In the weeks after the January 6 insurrection, one of the things that struck me as an odd political calculation was how quickly Republican lawmakers fell back into line behind former president Trump.
The report concludes: “Trump was the driving force at every turn as he orchestrated what would become an attempted political coup in the months leading up to Jan. 6, calling his supporters to Washington, encouraging the mob to march on the Capitol and freezing in place key federal agencies whose job it was to investigate and stop threats to national security.” It notes that the former president did not make any effort to stop the attacks until it was clear they wouldn’t succeed, and that lawmakers assumed he was backing the rioters.
Stop calling it an "insurrection." That word implies a popular uprising, undirected and unplanned, of people who are "mad as hell and not going to take any more."
It was an act of Treason. Treason! Treason, as defined in the Constitution:
Article III, Section 3, Clause 1: Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
And I think there will be enough witnesses. Charge Trump with what he did: TREASON.
Oh come on! Be nice, be a gentleman and call the lies "Untruths and mis-statements.) I hope you know what I mean. GOP lawyers may have even nicer word for those f'ing lies!
The people who found trump useful are the 1 percenters, like the Greenwich Republics who funded Steve Bannon to be the kingmaker of trump for the 2016 election. Of course with nefarious ties to other world entities making active efforts to sow disinformation and chaos.
"Do not believe the “corporatist globalist media” that was “crying and weeping” on election night and is still “dead wrong” about what the Trump administration is doing. Inside the White House," Mr. Bannon said," everything is going according to plan. The “deconstruction of the administrative state ”has just begun."
”has just begun." It is still underway. Notice that the SC has more or less allowed the GOP to go on with their plans to end our democracy. They will keep the chaos going until we put a stop to it.
"Crisis is the rallying cry of the tyrant."
James Madison
They will do all they can to see that we remain in a state of crisis, from the disturbances at school board meetings to GOP lawmakers spouting insurrection-like rhetoric in both chambers of the legislatures.
Let's use our right to vote while we can for whatever good we can do.
If you examine the sources of financial support you will find Trump, Gop, white supremacists groups, and Christian nationalists are all supported by those wealthy capitalists in America as well as foreign nations. The Christian nationalists are active in just about all of the authoritarian governments in Europe and Asia.
Please don't take my word for it. Follow the money. That is what the FBI and CIA are doing.
McConnell received several million dollars from Russian interests, but he was not alone in that. No Russian is involved in American politics and capitalist ventures without prior approval from Putin.
It may be they want to wait until the 38 remaining prisoners in Guantanamo have been moved away before they jail 45's crew with what America has done with so many they have put there -- no charges and keep them there with an undetermined time for a trial.
I am just afraid they will wait till the midterms hit the news cycle and the GOP will accuse DEMS of politicizing and the DEMS will fold like a bunch of amateurs at a high stakes table
Definitely. List all of those criminals on a Wall of Shame. Also, include any quotations by these people to be held in public display in perpetuity to illustrate how dumb/criminal/evil the high-level perpetrators are. For example, that Georgia Congressman who said the attempted overthrow was just "a normal tourist visit." These things must be saved in history books and acknowledged by Congress to show how we'd degenerated to accept that type of nonsense.
We need those papers trump is hiding. That is where treason could possibly be proven. trump wanted to overthrow the election and the USA Government to stay in power. Who was whispering in his ear? Stephen Miller? Why didn't the Secret Service ferry the President to the bunker? What is their involvement?
Too much attention is being paid to the crazy fools at the Capitol. Who in Government had treasonous intent.
My take after reading the Marshall Project guide to insurrection legalese is that, contrary to what TCinLA and other responders of 1-2 hours ago might hope, Treason would be a heavy lift for January 6 on the legal front.
I think that we should hope for a heavy dollop of seditious conspiracy charges and 20-year prison sentences for the chief conspirators. The rioters, all of them, should be charged under federal jurisdiction for crossing state lines to attend a protest that becomes violent, ***as many BLM protesters were charged*** under TFG's Dept of Justice.
That said, we can still call it Treason, especially here among friends.
Personally, the claim that it can’t be treason because they carried US Flags is laughable. What better strategy to a successful coup? “To be guilty, you must have the specific intent to betray the U.S. on behalf of an enemy and then commit an overt act of such betrayal.” On behalf of an enemy. If a person intent on overthrowing a lawful election is not an enemy than who is? Surely it should be hard to prove, but it sure looks like a duck and should be held up to the light for what it is.
Too bad we can’t post the hundreds of visuals of Xtian Nationalist Flags, Confederate Flags, and a host of visual codes of the Fascist Far Right. And yes there is the “false flag” gambit in all this stuff.
It may look like a duck, but unless it quacks there are legal questions. Treason pertains to an enemy that we would be conducting a war against. This is not the case.
A group of citizens assaulted the seat of our government, armed, with the intention of preventing the government from functioning.
I have seen some mention of the CSA as an enemy of the state, which was true until 1865. Had the government hung those bastards we would not be having this problem today. The war was ended in May 1865 and before the year was out the KKK was in operation.
Thanks for posting! This is an important distinction: "To be guilty, (of treason) you must have the specific intent to betray the U.S. on behalf of an enemy and then commit an overt act of such betrayal. Given the prevalence of American flags on the Mall this week and the rioters’ chants of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”—however malicious their deeds—it would be nearly impossible for prosecutors to prove their goal was treasonous."
Is it not treason just because you think it's for the good of country? I don't know. Is there a manslaughter version of treason? They we're trying to overthrow the government that day, hard stop. Abraham Lincoln did not charge the soldiers of the Confederacy with treason. They were trying to leave the Union and set up their own democracy not end the United States. These people were trying to end democracy by creating an error technicality...the time had run out to confirm so we just can't swear in Biden. Nobody talks about how really evil Eastman's solution was...he treats the peaceful transition of power like some sort of sporting event beholden to the tick tock of a clock. Congress missed the bus so sorry we just can't wait or go back even though we saw you getting mugged. These people really have no conscience.
I love this concept of “leaving” There is no “succession” clause in the Constitution. Dividing a nation is an act of war and in point of fact the South used war to achieve succession. “Oh yes, does a house divided against itself” ring a bell?
I think you will find "democracy" was that last thing on the agenda of the Confederate States of America, the independent nation that waged war on the United States of America.
Every member of Congress and even Trump himself took an oath to defend the USA from all enemies "foreign and domestic." That was written specifically to refer to the CSA, which the current line of traitors obviously support.
It fits the Constitutional definition of treason, IMO.
I believe that insurrection against the government and the Constitution is a treasonous act. Aaron Burr was accused of treason when he sought to split off part of the United States and rule it separately. The case was heard by Chief Justice John Marshall in his capacity as circuit judge. Burr was acquitted in the absence of a second sworn witness. Here we have a multitude of witnesses, perpetrators, documents, and videos. Hammer to the slammer.
Christy Thankfully I am not a lawyer. I have also given away my two detailed volumes on constitutional interpretations. What I recall is that Marshall and Jefferson were pissed at one another. This was at the core of Marbury vs. Madison, on which Marshall should have recused himself, since he was the Secretary of State who had signed the document in question. My impression was that Marshall was not inclined to convict Burr, who was Jefferson's vice president, on a spotty judicial determination.
A problem with “Treason” as opposed to Seditious Conspiracy, is that the former relies on an “external” foreign power and/or the internal (5th Column) support in league with that power.
Seditious Conspiracy is what Trump and his Republican minions are doing. HINT: Whenever Fascists Republicans accuse us of something they actually do, in psychological parlance “Projection”, that is what they are or will do to us.
That’s why the spew ad-nauseam the memes of a Biden “takeover of government) - that is what they are in the midst of doing to us.
Treason is giving aid or comfort to the enemy in a time of war. Nobody could possibly be convicted of treason in this case. I encourage you to see the definition of insurrection. The events of January 6, 2016, were an act of insurrection. And if you are paying attention to daily news, the act continues.
This conversation, and especially those suggesting that the Treason charge is a bridge too far, led me to this. Curious about the “Advocating the Overthrow of the Government Charge”. Looks like it’s been added more recently so there is less history with use of it? https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title18/part1/chapter115&edition=prelim
My brain really struggles with legalese. I have to go over repeatedly breaking it down and putting it back together. What I can understand is usually eye opening but it’s always nice to have an expert to translate 😁 I missed that “surplusage”, will have to check it out.
He quoted the Constitution of the United States of America to you, traitor. But thanks for the solid demonstration of projection. You fascists can't seem to help it, can you?
There are only two ways to commit this offense, they said: “levying war” against America or “giving aid and comfort” to one of the nation’s enemies—typically a foreign adversary.
the Supreme Court and Congress have further narrowed the scope of what constitutes treason: To be guilty, you must have the specific intent to betray the U.S. on behalf of an enemy and then commit an overt act of such betrayal.
So, argue with the Supreme Court and Congressional Rulings.
So long as Rupert declares that the cult is patriotic, they get a pass??? They are the most insidious of America’s enemies, ever, despite that MAGA bs. Propaganda works better than bullets. Putin, Murdoch, and trump know that, are they the only ones…
I think I understand where you are going. The 1/6/21 attackers were guilty of Seditious Conspiracy - that is they were not in direct league with a foreign power to overthrow the U.S.
Seditious conspiracy is to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
So, on Jan 6th there was a conspiratorial group that sought to stop the legal validation of a nationwide election and install their ruler.
Was there (and is there likely to be) Russian involvement in activities aimed at the overthrow of the U.S.? I’d say absolutely true, but even if we have the smoking gun proof proving coordinated effort would be next to impossible.
I was one of the architects of the Financial Institution Development Program funded by the World Bank for the capitalization and modernization of the Russian banking system back in the early 1990s. We analyzed/assessed approximately 350 banks across Russian to determine which 125 would receive World Bank funding/capital infusion. I was the architect of the Scorecard used to qualify and rank these banks. This team of dedicated international development experts, hired and directed by World Bank "management" objectively scored and identified the 125 banks. In the eleventh hour, World Bank "management" added two banks - which did not even yet exist - to the list of awardees. Both of these "banks" were directly linked to Putin. Alpha Bank was one of these banks. This is VERY TELLING....
YES! Why do the Repugs fall in line? Why is the FBI so timid re: tRump (to include Mueller)? The Russian mobster, Mogilevich, backs tRump and the GOP. Manafort, Rick Gates, Roger Stone—they all worked through Victor Orban and money was laundered from Russia through the NRA. Check out the Cyprus Bank, partially owned by former Sec. Wilbur Ross and owned by Alpha Bank, not to mention ties with another crew of mobsters at the DEUTSCHE Bank. And Alpha Bank electronic pinging was traced to Spectrum Health of Michigan, owned by Dick DeVos, Betsy DeVos’s husband… oh, the ties go on, and on.
Who will hold the legislature and the executive branch?
A Guardian headline (Oct. 5) states that the investigation into Trump in Georgia is “gathering steam”. It notes later that any charges “may take some time” in coming.
A lawfareblog article (https://www.lawfareblog.com/jan-6-investigation-ramping-will-it-matter) takes a close look at the House Investigation’s strategy and efforts to do something coherent and significant about 1/6. Its headline is not encouraging. “The Jan. 6 Investigation Is Ramping Up. Will it matter”?
Any charges the House Committee recommends have to go to the Department of Justice. At some point when it is not busy issuing Solomonic dictates preserving its own independence from partisanship, such as the one in which it scrupulously promised that it would continue to defend TFG in his legal entanglements with E. Jean Carroll, it may start to consider whether to indict conspirators associated with the seditious events of January 6. No doubt it will do so in a way that reassures the Red States that it is not prejudiced against the MAGA crowd. So far DOJ prosecutors have been scrupulously faithful to that task, asking for sentences so lenient to rioters of the day that judges hearing the cases are left blinking in astonishment at this gentle approach. One was even moved to sentence a conspirator to *more* than the DOJ asked for.
The probability that Stephen Bannon will live out the remaining years of his natural life without being charged for ignoring a subpoena is, I will concede, slight.
On the other hand It looks like His Trumpness could live to be 100 and engage in God knows how many more presidencies before the DOJ will lay a finger on him.
In the meantime your country, the shining city on the hill, the land that gave the world Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, Ida Tarbell, Franklin Roosevelt, Sully Sullenberger and hundreds of other exemplars for humanity, is fucking folding up faster than the proverbial five dollar suitcase.
Last week a pilot other than the one mentioned in the paragraph above, ended his pre-flight welcome to his passengers with the phrase, “Let’s go Brandon”.
Southwest Airlines is said to be investigating.
In the light of such outrageous behavior not generating a national flameout, I’d have to say that getting to a treason charge against Trump may be a ways off.
Like Eric said below...does anybody seriously think anything will come of all these revelations? The American public is basically tuning all this out in order to try and get on with their lives. We're like..."oh look...another outrage du jour...*yawn...*", and this feeling that "it doesn't concern me..." The apathy in this country is going to be its downfall.
And then...once Republicans take over Congress again in '22 and the Presidency again in '24 (with T***p or someone even worse) all of these investigations will be shut down with everything allowed to then be swept under the rug. This will, IMO, all largely be the fault of Democrats. I am SO hugely fed up right now with this party and the lack of any concerted will to try and save this country. All this in-fighting over the budgets is exacting an enormous toll on their perceived ability to govern. And each group--I name myself as a Progressive--can only see as far as their own respective agendas and acting like a bunch of spoiled children. Meanwhile, the Republicans, who are themselves also being split apart, but are doing so less under the public spotlight, make political "hay" hand over fist. This is a party with no longer any substance to it whatsoever, and is only a reflection of its so-called leader and everything he stands for. This is what the American people are going to get again, and they deserve it because they don't give a you-know-what. Not voting is NOT a viable political strategy, because it might make one feel better in the short term, but what one is then enabling is a far worse alternative.
