Today, Democratic voters in Georgia gave President Joe Biden enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president when the Democratic National Convention is held in August.
Gosh, we're lucky to have these Letters. Someone trustworthy who actually knows and understands what's going on and can speak/translate the language. The Biden transcription! truth comes struggling out of the darkness.
Absolutely. I saw parts of the hearing but was fooled. Thanks to this letter, I have a far more balanced view. Lookie at what really happened here: out of many thousands documents being transferred, some that were classified accidentally slipped through. So, the President returned those documents, just as Vice President Pence did and, more than likely, at least several past (Vice) Presidents. Representative Raskin is right: we have bigger fish to fry -- like expelling fascism and keeping fascism out of the apex of national leadership.
I will be watching those excellent reporters on YouTube and sharing widely. 💙💙Lawrence O’Donnell💙💙Glenn Kirschner 💙💙Joy Reid💙💙Rachel Maddow💙💙 but FIRST this excellent 👍🏻⭐️🇺🇸💪🏻Heather Letter. 😍🏆🇺🇸⭐️
Yes! Yes! Yes, Gigi! I saw most of what Professor Richardson recounted. It was an electrifying hearing for this Dem. Schiff, Swalwell, the lady rep from MI who made Hur read (eat) his own words, and several others skewered the majority.
Don't forget Democracy Docket/Marc Elias, who is a lawyer working day and night to protect and gain voters' rights. He gives a daily report of progress and losses in that arena.
I trust those people too, GiGi, but to move Haley voters et. al. over to Biden, we're better off citing less partisan media. I recommend The Bulwark podcasts on YouTube. The casters are all conservative never trumpers.
I also found, from the get-go, that the language Hur used to describe what he witnessed about Biden's memory, etc...was so far from the formal/technical legalese generally used in situations like this. It seemed generally very awkward...and out of place...
Grrrrr . Corporate America has bought out the main stream media and are seeking to pad their bottom line instead of reporting the “news.” Edward R Murrow, Eric Sevareid & Walter Cronkite must be spinning in their graves!
That is the truth. The A No. 1 way they pad their bottom line is to run hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign advertising each year, all those fact-free 30-second commercials we all reach instantly for the mute button to silnce. They factor it into their budgets, so they love a good horse race. And I'm sure the ad messages get through to the low-information voters.
Ouch! With MSNBC covering the hearing, it’s terrible to know. As I pay no attention to the former channels of Huntley-Brinkley and Cronkite, was not aware of how far they’ve fallen.
Unless you're partisan, about everyone who just watches MSM. This so called balanced reporting, ie "not taking sides", is interesting, considered they did away with "fair reporting" many years ago. I think that was when you were supposed to report based on factual evidence.
*a 2022 survey found that the majority of Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X did not have a cable subscription. The main reason for cutting the cord was price, with over a third of adults saying that cable was simply too expensive
*Reported consumption levels were higher amongst males and those aged 55 years or older. Consumption of local, state, or territory news was the highest of the three types of news, particularly amongst those aged 55 years or older.
*A 2021 survey showed that 56 percent of the adults in the United States stated they receive TV via cable or satellite. The adults aged between 18 and 29 years old were the group which presented the lowest share (34 percent), while the adults aged 65 years old or more had the highest percentage (81 percent).
Thank you for this. As I suspected. The younger generations get their news from sources other than cable tv. We older folks are supporting the cable companies, which makes me wonder what will happen when we die off.
same way as the print media? Social media, streaming, internet sites take over totally? Unless cable can reinvent itself economically? I have both internet and a heavily discounted cable package, sail on from 2 yr or so deal, to deal. They mainly keep re-offering a variant. Is almost as if the real price is the "sale" price, how much do consumers chase "deals" in supermarkets etc? a LOT I figure. I watch a lot of MSNBC via internet cutaways, no ads, core material eg of the latest Rachel Maddow show or whatever. I also get Washington Post, Reuters via internet editions.
One of mine, Gen x, has cable and does follow the news, cable or otherwise; the other, a millenial, cut cable because of cost? and gets her news via social media, or internet news sites - her big interest in environmental, she's Canadian, and only keeps a half-eye on American federal - enough to know Trump and Maga are the opposite of everything cultural and political she believes in. Ditto with my gen-xer. We all cringe.
To boot it left Biden mis remembering the date of his son's death, while Heather says that was false. Morning Joe did a credible job this morning I thought.
Between NPR, PBS, AI, a few other sources and several pundits who's assessments are supported by facts, I feel I have a fairly good idea of what's going on. I also constantly question my conclusions as well as those of those I trust.
I'm not exactly sure what "main-stream news media" is. Is it that entertainment nonsense that ABC, NBC and CBS present on their morning and nightly news broadcasts? Sometimes I hear Fox and NewsMax included in the mix. But they're not considered main-stream, are they?
I also trust my girlfriend . She is almost always right! ;-)
In this instance, Craig, most outlets showed the televised hearing, so anyone who watched on any news source could come to his own conclusions regardless of pundits' opinions.
More than "Oh God, May 30th" I found Hur's remark that Biden appeared to him to have a photographic memory was far more revealing to me. The same man who said that reported that Biden's memory "has significant limitations." He also outright lied that Biden couldn't remember when Beau died.
That says so much about Hur (and the gop) as well as the news outlets that chose to focus on Biden's age and mental abilities again.
We really are at war. I'm 69 and I've never seen anything quite like this. And I am aware of some of the shenanigans going back to Nixon, Reagan and others.
Agreed! We didn't like Nixon. A lot of people knew he was corrupt, but he was a human being. I never heard that called into question. But those who have not fallen under trump's strange spell see a strange, almost unearthly aberration. In a real sense, a monster. Someone who defies all moral and ethical standards. Did people see Hitler as a psychologically distorted freak before the war ended and psychologists studied him? I wonder. But trump is one singularly messed up dude and one of the most dangerous people on earth. Still blows my mind to contemplate.
Smart move to trust your girlfriend - from the "all politics is local" perspective.
With so many getting their news online these days, I agree that the meaning of "main-stream news media" has gotten a bit fuzzy. I'm a pretty loyal MSNBC and PBS and a few others viewer.
I also check in with the networks, Fox and others of that ilk occasionally to hear what they are putting out there. {I usually have to do it when my husband is out of the room, or he makes a quick exit.} Back in the Oliver North and Rush Limbaugh days I became a "know your enemy" believer. It gives you some insight into to their strategies and ways of thinking and, as we've learned with Trump, they'll often say the quiet part right out loud.
I don't know that I'd characterize the enemies' mental activity as thinking, Angela. Their strategy appears to be to level damaging lies about Biden's character and effectiveness while stoking the fears, grievances, and bigotry of their fans. It works, but I can't say that we're describing the same thing when we say, "I think [fill in the blank]..."
I look at it as taking one for the team and normally do it with some ginger beer in hand for the occasional queasiness. Just be sure to keep something soft to throw close by to protect your TV or computer screen.
I do struggle with hearing Trump's voice and delivery and when I've reached my limit will to press the mute button. Often, they are so ridiculously transparent that they're even good for a laugh or at least an appropriate cleansing exclamation. It can be an energizing reminder of why we all need to be pushing back from the other side.
Midas Touch Network. David Packman show. The Bullwark. Beau of the Fifth Column (for great unpacking of single issues), and C-Span is really good if you just want unfiltered video of goings on in congress.
To your question, I suspect very few people will see this remark of mine but that very many people have, themselves, long ago drawn the same conclusion on their own. Thank you for the implicit, if unearned, compliment. But, hey, I lived in N.Y.C. long enough to learn how to take credit when it is not due.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a short letter to the editor of our local paper in ME. I mentioned that HCR was writing a daily newsletter that concisely reports current events mixed in with historical references relating to these events. And since HCR is a Mainer, I mentioned that as well.
I don't know what will convince MAGA voters to change their votes but if the letter served to bring a few more readers into the fold, it was worth the few minutes it took to write.
HCR is fantastic at relaying information and hopefully new readers agree.
LFAA readers trying to convince MAGAs to abandon DT is no more likely to happen than LFAA readers being convinced to abandon President Biden. Effort there is mostly amounts to letting them live in our heads rent-free. There are millions of Independents and almost apolitical voters out there that can and need to be reminded of the truth about DT and the MAGA movement in general. DT = Dick-Tater. MAGA = Many American power Grabbing Ass-h__s.
Steve Abbott - "LFAA readers trying to convince MAGAs to abandon DT is no more likely to happen than LFAA readers being convinced to abandon President Biden."
Don't be too sure of that.
Republicans who have in the past voted for GOP nominee Donald Trump explain exactly why they will never do so again in a damning series of testimonials released by the Republican Accountability PAC.
The conservative group is spending $50 million on its "Republican Voters Against Trump" campaign to spotlight “𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟 𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑁𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟."
What troubles me is whom will these people vote for? I feel that we need to convince them that a vote for Biden is a vote to preserve democracy, and a vote for any third party candidate is really a vote for Trump. Also "noncommitted".
I heard one of their ads this morning, Ron. It was very good. The only place where I'd dispute you is that I believe unswerving allegiance to Trump[ism] is the definition of MAGA. I believe they call R's that part company with him on anything "RINOs," cf Haley, Cheney, Kinsinger, Lankford, Raffensperger, et. al.
Moronic Ass Grabbing Authoritarians - my contribution to your collection of irreverent acronyms, Steve. I'm with you 100% on the rest of your comments.
I know Rs who have never voted for death star, so only the members of the cult are unreachable. Palmer has a list of races where donations will help rather than spending money in deep red districts.
The Palmer Report. If you look it up, you will get a biased negative review. The headlines tend to be hyperbolic, but the content is often much better than that. He does have a list of races where donations can make a difference if people need a list.
I'm convinced that nothing will sway MAGA voters. They've drunk the kool aid and will (hopefully) go down with their dear leader.
I absolutely agree that HCR is a reliable source of factual journalism, and I like her all the more because she happens to agree with me on her interpretation of the facts. Ah, ego!
I'm more optimistic about maybe 5% of the voters. I think they will ultimately support Biden.
The Lincoln Project's goal in 2020 was to swing 2-3% of the vote to Biden from Trump. Biden won in the 6 swing states so maybe they did their job??
And I'm also counting on many of the people that died of Covid-19 as leaning Republican. And the millions of young people that are voting in 2024 for the first time as leaning Democrat.
So much depends on voter turnout as well. The better the turnout, the better Biden's chances I think.
Plus Jan 6th happened after the election so we also don't know how many of the Trump voters were turned off by the insurrection.
Things went well for us yesterday. The Hur hearing hurt the Republicans. The stock market went up and I made more donations with BIDEN DOLLARS, to NOW and to Rueben Gallego in Arizona. In my mind, this is "free money" to be used to defeat Fascism here. Today is another day for what should it profit a man if he gains a fortune but loses his freedom?
Don't forget the purge going on in the RNC. They are normally the ones who setup and fund the local offices in states. Now all that money will be going to pay Don the cons lawyers.
The RNC hostile takeover is complete to a, most likely dismayed, moderate camp of GOP that only saw "R" as the brand vs. MAGA the cons and active seditionists amongst them.
MAYBE - This will finally break the slumber/hoodwinked Americans that still believe in USA (I pray).
Ally House, we are the modern day "Minute Men and Women." I know that it sounds trite to say it, but we are the "boots on the ground" here. Our participation and our financial contributions can help save the day. I am often reminded of the words from John Greenleaf Whittier's poem, "Maud Muller:" "Of all the sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: it might have been." The story is about two could-have-been lovers, but the thought is universal. We must take on the task before us. The young judge lost out because he never pursued the young maiden.
Five hands clapping. Actually, make that six, or it changes the meaning (takes two hands to clap). Five hands is what Nancy Pelosi used after tfg's SOU.
Thanks for your donations to Democrat causes whenever you make "extra money," Richard! This is EXACTLY how Biden and down-ballot Dems will win in 2024. Especially if the Repugs continue to run out of money. Sad to say, it does indeed take lots and lots of money to win elections in America.
Hooray Richard,. I’m ‘taking notes’ on what you’re doing as an example of smart & wise investing in the future of Democracy: 1) NOW 2) Ruben Gallego in Arizona.
Another $6,000 added to my account today, Lauren. I see it as "using house money to preserve and protect the house." That's what I'm doing here. More donations went out today.
Watching Representative Nadler's questioning of Mr Hur. The latter strikes me as disingenuous at best. 0f course he was familiar with the Trump case! He damn well knew that his investigation would be compared with that documenting Trump's wrong-doing. Very disappointed in Rep. McClintock today.
Representative Lofgren nailed it, too, with the note-books of President Reagan. That part of the hearing brought up the problem of over-classification. When I worked in Iraq and Afghanistan, I learned very quickly to avoid classified information whenever possible because so much was classified that was already in the press or was maddeningly obvious. I figured that, if I stayed away except when necessary (e.g., when and where to meet for a convoy run outside fortified areas), I would reduce the risk of me unintentionally tipping classified content and suffering for it.
Not really. Though, as stated elsewhere, I am always open to taking credit where it is not due. The other problem of classification is the green wall of silence. Classifying notes that would be embarrassing or even (arguably) indicative of criminal behavior to avoid accountability. That is why I broke with many conservative colleagues by sympathizing with the disclosures made by Chlesea Manning and Julian Assange.
EDIT: in any case, Marlene, thank you for thinking of me.
Anne-Louise, I never thought I would see Truth struggling so hard to prevail. Trump, his followers, and the media are pushing the Truth as hard as they can BACK into the darkness, where they want it to stay. A darkness so abysmal that the Truths which I were taught to strive for- honesty, compassion, respect for others' opinions and beliefs, reason, and the understanding of how dangerous mob mentality can be, are no longer valued. In place of Truths are now the Lies of someone as demented and evil as Donald Trump. Will any of his weak-minded and frightened followers ever see the light and the Truth?
For the first years of his presidency, Biden tried to "take the high road" thinking that Right would win over Wrong without his having to ride the low rails of the Trump train. I'm glad to see that he is now defending and crediting himself for the good things he's tried to do for all Americans.
Yes, Truth IS struggling and, as hard as it seems with all the negativity brought on by Trump and the media,we need to shine Biden's Truth if we want to
continue to live freely in the America that was meant to be.
It helps hoodwink the gullible by first destroying public education. An ignorant, overworked, underpaid, frightened serfdom is useful when you want to disseminate viral propaganda.
Handwritten presidential diaries are exempt from the records act.* Biden turned over all his diaries, he only had to turn over sections which may have included classified info. By contrast, GHW Bush's DOJ helped Reagan keep his diaries out of court - to help squash the Iran Contra investigation. (Later on the advice of AG Bill Barr, Bush totally squashed the investigation by pardoning high level Reagan admin officials indicted on Iran Contra crimes. Yes. The same Barr of Mueller infamy.)
I am surprised that no Democrats seem to have brought up that throughout his term, Trump and his admin officials ignored / actively subverted the records act by destroying document and using private apps for official business.
(There was a records management analyst assigned to retrieving whatever torn and shredded papers he could find and piecing them back together. Your tax dollars at work under Republicans.)
*Personal records exempted from the records act: diaries, journals, or other personal notes serving as the functional equivalent of a diary or journal which are not prepared or utilized for, or circulated or communicated in the course of, transacting Government business;
Ann-Louise, I find it interesting that Hur announced his leaving DOJ, effective yesterday. I heard about that only once yesterday (don't recall which outlet), and except for today's Heather Letter, have not heard anything about it elsewhere. Definitely well-timed for Hur to accept an appointment from TFFG. Now that the Dems' gloves are coming off, though, I'll go out on a limb and predict that TFFG won't be handing out any appointments in November.
