As I wade through the flood of news today, all of it trying to tilt the playing field toward Trump in the upcoming election, it strikes me there is an elephant in the room that we really need to identify: why is Trump so hell-bent on reelection?
I'm commenting more than usual tonight, just one of those nights you need to get it out, but could you imagine not reading HCR at the end of the day or start of your morning throughout all this? It's the most grounded, sanity enforcing writing, media or otherwise out there. It's like the daily onslaught of gas-lighting, lying, BS, etc. tears apart your brain all day and HCR just comes along and stitches back together in a few hundred words (then somehow goes about writing books and creating new classes and whatever else she does). Just incredibly thankful...
I agree with your readers who say that Russia owns Trump and he wants to avoid prison. His name will be Mudd when all is revealed. But i am equally disturbed by the republicans who have enabled him and his violent supporters. I just gave more money to Amy McGrath to defeat Mitch and Jaime Harrison to defeat graham. We can’t let corruption win.
I strongly support this strategy. If Trump wins but doesn't have a Senate majority, he cannot pack the courts or put his cronies into positions of authority. If Biden wins, he won't be blocked like Obama was. If you want to stop the rot, change the Senate!!!
I stumbled over one I hadn’t heard of the other day..Sen. Roberts of KS is retiring and the Democratic candidate may have a shot. She’s a doctor named Barbara Bollier. Recommend checking out that race. She apparently left the Republican Party over their transphobia.
You might want to read It’s Was All A Lie by Stuart Stevens. It’s not too long and I would call it a eulogy for the Republican Party. Very interesting.
Welcome, Mr. N'Biden. Are you hear to see an opposing analysis? If so, that's a noble and uncommon endeavor these days, and I'm glad you're here. I get my "right" fix from the National Review and the Bulwark, but haven't found a newsletter/analysis site with Dr. Richardson's level of probity on either the Trumpian side or the conservative side (assuming you believe there's a difference). Any recommendations?
Finding well-written, well-reasoned factually based conservative writing is a bit of a needle in the haystack exercise at present. I have seen some conservative commentators that manage to make some level of sense, but nobody that is really seriously addressing the big problems facing the country at the moment.
You cite an interesting and suspicious source. The story you link to seems to be the only "news" story present on the site, and the "newsletter" is simply a repository for bot-placed marketing pieces. I can't find any references to this organisation on any other news site and the best developed bias-checker site I've found has never heard of "Louisville Future."
These are the hallmarks of a disinformation ploy. For the sake of courtesy, I'll assume you were unaware of the dubious quality of your cite. In the future, please be more careful with your linked sources, especially because some of them are phishing expeditions and could harm members of our community.
Thanks for the cite from a more legitimate source, although I'm not terribly impressed by the job Ryan Grim did in writing the article. He seems to make great noise about a supposed inconsistency between Ms. McGrath's views on the Kavanaugh confirmation, an inconsistency that I frankly could not find in the material Mr. Grim cited.
He does an even poorer job of sourcing his assertion that Ms. McGrath doesn't like Mr. McConnell because he hasn't supported Trump's agenda enough, merely making the bald assertion. So, I tracked down the original interview on MSNBC. I invite you to view the Morning Joe segment that is apparently the source for Mr. Grim's assertion:
As I interpret her comments, she's addressing the question of why Kentucky voters, who supported Trump in 2016 by a substantial margin, would vote for her, a Democrat, against their long-time Republican Senator. Her reply is that the Kentucky voters liked Trump because of his promise to "drain the swamp," shorthand, presumably, for disingenuous, venal, tactics that obstruct, inflame, divert resources from, and add to the dysfunction of our government. Instead, Kentuckians have a Senator in McConnell, she asserts (rightly, I think) who is an entrenched embodiment of those tactics, even to the extent of blocking the Trump initiatives that Kentucky voters supposedly like.
In other words, she's asserting that Kentucky voters should vote for her over McConnell because she's not a hypocritical, self-serving, bottom-feeder like him, not because she has a particular approval of Trump and his views. This logical tactic is being employed against Trump, too, in that instead of "draining the swamp" as he promised, he's added a gigaton of fresh feces.