I agree with you that the problems lay with the people. I don't call them sides because to be a side in my mind requires honestly owning a position. Like with voting fraud really being about suppression which is really about replacement fears. The point? At least the messy debate between progressives and moderates is authentic.
But isn't it true that for all of recorded history the issue has been about how the elite placate and direct the masses. This is true now, only in pseudo-liberal society it happens more discreetly. That is what i feel you are describing. Nothing rational about it.
"At least the messy debate between progressives and moderates is authentic."
"Authentic" alright, but what is it accomplishing? Progressives don't seem to recognise the current political realities of Congress. The numbers to accomplish all they want to do are simply NOT there, and the differences are simply not going to vanish. "We're not going to vote for what YOU want until you vote for what WE want." Such intransigence shows a large degree of political naivté. So what do we have? Stalemate. Who suffers? The American people. Nothing gets done. It's all about grandstanding political positions. The divides in the Democratic party appear insurmountable. There are increasing rumblings that lack of funding for social programs and such will mean more and more women and Independent voters will simply turn their backs on the Dems and just not vote in '22 and '24. Wow. That'll work to everyone's favour, won't it? Such short-sightedness will be our undoing. And all the while, the Republicans are sitting back, watching, and laughing their asses off. They'll sweep into power and ANY talk of Jan. 6th investigations or voter reforms will be silenced, maybe for good.
"...for all of recorded history the issue has been about how the elite placate and direct the masses." For sure...it is happening right before our eyes and we--some of us--seem powerless to stop it. The Democratic party, in its current incarnation and with no more legislative power at its disposal than it has, can certainly not do anything about it for a broad range of reasons. The infighting is only making us appear more impotent. I wish I could feel better about the future, but trends are trends, and they don't look very promising right now.
I'll appreciate your thoughts on this: A great many more of our politicians know the balance of things. Their 'facing' has everything to do with our dissonance...if they want to get elected they, like the Pastor, cannot prophesize, but endorse. The dopamine releases when a sentiment is affirmed not criticized.
So they are a reflection of us. But we have been changing. Someone has learned how to monetize designer, emotional packets and distribute them en masse. The notes work like cattle prods, herding us into easily managed pens.
Ted Cruz knows better. Isn't he Princton and Harvard educated? He is fully aware of how this horde has been formed and what it is capable of. History has other examples of it. Steve Bannon understands this as well, the public has been zombiefied. .
Liberalism ultimately fails under the weight of the relativity it engenders. With no reliable message, the loud voices that understand our cravings will win.
off topic, but the rump is a necessary and often beautiful part of the human body. The buttocks enable H. sapiens to run (other primates that don't run don't have them).
Excellent ex parte reply, David. In addition to not throwing a lot cases together, some covering different areas of the law, you handily addressed a crucial aspect of escape by defendants. Bravo!
Great Points Dawna. I have been totally exasperated how impotent every policing agency we have is in investigation of “Pandora Box” like revelations of off-shoring, secret accounts and money laundering. Is it any wonder that pedophile Epstein (maybe) hung himself rather than open the international cartel of oligarchs to scrutiny?
And let’s not overlook the role of tRump’s family members: is VEB one of the other “banks”? It is actually Putin’s slush fund, run by Sergei Gorkov whom Jared Kushner met with (despite sanctions in place…no one has acted upon these Kushners that unlawfully conducted international affairs as US representatives…discussion for another day) Anyway, Kushners are involved with Silicon Valley Bank through Cadre; Kushners also received a loan from Apollo Global Mgmt—who white washed Blackwater and renamed it Academi. Remember Blackwater? A private mercenary force under Betsy DeVos’s brother, Eric Prince?
Those Prince-DeVos people are great friends with another set of traitors: The masterminds of Misinformation and weaponized propaganda, Rebecca Mercer & Family. ( see: Cambridge Analytica, aka Emerdata; Breitbart & BANNON. Rebekah Mercer’s ex-husband, Sylvain Mirichnikoff, is directly linked to the Moscow Exchange.
Is all of the Russian involvement becoming clear? I am still waiting for an apology from the reader who dismissed me recently, calling me “a dummy.”
You are most certainly not a "dummy"! I don't know if you know of Greg Olear, who has a substack called "Prevail," but I am thinking your post would be something he could jump on. He's quite an expert in all the Russian subterfuge and the shady dealings of just about everyone you name here - and more. I have long held the belief that, dumb as he may appear, TFG and his entire family are not just Mobsters, but intricately involved with the Russian Mafia and therefore Russian Mafia themselves.
Off topic a bit, but would really like to know if Rupert Murdoch involved with Russian mob. Read a while back that his ex Wendy is Putin’s current squeeze. She and Ivanka were reportedly BFFs. On the “gossipy” side but such connections can be dark but important.
Dawna, having followed your posts I do think dismissing you as a "dummy" is a dumb mistake. Projection again! And thank you for casting light on the Mercers. They seem to scuttle away like cockroaches.
Ah yes, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Granting development loans to poor countries who subsequently find themselves crushed by debt. No wonder people mistrust government.
The only way that WaPo story gets enough traction to mean something is if they quick turn it into a Netflix series. As a country reading, especially reading like this, that requires our brains to comprehend and analyze, is not something we do particularly well.
Sadly, it’s not the rear view mirror. It’s all around us, happening now, in ways we can and can’t see. What most people can’t/won’t do is understand what they’re seeing. And telling them in writing is never going to work. It has to be dramatized and publicized.
Right there with you, d017. I am in an 89% R county. NONE of my neighbors is a Democrat. But they know now what I am. So what. I think one of my two cats is an R....
That’s not what we were talking about. But I can assure you that in an oligarchy and/or an autocracy you won’t get less inflation/lower prices/more social programs to put food on your table. So, my point is that it seems important that someone figure out how to make that WaPo story as compelling as Squid Game so people will start paying attention to it. The book “Maid” is excellent. I couldn’t get anyone to read it. Now those same people can’t stop raving about the story and discussing the social issues around her plight. Know why? They watched it on TV. The right has figured out how to harness digital media a la Fahrenheit 451. Dems need to catch up fast.
451 makes me shudder. Someone told me that the new smart TVs are capable of watching us as we watch them; but the FCC will not allow them to do it yet. Don't know if this is all true, but don't tell the big orange tfg.
Might stop things from getting much, much worse, H.A.
Give up or do nothing, and you ain't seen nuthin' yet! Mark my words. We may be concerned with higher prices now, but that will not be a problem if we don't act -- Availability will!
H A. And Themselves! Is it any wonder? But we still are in the rational responsible majority in this country, if we could all get off of our butts and DO something. Anything. I assume that you are doing what you can H.A., but how can we activate others? I think we need FB bots of out own, and what FairFight calls "Communication Ambassadors" -- people who go online to Twitter and Facebook and counter lies with brief truthful replies based on reality. That's a great idea until we get our own bots!
Yesterday on my next door here in Oregon, one of the local wing nuts with whom I have had disputes is still putting out the Q nonsense. This time it is Kate Brown, our not very popular governor, selling children. She can be glad that Kate is a public figure because this is plainly libel.
In another thread this weekend on ND, someone wanted to know what people thought about the vaccine being available to children, five and up. I didn't even look at that because I knew all the local medical "experts "would be proclaiming every piece of BS they could find.
Yes. As a country we have been focusing on the wrong information for a long time. Is it more important to know the date that something happened or the implications of that happening? We’ve also stressed the destination and that there is only one right answer. We’ve also escorted lots of people out of the education system by making the path too narrow and the pursuit too painful. Who knows the creative and intellectual drain we’ve put in motion with our testing, simplistic pedagogy and “weed out classes”.
In his October 31st newsletter Jeet Heer called John Eastman "Mob Lawyer."
Heer is absolutely correct, for Eastman's scheme is central to the attempted coup on January 6th, and-astonishingly-no disbarment proceeding have begun to remove this traitor.
And since the GOP is no longer a governing partner but an extension of Trumpism, I don't expect Republican politicians to grow a spine and oppose Trump's nihilism.
I'm just wondering how GOP voters can bring themselves to support a political party that-for all intents and purposes-hates them?
Rupert and clones give MAGAts a totally different scenario, and, of course they never read WaPo, HCR, or any truth teller, or see much besides Shammity and traitor Carlson. What’s a MAGAT to do??? PS the Grand Old Party is no more, it’s a cult. Call it what it is.
On October 6, 2021, a group of bipartisan lawyers sent a request to the California Bar Association to examine Eastman’s behavior and consider disbarment proceedings against him. If you google Eastman disbarment, you will find the article at Slate.com. Same goes for Jeffery Clark. Its a start but disbarment can take a long time and be influenced by, you guessed it, politics.
The governing GOP are part of the Treason. They should step down right now until they have been investigated for supporting the great traitor. They are part of this whole coup. They should be stripped of their powers immediately.
But their tentacles go deep in every aspect of the government, it will take decades, which is too long. And they are waiting in the wings with considerable support, thanks to Rupert and clones
Local elections are tomorrow. If anyone is still voting for a candidate with an (R) after their name, this is what they're voting for. I don't care if it's for dogcatcher.
I agree, Sharon, but here is what the people here in VA are hearing from the gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin...removing the food tax (how is he going to raise those funds from somewhere else?); paying teachers more (where is that money coming from?); better pay for police and firemen (same question as for teachers' pay); anti-abortion; etc., etc., etc...I seriously do not want my state to be flipped Red, for so many reasons, but it may. So many promises, and no way to pay for them, which does exactly what all Republican leaders do...make the poor poorer and the rich richer, and kill the middle class in the process. I am praying tomorrow's votes show that the majority in this state still has a brain, but I fear the worst.
Youngkin is also the guy who used the mother of the then-high-school-student who was traumatized about having to read "Beloved," is he not? His promises are about as meaningful as Trump's promises of a "beautiful health care plan" and a "beautiful infrastructure plan."
She’s also a republican operative. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if her son came forward about his mother’s statement to say he was never traumatized by the book and he doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
Youngkin is a top 0.01%-er, business mogul, so just how truly sympathetic to the poor and disenfranchised do you think he'll be? I'm guessing he's more window-dressing than serious, particularly since he has no prior legislative history or experience on which to base your vote.
I share your view. In PA, there is an (R) candidate running for State Supreme Court who is “highly rated” by the PA bar association. That same bar association recently called on his campaign to remove or alter a smear ad against his opponent, because its misrepresentations violated the association’s rules for judicial candidates. This same candidate has received a substantial amount of campaign funding via a PAC from a suburban Philadelphia billionaire. So much for that bar association rating—the (R) says it all.
Sharon, Exactly! School boards, town councils, and county commissions especially. And county judges and district attorneys or solicitors. But dog catchers and street sweepers included! We were late in realizing this, distracted by the takeover and resulting corruption at state levels e.g. Kemp and legislature in Georgia vs. Stacey Abrams. No way she was going to win, and that was definitely a wake-up. Good old Newt, (Gingrich) et. al.
It's going to take several elections to clean them all out -- if that is still possible? Ol' Newt took a bad thing at the national level and made it worse even at the state and local levels.
Folks, look at your own states. So many local elected repetrolicans, many of them run unopposed. What's up?
Naturally will vote for Dems but NY (my county) has 5 amendments also - 1 regarding access to clean air & water, 1 giving voters ability to register within the current 10 days, 1 removing the current excuses for an absentee ballot, plus 2 others. So yes, will vote!
Hollywood could write this script; take a lifelong white collar criminal, promote him to a place of power, surround him with corrupt and/or complicit individuals and watch what happens. the post-hoc exposure of the details is like peeling an onion. With each layer, you cry a little more...
The republicans, under the guise of religion, have been setting this up for more than 40 years. Trump was their card-- because America let him get away with crude and criminal behaviors and appointees. Many of us have tried to stop this train for 5 years. At least mainstream people are finally using the correct words: Treason against America.
Don't forget probably crimes against women. That's a very important piece because it is a key to his emotional shortcomings. There has been shown to be a link, and I'm sure no one is surprised, between abuse of animals, women, children, underlings.
Today, Yahoo News reported that 30% of Republicans surveyed by the Public Religion Research Institute say "violence may be necessary to solve the problems facing the United States."
I lay the blame at Trump's feet:
"More than two-thirds of Republicans, or 68 percent, continue to believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, compared to 26 percent of independents and just 6 percent of Democrats."
People surveyed were asked whether they agree to the statement, "Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.” It's notable that "11 percent of Democrats and 17 percent of independents" also agreed with the statement. However, we know it's the Republicans who are armed to the teeth.
Disinformation is going to lead to another civil war if we don't find a way to stop it.
"In the weeks after the January 6 insurrection, one of the things that struck me as an odd political calculation was how quickly Republican lawmakers fell back into line behind former president Trump."
Funny how that works, insurrection didn't work, ok, so back to work and being friendly with the opposition till the next time. Game over, we lost.
This is not like Nixon acting by himself. If trump goes, they should join him also. No neighbor of mine would do this.
Except I can not forget and more than trump's head should roll.
Oh, a very BIG YES to that sentiment! Let's clean up our democracy. All seditionists and treasonous beings lose their rights to vote and to run for any publicly funded positions— permanently. "T" tatts on their foreheads. All their fundraising, corrupt money and illegal assets are put into our treasury coffers to pay for all the investigations, court costs and time wasted on all of them.