Merrick Garland made a huge mistake in appointing an obvious political activist in Hur, by bending over backwards to not appear to play politics. Andrew Weissmann said yesterday that Garland knew exactly what Hur was and should have known what the result would be. The Democrats must learn that we can't afford to use the appearance of being fair when we are up against Republicans, who almost never return the favor
Nancy, I am certain that Our "left" the DOJ BEFORE his testimony. Thus, Hur'appeared before Committee as Private Citizen Hur.
BTW, the Special Attorney Federal rules & regulations were written by NEAL KATYAL the GREAT. So, Hur escaped the legal frame work of his statutory duties that he owed when Our wrote the "report" (sic).
Bryan, yes, the report I heard yesterday was that he resigned before the hearing, which freed him to discuss his "findings" as a private citizen and not in his formerly official capacity. Naturally, the MAGA Rethuglicans will remain convinced that he appropriately described Biden as a "well-meaning elderly man with a faulty memory" (a/k/a suffering from dementia), but his SOTU speech proved otherwise.
Despite media coverage of him for years painting him with Hur's brush, he has repeatedly proven that he is on top of his game and has produced great results - and under great pressure. I had misgivings before he was elected that he was too old, but certainly couldn't have considered voting for Troll Trump. My concerns were erased on Day 1 when Biden went from his inauguration directly to the Oval Office and went to work!
I absolutely love Neal Katyal -- the GREAT -- his intellect, his impish grin when he or other commentators slip in a humorous comment. Andrew Weissmann is another hero, as are the Sisters in Law. We're fortunate to have all of them in our camp.
Perhaps Garland knew exactly what he was doing and relied on the cult to eat their young, as the man who would be king once dropped. I think it's a good thing to keep the DoJ apolitical. It's supposed to be and not just in appearance.
I was thinking about equality just yesterday. Of course we're not all created equal, meaning the same. But that was just a turn of phrase in a letter to George III. When they got down to business the framers clarified it to "equal under the law." Good call IMHO. We can all be different and still have blind justice, at least in theory (or aspiration).
We will never arrive at a more perfect union if we allow ourselves to become the enemy. It's tempting to fight fire with fire, but more evolutionary to encourage the arc of the moral universe to bend toward justice by NOT putting our thumb on her scales.
Lauren, I appreciate your comments, and agree with you in principle. Garland has bent over backward to avoid the stench of partisanship, and if everyone in leadership positions tried to do the same thing, the world would be a better place - our Supreme Court, for instance, would enjoy a much larger approval score, as an example.
However, I gather that Hur's hyper partisanship was well known, and I believe that Merrick Garland could have chosen a Republican who would not have voiced his prejudices in his comments. What Hur did was outside the bounds of common practice, and because he could find no grounds to charge President Biden, he put his thumb on the scale, treating Biden's situation as similar to Trump's - his sponsor. There was absolutely no comparison, and anyone with an ounce of integrity would not have done what he did. I believe that he was pandering to Biden's opposition, in a more polite and rational manner than coarse Marjorie Taylor Greene, but still pandering.
To be clear, I was not suggesting that we should ever put our thumb on the scales of Justice. Our behavior should not mimic the current opposition, but when making a choice that could well cause great damage, the choice should be someone whose principles should be fair and objective. I believe that Garland could have chosen a better special prosecutor than Robert Hur.
I don't understand how Hur was allowed to publish his report without some screening by DOJ. What Hur put in that report was inappropriate at the least. This gives the DOJ a huge black eye.
This reminds me of Attorney General Barr's lying account of the Mueller Report. James Carville wanted to know if there are any Democrat lawyers in Washington since every special council has been a staunch Republican. The Department of Justice is apparently not blind.
I find chaos always previews plans gone awry , like outsmarting oneself and the last to know…too much for me teenie brain to lump sum and see thru, but suspect the implosion.. least we make no mistake ….stay vigilant.
Beth, just wanted you to know I am thinking about with love-Lewy-Body is so rough to deal with for both the afflicted and their loved ones. My dear friend had it-just wanted you to know I care.
Also a dear friend ‘s husband this week ... Sisters , hear our prayer for healing, patience , and remember the day we met ‘him ‘ how the hearts beat fast. So much this life takes toll , remember the happy moments , the peace ,stability. My DIL just sent a loving prayer for the next 24 hours , us to meditate on , hold each other. Stay the course. 🫶 Thank you Jen, Beth
EDIT: we all know that anyone's faculties diminish with age. What the G.O.P. overlooks here is the value of experience. The situation is analogous to an ageing baseball pitcher. His primary pitch is a fast-ball. By the age of thirty or thirty-five at most (without steroids), that fast-ball has lost its edge and now can be whacked into a Star Trek episode. So, the great pitchers develop other pitches, like change-ups or knuckle-balls, to remain winners.
Here, the question is not the binary one of whether or not President Biden's mind is as quick as it was twenty or more years ago but whether he has expanded that mind with wisdom and other traits like magnanimity. Of course, all of this talk of wisdom remains lost on the dominant voices of my erstwhile Party; they know not what wisdom is. Narcissists or bullies rarely do.
My daughter (who notoriously disrespects my mental capacity) blithely told me the other day that both are too old and demented to earn her vote. I told her not voting for Biden is a vote for Trump. I also pointed out that even though I'm slower in all ways than I was x years ago, it doesn't mean I'm slow. It's all relative. She says that because she lives in Texas it's a moot point. She's right about that.
I am somewhat sympathetic with your daughter. I would have preferred President Biden to step aside as he is frail. As to your mental capacity, I can say only one thing: ¡KIDS! She appreciates you, already, or will appreciate you, imminently, I am sure. After the performance of President Biden and Democrats on the Judiciary Committee over the past ten days to two weeks, I have little hesitation anymore in voting for the Democratic ticket this autumn.
Dr. Bob -- speaking as a neurologist, what is your opinion about trompy's apparent symptoms (mispronunciations and other word gaffes, physical stance, etc.)?
They certainly appear to be concerning but difficult to be sure without a formal examination (which I would happily offer to him free of charge :-) I would like to see how he does over the next 6 months. Speech, including word-finding and comprehension, are often affected in a progressive fashion, so It would be very concerning if his difficulties worsen (hopefully we'll see something before December!)
A formal debate between Biden and Trump in September or October would be very interesting!
Gigi, I’m laughing about ‘I could do 5 minutes before nausea and/or anger’ because you would certainly last longer than me! I feel as if my entire being will explode in about 30 seconds: 🎵The sounds of flushing toilets is rump’s accompanying music.
I eat that shit up, pun intended. I can't get enough of that scumbag stumbling over words, unable to click two coherent thoughts together. shuffling onto the plane trailing toilet paper off his bone spurs.
Even if he doesn't have any neurological disorder, he has no bidness in the white house. Even when he walked and talked without impairment he was a lying cheating bigoted scumbag.
Honestly, I sincerely doubt that Trump could make that debate, given the mental state he is in. He certainly can’t answer any questions about really anything other than his willingness to be king and the authoritative ruler. Besides, Joe would eat him for dinner and then spit him out.
I agree (40 years in anesthesia seeing various forms of pre-op dementia and post-op of delerium). Aren't these politicians practicing medicine without a license? Performing HIPAA violations by releasing medical "information" without patient permission? Making blanket medical choices that affect millions and giving medical diagnoses are not within their "scope of practice". Maybe the various medical boards or the AMA ought to consider a class action law suit?
My understanding is tha Frederick (Fred) Christ Trump had cognitive problems as early age 85 nine (9) years before his death in 1994. At a 1985 meeting of the 5 children, including Maryanne & Donald, of course, Maryanne said to"Dad has dementia".
Per a September 2020 WAPO article 3 of the children challenged Fred Sr's Will including Donald, of course, & their are existing deposition transcripts. Botton line, Fred Sr. received an Alzheimer's diagnosis in 1991. before his death 3 years later.
I realize cognitive decline is a complex area scientific research. I am also aware of the on-going 'SHIMMER" study that lists the Study's factors such as "TIAs" transitory ischemic attacks". I would appreciate your comment.
LAST QUESTION I PROMISE: Are you the "Dr. Bob" I supported in Michigan for election to Congress. Respectfully. Bryan
Thank you -and grateful for your analysis about the ineptitude of the GOP-controlled House. I still believe if they continue to hold onto majority control -they will soon be devoting investigatory resources into the time Chelsea Clinton was abrupt (allegedly!) in a checkout lane at Whole Foods.
I'm about to publish an article addressing the age, energy factor, and role of a President. Here's a preview...
There’s been a great deal of focus in the press about President Biden’s age. Articles have appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Reuters, Bloomberg, ABC News, and elsewhere. Leading up to his recent State of the Union address to the nation, articles were written about the President using the address to dispel age concerns.
Interestingly, very little is said about citizen Trump’s age (he’ll be 78 in a few months. Furthermore, not much is said about the fact that Trump spent over 300 days of his time as President, golfing. (https://seattlemedium.com/donald-trump-spent-almost-a-year-playing-golf-during-presidency/). And then there was Trump’s “Executive Time” noted in his schedule. According to a report in Axios (https://www.axios.com/2019/02/03/donald-trump-private-schedules-leak-executive-time) Trump spent 60% of his non-golfing time tweeting, calling friends, and watching Fox ‘News’. Frankly, I’m happy Trump spent a significant amount of time away from conducting ‘official’ business, such as attempting to extort allies, romancing brutal authoritarian adversaries of the United States, complaining about NATO, and his all-consuming concern about water pressure in the White House.
When considering factors which influence my vote, I do understand that the President of the United States has critical responsibility in several areas requiring a clear mind, focus, and a reasonable energy level. Nevertheless, like any executive leader charged with governance of a large, complex organization, the position first and foremost requires assembling an experienced, talented, knowledgeable, and trusted team to fill the President’s Cabinet, and key leadership roles in the Executive Branch.
When it comes to governing, I’m less interested in someone’s age, or the ability to deliver a speech (both Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama were outstanding orators, yet one was the worst President in modern history -at least until Trump, and the other was among the best). I’m interested in the team of leaders they assemble to govern.
Let’s explore the differences in the Trump and Biden Cabinets...
The point you make here is glossed over all too often. When the public holds an election for an executive, be it city manager, mayor, governor, or president, all eyes are on the figurehead. What needs to be made much more visible is that you're actually electing their staff as well - whoever they are. If the staffers are all corrupt it makes little difference how virtuous the figurehead "leader" appears! Leaders are only as good as the people they employ.
Thank you Gary. My effort on this was provoked, first by Michael Lewis' "The Fifth Risk", then by @HeatherCoxRichardson, and finally by the media's unfortunate preoccupation with revenue and profit instead of fulfilling a vital role in democracy (pretend, theoretical, aspirational, or otherwise) as the Fourth Estate.
Michael Lewis is terrific. And the book evidenced a President who only cared about wealth, power, brand, and self-enrichment. He had and maintains zero interest in governing.
Thank You, George. Just finished reading Lewis's "Premonition" about the administrative breakdowns in the COVID 19 epidemic at every level of government. "The Fifth Risk" is next on my list. Although I might need to take a break and read something less lethal, like a murder mystery, first. Wonder what Jack Reacher is doing these days.
I've sandwiched Mick Heron's "Slow Horses" series in between more serious books and reading -and he has not failed at making me laugh uncontrollably in public places leading to clear anxiety and discomfort in those nervously situated nearby.
I'm still on the fantasy of SCOTUS favoring absolute immunity and Uncle Joe doing his own wet work. I posted last week about seeing him roll up on Maralardo in a zippy little Bond car, sporting aviators, to light the dump UP with an AK. Or an Uzi as a nod to his ties with Israel. He can use the AK on the Moscovites in Congress Next big virus Moscovid 29? Thank you, Daddy Vlady.
I agree Gary. The Biden administration has several members that I would trust as President. I could list the ones I think would be good, but it would be a long list.
Worrying that dt’s cabinet will include brighter and more evil-intentioned minds than his, the former is easy, the latter not so much— wouldn’t like to see Miller back in there, etc.
So very true Diedra. One look at Project 2025 should be alarming for anyone still believing in justice, democracy, and equity. While Reagan was an idiot and a racist, he was surrounded by evil men who steered America's path down a very dark wealth and power concentrated road.
Trump would continue to fill his Cabinet with thieves and incompetents for the most part. He deplores anyone smarter than he is -which really provides a small demographic from which to choose.
Great article, George. It’s quite a litany of grift, corruption, and malfeasance in Trump’s cabinet. Your photo caption game is on fire. Mike Pence’s “unnamed fly” made me laugh out loud.
"I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's!
His hair was perfect"
One of the wittiest lines ever penned in song.
I saw Zevon put on a fantastic show at a wonderful, now gone showcase in the San Fernando Valley here in SoCal, called "The Palomino" in the early '80s.
Toward the end of the set, a few of his pals came out to play with him, including Jackson Browne.
WZ changed the lyrics to "Werewolves" and sang, "I saw Jackson Browne walking down Sherman Way; His heart was perfect!"
The power of lyrics, poetry, and words! Part of my childhood was spent near The Palomino. I'm very familiar with Sherman Way (and Vanowen, and Victory ... and so on). I used to have some emails with Greg Palast. We used to joke that we were just two GP's from "the valley."
WZ, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Hunter Thompson, David Foster Wallace. All brilliant and a reminder of what we've lost (except thankfully for Laurie Anderson).
As Steven Wright said "It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it."
Larchmont! My dad's recording studio was on Melrose right next to Lucy's Adobe Cafe. The last time I was in the neighborhood I had been invited to speak at LA Progressive's Left Coast Forum and stayed nearby. I'm not sure if they've renovated, but when I was there you could still see the remnants of the original studio sign. Marching on indeed. Nice to be marching (virtually) with you Daniel.
I spent many a bacchanalian evening at the old Lucy's El Adobe, and remember that old studio sign. My family's house was on Arden Blvd., just a few blocks to the south. Sadly, Frank Casado (Lucy's husband) passed away many years ago, Lucy herself about five years ago. While rumors abound that it may one day reopen, hasn't happened yet to my knowledge. In my mind's eye I can still see the black and white photos of a young Jerry Brown and Linda Ronstadt on the front windows of the restaurant where they met.
Nice to be marching with you virtually or any other way too, George.
I am going to agree with many of the previous commenters. Biden has exponentially better qualified people working under him. Trump’s demand for loyalty automatically cuts the quality of his “underlings”.
Thank you. I am a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania. I have worked in my field now for over fifty years. I tell you this not to boast my credentials but to cast a critical and skeptical eye on “ credentials and experience “. I worked mostly in public mental health? social services and juvenile justice. I had to deal with many different situations. To cut to the chase: having to defend your mental health is intimidating and probably impossible. For eleven years I worked in crisis intervention and part of that job was coordinating involuntary commitments to psychiatric units. When I first took the job I was told that we were to provide least restrictive and invasive options to involuntary commitments. How naive I was. Hospitalizations was a money maker and involuntary commitments fed into that. Imagine having a business where if your business was slow, you could force your product or service on someone. Many of the people involved in involuntarily committing someone thought they were doing the right thing, even the professionals themselves. But in my eleven years I could count on one hand how many times an involuntary commitment was rejected as those well intentioned others would err on the side of caution and commit. And I would watch the person who was being considered for commitment. They were frightened and helpless in that no matter what they said or how they presented themselves , they were now viewed as mentally ill and there behavior viewed from that perspective.