Please review the Morning Joe segment and see if you agree or disagree with my analysis. And to respond to another of your comments, let's both keep an eye out for good, well-sourced conservative analysts.
IMHO: I believe it is tRump’s malignant narcissism that is driving his need for re-election. He knows that he is the smartest and most clever man that has ever been born, that he will be able to outsmart our legal system and, by so doing, he will never be convicted of anything, much less go to jail (the Senate did a marvelous job of enforcing this belief). He absolutely cannot fathom losing at something, even if it is something he doesn’t even really want. His malignant narcissism allows him to run roughshod over the lives of Americans, and the very rule of law. It is all just collateral damage in his insatiable need to feed his ego. There is no moral compass and no conscience. He is the most dangerous of personalities, and for the life of me, I can’t understand the people who can’t/won’t recognize this. The fact that this “man” ( monster?) can (will?) destroy what was once considered the world’s strongest democracy and leader of the free world is unconscionable.
As I read today’s letter, I found I had tears running down my face. Tears of profound frustration, profound fear, profound anger and a feeling of overwhelming helplessness.
How can we possibly survive against onslaught of hatred and destruction??
(Sorry for this “dark” comment today; I just don’t know what to do with all of these feelings 😢)
We MUST rally friends to register and vote in massive, indisputable numbers, despite all the obstacles the administration and the GOP keep piling on. We must.
Cathy, you have said it exactly how I see it as well. He doesn't want the job, he just wants to be seen as the most clever person in the room. He'll keep on going for as long as he's able to run this fallacy into the ground, even if he takes the entire country with him.
How this isn't totally obvious to the entire population if not the entire world, continues to baffle me.
Cathy, you are not alone. I agree with absolutely everything you said. I started going back to counseling to deal with all the feelings from current events. I am so disheartened. There is just *so. much. hatred*. It is all so overwhelming.
I've started my own personal peace, love, kindness, and love campaign. I now wear t-shirts that have symbols or statements of these every day - for myself and for the world.
YES, Cathy! Exactly! Your "humble" opinion is spot on. He's an NPD (he has a narcissistic personality disorder). Even as HCR pointed out: he hates the job, doesn't have any plans, and he hates D.C. - he's still in a popularity contest. He can't lose at anything and he doesn't care about ANYTHING other than "winning". Other than his icky, incestuous-like relationship to Ivanka, he doesn't care about any person. Unfortunately, the lives of ALL Americans, the rule of law, and the United States itself are as nothing compared to his need to feed his ego. He will stop at nothing to win re-election and self-validation.
Note to those who point out that he "wants to avoid the legal vulnerability of being a private citizen". True. But that is a subset of reasons. He is DRIVEN in every moment to be "the Best Ever" at everything and to win.
Sorry, about your overwhelming emotions. We just HAVE to win on November 3rd. That's our only hope.
Dark feelings are understandable. So here comes a comment out of left field if you are not a science fiction fan. The monologue in a Babylon 5 episode encapsulates this moment. See below
It was the end of the Earth year 2260, and the war had paused, suddenly and unexpectedly.
All around us, it was as if the universe were holding its breath . . . waiting.
All of life can be broken down into moments of transition or moments of revelation. This had the feeling of both.
G'Quon wrote, There is a greater darkness than the one we fight. It is the darkness of the soul that has lost its way.
The war we fight is not against powers and principalities – it is against chaos and despair. Greater than the death of flesh is the death of hope, the death of dreams. Against this peril we can never surrender.
The future is all around us, waiting in moments of transition, to be born in moments of revelation.
No one knows the shape of that future, or where it will take us. We know only that it is always born in pain.
So much in one day! One of the issues you reported is the possibility that the regime will push a vaccine for C19 immediately before the election. I agree that the signs indicate that is is increasingly likely. As someone who works in healthcare, this absolutely terrifies me. First, because I am likely to be required to accept vaccination, in much the same way that healthcare workers are currently required to receive an annual flu vaccine. No vaccine (with documentable proof, including lot numbers) and you likely may not be allowed to work. I, personally, don’t object to the flu vaccine because it’s proven to be safe and effective but there are people in healthcare who have lost their jobs and their livelihood because they didn’t feel safe and refused to be vaccinated. Second, I have had a strong allergic reaction to a vaccine. While I wasn’t hospitalized, I don’t ever want to have that experience again. I will spare you the details but it was incredibly frightening. What is the likelihood I (or anyone else) will have an allergic reaction to a C19 vaccine? There is no telling if it hasn’t been through the established procedures for determining safety. This isn’t something to be taken lightly or brushed aside. If he insists on rolling out an unproven vaccine people very well may die. I could die. I am truly afraid.