Heck, a good, old-fashioned stock for each of them on the Capital steps, burning of their racist/Nazi flags and red hats and ties before they are sent off to Guantanamo Bay, still would not undo all the trauma and deaths on their watch. And, though I cannot eat from the Nightshade family much, friends who use my garden, have left quite a few rotten tomatoes that are in need of some treasonous targets before they are hoisted into the compost of time.
Nightshade vegetables belong to the family of plants with the Latin name Solanaceae. Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are all common nightshades. ... They claim that harmful substances found in these vegetables may contribute to inflammatory bowel disease and other autoimmune conditions. (Wiki) Another source says: However, people who are intolerant to nightshades, meaning they can't digest them properly, may have a negative reaction. Some of these negative side effects include gas, bloating, diarrhea, heartburn, nausea and joint pain due to inflammation. That explains why I had such revulsive reactions the first time I heard the orange Yeti speak. Mr. Comb-over Potato Head, all his traitorous comrades and their dark money supporters against democracy are part of the Nightshade family and cannot, and should not be tolerated. Deep, deep gardening time.
Yes, I it was long, and I wish we could end the five years of the nauseating gop treasonous regime. I do have to say, I am loving that people and the media are finally calling the bad spades now. A gardening reference again. Best metaphor for that would be letting them use themselves to dig their own graves.
I think they have, with their own rotten shovels. We just haven't put them in those holes yet, but I have every confidence that I anyone can do it (big If) this present government can do it. They have to become fully staffed, confirmed, and operational first. Right now fighting too many things one-handed. McConnell should have to retire suddenly. Wishful thinking, but Ryan and Boehner did it....
Nightshade vegetables are a late summer crop. Except for potatoes, the other nightshades are native to the Americas. As I understand it, many people from Europe who came here, wouldn't eat them because of their colors and fear that they were poisonous.
I could eat them until the past two years when I noticed a little arthritis in my broken pinkie. I began to notice it was painful and that my fingers would swell after I ate potatoes and tomatoes. Then I looked it up, and sure enough, nightshades are not good for arthritis and it is best to stay away from things that inflame. Like treasonous cult figures.
This morning's report by HCR is absolutely chilling, – one more nail in the coffin of our precarious democracy!
Why in God's name isn't AG Merrick Garland and the entire Department of Justice enforcing the bedrock of our Democracy: The RULE OF LAW ? Trump and his minions should have been indicted and prosecuted many, many months ago. There is a MOUNTAIN OF CRIMINAL EVIDENCE to draw upon, and yet the DOJ is sitting with its thumb of its ass doing nothing!
This is how Democracy dies: Cowardly people who have the authority to act but sit there and do nothing, "Waiting or Godot . . ."
I'm wondering if members of the Biden Administration, the DOJ and law enforcement officials have been meeting to prepare for the day Trump is arrested. One can assume that civil violence will break out. I just hope that this potential outcome doesn't deter the execution of justice. They need to remain focused on what needs to be done. We're talking our democracy here.
I agree, Peter. If Garland is still unready (or unwilling) to arrest and interrogate Trump, he should at least go after the underlings who were surely in the loop on Jan. 6th. Wake them up in the dead of night, handcuffs, perpwalks, orange suits, prime time. The simple illegality of what clearly happened and was attempted that day begs for a prompt response from law enforcement. Hasn't happened yet. Time's running out.
Patience, PATIENCE, Peter. I assure you, the DOJ is NOT “sitting with its thumb of its ass doing nothing!” A solid case takes precision and detail and exacting strategy.
Perhaps use your nervous energy to push the vote-protection bills through Congress. (Which is the institution that really deserves our fury.)
Yes! And a reminder that 80 million people did NOT vote in 2020. Speaking up positively about the benefits of voting for democrats might draw more of those non voters to the polls?? Many people are turned off by the negativity and hate which is so ramped up and in our faces right now. School board members getting death threats and flight attendants with broken facial bones and pilots making hostile political statements during flights. A paramedic kicking a homeless man in the face 9 times in Dallas!! But folks are stepping up: An investigative reporter that peeled the skin off the doings of a judge in Rutherford county in TN who was indiscriminately throwing children in jail. A computer scientist holding Twitter to account for algorithms that attacked Meghan & Harry. Love can win!! It absolutely can. We will not be the monsters that this current group of Republicans are clamoring for us to be!! (Happy to provide links but it’s all out there in the news.)
CPR on our voting rights and getting voters to the polls is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing we can do right now. Without a huge consensus in voting rights, we have no democracy. Focus down right now, even in the midst of all this chaos, focus down.
I’m still thinking about your response to a community member’s exclamation that both parties lies and how perfectly you responded. By starting with “Maybe” you did not instantly shut her down, and gave her a window into hearing you. And then you spoke about the positives that most all people want as coming from only one party. It was so perfect. I think it’s really important that we don’t become as hateful and oppositional. 🙏🙏 Thank you for your illustration. Our voices and actions matter. ❤️
I made this point above, but will repeat. We need galvanizing events emanating from the DIJ much more than we need patience to wait for that which may never come.
We need the sentencing guidelines from the DOJ for I/6 nogoodniks to be sharply raised, so that judges aren’t wondering if the DOJ has lost its mind.
We need unequivocal signs from the DOJ that they fully understand their priorities in this most critical period in American history and are not focusing useless energy on trying to convince MAGAts that they are not beholden to Biden.
I’m sure Merrick Garland is a gentleman, a scholar, a perfectly swell guy to have a beer with. I’m also 98% convinced that because if these traits, he should never have been let near the Department of Justice.
Right now we need a fire-breathing, outraged, righteous, fearless legal scholar leading the DOJ. Someone with the personality of Bill Barr, but with an ethical code.
Raise your hands if you think Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice has the enemies of the state quaking in fear that they will be brought to accountability for their most flagrant crimes against America.
I do wish Katie Porter was on the DOJ. She is one heck of an assertive, astute, informed, lawyer and law professor/scholar that takes no BS from anyone trying to wriggle past our Rule of Law and justice system. Wouldn't it be wonderful to sick her on the treasonous dogs currently in our government and the past administration and advisory criminals? She should run the public trials representing real America and our Constitution, "Nuremberg style," like someone mentioned earlier today.
None of us know whether the DOJ is up to the task. But we must remember that its investigations are conducted in secret, as they should be. Last week, Garland made it clear that the work is underway. And the public, thanks to media investigations and the early work of the House select committee, already knows much about the scope of the coup conspiracy. But will there be painful accountability for the conspirators? That question permeates everything.
I hope that they are just nailing down all of the loose ends needed to get a 100% guilty verdict, remember that 75 million people voted for the bastard most of whom still believe in the big lie, do we really think that prosecutors are going to convince them to change their minds and find him guilty, this has to be so airtight that only an idiot would find him not guilty. We need to start building a gallows in front of the Washington monument so that all of the treasonous bastards will have that to look forward too. We should be building it now before any trials there’s nothing like the prospect of being hung that will focus the mind on doing whatever will keep you from having to climb those 13 steps. Can you even imagine that imbecilic clown being able climb those steps unaided, he’d be a whimpering basket case, with all of his history coming home to roost
I would appreciate the right to vote "present" and be counted when the choice is for the candidate I dislike the least. I am not referencing the last election; in spite my non-affiliation with party, I find Biden to be a decent, empathic and principled man, not given to grandstanding as his primary objective in office.
Truthfully, I cannot imagine how that department that was hollowed out and lined with autocratic sympathizers over 4 years is able to respond to all the criminal activity they are now expected to deal with. I am glad for CREW going after these thugs, but wonder how we can ensure our DOJ has the funds and the talent they need. https://www.citizensforethics.org/
The Department of Justice is at work. Prosecutors like complete cases and there is so much to get through with the criminal enterprise we had for four years that is it taking some time, but it is ongoing. I don't want any of mafia don's crew to get off on a technicality. And that goes for death star and his family as well.
I hope you’re right Michele. But that opening sentence reminds me of driving past construction sites for months after month with the deeply ironic sign at either end - “Your tax dollars at work”.
At work today. Tomorrow. A month later. A year later.
Until (horror scenario), the Democrats are voted out. And the DOJ is led by a denialist.
I know you aren’t. I keep having those same thoughts. And I see the odd article that gives me hope.
But I feel the tide going out.
On January 20th, if I’d been told that the DOJ would have done virtually nothing of significance by November 1, I wouldn’t have believed it. I would have been incredulous.
Mind you I also wouldn’t have believed that the Dems would have passed one (1) piece of significant legislation only by November 1.
I was shot through with optimism then, and it has taken a beating since.
I want to be optimistic, but I am tired of things being tied up in the Senate in terms of legislative agenda. Those two can burn in hell as far as I am concerned. It really fries me that two people can hold things up.
Unfortunately, building up watertight cases takes time and If I read things correctly, it is sometimes a matter of timing of events outside the cases themselves. People have to pay close attention to what prosecutors let drop.
I have very little optimism for the future in general, because of human foibles and vices.
Catherine, I see that a subscriber may "gift" an article 10 times. If you run out of gifts, I will be glad to subscribe to provide some more. Should subscribe anyway, just haven't yet.
A digital subscription is $40/year. If you can work it into your budget, *and* if you have time to read, I think you’ll find it’s a worthwhile expenditure.
I'm not sure I know what you mean? That little gift box icon is so that you can share an article with a friend, and get them past the paywall. You can share up to 10 articles a month if you're a subscriber.
Katherine, Becky wrote that she was willing to subscribe to wapo in order to gift the article to members of this group. In the spirit of sharing, and since I am already a subscriber to wapo, I was indicating that I would gift the article as well. But I was asking how to gift without violating anyone’s privacy.
Sorry, I’m on so many strange apps, etc. and I’m fairly ignorant about most of them! I withdraw the privacy invading offer.....
I don't know, Ron. Maybe Catherine can tell us. Could be I have this wrong, but I saw a notice about it when I opened the article from her link. I don't have a subscription myself.
Thank you Catherine. This is a concerted effort by journalists that I am proud to think still flourish in our country today. They are part of the fabric that we must not lose to fascism.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads as follows:
“No Person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”
It is clear that it is now time to invoke these provisions and the January 6 Investigation Select Committee is the body to make a report to Congress identifying every individual to whom these provisions should apply. The wording of this section of the 14th amendment makes clear what both the crime and its penalty should be. Let's not waste time unnecessarily arguing about the appropriate measures should be. The only remaining question should be how long the list of those charged should be and who's name should appear on the list along with the first name on the list, that of Donald John Tя☭mp.
Well stated, but good luck with anything definitive occurring. 2/3 of either House where it is roughly a 50-50 split all but assures there will be no such action.
Thank you for this clarification. If I understand this correclty, the disability (person) would first have to be removed; then, under a separate action penalized?
As I am not a Constitutional Law professor not a licensed attorney, I will refrain from expressing an opinion on this matter as to the procedural requirements. However, I look to our DOJ to initiate the process upon a referral from the Select House Committee.
The antics of Manchin and Sinema simply underscore how the person has replaced fair and equitable representation among elected "officials". West Virginia is 4th from the bottom among poverty states, and Manchin could care less. Manchin has failed his own constituents by blocking parts of this latest bill, keeping them in poverty. But, with $5+ Million invested in coal and his son at the helm of a coal-affiliated energy systems company, he does not care. As for Sineman, no one seems able to figure out her path of crazy.
Sinema is very likely to be primaried successfully in her next election although that is yet some years away. She is increasingly unpopular in AZ. Even Republicans will oppose her and she is working hard to drive down her popularity with Democrats. All this is hard to understand given her prior political history as a progressive climate activist and support for the Green Party.
Grim reading but one small note of caution. I have just finished Landslide by Michael Wolff. It is an entertaining account of Trump's last days, but one of his themes is that Trump, with his short attention span, really does not have the mental capacity to organise anything as complex as an insurrection (or its preferred alternative: TREASON). If so, who then was pulling the strings?
I think that his short attention span and limited reasoning capacity is the reason the whole thing failed. He seems to have been aware that he might lose, and started early in the campaign to claim that mail-in voting was going to rig the election against him. He couldn't really put a coherent plan together, but his ability to stir up and manipulate his followers resulted in a scattering of plans being developed by various groups responding to the "stand back and stand by" "command" from their leader. While his short attention span did not produce the kind of plan that could succeed, it did allow him to generate a flow of ideas and actions from others that he hoped he could turn to his advantage. He hoped that his “troops on the battlefield” would be able to take advantage of the smoke and fog he produced to win the day. So he did not (could not) produce or execute a complete strategic plan. Unfortunately, his actions have revealed to others the kind of strategic planning that is required to pull off the takeover of the government, and people who have the ability are trying to put that plan together. One result is the creation of state laws that will allow state legislatures or specific officials to ignore the votes of its citizens and install whomever the majority of representatives favors.
Trump does have an ability to obsess over anything that he thinks impacts him. He turns to anyone who will agree with his obsession. He’s obsessed with the lie that he won the election. He wants somebody, anybody, who will at any cost, make him into a winner.
Richard, his adhd is pretty well established, in relation to things he doesn't care about because he is a sociopath, and has no heart.
But he is quite capable of being intensely obsessed about the things he does care about, or is afraid of. At levels of intensity and duration that are way off the scale
Richard, It may make sense to question writer Michael Wolff's judgement in his assessment of former president's ability to be instrumental in planning to overthrow our government. The following, 'Why Our Monsters Talk to Michael Wolff' was written by highly respected media columnist, Ben Smith.
'It’s a curious fact of journalism that it has many rules, but the most successful journalists seem to be the ones who are always breaking them. Mr. Wolff — who dislikes the j-word, and considers himself a writer — prefers blurred lines and compromised relationships to cut-and-dry journalism-school clarity.'
