Recognizing that he is losing the demographics he needs to win reelection, Trump has clearly decided that his best bet is to spur his base to turn out in vast numbers and vote.
Trump’s thin blue line flag: What an anti-American desecration of our flag and the republic for which it stands. He and his minions are rallying for another civil war? a coup? There will be so much crap for Democrats to clean up for the country, and so much for Lincoln Republicans to do to clean up their party.
We fly this flag ONLY in support of law enforcement, and specifically our son, who is out there every day supporting his community; to think that it is now a symbol of this detestable administration is beyond appalling.
On my mind: When he loses, can the dem’s start papers for removal from office using the 25th Amendment? Would they have the support of his cabinet? Given what we know about him, he will seek the largest path of destruction before he leaves office. Dumpster Fire is definitely one of those people who think that if he suffers, everyone must suffer with him.
I agree. May be the first order of business by the new Democratic majority House and Senate the first week of January, 2021. ... nice tothink 2020 will be over then, isn't it?
Errol Morris's film "The This Blue Line" is really worth watching in the context of today's politics, especially. It's on YouTube and Amazon Prime. Here's Roger Ebert's review. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-thin-blue-line-1988
Shouldn't have read this tonight. Hard to stomach. His abandonment of the American flag for something that better suits his purposes, reminds me of what I've read of Hitler during the buildup to declaring war on Poland. He is rolling over so much of our democracy and we are waiting patiently for the election and then hopefully for the transition of power. I feel like he has declared war on us, the US. Pence going ahead with rallies after his aides testing positive-unbelievable. On another note, the autumn leaves are beautiful...good to notice.
Your wording, “His abandonment of the American flag for something that better suits his purposes,” hits it right on the nail head. I found out from a friend the other day that she plans to vote for Trump, (and she says she hates him), because he stands against crime. Imagine, fighting crime using people who fight humanity. SMH. Classic example of not thinking it through.
One of the ironies is that Trump, in the last debate, chastised Biden for being too hard on criminals when he was in the Senate by supporting the Clinton crime bill! For emphasis, Trump lied about Biden, claiming Biden used the term "superpredators" which he didn't. Yet, Trump goes on stage to assure his base that HE will be tough on crime and that the country is in chaos because Dems are soft on crime!
This letter make me feel like I just watched a very dramatic thriller film. Filled with anxiety. No offense, the facts are the facts, but Lordy! What a crap show. I am so sick of religious right shit to be blunt, that does not represent the majority of Americans or take into account other faiths or even those that are not religious. It’s so hypocritical. It’s so UnAmerican and dishonest it makes me want to puck. I feel like they are all in a cult, not that that has not been said before, but I mean, wtf! End of rant. 🤦♀️
Agree. And so hypocritical - “We need to live by scripture/the words of the Bible - it’s our religious right and God’s will”. And those same people don’t think Muslims should be able to fully exercise their religious rights - why? Because my religion is better than your religion. SMH
Anyone who has studied the Bible knows that on its surface, it is self-contradictory in many places. There is no way to live by scripture without interpretation. So the hypocrisy goes deeper than what you pointed out. The 'use government to impose religion' folks are imposing their group's *interpretation* of the scripture *as their group defines it* (there are differences even within groups that have roughly the same scripture), on everyone else. This sort of thing was rife in the English colonies in what became the United States It is the reason that the Founders were so careful to separate religion from government.
I heard a segment on NPR this morning that the Trump campaign is focusing their efforts on conservative Catholics this year. (those Catholics who attend Mass regularly and do other things to practice their religion) These folks seem to have done him more good in 2016 than evangelicals. Their outreach to these voters is targeted and extensive. They are rabidly anti-abortion and will vote for Trump instead of Biden, who is a Catholic. Lord help us.
I am closer to being a Biden Catholic, meaning I am more concerned about how we treat the elderly, immigrants, refugees, the poor, how we interact with other countries and how our leaders conduct themselves and their affairs, than I am about the pro-birth issue. The greed and corruption doesn’t seem to matter to some Catholics as saving every fertilized egg does.
I’m a weekly Mass attendee (at least before the pandemic hit), and a lector, and I can assure you I am so opposed to this mango maniac that I am doing everything I can to get him out of office. When people ask me how I can be Catholic and pro choice, I tell them I am pro choice, not pro abortion, and women should be given all the help they need to keep their babies if they want. That includes healthcare, childcare and a wage that lets them support their family. Abandoning these moms after their babies are born is not pro life!
It is hard to understand how these folks reconcile the teachings of the Church with Trump's immorality and lack of compassion for anyone. They care about people before they are born, but not after.
Until Substack ever allows self-editing, we simply HAVE to assiduously proof-read, folks! I admit I sometimes miss things even then, but having formerly done some editing, I'm kind of used to scouring copy for errors. Still, some of the mistakes CAN be amusing...
You dare question the almighty righteousness of this good forum? Blaspheme! Be gone from our midst lest you soil our intent!
I'm sorry, I accidentally slipped into fire and brimstone mode. Some folks like that I guess? To your point, edit would be a nice feature. Don't know why they don't add it.
No self-edits makes me a little crazy.... and also has anyone be forced off in the middle of writing something and it's all gone? It like reboots when someone posts while you are writing and your post just disappears.
Yes! It is aggravating, but I think it comes when you're writing something to post and somebody else posts, then it seems to disappear somewhere in the cyber-universe. I find if I am going to post something of any length, I open up Microsoft Word or Notepad, or whatever, and type it there first. Then just highlight it with a right mouse-click, hit "Copy", then go over to the HCR Letter space, right-click, and hit "Paste", and voilá! Works every time AND is safer!!
To be precise, the question is why substack has not implemented self-edits. While I don't know, and I really wish they would at least allow self-edits of a person's most recent post, sometimes platforms don't do it because they want to preserve the original posting history, and sometimes it's just not their priority for coding time.