Karen you bring up a great point, will healthcare workers be required to take the vaccine, as we are required to take the flu vaccine? Sadly, I will walk away from nursing before taking a vaccine that is being rushed through the process, simply to have it out before the election.
A question for you and Karen: would it be possible to switch, at least temporarily, to private-duty nursing? Do they have the same vaccination requirements? It may be a way to keep helping people and continue to have an income stream while we figure out if this is a viable vaccine or just leftover mayonnaise from one of Trump's cheeseburgers.
If he doesn’t care about the 180k individuals that have succumbed to this pandemic...why would he care about the heroic efforts of the healthcare workers? We have already seen what he thinks of teachers. The citizens of this country mean nothing to him...we are all pawns in his corrupt game. I would walk off the job.
He wants to be reelected to stay out of prison. There isn't much beyond that when I apply Occam's Razor. Also the reason conservatives are willing to do anything to steal the election is because they are deadly afraid that if they don't stay in power after the lawlessness of the last 4 years there will be payback. They are projecting on to Democrats what they would do if the tables were turned and it terrified them. There may be no solutions as conservatives are not going to go quietly. They have all the cops and right wing militants who will gun down more of their perceived enemies while the Republican politicians give them cover. I fully expect blue states to be invaded by these right wing terrorists with the blessing of the cops. Rittenhouse is already a hero of the right. This really is the worst timeline but unironically.
I disagree with this: "the cops and right wing militants who will gun down more of their perceived enemies while the Republican politicians give them cover. I fully expect blue states to be invaded by these right wing terrorists with the blessing of the cops."
These militias and rough police will be suppressed and "put down". They are not a coherent fighting unit.
Shaf. Some, if not many, police are bastards; but I remain clear-eyed on this (as a side note, can I ask you not to characterize me in your Reply, ie 'You are too hopeful" as it tends to make it personal). You must know that All Police are not even the same.
And, in regards to my Comment, I was referring to National Guards, and the like, if it comes to this scenario.
Daniel, my intention was not to make it personal. So I will take care in the future. I am appreciative of hope in people even if I lack any hope at the moment.
Yes, I agree with you that we should 'hope for the best, but prepare for the worst'. In this particular instance it is unreasonable (meaning driven solely by emotion) to tar all police with the same brush. This just provides the opposition false justification to vilify.
Also, it is doing the same as the opposition, who tars all protestors as rioters and looters and all cities as unsafe. We certainly don't want to emulate them.
I did write that I disagree that "blue states to be invaded by these right wing terrorists with the blessing of the cops." and gave, as my reason that "These militias and rough police will be suppressed and 'put down'. They are not a coherent fighting unit."
So I DID TELL you why I disagreed.
So my opinion IS NOT BS, as you say.
I have never received a reply like yours.
But I make afford some consideration because you replied ABOVE my Comment (but still used my name, so I found your name-calling out after extensive searching). I also noted that you did the same to Marcy Meldahl after she recommended an eye-opening book. You corrected her spelling of the title more than an hour after her self-correction.
I recently read a comment in a book speculating on the near future of "Ameristan," pointing out that no one who knows anything about the subject would build a viable military organization by giving its individual members 10 different styles of small arms, 10,000 rounds of ammo, and nothing else. That's not a real militia, its a gaggle of idiots. Do you happen to have any military experiences that could shed light on the capabilities of these Hawaiian-shirted, assault rifle totin', nut-jobs?
My suspicion is that these wing-nuts would be completely incapable of defending anything, much less a society, but could go a long way toward destroying one.
Sorry if I stepped in the middle of a personal spat, and I hope it's over already. I rely on this site too much for rational discourse have to wade through non-probative posturing.
Dan, your assesment resonates for me. I have no military training, so I leave it to the more expert in these matters. It is just my impression, and therefore opinion, that these individuals don't have any chance against well-trained and well-organized fighters.
