allowing the legislature to overturn the results if they're not to the Republicans' liking is probably okay with Raffensperger. He can be above the fray and not soil his Christian conscience. It's a win win for him and his image, but the most dangerous feature of the entire bill. It does not have to be proved that there was election fraud, just the claim that it exists, and the results can be overturned. This, if allowed to persist all over the country, makes it possible for our democracy to fail, and is not being publicized enough. People don't seem to be aware of the danger.
First of all, Raffensperger wasn't protecting voters when he acknowledged that the count was unflawed. He was protecting the shiny new voting machines he'd just installed. Then, the threats from the right wing began, and he could see his political career crumbling, so he decided to go along with the criminal new voting law. He's a Republican - you can't expect anything else of him.
As for Chauvin's sentence, the judge added 10 years to the usual sentence, but didn't elevate it to the 40 year maximum, because he knew that a maximum sentence was more likely to be overturned on appeal, and it's certain that his defense team will appeal. It was important that the judge not be viewed as prejudiced against the defendant, so all of his decisions were well-reasoned and documented, as was his sentence. Most of us would like to have seen a more severe sentence, but none of us want to see him freed. Legally, he could have been given only probation.
I live in Minneapolis, so our news channels not only covered the sentencing, etc., but had some good commentaries. The Judge wanted to be very careful, so he laid out his "arguments" for his sentence in a 22 page legal document, which is supposed to be accessible somewhere. One thing that struck me about the sentence, was that he took all of the cases of similar convictions in Minnesota in to account, and gave Chauvin fewer years in prison than only two "similar" cases, and both of those involved extreme violence against children. Someone on this website said they think Chauvin could get out in 6 years, and I believe that is wrong. The commentaries I heard said that if he does not get convicted of federal crimes, so he only serves his sentence for the state crimes, he could get out when he is 58; he is 45 now. So he will do about 13 years, and then be on probation for the rest of the time. Not saying we should feel sorry for him, but the commentators also talked about how "inhumane" prison will be for him: for his own safety, he will be in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. Even then, he will be shipped out of state for his own safety, so his mother will not be able to visit him (or any other loved ones) like she said she would. It will be a terrible, terrible existence.
What bugs me about all of this is a "bigger" picture: doesn't it seem lenient that the "normal" amount of time someone convicted of murdering another human being gets 12 1/2 years in prison in Minnesota? And that person would probably get out in 6 years? And I suspect my state is not going to be way out of line compared to the rest of the country. I don't want to be mean or vindictive. I want to believe in Second Chances. But when you take another life, I just don't know.
Terry, what I've heard on several outlets is that the judge wanted to remove the possibility that an appeal could overturn the sentence, as Ally points out, below. I agree that the most lenient sentence is much too light, but my understanding is that second degree murder covers a situation where the crime was not premeditated, and the intention was not necessarily to kill the victim. Everything I've heard is that, with good behavior, Chauvin could be released in 15 years. However, there are still federal charges pending, so that could add to the overall sentence. As you pointed out, this will be a very difficult slog for him. If he's kept in solitary confinement, the mental toll will be horrific, but being in the general prison population would probably prove fatal. I have trouble feeling any compassion for Chauvin after watching his cold stare, ignoring pleas to stop kneeling on his prisoner well past the time that poor George Floyd could have put up any resistance. There are many good police officers, but Chauvin was the worst example of people attracted to the profession by the apparent need to control and punish. Giving him a second chance would have no upside.
Thank you for this response, Nancy. And you remind me of this: one of the Federal cases pending for Derek Chauvin, is another kneeling on the neck of a 14 year old boy (? I might be mistaken). In addition, he did have many complaints against him in his file. All of which should have raised red flags in our police department long before George Floyd. Departmental reform! Chauvin should have been sitting at a desk at the very most.
Wow, I hadn't heard about him assaulting a teenager. I just assumed that the federal charges were connected to the Floyd murder. I heard early on that Chauvin had something like 14 complaints of excessive force in a 15 year period, or something similar. When police departments see a record like that, there should be some sort of intervention. No question that he was an accident waiting to happen.
Yup .... Totally agree, Nancy. One of the federal charges is about George Floyd - abuse of civil rights. But the second federal charge is about this teenaged boy. You may be correct about 14 complaints; I thought I heard 18. Whichever number, you can toss out a few of them that may have been from people feeling they were treated unjustly by police, but the police were within reason. But 14 or 18 complaints? That needed attention. I am not in my email that often, so see that Barbara Reed responded with good information like 9 hours ago. Good information, Barbara! Thanks, folks.
and here's an excerpt from another article that describes what Chauvin did to that 14 year old boy: "In September 2017, Chauvin responded to a domestic assault call with another officer and tried to arrest a 14-year-old boy. When the boy resisted, Chauvin applied a neck restraint and rolled him onto his stomach. Chauvin stayed in the same position, his body pinning the boy to the floor, "beyond the point when such force was needed under the circumstances," prosecutors wrote."
Spot on, Nancy! I've been saying all along, "I don't trust Raffensperger one second!" He's a Republican snake-in-the-grass. Sure, he stood up, rightly, to T***p & Co. about the election here in GA, but everything he does is in his interest. I fully expected him to walk it back somewhat, especially as the '22 elections approach. He knows he's in trouble with the ReTrumplicans here in GA--as Kemp knows he is as well--but expect there to be some REAL quick fence-mending going on between now and next year!
Absolutely. They'll be inviting Marjorie Taylor Green over for lunch, where they can all trash Leftie Dems, particularly Stacey Abrams, and pledge allegiance to the former guy. The only reason he recorded the Trump call, in my opinion, was to protect himself.
Yes, Raffensburger is an odd character but let’s not forget that he is running for his office again. I remember him begging Fake 45 to call off his followers because of the threats made against he and his wife. Now, he’s kissing his ass! Grateful that Garland has filed a lawsuit against GA. That, at least, gives pause to enacting those horrible laws. I suspect the DOJ will continue with this regarding the other states too.
Yes, there are a lot of Trumplicans that have been scared witless by threats and aggressions and possible injury and death that continue to kiss the ring of master manipulator, Trump. Shall we start a list?
It's hard to know who is crying wolf and who has actually been threatened by Trump & Co. I am sceptical of the high number of Trumplicans claiming fear, though I do believe the documented cases. As to the rest? The excuse that they have been scared witless is convenient, too be sure, but not necessarily credible.
I think I was referring to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol mostly. We have footage of terrified Republicans/Trumplicans trying to find hiding places and such, and then coming out the same and next day condemning the actions of the attackers. Then it miraculously changed to "just like the tourists taking a tour of the building..." statements.
Sorry, I misunderstood. Yes, the whole about face from Republicans being terrorized to the attackers being just tourists is inconceivable. Millions of people watched the attack unfold and those millions, if they were honest would never say those attacking the Capitol were tourists.