'When he talks with powerful men in finance and politics, he said, he falls into a bit of a Walter Mitty trance that he could be living their lives, something they can sense and appreciate. And given that many of these figures must choose to tell their stories either to rule-abiding journalists, who often view them as monsters, or to sycophantic lightweights, you can see the appeal of going with someone who can relate to your struggles. (Mr. Wolff’s divorce and remarriage received savage tabloid coverage.) And, he told me, he thinks that most of these reviled characters “are not as bad as everyone says,” adding, “Just the fact that everyone says it means they’re not.”
'He is also able to gain the confidence of moguls because he lets them know he has the same enemies they do — that is, just about everyone in the news media, whom he has always made a point of disdaining. He bonded with Mr. Ailes, the former Fox News chief whose career ended in sexual harassment allegations, over shared Establishment enemies, he said. And he ingratiated himself with Mr. Trump and his circle, in part, by publicly attacking other reporters who covered him, sneering at one point that the beat covered by Maggie Haberman for The New York Times appeared to be the “aberrant” presidency.' (NY Times) Link to article below
Hmmm. That's interesting Fern. The trouble about being perched on the right hand side of Norfolk, England, is that it is so difficult to get perspective - on anything (but perhaps that applies to being on the right or left hand side of anywhere). And even strong points have strong opposite counter points. The consensus nonetheless seems to be that Trump has a short attention span. I'll leave that as my contribution today (unless of course I am wrong about that too, and he is in fact an avid reader, listens intently to his advisors and thinks deep philosophical thoughts way into the night).
Richard, I don't think that the point you made with reference to DT's short attention span covers his obsessions with lawless behavior, deceit, disrespect for others, sexual abuse, power and money. He has had a life-long span of interest in those areas, which fits his concentrated efforts to overthrow the government of the United States.
His short attention span also could lead him into believing whomever is whispering in his ear. It has been talked about how easy it is to manipulate him.
Barbara, your point here is provably true, but I believe his determination not to have lost the presidential election is the impetus for overturning the government. His malignant narcissism is I think the driving force behind this effort. In this, my opinion is that TD leads the pack.
He may not have the mental capacity but he had the power to execute their plan. Trump is a friendless man...he wanted to be a member of the club so he was looking forward to a retirement that included daily golf outings with the Flynn's, Princes, Koch's etc. and monetizing his post presidency. He did whatever they suggested.
And he seems to be doing what he looked forward to, if he could just let go of that pesky all-consuming obsession that is taking us down with him.. And stay out of New York. They don't love him in New York.
Let us not forget John Eastman's role in this...his name comes up more than once in the WAPO series. He's trying to skate right now, but his fingerprints are all over the failed coup attempt.
He is a cult figure. Americans are obsessed with celebrity and wealth. Even if it is fake and lies to them. Capitalism has exceeded its bounds, again, and needs to be reined back in.
An 1886 headnote forever shifted the meaning of the 14th Amendment.
Corporations aren’t specifically mentioned in the 14th Amendment, or anywhere else in the Constitution. But going back to the earliest years of the republic, when the Bank of the United States brought the first corporate rights case before the Supreme Court, U.S. corporations have sought many of the same rights guaranteed to individuals, including the rights to own property, enter into contracts, and to sue and be sued just like individuals.
But it wasn’t until the 1886 case Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Rail Road that the Court appeared to grant a corporation the same rights as an individual under the 14th Amendment. The case is remembered less for the decision itself—the state had improperly assessed taxes to the railroad company—than for a headnote added to it by the court reporter at the time, which quoted Chief Justice Morrison Waite as saying: “The Court does not wish to hear argument on the question whether the provision in the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution which forbids a state to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws applies to these corporations. We are all of opinion that it does.”
Actually, capitalism has huge potential for abuse by evil, unscrupulous people. When a company gets SO large, it will take liberties not available to individuals or smaller businesses. I would argue that a small business owner who pays a living wage, shares the costs of insurance with their employees, and spreads the financial success of the business around with the employees and community is not evil. Evil seeks to take advantage of and hurt others.
But what, in this world or any other, is Jeff Besoz, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg going to do with all those billions of dollars that could fund the budgets of small countries, etc?
I’ve watched that happen so many times, Penfist. Makes me sick to see it happen. That’s why I agreed with folks that capitalism is evil, but to clarify how I feel about it, it’s just a thing. It is only evil because evil people misuse it horribly....does that work for you?
Assisted by predictive algorithms and digital trading, evil.
Capitalism can be regulated and behave. Capitalists aren't stupid, they'll deal with you up to a point. But our capitalism certainly has become evil. Too big, too hungry, unregulated. No soul, with some notable exceptions.
Unrestrained capitalism is the problem. Our neighbor is a retired banker who has seen how these things work locally on the inside. It is not pretty and his critique is one the best of capitalism that I have heard.
Sophia, yes!! A good grifter has to be good at maintaining hold, by any means, e.g. appeal to self interest, bribery, fear, blackmail, violence, lawsuit, primary, he has a big toolbox....and he's using it.
As more is unraveled, this Country looks worse, not for what happened, but for how it was permitted to happen. Were there no safe guards in place to stop Trump and his accomplices? Apparently not.
It deeply troubles me that there will not be a proper response from this Administration to the misgivings of the last bad actors.
Yes, I have yet to read the WaPo piece but I read somewhere, a while back, that these people were planning the riot in plain sight: coordinating carpools, measuring their cars trunks so they could tell one another what kind of gun could fit/if their gun could fit, etc. etc. How did the FBI miss this???
So where do we go from here? What is happening is very clear. How long it's been happening is coming into focus...Eric Prince and his army, his sister Betsy, the Tea Party, the Koch brothers, Putin, the Murdochs, McConnell (and his Secretary wife)...birds of a feather..cue Billy Joel. Add in the easy marks for compromise...Bannon, Trump, and Rudy. We are in interesting, scary times. All that is left to see is how fast they throw Trump under the bus. Will he be tried on TV like OJ in a public court? Will we resurrect the special counsel of Watergate for sitting members of Congress? The only way to put our house in order is to bring this to trial so the democracy is not dead.
"How long it's been happening is coming into focus...Eric Prince and his army, his sister Betsy, the Tea Party, the Koch brothers, Putin, the Murdochs, McConnell (and his Secretary wife)" ...
...and the operatives of the Republican party now working to destroy voting and any semblance of the country we used to know. So, how about the "moderate" Democrats seemingly now colluding with them to help this mob to continue to bring down the elected presidency? Why are they too not seen as part of "the driving force?"
This seems to involve long term planning and continuing coordination to present by MANY players. Indeed the stuff of nightmares.
I'm not convinced that Manchin and Sinema are colluding with dirty Republicans. I think they think they have to keep their campaign contributors happy. This bill isn't going to be the dream bill we all had hoped for...and remember, the social part is under reconciliation. This isn't a last chance...it's a first try.
I agree. And we have also to imagine what it would look like without Manchin in his seat - it seems so unlikely that a more progressive Democrat could win in WV. It’s so much more likely that there would be another Republican in that seat, and where would we be then?
'Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., says he cannot yet support the Build Back Better budget deal containing much of President Biden’s domestic agenda and told House progressives to stop holding up a bipartisan infrastructure deal.' (aol) See link below.
Kathy, I now know Manchin has held his cards close to the chest. He planned his campaign to operate slowly over a long period; successfully reduce the number of programs in the Act; cut costs; delay its passage and then finally show his cards today. He led all astray until right before the election in Virginia, when he insisted that the roads and bridges bill be passed before 'Build Back' and could not support vote for the Act, then what, Manchin? Biden's domestic agenda, passage of national voting rights bills and Biden's presidency, imagine that resting on Mr. Coal Manchin? Now, who could have better worked to snuff out the Congressional Progressive Caucus, that along with Bernie Sanders instigated the plan and been loyal partners to Biden? Manchin is a canny enemy of the people; I write it straight from my head and heart.
Sinema, a dem from AZ, got contributions from the Haslam family of Knoxville TN. One of them, Bill Haslam, was a Repub governor of TN. Why would they donate to Si ema?
The GOP has nothing to offer but obstruction, obfuscation and disruption. That they may take us all down with them as they try harder and harder to hold onto power simply for the sake of power is their ultimate goal. They have no policies to offer except to make themselves and their cronies more and more wealthy. They excuse their actions under the self-assumed mantle of patriotism when the actions are anything but patriotism. Get out tomorrow and vote people. It is from the local elections that those who will try their hardest to destroy us will arise.
The report concludes: “Trump was the driving force at every turn as he orchestrated what would become an attempted political coup in the months leading up to Jan. 6, calling his supporters to Washington, encouraging the mob to march on the Capitol and freezing in place key federal agencies whose job it was to investigate and stop threats to national security.” It notes that the former president did not make any effort to stop the attacks until it was clear they wouldn’t succeed, and that lawmakers assumed he was backing the rioters.
Stop calling it an "insurrection." That word implies a popular uprising, undirected and unplanned, of people who are "mad as hell and not going to take any more."
It was an act of Treason. Treason! Treason, as defined in the Constitution:
Article III, Section 3, Clause 1: Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
And I think there will be enough witnesses. Charge Trump with what he did: TREASON.
The key is to call it what it is, TREASON, and get that word and the criminal activity by all who participated, in the mainstream news.
If it got called what it is by MSM, we wouldn’t be in this mess
They had difficulty calling his lies lies!
Oh come on! Be nice, be a gentleman and call the lies "Untruths and mis-statements.) I hope you know what I mean. GOP lawyers may have even nicer word for those f'ing lies!
Yes; why isn’t he in jail yet.
Because those who hold the real power still find him to be a useful idiot.
It’s scary that someone finds him useful. He is so toxic. What kind of people could think he is useful and what are they thinking
The people who found trump useful are the 1 percenters, like the Greenwich Republics who funded Steve Bannon to be the kingmaker of trump for the 2016 election. Of course with nefarious ties to other world entities making active efforts to sow disinformation and chaos.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/11/how-greenwich-republicans-learned-to-love-trump
"Do not believe the “corporatist globalist media” that was “crying and weeping” on election night and is still “dead wrong” about what the Trump administration is doing. Inside the White House," Mr. Bannon said," everything is going according to plan. The “deconstruction of the administrative state ”has just begun."
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/23/us/politics/cpac-stephen-bannon-reince-priebus.html
”has just begun." It is still underway. Notice that the SC has more or less allowed the GOP to go on with their plans to end our democracy. They will keep the chaos going until we put a stop to it.
"Crisis is the rallying cry of the tyrant."
James Madison
They will do all they can to see that we remain in a state of crisis, from the disturbances at school board meetings to GOP lawmakers spouting insurrection-like rhetoric in both chambers of the legislatures.
Let's use our right to vote while we can for whatever good we can do.
...Greenwich Republicans..."
If you examine the sources of financial support you will find Trump, Gop, white supremacists groups, and Christian nationalists are all supported by those wealthy capitalists in America as well as foreign nations. The Christian nationalists are active in just about all of the authoritarian governments in Europe and Asia.
Please don't take my word for it. Follow the money. That is what the FBI and CIA are doing.
Mitch McConnell can answer that question.
McConnell received several million dollars from Russian interests, but he was not alone in that. No Russian is involved in American politics and capitalist ventures without prior approval from Putin.
More on Bannon and far right interests in Europe:
https://twitter.com/jennycohn1/status/1454668864046780424?s=21
It may be they want to wait until the 38 remaining prisoners in Guantanamo have been moved away before they jail 45's crew with what America has done with so many they have put there -- no charges and keep them there with an undetermined time for a trial.
I am just afraid they will wait till the midterms hit the news cycle and the GOP will accuse DEMS of politicizing and the DEMS will fold like a bunch of amateurs at a high stakes table
Definitely. List all of those criminals on a Wall of Shame. Also, include any quotations by these people to be held in public display in perpetuity to illustrate how dumb/criminal/evil the high-level perpetrators are. For example, that Georgia Congressman who said the attempted overthrow was just "a normal tourist visit." These things must be saved in history books and acknowledged by Congress to show how we'd degenerated to accept that type of nonsense.
This is really more like sedition.
We all watched it, I’ve been calling it treason, and the MSM should as well. Thank you WaPo.
We need those papers trump is hiding. That is where treason could possibly be proven. trump wanted to overthrow the election and the USA Government to stay in power. Who was whispering in his ear? Stephen Miller? Why didn't the Secret Service ferry the President to the bunker? What is their involvement?
Too much attention is being paid to the crazy fools at the Capitol. Who in Government had treasonous intent.
100%.
100%
I wondered about this use of words and found some definitions here: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/01/08/a-civilian-s-guide-to-insurrection-legalese
My take after reading the Marshall Project guide to insurrection legalese is that, contrary to what TCinLA and other responders of 1-2 hours ago might hope, Treason would be a heavy lift for January 6 on the legal front.
I think that we should hope for a heavy dollop of seditious conspiracy charges and 20-year prison sentences for the chief conspirators. The rioters, all of them, should be charged under federal jurisdiction for crossing state lines to attend a protest that becomes violent, ***as many BLM protesters were charged*** under TFG's Dept of Justice.
That said, we can still call it Treason, especially here among friends.
Personally, the claim that it can’t be treason because they carried US Flags is laughable. What better strategy to a successful coup? “To be guilty, you must have the specific intent to betray the U.S. on behalf of an enemy and then commit an overt act of such betrayal.” On behalf of an enemy. If a person intent on overthrowing a lawful election is not an enemy than who is? Surely it should be hard to prove, but it sure looks like a duck and should be held up to the light for what it is.