Today my son’s GF (19) said, “We just have to make it to Election Day. It will get better.” She’s weary and scared, she wants normalcy. We all do, but I fear this is just the beginning of a long, hard, journey. We can pull it off though, of that I’m certain.
Anybody who doesn't understand the first rule of community organizing - "The real fight starts *after* you win the election" - is living in fantasyland. None of the scum are going to go back beneath their rocks the day after the election.
I agree! Democrats tend to get complacent after a big win. I really hope after the election we gain a foothold that gets us on the right track. We need "New Deal-like" change in order to move forward. Something that will hold on for generations.
Biden is, too! He has a legal team ready in case of a fight. And he can build a cabinet with his primary contenders: Yang, Booker, Klobuchar, Warren, Sanders, ...
Not if the Supreme Court and the lower Courts, with their lifetime appointees, keep drilling holes below the ship's waterline. As I said earlier, there are answers to this, but I believe they are illegal and unspeakable.
A very long slog. While some of the fringe craziness may (emphasis added) die down after the electoral defeat, the powers and demands of the plutocrats who have benefited from the tax changes and regulatory rollbacks will remain in force.
One of the most insidious effects of the Trump regime's hollowing out of the government is that it has driven out competent experts and administrators in so many areas--see Lewis' The Fifth Risk--and discouraged future talent from considering public service. Most recently along these lines, on 10/21/20 Trump published an Executive Order to back up his tweeted claims that he can fire any executive branch officer at will, thereby undermining the operations and independence of executive branch employees, AKA the "deep state." If unchallenged, this threatens great further harm to government expertise and functioning with or without his electoral defeat.
We're all understandably hyped up on the escalating electoral craziness, but repairing the structural erosions of the institutions of government is critical and will take lots of work over a long time.
Tonight's letter is at the "Oh my God!" level! Didn't hear anything particularly new in the news today so thought it was going to be a quiet night. But, that is why I read Heather's Letters so I know what I've missed. This one made me feel like I did on an amusement ride where you started on the high point on one side of a large loop and did the loop ending up at the other side. At that point you realize the only way back to where you started was to do it all backwards. Then the car rolls back accelerating to the bottom of the loop coming up the other side and then finding yourself at the top of the loop upside down and backwards with your stomach someplace down at the bottom of the loop.
The thin blue line also refers to a police unwritten code of silence not to rat on any police misconduct.
I'd recommend going to choosedemocracy.us to prepare for the coup that seems more and more likely to happen. Several great articles on what to do now and when the coup happens. The best thing to do is keep it from happening but that is becoming less and less of an option at this point. Count every vote!
Trump’s thin blue line increases the pressure on a lot of police officers not inclined to go along with him: ex-military, African Americans, and all officers who believe in common decency and doing the right thing. And whatever protective allegiance some officers might feel toward each other for doing their job, trump is not one of them.
Not to mention police officers who are first responders required to interact with the public in this climate of trump’s denial instead of appropriate measures to mitigate risk from coronavirus.
Would like to add that the vast, vast majority of law enforcement absolutely adhere to the rule of law and serve a grateful public.... unlike the current Attorney General who only serves on dubious person. I am very grateful to law enforcement and thank them with heart-felt gratitude.
In reading about the strategies advocated on choosedemocracy.us, it occurs to me that the one strike that would really help is for Twtter employees to go on strike. If enough employees strike, the Cheetoh has no access to Twitter. And as he said last night to Leslie Stahl, he would have no voice.
Super! George Lakey who teaches it is an incredible person. He was doing training on nonviolence in 1964 in the South. And all over the world since then. He speaks not only from an academic and intellectual basis but from extensive first-hand knowledge.
I actually didn’t know exactly what it stood for but I knew it was something “nefarious “ and right wing related. You can imagine my despair when I saw my son-in-law wearing one.
So many moving parts with so much at stake. Your summary and analysis helped me appreciate the breathtaking cynicism of Trump's position regarding the pandemic. The endless lies in the face of overwhelming evidence that a crushing new wave of infections has arrived are disorienting.
Your latest letter arrived in my in-box as I was finishing your excellent piece in The Atlantic about Amy Coney Barrett's embrace of so-called "originalism." It's by far the most I've learned about the concept. You brought it to life, so thank you (link below).
In a normal Senate hearing for a nominee, you should have been called as a witness. Americans would have come away understanding how far back the new court could turn back the clock and how much we take for granted could be lost. You nailed it.
By the way, playing in the background while I read was Leslie Stahl's "60 Minutes" interview with Trump. (Yes, I glanced away to watch Trump's body language.) So it's been a clarifying night for the maelstrom awaiting us in these climactic days.
This article about originalism is short, clear, and to the point. I love their example of only Army and Navy in the Constitution—no Air Force—and that Heather co-wrote this with Angus King Jr., her U.S. senator from Maine.
But the objective of the "Originalists" is to return to a period when we could neither "think" nor "express ourselves" freely. So arguments about the letter of the constitution loosing in part its pertinence these days doesn't bother them much. They assure that they will think in our place and make sure there is no countervailing force that will get in their way and prevent them, as good Southern Gentlemen" from telling us what is good for us and how we will serve them...and God is their witness and not ours. The State as such disappears and each Proprietor becomes ruler of his own individual domaine, while maintaing an inter-monarch agreement of mutual support where they are not directly competing for wealth accumulation.
Another sleepless night ending with an early morning semi-dream about Covid. That the WH has given up, that Pence will continue to travel as "necessary personnel" while he should be quarantining makes me sick. And angry. There are no words left to describe my intense rage and sadness at what has become of this country, and how divided we are. And what good does that anger do? Raises my blood pressure, and makes me continue to write postcards. Not sure my health can tolerate 4 more years. There are too many days left before Nov.3
He should be getting hammered every day with the comparison to S. Korea. It completely blows away their lame excuses and non-response to this pandemic. I can't understand why this hasn't being trumpeted for months. I've barely heard anything about it. It's eye opening to read about here.