Marlene, he definitely is. What he did when threatened by Trump was nothing more than covering his ass as he knew it would be all over the news anyway. I thought at the time that his fear of Trump, Barr and others would be his demise if he didn't come out for cover. Whom ever runs against him should show the 60 Minutes interview 24/7.
chauvin's mom was rather pathetic. I felt so sorry for her. Who knows what her truths may be. Her demeanor was of someone who may have been in an abusive relationship. Sad.
I,too,felt sympathy for her. She seemed lost, down-trodden and incapable of dealing with the reality of the situation. In denial, as perhaps many mothers would be. She intimated that Chauvin had asked her to stay strong. He probably knows how fragile she is. A stronger woman would have had the wherewithal to acknowledge the pain of the Floyd family.
Hearing Raffensburger, and all the other Republicans, talk about how the Democrats are the ones who are threatening democracy (yada yada yada) reinforces the fact that the Democrats really need to get much more vocal. The Republicans know how to fight....we keep talking about how the Dems bring a knife to a gun fight, etc. There has been some talk here about the Lincoln Project (and, by the way if you're interested, they have been cleared of wrongdoing in the case of one of their founders' despicable conduct) but the bottom line is that they are former Republicans and know how to fight. We can learn from them. I am posting a link for one of their newest ads. Listen to how powerful it is, and please share it far and wide: https://lincolnproject.us/the-mission/
Interesting that the ad uses the terms "all on the line", which is the name of the anti-gerrymandering organization that Obama and Eric Holder have been spearheading. I wonder if that's a coincidence.
Other sources indicate that he won't be eligible for parole for 15 years. Imagine... 15 years of solitary confinement so other inmates won't maim or kill him.
I have a strong feeling that, while he was clearly robbed of a Supreme Court seat, Merrick Garland could actually do more for American justice in this position than he could as a Supreme Court Judge. He can bring attention and therefore, change to many more important situations than he could in what seems more like the passive position of a Justice. He can shine a light on these things instead of sitting back waiting for cases to be brought before the court through the long journey of decision, appeal, etc.
Is it too much to hope that *itch McConnell will come to regret unjustly blocking Judge Garland's SCOTUS appointment?
Yes. He is the kind that regrets nothing because regret indicates admitting being wrong. McConnell will never admit being wrong about anything, but we can hope he is secretly a little worried.... That's probably too much for us to hope for too.
I will continue to hope... that he is sweating under that turtle chin and that some day, karma will kick him in the a**.
I personally wish for the kick that has him bending forward and groaning.
My hope is that his triple chin starts to braid itself causing him to gasp for air. Cruel, on my part? Yup! But then, turnabout is fair play.
may the universe unfold and reveal as She will and may the fleas of a thousand camels nest in the pubic hair of Moscow*itch
I always heard it as "may the fleas of a thousand camels devour your kneecaps." I like yours better!!
😂😂😂
Personally, I only care about McConnell being OUT of power. Then I do not care how he feels about it.
See my response to Patrick above...like minds thinking alike...
Oh, what a delicious thought....
I had to smile wryly when our distinguished (hopefully soon EX-tinguished) governor Kemp called the DOJ's actions "un-Constitutional". That's rich. Garland is probably one of the legal scholars best equipped to know exactly what is and isn't un-Constitutional. I don't think the DOJ would have gone there with Georgia--and other states probably to follow--unless they thought they had a decent case. Okay, they might have done it to make a point and to perhaps cow other states into thinking again before enacting more such laws. We'll see. I must admit I thought the exact same thing when Garland was named AG: he could be more valuable as AG, rather than sitting on a high court handing down decisions. I just wish, in my petty, vengeful little heart, that Garland can somehow or other get the best of Mitch McConnell in SOME way. That would be pay-back I would relish!
And Garland came to this post prepared from years of investigations (like the Oklahoma City bomber) to do just that.
Dontcha just love it?
Excellent point, and his actions are bearing your point out.
Same-same Stacey Abrams not getting the VP. We need her exactly where she is! Operating effectively and unconstrained on the outside, not getting the Big Job and being bound on the Inside.
And writing novels in her spare time.
Her recent book is so-so. Too much going on, and some unrealistic events along the way.
I enjoyed it. Great? No. But engaging and well-paced. The ending was unrealistic (navigating a catwalk in high heels?); however, even many of our better novelists have trouble nailing the landing. I often read novels to escape from the real world for a few hours.
That's okay. She's probably donating the proceeds to Fair Fight Georgia, so it was money well spent! Look at what's going on here nationally and the (previously) unrealistic events as well . . . .
It’s probably her therapy. Good for her.
Children's literature is important too. This has an 8 minute podcast about the authors new version of an old children's book.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1567555
I'll be shocked if she doesn't run for Governor next year. Kemp robbed her, and I know she wants to trounce him. It just might depend on how well the current national mess is playing out. I believe she'll do whatever is the best use of her efforts - how refreshing.
Governor is the job she wanted all along, Nancy. I agree. She also has a national profile, and an army of fundraisers she can call on. That, immho, is why the GA GOP is so scared of her. She is also whip smart. Her JD is from Yale, and she has experience as a tax attorney. The idiots here in GA who dismiss her do so at their own peril. I look forward to her term(s) as governor. ❤️
Well said, Camilla. If she had won the governorship, I wonder whether Warnock and Ossoff would have won Senate seats. Being governor will position her for national office. Clearly, she has the rare combination of intelligence, character, and organizational skills, and temperament to be outstanding at any post she pursues. The GOP idiots here and elsewhere are terrified of her, and they should be, and she has accomplished all of this with a smile on her face!
Thank you, for your comments about my personal hero!
I really hope she continues to put the country over personal ambition. There is time for that down the road.
I would be terrified if she does run in GA! The national GOP would love to see her boxed in, tied up and bogged down in our state corruption, with a thousand knives cutting her every day. Don’t get me wrong — we desperately need her in GA — and this un-wealthy white guy personally got 10 votes for her against Kemp, I have moved over to Fair Fight Action. Already allied with many other groups effectively working nationally, Stacey is the best long-range strategic weapon we have! And I believe she is just getting started. Another gift from the people of Georgia.
Itchy sees her coming, from many states, to keep the Senate Blue in ‘22. (Did I just invent a slogan? Nah, I’m not that good...)
All that said, if she does run for governor I will support her and Rev. Warnock with everything I’ve got....
Actually, her personal goals include the presidency. She has said this in a couple interviews in the past.
Well said, Nancy.
Even Stacey Abrams' being robbed of the governorship -- look what she accomplished. (AND while writing some sassy novels. LOL) Sometimes, horribly disappointing outcomes are EXACTLY the right outcomes. The thrill is when we get to see the benefits. Sadly, most often we don't ever know.
It's so uplifting to see justice to reappear for all the harm done by Trumps administration.
Damn straight.
"The group [of Biden campaigners threatened in TX] is also suing local law enforcement for refusing to come to their aid despite their frantic phone calls to 911.
This is one of the most disturbing events of the last election season. Brownshirts using violence against The Party's opposition, sanctioned by law enforcement, is one of the undeniable parallels to the rise of fascism just less than a century ago.