Too bad we can’t post the hundreds of visuals of Xtian Nationalist Flags, Confederate Flags, and a host of visual codes of the Fascist Far Right. And yes there is the “false flag” gambit in all this stuff.
Good on you!
It may look like a duck, but unless it quacks there are legal questions. Treason pertains to an enemy that we would be conducting a war against. This is not the case.
A group of citizens assaulted the seat of our government, armed, with the intention of preventing the government from functioning.
I have seen some mention of the CSA as an enemy of the state, which was true until 1865. Had the government hung those bastards we would not be having this problem today. The war was ended in May 1865 and before the year was out the KKK was in operation.
An attempted coup unpunished is an exercise.
Rick Wilson
However, be sure there is no doubt that your recognizing it as an attempted coup is understood and wholeheartedly agreed with.
Ha. Yes, just among friends!
Thanks for posting! This is an important distinction: "To be guilty, (of treason) you must have the specific intent to betray the U.S. on behalf of an enemy and then commit an overt act of such betrayal. Given the prevalence of American flags on the Mall this week and the rioters’ chants of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”—however malicious their deeds—it would be nearly impossible for prosecutors to prove their goal was treasonous."
There were plenty of confederate flags. I would argue the Confederacy was an enemy.
In fact it was a vanquished enemy of the United States.
Aren’t those pro-police flags? Whom they attacked and maimed?
Is it not treason just because you think it's for the good of country? I don't know. Is there a manslaughter version of treason? They we're trying to overthrow the government that day, hard stop. Abraham Lincoln did not charge the soldiers of the Confederacy with treason. They were trying to leave the Union and set up their own democracy not end the United States. These people were trying to end democracy by creating an error technicality...the time had run out to confirm so we just can't swear in Biden. Nobody talks about how really evil Eastman's solution was...he treats the peaceful transition of power like some sort of sporting event beholden to the tick tock of a clock. Congress missed the bus so sorry we just can't wait or go back even though we saw you getting mugged. These people really have no conscience.
I love this concept of “leaving” There is no “succession” clause in the Constitution. Dividing a nation is an act of war and in point of fact the South used war to achieve succession. “Oh yes, does a house divided against itself” ring a bell?
I think you will find "democracy" was that last thing on the agenda of the Confederate States of America, the independent nation that waged war on the United States of America.
Thank you for providing this glossary. I will be keeping it and studying the terms until I know them by heart...and sharing with my friends.
Every member of Congress and even Trump himself took an oath to defend the USA from all enemies "foreign and domestic." That was written specifically to refer to the CSA, which the current line of traitors obviously support.
It fits the Constitutional definition of treason, IMO.
Thanks for this link. I learned a thing or two!
Thank you, useful info
THANK YOU for this link! Very clarifying, indeed.
Thank you. Very helpful!
very interesting … thank you for sharing this !
Good explanation on how definitions are set.
So, guilty of all of the above, and more.
Very helpful. Thank you.
100% Let’s go. ❤️🤍💙
TREASON !
I believe that insurrection against the government and the Constitution is a treasonous act. Aaron Burr was accused of treason when he sought to split off part of the United States and rule it separately. The case was heard by Chief Justice John Marshall in his capacity as circuit judge. Burr was acquitted in the absence of a second sworn witness. Here we have a multitude of witnesses, perpetrators, documents, and videos. Hammer to the slammer.
Keith, this was an interesting read on the Burr case. I’m interested in what your opinion of this analysis would be.
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artIII_S3_C1_1_2/
Christy Thankfully I am not a lawyer. I have also given away my two detailed volumes on constitutional interpretations. What I recall is that Marshall and Jefferson were pissed at one another. This was at the core of Marbury vs. Madison, on which Marshall should have recused himself, since he was the Secretary of State who had signed the document in question. My impression was that Marshall was not inclined to convict Burr, who was Jefferson's vice president, on a spotty judicial determination.
Thank you so much for adding this perspective. Your history knowledge, like Heather’s, is such a gift for the rest of us. 🙏
A problem with “Treason” as opposed to Seditious Conspiracy, is that the former relies on an “external” foreign power and/or the internal (5th Column) support in league with that power.
Seditious Conspiracy is what Trump and his Republican minions are doing. HINT: Whenever Fascists Republicans accuse us of something they actually do, in psychological parlance “Projection”, that is what they are or will do to us.
That’s why the spew ad-nauseam the memes of a Biden “takeover of government) - that is what they are in the midst of doing to us.
Treason is giving aid or comfort to the enemy in a time of war. Nobody could possibly be convicted of treason in this case. I encourage you to see the definition of insurrection. The events of January 6, 2016, were an act of insurrection. And if you are paying attention to daily news, the act continues.
This conversation, and especially those suggesting that the Treason charge is a bridge too far, led me to this. Curious about the “Advocating the Overthrow of the Government Charge”. Looks like it’s been added more recently so there is less history with use of it? https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title18/part1/chapter115&edition=prelim
Christy, I'm plowing through this without total comprehension, but as usual, irrelevant details jump out at me. I learned a new word: surplusage!
My brain really struggles with legalese. I have to go over repeatedly breaking it down and putting it back together. What I can understand is usually eye opening but it’s always nice to have an expert to translate 😁 I missed that “surplusage”, will have to check it out.
Rantings of a lunatic lacking understanding of the words "insurrection" and "treason"
He quoted the Constitution of the United States of America to you, traitor. But thanks for the solid demonstration of projection. You fascists can't seem to help it, can you?
Mommie want her computer back, little boy.
Will this work?
There are only two ways to commit this offense, they said: “levying war” against America or “giving aid and comfort” to one of the nation’s enemies—typically a foreign adversary.
the Supreme Court and Congress have further narrowed the scope of what constitutes treason: To be guilty, you must have the specific intent to betray the U.S. on behalf of an enemy and then commit an overt act of such betrayal.
So, argue with the Supreme Court and Congressional Rulings.
So long as Rupert declares that the cult is patriotic, they get a pass??? They are the most insidious of America’s enemies, ever, despite that MAGA bs. Propaganda works better than bullets. Putin, Murdoch, and trump know that, are they the only ones…
I think I understand where you are going. The 1/6/21 attackers were guilty of Seditious Conspiracy - that is they were not in direct league with a foreign power to overthrow the U.S.
Seditious conspiracy is to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
So, on Jan 6th there was a conspiratorial group that sought to stop the legal validation of a nationwide election and install their ruler.
Was there (and is there likely to be) Russian involvement in activities aimed at the overthrow of the U.S.? I’d say absolutely true, but even if we have the smoking gun proof proving coordinated effort would be next to impossible.
I have a pic of trump and Putin at Helsinki which makes me sure that he conspired with a foreign power
Absolutely.
I was one of the architects of the Financial Institution Development Program funded by the World Bank for the capitalization and modernization of the Russian banking system back in the early 1990s. We analyzed/assessed approximately 350 banks across Russian to determine which 125 would receive World Bank funding/capital infusion. I was the architect of the Scorecard used to qualify and rank these banks. This team of dedicated international development experts, hired and directed by World Bank "management" objectively scored and identified the 125 banks. In the eleventh hour, World Bank "management" added two banks - which did not even yet exist - to the list of awardees. Both of these "banks" were directly linked to Putin. Alpha Bank was one of these banks. This is VERY TELLING....
YES! Why do the Repugs fall in line? Why is the FBI so timid re: tRump (to include Mueller)? The Russian mobster, Mogilevich, backs tRump and the GOP. Manafort, Rick Gates, Roger Stone—they all worked through Victor Orban and money was laundered from Russia through the NRA. Check out the Cyprus Bank, partially owned by former Sec. Wilbur Ross and owned by Alpha Bank, not to mention ties with another crew of mobsters at the DEUTSCHE Bank. And Alpha Bank electronic pinging was traced to Spectrum Health of Michigan, owned by Dick DeVos, Betsy DeVos’s husband… oh, the ties go on, and on.
When the extent of Russian involvement and tfg’s actions to support Putin are verified, I think then the definition of treason will be met.
And then what will happen?
How much older will we be?
Who will hold the legislature and the executive branch?
A Guardian headline (Oct. 5) states that the investigation into Trump in Georgia is “gathering steam”. It notes later that any charges “may take some time” in coming.
A lawfareblog article (https://www.lawfareblog.com/jan-6-investigation-ramping-will-it-matter) takes a close look at the House Investigation’s strategy and efforts to do something coherent and significant about 1/6. Its headline is not encouraging. “The Jan. 6 Investigation Is Ramping Up. Will it matter”?
Any charges the House Committee recommends have to go to the Department of Justice. At some point when it is not busy issuing Solomonic dictates preserving its own independence from partisanship, such as the one in which it scrupulously promised that it would continue to defend TFG in his legal entanglements with E. Jean Carroll, it may start to consider whether to indict conspirators associated with the seditious events of January 6. No doubt it will do so in a way that reassures the Red States that it is not prejudiced against the MAGA crowd. So far DOJ prosecutors have been scrupulously faithful to that task, asking for sentences so lenient to rioters of the day that judges hearing the cases are left blinking in astonishment at this gentle approach. One was even moved to sentence a conspirator to *more* than the DOJ asked for.
The probability that Stephen Bannon will live out the remaining years of his natural life without being charged for ignoring a subpoena is, I will concede, slight.
On the other hand It looks like His Trumpness could live to be 100 and engage in God knows how many more presidencies before the DOJ will lay a finger on him.
In the meantime your country, the shining city on the hill, the land that gave the world Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, Ida Tarbell, Franklin Roosevelt, Sully Sullenberger and hundreds of other exemplars for humanity, is fucking folding up faster than the proverbial five dollar suitcase.
Last week a pilot other than the one mentioned in the paragraph above, ended his pre-flight welcome to his passengers with the phrase, “Let’s go Brandon”.
Southwest Airlines is said to be investigating.
In the light of such outrageous behavior not generating a national flameout, I’d have to say that getting to a treason charge against Trump may be a ways off.
Lordy, my fears put into words that cannot be misunderstood.
Like Eric said below...does anybody seriously think anything will come of all these revelations? The American public is basically tuning all this out in order to try and get on with their lives. We're like..."oh look...another outrage du jour...*yawn...*", and this feeling that "it doesn't concern me..." The apathy in this country is going to be its downfall.
And then...once Republicans take over Congress again in '22 and the Presidency again in '24 (with T***p or someone even worse) all of these investigations will be shut down with everything allowed to then be swept under the rug. This will, IMO, all largely be the fault of Democrats. I am SO hugely fed up right now with this party and the lack of any concerted will to try and save this country. All this in-fighting over the budgets is exacting an enormous toll on their perceived ability to govern. And each group--I name myself as a Progressive--can only see as far as their own respective agendas and acting like a bunch of spoiled children. Meanwhile, the Republicans, who are themselves also being split apart, but are doing so less under the public spotlight, make political "hay" hand over fist. This is a party with no longer any substance to it whatsoever, and is only a reflection of its so-called leader and everything he stands for. This is what the American people are going to get again, and they deserve it because they don't give a you-know-what. Not voting is NOT a viable political strategy, because it might make one feel better in the short term, but what one is then enabling is a far worse alternative.
I agree with you that the problems lay with the people. I don't call them sides because to be a side in my mind requires honestly owning a position. Like with voting fraud really being about suppression which is really about replacement fears. The point? At least the messy debate between progressives and moderates is authentic.
But isn't it true that for all of recorded history the issue has been about how the elite placate and direct the masses. This is true now, only in pseudo-liberal society it happens more discreetly. That is what i feel you are describing. Nothing rational about it.
"At least the messy debate between progressives and moderates is authentic."
"Authentic" alright, but what is it accomplishing? Progressives don't seem to recognise the current political realities of Congress. The numbers to accomplish all they want to do are simply NOT there, and the differences are simply not going to vanish. "We're not going to vote for what YOU want until you vote for what WE want." Such intransigence shows a large degree of political naivté. So what do we have? Stalemate. Who suffers? The American people. Nothing gets done. It's all about grandstanding political positions. The divides in the Democratic party appear insurmountable. There are increasing rumblings that lack of funding for social programs and such will mean more and more women and Independent voters will simply turn their backs on the Dems and just not vote in '22 and '24. Wow. That'll work to everyone's favour, won't it? Such short-sightedness will be our undoing. And all the while, the Republicans are sitting back, watching, and laughing their asses off. They'll sweep into power and ANY talk of Jan. 6th investigations or voter reforms will be silenced, maybe for good.
"...for all of recorded history the issue has been about how the elite placate and direct the masses." For sure...it is happening right before our eyes and we--some of us--seem powerless to stop it. The Democratic party, in its current incarnation and with no more legislative power at its disposal than it has, can certainly not do anything about it for a broad range of reasons. The infighting is only making us appear more impotent. I wish I could feel better about the future, but trends are trends, and they don't look very promising right now.
I'll appreciate your thoughts on this: A great many more of our politicians know the balance of things. Their 'facing' has everything to do with our dissonance...if they want to get elected they, like the Pastor, cannot prophesize, but endorse. The dopamine releases when a sentiment is affirmed not criticized.
So they are a reflection of us. But we have been changing. Someone has learned how to monetize designer, emotional packets and distribute them en masse. The notes work like cattle prods, herding us into easily managed pens.
Ted Cruz knows better. Isn't he Princton and Harvard educated? He is fully aware of how this horde has been formed and what it is capable of. History has other examples of it. Steve Bannon understands this as well, the public has been zombiefied. .