In my opinion, his is the kind of posturing and acting out that results in death and destruction is horrifying, frightening and inhumane only (alright, I could add several more descriptors), but will ultimately contained. I am certain they will "be ended", as deserved, but deserve that end sooner rather than later.
I apologize to you and other readers of my comment, for having to drive-by my last comment, but as I mentioned in it, I had never received a reply like that. Maybe I should adjust to this new atmosphere and just anticipate more attacks. If that is the case, I'll also need to change my assessment of what these secessionists are capable of in Ameristan.
Please don't anticipate personal attacks here, as that leads to a quite unnecessary defensiveness. I've gotten a couple of comments in the past that felt either snarky or hypercritical, and I'm sure I've inadvertently made a couple, too. I've yet to see a full-on troll, although it's gonna be a long four months. But I think that everyone here values the reasonable, fact-based discourse and the trolls find it all too hard to read (or too niche).
Clearly my opinion on this matter is shared by others, including members of this discussion. Please read Dan Thompson's reply for more. Also he suggests reading "Ameristan" for more on this topic.
But I see that you did manage to get your Reply in the correct so that your newest insult is more easily found.
Why does he want to be president? It has nothing to do with Russians and treason and everything to do with the Stat ue of Limitations. Since he cannot be indicted as President, by 2024 his federal crimes committed will be unprosecutable because the Statute of Limitations will have run out. Remember, it is ALWAYS all about him, and a man as petty and conniving as he is has no awareness of any big issues, other than he doesn't want his personal finances opened up to show how much money he got from the Russians. But it's ALL ABOUT HIM.
Today it was Daniel Prude that fell victim to police violence. Why is the police so trigger-happy and why do we think violence stops violence? Probably some historic and deep-rooted reasons for this. If so, you have a job to do with your police force.
A modern complex society needs a well educated and smart police force. The cowboy days are over and the scene has changed. It is surprising to read that a 12week, or in some cases 6,5 months, course can qualify you to be a police officer. If you want to reform the police, I think you have to start with the education. Where I live you have to attended the police college and make a bachelor degree, 3 years, before you are even considered for the job. Some students still don't make it.
I believe Americans should make a better and longer police education a political matter.
You can make a good argument about education for sure. I believe the bigger issue is recruiting "good" people into law enforcement. The best and brightest of our youth are not choosing a career in law enforcement. The pay is simply not appealing. The average entry level salary for a police officer in the U.S. is about $32,000 per year. How many college grads are going to seriously consider a job in law enforcement at that rate?
We celebrated the life of John Lewis last month. John dedicated his entire life to making things better across our country. His entire life he encouraged the young people to be involved and never stop pushing for the things he believed. The changes that were made took John's entire life to happen and he wasn't done when we lost him.
Having said that why aren't we hearing leaders, and the press, encouraging the youth to get involved in law enforcement? I read the article from The Guardian about white supremacist infiltrating law enforcement. I personally think "infiltration" was a bad choice of words. It makes it sound like there is some secret group that is out recruiting white supremacist minded to become police officers. Again, low salaries leave departments to select from those who do apply. Over time, I think they hired more Whites than Blacks and it has brought us to this point.
Since the death of George Floyd, I've listened to countless police chiefs, mayors, and governors talk about the unrest and what they need to improve their departments. Not once, that I heard, did any of them ever use the media platform to encourage young people to help by choosing a career in law enforcement. That's sad. If young people selected a career in law enforcement and made the commitment to affecting change, who knows what could happen. Or is it possible that our society is so affixed to immediate gratification that most people are incapable of such a lifetime commitment as John Lewis made?
“Infiltration” is the best choice of words in this case. The phenomenon of white nationalists into military / law enforcement Positions is the same one that draws pedophiles into occupations involving children (BSA or the priesthood for example).
There’s been tons written on this subject so I won’t repeat it. I served in the military for 25 years. The military is a slice of our citizenry. What you find in our society, you will find in the military. During my time, there was little white supremacy visible. I stress visible. Our president has embraced them and now they aren’t afraid to make their presence known. But polls of military members show that the majority favor Biden over Trump this time around.