I agree. I honestly can’t believe this happened in our country. I thought it had just been “let go,” so I am relieved to see that the victims are taking legal action. Justice must prevail here. How can any of these people, including the law enforcement who didn’t respond (!), get away with this?
These problems are truly systemic Pamsy. They need to be thoroughly uprooted. Unfortunately this is proving to be a painful and prolonged process.
Systemic problems of control. Agree w Pamsy that it is a relief to know this. Accountability is essential for justice and prevention of anarchistic actions such as that 'train' that was life-threatening.
Truly reprehensible how close we slip towards fascism.
My friends in New Braunfels are celebrating this turn of events. When Ceh moved his family to NB, he mobilized the local white supremacists there and many citizens have been living in the midst of literal KKK terrorists for some time now. LEO is loaded with these alt righters, so there's no help to be found from them.
The history lesson on the origin of the DoJ is why reading HCR is so important to me. By god we really are still fighting the Civil War in this country. There are millions of our fellow citizens more than willing to be lead back to the plantation and the company town, and to drag the rest of us back with them. They would gladly plant a US flag on the whippimg post in the bargain.
The Republicans knew what they were doing when the kept Judge Garland of the Supreme Court.
As to "...criminal charges against the [Trump] company as soon as next week over tax issues...";
Against the company? Can I safely assume they mean individuals within the company? In my opinion, criminal, and civil,responsibility should only apply to individuals, never organizations. We don't arrest cars for drunk driving. The murder weapon is not the responsible party to the killing. I do not want to see the Trump company fined; I want to see the responsible individuals, especially individual #1, go to jail.
@maddow last night made the point that if trump Org is criminally convicted, there is very real possibility that trump will be forced out of business, all company bank loans will be called, and trump will be ruined. I can’t find the segment now, but she made compelling argument that unraveling is nigh..
Ruined is nice, jail time more appropriate for willful bank, tax, and insurance fraud. Throw in money laundering conspiracy for the cherry on top.
If you want to really punish him, take away the money and the publicity. He'll starve to death.
Jail is not enough. Revoke his citizenship because he is a traitor and exile him.
Cheeto unraveling goes well with my cup of tea.
We’ve been watching him unravel for a while now. It was so unnerving when he was president.
For me it was more like a form of torture —I’m sure he and his nasty acolytes have lots more up their sleeves.
The stress and despair of those four years sure took a toll on me. While it’s lessened, the stakes are so very high, and I remain so worried. So yes, torture is a good way to describe it.
Yes Kathy the stress is ongoing and cumulative—I’m in a certain despair about the direction our country is going in terms of immorality and just plain meanness. Not to mention all the damn guns and trigger happy nut jobs.
As correct as you are about the aspects of torture Kathy I believe it has been important to see how absolutely feckless and dishonest the Republicans are in their desire for power. I had thought that there would have been more who would have acted as Liz Cheney did. And Cheney by the way is kind of a low bar as she stuck with the Cheeto during his first impeachment. The Republicans have been despicable since Newt Gingrich. We have had to boil during the thief in chief’s reign. And now we can begin to change the political landscape.
Wanna-be royalty never gives up
But, the unravelling could lead to a boatload of angry, unintelligent white men causing violence and aggression in the coming weeks. All he has to do is pick a target and incite.
That would smoke out the violent ones.
Take lots if photos.
I beg your pardon. It was Daniel Goldman on @nicolledwallace yesterday that said that if org convicted, banks would call loans, and TO would be ruined.
Which morning will we awaken to the news that the Former Guy has relocated to another country? The list of those which will take him may be rather short.
Russia, North Korea, Belarus, Bahrain, Turkey, Brazil, Azerbaijan...
Here's the full list of current dictators with photos (100% male, btw):
https://planetrulers.com/current-dictators/
They have no use for him now. He no longer has power.
Thanks.
“Nambia” will no doubt be first in line.
Why would anyone take him at this point? What do they stand to gain by having him take relocate to their country?
Russia could take him and make him the star host of RT TV. Trump could broadcast whatever Putin wants to Trump's followers from Moscow, thereby further destabilizing the United States. I would imagine that Putin would welcome that opportunity.
!!!!!!
I watched it, and felt she was correct. We can't realistically put him in jail for his crimes during his time in the Oval Office, we can choose not to look away from the years and years of tax evasion and other organization money manipulations.
Actually, he can now be tried for his crimes while in office. It's unprecedented, and unlikely, but from a legal standpoint, it can be done. A commenter on Rachel's program (or perhaps Lawrence O'Donnell's) said that it is unlikely that lenders would actually call Trump's loans, as they know he can't come up with the cash, and they want their money - eventually. Still, this is just the tip of the iceberg, and in all probability will bankrupt him and his corrupt business.
Epstein's girlfriends trial is scheduled for September. That should shine the light on yRump and his shady buddies just on time for elections.
He’ll simply continue to whine and fundraise, just like now.
Cary, I believe that scenario would run true as his Company would be incorporated thus sheltering him personally. The "business" would take the hit, not him.
If the Deutsche money comes from Russian sources then Trump will be held personally responsible for shortfalls. He's nolonger playing in the minor leagues, these guys play for keeps.
Stuart, if that money went through the "Corporation" first then to him that may fall under a different jurisdiction. I can see a quick call in of loans and dissolve of his business in his near future. The DOJ has to draw blood quickly to show the Trump cult that the Emperor truly has no clothes.
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/increasing-pressure-threatens-to-burst-trump-bubble-with-potentially-concerning-fallout-115507781946
I hope so. I do weary of The Left sometimes overly indulging in "wishful thinking".
The left…wishful thinking…hmmm..caring about our hard fought for democracy—that’s our strong wishful thinking.
I think you misunderstand me. No, I weary of hearing: "THIS is going to be what sinks T***p & Co....they're on their way to prison...yada yada yada" I'm sick and tired of being led down yet another primrose path that these a$$holes are going to face retribution for their crimes, and what happens??? NOTHING. Nobody cares more about this democracy than yours truly, but I want to start seeing heads roll and sentences handed down, not keep hearing "Okay now folks, THIS is going to be the 'gotcha'!" As long as they keep stringing us along and getting those ratings...
Maybe timing is an important element here: we have mid-term elections coming up. Dropping judicial bombs on the Reptiles might be more effective just before elections. If its done now, the surprise /shock value would perhaps dissipate
Ok I hear you— I think we’re all impatient about the pace of retribution.
I am very interested in seeing tRump’s head hit the basket and a few of his more criminal supporters like Lindsey get the same treatment. Lindsey should go to jail for what he did in Georgia.
I couldn't agree more. I think there is far too much wishful thinking.
Yes, I read an article some time ago that stated just that. I can't remember where, though.
She certainly did. IMHO, that would be a wonderful thing to hear.
There has been a lot of info on this on MSNBC lately. Melber has been explaining why it makes more sense to go after the organization. They are a criminal enterprise.