Gjay15, you had a difficult task to perform and I imagine your heart was broken many times over. I give you so much credit for “sticking it out” for so long. My husband was a juvenile counselor in our county for over 25 years. It finally took a toll on him and he retired at age 52. He tried so hard to make a difference but kept hitting brick walls with management.
Marlene, thank you for your comment. Yes as you well know it can be heartbreaking and frustrating. After years of trying to work through the proper channels, I wrote a letter to the head of mental health at the state level. He without contacting me input sent my letter to the very people I had been trying to get to make changes. Soon after my supervisor called me into her office without telling me she knew about my letter of concern and reminded me out of the blue that bypassing the “proper channels can bd considered insubordination which could lead to termination. I told her that I was willing to work within the system but that I could not subordinate myself to do anything illegal, immoral or unethical. Two days later after almost 11 years at my job with excellent performance evaluations, I was fired. The only regrets I have is that I did not fight harder and sooner. Thank you again. Jay
Jay, I am so sorry that this happened to you! So unfair but maybe this was what you needed to realize you were not being supported. Has happened to so many people. I hope you were able to move forward.
George A. Polisner, thank you, terrific essay. One more disaster from Pence's not-so-illustrious career: "Indiana became a national flash point for the opioid epidemic last year (2015) when nearly 200 people in rural Scott County became infected with HIV primarily as a result of injecting Opana, a powerful prescription opioid, using dirty needles. Those needles spawned one of the biggest outbreaks of HIV in decades, with more than 20 new cases being diagnosed every week at the height of the outbreak last year."
"The dearth of funding for needle exchange programs comes as overall public health funding in Indiana has cratered during Pence’s tenure. "
Thank you -it definitely seems like Pence and others worked to erode or destroy anything with the word public in the title. Whether DeVos on education, or Pence on health.
Very good points—but George W. Bush is still the worst IMHO—he’s a war criminal who, under his term(s), caused millions of deaths and injuries to innocent people and especially our service men and women 🤬
Linda, his daddy wasn’t so great either but GW, yep, he is a war criminal and so is Dick Cheney but Trump and Jared stole and sold our secrets. They are traitors and they’re the very worst.
Thank you Marlene—you are so very correct—we could go on and on but I just had to add my short 2-cents because, as much as I totally agree that this all began with RR, I don’t recall that anyone died because of his hideous decisions.🙁
Right on. I take Occam's Razor to the question - who cares how old (or young, for that matter) a chief executive is? For me the deciding issue is job performance. That includes superior ideation, clear communication, and collaboration with an excellent team, imho. That especially includes his choice of a number two. I wouldn't be at all disappointed (apart from the prerequisite loss of a great leader) to see Kamila at the helm. Nor Pelosi back in the day or Jeffries when the new day dawns.
By comparison in terms of style and performance TFG was a big nothing burger (with fries on the side and ketchup on the wall), and Pence wouldn't have been any better, just more ethical. And if both of them were incapacitated, Kevin? Mikey? No way no how.
Well-put Lauren. And I do think Kamala or Nancy (or Hillary) would be excellent in the role -Kamala would likely leave the leadership team in place (and hopefully she will get the opportunity in 2028). People have lost an understanding that as voters, we're conducting a job interview. The reality show host/business failure/rapist/Putin colluding/imbecile not only failed the interview (in 2016), they were fired in 2020 (and security had to remove him from the building). We would mark that personnel record "Do Not Rehire".
I would caution against using the word "ineptitude." I think it's a bit like accusing a great orator of being unable to spell.
We need to always keep in mind THEIR audience. They aren't talking to literate people. They are talking to people they can fleece in fire-sale auction lots, and they are doing a tremendously good job of it. Careful reasoning (for them) would be a mistake. Facts are irrelevant to their objective; salacious innuendo is far better, because it allows the audience to fill in their worst fears and instincts. Honesty is, for them, a vice that they cannot afford.
I am confused as to why good Republicans keep jumping ship. Wouldn’t we all be better served if they stayed and tried to save their party and our Democracy?
No! Two more Republican Congressmen leave and it is 'Hello Speaker Hakeem Jeffries'. One plausible explanation for why GOP Reps leave early is to derail and not be part of Trumpista Clown Show.
"Two more Republican Congressmen leave and it is 'Hello Speaker Hakeem Jeffries'" That's only if their constituents don't vote in someone more extreme.....
You'd think the Republicans Congresscritters would be getting tired of the death threats they receive. Don Bacon mentioned several months ago he sleeps with a gun next to his bed. But these Congresscritters leave their partners and children at home alone and that has to weigh on them when they are in Washington.
Would that not be reason enough for repubs to be banned from political action. It certainly would rule them out at my house. The risk is there no matter what, but I guess being in the bulls eye is enough to say, piss on the country.
Do you mean like the threats encouraged by Jim Jordan from their own side, for not following the extremes of their side?
When I spent a year with Democrats campaigning for Bernie Sanders, and then Hillary in 2016, the group I was with absolutely rejected threatening anyone and showed the door to any volunteers who seemed to even suggest doing so.
I was asked by a fundraiser in my old party to fight dirtier than Democrats (back in 1996). I left the party instead, though I still worked around many that knew the party was doing things like pressuring moderate candidates and spending funds fighting their own moderates (with a lot of the money donated by moderates but diverted to the most "conservative" candidates they could recruit and train). Then it seemed sponsored crowds were bussed in and encouraged to show their rage at rallies and town halls anytime their Senators were back home and attending such events.
Nothing was that dark that I knew about back before 2000, but it certainly seems like the old tactics they were suggesting I participate in, on steroids, no principles, just raw threats of what the world for them would look like even after they left office.
I think the Tea Party was the warm up act, Jim. They (and of course Gingrich and the Kochs) made primaries the threat. Seems to me Pistol Packin' Palin and Sharron Angle upped the stakes in the oughts, and then comes the dumptruck towing Proud Oathkeeping 3% Bots. That was a typo, but I like it better than Boys.
Bravo that you recognized what was going on with the
R party and leaving it to preserve your sanity!
Things were worse in the late ‘50’s and early to mid ‘60’s, especially for Black folks. Constant threats led to murders and lynchings by the KKK. These groups we now see have joined forces with others Ike we saw with the Proud Boys and Three Percenters. Mostly all white and mostly all men with a few exceptions of women.
Takes months at a minimum, perhaps not 'doable' to set up and elect replacements between now and November election already set. But hey, Jeffries only needs one day to do good and undo the chaos of the Trumpistas.
I'm going to hang onto 'Hello Speaker Hakeem Jeffries' as a hope/possible outcome! (Even though, as Carolyn in the next post states, "That's only if their constituents don't vote in someone more extreme.....")
Doing so comes at more risk to them than most might expect, now physically as well as socially, financially, and politically. (I was a toddler dependent with US troops in Germany during the Nuremberg Trials, so a bit more interested in how the Nazis used threats and violence to get their way.)
They are getting threatened by trump’s bullies for not following orders to stick together like glue. Their families lives have been threatened also. There are just some R’s who want to actually work and get stuff done, you know, like getting bills passed. There aren’t many of them left. That’s good for us though because now we can possibly grab some badly needed seats to take the House over. They (R’s) are in trouble in Colorado now that Buck is leaving before the year is out. So hopefully, with the discharge petition, we can get at least 4-5 R’s to sign on. Johnson’s role could be vacated and lo and behold…Hakeem Jeffries would be speaker!! At least, that’s the way I understand how things could go.
Speaking of Republicans, I wanted to go off topic for just a moment and tell everyone here some good news. Remember the TN Three who were punished by the supermajority legislature after the Covenant School shooting just about a year ago? The TN legislature has only gotten worse.
A group of us have successfully raised enough money to launch Blue Tennessee to help fund democrats for state legislative offices. Come to tonight’s formal launch and hear how we hope to change TN’s future.
Oh that would be wonderful. She’s so far up tfg’s butt that … well, you know. (PS so is our other US Senator; his campaign slogan was “Trump endorsed me.”)
I prefer the term Trumper cult, or Cult 45, so as not to contribute to the idea that MAGA is somehow an actual movement based on some sort of philosophy. Please excuse my pet peeve and carry on.
And the devolution of the GOP means their are also NO CONSERVATIVES left, unless you want to count FASCISM as conservatives.
They are REGRESSIVES trying to stop anything except for impeachment and defamation of Democrats and sometimes their own Republicans that can no longer tolerate the inaction and BS (like Buck).
At this point, it only takes a handful of REGRESSIVES to prevent the passage of anything or a gutless Speaker to block a vote on anything.
They are Traitors who support those in Congress who are election deniers. There is no other possible designation. Of course the degree of ignorance would have to be considered at trial.
Yes, we would be better off if moderate Republicans stayed. I can only sssume that they want to preserve their reputation for their next gigs, or in the eyes of their children, or maybe even their conscience.
Jerry, I wish I thought that were true. All these Republicans who were in Congress during Trump’s presidency bear a great deal of responsibility for where we are today. Early in his presidency, they could have drawn lines to make it clear to him that certain behaviors were beyond the pale. They did not. During either impeachment, they could have rid us of him. They did not. Even if they were moderates, almost all of them put party over country. Are any Republicans left in the House who voted for impeachment? That was the price paid for putting the country first, and too many of them were unwilling to pay it. They know what is right, but most of them don’t do what is right, or they stand up too late, or they resign. They’re a bunch of cowards. McCarthy rehabilitated Trump after January 6. McConnell has endorsed Trump. This is on them more than on anyone except Trump himself.
You have to realize how hard they worked to "purify" the party to get rid of moderates, often harder than against other parties. They do most of that dirty work in primaries.
Also, it is important to not underestimate the enormity of the influence wielded by what is effectively Putin's propaganda arm, NewsCorp (FOX, Dow Jones, etc.). It has been incredibly successful in energizing the poorly educated lower third of the economy. It really is a charismatic religious movement at this point. Taking it down is not easy, and these folks have a good reason to fear it. So they faced a choice between doing the right thing or going along with it. They made the wrong choice and it's very late to change their minds.
NewsCorp's media outlets are diverse. They focus on conservative issues and cover them with a conservative bias, but Dow Jones (Wall Street Journal) is actually closer to moderate, while Fox News (TV) output is closer to sensationalist journalism. The WSJ is NOT a religious paper, but it's frustrating to read because their number one values are business efficiency and profit, workers be damned. Fox News does indeed pander to an audience that includes a lot of people that self identify as religious, so they amplified culture-wars issues, because that worked well to engage their viewers. In normal times, they're sort of OK. However, these haven't been normal times, and anti-democratic actors have weaponized Fox News' natural tendency to sensationalize cultural & nationalist hyperbole.
What I'm trying to say is that we need to cut off the "political head" (vote the f**ers out) that have gamed the news media "arms" to inflict harm.
(No, I'm not forgetting that Fox News amplified laws about election fraud and lost a billion dollar lawsuit to Dominion, and am hoping that Smartmatic wins its lawsuit just as spectacularly.)
I don't disagree with your analysis, but the Murdochs lack the basic sense of decency that most media owner families have had. If it makes them money (i.e. sells ads or causes cable companies to carry them as a default option, or news aggregators like Alphabet/Google to include them in their feeds), they will put it on, no matter how much damage to democracy, basic civility it causes, or triggers events that lead to deaths. SO I can't bring myself to deal with them. I was asked just today to accept an invitation from the Wall Street Journal editors to provide some feedback on their Boeing story, for which I have an unusually knowledgeable ability to provide, but I just can't go there. It's a bit like the temptation to visit Denys Davidov's Telegram channel for a little more thorough daily news feed on Ukraine. But gee, Telegram allows all of that repugnant crap on their channels, so I don't go there.
Yes, KR, they bear a great deal of responsibility. The ones who've retained a glimmer of a sense of conscience are paying (too little) for their lapses by having to leave their cushy Congressional jobs and find real work. I personally will vote against every single Republican until the MAGA disease is suppressed. Hopefully that will just take one election cycle, and not the rest of my life.
Maybe we ought to just "drain the swamp," MAGA's one and only good idea. Vote out the liars, conspiracy theorists, obstructionists, anti-Constitutionalists...you know: MAGA.
Yes, Diedra -- you thus bring up the quandary in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."
Recognizing that many emotions just get us in trouble, do we just reject all emotions, refuse any literacy in anything personal for anybody? That latter recourse, you know, justifies all the ways the far right and the billionaire classes have employed in gutting, rejecting, poisoning any use of any humanities in schools.
I'll return to it later, as Heather's columns may make apt.
In the meantime, please consider Orwell's warning in "Politics and the English Language" -- that we cannot choose if we inhabit a vocabulary of slogans, cliché, group abstractions, and packaged labels. Thus poisoned, many fancy they can still choose, but it's too late. They're blind to what they're actually doing. Rather like that figure in Auden's "August, 1968":
Like Diedra (who has already replied to you, below), you thus note the ways that our far right ideologues have allied with our most cynical billionaires ever since the Powell memo of 1971.
Only small steps from (1st) avoiding emotions and (2nd) perverting them to (3rd) lying wholesale.
I'm not so sure about that Jerry. I have written several letters to Don Bacon (R-NE-2). He is probably as moderate as they come and he still drinks the GOP kool-aid. He write a 3 page response when I was critical of impeaching Mayorkis. And he refuses to answer when I beg him to bring Ukraine aid up for a vote. He's just as cowardly as the rest of the Republicans.
It reminds me of what made me depart the US Army Reserves after my seventh year of service. After the Vietnam war ended, the draft lottery ended and the selective service system registration process was suspended, the caliber of the reservists took a nose dive. My accountant, former dentists and former investment brokers were all in my reserve unit. I was intending to stay in to secure officer level training and a commission. [My junior college did not have an ROTC program and neither did my university where I earned my bachelor’s degree]. During my seventh year, I found that had very little in shared interests with my fellow reservists. I even lost all of my fellow backgammon and chess players. I couldn’t stay any longer - especially after the command Sargent Major who managed my unit informed me that my application paperwork had been tossed! … Sure?
The status, respect and decorum that once or use to exist in the houses of Congress - especially on the House side - have taken a nosedive … seemingly loss forever.
It's a noble sentiment, but with the mass staff firing yesterday, essentially they have lost their existing treasury to Trump. They need to form a new conservative party. It would be a tough call in an election year, and there would be a big fight over control of the separately organized senatorial and congressional campaign committees, but then they do have their billionaires to help them with that. Whatever, at this point the MAGA party is no longer the GOP. It will be interesting to see if they are brave enough to actually do that. Democrats need a healthy and rational conservative party with whom real policies can be rationally debated, among other reasons.
That's an interesting assessment, Craig. I've read that there will be no "down ticket" support in those campaigning that have an "R" after their names; only for their lord and master.
They aren't 'jumping ship' Joe, The ship has lost it's rudder and those real fiscal conservatives, so necessary to keep we,of the liberal progressive persuasion, within the bounds of the doable. I think they will coalesce into a rational fiscal conservative party, although I still hope some will form a moderate center party. That way, with civil discourse, we will have the sort of Congress we need - not want. The intention of the founders was obvious; that through civil discourse, we would come to acceptable compromise. It hasn't always worked - the civil war has shown us that - but for most of our nearly 250 year old history we have lived, if not happily, at least contentedly in peaceful compromise.