I grieve for what this country has become in the past 4 years, and will never forgive the Republicans who have enabled this incompetent insecure inhumane narcissistic CRIMINAL to stay in office and destroy the democracy that we all took for granted. The next generation or two will be suffering the consequences.
He will/can be indicted on numerous tax fraud matters when out of office. Four more years gives him ample time to coverup and change laws in his favor. Plus, he gets to do favors and get favors... lots of corruption ... Otherwise, every minute under this presidency makes me want to vomit. Sorry! That's how I feel.
Ok. So let's say that Trump is a Russian operative doing all he can to stay in power for the real boss. But he truly doesn't want the job which is obvious. Let's also say that he owes the Russians tons of money for all the bankruptcies and if he doesn't pay up (dismantle the usa) he's a goner, like the recent example of Putin's opponent who's in a coma in Germany. Follow the money. There are so many Replublicans who are in really deep... IDK... too many spy thrillers?
I'm not sure that I completely agree with commentators who say that Trump and the elected Republicans are willing go to these lengths merely to shield Trump from criminal prosecution and to retain their governmental seats for a while longer. Even if that is the motivation for Trump, what about the rest of them?
Why should the Republicans be so willing to trash their own government and the rule of law? It's not as if any of them would be missing any meals if they lose. They'll still be rich. They all have enough connections to keep themselves busy and in luxury for the rest of their lives, especially the Senators. They'd even be able to continue to blame everyone else for their problems, with even greater credibility if they are not simultaneously holding the power to solve those problems, but refusing to use it.
Even assuming that Trump is afraid of criminal prosecution and civil liability, I've not heard of anyone calling for a wholesale prosecutorial hunt for Republicans. So, what do the rest of them fear so badly that they are willing to kill their fellow Americans for the flimsiest of reasons? If Trump would just lose and go away, I'd bet that even the passion for prosecuting our Criminal-in-Chief would fade in the face of the monumental task of repairing the damage he's caused.
In other words, I'm agreeing with Dr. Richardson. The motivation behind this assault on our democracy is still a mystery.
Of course, the above observations would make a good jumping off point for a dozen conspiracy theories, a leap I will not make. It just seems that a large portion of our elected officials are remarkably insouciant about what looks like an existential threat to the democracy.
My question too — Why are the Repubs so willing to trash their own government? They must be as criminally up to their eyeballs as Trump is. And/or, it’s just flat out racist hate of anyone not white.
I'm sure that there's lots of those "-isms" at work, but I think Elissa hit the biggest point: money. The Republican leaders (not necessarily the rank-and-file) are both rich in their own right and mouthpieces for the richer. As a class, they are deeply afraid that the Dems will take their away money if they get into power and pour it into what they consider "rat hole" regulatory and social welfare programs. They see what we liberals view as good governance as an existential threat to themselves, since they see their money as their only defense against the social upheaval we are going to experience over the next century. They know that the policies they enact will spell death to most of their own supporters, but they hope their money will be able to save them, if they can keep it.
Also, unresolved internalized racism, misogyny and homophobia are very real probabilities driving Stockholm syndrome and trauma bonding in this country.
Clinging to the presidency tooth and nail smacks of desperation. He doesn't want all of his dirty little secrets to see the light of day and the only way to suppress them is by hiding behind the presidency. We know he does not take criticism well (lashing out, name calling, threatening to sue), but as president he has federal law enforcement agents at his disposal making him feel like a "big, tough guy", he can hide behind "you can't indict a sitting president". Can you imagine if the it was exposed to the world that he wasn't as rich as he purports, that he is living his life of largesse on money borrowed from Russian? His ego pushes him to prevent that from happening by whatever means necessary, no blows too low, no tricks unturned. Keep Congress blue and flip the Senate. Hobble his enablers so America can get back up on its feet again once this malignant administration gets the boot.
I think the answer to the question "why does Trump want to be re-elected?" is two-fold: on the one hand , he has no choice because of Putin, Koch etc, pending criminal charges and potential bankruptcy and, on the other, he doesn't see it as a job but thinks he can transform it into a monarchy in which he will reign supreme and have others do his bidding at the flick of a finger on his way to the golf course or while attending to his personal harem.