He has also been explaining the RICO act which I am still trying to understand, but appears it might cover the corrupt Trump businesses and t***p family of racketeers. RICO, RICO, RICO!! Considering their fake university and charity-- they should have a lot of steaks slapped against them for corruption of everything they touch, including the so-called dicey way to the presidency and the immediate violation of emoluments clauses by the nepotists and Alternative Universe royalty.
For sure everything Trump is thuggish and exceedingly criminal— I like MSNBC coverage too.
Cars and guns are not legal persons who can sue and be sued, own property, or pay taxes. Corporations act through people who should also be held individually responsible for their crimes, but there are good public policy reasons for holding organizations liable as well, especially when criminal behavior is pervasive within the entity.
And when Citizens United has given them standing as a "person" they then become responsible.
Indeed!
Need to hold the executive team's feet to the fire, as well!
and the shareholders too
The shareholders are impacted when the corporation's assets are attached, however, shareholders have little to no say in policy and have nothing to do with any criminal conduct.
Not always as when you have a voting majority.
If we could do that Stuart we would obviate the need for corporations in the first place.
Exactly Ally, when I read your comment to my wife she gave the best cackle I have heard in years.
These corporations should fear their personal liability.
Today’s LFAA sums up why HCR is incredibly helpful. So often she takes the news cycle of the day and puts it into context. And as an added bonus, she gives us pertinent historical perspective.
I knew every story in her post today. But never once had I thought of the fact that yesterday’s cumulative effect was one of legal forces acting in the way they are supposed to. Having finished her letter, I have a sense that the legal system is at work diligently, is neither cowed nor indifferent to justice, and that there may be some cause for solid optimism.
I have been hard on the DOJ for its seeming paralysis. I must now publicly show appreciation for this lawsuit against Georgia. I feel reasonably confident that it is the first of many against copycat states and that it might be a serious deterrent to other states to shrink changes to voting laws that they are now contemplating, or not to consider instituting the legislative process to bring about such scurrilous new law.
However there are always concerns. One is that this lawsuit against Georgia and perhaps others will play out too slowly to deny their implementation in the 2022 election. No doubt the Respondent will drag its heels at every step of the way in order to have those restrictions still on the books come election time.
My other concern is that the Supreme Court, as it is currently constituted, may at some far-off point take an axe to the DOJ case.
All in all, though, it’s good to know that justice, so often conceptually in doubt in the last five years, may still be able to cope with the whirlwind of malignity afoot in America.
All we can do at this point is speculate. That said, my layman's understanding of RICO is that it was specifically intended to go after the kingpins of criminal organizations who were "untouchable" because they, themselves, committed no crimes. RICO cases are difficult to prosecute, but they CAN go after the top management of a corrupt organization. Bringing a case against the Trump Organization could be a first step in going after Trump himself on RICO charges, and it could be a wide net that scoops up a lot of other members of the organization. It's no wonder that Jared Kushner suddenly wants a "simpler" relationship with his father-in-law.
As a matter of fact, companies can be gone after, since corporations are "persons." Going after the company means it can be dissolved, thereby cutting Trumplestiltskin from his "wealth" and kicking his ass. Anything and everything that accomplishes that is good.
Another strategy in notifying a business entity of a potential indictment is whether it will cause the entity to enter into a deferred prosecution agreement. In most DPAs the business entity generally admits responsibility for criminal wrongdoing but the government defers prosecution of the case contingent upon full cooperation, unfettered access to records, and fulfillment of obligations such as making restitution for damages caused by the misconduct. Think of it as a plea deal by a corporation that avoids the business death sentence a felony conviction can cause because that conviction triggers acceleration or default clauses in loans, loss of licenses to conduct many kinds of business, and other such consequences. As the case unfolds the strategy will become clear. One of the principals of Federal criminal prosecution is that the focus should be on the agents within the corporation who committed crimes; I assume New York approaches these cases in a similar fashion and fully expect indictments of individuals to be part of what we see.
This country will reach its end, still fighting the civil war.
I was too terse. What I meant is that WHEN this nation reaches its end -- next year, next decade, next century, or next millennium -- it will still be fighting the civil war.
Wait! Can I please be allowed to get out to the "other side" first???
I sure hope the hell not.
And I sure hope the hell I'm wrong.
Alas, I fear you are correct.
I'm pretty sure that a winding-up order can be obtained either resulting from bankruptcy or causing bankruptcy especially if patterns can be shown across the organization and across the range of decision maker. Smoking guns would be written policy documents, board decisions etc.
What would be interesting to see is if there are even written Board Decisions in existence, given tRump's propensity to NOT read.
Orders and policies, signature limits Etc have to be transmitted somehow in order to be applied.
The difference between a civilized society and anarchy is accountability.
-K. Eli 2014
In other words, the rule of law? Seems to me, we used to have that......and Minnesota got it back today.
How do we make sure that killer cops are treated the same as cop killers! 20 Years is a good start.
Can’t be said enough.
More than 20 years prison time for a cop, dismissal of fraudulent ballot claims in GA, the Justice Department suing GA for its elections bill and more DOJ law suits to come, a civil law suit against the Texas terrorist KKK-like caravan and their police supporters, and criminal charges for the Trump Organization in NY -- chickens coming home to roost.
Slow but steady tortoise of law
LOl - Will torts be applicable to his shell holdings?
🤪
❤️ The emoji and William’s pun.
I was just thinking about torts as well-LOL! I love a good pun.
🙄
Odd how some folks go out of their way to be negative.
Covid burned the wiring to the brains seat of humor center, but we are making repairs and will be up and running shortly
This forum has squirmed in our seats wanting to be the rabbit in the justice race, not the turtle…..as has been one of many unflattering terms describing Merrick Garland. Today’s letter and your comment, Leonard, are so satisfying. Actually, uplifting.
Yes!
A cop in prison is looking at being harassed (at the very least) by inmates. Chauvin will not have it easy.
A cop gets an "executive" solitary confinement cell.
22.5 years of solitary. What does that do to someone psychologically?
When he's already really messed up.
My thoughts exactly. Deserves nothing better.
I hope someone credible is keeping track of the money the last guy is costing us. The golf games and paying for secret service to stay in his hotels which he raised the rates on as soon as he became president, we knew about those. But what is the tally of 1/6 damage, overtime, additional security, repairs, lawyers, meetings, and sooooooo much more. What is the cost and where might we see an annotated running tally? Ballot recounts, the time taken to undo the damage to the bureaucracy,…
Unpaid Trump visits to venues across the US.
Politico, WAPO, NYT, USAFacts. USAFacts probably already has it?
USAFacts is a great resource--thank you for sharing. Search on "trump expenses" yielded no relevant results.
It will be important to know these figures.
A running tally online would be delicious🤤
Election workers are quitting because of threats in swing states. Couldn’t/shouldn’t those making the threats face legal consequences?
Sounds like that is Garland's intent.
Yes he was very clear in his remarks yesterday and he has quite a team ready to execute this agenda.
He doubled the staff of the Civil Rights Division!
https://www.axios.com/voting-rights-justice-department-merrick-garland-b52db1c9-190c-4d60-9d6a-c6af07d0fe58.html
YES!!