Liberalism ultimately fails under the weight of the relativity it engenders. With no reliable message, the loud voices that understand our cravings will win.
And emotion wins over reason, no?
How much more do they need to know? If I can find these articles on the internet, I’m sure the FBI investigators know what’s going on…
off topic, but the rump is a necessary and often beautiful part of the human body. The buttocks enable H. sapiens to run (other primates that don't run don't have them).
Excellent ex parte reply, David. In addition to not throwing a lot cases together, some covering different areas of the law, you handily addressed a crucial aspect of escape by defendants. Bravo!
I can’t get the pic of Putin and trump at Helsinki out of my mind. Obvious who was in charge
Alpha Bank was the other - as yet to exist - "bank" that World Bank "management" added to the list of Russian banks to receive capitalization/funding.
Great Points Dawna. I have been totally exasperated how impotent every policing agency we have is in investigation of “Pandora Box” like revelations of off-shoring, secret accounts and money laundering. Is it any wonder that pedophile Epstein (maybe) hung himself rather than open the international cartel of oligarchs to scrutiny?
And let’s not overlook the role of tRump’s family members: is VEB one of the other “banks”? It is actually Putin’s slush fund, run by Sergei Gorkov whom Jared Kushner met with (despite sanctions in place…no one has acted upon these Kushners that unlawfully conducted international affairs as US representatives…discussion for another day) Anyway, Kushners are involved with Silicon Valley Bank through Cadre; Kushners also received a loan from Apollo Global Mgmt—who white washed Blackwater and renamed it Academi. Remember Blackwater? A private mercenary force under Betsy DeVos’s brother, Eric Prince?
Those Prince-DeVos people are great friends with another set of traitors: The masterminds of Misinformation and weaponized propaganda, Rebecca Mercer & Family. ( see: Cambridge Analytica, aka Emerdata; Breitbart & BANNON. Rebekah Mercer’s ex-husband, Sylvain Mirichnikoff, is directly linked to the Moscow Exchange.
Is all of the Russian involvement becoming clear? I am still waiting for an apology from the reader who dismissed me recently, calling me “a dummy.”
You are most certainly not a "dummy"! I don't know if you know of Greg Olear, who has a substack called "Prevail," but I am thinking your post would be something he could jump on. He's quite an expert in all the Russian subterfuge and the shady dealings of just about everyone you name here - and more. I have long held the belief that, dumb as he may appear, TFG and his entire family are not just Mobsters, but intricately involved with the Russian Mafia and therefore Russian Mafia themselves.
Off topic a bit, but would really like to know if Rupert Murdoch involved with Russian mob. Read a while back that his ex Wendy is Putin’s current squeeze. She and Ivanka were reportedly BFFs. On the “gossipy” side but such connections can be dark but important.
Dawna, having followed your posts I do think dismissing you as a "dummy" is a dumb mistake. Projection again! And thank you for casting light on the Mercers. They seem to scuttle away like cockroaches.
This raises a good question. How much does the role of money play in the delay in charging trump with . . . anything.
Ah yes, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Granting development loans to poor countries who subsequently find themselves crushed by debt. No wonder people mistrust government.
Wow!
The only way that WaPo story gets enough traction to mean something is if they quick turn it into a Netflix series. As a country reading, especially reading like this, that requires our brains to comprehend and analyze, is not something we do particularly well.
Agreed.
Those who need to know will never know. Or perhaps they know but simply don’t care.
Most peoples lives are focused on the here and now rather than what the see in the rear view mirror.
Sadly, it’s not the rear view mirror. It’s all around us, happening now, in ways we can and can’t see. What most people can’t/won’t do is understand what they’re seeing. And telling them in writing is never going to work. It has to be dramatized and publicized.
We feel like a prisoners in our own home. The last 2 Democrats in our community are gone.
Right there with you, d017. I am in an 89% R county. NONE of my neighbors is a Democrat. But they know now what I am. So what. I think one of my two cats is an R....
Mine are just the Golden Girls…. No red animals here
“It has to be dramatized and publicized.“
But will that lower inflation? Lower gas prices? Help put food on my table?
That’s not what we were talking about. But I can assure you that in an oligarchy and/or an autocracy you won’t get less inflation/lower prices/more social programs to put food on your table. So, my point is that it seems important that someone figure out how to make that WaPo story as compelling as Squid Game so people will start paying attention to it. The book “Maid” is excellent. I couldn’t get anyone to read it. Now those same people can’t stop raving about the story and discussing the social issues around her plight. Know why? They watched it on TV. The right has figured out how to harness digital media a la Fahrenheit 451. Dems need to catch up fast.
TCinLA, are you listening? You could maybe get something rolling, yes?
451 makes me shudder. Someone told me that the new smart TVs are capable of watching us as we watch them; but the FCC will not allow them to do it yet. Don't know if this is all true, but don't tell the big orange tfg.
Yes. “Maid”. On our watch list for this week
Really worth watching - covers domestic abuse, homelessness & what many single parent households are going thru.
Might stop things from getting much, much worse, H.A.
Give up or do nothing, and you ain't seen nuthin' yet! Mark my words. We may be concerned with higher prices now, but that will not be a problem if we don't act -- Availability will!
I think higher prices, scarcity, favoritism, inefficiency and poor quality are the hallmarks of an autocratic oligarchy, right?
H A. And Themselves! Is it any wonder? But we still are in the rational responsible majority in this country, if we could all get off of our butts and DO something. Anything. I assume that you are doing what you can H.A., but how can we activate others? I think we need FB bots of out own, and what FairFight calls "Communication Ambassadors" -- people who go online to Twitter and Facebook and counter lies with brief truthful replies based on reality. That's a great idea until we get our own bots!
Need a Frank Luntz type to broadcast sound bites of truth to the masses. He was republicans best at making Schitt smell like roses.
Yesterday on my next door here in Oregon, one of the local wing nuts with whom I have had disputes is still putting out the Q nonsense. This time it is Kate Brown, our not very popular governor, selling children. She can be glad that Kate is a public figure because this is plainly libel.
In another thread this weekend on ND, someone wanted to know what people thought about the vaccine being available to children, five and up. I didn't even look at that because I knew all the local medical "experts "would be proclaiming every piece of BS they could find.
I lasted about a month on my local ND forum. It's even more toxic than Facebook.
I understand. We have pretty good monitors. It does have emergency info and other things of interest, so I look at those things and not much else.
Me too, Michele.
What is ND?
Next Door, an app/website for local news and stuff.
Yes. As a country we have been focusing on the wrong information for a long time. Is it more important to know the date that something happened or the implications of that happening? We’ve also stressed the destination and that there is only one right answer. We’ve also escorted lots of people out of the education system by making the path too narrow and the pursuit too painful. Who knows the creative and intellectual drain we’ve put in motion with our testing, simplistic pedagogy and “weed out classes”.
In his October 31st newsletter Jeet Heer called John Eastman "Mob Lawyer."
Heer is absolutely correct, for Eastman's scheme is central to the attempted coup on January 6th, and-astonishingly-no disbarment proceeding have begun to remove this traitor.
And since the GOP is no longer a governing partner but an extension of Trumpism, I don't expect Republican politicians to grow a spine and oppose Trump's nihilism.
I'm just wondering how GOP voters can bring themselves to support a political party that-for all intents and purposes-hates them?
Thanks for the post.
Rupert and clones give MAGAts a totally different scenario, and, of course they never read WaPo, HCR, or any truth teller, or see much besides Shammity and traitor Carlson. What’s a MAGAT to do??? PS the Grand Old Party is no more, it’s a cult. Call it what it is.
Treasonous cult.
Agreed.
Love the moniker "Shammity".
The GOC. I like it! If you pronounce it, you make the sound of a buzzard trying to vomit ....
How appropriate
Ohhhh, Gus!! Hahahaha!
On October 6, 2021, a group of bipartisan lawyers sent a request to the California Bar Association to examine Eastman’s behavior and consider disbarment proceedings against him. If you google Eastman disbarment, you will find the article at Slate.com. Same goes for Jeffery Clark. Its a start but disbarment can take a long time and be influenced by, you guessed it, politics.
Thank you
The governing GOP are part of the Treason. They should step down right now until they have been investigated for supporting the great traitor. They are part of this whole coup. They should be stripped of their powers immediately.
But their tentacles go deep in every aspect of the government, it will take decades, which is too long. And they are waiting in the wings with considerable support, thanks to Rupert and clones
Perfectly said.
Local elections are tomorrow. If anyone is still voting for a candidate with an (R) after their name, this is what they're voting for. I don't care if it's for dogcatcher.
I agree, Sharon, but here is what the people here in VA are hearing from the gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin...removing the food tax (how is he going to raise those funds from somewhere else?); paying teachers more (where is that money coming from?); better pay for police and firemen (same question as for teachers' pay); anti-abortion; etc., etc., etc...I seriously do not want my state to be flipped Red, for so many reasons, but it may. So many promises, and no way to pay for them, which does exactly what all Republican leaders do...make the poor poorer and the rich richer, and kill the middle class in the process. I am praying tomorrow's votes show that the majority in this state still has a brain, but I fear the worst.
Youngkin is also the guy who used the mother of the then-high-school-student who was traumatized about having to read "Beloved," is he not? His promises are about as meaningful as Trump's promises of a "beautiful health care plan" and a "beautiful infrastructure plan."
She’s also a republican operative. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if her son came forward about his mother’s statement to say he was never traumatized by the book and he doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
I believe I read that the son is a "Republican activist"! Apple & tree, folks
Remember how tfg was going to put coal miners back to work, bring back jobs from overseas, etc.? Same thing.
Youngkin is a top 0.01%-er, business mogul, so just how truly sympathetic to the poor and disenfranchised do you think he'll be? I'm guessing he's more window-dressing than serious, particularly since he has no prior legislative history or experience on which to base your vote.
So Don, if it's too late, (and it might be) LET'S GO DOWN FIGHTING.
Grand kids are worth it, Democracy is worth it.
Whadayasay?
I share your view. In PA, there is an (R) candidate running for State Supreme Court who is “highly rated” by the PA bar association. That same bar association recently called on his campaign to remove or alter a smear ad against his opponent, because its misrepresentations violated the association’s rules for judicial candidates. This same candidate has received a substantial amount of campaign funding via a PAC from a suburban Philadelphia billionaire. So much for that bar association rating—the (R) says it all.
Sharon, Exactly! School boards, town councils, and county commissions especially. And county judges and district attorneys or solicitors. But dog catchers and street sweepers included! We were late in realizing this, distracted by the takeover and resulting corruption at state levels e.g. Kemp and legislature in Georgia vs. Stacey Abrams. No way she was going to win, and that was definitely a wake-up. Good old Newt, (Gingrich) et. al.
It's going to take several elections to clean them all out -- if that is still possible? Ol' Newt took a bad thing at the national level and made it worse even at the state and local levels.
Folks, look at your own states. So many local elected repetrolicans, many of them run unopposed. What's up?
Naturally will vote for Dems but NY (my county) has 5 amendments also - 1 regarding access to clean air & water, 1 giving voters ability to register within the current 10 days, 1 removing the current excuses for an absentee ballot, plus 2 others. So yes, will vote!
Steady line of voters at my early voting location on Sunday - so nice to see! And the poll workers said it’s been that way the whole time!
Hollywood could write this script; take a lifelong white collar criminal, promote him to a place of power, surround him with corrupt and/or complicit individuals and watch what happens. the post-hoc exposure of the details is like peeling an onion. With each layer, you cry a little more...
The republicans, under the guise of religion, have been setting this up for more than 40 years. Trump was their card-- because America let him get away with crude and criminal behaviors and appointees. Many of us have tried to stop this train for 5 years. At least mainstream people are finally using the correct words: Treason against America.
Don't forget probably crimes against women. That's a very important piece because it is a key to his emotional shortcomings. There has been shown to be a link, and I'm sure no one is surprised, between abuse of animals, women, children, underlings.
I weep with you.
Today, Yahoo News reported that 30% of Republicans surveyed by the Public Religion Research Institute say "violence may be necessary to solve the problems facing the United States."
I lay the blame at Trump's feet:
"More than two-thirds of Republicans, or 68 percent, continue to believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, compared to 26 percent of independents and just 6 percent of Democrats."
People surveyed were asked whether they agree to the statement, "Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.” It's notable that "11 percent of Democrats and 17 percent of independents" also agreed with the statement. However, we know it's the Republicans who are armed to the teeth.
Disinformation is going to lead to another civil war if we don't find a way to stop it.
* https://news.yahoo.com/prri-poll-republicans-violence-040144322.html
"So, let's make the most of this beautiful day
Since we're together we might as well say:
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?"
Credit to Mr. Rodgers
"In the weeks after the January 6 insurrection, one of the things that struck me as an odd political calculation was how quickly Republican lawmakers fell back into line behind former president Trump."
Funny how that works, insurrection didn't work, ok, so back to work and being friendly with the opposition till the next time. Game over, we lost.
This is not like Nixon acting by himself. If trump goes, they should join him also. No neighbor of mine would do this.
Except I can not forget and more than trump's head should roll.
Oh, a very BIG YES to that sentiment! Let's clean up our democracy. All seditionists and treasonous beings lose their rights to vote and to run for any publicly funded positions— permanently. "T" tatts on their foreheads. All their fundraising, corrupt money and illegal assets are put into our treasury coffers to pay for all the investigations, court costs and time wasted on all of them.
Heck, a good, old-fashioned stock for each of them on the Capital steps, burning of their racist/Nazi flags and red hats and ties before they are sent off to Guantanamo Bay, still would not undo all the trauma and deaths on their watch. And, though I cannot eat from the Nightshade family much, friends who use my garden, have left quite a few rotten tomatoes that are in need of some treasonous targets before they are hoisted into the compost of time.