We’re only partway there on November 3. Think about what this deranged toddler, who’s been told no, and his sycophants can do before in their petulance January 20.
Let’s hope the Biden administration, the military and others are making plans to protect the country during those 3 months. It’s a nice time for an invasion by trumpy’s “friends,” for which he will take no responsibility.
45 and crew decided a long time ago not to bother trying to limit the pandemic. Escalating beyond that, Trump made public health neglect a measure of adherence to his cult, resulting in many of his followers ignoring or opposing masks etc, which in turn helped covid to spread. Now Trump and Pence have escalated further, actively encouraging the spread of the virus in many states by holding large gatherings of close together, shouting, maskless people. Pence continuing to do this even when he should be in quarantine is a logical extension. Their flag should have a large covid molecule at its center, with rows of coffins in the stripes.
McConnell noted: “A lot of what we’ve done over the last four years will be undone sooner or later by the next election. They won’t be able to do much about this for a long time to come.”
Oh yeah? Watch and see how long it takes for us to start digging you goddamned southern traitors out by the roots next year, you goddamned tenth-generation Confederate traitor.
This is when I would like someone to sue DT for desecration of the U.S. flag and for practicing medicine without a license and for a myriad other high crimes and misdemeanors. I had always wondered why it says misdemeanors since that sounds like a relatively minor offense. Doing some research I found it is because in British Law which the American colonists knew very well people in high office were held to the higher standard of conduct because of the greater it would have.
Despite the impression that some "patriotic" groups try to give, the so-called flag code, while part of the US Code (4, I think- I looked it up once a while back and forget), is advisory only- no sanctions involved (unless you have a hyper-patriot neighbor with a feather up his rear yelling about it, which can be painful). As for changing colors/configuration, the "suggestions" in the code refer only to the US standard flag. Change the colors or configuration, and it is some other flag. Doesn't much matter what Amy Coney Barrett thinks. And she's already demonstrated that on thing she doesn't want to be criticized about, she just doesn't say anything.
And so it goes.....dog whistles to his base, flags to beat the breast of not nationalism but oppression, trying to do as much damage as possible in the run-up to the election that he is very close to losing....yep he "loves" this country. Only as long as he can hoodwink people and make money from their inability to see. Watching the "60 Minutes" interview last night was a giant illustration of his pettiness and his unwillingness to think beyond himself. He had no words of inspiration to offer to anyone. Eight days seems like such an interminable time.
I find it fitting that trump's supporters rally around a bastardized perversion of the American flag. They are indeed a perversion of what America stands for.
This is a sincere question: How does the U.S. Constitution allow Secretaries Pompeo and Azar to support any international declaration on behalf of this country without congressional deliberation and approval?
Even if the Senate would do whatever 45 wants, a treaty is not valid unless they do it. Maybe these declarations have a different status than treaties? Would anyone here who actually knows be willing to tell us about it?
I don't think they are worried about validity. They just want the momentary Buzz for their religious fanatic supporters and couldn't care less about consequences or legality.
Great column, Heather! While none of us can know what will happen on November 3 and over the following days/weeks/months, I think we need to prepare ourselves to be effective actors in a number of alternative scenarios. One such scenario is that Biden wins, and begins to put together the personnel for his administration. We need to carefully monitor who Biden brings into positions of highest influence, both within his Cabinet and in other positions of prominence. BlackWater, the largest money manager in the world (assets of $6 trillion) is heavily invested in the fossil fuel industry. The company has proven masterful at gaining positions of high influence in whatever administration is in power. The company is agnostic. Their interest is in controlling public policy, no matter which party is in power. I suggest that anyone concerned with this topic read Max Moran's excellent 10/23/20 article, "How BlackRock Is On Track to Infiltrate Biden Administration," <https://www.counterpunch.org>.
Just to note, Blackwater is run by Erik Prince, Secretary of Education Betty DeVos's brother. Always thought DT was going to make them his Praetorian Guard.
Prince sold out Blackwater to a group of investors in 2010. Blackrock is instutionally owned and the largest shareholder is the Vanguard group with 8% which is an investment fund mutually owned by its customers.
Prince renamed his Blackwater military-style organization Xe Services in 2009. It is now known as Academi since 2011 after the company was acquired by a group of private investors.
I find it interesting that he is still spurring his following to get out and vote. It very much looks like he feels his only chance of surviving is in increasing the level of participation of his followers, or decreasing the level of their discouragement. He is even admitting that he won't have a Senate majority to protect him. This doesn't somehow sound like a future dictator, highly organized and sure of the material ressources he commands, confident in his para-military's plans and capacities for coordinated, effective action and full of channelled passion and motivating rhetoric leading the charge for an efficient, armed take over of the State. If he had more in mind than puffed up self-glorification, continued clouds of chaos behind which the bully can hide his cowardice and auto-generated mirages of his fake reality, he would be playing martial tunes, making demonstrations of strength, showing an initial glimpse of his forces that will "control the situation", warning of imminent peril to the nation from "fifth columnists" and external forces and hold a totally panicked nation in an iron grip. His message would now be "Vote Trump or Else: You have no choice, I will save you".
Furtunately he has absolutely no idea either what the word means or that it might be essential for his survival. He is under the illusion that "his word is law" and, like ye olde King Canute in viking dominated England, he can command the waves.
Stuart, I think you're right. Many pundits are wringing their hands about what Trump will/may do, laying out audacious and nefarious plans, etc., but I really don't think Trump has the mental organizational skills to put that all together. Thank God.
His behavior has proven to be so 'in the moment' and erratic, it's pretty obvious he doesn't plan ahead and certainly doesn't understand how piece A fits into slot C.
Still, he's caused more damage by accident than any of his predecessors have done on purpose. Imagine if he' really had a plan!
I think he DOES have the ability, along with his grifter team, to trash this election and stay in power. First he floods the airspace all around hi
With non stop lies and BS. Then while the rest of us are reporting, separating out fact from fiction, opining on what we think it means, his team are filing lawsuits to stop early vote counting in Dem counties and contesting the “error rate” of early votes.