Very much "sorta", I imagine. I think it might be an old truism, that if everybody involved in a negotiation is at least a little unhappy (or the opposite--at least a little happy) ...then it must be a reasonably fair resolution.
It seems more of a pirate ship now, with those who become undesirable to them forced to walk the plank. Even worse are when their families back home are also threatened.
Look what happened to Cheney, and Kizinger (sp?) ousted from the Republican Party. And, lately, you have Langford and the Stepford wife, among the authors of the Trump rejected immigration bill. He's been ousted. She went all Handmaidens Tale. Trump is on record, if you're not loyal, you're out. Trump told Nikki Haley supporters, they were not wanted. He's even cleaned house at the RNC. Traditional Republicans, really have little choice. Their party has been hijacked by MAGANAZIS.
Ken Buck is not a particularly good Republican. Just frustrated he still can't kill Obamacare and social security. I'm in his district but the only town halls he holds are out near Kansas with cows and their journalism isn't great.
That is a question that crosses my mind. At first I thought it might be cowardice. Now I think they do not to be associated in any way with Trump, so when the G.O.P. collapses, they can come in with clean hands to re-build American conservatism on a base of intellectual integrity. In any case, those Republicans who stick around and fight Trump -- e.g., Senators Flake, Romney, and Lankford -- do not fare so well.
Hur was revealed as trying to to pull a Comey. Pure political theater at the expense of the truth. Like Barr’s letter misrepresenting the results and conclusions of the Muller report. Garland, too slow and timid, has done a great disservice to the nation and democracy in America. Time to fight. Trump is a potential nightmare for America, democracy and world peace.
He wasn't only "trying to . . . pull a Comey." He was trying to up the Clarence court in lying.
For today, also, as Sheldon Whitehouse testified to Lawrence O'Donnell, that sick, activist, ideologically rabid Court in 2010 passed its Citizens United for the U.S. billionaires and corporate corrupt, all legally sunk to distortions and fictions -- as Hur was peddling, as Katie Britt was gaslighting, and as today's rancid social media billionaires are ever sensationalizing.
The rich need to lie, Jeffrey. None has anything in one's education, nothing in any of their lives such as the humanities by which the rest of us may try to keep in touch with our fellows in their communities.
Void of humanities, one script sinks all of these rich into one constant vulgarity: spreading the inequality gap, floating them in their abstractions and packaging of life proportionally to their efforts to reduce the rest of us to serfs.
i wish the direct transcript quote by Hur commenting to President Biden on his photographic memory had been included & the details surrounding Biden’s son’s death amongst all Biden was dealing with at that time. It’s NO wonder Hunter refused to be alone with truth distorting, manipulative fabrications of the Un-fair, Un-American Repugnant Party.
HUR: “Understood. That was very helpful. We have some photographs maybe to show you, but you have — appear to have a photographic understanding, and recall of the house.”
What bothers me most is that the cognitive underclass has many people with fine educations and who know better. Like that story I used to hear about so many intellectuals flocking to the S.S. eighty years ago.
This is a bit of a strange issue. I am 77 and find it a snap to recall the layout of every house or apartment I ever lived in. I certainly don’t have a photographic memory.
Yesterday was indeed a good day for the Democrats, highlighting the MAGA GOP's ineptitude as well as their treasonous agenda. Representatives Schiff and Swalwell brought their A-game, stripping bare all the lies and nonsense. In contrast, today's developments further showcase the strategic agility of the Democratic party. The testimonies and hearings, particularly around the handling of classified documents, reveal a Democratic party adept at countering Republican narratives with facts and coherent storytelling.
The strategic preparation by Democrats, as evidenced in the hearings, signals a robust approach to not only defend but also to set a proactive agenda. This readiness and tactical sophistication could significantly influence public opinion and electoral dynamics as we head towards the presidential election, underscoring the party's resilience and adaptability in the face of concerted opposition. A win for American democracy!
Oh, I really needed this, Michael. Thank You. I watched the entire hearing and cried for 2 hours afterwards, stung by how viscious and reprehensible the Republicans's assaults and lies were, and by the thought of how many voting Americans believe this crap. Now I think maybe those 2 hours were a catharsis for me, and what I most feel now is the power of those Democrat presentations! Yes, Speak Up! Speak Out! Vote! Pray!
P.S. I am not normally a crier. Didn't help that everytime Chair Jim Jordan spoke, I thought of all those young men at Ohio State that he did not protect from sexual abuse by his wrestling team's physician.
Thank God! Democrats have finally learned to leave the 900-page Detailed Report and the Nice Cheese Plate back at home and arrive at the gunfight wielding an M-60 on full auto with a 500-round belt of Full Metal Jacket.
I'll bet Jungle Gym Jordan is so butthurt he couldn't sit down for dinner tonight. Good!
Oooo.....thank you, TC, for that delightful little mental image of Gymmy waddling into his house, holding his raggedy raw buns. He surely deserves every bit of butthurt just for his crass stupidity alone, never mind his slavish devotion to Dumpy's commands.
"Reagan’s ‘I am not going to exploit…my opponent’s youth and inexperience’ moment…only on steroids.” Conway was referring to Reagan’s response in a 1984 presidential debate to a question about his own age; Reagan’s opponent, Walter Mondale, later said he knew Reagan’s answer was the moment he had lost not only the debate but probably the election. "
Media loves these one liners, like blows delivered in a prize fight, and some make legitimate points, but on what basis are we, the people, deciding the fate of our society?
The factually indefensible notion that greed + greed = good was legitimized by Reagan and "Republicans" since. Of course we all pursue self interest, and the science and art of a just civilization is establishing "enlightened" self interest, so that reciprocity and justice are reasonably served in the process. A society of indifferent predators was Hobbes nightmare scenario, but Republicans say it all works out well if we defer to the rich; warmed over feudalism.
Despite the glaring contradictions of racism, sexism, and native genocide, that was not the celebrated better angels of the American Experiment. It's not a "square deal".
"Republican House leadership issued a statement that '[a] man too incapable of being held accountable for mishandling classified information is certainly unfit for the Oval Office.'”
Hear! Hear! Pubs! So that must mean you think Loser 45 IS capable of being held accountable for mishandling classified information which makes him "...certainly unfit for the Oval Office."
I saw that quote, and I think that offers a great campaign ad opportunity. The quote, and a photo of the bankers boxes in the "throne" room at Merde de Lardo.
Although they have filled the news with so many instances of mendacity that, for many, it no longer shocks the sensibilities. Were it to surface that Trump engaged in heretofore undisclosed malfeasance identical to Nixon, it would seem like a side issue. Few would even notice. We need to pick out a handful of historic jaw-droppers and publicize the hell out of them, emphasizing aberrance with historic norms and GOP claims. The degree treachery has become familiar, but it isn't really "normal".
Never had a WSJ subscription, cancelled my WP subscription the day Biden was declared president, and cancelled my NYT subscription the day after the Hur report came out. After all, I’ve got Doctor Richardson, Joyce Vance, Mary Trump, Steve Schmidt, and others to read every day.
I’ve really struggled with this. With reluctance, I canceled my NYT subscription the same day you did. My worry is that while our sources for news, like these Letters, are an excellent substitute, what they don’t have is a budget for investigative journalism. We need that more than ever. I’ve kept my Atlantic and WP subscriptions - for now.
We desperately need socially responsible MSM. I don't think profit per se is evil, but pursued devoid of a balancing context of justice, compassion, and genuine patriotism, it becomes evil. I think that was the Biblical notion of "the root of all evil", and the caution in many cautionary tales, from Dickens to Midas. "Greed is good" was a line from a bad guy in a movie, but Republicans vocally adopted it as a motto (though started to phase it out as a slogan, if not a guideline, during the Subprime Crash). Yet the thing that makes greed greed is gain by abusing someone else.
"Accustomed to trample on the rights of those around you, you have lost the genius of your own independence, and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises." - Lincoln
I’m too tired this evening to do your comment the justice it deserves. What you say about profit and balancing contexts is exactly what I think the role of government must be in a capitalist society. Capitalism is amoral, it just seeks profit. We as a society must impose rules - about pollution, care for the poor, education etc etc to rein in the amorality of capitalism. When we don’t, we devolve into an oligarchy and all but the few are worse off.
Yes. It was the same old "oh, this is a HUGE problem for Biden" kind of thing. No mention of the fact that Hur is Republican. No mention of the inappropriate nature of his summary on Biden's memory. It was shameful. I really liked their arts coverage but I just can't rationalize it.
The problem is that when the BLUES win the REDS deny losing. And then the MSM reports the denial of losing by the REDS but don't publish the fact the BLUES won.
It’s reassuring to see a more public display by Democrats to call the “bluff(s)” perpetrated by the R-party, and stand up for the Truth. My hope is this strategy will continue, and, reach those most stubborn to change their minds regarding all things citizen Phlegm(former president).
Gosh, we're lucky to have these Letters. Someone trustworthy who actually knows and understands what's going on and can speak/translate the language. The Biden transcription! truth comes struggling out of the darkness.
Absolutely. I saw parts of the hearing but was fooled. Thanks to this letter, I have a far more balanced view. Lookie at what really happened here: out of many thousands documents being transferred, some that were classified accidentally slipped through. So, the President returned those documents, just as Vice President Pence did and, more than likely, at least several past (Vice) Presidents. Representative Raskin is right: we have bigger fish to fry -- like expelling fascism and keeping fascism out of the apex of national leadership.
What proportion of public opinion will see what you have now seen (thanks to this letter)?
There are some political youtube channels that cover this stuff far better than the mainstream media. It's sad.
I will be watching those excellent reporters on YouTube and sharing widely. 💙💙Lawrence O’Donnell💙💙Glenn Kirschner 💙💙Joy Reid💙💙Rachel Maddow💙💙 but FIRST this excellent 👍🏻⭐️🇺🇸💪🏻Heather Letter. 😍🏆🇺🇸⭐️
Add Meidas Touch Network to the list, including Legal AF. And the new Inside with Jen Psaki. 🙂
Yes! Yes! Yes, Gigi! I saw most of what Professor Richardson recounted. It was an electrifying hearing for this Dem. Schiff, Swalwell, the lady rep from MI who made Hur read (eat) his own words, and several others skewered the majority.
Don't forget Democracy Docket/Marc Elias, who is a lawyer working day and night to protect and gain voters' rights. He gives a daily report of progress and losses in that arena.
I trust those people too, GiGi, but to move Haley voters et. al. over to Biden, we're better off citing less partisan media. I recommend The Bulwark podcasts on YouTube. The casters are all conservative never trumpers.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. It’s great to know they are reliable sources.
Mark Saleski - "There are some political youtube channels that cover this stuff far better than the mainstream media."
Robert Hubbell, also, did an excellent job of describing the issue.
𝐵𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝐵𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛’𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑦, 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑙 𝐻𝑢𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝐽𝑜𝑒 𝐵𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑎𝑠 “𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑝𝑜𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑦.” 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐻𝑢𝑟’𝑠 𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝐵𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛’𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑢’𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ.
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐻𝑢𝑟’𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑠.
https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/made-for-tv-special-counsel-report?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=271358&post_id=142568893&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=3zw8i&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
Despicable is the just word. That particular one was below the belt.
I also found, from the get-go, that the language Hur used to describe what he witnessed about Biden's memory, etc...was so far from the formal/technical legalese generally used in situations like this. It seemed generally very awkward...and out of place...
I'm guessing he too (Hur) is somehow bullied or threatened by Trump...He should be ashamed of himself...
"Oh, God, May 30th."
Thank you
Just watched last night's NBC News. They simply made it look like a "he said she said" story.
Grrrrr . Corporate America has bought out the main stream media and are seeking to pad their bottom line instead of reporting the “news.” Edward R Murrow, Eric Sevareid & Walter Cronkite must be spinning in their graves!
That is the truth. The A No. 1 way they pad their bottom line is to run hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign advertising each year, all those fact-free 30-second commercials we all reach instantly for the mute button to silnce. They factor it into their budgets, so they love a good horse race. And I'm sure the ad messages get through to the low-information voters.
Ouch! With MSNBC covering the hearing, it’s terrible to know. As I pay no attention to the former channels of Huntley-Brinkley and Cronkite, was not aware of how far they’ve fallen.
Watch C-Span some time. Very enlightening!
Marlene, C-Span is my go-to channel.
I do occasionally. It’s always interesting. But the important hearings are usually on MSNBC.
How many people actually get their news from these kinds of sources?
Unless you're partisan, about everyone who just watches MSM. This so called balanced reporting, ie "not taking sides", is interesting, considered they did away with "fair reporting" many years ago. I think that was when you were supposed to report based on factual evidence.
Yes. But I'm not sure that Gen-xers or Gen-Zers actually watch cable or network news anymore ,if they ever did.
Some clips from a google search:
*a 2022 survey found that the majority of Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X did not have a cable subscription. The main reason for cutting the cord was price, with over a third of adults saying that cable was simply too expensive
*Reported consumption levels were higher amongst males and those aged 55 years or older. Consumption of local, state, or territory news was the highest of the three types of news, particularly amongst those aged 55 years or older.
*A 2021 survey showed that 56 percent of the adults in the United States stated they receive TV via cable or satellite. The adults aged between 18 and 29 years old were the group which presented the lowest share (34 percent), while the adults aged 65 years old or more had the highest percentage (81 percent).
Thank you for this. As I suspected. The younger generations get their news from sources other than cable tv. We older folks are supporting the cable companies, which makes me wonder what will happen when we die off.
same way as the print media? Social media, streaming, internet sites take over totally? Unless cable can reinvent itself economically? I have both internet and a heavily discounted cable package, sail on from 2 yr or so deal, to deal. They mainly keep re-offering a variant. Is almost as if the real price is the "sale" price, how much do consumers chase "deals" in supermarkets etc? a LOT I figure. I watch a lot of MSNBC via internet cutaways, no ads, core material eg of the latest Rachel Maddow show or whatever. I also get Washington Post, Reuters via internet editions.
My kids got rid of cable and watch very little news.
One of mine, Gen x, has cable and does follow the news, cable or otherwise; the other, a millenial, cut cable because of cost? and gets her news via social media, or internet news sites - her big interest in environmental, she's Canadian, and only keeps a half-eye on American federal - enough to know Trump and Maga are the opposite of everything cultural and political she believes in. Ditto with my gen-xer. We all cringe.
I've been calling MSM "lamestreet media" for most of 20 years.
Gah. Well, we know where they'll be when the lights go out.
To boot it left Biden mis remembering the date of his son's death, while Heather says that was false. Morning Joe did a credible job this morning I thought.
In the tape, you can hear the total angst in Biden's voice when he replies, "Oh, God, May 30th."
😢
Between NPR, PBS, AI, a few other sources and several pundits who's assessments are supported by facts, I feel I have a fairly good idea of what's going on. I also constantly question my conclusions as well as those of those I trust.
I'm not exactly sure what "main-stream news media" is. Is it that entertainment nonsense that ABC, NBC and CBS present on their morning and nightly news broadcasts? Sometimes I hear Fox and NewsMax included in the mix. But they're not considered main-stream, are they?
I also trust my girlfriend . She is almost always right! ;-)
In this instance, Craig, most outlets showed the televised hearing, so anyone who watched on any news source could come to his own conclusions regardless of pundits' opinions.
More than "Oh God, May 30th" I found Hur's remark that Biden appeared to him to have a photographic memory was far more revealing to me. The same man who said that reported that Biden's memory "has significant limitations." He also outright lied that Biden couldn't remember when Beau died.