But the life expectancy of puppet kings like that tends to be somewhat short as his " dark shadow" tires of his presence and his inanities. In the succession to the original Vlad, after the founding of Kievan Russia a1000 or so years ago,17 contenders to the throne were assassinated by the eventual winner before things stabalized again.
Not wishing to incite violence in any way, however, but "he who lives by the gun....."
I'm in alignment on the monarch ideology added to the rest (and he does seem leveraged by those listed and others), particularly with the power dynamics you mentioned. But it still doesn't feel like there is an end game, just constant pivots to avoid being held accountable. How long does his health hold out? Are his kids able to maintain in his absence? Do these ideas even cross his mind? Does he care? I can't imagine there is any real longevity if we go down this path, even before accounting for the violence which will inevitably follow. It might be all about running out the clock (life) while in power to avoid once and for all the accountability he's evaded his entire life. Do his kids matter at all or his level of belief/delusion so far removed from any normal anchoring that it's a literal non factor in his approach? I don't think I'll ever understand who this guy truly is and how he has captivated so many Americans.
Very true! I don't think he feels that their is a limit to his hold on power. Hence the blatant strategy to bias the election results in his favour. Putin has "elections" too! The problem with fascist regimes is that they lack a legitimate succession process and so he would most definitely plan on doing an Elizabeth II and die in the job. I wouldn't give much for the chances of Eric or Donald Jr, Ivanka or Melania to succeed him however and they would most assuredly be members of the "club of 17" .
And remember, Putin's not backing him because he views Trump as an ally, Putin's backing him because he knows that Trump is incompetent. I suspect that Putin's quite surprised at how well Trump has neutralized the United States as a world power. Now, the Russian oligarchs are linking hands with American oligarchs in a bid to deepen and extend the weakening of our government, which is the only force in this country powerful enough to limit their ability to make money. And if they can keep the U.S. down, they can then turn their attention to destabilizing the E.U.
I agree, with a shudder. 350,000,000 guns in the hands of Americans, and SOME of those “Second Amendment people” remember the purpose of the amendment was to forestall future enforced fealty to a despotic ruler. Not beyond the realm of imagination...
One for every citizen! One can start that sort of bun fight but neither he, Koch, Putin or anyone else knows where it will end. Revolutions are often thus!
Why is Trump so desperate to keep a job he doesn’t want? Seems clear to me: the instant he’s a private citizen again he’s under arrest in New York and headed to prison. Any reason to doubt that? Stay President, flee to a safe haven, or get a jumpsuit to match your hair. Not much of a choice...
If stopping police from killing Black (primarily) people is not allowing them to do their job, that implies their job is ... killing Black people. Which is an argument I hear from numerous activists.
Marco Union old a Florida news program that the Senate Intel committee will continue to receive in-person briefings. Ratcliffe has *pledged* to do this. Presumably because that committee has direct overwrite over the IC.
In my mind, this is total nonsense. The *leaked* information the DNI and IQ45 are babbling about was PUBLICLY RELEASED for gods sake. I don’t understand how these people can continue to get away with this BS. How is it possible for a nation designed with copious checks and balances to have declined so rapidly in terms of the ACTUAL rule of law? From Meadows saying no one cares about the Hatch Act outside the Beltway (wrong!) to everything that comes out of Barr’s mouth to refusing to respond to subpoenas, records requests, the lies...
Does this all boil down to having an AG who is SO familiar with the Presidency and all its powers that he’s been able to weave that thin thread around all the *norms that aren’t laws that a lot of people assumed were laws and that’s why presidents didn’t do them*?
With Barr’s keen focus on the *unitary executive*
That espouses that every power exercised by the executive branch “must be exercised under the President’s supervision.” That no one in the executive branch should be independent of the president, and that such independence is in fact constitutionally illegitimate. Read the speech he gave at a Federalist Society function last year to get his full views on that, it’s a doozy.
My big questions these days are...How much work is he next Congress going to have to do to plug all these holes? And will Biden will have the strength of character to allow Congress to severely curtail the Executive branch’s powers?