He is full of empty threats, and has been making them for four years. Fortunately, he is not smart or competent to follow through. I hope this is true with regard to conceding after the election.
But when he doesn't "concede" i think he will be asked... where are his tanks and how many divisions are backing them up? The rats will have left the ship. And we'll only hear his Covid-reduced huffing and puffing while trying to make lawyer's papers flutter in the wind, seem larger than life and impersonate the "constitutional bogeyman". We can then ignore him while pushing him out of the way so he can't hurt anyone in his empty, vengeful, self pitying wrath.
I wish I could believe that, but I think the next Hydra will be his planned media program under Kushner — with tRumph, Sr. Replacing the soon to be martyred Limbaugh. Aren’t scenarios fun?
It doesn't matter if he concedes or not. The decision is ours. And the system for removing him is now in process. I have been in the Choose Democracy camp since it began, and that, along with the fact that the military and other federal bodies have made it clear their allegiance is to the Constitution, will ensure that he simply leaves. There are the boys with guns who are trying to convince people that they are a force to be reckoned with (and that includes some renegade cops and sheriffs). But don't forget that it was the FBI who identified and arrested several groups of plotters. Yes, there is likely to be trouble somewhere. Interesting that Trump seems to have backed off from his dog whistles. Like you, I can only say "I hope" right now, but my hope is that the transition be peaceful and the guns are stuck back under beds and in sheds. I also hope that Trump's last attempt to look Presidential will be to imitate Byden and or even GW. Possible but tenuous.
Stuart, for once (or has it been two times? :-]), I agree with you. More or less. Suspect what Trump is saying about not having a Republican Senate is not necessarily something he really believes- his ego is too big to allow that thought- but something he has been told to say to scare his "base" into actually voting (after all, people's fortunes are at stake here). So many of those poor souls who continue to support Trump have been brainwashed into thinking that under such a scenario, they will be forced to give up their handguns, pay for other peoples medical care while they get none, pay estate taxes even if they live in a bungalow and have $457 in the bank, etc. Or they are convinced that opening thing up will save the economy and that somehow herd immunity will magically occur if everyone gets sick (I wonder if they are even aware that hospitals are again overloaded and people are dying because they can't get help- no helicopters or magic potions for them). Or they think that the stock market is the economy and are unable to see that only rich people benefit. This makes me sad: that some people are so frightened of what happens to their lives if the Dems win the election, and many only just now are beginning to see what has happened to their lives under Trump. That mean their votes might be a little shaky, and some may decide not to vote at all. T is trying to pull them back in. I read different stuff than a lot of folks, and what the media is saying is all over the place- there is no consensus. Ultimately, I turn to this: what happens next is up to us.
At least what he needs to achieve is to motivate his "supporters" by reminding them they they will nolonger be able to think they are ahead, or doing better than, of somebody else if they don't get out the vote. That's all the "White Trash" (see Nancy Isenberg's excellent history) think they really need and care about.
Thank you, Heather - I think. I only say that because, as I read, I felt the stone in the pit of my stomach grow heavier and heavier. A sense of spiritual claustrophobia, which is the only way I can describe it, washed over me, and I felt utterly defeated.
When I came to the McConnell quote about 'what will be undone', it was worse. When I think of what he and his henchmen, in fealty to Trump and power, have already 'undone' - civility, unity, the common good, etc., it just leaves me totally flummoxed.
I hope that the Senate Democrats (at least the leadership) have taken note of this and will be ready, if the chance arises, to hammer the Republicans. "Sure, join us if you'd like. Glad to have you aboard but that doesn't mean we won't work to overturn your actions and to get you voted out of office."
Trump’s thin blue line flag: What an anti-American desecration of our flag and the republic for which it stands. He and his minions are rallying for another civil war? a coup? There will be so much crap for Democrats to clean up for the country, and so much for Lincoln Republicans to do to clean up their party.
🇺🇸
In NE FL these flags are everywhere. In front of businesses, homes, stickers on vehicles. It’s creepy.
We fly this flag ONLY in support of law enforcement, and specifically our son, who is out there every day supporting his community; to think that it is now a symbol of this detestable administration is beyond appalling.
Scary, but an alert.
Likewise, the swastika is an ancient symbol that was co-opted by the Nazi party.
Makes me want to call for his Impeachment... Oh, yah, we already did that....
I would not be surprised if another call for his impeachment is immediately started if he is re-elected.
On my mind: When he loses, can the dem’s start papers for removal from office using the 25th Amendment? Would they have the support of his cabinet? Given what we know about him, he will seek the largest path of destruction before he leaves office. Dumpster Fire is definitely one of those people who think that if he suffers, everyone must suffer with him.
What we SHOULD get from the Democrats is an open promise that they're going to clean up the mess, including prosecutions where warranted.
That and impeachment require majorities of a size that the democrats aren't projected to have.
I agree. May be the first order of business by the new Democratic majority House and Senate the first week of January, 2021. ... nice tothink 2020 will be over then, isn't it?
Are you sure 2020 is going to end? I'm beginning to wonder.
If he no longer has the Senate.
Absolutely!
Errol Morris's film "The This Blue Line" is really worth watching in the context of today's politics, especially. It's on YouTube and Amazon Prime. Here's Roger Ebert's review. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-thin-blue-line-1988
Shouldn't have read this tonight. Hard to stomach. His abandonment of the American flag for something that better suits his purposes, reminds me of what I've read of Hitler during the buildup to declaring war on Poland. He is rolling over so much of our democracy and we are waiting patiently for the election and then hopefully for the transition of power. I feel like he has declared war on us, the US. Pence going ahead with rallies after his aides testing positive-unbelievable. On another note, the autumn leaves are beautiful...good to notice.
Your wording, “His abandonment of the American flag for something that better suits his purposes,” hits it right on the nail head. I found out from a friend the other day that she plans to vote for Trump, (and she says she hates him), because he stands against crime. Imagine, fighting crime using people who fight humanity. SMH. Classic example of not thinking it through.