That says so much about Hur (and the gop) as well as the news outlets that chose to focus on Biden's age and mental abilities again.
We really are at war. I'm 69 and I've never seen anything quite like this. And I am aware of some of the shenanigans going back to Nixon, Reagan and others.
The difference being that President Nixon had a tragic flaw (or two) but Trump IS a tragic flaw.
Agreed! We didn't like Nixon. A lot of people knew he was corrupt, but he was a human being. I never heard that called into question. But those who have not fallen under trump's strange spell see a strange, almost unearthly aberration. In a real sense, a monster. Someone who defies all moral and ethical standards. Did people see Hitler as a psychologically distorted freak before the war ended and psychologists studied him? I wonder. But trump is one singularly messed up dude and one of the most dangerous people on earth. Still blows my mind to contemplate.
My private nick-name for Mr Hur, Lauren and Craig, is Judas Been Whore. Could not resist with Ben Hur being on the tube recently.
Smart move to trust your girlfriend - from the "all politics is local" perspective.
With so many getting their news online these days, I agree that the meaning of "main-stream news media" has gotten a bit fuzzy. I'm a pretty loyal MSNBC and PBS and a few others viewer.
I also check in with the networks, Fox and others of that ilk occasionally to hear what they are putting out there. {I usually have to do it when my husband is out of the room, or he makes a quick exit.} Back in the Oliver North and Rush Limbaugh days I became a "know your enemy" believer. It gives you some insight into to their strategies and ways of thinking and, as we've learned with Trump, they'll often say the quiet part right out loud.
I don't know that I'd characterize the enemies' mental activity as thinking, Angela. Their strategy appears to be to level damaging lies about Biden's character and effectiveness while stoking the fears, grievances, and bigotry of their fans. It works, but I can't say that we're describing the same thing when we say, "I think [fill in the blank]..."
Better you than me, Angela! I cannot stomach those channels, even for a minute.
I look at it as taking one for the team and normally do it with some ginger beer in hand for the occasional queasiness. Just be sure to keep something soft to throw close by to protect your TV or computer screen.
I do struggle with hearing Trump's voice and delivery and when I've reached my limit will to press the mute button. Often, they are so ridiculously transparent that they're even good for a laugh or at least an appropriate cleansing exclamation. It can be an energizing reminder of why we all need to be pushing back from the other side.
I failed to mention several others I trust, but you all named them. And some of you have clued me in to many clear minded pundits and thank you!
Brian Tyler Cohen comes to mind!
Yup. I watch youtube for music, trailers and politics. And basta.
"Morning Joe' had it hosted by Mika.
What YT channels? I don’t have access to TV anymore and need alternative ways to follow news. Thanks.
Midas Touch Network. David Packman show. The Bullwark. Beau of the Fifth Column (for great unpacking of single issues), and C-Span is really good if you just want unfiltered video of goings on in congress.
Thanks!
To your question, I suspect very few people will see this remark of mine but that very many people have, themselves, long ago drawn the same conclusion on their own. Thank you for the implicit, if unearned, compliment. But, hey, I lived in N.Y.C. long enough to learn how to take credit when it is not due.
That's right. I forgot about Pence. When is he being called before this committee??
Thanks, Maureen. That made me giggle.
Anne-Louise, I agree with you.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a short letter to the editor of our local paper in ME. I mentioned that HCR was writing a daily newsletter that concisely reports current events mixed in with historical references relating to these events. And since HCR is a Mainer, I mentioned that as well.
I don't know what will convince MAGA voters to change their votes but if the letter served to bring a few more readers into the fold, it was worth the few minutes it took to write.
HCR is fantastic at relaying information and hopefully new readers agree.
Don't give attention to the maggots. Give attention to the great middle which is larger than both ends put together. The Independents
of both parties are the ones to make the difference.
LFAA readers trying to convince MAGAs to abandon DT is no more likely to happen than LFAA readers being convinced to abandon President Biden. Effort there is mostly amounts to letting them live in our heads rent-free. There are millions of Independents and almost apolitical voters out there that can and need to be reminded of the truth about DT and the MAGA movement in general. DT = Dick-Tater. MAGA = Many American power Grabbing Ass-h__s.
Steve Abbott - "LFAA readers trying to convince MAGAs to abandon DT is no more likely to happen than LFAA readers being convinced to abandon President Biden."
Don't be too sure of that.
Republicans who have in the past voted for GOP nominee Donald Trump explain exactly why they will never do so again in a damning series of testimonials released by the Republican Accountability PAC.
The conservative group is spending $50 million on its "Republican Voters Against Trump" campaign to spotlight “𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟 𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑁𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahBKWQssQ5o
Thank you for sharing this, Ron.
Thank You, Ron.
What troubles me is whom will these people vote for? I feel that we need to convince them that a vote for Biden is a vote to preserve democracy, and a vote for any third party candidate is really a vote for Trump. Also "noncommitted".
I heard one of their ads this morning, Ron. It was very good. The only place where I'd dispute you is that I believe unswerving allegiance to Trump[ism] is the definition of MAGA. I believe they call R's that part company with him on anything "RINOs," cf Haley, Cheney, Kinsinger, Lankford, Raffensperger, et. al.
Lauren Lundgren - "I believe they call R's that part company with him on anything "RINOs"
Yes, you are correct. I should have clarified with "Ex-MAGAs"
Moronic Ass Grabbing Authoritarians - my contribution to your collection of irreverent acronyms, Steve. I'm with you 100% on the rest of your comments.
I know Rs who have never voted for death star, so only the members of the cult are unreachable. Palmer has a list of races where donations will help rather than spending money in deep red districts.
Palmer?? I missed that reference.
The Palmer Report. If you look it up, you will get a biased negative review. The headlines tend to be hyperbolic, but the content is often much better than that. He does have a list of races where donations can make a difference if people need a list.
Thanks Gary. It's nice to read a voice of reason amongst the often crazy letters in The American.
I'm convinced that nothing will sway MAGA voters. They've drunk the kool aid and will (hopefully) go down with their dear leader.
I absolutely agree that HCR is a reliable source of factual journalism, and I like her all the more because she happens to agree with me on her interpretation of the facts. Ah, ego!
I'm more optimistic about maybe 5% of the voters. I think they will ultimately support Biden.
The Lincoln Project's goal in 2020 was to swing 2-3% of the vote to Biden from Trump. Biden won in the 6 swing states so maybe they did their job??
And I'm also counting on many of the people that died of Covid-19 as leaning Republican. And the millions of young people that are voting in 2024 for the first time as leaning Democrat.
So much depends on voter turnout as well. The better the turnout, the better Biden's chances I think.
Plus Jan 6th happened after the election so we also don't know how many of the Trump voters were turned off by the insurrection.
Things went well for us yesterday. The Hur hearing hurt the Republicans. The stock market went up and I made more donations with BIDEN DOLLARS, to NOW and to Rueben Gallego in Arizona. In my mind, this is "free money" to be used to defeat Fascism here. Today is another day for what should it profit a man if he gains a fortune but loses his freedom?
Don't forget the purge going on in the RNC. They are normally the ones who setup and fund the local offices in states. Now all that money will be going to pay Don the cons lawyers.
The RNC hostile takeover is complete to a, most likely dismayed, moderate camp of GOP that only saw "R" as the brand vs. MAGA the cons and active seditionists amongst them.
MAYBE - This will finally break the slumber/hoodwinked Americans that still believe in USA (I pray).
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻💥
👍🏾👍🏾
Well said, Richard, and point well taken.
Ally House, we are the modern day "Minute Men and Women." I know that it sounds trite to say it, but we are the "boots on the ground" here. Our participation and our financial contributions can help save the day. I am often reminded of the words from John Greenleaf Whittier's poem, "Maud Muller:" "Of all the sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: it might have been." The story is about two could-have-been lovers, but the thought is universal. We must take on the task before us. The young judge lost out because he never pursued the young maiden.
Thank you for the quote. I often used the "woulda coulda shoulda" phrase and follow it with "well, why didn'tcha".
Five hands clapping. Actually, make that six, or it changes the meaning (takes two hands to clap). Five hands is what Nancy Pelosi used after tfg's SOU.
Thanks for your donations to Democrat causes whenever you make "extra money," Richard! This is EXACTLY how Biden and down-ballot Dems will win in 2024. Especially if the Repugs continue to run out of money. Sad to say, it does indeed take lots and lots of money to win elections in America.
How kind of them to squander their pennies on the soon-to-be-incarcerated Pied Pooper.
Hooray Richard,. I’m ‘taking notes’ on what you’re doing as an example of smart & wise investing in the future of Democracy: 1) NOW 2) Ruben Gallego in Arizona.
Thank you:-)
Bravo, Richard! Doncha just love using the house's money to bring down the house?
Another $6,000 added to my account today, Lauren. I see it as "using house money to preserve and protect the house." That's what I'm doing here. More donations went out today.
Truth always did have a tough row to hoe, or something like that…
The one I most remember is, "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes" Mark Twain
Yep.
Or "Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it.” - Jonathan Swift
https://yadontknow.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-tortoise.html
Ah, Dean Swift! Thank you!
Now there's a man who wasn't blinded by religion.
Yep, but my daddy translated it to NC country…
Watching Representative Nadler's questioning of Mr Hur. The latter strikes me as disingenuous at best. 0f course he was familiar with the Trump case! He damn well knew that his investigation would be compared with that documenting Trump's wrong-doing. Very disappointed in Rep. McClintock today.
The idiocy is mind-boggling. They know he has no loyalty to anyone, they deserve any horrible thing he does to them.
Representative Lofgren nailed it, too, with the note-books of President Reagan. That part of the hearing brought up the problem of over-classification. When I worked in Iraq and Afghanistan, I learned very quickly to avoid classified information whenever possible because so much was classified that was already in the press or was maddeningly obvious. I figured that, if I stayed away except when necessary (e.g., when and where to meet for a convoy run outside fortified areas), I would reduce the risk of me unintentionally tipping classified content and suffering for it.
Wow! That was a fine line you obviously had to walk!
Not really. Though, as stated elsewhere, I am always open to taking credit where it is not due. The other problem of classification is the green wall of silence. Classifying notes that would be embarrassing or even (arguably) indicative of criminal behavior to avoid accountability. That is why I broke with many conservative colleagues by sympathizing with the disclosures made by Chlesea Manning and Julian Assange.
EDIT: in any case, Marlene, thank you for thinking of me.
😂…oh my ..great laugh, Jeri
From the garden of my childhood….
Anne-Louise, I never thought I would see Truth struggling so hard to prevail. Trump, his followers, and the media are pushing the Truth as hard as they can BACK into the darkness, where they want it to stay. A darkness so abysmal that the Truths which I were taught to strive for- honesty, compassion, respect for others' opinions and beliefs, reason, and the understanding of how dangerous mob mentality can be, are no longer valued. In place of Truths are now the Lies of someone as demented and evil as Donald Trump. Will any of his weak-minded and frightened followers ever see the light and the Truth?
For the first years of his presidency, Biden tried to "take the high road" thinking that Right would win over Wrong without his having to ride the low rails of the Trump train. I'm glad to see that he is now defending and crediting himself for the good things he's tried to do for all Americans.
Yes, Truth IS struggling and, as hard as it seems with all the negativity brought on by Trump and the media,we need to shine Biden's Truth if we want to
continue to live freely in the America that was meant to be.
It helps hoodwink the gullible by first destroying public education. An ignorant, overworked, underpaid, frightened serfdom is useful when you want to disseminate viral propaganda.
What truth you speak!
Thanks, Pam. Yes.
Handwritten presidential diaries are exempt from the records act.* Biden turned over all his diaries, he only had to turn over sections which may have included classified info. By contrast, GHW Bush's DOJ helped Reagan keep his diaries out of court - to help squash the Iran Contra investigation. (Later on the advice of AG Bill Barr, Bush totally squashed the investigation by pardoning high level Reagan admin officials indicted on Iran Contra crimes. Yes. The same Barr of Mueller infamy.)
I am surprised that no Democrats seem to have brought up that throughout his term, Trump and his admin officials ignored / actively subverted the records act by destroying document and using private apps for official business.
(There was a records management analyst assigned to retrieving whatever torn and shredded papers he could find and piecing them back together. Your tax dollars at work under Republicans.)
*Personal records exempted from the records act: diaries, journals, or other personal notes serving as the functional equivalent of a diary or journal which are not prepared or utilized for, or circulated or communicated in the course of, transacting Government business;
https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title44/chapter22&edition=prelim
https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/trumps-presidential-records-act-violations-short-and-long-term-solutions
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/10/trump-papers-filing-system-635164
https://wapo.st/3IBVrYE
Biden has " ... photographic memory" ?
"Yes, those words do appear in the transcript on page ..."
'One more question Mr Hur, turn to page one, does your name appear as the Author of this report?"
Sorry, sometimes the trial attorney comes cut when a final right cross is appropriate. :- ) bsm
Ann-Louise, I find it interesting that Hur announced his leaving DOJ, effective yesterday. I heard about that only once yesterday (don't recall which outlet), and except for today's Heather Letter, have not heard anything about it elsewhere. Definitely well-timed for Hur to accept an appointment from TFFG. Now that the Dems' gloves are coming off, though, I'll go out on a limb and predict that TFFG won't be handing out any appointments in November.
Merrick Garland made a huge mistake in appointing an obvious political activist in Hur, by bending over backwards to not appear to play politics. Andrew Weissmann said yesterday that Garland knew exactly what Hur was and should have known what the result would be. The Democrats must learn that we can't afford to use the appearance of being fair when we are up against Republicans, who almost never return the favor
Nancy, I am certain that Our "left" the DOJ BEFORE his testimony. Thus, Hur'appeared before Committee as Private Citizen Hur.
BTW, the Special Attorney Federal rules & regulations were written by NEAL KATYAL the GREAT. So, Hur escaped the legal frame work of his statutory duties that he owed when Our wrote the "report" (sic).
Bryan, yes, the report I heard yesterday was that he resigned before the hearing, which freed him to discuss his "findings" as a private citizen and not in his formerly official capacity. Naturally, the MAGA Rethuglicans will remain convinced that he appropriately described Biden as a "well-meaning elderly man with a faulty memory" (a/k/a suffering from dementia), but his SOTU speech proved otherwise.
Despite media coverage of him for years painting him with Hur's brush, he has repeatedly proven that he is on top of his game and has produced great results - and under great pressure. I had misgivings before he was elected that he was too old, but certainly couldn't have considered voting for Troll Trump. My concerns were erased on Day 1 when Biden went from his inauguration directly to the Oval Office and went to work!
I absolutely love Neal Katyal -- the GREAT -- his intellect, his impish grin when he or other commentators slip in a humorous comment. Andrew Weissmann is another hero, as are the Sisters in Law. We're fortunate to have all of them in our camp.
Perhaps Garland knew exactly what he was doing and relied on the cult to eat their young, as the man who would be king once dropped. I think it's a good thing to keep the DoJ apolitical. It's supposed to be and not just in appearance.
I was thinking about equality just yesterday. Of course we're not all created equal, meaning the same. But that was just a turn of phrase in a letter to George III. When they got down to business the framers clarified it to "equal under the law." Good call IMHO. We can all be different and still have blind justice, at least in theory (or aspiration).
We will never arrive at a more perfect union if we allow ourselves to become the enemy. It's tempting to fight fire with fire, but more evolutionary to encourage the arc of the moral universe to bend toward justice by NOT putting our thumb on her scales.