His calm strength at the DOJ reigns is better for my emotional state than Valium.
Paraphrasing “his calm reign is the strength at the DOJ,” which is truly better than Valium.
Reins….arghhh!
Yes, we need to wait and watch.
Not just swing states. The San Luis Obispo county clerk (third generation American named Tommy Gong) is leaving the county (although not the job; he's moving to Contra Costa County) after some pretty incredible threats/accusations/allegations, including that he was a Chinese Communist plant.
https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/slo-county-loses-top-elections-official-ahead-of-state-recall
We had better be prosecuting those that threaten election workers and volunteers. IF we don't, it will just keep getting worse.
I don’t know if you ever read anything from Marc Elias or subscribe to his Democracy Docket but he just wrote about how media must not video, photograph, or reveal election officials or poll workers. They would be doing more harm than good. Already, poll workers lives have been threatened!
SLO is one hot mess that someone is pouring money and energy into. Who benefits?
Let me guess, one of the Koch Foundations?
Oh, didn’t know he was coming up north! Good to know.
In Texas the voting "integrity" bill criminally penalizes election workers yet doesn't even require training for poll watchers. Where are the legal consequences for the poll watchers if they start intimidating with the election workers who are just doing their job? And, threats have to be addressed and face legal consequences unless this is now a banana republic. It certainly is going in that direction!
Thank you, Heather, for your diligence and commitment to educate and inform us in our struggle to keep democracy and justice alive in the USA.
I second that emotion.
Yes thank you Heather for all your diligent efforts.
This is off topic, but as the wife of a disabled veteran, I just found out this morning that USAA advertises on faux news, especially on Tucker Carlson.
I guess there is a lot of people who are giving USAA notice that they will be taking their business elsewhere if they don't stop advertising on faux.
I sent an email to them just 10 minutes ago telling them that they have 60 days to make a public announcement about pulling their ad from faux. Looking forward to their response.
As for what HCR talked about, I am glad the cop who killed George Flyod a good amount of years behind bars.
My husband and I were talking yesterday that we are so happy to live in NV. We have a governor who made it easier for everyone to vote and we don't have to do anything to get a mail in ballot.
** Remember also that Fox's real pot of gold is in cable fees, not advertising. About $2± per bundled subscriber per month goes into Rupert's giant maw. Protesting the forced bundling of Fox and the others in cable packages by terminating (and letting the cable provider know why when you do it) is also an excellent method of objecting with your wallet and making a statement. **
This is exactly why I canceled DISH as my TV provider. I now read my news and stream movies and shows. I was adamant that the customer service rep inform his higher ups why I was canceling my account of several years. I’m just one person but as my Father in Law used to say whenever stooping over to pick up a penny, “ You’ve got to count the onesies. They add up!” I hope there are multiple onesies canceling their cable and satellite networks.
Thank you for doing your bit.
I wasn't familiar with USAA so I Googled it and this same message of complaint about Faux Noise and Tucker Carlson popped up on twitter:
https://twitter.com/DeanObeidallah/status/1408744442060808195?s=20
Tucker Carlson made derogatory comments about General Milley (sp?). You'd think anyone related to the military would run from him. And of course Tucker never served. He's a disgusting, privileged, asshole.
My only comment is this:
Why do we care what the former racist president has to say about pending criminal charges against him?
There’s a reason he and his comments have been disappearing from view.
As usual, an excellent summary of the day’s news, thank you Heather.
Hi Roland. We don't necessarily care for sure about the latest Maga rallies etc. In the system that "the former racist president" was trying to impose any defendant facing criminal charges would have no right to a defense; trial by pronouncement on Twitter. It is a hallmark of the system that we are hoping to protect and reinforce that the defandant has a right to a fair trial, due counsel and the possibility of speaking in their own defense. The policeman who killed George Floyd was discussed and quoted in all the media too...so why not Trump...he killed over 600,000 people? More and more though history is moving on and he gets pushed down the page or well between the covers somewhere. More important things are taking the space. Great stuff and long may it continue. Even the worm Pence is turning little by little.
Yes of course. I agree completely. But why do we keep having to subject ourselves to the same stupid false accusations? Why continue repeating ad nauseum the same white racist tropes masquerading as partisan targeting of the poor victim D. Trump? Oh the poor man, he is being targeted. We should make certain that his concerns about his unfair treatment get repeated, so that he isn’t unfairly spoken of in the court of public opinion. After all, his voice is hardly ever heard out here in the public forum.
I am speaking sarcastically, of course.
His comments are not supporting him in a court of law, he’ll get plenty of opportunity for that in the near future, they are propaganda designed to rally white supremacists (advocates for the Great White Cause) around him. I’m not finding fault with Heather, I never do that, I am just questioning why we have to repeat his lousy troops, his lousy racist propaganda, when it isn’t necessary to do so. It’s not like we haven’t been listening to it for four straight years. It’s not like he is a poor barely heard and barely appreciated voice.
People are simply stopping reading the maga-rubbish, that's why the story is slipping off the front page slowly if not gracefully.
tropes
Hello, Roland. Donald may be heard but not appreciated by the majority. It's the majority's job to make sure he and his ilk are shown the door when elections roll around.
And in the meantime I like the way that theDA of South Manhattan is shaping up to deal with this unruly, petulant childbrain.
I hear ya Roland. Good to see you back.
But I believe he is about to be "POOR."
Donald Trump doesn't represent racism, but is an open and honest example of a racist, and he's proud of it. His rallies are magnets for all white racists to come get incited to do his future bidding. Look at the people that are interviewed attending these rallies and decide for yourself who is able to think for themselves and who can't. The "who can'ts" are the ones milling around excited to go to these rallies.
Technically, "racist former president"; he's no longer president, but there's no indication he's stopped being a racist.
I have always referred to him as the "so-called" president, or even more accurately, the "installed occupier" of our Oval office. I do not believe he won the election, but if so, certainly not fairly with all the propaganda, lies and hostile domestic and foreign financial support. Jail is the only thing that will rest my heart regarding that cult figure. Besides all his travesties, more than 500,000 people died because of his idiocy. He is a tragedy of humanity, just like Hitler. And welcome back, Roland!
I prefer disgraced former president (dfp) even if he doesn't acknowledge the disgrace. He won by the same rules he contested in 2020 and the rest of your comment is spot on, especially the jail part.
I remain convinced that had the Democrats not fallen victim to Hilarymania we'd be 5 months in to President Warren's second term.
At the risk of pushing into ridiculous, I might even add to that: Disgraced Former Pseudo-President (dfpp).
I could come up w/ other words for "dfp" but won't write them-I don't like using cuss words.
Installed occupier is great and true.
And we are now over 600,000 deaths reported. As his cult refuses to protect themselves and continues putting everyone else at risk by rejecting vaccines.
and by doing so, the Delta variant and others will thrive...and keep us from doing the same.
yes, development of additional variants is most concerning. Public health as bad politics. Clearly, ANY thing is grist for the divisive mill, no matter how ridiculous.
hence the order of the words.