Nightshade vegetables belong to the family of plants with the Latin name Solanaceae. Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are all common nightshades. ... They claim that harmful substances found in these vegetables may contribute to inflammatory bowel disease and other autoimmune conditions. (Wiki) Another source says: However, people who are intolerant to nightshades, meaning they can't digest them properly, may have a negative reaction. Some of these negative side effects include gas, bloating, diarrhea, heartburn, nausea and joint pain due to inflammation. That explains why I had such revulsive reactions the first time I heard the orange Yeti speak. Mr. Comb-over Potato Head, all his traitorous comrades and their dark money supporters against democracy are part of the Nightshade family and cannot, and should not be tolerated. Deep, deep gardening time.
Penelope, I laughed throughout your presentation but became a bit nauseous towards the end -- just what you were aiming for. Great work!
Yes, I it was long, and I wish we could end the five years of the nauseating gop treasonous regime. I do have to say, I am loving that people and the media are finally calling the bad spades now. A gardening reference again. Best metaphor for that would be letting them use themselves to dig their own graves.
I think they have, with their own rotten shovels. We just haven't put them in those holes yet, but I have every confidence that I anyone can do it (big If) this present government can do it. They have to become fully staffed, confirmed, and operational first. Right now fighting too many things one-handed. McConnell should have to retire suddenly. Wishful thinking, but Ryan and Boehner did it....
It's possible that having lost control of the party, he'd walk away if he had anything else to do but make faces at Biden.
LOL! 😂
Nightshade vegetables are a late summer crop. Except for potatoes, the other nightshades are native to the Americas. As I understand it, many people from Europe who came here, wouldn't eat them because of their colors and fear that they were poisonous.
I could eat them until the past two years when I noticed a little arthritis in my broken pinkie. I began to notice it was painful and that my fingers would swell after I ate potatoes and tomatoes. Then I looked it up, and sure enough, nightshades are not good for arthritis and it is best to stay away from things that inflame. Like treasonous cult figures.
This morning's report by HCR is absolutely chilling, – one more nail in the coffin of our precarious democracy!
Why in God's name isn't AG Merrick Garland and the entire Department of Justice enforcing the bedrock of our Democracy: The RULE OF LAW ? Trump and his minions should have been indicted and prosecuted many, many months ago. There is a MOUNTAIN OF CRIMINAL EVIDENCE to draw upon, and yet the DOJ is sitting with its thumb of its ass doing nothing!
This is how Democracy dies: Cowardly people who have the authority to act but sit there and do nothing, "Waiting or Godot . . ."
I'm wondering if members of the Biden Administration, the DOJ and law enforcement officials have been meeting to prepare for the day Trump is arrested. One can assume that civil violence will break out. I just hope that this potential outcome doesn't deter the execution of justice. They need to remain focused on what needs to be done. We're talking our democracy here.
Better for some short-term violence then to lose our country altogether.
I think the happy celebrations will overrun whatever else happens!!!
I hope so. They have to arrest him. And it should happen soon
I agree, Peter. If Garland is still unready (or unwilling) to arrest and interrogate Trump, he should at least go after the underlings who were surely in the loop on Jan. 6th. Wake them up in the dead of night, handcuffs, perpwalks, orange suits, prime time. The simple illegality of what clearly happened and was attempted that day begs for a prompt response from law enforcement. Hasn't happened yet. Time's running out.
Why is it that we can arrest and ruin a guy who goes after Chevron and not arrest one who destroys the US
THAT is a good question!
Patience, PATIENCE, Peter. I assure you, the DOJ is NOT “sitting with its thumb of its ass doing nothing!” A solid case takes precision and detail and exacting strategy.
Perhaps use your nervous energy to push the vote-protection bills through Congress. (Which is the institution that really deserves our fury.)
Yes! And a reminder that 80 million people did NOT vote in 2020. Speaking up positively about the benefits of voting for democrats might draw more of those non voters to the polls?? Many people are turned off by the negativity and hate which is so ramped up and in our faces right now. School board members getting death threats and flight attendants with broken facial bones and pilots making hostile political statements during flights. A paramedic kicking a homeless man in the face 9 times in Dallas!! But folks are stepping up: An investigative reporter that peeled the skin off the doings of a judge in Rutherford county in TN who was indiscriminately throwing children in jail. A computer scientist holding Twitter to account for algorithms that attacked Meghan & Harry. Love can win!! It absolutely can. We will not be the monsters that this current group of Republicans are clamoring for us to be!! (Happy to provide links but it’s all out there in the news.)
And don’t forget the computer analysts who came out swinging and challenged Durham’s last-ditch case against Sussman (did I get the name right?)
Yes!!!
YesYesYes, Christy.
CPR on our voting rights and getting voters to the polls is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing we can do right now. Without a huge consensus in voting rights, we have no democracy. Focus down right now, even in the midst of all this chaos, focus down.
I’m still thinking about your response to a community member’s exclamation that both parties lies and how perfectly you responded. By starting with “Maybe” you did not instantly shut her down, and gave her a window into hearing you. And then you spoke about the positives that most all people want as coming from only one party. It was so perfect. I think it’s really important that we don’t become as hateful and oppositional. 🙏🙏 Thank you for your illustration. Our voices and actions matter. ❤️
I made this point above, but will repeat. We need galvanizing events emanating from the DIJ much more than we need patience to wait for that which may never come.
We need the sentencing guidelines from the DOJ for I/6 nogoodniks to be sharply raised, so that judges aren’t wondering if the DOJ has lost its mind.
We need unequivocal signs from the DOJ that they fully understand their priorities in this most critical period in American history and are not focusing useless energy on trying to convince MAGAts that they are not beholden to Biden.
I’m sure Merrick Garland is a gentleman, a scholar, a perfectly swell guy to have a beer with. I’m also 98% convinced that because if these traits, he should never have been let near the Department of Justice.
Right now we need a fire-breathing, outraged, righteous, fearless legal scholar leading the DOJ. Someone with the personality of Bill Barr, but with an ethical code.
Raise your hands if you think Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice has the enemies of the state quaking in fear that they will be brought to accountability for their most flagrant crimes against America.
I do wish Katie Porter was on the DOJ. She is one heck of an assertive, astute, informed, lawyer and law professor/scholar that takes no BS from anyone trying to wriggle past our Rule of Law and justice system. Wouldn't it be wonderful to sick her on the treasonous dogs currently in our government and the past administration and advisory criminals? She should run the public trials representing real America and our Constitution, "Nuremberg style," like someone mentioned earlier today.
What an idea. I’d pay to watch that.
Me, too!
None of us know whether the DOJ is up to the task. But we must remember that its investigations are conducted in secret, as they should be. Last week, Garland made it clear that the work is underway. And the public, thanks to media investigations and the early work of the House select committee, already knows much about the scope of the coup conspiracy. But will there be painful accountability for the conspirators? That question permeates everything.
I have complete faith in Garland and DOJ. Their cases must be and will be solid, their convictions must and will hold.
I hope to hell you are right !!!!
here's hoping you're right, and that the DOJ is prompt. The closer to 2024 we get, the less potent the message...
I hope that they are just nailing down all of the loose ends needed to get a 100% guilty verdict, remember that 75 million people voted for the bastard most of whom still believe in the big lie, do we really think that prosecutors are going to convince them to change their minds and find him guilty, this has to be so airtight that only an idiot would find him not guilty. We need to start building a gallows in front of the Washington monument so that all of the treasonous bastards will have that to look forward too. We should be building it now before any trials there’s nothing like the prospect of being hung that will focus the mind on doing whatever will keep you from having to climb those 13 steps. Can you even imagine that imbecilic clown being able climb those steps unaided, he’d be a whimpering basket case, with all of his history coming home to roost
Treasonous followers of TFG already built a gallows...for their own...Uroboros.
Except for the January 6 Committee the silence from Democrats is deafening. I wonder what they are up to.
And another 80 million did not even vote!!
I would appreciate the right to vote "present" and be counted when the choice is for the candidate I dislike the least. I am not referencing the last election; in spite my non-affiliation with party, I find Biden to be a decent, empathic and principled man, not given to grandstanding as his primary objective in office.
💯
I sure would like to hear from Kamala—right now.
My Q exactly ❤️🤍💙
Truthfully, I cannot imagine how that department that was hollowed out and lined with autocratic sympathizers over 4 years is able to respond to all the criminal activity they are now expected to deal with. I am glad for CREW going after these thugs, but wonder how we can ensure our DOJ has the funds and the talent they need. https://www.citizensforethics.org/
The Department of Justice is at work. Prosecutors like complete cases and there is so much to get through with the criminal enterprise we had for four years that is it taking some time, but it is ongoing. I don't want any of mafia don's crew to get off on a technicality. And that goes for death star and his family as well.
“The Department of Justice is at work.”
I hope you’re right Michele. But that opening sentence reminds me of driving past construction sites for months after month with the deeply ironic sign at either end - “Your tax dollars at work”.
At work today. Tomorrow. A month later. A year later.
Until (horror scenario), the Democrats are voted out. And the DOJ is led by a denialist.
I am not pulling that out of a hat. There are news items which indicate things are going on, but they are not in the headlines.
I know you aren’t. I keep having those same thoughts. And I see the odd article that gives me hope.
But I feel the tide going out.
On January 20th, if I’d been told that the DOJ would have done virtually nothing of significance by November 1, I wouldn’t have believed it. I would have been incredulous.
Mind you I also wouldn’t have believed that the Dems would have passed one (1) piece of significant legislation only by November 1.
I was shot through with optimism then, and it has taken a beating since.
I want to be optimistic, but I am tired of things being tied up in the Senate in terms of legislative agenda. Those two can burn in hell as far as I am concerned. It really fries me that two people can hold things up.
Unfortunately, building up watertight cases takes time and If I read things correctly, it is sometimes a matter of timing of events outside the cases themselves. People have to pay close attention to what prosecutors let drop.
I have very little optimism for the future in general, because of human foibles and vices.
Yes
In the history of mankind democracies are rare. We are watching ours dissolve in front of our eyes.
This link to the Washington Post article should be this side of a pay wall. If not, let me know.
https://wapo.st/3w5qgOk
Catherine, I see that a subscriber may "gift" an article 10 times. If you run out of gifts, I will be glad to subscribe to provide some more. Should subscribe anyway, just haven't yet.
Do it today, Becky. You won’t be sorry. It’s a great news source. (Owner Jeff Bezos notwithstanding. Thankfully, he keeps his hands off.)
A digital subscription is $40/year. If you can work it into your budget, *and* if you have time to read, I think you’ll find it’s a worthwhile expenditure.
I subscribe. How do I "gift" an article?
Click on the article. To the right of the date near the top, there should be an icon of a gift box. Click on that.
Cool! Long time subscriber, didn't know that....I'll be glad to contribute. How do we get in touch? (I'm a dummy about this stuff)
I'm not sure I know what you mean? That little gift box icon is so that you can share an article with a friend, and get them past the paywall. You can share up to 10 articles a month if you're a subscriber.
Katherine, Becky wrote that she was willing to subscribe to wapo in order to gift the article to members of this group. In the spirit of sharing, and since I am already a subscriber to wapo, I was indicating that I would gift the article as well. But I was asking how to gift without violating anyone’s privacy.
Sorry, I’m on so many strange apps, etc. and I’m fairly ignorant about most of them! I withdraw the privacy invading offer.....
Got it. Thank you!
Thanks for answering Ron’s question, Kathy. I just now saw his question.
I don't know, Ron. Maybe Catherine can tell us. Could be I have this wrong, but I saw a notice about it when I opened the article from her link. I don't have a subscription myself.
Thank you Catherine. This is a concerted effort by journalists that I am proud to think still flourish in our country today. They are part of the fabric that we must not lose to fascism.
Thank you for the link! It is much appreciated.
Thank you. It is amazing reporting.
Wow, thank you!
Thank you!
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads as follows:
“No Person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”
It is clear that it is now time to invoke these provisions and the January 6 Investigation Select Committee is the body to make a report to Congress identifying every individual to whom these provisions should apply. The wording of this section of the 14th amendment makes clear what both the crime and its penalty should be. Let's not waste time unnecessarily arguing about the appropriate measures should be. The only remaining question should be how long the list of those charged should be and who's name should appear on the list along with the first name on the list, that of Donald John Tя☭mp.
Well stated, but good luck with anything definitive occurring. 2/3 of either House where it is roughly a 50-50 split all but assures there will be no such action.
No, it requires a two thirds vote of each house to remove the disability to serve in elective office not to impose the penalty.
Yes.
Thank you for this clarification. If I understand this correclty, the disability (person) would first have to be removed; then, under a separate action penalized?
As I am not a Constitutional Law professor not a licensed attorney, I will refrain from expressing an opinion on this matter as to the procedural requirements. However, I look to our DOJ to initiate the process upon a referral from the Select House Committee.
The antics of Manchin and Sinema simply underscore how the person has replaced fair and equitable representation among elected "officials". West Virginia is 4th from the bottom among poverty states, and Manchin could care less. Manchin has failed his own constituents by blocking parts of this latest bill, keeping them in poverty. But, with $5+ Million invested in coal and his son at the helm of a coal-affiliated energy systems company, he does not care. As for Sineman, no one seems able to figure out her path of crazy.
Sinema is very likely to be primaried successfully in her next election although that is yet some years away. She is increasingly unpopular in AZ. Even Republicans will oppose her and she is working hard to drive down her popularity with Democrats. All this is hard to understand given her prior political history as a progressive climate activist and support for the Green Party.