One of the ironies is that Trump, in the last debate, chastised Biden for being too hard on criminals when he was in the Senate by supporting the Clinton crime bill! For emphasis, Trump lied about Biden, claiming Biden used the term "superpredators" which he didn't. Yet, Trump goes on stage to assure his base that HE will be tough on crime and that the country is in chaos because Dems are soft on crime!
What? And she thinks Biden is FOR crime? Unbelievable.
No, not acknowledging HIS crimes!
This letter make me feel like I just watched a very dramatic thriller film. Filled with anxiety. No offense, the facts are the facts, but Lordy! What a crap show. I am so sick of religious right shit to be blunt, that does not represent the majority of Americans or take into account other faiths or even those that are not religious. It’s so hypocritical. It’s so UnAmerican and dishonest it makes me want to puck. I feel like they are all in a cult, not that that has not been said before, but I mean, wtf! End of rant. 🤦♀️
Agree. And so hypocritical - “We need to live by scripture/the words of the Bible - it’s our religious right and God’s will”. And those same people don’t think Muslims should be able to fully exercise their religious rights - why? Because my religion is better than your religion. SMH
Anyone who has studied the Bible knows that on its surface, it is self-contradictory in many places. There is no way to live by scripture without interpretation. So the hypocrisy goes deeper than what you pointed out. The 'use government to impose religion' folks are imposing their group's *interpretation* of the scripture *as their group defines it* (there are differences even within groups that have roughly the same scripture), on everyone else. This sort of thing was rife in the English colonies in what became the United States It is the reason that the Founders were so careful to separate religion from government.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Right. How is this core foundation of separation of church and state skewed now?! It makes me crazy! 😜
Me too.
My invisible man in the sky is better than your invisible man in the sky!
and you better do whatever I decide my guy in the sky says
(personally, my idea of G-d does not involve any guy in the sky, just riffing on the previous comment)
I heard a segment on NPR this morning that the Trump campaign is focusing their efforts on conservative Catholics this year. (those Catholics who attend Mass regularly and do other things to practice their religion) These folks seem to have done him more good in 2016 than evangelicals. Their outreach to these voters is targeted and extensive. They are rabidly anti-abortion and will vote for Trump instead of Biden, who is a Catholic. Lord help us.
I am closer to being a Biden Catholic, meaning I am more concerned about how we treat the elderly, immigrants, refugees, the poor, how we interact with other countries and how our leaders conduct themselves and their affairs, than I am about the pro-birth issue. The greed and corruption doesn’t seem to matter to some Catholics as saving every fertilized egg does.
I’m a weekly Mass attendee (at least before the pandemic hit), and a lector, and I can assure you I am so opposed to this mango maniac that I am doing everything I can to get him out of office. When people ask me how I can be Catholic and pro choice, I tell them I am pro choice, not pro abortion, and women should be given all the help they need to keep their babies if they want. That includes healthcare, childcare and a wage that lets them support their family. Abandoning these moms after their babies are born is not pro life!
You are now my very best friend.
I couldn’t agree more!
Every word of that, Annette. Bravo!
It is hard to understand how these folks reconcile the teachings of the Church with Trump's immorality and lack of compassion for anyone. They care about people before they are born, but not after.
I’ll puke while you “puck.” 😂
Ha-ha.
Does anyone know why substack doesn't allow self-edits?
Until Substack ever allows self-editing, we simply HAVE to assiduously proof-read, folks! I admit I sometimes miss things even then, but having formerly done some editing, I'm kind of used to scouring copy for errors. Still, some of the mistakes CAN be amusing...
But as I stated above, as I'm trying to proof-read many time I get kicked off and the whole post is lost....
You dare question the almighty righteousness of this good forum? Blaspheme! Be gone from our midst lest you soil our intent!
I'm sorry, I accidentally slipped into fire and brimstone mode. Some folks like that I guess? To your point, edit would be a nice feature. Don't know why they don't add it.
Maybe we should develop a petition.
No self-edits makes me a little crazy.... and also has anyone be forced off in the middle of writing something and it's all gone? It like reboots when someone posts while you are writing and your post just disappears.
Yes! It is aggravating, but I think it comes when you're writing something to post and somebody else posts, then it seems to disappear somewhere in the cyber-universe. I find if I am going to post something of any length, I open up Microsoft Word or Notepad, or whatever, and type it there first. Then just highlight it with a right mouse-click, hit "Copy", then go over to the HCR Letter space, right-click, and hit "Paste", and voilá! Works every time AND is safer!!
Actually you left mouse-click to highlight THEN right mouse-click and choose the "Copy" function.
That method works best if you know in advance you'll be writing a long post.
To be precise, the question is why substack has not implemented self-edits. While I don't know, and I really wish they would at least allow self-edits of a person's most recent post, sometimes platforms don't do it because they want to preserve the original posting history, and sometimes it's just not their priority for coding time.
Facebook shows the edit history.
Today my son’s GF (19) said, “We just have to make it to Election Day. It will get better.” She’s weary and scared, she wants normalcy. We all do, but I fear this is just the beginning of a long, hard, journey. We can pull it off though, of that I’m certain.
Anybody who doesn't understand the first rule of community organizing - "The real fight starts *after* you win the election" - is living in fantasyland. None of the scum are going to go back beneath their rocks the day after the election.
I agree! Democrats tend to get complacent after a big win. I really hope after the election we gain a foothold that gets us on the right track. We need "New Deal-like" change in order to move forward. Something that will hold on for generations.
They are already laying the groundwork!
Biden is, too! He has a legal team ready in case of a fight. And he can build a cabinet with his primary contenders: Yang, Booker, Klobuchar, Warren, Sanders, ...
We can right this ship.
Not if the Supreme Court and the lower Courts, with their lifetime appointees, keep drilling holes below the ship's waterline. As I said earlier, there are answers to this, but I believe they are illegal and unspeakable.