Morning Roland. From Rolling Stones Paint it Black…
“Maybe then, I'll fade away
And not have to face the facts
It's not easy facing up
When your whole world is black.”
He’s not the president and the clouds are clearing.
Great musical reference and a very interesting visual of the failed insurrectionist living in an all black world.
Welcome back, Roland.
lovely to see your presence
I wrote a comment on Nick Anderson's 'Counterpoint' a couple of days ago when one of the opposing cartoonists accused the Democrats of over-reach because they are attempting to protect voters and the constitution.
"Rather than going to trial, the RNC agreed to settle the case, and it settled the case in what's called a consent decree, which means that the settlement between the parties was embodied in a court order. And if the RNC ever violated that order, they could be found in contempt. And so this was a very powerful tool that the Democrats have been able to use for the last few decades."
During the last election, the DNC again took the RNC to task because of assaults on the election process by the Trump campaign. The court decided only Trump was at fault and lifted the consent decree against the RNC. The result of that decision is what we see today. The RNC, GOP, and every Republican-controlled state are doing a full-court press to prevent as many people from voting as possible. This is the very thing the consent decree was in place for. This is the Republican party without adult supervision.
"Depriving people of the right to vote is not winning. It is cheating."
That's either from Steven Beschloss or Jon Meachum. I think.
Republicans have gone beyond legal means to win. It is now 'do or die' because that any integrity they may have had, Trump has eaten. Trump only threatens Republicans, knowing their panic will keep them responding to everything he says.
Hopefully, the Justice Department will start prosecuting all the violations. Hopefully, there will be another suit against the RNC, this time, not allowing them to escape with a consent decree.
It's Michael Beschloss. We all have "those moments."
I had to go back and find the quote. It is from Stephen Beschloss, brother of Michael, the presidential historian. However, I had left out the first word:
"Winning by denying people the right to vote is not winning. It is cheating."
Steven Beschloss @StevenBeschloss
Ahh, that makes sense. I didn't actually know Michael had a brother. Learn something new every day.
That consent decree the cartoonist referred to ended in 2019, and as soon as it did, the RNC went right back to what they were doing that got them charged to begin with.
"Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said: ““The Biden Administration continues to do the bidding of Stacey Abrams and spreads more lies about Georgia’s election law…. "
..., oh now I see, so Stacy Abrams is in charge here, and good ol' Sleepy Joe is just a bobblehead in her command ...?
Does anyone know why they call Biden 'Sleepy Joe ' ...?
"Georgia governor Brian Kemp, whose victory over Stacey Abrams in the 2018 election has been widely associated with voter suppression, accused the Biden administration of “weaponizing the Department of Justice to serve their own partisan goals.”"
... really? After the last five years of that very dynamic in the former admin ... in other words, it's ok if it's your own vested interest group - otherwise, not allowed ...?
"Their false and baseless allegations are, quite honestly, disgusting.""
... indeed ... false and baseless allegations are, quite honestly, ... disgusting.
The current GOP is the quintessential example of the psychological behavior of “projecting” that which they do, onto others.
... ain't it the truth!!
I love how the Georgia GQP invokes Stacey Abrams name to every issue. They are so afraid of her because she is a brilliant & strong black woman. Bravo for Stacey, my heroine!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Mine too, Marlene!
The quality of a person can be seen in who their enemies are. Which makes Stacy Abrams A++++.
She sure is !
The Raffensperger remark in re Stacey Abrams is ridiculous. Does he really believe that the DOJ, judges, lawyers and everyday people aren't reading and analyzing the voter restriction laws being enacted around the country? Republicans operate on the principle that that the general population is stupid. Maybe with this crock they've pushed that idea one step too far.
Stacy Abrams is the Republicans trigger. When she approved Manchin's compromise on S1 all of them immediately stated pretty much that if Stacy Abrams liked the compromise then it was automatically a bad thing and said No deal. She makes them nuts since she's a smart, assertive Black woman who won't go away. Bravo Ms Abrams.
Shellee, she also drives them nuts because she’s spent the years since 2018 building a national fundraising profile that Kemp can’t match. She’s used it to date for voting protection activism, but her personal profile is also highly respected, if not revered. I fall into the latter camp. Stacey is one of my sheroes.
Kemp, on the other hand, has spent these last years being pretty much an ignorant yahoo. That’s his personal brand. Like IQ45, he’s a useful tool to the GA GOP, but I believe the national recognition will always elude him. For that, I’m grateful.
The latest Economist magasine comes out in favour of the Manchin compromise.
Amen to that.
And rethuglicans always choose a focus for their voters anger - like Stacy Abrams.
Except where they nominated the judges perhaps
"Republicans operate on the principle that that the general population is stupid."
... the general population is ... if not stupid, grossly under/miss/dis-informed ... those who adhere to and serve the powers that secure and profit from that ignorance - honoring only those who share their own views - well ..., is it any wonder that all they can see reflected is "STUPID" ...?
Sigh.
“Ebben nincs kompromisszum. We will not compromise.”
This is a long post because I have included a significant portion of an essay discussing American election politics written by a German lawyer/blogger.
From time to time, I’ve referred to a newsletter (Verfassungsblog) here in Germany that focuses “On Matters Constitutional” which, while primarily about Europe, also covers Constitutional issues in the United States.
This morning the topic was Hungary and Victor Orban’s ruling party that has just passed a new law banning LGBTQI+ references for minors. It is quite broad (See: https://www.euractiv.com/section/non-discrimination/news/portrayal-and-promotion-hungarys-latest-anti-lgbt-law-explained/) prompting the following statement from the EU: “[EU] Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the law "a shame" and pledged in German, French, English, and Hungarian to use all her legal power to stop it: Ebben nincs kompromisszum. We will not compromise. You can't brand LGBT people as a danger to children by law and at the same time be committed to the EU's fundamental values of "human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities".
Today’s post went on to discuss voting rights in the US. Included is a large excerpt from the essay:
A matter of reflection
“I had the opportunity to meet with our old friend and supporter Mattias Kumm at the WZB this week, at last after a long pandemic break, and talk about the USA, among other things, where he spends half the year teaching at NYU. In our conversation, we came up with a hypothesis that appears pretty plausible to me: What if Republicans actually have a entirely different idea of what an election is about? What if their idea of correct and functional elections is not so much about adherence to procedural rules at all? What if they regard democratic collective self-determination rather as a kind of mirror in which "the people" reflect and recognize and reassure themselves of their identity? What if that is what these normal, law-abiding, God-fearing American patriots actually expect from a democratic election most: to recognise in it their own normal, law-abiding, God-fearing patriotic likeness, as opposed to minorities, socialists, elites and foreigners?
If that is so, then there is indeed little point in calling the Republicans to account about how little evidence there is for Democrat election rigging in the past and how much there is for Republican election rigging in future. Procedure, for them, is all just technicalities and legal niceties, not what actually matters in a democratic election, which is the correct reflection of the people. From that correct reflection, or what they consider it to be, they read whether the election worked, and if it didn't, then, regardless of procedure, the official winner of the election is a fake. Then the real President is Trump. Then storming the Capitol is just consequential.