Lauren, I appreciate your comments, and agree with you in principle. Garland has bent over backward to avoid the stench of partisanship, and if everyone in leadership positions tried to do the same thing, the world would be a better place - our Supreme Court, for instance, would enjoy a much larger approval score, as an example.
However, I gather that Hur's hyper partisanship was well known, and I believe that Merrick Garland could have chosen a Republican who would not have voiced his prejudices in his comments. What Hur did was outside the bounds of common practice, and because he could find no grounds to charge President Biden, he put his thumb on the scale, treating Biden's situation as similar to Trump's - his sponsor. There was absolutely no comparison, and anyone with an ounce of integrity would not have done what he did. I believe that he was pandering to Biden's opposition, in a more polite and rational manner than coarse Marjorie Taylor Greene, but still pandering.
To be clear, I was not suggesting that we should ever put our thumb on the scales of Justice. Our behavior should not mimic the current opposition, but when making a choice that could well cause great damage, the choice should be someone whose principles should be fair and objective. I believe that Garland could have chosen a better special prosecutor than Robert Hur.
I agree with you Ann-Louise!We are very lucky to have Heather to help us sort all of this out for us!!!💙💙
To preface an old saw: "A lie makes 3-trips (these days) around the world before the truth gets its shoes on ..."
I don't understand how Hur was allowed to publish his report without some screening by DOJ. What Hur put in that report was inappropriate at the least. This gives the DOJ a huge black eye.
This reminds me of Attorney General Barr's lying account of the Mueller Report. James Carville wanted to know if there are any Democrat lawyers in Washington since every special council has been a staunch Republican. The Department of Justice is apparently not blind.
There's quite a number of things happening which pass understanding. Dosage instructions: Just shut your eyes and swallow.
I find chaos always previews plans gone awry , like outsmarting oneself and the last to know…too much for me teenie brain to lump sum and see thru, but suspect the implosion.. least we make no mistake ….stay vigilant.
I’ve been a neurologist for over 35 years and I’ve seen lots of patients with dementia.
And very clearly to me, Joe Biden is not demented.
My husband has Lewy Body Dementia and we both wondered years ago about drumpf.
And I agree, Joe Biden is not demented.
Beth, just wanted you to know I am thinking about with love-Lewy-Body is so rough to deal with for both the afflicted and their loved ones. My dear friend had it-just wanted you to know I care.
Also a dear friend ‘s husband this week ... Sisters , hear our prayer for healing, patience , and remember the day we met ‘him ‘ how the hearts beat fast. So much this life takes toll , remember the happy moments , the peace ,stability. My DIL just sent a loving prayer for the next 24 hours , us to meditate on , hold each other. Stay the course. 🫶 Thank you Jen, Beth
I'm sorry you're going through that awful disease with your husband.
Beth, my heart goes out to you and your husband—one day at a time ☮️💟
MY heart is with you and your husband, Beth. ❤️
I am fifteen years his junior and I may be more 'demented' than President Biden. Ooops.
Unlike tRUMP and his buddies, at least you admit it.
🙂
EDIT: we all know that anyone's faculties diminish with age. What the G.O.P. overlooks here is the value of experience. The situation is analogous to an ageing baseball pitcher. His primary pitch is a fast-ball. By the age of thirty or thirty-five at most (without steroids), that fast-ball has lost its edge and now can be whacked into a Star Trek episode. So, the great pitchers develop other pitches, like change-ups or knuckle-balls, to remain winners.
Here, the question is not the binary one of whether or not President Biden's mind is as quick as it was twenty or more years ago but whether he has expanded that mind with wisdom and other traits like magnanimity. Of course, all of this talk of wisdom remains lost on the dominant voices of my erstwhile Party; they know not what wisdom is. Narcissists or bullies rarely do.
My daughter (who notoriously disrespects my mental capacity) blithely told me the other day that both are too old and demented to earn her vote. I told her not voting for Biden is a vote for Trump. I also pointed out that even though I'm slower in all ways than I was x years ago, it doesn't mean I'm slow. It's all relative. She says that because she lives in Texas it's a moot point. She's right about that.
I am somewhat sympathetic with your daughter. I would have preferred President Biden to step aside as he is frail. As to your mental capacity, I can say only one thing: ¡KIDS! She appreciates you, already, or will appreciate you, imminently, I am sure. After the performance of President Biden and Democrats on the Judiciary Committee over the past ten days to two weeks, I have little hesitation anymore in voting for the Democratic ticket this autumn.
I love that name
Thanks Dr. Bob. Agreed
Dr. Bob -- speaking as a neurologist, what is your opinion about trompy's apparent symptoms (mispronunciations and other word gaffes, physical stance, etc.)?
They certainly appear to be concerning but difficult to be sure without a formal examination (which I would happily offer to him free of charge :-) I would like to see how he does over the next 6 months. Speech, including word-finding and comprehension, are often affected in a progressive fashion, so It would be very concerning if his difficulties worsen (hopefully we'll see something before December!)
A formal debate between Biden and Trump in September or October would be very interesting!
I think a lively game of Jeopardy with categories Ethics, Civics, World Leaders, Constitution, and Porn Stars would be very telling.
Hah! Love the porn stars category!
We can certainly watch tfg for signs. I could do 5 minutes before nausea and/or anger. Hopefully some of you can last longer. Good explanation here shared by Kathy. https://www.salon.com/2024/03/01/like-someone-pulled-the-metaphorical-plug-dr-john-gartner-on-accelerating-dementia/
Gigi, I’m laughing about ‘I could do 5 minutes before nausea and/or anger’ because you would certainly last longer than me! I feel as if my entire being will explode in about 30 seconds: 🎵The sounds of flushing toilets is rump’s accompanying music.
I saw a great meme: a MAGA hat floating in water and the title, "Sometimes you have to flush twice."
I eat that shit up, pun intended. I can't get enough of that scumbag stumbling over words, unable to click two coherent thoughts together. shuffling onto the plane trailing toilet paper off his bone spurs.
Every bit as entertaining as Scarlett Johannsen.
Even if he doesn't have any neurological disorder, he has no bidness in the white house. Even when he walked and talked without impairment he was a lying cheating bigoted scumbag.
Honestly, I sincerely doubt that Trump could make that debate, given the mental state he is in. He certainly can’t answer any questions about really anything other than his willingness to be king and the authoritative ruler. Besides, Joe would eat him for dinner and then spit him out.
But traitor trump surely is. It will become more apparent as the year progresses.
I agree (40 years in anesthesia seeing various forms of pre-op dementia and post-op of delerium). Aren't these politicians practicing medicine without a license? Performing HIPAA violations by releasing medical "information" without patient permission? Making blanket medical choices that affect millions and giving medical diagnoses are not within their "scope of practice". Maybe the various medical boards or the AMA ought to consider a class action law suit?
Thank you Dr. Bob.
My understanding is tha Frederick (Fred) Christ Trump had cognitive problems as early age 85 nine (9) years before his death in 1994. At a 1985 meeting of the 5 children, including Maryanne & Donald, of course, Maryanne said to"Dad has dementia".
Per a September 2020 WAPO article 3 of the children challenged Fred Sr's Will including Donald, of course, & their are existing deposition transcripts. Botton line, Fred Sr. received an Alzheimer's diagnosis in 1991. before his death 3 years later.
I realize cognitive decline is a complex area scientific research. I am also aware of the on-going 'SHIMMER" study that lists the Study's factors such as "TIAs" transitory ischemic attacks". I would appreciate your comment.
LAST QUESTION I PROMISE: Are you the "Dr. Bob" I supported in Michigan for election to Congress. Respectfully. Bryan
Nope
I love all neurologists particularly at UCSF.
As an RN/BSN, I worked with many dementia patients and wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Bob.
Dr Bob, you’re a neurologist … and you use the word DEMENTED to describe someone?!!
I’m more than gobsmacked. I’m disappointed.
Well, he was using the Donald Trump/Hur dictionary of Medical terminology published by Dell comics
Good one, Will. Forward by Ronnie Jackson?
Is dementia not still the correct term? If so, demented would be the proper adjective. That others use it improperly isn’t reason to discard it.
In the disability rights world I’m told it’s best to put the person first. So it would be - Biden is not a person with (or suffering from) dementia.
Thanks for the clarification.
Thank you -and grateful for your analysis about the ineptitude of the GOP-controlled House. I still believe if they continue to hold onto majority control -they will soon be devoting investigatory resources into the time Chelsea Clinton was abrupt (allegedly!) in a checkout lane at Whole Foods.
I'm about to publish an article addressing the age, energy factor, and role of a President. Here's a preview...
There’s been a great deal of focus in the press about President Biden’s age. Articles have appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Reuters, Bloomberg, ABC News, and elsewhere. Leading up to his recent State of the Union address to the nation, articles were written about the President using the address to dispel age concerns.
Interestingly, very little is said about citizen Trump’s age (he’ll be 78 in a few months. Furthermore, not much is said about the fact that Trump spent over 300 days of his time as President, golfing. (https://seattlemedium.com/donald-trump-spent-almost-a-year-playing-golf-during-presidency/). And then there was Trump’s “Executive Time” noted in his schedule. According to a report in Axios (https://www.axios.com/2019/02/03/donald-trump-private-schedules-leak-executive-time) Trump spent 60% of his non-golfing time tweeting, calling friends, and watching Fox ‘News’. Frankly, I’m happy Trump spent a significant amount of time away from conducting ‘official’ business, such as attempting to extort allies, romancing brutal authoritarian adversaries of the United States, complaining about NATO, and his all-consuming concern about water pressure in the White House.
When considering factors which influence my vote, I do understand that the President of the United States has critical responsibility in several areas requiring a clear mind, focus, and a reasonable energy level. Nevertheless, like any executive leader charged with governance of a large, complex organization, the position first and foremost requires assembling an experienced, talented, knowledgeable, and trusted team to fill the President’s Cabinet, and key leadership roles in the Executive Branch.
When it comes to governing, I’m less interested in someone’s age, or the ability to deliver a speech (both Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama were outstanding orators, yet one was the worst President in modern history -at least until Trump, and the other was among the best). I’m interested in the team of leaders they assemble to govern.
Let’s explore the differences in the Trump and Biden Cabinets...
The point you make here is glossed over all too often. When the public holds an election for an executive, be it city manager, mayor, governor, or president, all eyes are on the figurehead. What needs to be made much more visible is that you're actually electing their staff as well - whoever they are. If the staffers are all corrupt it makes little difference how virtuous the figurehead "leader" appears! Leaders are only as good as the people they employ.
Thank you Gary. My effort on this was provoked, first by Michael Lewis' "The Fifth Risk", then by @HeatherCoxRichardson, and finally by the media's unfortunate preoccupation with revenue and profit instead of fulfilling a vital role in democracy (pretend, theoretical, aspirational, or otherwise) as the Fourth Estate.
I read the fifth risk. It was an eye opener.
Michael Lewis is terrific. And the book evidenced a President who only cared about wealth, power, brand, and self-enrichment. He had and maintains zero interest in governing.
Thank You, George. Just finished reading Lewis's "Premonition" about the administrative breakdowns in the COVID 19 epidemic at every level of government. "The Fifth Risk" is next on my list. Although I might need to take a break and read something less lethal, like a murder mystery, first. Wonder what Jack Reacher is doing these days.
I've sandwiched Mick Heron's "Slow Horses" series in between more serious books and reading -and he has not failed at making me laugh uncontrollably in public places leading to clear anxiety and discomfort in those nervously situated nearby.
Your U.S. Cabinet score card piece is exceptional. Thank You.
I struggled with not dipping into negative numbers. Because, you know, Betsy, Wilbur, Ryan, Sessions, and Barr -almost all of them!
Yup!
I'm still on the fantasy of SCOTUS favoring absolute immunity and Uncle Joe doing his own wet work. I posted last week about seeing him roll up on Maralardo in a zippy little Bond car, sporting aviators, to light the dump UP with an AK. Or an Uzi as a nod to his ties with Israel. He can use the AK on the Moscovites in Congress Next big virus Moscovid 29? Thank you, Daddy Vlady.
You go, Lauren. Pretty clever wordplay for this time of the day!
I agree Gary. The Biden administration has several members that I would trust as President. I could list the ones I think would be good, but it would be a long list.
Worrying that dt’s cabinet will include brighter and more evil-intentioned minds than his, the former is easy, the latter not so much— wouldn’t like to see Miller back in there, etc.
Dt isn’t the only actor to be concerned about!
So very true Diedra. One look at Project 2025 should be alarming for anyone still believing in justice, democracy, and equity. While Reagan was an idiot and a racist, he was surrounded by evil men who steered America's path down a very dark wealth and power concentrated road.
Trump would continue to fill his Cabinet with thieves and incompetents for the most part. He deplores anyone smarter than he is -which really provides a small demographic from which to choose.
I believe 45’s cabinet picks were all chosen for their ability to destroy. Nothing more. Drain the swamp, indeed.
Indeed Betsy -destruction and self-enrichment seem to be the trademark of the brand.
We still have DeJoy who is wrecking the USPS, giving it to big business.
Well done, George! Where are you intending to publish this masterpiece?
Thank you Lynell! Here on Substack (https://bomdia.substack.com/) first, and then any media outlet that will inflate my ego by distributing as well.
Please let us know when you do! I’m eager to read more. Bravo.
Thank you -and yes, I did ... https://open.substack.com/pub/bomdia/p/justice-league-versus-larceny-league
Great article, George. It’s quite a litany of grift, corruption, and malfeasance in Trump’s cabinet. Your photo caption game is on fire. Mike Pence’s “unnamed fly” made me laugh out loud.
Thank you -Dare I say I was hoping to create a little buzz.
😂
Great work George! Saving this for future reference!
Thanks Gail! If my ego keeps inflating the Fed will raise my interest rate. 🤓
😂
We're all with you, George!
I'm stumbling about in the inner sanctums of my mind contemplating publishing something myself.
Sometimes I'm all gung ho about it, other times less so.
Or as the late, great Warren Zevon said, "Some days I feel like my shadow's casting me"
Sometimes just singing "Werewolves of London" is enough!
What about Lawyers, Guns and Money? More apt for the man who would be king.
"I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's!
His hair was perfect"
One of the wittiest lines ever penned in song.
I saw Zevon put on a fantastic show at a wonderful, now gone showcase in the San Fernando Valley here in SoCal, called "The Palomino" in the early '80s.
Toward the end of the set, a few of his pals came out to play with him, including Jackson Browne.
WZ changed the lyrics to "Werewolves" and sang, "I saw Jackson Browne walking down Sherman Way; His heart was perfect!"
The power of lyrics, poetry, and words! Part of my childhood was spent near The Palomino. I'm very familiar with Sherman Way (and Vanowen, and Victory ... and so on). I used to have some emails with Greg Palast. We used to joke that we were just two GP's from "the valley."
WZ, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Hunter Thompson, David Foster Wallace. All brilliant and a reminder of what we've lost (except thankfully for Laurie Anderson).
As Steven Wright said "It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it."
Small world, indeed
Of all the gin joints, etc.!
I grew up in L.A.'s Larchmont Blvd. neighborhood.
Right you are about missing those wonderful and impactful artists you noted, George.
But we march on.
Or as Lou Reed would say, "It'll take a busload of faith to get by"!
Larchmont! My dad's recording studio was on Melrose right next to Lucy's Adobe Cafe. The last time I was in the neighborhood I had been invited to speak at LA Progressive's Left Coast Forum and stayed nearby. I'm not sure if they've renovated, but when I was there you could still see the remnants of the original studio sign. Marching on indeed. Nice to be marching (virtually) with you Daniel.