Unspeakable, yes. And an apt metaphor.
A very long slog. While some of the fringe craziness may (emphasis added) die down after the electoral defeat, the powers and demands of the plutocrats who have benefited from the tax changes and regulatory rollbacks will remain in force.
One of the most insidious effects of the Trump regime's hollowing out of the government is that it has driven out competent experts and administrators in so many areas--see Lewis' The Fifth Risk--and discouraged future talent from considering public service. Most recently along these lines, on 10/21/20 Trump published an Executive Order to back up his tweeted claims that he can fire any executive branch officer at will, thereby undermining the operations and independence of executive branch employees, AKA the "deep state." If unchallenged, this threatens great further harm to government expertise and functioning with or without his electoral defeat.
The source I read was from Donald Kettl:
https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/10/trumps-order-sets-stage-loyalty-tests-thousands-feds/169492/
He linked copies of the order itself:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-creating-schedule-f-excepted-service/
as well as a relevant 2018 Congressional Research Service study:
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/LSB10172.pdf
We're all understandably hyped up on the escalating electoral craziness, but repairing the structural erosions of the institutions of government is critical and will take lots of work over a long time.
I too highly recommend "The Fifth Risk" by Michael Lewis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fifth_Risk
Tonight's letter is at the "Oh my God!" level! Didn't hear anything particularly new in the news today so thought it was going to be a quiet night. But, that is why I read Heather's Letters so I know what I've missed. This one made me feel like I did on an amusement ride where you started on the high point on one side of a large loop and did the loop ending up at the other side. At that point you realize the only way back to where you started was to do it all backwards. Then the car rolls back accelerating to the bottom of the loop coming up the other side and then finding yourself at the top of the loop upside down and backwards with your stomach someplace down at the bottom of the loop.
The thin blue line also refers to a police unwritten code of silence not to rat on any police misconduct.
I'd recommend going to choosedemocracy.us to prepare for the coup that seems more and more likely to happen. Several great articles on what to do now and when the coup happens. The best thing to do is keep it from happening but that is becoming less and less of an option at this point. Count every vote!
Trump’s thin blue line increases the pressure on a lot of police officers not inclined to go along with him: ex-military, African Americans, and all officers who believe in common decency and doing the right thing. And whatever protective allegiance some officers might feel toward each other for doing their job, trump is not one of them.
Not to mention police officers who are first responders required to interact with the public in this climate of trump’s denial instead of appropriate measures to mitigate risk from coronavirus.
Correct. Mothers of police officers everywhere wonder when the day will come that they can once again hug their child safely.
That would be a happy day. It will come sooner when the "good cops" root out the racists and bullies in their own departments.
That is ongoing and is happening. You just might not hear about it. In fact, you just might not know it all.
Yes. Affirmative. True.
It should go without saying but not all law enforcement adhere to the "unwritten code" you speak of.
Absolutely agree!
Would like to add that the vast, vast majority of law enforcement absolutely adhere to the rule of law and serve a grateful public.... unlike the current Attorney General who only serves on dubious person. I am very grateful to law enforcement and thank them with heart-felt gratitude.
I have signed up for the training with choosedemocracy.us.
In reading about the strategies advocated on choosedemocracy.us, it occurs to me that the one strike that would really help is for Twtter employees to go on strike. If enough employees strike, the Cheetoh has no access to Twitter. And as he said last night to Leslie Stahl, he would have no voice.
That is a great idea!
I signed the petition and was going to share on twitter, but it is blocked there “for being potentially harmful.”
Super! George Lakey who teaches it is an incredible person. He was doing training on nonviolence in 1964 in the South. And all over the world since then. He speaks not only from an academic and intellectual basis but from extensive first-hand knowledge.
A great tidbit from the training is " if in doubt about what to do sit down!" It de-escalates the situation.
I actually didn’t know exactly what it stood for but I knew it was something “nefarious “ and right wing related. You can imagine my despair when I saw my son-in-law wearing one.
So many moving parts with so much at stake. Your summary and analysis helped me appreciate the breathtaking cynicism of Trump's position regarding the pandemic. The endless lies in the face of overwhelming evidence that a crushing new wave of infections has arrived are disorienting.
Your latest letter arrived in my in-box as I was finishing your excellent piece in The Atlantic about Amy Coney Barrett's embrace of so-called "originalism." It's by far the most I've learned about the concept. You brought it to life, so thank you (link below).
In a normal Senate hearing for a nominee, you should have been called as a witness. Americans would have come away understanding how far back the new court could turn back the clock and how much we take for granted could be lost. You nailed it.
By the way, playing in the background while I read was Leslie Stahl's "60 Minutes" interview with Trump. (Yes, I glanced away to watch Trump's body language.) So it's been a clarifying night for the maelstrom awaiting us in these climactic days.
(https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/10/originalism-barrett/616844/)
This article about originalism is short, clear, and to the point. I love their example of only Army and Navy in the Constitution—no Air Force—and that Heather co-wrote this with Angus King Jr., her U.S. senator from Maine.
But the objective of the "Originalists" is to return to a period when we could neither "think" nor "express ourselves" freely. So arguments about the letter of the constitution loosing in part its pertinence these days doesn't bother them much. They assure that they will think in our place and make sure there is no countervailing force that will get in their way and prevent them, as good Southern Gentlemen" from telling us what is good for us and how we will serve them...and God is their witness and not ours. The State as such disappears and each Proprietor becomes ruler of his own individual domaine, while maintaing an inter-monarch agreement of mutual support where they are not directly competing for wealth accumulation.
I read that article yesterday. Yes, she did a wonderful job clarifying what exactly an ‘originalist’ is. I needed an explanation that made sense!
I love "breathtaking cynicism!"
Another sleepless night ending with an early morning semi-dream about Covid. That the WH has given up, that Pence will continue to travel as "necessary personnel" while he should be quarantining makes me sick. And angry. There are no words left to describe my intense rage and sadness at what has become of this country, and how divided we are. And what good does that anger do? Raises my blood pressure, and makes me continue to write postcards. Not sure my health can tolerate 4 more years. There are too many days left before Nov.3
Reporters need to ask Pence every time they can about his most recent COVID test result.