Perhaps it has always been the case that a great many people care much less about procedure than we lawyers would like to believe. It's just that it didn't matter that much because it didn't affect the result most of the time: The normal, law-abiding, God-fearing patriots were reliably in the majority anyway, and there were procedural rules in place to make sure it stayed that way, so procedurally by-and-large correct elections could usually be relied upon to reflect just what they were supposed to reflect.
They were, after all, the normal folks, and the ab-normal minorities had a claim to tolerance at best, but certainly not to power. That was held by their likeness, Democrat or Republican, and the more certain they could be about that, the more fairness, bipartisanship and procedural openness of outcome they could safely afford.
That is no longer the case. Minorities don't necessarily stay in the minority, if they ever were, and normal folks are having their normality and normativity disputed with increasing vigour and success. It has become possible, if not probable, that the procedural outcome and the mirror image fall apart. What, in that case, will people be faithful to? That's not exactly obvious, is it?
If that is so, if this is about whether democratic legitimacy comes from correct procedure or from identitarian reflection – how can we trust that this dispute can be settled between political opponents within the framework of rule-based democratic procedures itself?
It may have been a big mistake for the Democrats in the Senate not to abolish the filibuster when they could – as if the Republicans would flinch before doing the same to them if they were in their place. This is going to be a long, hard fight. It already has been for a while, actually. Not just in the US. Ebben nincs kompromisszum. We will not compromise.”
I don’t know about you, but it is more than a little unsettling to note the comparison being made between the Republican party in the United States and Victor Orban’s Fidesz party in Hungary.
Source: https://verfassungsblog.de/
Thanks for this source, I've put it in my "stack" for future reference.
"What if they regard democratic collective self-determination rather as a kind of mirror in which "the people" reflect and recognize and reassure themselves of their identity?"
Perhaps, the only difference here between this and Putin's elections in Russia is that the mirror that is held up to the people for them to see themselves ....collectively... and the historical context in which they find themselves is significantly warped by those that are holding it. But then.... is this any different from the current GOP/trumpite's approach?....I think not! This allows tyrants to "legitimize" their autocratic hold on people and their suppression of all dissent....as not being in conformity with the official image projected in the "magic" mirror. The mirror always declares those holding the mirror "the most beautiful". (à la Wicked Witch courtesy of Disney) and not those looking dispairingly into its depths for their own reality.
Stuart: I think you will find this a worthwhile addition - particularly because of its European focus.
Unsettling, indeed. Wouldn't it be wondrous if our politicos took a no-compromise pledge relative to rights (voting and otherwise), climate action, insert your concern here.
I've subscribed.
The Editor, Max, is quite a character. Hope you enjoy it.
Powerful and well written. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you for continuing to help me understand our political world and put it in historical perspective.
Thank you Heather.
I was surprised to hear Raffensburger's adamant claim of dirty play by the "Biden appointed " DOJ and how he can't wait to beat him in court.. Isn't this the same guy that cried on 60 Minutes about being threatened by Trump about overturning an election? Oh that's right, he's a Republican, what did I expect, integrity? Somehow I feel we are going to be seeing that video again.
I watched the Chauvin sentencing today, yet the 22.5 didn't seem like a fair exchange for willfully taking someone's life. Maybe it's a start to prevent the next cop from taking the life of another and trying to hide behind their badge. I did hear someone say, I'm afraid I didn't catch his name, that with the possibility of parole, Chavin could actually only see roughly 6 years behind bars. That would be disgusting, at best.
Be safe, be. Have a good weekend all......
With respect to the Chauvin sentence, it is in line with what Minnesota gives for other Felony Murder cases, and provides no legal precedent for the sentence and/or trial being overturned.
Ally, yes it is. It actually was a safe sentence and hopefully will stick. Did you hear those magic words, " without the possibility of parole "? I did not.
Maybe in the Judge's full disclosure?
I think that what might appear to be a change of values on the part of Raffensburger really isn't. In the first case, Trump was asking him to put himself in legal jeopardy by manufacturing numbers, and at the same time impugning his previous work. His instinct was to defend his track record and his reputation and refuse the request. With the DOJ, again he (and his party, this time) are being attacked, this time for having racist motivation for the new laws, and again he is defending himself and his reputation.
Interestingly, the new laws give his power away to the Georgia legislature if they don't like the results. Who would want to stay in a job, work hard during elections, and then have no power to do their job?
Removing him from having any influence on vote count and allowing the legislature to overturn the results if they're not to the Republicans' liking is probably okay with Raffensperger. He can be above the fray and not soil his Christian conscience. It's a win win for him and his image, but the most dangerous feature of the entire bill. It does not have to be proved that there was election fraud, just the claim that it exists, and the results can be overturned. This, if allowed to persist all over the country, makes it possible for our democracy to fail, and is not being publicized enough. People don't seem to be aware of the danger.
First of all, Raffensperger wasn't protecting voters when he acknowledged that the count was unflawed. He was protecting the shiny new voting machines he'd just installed. Then, the threats from the right wing began, and he could see his political career crumbling, so he decided to go along with the criminal new voting law. He's a Republican - you can't expect anything else of him.
As for Chauvin's sentence, the judge added 10 years to the usual sentence, but didn't elevate it to the 40 year maximum, because he knew that a maximum sentence was more likely to be overturned on appeal, and it's certain that his defense team will appeal. It was important that the judge not be viewed as prejudiced against the defendant, so all of his decisions were well-reasoned and documented, as was his sentence. Most of us would like to have seen a more severe sentence, but none of us want to see him freed. Legally, he could have been given only probation.
I live in Minneapolis, so our news channels not only covered the sentencing, etc., but had some good commentaries. The Judge wanted to be very careful, so he laid out his "arguments" for his sentence in a 22 page legal document, which is supposed to be accessible somewhere. One thing that struck me about the sentence, was that he took all of the cases of similar convictions in Minnesota in to account, and gave Chauvin fewer years in prison than only two "similar" cases, and both of those involved extreme violence against children. Someone on this website said they think Chauvin could get out in 6 years, and I believe that is wrong. The commentaries I heard said that if he does not get convicted of federal crimes, so he only serves his sentence for the state crimes, he could get out when he is 58; he is 45 now. So he will do about 13 years, and then be on probation for the rest of the time. Not saying we should feel sorry for him, but the commentators also talked about how "inhumane" prison will be for him: for his own safety, he will be in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. Even then, he will be shipped out of state for his own safety, so his mother will not be able to visit him (or any other loved ones) like she said she would. It will be a terrible, terrible existence.
What bugs me about all of this is a "bigger" picture: doesn't it seem lenient that the "normal" amount of time someone convicted of murdering another human being gets 12 1/2 years in prison in Minnesota? And that person would probably get out in 6 years? And I suspect my state is not going to be way out of line compared to the rest of the country. I don't want to be mean or vindictive. I want to believe in Second Chances. But when you take another life, I just don't know.