OMG!
Of all the gin joints for sure!!
I spent many a bacchanalian evening at the old Lucy's El Adobe, and remember that old studio sign. My family's house was on Arden Blvd., just a few blocks to the south. Sadly, Frank Casado (Lucy's husband) passed away many years ago, Lucy herself about five years ago. While rumors abound that it may one day reopen, hasn't happened yet to my knowledge. In my mind's eye I can still see the black and white photos of a young Jerry Brown and Linda Ronstadt on the front windows of the restaurant where they met.
Nice to be marching with you virtually or any other way too, George.
Really excellent! Comparison and contrast with clarity and intelligent humor❤️! Thank you!
Thank you! I thrive on coffee, the wings of encouragement (and the occasional veggie burger).
I am going to agree with many of the previous commenters. Biden has exponentially better qualified people working under him. Trump’s demand for loyalty automatically cuts the quality of his “underlings”.
Thank you. I am a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania. I have worked in my field now for over fifty years. I tell you this not to boast my credentials but to cast a critical and skeptical eye on “ credentials and experience “. I worked mostly in public mental health? social services and juvenile justice. I had to deal with many different situations. To cut to the chase: having to defend your mental health is intimidating and probably impossible. For eleven years I worked in crisis intervention and part of that job was coordinating involuntary commitments to psychiatric units. When I first took the job I was told that we were to provide least restrictive and invasive options to involuntary commitments. How naive I was. Hospitalizations was a money maker and involuntary commitments fed into that. Imagine having a business where if your business was slow, you could force your product or service on someone. Many of the people involved in involuntarily committing someone thought they were doing the right thing, even the professionals themselves. But in my eleven years I could count on one hand how many times an involuntary commitment was rejected as those well intentioned others would err on the side of caution and commit. And I would watch the person who was being considered for commitment. They were frightened and helpless in that no matter what they said or how they presented themselves , they were now viewed as mentally ill and there behavior viewed from that perspective.
Very nice and empathetic take on things, Gjay15
Thank you Daniel. It means a lot
Gjay15, you had a difficult task to perform and I imagine your heart was broken many times over. I give you so much credit for “sticking it out” for so long. My husband was a juvenile counselor in our county for over 25 years. It finally took a toll on him and he retired at age 52. He tried so hard to make a difference but kept hitting brick walls with management.
Marlene, thank you for your comment. Yes as you well know it can be heartbreaking and frustrating. After years of trying to work through the proper channels, I wrote a letter to the head of mental health at the state level. He without contacting me input sent my letter to the very people I had been trying to get to make changes. Soon after my supervisor called me into her office without telling me she knew about my letter of concern and reminded me out of the blue that bypassing the “proper channels can bd considered insubordination which could lead to termination. I told her that I was willing to work within the system but that I could not subordinate myself to do anything illegal, immoral or unethical. Two days later after almost 11 years at my job with excellent performance evaluations, I was fired. The only regrets I have is that I did not fight harder and sooner. Thank you again. Jay
Jay, I am so sorry that this happened to you! So unfair but maybe this was what you needed to realize you were not being supported. Has happened to so many people. I hope you were able to move forward.
Marlene, thank you for your kind response. Oh yes I moved on. I choose my battles. Jay
George A. Polisner, thank you, terrific essay. One more disaster from Pence's not-so-illustrious career: "Indiana became a national flash point for the opioid epidemic last year (2015) when nearly 200 people in rural Scott County became infected with HIV primarily as a result of injecting Opana, a powerful prescription opioid, using dirty needles. Those needles spawned one of the biggest outbreaks of HIV in decades, with more than 20 new cases being diagnosed every week at the height of the outbreak last year."
"The dearth of funding for needle exchange programs comes as overall public health funding in Indiana has cratered during Pence’s tenure. "
Thank you -it definitely seems like Pence and others worked to erode or destroy anything with the word public in the title. Whether DeVos on education, or Pence on health.
Very good points—but George W. Bush is still the worst IMHO—he’s a war criminal who, under his term(s), caused millions of deaths and injuries to innocent people and especially our service men and women 🤬
Linda, his daddy wasn’t so great either but GW, yep, he is a war criminal and so is Dick Cheney but Trump and Jared stole and sold our secrets. They are traitors and they’re the very worst.
Thank you Marlene—you are so very correct—we could go on and on but I just had to add my short 2-cents because, as much as I totally agree that this all began with RR, I don’t recall that anyone died because of his hideous decisions.🙁
Right on. I take Occam's Razor to the question - who cares how old (or young, for that matter) a chief executive is? For me the deciding issue is job performance. That includes superior ideation, clear communication, and collaboration with an excellent team, imho. That especially includes his choice of a number two. I wouldn't be at all disappointed (apart from the prerequisite loss of a great leader) to see Kamila at the helm. Nor Pelosi back in the day or Jeffries when the new day dawns.
By comparison in terms of style and performance TFG was a big nothing burger (with fries on the side and ketchup on the wall), and Pence wouldn't have been any better, just more ethical. And if both of them were incapacitated, Kevin? Mikey? No way no how.
Well-put Lauren. And I do think Kamala or Nancy (or Hillary) would be excellent in the role -Kamala would likely leave the leadership team in place (and hopefully she will get the opportunity in 2028). People have lost an understanding that as voters, we're conducting a job interview. The reality show host/business failure/rapist/Putin colluding/imbecile not only failed the interview (in 2016), they were fired in 2020 (and security had to remove him from the building). We would mark that personnel record "Do Not Rehire".
I would caution against using the word "ineptitude." I think it's a bit like accusing a great orator of being unable to spell.
We need to always keep in mind THEIR audience. They aren't talking to literate people. They are talking to people they can fleece in fire-sale auction lots, and they are doing a tremendously good job of it. Careful reasoning (for them) would be a mistake. Facts are irrelevant to their objective; salacious innuendo is far better, because it allows the audience to fill in their worst fears and instincts. Honesty is, for them, a vice that they cannot afford.
They are behaving rationally, and effectively.
They are not stupid. They are evil.
An excellent point. But I do think inept fits for James Comer, Boebert, Greene and others. To your point the top of the hierarchy is capable and evil.
Concur.
Good articles! let’s just admit that Trump didn’t do 💩when he was “in office”. He did, however, help himself to classified documents though.
Anything to enrich himself.
I am confused as to why good Republicans keep jumping ship. Wouldn’t we all be better served if they stayed and tried to save their party and our Democracy?
No! Two more Republican Congressmen leave and it is 'Hello Speaker Hakeem Jeffries'. One plausible explanation for why GOP Reps leave early is to derail and not be part of Trumpista Clown Show.
"Two more Republican Congressmen leave and it is 'Hello Speaker Hakeem Jeffries'" That's only if their constituents don't vote in someone more extreme.....
Are there two left who don’t want a job with chump
You'd think the Republicans Congresscritters would be getting tired of the death threats they receive. Don Bacon mentioned several months ago he sleeps with a gun next to his bed. But these Congresscritters leave their partners and children at home alone and that has to weigh on them when they are in Washington.
Would that not be reason enough for repubs to be banned from political action. It certainly would rule them out at my house. The risk is there no matter what, but I guess being in the bulls eye is enough to say, piss on the country.
Do you mean like the threats encouraged by Jim Jordan from their own side, for not following the extremes of their side?
When I spent a year with Democrats campaigning for Bernie Sanders, and then Hillary in 2016, the group I was with absolutely rejected threatening anyone and showed the door to any volunteers who seemed to even suggest doing so.
I was asked by a fundraiser in my old party to fight dirtier than Democrats (back in 1996). I left the party instead, though I still worked around many that knew the party was doing things like pressuring moderate candidates and spending funds fighting their own moderates (with a lot of the money donated by moderates but diverted to the most "conservative" candidates they could recruit and train). Then it seemed sponsored crowds were bussed in and encouraged to show their rage at rallies and town halls anytime their Senators were back home and attending such events.
Friends had worked for Lamar Alexander's campaigns and described what he faced as threatening crowds to change his views and support, to me distorting his more moderate policies as I saw them back when I was still a Republican. I don't know what they think of articles like https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/1/31/21116689/trump-impeachment-lamar-alexander-witness-bolton
and https://www.vox.com/23899688/2024-election-republican-primary-death-threats-trump
Nothing was that dark that I knew about back before 2000, but it certainly seems like the old tactics they were suggesting I participate in, on steroids, no principles, just raw threats of what the world for them would look like even after they left office.
I think the Tea Party was the warm up act, Jim. They (and of course Gingrich and the Kochs) made primaries the threat. Seems to me Pistol Packin' Palin and Sharron Angle upped the stakes in the oughts, and then comes the dumptruck towing Proud Oathkeeping 3% Bots. That was a typo, but I like it better than Boys.
Bravo that you recognized what was going on with the
R party and leaving it to preserve your sanity!
Things were worse in the late ‘50’s and early to mid ‘60’s, especially for Black folks. Constant threats led to murders and lynchings by the KKK. These groups we now see have joined forces with others Ike we saw with the Proud Boys and Three Percenters. Mostly all white and mostly all men with a few exceptions of women.
Th threats are worse for Dems.
I do wonder if there is much difference in who the threats are directed against, but not so much about who the threats come from.
Back in Detroit in the 70s, it was very much against people of color, but seemed more so against white citizens that tried to treat others as equals.
Takes months at a minimum, perhaps not 'doable' to set up and elect replacements between now and November election already set. But hey, Jeffries only needs one day to do good and undo the chaos of the Trumpistas.
I'm going to hang onto 'Hello Speaker Hakeem Jeffries' as a hope/possible outcome! (Even though, as Carolyn in the next post states, "That's only if their constituents don't vote in someone more extreme.....")
Well they could vote against GOP Stonewalling?
Doing so comes at more risk to them than most might expect, now physically as well as socially, financially, and politically. (I was a toddler dependent with US troops in Germany during the Nuremberg Trials, so a bit more interested in how the Nazis used threats and violence to get their way.)
But what kind of Republicans will they be replaced with? I fear they may be Trump loyalists.
They are getting threatened by trump’s bullies for not following orders to stick together like glue. Their families lives have been threatened also. There are just some R’s who want to actually work and get stuff done, you know, like getting bills passed. There aren’t many of them left. That’s good for us though because now we can possibly grab some badly needed seats to take the House over. They (R’s) are in trouble in Colorado now that Buck is leaving before the year is out. So hopefully, with the discharge petition, we can get at least 4-5 R’s to sign on. Johnson’s role could be vacated and lo and behold…Hakeem Jeffries would be speaker!! At least, that’s the way I understand how things could go.
Speaking of Republicans, I wanted to go off topic for just a moment and tell everyone here some good news. Remember the TN Three who were punished by the supermajority legislature after the Covenant School shooting just about a year ago? The TN legislature has only gotten worse.
A group of us have successfully raised enough money to launch Blue Tennessee to help fund democrats for state legislative offices. Come to tonight’s formal launch and hear how we hope to change TN’s future.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEscemtqDIjH9UWN33pPPN0Sfz6NcSDZOth
Thank you Tennesee!
Nice to hear, MLMinET!
If Gloria Johnson takes down the ghastly Marsha Blackburn, we would truly learn that there is a God!
No kidding!! Gloria should really sit on Marsha’s chest.
Oh that would be wonderful. She’s so far up tfg’s butt that … well, you know. (PS so is our other US Senator; his campaign slogan was “Trump endorsed me.”)
FABULOUS!!!!
I'm in his district and his seat will only be empty til the primary end of June. There's a lot of energy on the "left".
Yippee!
There is no Republican party. It is now a MAGA personality cult and maybe unredeemable.
No "maybe" about it.
I prefer the term Trumper cult, or Cult 45, so as not to contribute to the idea that MAGA is somehow an actual movement based on some sort of philosophy. Please excuse my pet peeve and carry on.
And the devolution of the GOP means their are also NO CONSERVATIVES left, unless you want to count FASCISM as conservatives.
They are REGRESSIVES trying to stop anything except for impeachment and defamation of Democrats and sometimes their own Republicans that can no longer tolerate the inaction and BS (like Buck).
At this point, it only takes a handful of REGRESSIVES to prevent the passage of anything or a gutless Speaker to block a vote on anything.
They are Traitors who support those in Congress who are election deniers. There is no other possible designation. Of course the degree of ignorance would have to be considered at trial.
I imagine many of them are tired of having to pay for security for themselves and their families.
Yes, we would be better off if moderate Republicans stayed. I can only sssume that they want to preserve their reputation for their next gigs, or in the eyes of their children, or maybe even their conscience.
Buck said one reason he was leaving was so he didn't have to lie for the repub party.
They all know that and most are ok with it.
Funny it's never bothered him before.
Jerry, I wish I thought that were true. All these Republicans who were in Congress during Trump’s presidency bear a great deal of responsibility for where we are today. Early in his presidency, they could have drawn lines to make it clear to him that certain behaviors were beyond the pale. They did not. During either impeachment, they could have rid us of him. They did not. Even if they were moderates, almost all of them put party over country. Are any Republicans left in the House who voted for impeachment? That was the price paid for putting the country first, and too many of them were unwilling to pay it. They know what is right, but most of them don’t do what is right, or they stand up too late, or they resign. They’re a bunch of cowards. McCarthy rehabilitated Trump after January 6. McConnell has endorsed Trump. This is on them more than on anyone except Trump himself.
You have to realize how hard they worked to "purify" the party to get rid of moderates, often harder than against other parties. They do most of that dirty work in primaries.
Also, it is important to not underestimate the enormity of the influence wielded by what is effectively Putin's propaganda arm, NewsCorp (FOX, Dow Jones, etc.). It has been incredibly successful in energizing the poorly educated lower third of the economy. It really is a charismatic religious movement at this point. Taking it down is not easy, and these folks have a good reason to fear it. So they faced a choice between doing the right thing or going along with it. They made the wrong choice and it's very late to change their minds.
NewsCorp's media outlets are diverse. They focus on conservative issues and cover them with a conservative bias, but Dow Jones (Wall Street Journal) is actually closer to moderate, while Fox News (TV) output is closer to sensationalist journalism. The WSJ is NOT a religious paper, but it's frustrating to read because their number one values are business efficiency and profit, workers be damned. Fox News does indeed pander to an audience that includes a lot of people that self identify as religious, so they amplified culture-wars issues, because that worked well to engage their viewers. In normal times, they're sort of OK. However, these haven't been normal times, and anti-democratic actors have weaponized Fox News' natural tendency to sensationalize cultural & nationalist hyperbole.
What I'm trying to say is that we need to cut off the "political head" (vote the f**ers out) that have gamed the news media "arms" to inflict harm.
(No, I'm not forgetting that Fox News amplified laws about election fraud and lost a billion dollar lawsuit to Dominion, and am hoping that Smartmatic wins its lawsuit just as spectacularly.)
I don't disagree with your analysis, but the Murdochs lack the basic sense of decency that most media owner families have had. If it makes them money (i.e. sells ads or causes cable companies to carry them as a default option, or news aggregators like Alphabet/Google to include them in their feeds), they will put it on, no matter how much damage to democracy, basic civility it causes, or triggers events that lead to deaths. SO I can't bring myself to deal with them. I was asked just today to accept an invitation from the Wall Street Journal editors to provide some feedback on their Boeing story, for which I have an unusually knowledgeable ability to provide, but I just can't go there. It's a bit like the temptation to visit Denys Davidov's Telegram channel for a little more thorough daily news feed on Ukraine. But gee, Telegram allows all of that repugnant crap on their channels, so I don't go there.