He should be getting hammered every day with the comparison to S. Korea. It completely blows away their lame excuses and non-response to this pandemic. I can't understand why this hasn't being trumpeted for months. I've barely heard anything about it. It's eye opening to read about here.
He'd probably just spin it like he spins China, "They're hiding the numbers!"
We’re only partway there on November 3. Think about what this deranged toddler, who’s been told no, and his sycophants can do before in their petulance January 20.
I know that's right, but I'm not ready to go there. Let's get Biden in, then go after the tRump thugs.
Let’s hope the Biden administration, the military and others are making plans to protect the country during those 3 months. It’s a nice time for an invasion by trumpy’s “friends,” for which he will take no responsibility.
45 and crew decided a long time ago not to bother trying to limit the pandemic. Escalating beyond that, Trump made public health neglect a measure of adherence to his cult, resulting in many of his followers ignoring or opposing masks etc, which in turn helped covid to spread. Now Trump and Pence have escalated further, actively encouraging the spread of the virus in many states by holding large gatherings of close together, shouting, maskless people. Pence continuing to do this even when he should be in quarantine is a logical extension. Their flag should have a large covid molecule at its center, with rows of coffins in the stripes.
McConnell noted: “A lot of what we’ve done over the last four years will be undone sooner or later by the next election. They won’t be able to do much about this for a long time to come.”
Oh yeah? Watch and see how long it takes for us to start digging you goddamned southern traitors out by the roots next year, you goddamned tenth-generation Confederate traitor.
Funny how they work nonstop to get this accomplished, but when it comes to helping the people they are supposed to represent, nothing can get done. 🤔
... with Russian roots, by the way...
I would love to hear Amy Coney Barrett's interpretation of the flag code, which forbids changes to the colors or configuration of our flag.
This is when I would like someone to sue DT for desecration of the U.S. flag and for practicing medicine without a license and for a myriad other high crimes and misdemeanors. I had always wondered why it says misdemeanors since that sounds like a relatively minor offense. Doing some research I found it is because in British Law which the American colonists knew very well people in high office were held to the higher standard of conduct because of the greater it would have.
Despite the impression that some "patriotic" groups try to give, the so-called flag code, while part of the US Code (4, I think- I looked it up once a while back and forget), is advisory only- no sanctions involved (unless you have a hyper-patriot neighbor with a feather up his rear yelling about it, which can be painful). As for changing colors/configuration, the "suggestions" in the code refer only to the US standard flag. Change the colors or configuration, and it is some other flag. Doesn't much matter what Amy Coney Barrett thinks. And she's already demonstrated that on thing she doesn't want to be criticized about, she just doesn't say anything.
Thanks for the clarification.
And so it goes.....dog whistles to his base, flags to beat the breast of not nationalism but oppression, trying to do as much damage as possible in the run-up to the election that he is very close to losing....yep he "loves" this country. Only as long as he can hoodwink people and make money from their inability to see. Watching the "60 Minutes" interview last night was a giant illustration of his pettiness and his unwillingness to think beyond himself. He had no words of inspiration to offer to anyone. Eight days seems like such an interminable time.
He knows that his base loves his transgressiveness. The whole point of Trump is "going too far."
I find it fitting that trump's supporters rally around a bastardized perversion of the American flag. They are indeed a perversion of what America stands for.
This is a sincere question: How does the U.S. Constitution allow Secretaries Pompeo and Azar to support any international declaration on behalf of this country without congressional deliberation and approval?
If by Congress we mean the Senate.....where is the problem? But if it is House, then the answer doubtless is th
that it doesn't. But then there are one or two other aspects of the Constitution that they have been openly ignoring with absolute impunity.
The entire administration, from the top down, ignores the Constitution and flouts the laws.
Even if the Senate would do whatever 45 wants, a treaty is not valid unless they do it. Maybe these declarations have a different status than treaties? Would anyone here who actually knows be willing to tell us about it?
I don't think they are worried about validity. They just want the momentary Buzz for their religious fanatic supporters and couldn't care less about consequences or legality.
Certainly true. I was asking for more general purposes of understanding.
Great column, Heather! While none of us can know what will happen on November 3 and over the following days/weeks/months, I think we need to prepare ourselves to be effective actors in a number of alternative scenarios. One such scenario is that Biden wins, and begins to put together the personnel for his administration. We need to carefully monitor who Biden brings into positions of highest influence, both within his Cabinet and in other positions of prominence. BlackWater, the largest money manager in the world (assets of $6 trillion) is heavily invested in the fossil fuel industry. The company has proven masterful at gaining positions of high influence in whatever administration is in power. The company is agnostic. Their interest is in controlling public policy, no matter which party is in power. I suggest that anyone concerned with this topic read Max Moran's excellent 10/23/20 article, "How BlackRock Is On Track to Infiltrate Biden Administration," <https://www.counterpunch.org>.
Just to note, Blackwater is run by Erik Prince, Secretary of Education Betty DeVos's brother. Always thought DT was going to make them his Praetorian Guard.
Blackrock and Blackwater are not the same thing. But absolutely yes.
Prince sold out Blackwater to a group of investors in 2010. Blackrock is instutionally owned and the largest shareholder is the Vanguard group with 8% which is an investment fund mutually owned by its customers.
Prince renamed his Blackwater military-style organization Xe Services in 2009. It is now known as Academi since 2011 after the company was acquired by a group of private investors.
Thank you for clarifying that! I'll go look up Blackrock which I'm not familiar with.
But is Blackrock really the same organization as Blackwater?
I’m not an expert, but no.
All large corporations are “agnostic” by definition. Their only loyalty is to gain and maintain power.
You said it would be rough these last weeks.....but wow.