Sinema reportedly has been bought and paid for from big money. "Person" wins out once again. Yet, at what cost? At what price?
Grim reading but one small note of caution. I have just finished Landslide by Michael Wolff. It is an entertaining account of Trump's last days, but one of his themes is that Trump, with his short attention span, really does not have the mental capacity to organise anything as complex as an insurrection (or its preferred alternative: TREASON). If so, who then was pulling the strings?
I think that his short attention span and limited reasoning capacity is the reason the whole thing failed. He seems to have been aware that he might lose, and started early in the campaign to claim that mail-in voting was going to rig the election against him. He couldn't really put a coherent plan together, but his ability to stir up and manipulate his followers resulted in a scattering of plans being developed by various groups responding to the "stand back and stand by" "command" from their leader. While his short attention span did not produce the kind of plan that could succeed, it did allow him to generate a flow of ideas and actions from others that he hoped he could turn to his advantage. He hoped that his “troops on the battlefield” would be able to take advantage of the smoke and fog he produced to win the day. So he did not (could not) produce or execute a complete strategic plan. Unfortunately, his actions have revealed to others the kind of strategic planning that is required to pull off the takeover of the government, and people who have the ability are trying to put that plan together. One result is the creation of state laws that will allow state legislatures or specific officials to ignore the votes of its citizens and install whomever the majority of representatives favors.
My gosh! You are totally spot on!
Trump does have an ability to obsess over anything that he thinks impacts him. He turns to anyone who will agree with his obsession. He’s obsessed with the lie that he won the election. He wants somebody, anybody, who will at any cost, make him into a winner.
He is a narcissist. Believe me. Their ability to get their way is nothing short of amazing.
Richard, his adhd is pretty well established, in relation to things he doesn't care about because he is a sociopath, and has no heart.
But he is quite capable of being intensely obsessed about the things he does care about, or is afraid of. At levels of intensity and duration that are way off the scale
Bannon
Richard, It may make sense to question writer Michael Wolff's judgement in his assessment of former president's ability to be instrumental in planning to overthrow our government. The following, 'Why Our Monsters Talk to Michael Wolff' was written by highly respected media columnist, Ben Smith.
'It’s a curious fact of journalism that it has many rules, but the most successful journalists seem to be the ones who are always breaking them. Mr. Wolff — who dislikes the j-word, and considers himself a writer — prefers blurred lines and compromised relationships to cut-and-dry journalism-school clarity.'
'When he talks with powerful men in finance and politics, he said, he falls into a bit of a Walter Mitty trance that he could be living their lives, something they can sense and appreciate. And given that many of these figures must choose to tell their stories either to rule-abiding journalists, who often view them as monsters, or to sycophantic lightweights, you can see the appeal of going with someone who can relate to your struggles. (Mr. Wolff’s divorce and remarriage received savage tabloid coverage.) And, he told me, he thinks that most of these reviled characters “are not as bad as everyone says,” adding, “Just the fact that everyone says it means they’re not.”
'He is also able to gain the confidence of moguls because he lets them know he has the same enemies they do — that is, just about everyone in the news media, whom he has always made a point of disdaining. He bonded with Mr. Ailes, the former Fox News chief whose career ended in sexual harassment allegations, over shared Establishment enemies, he said. And he ingratiated himself with Mr. Trump and his circle, in part, by publicly attacking other reporters who covered him, sneering at one point that the beat covered by Maggie Haberman for The New York Times appeared to be the “aberrant” presidency.' (NY Times) Link to article below
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/12/business/media/michael-wolff-powerful-men.html
Hmmm. That's interesting Fern. The trouble about being perched on the right hand side of Norfolk, England, is that it is so difficult to get perspective - on anything (but perhaps that applies to being on the right or left hand side of anywhere). And even strong points have strong opposite counter points. The consensus nonetheless seems to be that Trump has a short attention span. I'll leave that as my contribution today (unless of course I am wrong about that too, and he is in fact an avid reader, listens intently to his advisors and thinks deep philosophical thoughts way into the night).
Richard, I don't think that the point you made with reference to DT's short attention span covers his obsessions with lawless behavior, deceit, disrespect for others, sexual abuse, power and money. He has had a life-long span of interest in those areas, which fits his concentrated efforts to overthrow the government of the United States.
His short attention span also could lead him into believing whomever is whispering in his ear. It has been talked about how easy it is to manipulate him.
Barbara, your point here is provably true, but I believe his determination not to have lost the presidential election is the impetus for overturning the government. His malignant narcissism is I think the driving force behind this effort. In this, my opinion is that TD leads the pack.
And really stupid oligarchs and amateur minions.
This is excellent. Nice analysis Fern. Thanks.
He may not have the mental capacity but he had the power to execute their plan. Trump is a friendless man...he wanted to be a member of the club so he was looking forward to a retirement that included daily golf outings with the Flynn's, Princes, Koch's etc. and monetizing his post presidency. He did whatever they suggested.
And he seems to be doing what he looked forward to, if he could just let go of that pesky all-consuming obsession that is taking us down with him.. And stay out of New York. They don't love him in New York.
Agree. There is no shortage of possibilities.
Agreed. Who was whispering in trump's ear? Miller, Stone etc?
Let us not forget John Eastman's role in this...his name comes up more than once in the WAPO series. He's trying to skate right now, but his fingerprints are all over the failed coup attempt.
Very good point Ellen. In our obsession over trump's role we forget the very obvious players in this tragedy of January 6.
And Bannon, Clark, McCarthy, Meadows, Vlad, Eastman, Jordan et al. With the exception of Vladimir all amateurs.
Not listening to McConnell or Barr anymore, 'cause they're not whispering!
He is a cult figure. Americans are obsessed with celebrity and wealth. Even if it is fake and lies to them. Capitalism has exceeded its bounds, again, and needs to be reined back in.
Corporations were granted actual personhood in a ruling on the 14th Amendment. It’s all been downhill from then:
From History.com:
An 1886 headnote forever shifted the meaning of the 14th Amendment.
Corporations aren’t specifically mentioned in the 14th Amendment, or anywhere else in the Constitution. But going back to the earliest years of the republic, when the Bank of the United States brought the first corporate rights case before the Supreme Court, U.S. corporations have sought many of the same rights guaranteed to individuals, including the rights to own property, enter into contracts, and to sue and be sued just like individuals.
But it wasn’t until the 1886 case Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Rail Road that the Court appeared to grant a corporation the same rights as an individual under the 14th Amendment. The case is remembered less for the decision itself—the state had improperly assessed taxes to the railroad company—than for a headnote added to it by the court reporter at the time, which quoted Chief Justice Morrison Waite as saying: “The Court does not wish to hear argument on the question whether the provision in the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution which forbids a state to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws applies to these corporations. We are all of opinion that it does.”
Capitalism is evil.
Actually, capitalism has huge potential for abuse by evil, unscrupulous people. When a company gets SO large, it will take liberties not available to individuals or smaller businesses. I would argue that a small business owner who pays a living wage, shares the costs of insurance with their employees, and spreads the financial success of the business around with the employees and community is not evil. Evil seeks to take advantage of and hurt others.
But what, in this world or any other, is Jeff Besoz, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg going to do with all those billions of dollars that could fund the budgets of small countries, etc?
Small businesses do not represent capitalism as practiced currently. Rather, they are eaten by that capitalism.
I’ve watched that happen so many times, Penfist. Makes me sick to see it happen. That’s why I agreed with folks that capitalism is evil, but to clarify how I feel about it, it’s just a thing. It is only evil because evil people misuse it horribly....does that work for you?
Assisted by predictive algorithms and digital trading, evil.
Capitalism can be regulated and behave. Capitalists aren't stupid, they'll deal with you up to a point. But our capitalism certainly has become evil. Too big, too hungry, unregulated. No soul, with some notable exceptions.
Unrestrained capitalism is the problem. Our neighbor is a retired banker who has seen how these things work locally on the inside. It is not pretty and his critique is one the best of capitalism that I have heard.
Unbridled capitalism causes evil. It's a different beast when tightly controlled with regulations, as done in many countries.
Sophia, yes!! A good grifter has to be good at maintaining hold, by any means, e.g. appeal to self interest, bribery, fear, blackmail, violence, lawsuit, primary, he has a big toolbox....and he's using it.
Disinformation by the Right; disorganization by the left. That is how it keeps going on.
Thank you Heather.
As more is unraveled, this Country looks worse, not for what happened, but for how it was permitted to happen. Were there no safe guards in place to stop Trump and his accomplices? Apparently not.
It deeply troubles me that there will not be a proper response from this Administration to the misgivings of the last bad actors.
Be safe. Be well.
Trump had a once-reputable party to aid and abet. Mitch’s Frankenstein Has now devoured it.
Yes, I have yet to read the WaPo piece but I read somewhere, a while back, that these people were planning the riot in plain sight: coordinating carpools, measuring their cars trunks so they could tell one another what kind of gun could fit/if their gun could fit, etc. etc. How did the FBI miss this???
Still on "before," the article takes a bit of chewing. Will continue, "during" coming up
Kim, exactly.
Linda! Take heart: You do not know that yet. Justice takes time — and precision.
The Republican Party has ceased to exist as a legitimate alternative to the Democratic party. It's an embarrassment to the nation.
The Republican Party is a danger to the Nation.
Yes it is
It is the party of death in all kinds of ways.
So where do we go from here? What is happening is very clear. How long it's been happening is coming into focus...Eric Prince and his army, his sister Betsy, the Tea Party, the Koch brothers, Putin, the Murdochs, McConnell (and his Secretary wife)...birds of a feather..cue Billy Joel. Add in the easy marks for compromise...Bannon, Trump, and Rudy. We are in interesting, scary times. All that is left to see is how fast they throw Trump under the bus. Will he be tried on TV like OJ in a public court? Will we resurrect the special counsel of Watergate for sitting members of Congress? The only way to put our house in order is to bring this to trial so the democracy is not dead.
"How long it's been happening is coming into focus...Eric Prince and his army, his sister Betsy, the Tea Party, the Koch brothers, Putin, the Murdochs, McConnell (and his Secretary wife)" ...
...and the operatives of the Republican party now working to destroy voting and any semblance of the country we used to know. So, how about the "moderate" Democrats seemingly now colluding with them to help this mob to continue to bring down the elected presidency? Why are they too not seen as part of "the driving force?"
This seems to involve long term planning and continuing coordination to present by MANY players. Indeed the stuff of nightmares.
I'm not convinced that Manchin and Sinema are colluding with dirty Republicans. I think they think they have to keep their campaign contributors happy. This bill isn't going to be the dream bill we all had hoped for...and remember, the social part is under reconciliation. This isn't a last chance...it's a first try.
I agree. And we have also to imagine what it would look like without Manchin in his seat - it seems so unlikely that a more progressive Democrat could win in WV. It’s so much more likely that there would be another Republican in that seat, and where would we be then?
The numbers never lie. If the Libertarian hadn't siphoned off over 24,000 votes in West Virginia back in 2018 the Republican would have won.
As a prior long-term resident of WV, I can confirm that Joe Manchin is not Jay Rockefeller and not even a Robert Byrd. Do you live there now?
'Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., says he cannot yet support the Build Back Better budget deal containing much of President Biden’s domestic agenda and told House progressives to stop holding up a bipartisan infrastructure deal.' (aol) See link below.
Kathy, I now know Manchin has held his cards close to the chest. He planned his campaign to operate slowly over a long period; successfully reduce the number of programs in the Act; cut costs; delay its passage and then finally show his cards today. He led all astray until right before the election in Virginia, when he insisted that the roads and bridges bill be passed before 'Build Back' and could not support vote for the Act, then what, Manchin? Biden's domestic agenda, passage of national voting rights bills and Biden's presidency, imagine that resting on Mr. Coal Manchin? Now, who could have better worked to snuff out the Congressional Progressive Caucus, that along with Bernie Sanders instigated the plan and been loyal partners to Biden? Manchin is a canny enemy of the people; I write it straight from my head and heart.
https://www.aol.com/news/manchin-blasts-house-democrats-potentially-194414735.html
Sinema, a dem from AZ, got contributions from the Haslam family of Knoxville TN. One of them, Bill Haslam, was a Repub governor of TN. Why would they donate to Si ema?
The ONLY way
The GOP has nothing to offer but obstruction, obfuscation and disruption. That they may take us all down with them as they try harder and harder to hold onto power simply for the sake of power is their ultimate goal. They have no policies to offer except to make themselves and their cronies more and more wealthy. They excuse their actions under the self-assumed mantle of patriotism when the actions are anything but patriotism. Get out tomorrow and vote people. It is from the local elections that those who will try their hardest to destroy us will arise.
Exactly.
I’m hard pressed to think of any legislation promoted by the Republicans in Congress that benefited the majority of Americans.
Republicans are all about the wealthy white man.
H A., Can a very non-wealthy, enlightened white guy agree with you? I am, and I do.....
I believe their "policy" is simply to flush the government down the toilet. And supporters of the Rs believe the same.
Absolutely! Kinzinger certainly agrees with you. Cheyney may be in a position to affect change, if there's any hope left for the GOP.
Did you hear that Kinzinger is not running again? https://www.npr.org/2021/10/29/1050454729/gop-rep-adam-kinzinger-who-voted-to-impeach-trump-wont-run-for-reelection
Unfortunate but understandable, given his district. VERY unfortunate.
☹️
Will this finally be the straw that breaks the camel's back? Will AG Garland finally make a positive move? May all the stars align in that direction!