Terry, what I've heard on several outlets is that the judge wanted to remove the possibility that an appeal could overturn the sentence, as Ally points out, below. I agree that the most lenient sentence is much too light, but my understanding is that second degree murder covers a situation where the crime was not premeditated, and the intention was not necessarily to kill the victim. Everything I've heard is that, with good behavior, Chauvin could be released in 15 years. However, there are still federal charges pending, so that could add to the overall sentence. As you pointed out, this will be a very difficult slog for him. If he's kept in solitary confinement, the mental toll will be horrific, but being in the general prison population would probably prove fatal. I have trouble feeling any compassion for Chauvin after watching his cold stare, ignoring pleas to stop kneeling on his prisoner well past the time that poor George Floyd could have put up any resistance. There are many good police officers, but Chauvin was the worst example of people attracted to the profession by the apparent need to control and punish. Giving him a second chance would have no upside.
Thank you for this response, Nancy. And you remind me of this: one of the Federal cases pending for Derek Chauvin, is another kneeling on the neck of a 14 year old boy (? I might be mistaken). In addition, he did have many complaints against him in his file. All of which should have raised red flags in our police department long before George Floyd. Departmental reform! Chauvin should have been sitting at a desk at the very most.
Wow, I hadn't heard about him assaulting a teenager. I just assumed that the federal charges were connected to the Floyd murder. I heard early on that Chauvin had something like 14 complaints of excessive force in a 15 year period, or something similar. When police departments see a record like that, there should be some sort of intervention. No question that he was an accident waiting to happen.
Yup .... Totally agree, Nancy. One of the federal charges is about George Floyd - abuse of civil rights. But the second federal charge is about this teenaged boy. You may be correct about 14 complaints; I thought I heard 18. Whichever number, you can toss out a few of them that may have been from people feeling they were treated unjustly by police, but the police were within reason. But 14 or 18 complaints? That needed attention. I am not in my email that often, so see that Barbara Reed responded with good information like 9 hours ago. Good information, Barbara! Thanks, folks.
and here's an excerpt from another article that describes what Chauvin did to that 14 year old boy: "In September 2017, Chauvin responded to a domestic assault call with another officer and tried to arrest a 14-year-old boy. When the boy resisted, Chauvin applied a neck restraint and rolled him onto his stomach. Chauvin stayed in the same position, his body pinning the boy to the floor, "beyond the point when such force was needed under the circumstances," prosecutors wrote."
Here's an article about one of the prior complaints against him: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/minneapolis-derek-chauvin-history-of-complaints-george-floyd
or a murder waiting to happen...
Judge Peter Cahill's sentencing memo:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/derek-chauvin-sentencing-memo-judge-pete-cahill-explains-22-5-n1272429
Spot on, Nancy! I've been saying all along, "I don't trust Raffensperger one second!" He's a Republican snake-in-the-grass. Sure, he stood up, rightly, to T***p & Co. about the election here in GA, but everything he does is in his interest. I fully expected him to walk it back somewhat, especially as the '22 elections approach. He knows he's in trouble with the ReTrumplicans here in GA--as Kemp knows he is as well--but expect there to be some REAL quick fence-mending going on between now and next year!
Absolutely. They'll be inviting Marjorie Taylor Green over for lunch, where they can all trash Leftie Dems, particularly Stacey Abrams, and pledge allegiance to the former guy. The only reason he recorded the Trump call, in my opinion, was to protect himself.
Yes, Raffensburger is an odd character but let’s not forget that he is running for his office again. I remember him begging Fake 45 to call off his followers because of the threats made against he and his wife. Now, he’s kissing his ass! Grateful that Garland has filed a lawsuit against GA. That, at least, gives pause to enacting those horrible laws. I suspect the DOJ will continue with this regarding the other states too.
Yes, there are a lot of Trumplicans that have been scared witless by threats and aggressions and possible injury and death that continue to kiss the ring of master manipulator, Trump. Shall we start a list?
It's hard to know who is crying wolf and who has actually been threatened by Trump & Co. I am sceptical of the high number of Trumplicans claiming fear, though I do believe the documented cases. As to the rest? The excuse that they have been scared witless is convenient, too be sure, but not necessarily credible.
I think I was referring to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol mostly. We have footage of terrified Republicans/Trumplicans trying to find hiding places and such, and then coming out the same and next day condemning the actions of the attackers. Then it miraculously changed to "just like the tourists taking a tour of the building..." statements.
Sorry, I misunderstood. Yes, the whole about face from Republicans being terrorized to the attackers being just tourists is inconceivable. Millions of people watched the attack unfold and those millions, if they were honest would never say those attacking the Capitol were tourists.
To be a fly on their walls would be fascinating!
Marlene, he definitely is. What he did when threatened by Trump was nothing more than covering his ass as he knew it would be all over the news anyway. I thought at the time that his fear of Trump, Barr and others would be his demise if he didn't come out for cover. Whom ever runs against him should show the 60 Minutes interview 24/7.
just a reminder that chauvin is facing Federal charges as well, in a case that could result in a life sentence for him
Correct. I believe I heard there are more than one Federal charges yesterday.
chauvin's mom was rather pathetic. I felt so sorry for her. Who knows what her truths may be. Her demeanor was of someone who may have been in an abusive relationship. Sad.
I,too,felt sympathy for her. She seemed lost, down-trodden and incapable of dealing with the reality of the situation. In denial, as perhaps many mothers would be. She intimated that Chauvin had asked her to stay strong. He probably knows how fragile she is. A stronger woman would have had the wherewithal to acknowledge the pain of the Floyd family.
your last sentence is so moving
Hearing Raffensburger, and all the other Republicans, talk about how the Democrats are the ones who are threatening democracy (yada yada yada) reinforces the fact that the Democrats really need to get much more vocal. The Republicans know how to fight....we keep talking about how the Dems bring a knife to a gun fight, etc. There has been some talk here about the Lincoln Project (and, by the way if you're interested, they have been cleared of wrongdoing in the case of one of their founders' despicable conduct) but the bottom line is that they are former Republicans and know how to fight. We can learn from them. I am posting a link for one of their newest ads. Listen to how powerful it is, and please share it far and wide: https://lincolnproject.us/the-mission/
Annette, thank you for post this video. As scary as it puts forth, its completely spot on.
They absolutely do know how to fight. We don't. What will it take?
Interesting that the ad uses the terms "all on the line", which is the name of the anti-gerrymandering organization that Obama and Eric Holder have been spearheading. I wonder if that's a coincidence.
I follow the Lincoln Project and you're right, they are former Repubs who know how to get messaging out. Dems are lousy at that.
Other sources indicate that he won't be eligible for parole for 15 years. Imagine... 15 years of solitary confinement so other inmates won't maim or kill him.
Judith, I just heard that as well as I was driving. I do like the sound of the 15 years much better.
Let's see a whole lot of Trumpscum become defendants. And then convicted felons. For *all* these things!