I find it interesting that he is still spurring his following to get out and vote. It very much looks like he feels his only chance of surviving is in increasing the level of participation of his followers, or decreasing the level of their discouragement. He is even admitting that he won't have a Senate majority to protect him. This doesn't somehow sound like a future dictator, highly organized and sure of the material ressources he commands, confident in his para-military's plans and capacities for coordinated, effective action and full of channelled passion and motivating rhetoric leading the charge for an efficient, armed take over of the State. If he had more in mind than puffed up self-glorification, continued clouds of chaos behind which the bully can hide his cowardice and auto-generated mirages of his fake reality, he would be playing martial tunes, making demonstrations of strength, showing an initial glimpse of his forces that will "control the situation", warning of imminent peril to the nation from "fifth columnists" and external forces and hold a totally panicked nation in an iron grip. His message would now be "Vote Trump or Else: You have no choice, I will save you".
That is a hopeful take! And I hope you are right. Imagine how much worse this might be if he were competent.
Furtunately he has absolutely no idea either what the word means or that it might be essential for his survival. He is under the illusion that "his word is law" and, like ye olde King Canute in viking dominated England, he can command the waves.
Ha! Well, let’s send him some brooms then!
Only works for the "curlers" on ice . Not much use against a Tsunami.
Stuart, I think you're right. Many pundits are wringing their hands about what Trump will/may do, laying out audacious and nefarious plans, etc., but I really don't think Trump has the mental organizational skills to put that all together. Thank God.
His behavior has proven to be so 'in the moment' and erratic, it's pretty obvious he doesn't plan ahead and certainly doesn't understand how piece A fits into slot C.
Still, he's caused more damage by accident than any of his predecessors have done on purpose. Imagine if he' really had a plan!
The planners are in the senate and elsewhere. He’s just the ever-moving target.
I think he DOES have the ability, along with his grifter team, to trash this election and stay in power. First he floods the airspace all around hi
With non stop lies and BS. Then while the rest of us are reporting, separating out fact from fiction, opining on what we think it means, his team are filing lawsuits to stop early vote counting in Dem counties and contesting the “error rate” of early votes.
He is full of empty threats, and has been making them for four years. Fortunately, he is not smart or competent to follow through. I hope this is true with regard to conceding after the election.
But when he doesn't "concede" i think he will be asked... where are his tanks and how many divisions are backing them up? The rats will have left the ship. And we'll only hear his Covid-reduced huffing and puffing while trying to make lawyer's papers flutter in the wind, seem larger than life and impersonate the "constitutional bogeyman". We can then ignore him while pushing him out of the way so he can't hurt anyone in his empty, vengeful, self pitying wrath.
I wish I could believe that, but I think the next Hydra will be his planned media program under Kushner — with tRumph, Sr. Replacing the soon to be martyred Limbaugh. Aren’t scenarios fun?
It doesn't matter if he concedes or not. The decision is ours. And the system for removing him is now in process. I have been in the Choose Democracy camp since it began, and that, along with the fact that the military and other federal bodies have made it clear their allegiance is to the Constitution, will ensure that he simply leaves. There are the boys with guns who are trying to convince people that they are a force to be reckoned with (and that includes some renegade cops and sheriffs). But don't forget that it was the FBI who identified and arrested several groups of plotters. Yes, there is likely to be trouble somewhere. Interesting that Trump seems to have backed off from his dog whistles. Like you, I can only say "I hope" right now, but my hope is that the transition be peaceful and the guns are stuck back under beds and in sheds. I also hope that Trump's last attempt to look Presidential will be to imitate Byden and or even GW. Possible but tenuous.
Stuart, for once (or has it been two times? :-]), I agree with you. More or less. Suspect what Trump is saying about not having a Republican Senate is not necessarily something he really believes- his ego is too big to allow that thought- but something he has been told to say to scare his "base" into actually voting (after all, people's fortunes are at stake here). So many of those poor souls who continue to support Trump have been brainwashed into thinking that under such a scenario, they will be forced to give up their handguns, pay for other peoples medical care while they get none, pay estate taxes even if they live in a bungalow and have $457 in the bank, etc. Or they are convinced that opening thing up will save the economy and that somehow herd immunity will magically occur if everyone gets sick (I wonder if they are even aware that hospitals are again overloaded and people are dying because they can't get help- no helicopters or magic potions for them). Or they think that the stock market is the economy and are unable to see that only rich people benefit. This makes me sad: that some people are so frightened of what happens to their lives if the Dems win the election, and many only just now are beginning to see what has happened to their lives under Trump. That mean their votes might be a little shaky, and some may decide not to vote at all. T is trying to pull them back in. I read different stuff than a lot of folks, and what the media is saying is all over the place- there is no consensus. Ultimately, I turn to this: what happens next is up to us.
At least what he needs to achieve is to motivate his "supporters" by reminding them they they will nolonger be able to think they are ahead, or doing better than, of somebody else if they don't get out the vote. That's all the "White Trash" (see Nancy Isenberg's excellent history) think they really need and care about.
Don't give him any ideas. But, yes, this hooeful! Thank Yoi.
You are absolutely right! Thanks
And here I thought YMCA was a "martial tune" ~ ha!
For the Gay Pride march perhaps!
Isn’t that what he’s already been doing?
Thank you, Heather - I think. I only say that because, as I read, I felt the stone in the pit of my stomach grow heavier and heavier. A sense of spiritual claustrophobia, which is the only way I can describe it, washed over me, and I felt utterly defeated.
When I came to the McConnell quote about 'what will be undone', it was worse. When I think of what he and his henchmen, in fealty to Trump and power, have already 'undone' - civility, unity, the common good, etc., it just leaves me totally flummoxed.
I hope that the Senate Democrats (at least the leadership) have taken note of this and will be ready, if the chance arises, to hammer the Republicans. "Sure, join us if you'd like. Glad to have you aboard but that doesn't mean we won't work to overturn your actions and to get you voted out of office."
Amen! I just wish I had more confidence in Schumer.