Sadly, you’re right.
Yes, KR, they bear a great deal of responsibility. The ones who've retained a glimmer of a sense of conscience are paying (too little) for their lapses by having to leave their cushy Congressional jobs and find real work. I personally will vote against every single Republican until the MAGA disease is suppressed. Hopefully that will just take one election cycle, and not the rest of my life.
Maybe we ought to just "drain the swamp," MAGA's one and only good idea. Vote out the liars, conspiracy theorists, obstructionists, anti-Constitutionalists...you know: MAGA.
Jerry, did you just use the words "Republican" and "conscience" in successive sentences?
I think one has to be able to feel emotions to have a conscience. If one can't empathize then can one have a conscience?
Fear and pride are emotions. They usually don’t lead to good…
Yes, Diedra -- you thus bring up the quandary in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."
Recognizing that many emotions just get us in trouble, do we just reject all emotions, refuse any literacy in anything personal for anybody? That latter recourse, you know, justifies all the ways the far right and the billionaire classes have employed in gutting, rejecting, poisoning any use of any humanities in schools.
No, and even fear and pride can lead to good things. We can choose.
Superb point you raise, Diedra. "We can choose."
I'll return to it later, as Heather's columns may make apt.
In the meantime, please consider Orwell's warning in "Politics and the English Language" -- that we cannot choose if we inhabit a vocabulary of slogans, cliché, group abstractions, and packaged labels. Thus poisoned, many fancy they can still choose, but it's too late. They're blind to what they're actually doing. Rather like that figure in Auden's "August, 1968":
"The ogre stalks with hands on hips
While drivel gushes from his lips."
Excellent point, Gary.
Like Diedra (who has already replied to you, below), you thus note the ways that our far right ideologues have allied with our most cynical billionaires ever since the Powell memo of 1971.
Only small steps from (1st) avoiding emotions and (2nd) perverting them to (3rd) lying wholesale.
Must've been late at night with only a few aberrant brain cells working. Yea, I think I'll use that excuse.
I'm not so sure about that Jerry. I have written several letters to Don Bacon (R-NE-2). He is probably as moderate as they come and he still drinks the GOP kool-aid. He write a 3 page response when I was critical of impeaching Mayorkis. And he refuses to answer when I beg him to bring Ukraine aid up for a vote. He's just as cowardly as the rest of the Republicans.
It reminds me of what made me depart the US Army Reserves after my seventh year of service. After the Vietnam war ended, the draft lottery ended and the selective service system registration process was suspended, the caliber of the reservists took a nose dive. My accountant, former dentists and former investment brokers were all in my reserve unit. I was intending to stay in to secure officer level training and a commission. [My junior college did not have an ROTC program and neither did my university where I earned my bachelor’s degree]. During my seventh year, I found that had very little in shared interests with my fellow reservists. I even lost all of my fellow backgammon and chess players. I couldn’t stay any longer - especially after the command Sargent Major who managed my unit informed me that my application paperwork had been tossed! … Sure?
The status, respect and decorum that once or use to exist in the houses of Congress - especially on the House side - have taken a nosedive … seemingly loss forever.
If three more jump ship, MAGA Mike is on the next train back to Palookaville.
Thanks for doing that math, TC. I was wondering.
It's a noble sentiment, but with the mass staff firing yesterday, essentially they have lost their existing treasury to Trump. They need to form a new conservative party. It would be a tough call in an election year, and there would be a big fight over control of the separately organized senatorial and congressional campaign committees, but then they do have their billionaires to help them with that. Whatever, at this point the MAGA party is no longer the GOP. It will be interesting to see if they are brave enough to actually do that. Democrats need a healthy and rational conservative party with whom real policies can be rationally debated, among other reasons.
That's an interesting assessment, Craig. I've read that there will be no "down ticket" support in those campaigning that have an "R" after their names; only for their lord and master.
They aren't 'jumping ship' Joe, The ship has lost it's rudder and those real fiscal conservatives, so necessary to keep we,of the liberal progressive persuasion, within the bounds of the doable. I think they will coalesce into a rational fiscal conservative party, although I still hope some will form a moderate center party. That way, with civil discourse, we will have the sort of Congress we need - not want. The intention of the founders was obvious; that through civil discourse, we would come to acceptable compromise. It hasn't always worked - the civil war has shown us that - but for most of our nearly 250 year old history we have lived, if not happily, at least contentedly in peaceful compromise.
I heard a politician once say sorta in jest, "There now, is everybody equally unhappy?"
Very much "sorta", I imagine. I think it might be an old truism, that if everybody involved in a negotiation is at least a little unhappy (or the opposite--at least a little happy) ...then it must be a reasonably fair resolution.
Can't argue with that logic; thanks, T L!
It seems more of a pirate ship now, with those who become undesirable to them forced to walk the plank. Even worse are when their families back home are also threatened.
Because any Republican with a brain knows that the party is doomed and literally turned into a bona fide cult
They realise their party cannot be saved Joe..... that's why.
Yeah. Only the MAGAts remain...
Look what happened to Cheney, and Kizinger (sp?) ousted from the Republican Party. And, lately, you have Langford and the Stepford wife, among the authors of the Trump rejected immigration bill. He's been ousted. She went all Handmaidens Tale. Trump is on record, if you're not loyal, you're out. Trump told Nikki Haley supporters, they were not wanted. He's even cleaned house at the RNC. Traditional Republicans, really have little choice. Their party has been hijacked by MAGANAZIS.
Adam Kinzinger. Only know that today because I started reading his book, "Renegade" last night.
Ken Buck is not a particularly good Republican. Just frustrated he still can't kill Obamacare and social security. I'm in his district but the only town halls he holds are out near Kansas with cows and their journalism isn't great.
That is a question that crosses my mind. At first I thought it might be cowardice. Now I think they do not to be associated in any way with Trump, so when the G.O.P. collapses, they can come in with clean hands to re-build American conservatism on a base of intellectual integrity. In any case, those Republicans who stick around and fight Trump -- e.g., Senators Flake, Romney, and Lankford -- do not fare so well.
Time will tell what Ken Buck (R-CO) meant by what he said to Dana Bash, “But I’m leaving because I think there’s a job to do out there…. ”
Hur was revealed as trying to to pull a Comey. Pure political theater at the expense of the truth. Like Barr’s letter misrepresenting the results and conclusions of the Muller report. Garland, too slow and timid, has done a great disservice to the nation and democracy in America. Time to fight. Trump is a potential nightmare for America, democracy and world peace.
He wasn't only "trying to . . . pull a Comey." He was trying to up the Clarence court in lying.
For today, also, as Sheldon Whitehouse testified to Lawrence O'Donnell, that sick, activist, ideologically rabid Court in 2010 passed its Citizens United for the U.S. billionaires and corporate corrupt, all legally sunk to distortions and fictions -- as Hur was peddling, as Katie Britt was gaslighting, and as today's rancid social media billionaires are ever sensationalizing.
The rich need to lie, Jeffrey. None has anything in one's education, nothing in any of their lives such as the humanities by which the rest of us may try to keep in touch with our fellows in their communities.
Void of humanities, one script sinks all of these rich into one constant vulgarity: spreading the inequality gap, floating them in their abstractions and packaging of life proportionally to their efforts to reduce the rest of us to serfs.
i wish the direct transcript quote by Hur commenting to President Biden on his photographic memory had been included & the details surrounding Biden’s son’s death amongst all Biden was dealing with at that time. It’s NO wonder Hunter refused to be alone with truth distorting, manipulative fabrications of the Un-fair, Un-American Repugnant Party.
HUR: “Understood. That was very helpful. We have some photographs maybe to show you, but you have — appear to have a photographic understanding, and recall of the house.”
Biden Interview Transcript, Page 46
What bothers me most is that the cognitive underclass has many people with fine educations and who know better. Like that story I used to hear about so many intellectuals flocking to the S.S. eighty years ago.
This is a bit of a strange issue. I am 77 and find it a snap to recall the layout of every house or apartment I ever lived in. I certainly don’t have a photographic memory.
Thank you, Heather. A win for American democracy!
Yesterday was indeed a good day for the Democrats, highlighting the MAGA GOP's ineptitude as well as their treasonous agenda. Representatives Schiff and Swalwell brought their A-game, stripping bare all the lies and nonsense. In contrast, today's developments further showcase the strategic agility of the Democratic party. The testimonies and hearings, particularly around the handling of classified documents, reveal a Democratic party adept at countering Republican narratives with facts and coherent storytelling.
The strategic preparation by Democrats, as evidenced in the hearings, signals a robust approach to not only defend but also to set a proactive agenda. This readiness and tactical sophistication could significantly influence public opinion and electoral dynamics as we head towards the presidential election, underscoring the party's resilience and adaptability in the face of concerted opposition. A win for American democracy!
Speak up. Speak out. Vote. Pray.
Like Simon Rosenberg often says, “I’d rather be us than them.”
Oh, I really needed this, Michael. Thank You. I watched the entire hearing and cried for 2 hours afterwards, stung by how viscious and reprehensible the Republicans's assaults and lies were, and by the thought of how many voting Americans believe this crap. Now I think maybe those 2 hours were a catharsis for me, and what I most feel now is the power of those Democrat presentations! Yes, Speak Up! Speak Out! Vote! Pray!
P.S. I am not normally a crier. Didn't help that everytime Chair Jim Jordan spoke, I thought of all those young men at Ohio State that he did not protect from sexual abuse by his wrestling team's physician.
Thank God! Democrats have finally learned to leave the 900-page Detailed Report and the Nice Cheese Plate back at home and arrive at the gunfight wielding an M-60 on full auto with a 500-round belt of Full Metal Jacket.
I'll bet Jungle Gym Jordan is so butthurt he couldn't sit down for dinner tonight. Good!
Oooo.....thank you, TC, for that delightful little mental image of Gymmy waddling into his house, holding his raggedy raw buns. He surely deserves every bit of butthurt just for his crass stupidity alone, never mind his slavish devotion to Dumpy's commands.
While I appreciate the artillery metaphor, Dems don't hide behind their faux penis standins but use words. I enjoyed Raskin as always.
The republicans were mighty shrill without the ARs.
Raskin definitely can "bring it" and wield that M-60 - when he hauls it out, I notice the Rs dive under their chairs. :-)
"Reagan’s ‘I am not going to exploit…my opponent’s youth and inexperience’ moment…only on steroids.” Conway was referring to Reagan’s response in a 1984 presidential debate to a question about his own age; Reagan’s opponent, Walter Mondale, later said he knew Reagan’s answer was the moment he had lost not only the debate but probably the election. "
Media loves these one liners, like blows delivered in a prize fight, and some make legitimate points, but on what basis are we, the people, deciding the fate of our society?
That's an astute question J L, and one that we should all ask ourselves.
Those media one liners is why Virginia elected Youngkin.
And the road downward began with Reagan
The factually indefensible notion that greed + greed = good was legitimized by Reagan and "Republicans" since. Of course we all pursue self interest, and the science and art of a just civilization is establishing "enlightened" self interest, so that reciprocity and justice are reasonably served in the process. A society of indifferent predators was Hobbes nightmare scenario, but Republicans say it all works out well if we defer to the rich; warmed over feudalism.
Despite the glaring contradictions of racism, sexism, and native genocide, that was not the celebrated better angels of the American Experiment. It's not a "square deal".
"Republican House leadership issued a statement that '[a] man too incapable of being held accountable for mishandling classified information is certainly unfit for the Oval Office.'”
Hear! Hear! Pubs! So that must mean you think Loser 45 IS capable of being held accountable for mishandling classified information which makes him "...certainly unfit for the Oval Office."
Morning, Lynell!
I saw that quote, and I think that offers a great campaign ad opportunity. The quote, and a photo of the bankers boxes in the "throne" room at Merde de Lardo.
Morning, Ally! No arrow is too big or too small in which to fill our quiver, I always say!
Although they have filled the news with so many instances of mendacity that, for many, it no longer shocks the sensibilities. Were it to surface that Trump engaged in heretofore undisclosed malfeasance identical to Nixon, it would seem like a side issue. Few would even notice. We need to pick out a handful of historic jaw-droppers and publicize the hell out of them, emphasizing aberrance with historic norms and GOP claims. The degree treachery has become familiar, but it isn't really "normal".
TKU Heather! Cancelled my WSJ subscription--it only prints conservative bisas & political garbage!
Never had a WSJ subscription, cancelled my WP subscription the day Biden was declared president, and cancelled my NYT subscription the day after the Hur report came out. After all, I’ve got Doctor Richardson, Joyce Vance, Mary Trump, Steve Schmidt, and others to read every day.
I’ve really struggled with this. With reluctance, I canceled my NYT subscription the same day you did. My worry is that while our sources for news, like these Letters, are an excellent substitute, what they don’t have is a budget for investigative journalism. We need that more than ever. I’ve kept my Atlantic and WP subscriptions - for now.
We desperately need socially responsible MSM. I don't think profit per se is evil, but pursued devoid of a balancing context of justice, compassion, and genuine patriotism, it becomes evil. I think that was the Biblical notion of "the root of all evil", and the caution in many cautionary tales, from Dickens to Midas. "Greed is good" was a line from a bad guy in a movie, but Republicans vocally adopted it as a motto (though started to phase it out as a slogan, if not a guideline, during the Subprime Crash). Yet the thing that makes greed greed is gain by abusing someone else.
"Accustomed to trample on the rights of those around you, you have lost the genius of your own independence, and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises." - Lincoln
I’m too tired this evening to do your comment the justice it deserves. What you say about profit and balancing contexts is exactly what I think the role of government must be in a capitalist society. Capitalism is amoral, it just seeks profit. We as a society must impose rules - about pollution, care for the poor, education etc etc to rein in the amorality of capitalism. When we don’t, we devolve into an oligarchy and all but the few are worse off.
I went through the same cancelation process, the latest being The Guardian... the day after the Hur report came out.
Oh, No! The Guardian bought that B.S.?
Yes. It was the same old "oh, this is a HUGE problem for Biden" kind of thing. No mention of the fact that Hur is Republican. No mention of the inappropriate nature of his summary on Biden's memory. It was shameful. I really liked their arts coverage but I just can't rationalize it.
Yes! I too cancelled NYT and WAPO. I only miss one Real Estate section in NYT.
DITTO
Same here. One less outrage in the morning.
All this is relatively good news. Thanks for a breather !!
Politics in America is fascinating.
It's like watching a sporting event, with two teams slugging it out.
And a point/goal/touch/embarrassment has been scored by the blue team!
COME ON YOU BLUES!
The problem is that when the BLUES win the REDS deny losing. And then the MSM reports the denial of losing by the REDS but don't publish the fact the BLUES won.
C'mon Gary, surely you don't expect them to play fair.... all those lovely words, filibuster and gerrymandering.....
Imagine... "OMG, Hitler invaded Poland, that's against the rules"
This is serious
(And I think "MSM" is one of their terms)
Thank you, Heather.
It’s reassuring to see a more public display by Democrats to call the “bluff(s)” perpetrated by the R-party, and stand up for the Truth. My hope is this strategy will continue, and, reach those most stubborn to change their minds regarding all things citizen Phlegm(former president).
Thank you Heather! I just happened to be awake when today’s Letter appeared. Now I can go back to sleep with a little hope!