I'm commenting more than usual tonight, just one of those nights you need to get it out, but could you imagine not reading HCR at the end of the day or start of your morning throughout all this? It's the most grounded, sanity enforcing writing, media or otherwise out there. It's like the daily onslaught of gas-lighting, lying, BS, etc. tears apart your brain all day and HCR just comes along and stitches back together in a few hundred words (then somehow goes about writing books and creating new classes and whatever else she does). Just incredibly thankful...
I agree with your readers who say that Russia owns Trump and he wants to avoid prison. His name will be Mudd when all is revealed. But i am equally disturbed by the republicans who have enabled him and his violent supporters. I just gave more money to Amy McGrath to defeat Mitch and Jaime Harrison to defeat graham. We can’t let corruption win.
I strongly support this strategy. If Trump wins but doesn't have a Senate majority, he cannot pack the courts or put his cronies into positions of authority. If Biden wins, he won't be blocked like Obama was. If you want to stop the rot, change the Senate!!!
If 45 wins and the dems own congress, then they can impeach Pence too I hope
Unfortunately, Becky, a 2/3 vote is needed in the Senate.
Wishful thinking that the Dems can win that
I stumbled over one I hadn’t heard of the other day..Sen. Roberts of KS is retiring and the Democratic candidate may have a shot. She’s a doctor named Barbara Bollier. Recommend checking out that race. She apparently left the Republican Party over their transphobia.
You might want to read It’s Was All A Lie by Stuart Stevens. It’s not too long and I would call it a eulogy for the Republican Party. Very interesting.
Stuart Stevens is no hero
Welcome, Mr. N'Biden. Are you hear to see an opposing analysis? If so, that's a noble and uncommon endeavor these days, and I'm glad you're here. I get my "right" fix from the National Review and the Bulwark, but haven't found a newsletter/analysis site with Dr. Richardson's level of probity on either the Trumpian side or the conservative side (assuming you believe there's a difference). Any recommendations?
Finding well-written, well-reasoned factually based conservative writing is a bit of a needle in the haystack exercise at present. I have seen some conservative commentators that manage to make some level of sense, but nobody that is really seriously addressing the big problems facing the country at the moment.
Well, I can see from your “logo” you’re a Repub so I won’t ask why you say that.
He’s probably worse.
Well, that's a substantive response
No, I'm not
Read it last week. What an indictment of the Republican Party!
It not It’s!
Thanks for the suggestion
Marcy, How about, It, not It’s!
I said that above.
Becky, I have donated to Jaime Harrison too. I plan to donate Amy McGrath in the next week.
Amy McGrath ran on a platform of helping Trump pass his agenda.
Is this a Russian hack. I can’t believe that Amy would ever think to do that’.
Please see the dialogue below, you may enjoy it, and perhaps join in.
https://louisvillefuture.com/archived-news/a-qa-with-amy-mcgrath-on-mcconnell-trump-and-her-campaign-for-senate/
You cite an interesting and suspicious source. The story you link to seems to be the only "news" story present on the site, and the "newsletter" is simply a repository for bot-placed marketing pieces. I can't find any references to this organisation on any other news site and the best developed bias-checker site I've found has never heard of "Louisville Future."
These are the hallmarks of a disinformation ploy. For the sake of courtesy, I'll assume you were unaware of the dubious quality of your cite. In the future, please be more careful with your linked sources, especially because some of them are phishing expeditions and could harm members of our community.
https://theintercept.com/2019/07/11/amy-mcgrath-mitch-mcconnell-democratic-party/
Thanks for the cite from a more legitimate source, although I'm not terribly impressed by the job Ryan Grim did in writing the article. He seems to make great noise about a supposed inconsistency between Ms. McGrath's views on the Kavanaugh confirmation, an inconsistency that I frankly could not find in the material Mr. Grim cited.
He does an even poorer job of sourcing his assertion that Ms. McGrath doesn't like Mr. McConnell because he hasn't supported Trump's agenda enough, merely making the bald assertion. So, I tracked down the original interview on MSNBC. I invite you to view the Morning Joe segment that is apparently the source for Mr. Grim's assertion:
https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/meet-the-retired-fighter-pilot-who-will-take-on-mitch-mcconnell-63521349663
As I interpret her comments, she's addressing the question of why Kentucky voters, who supported Trump in 2016 by a substantial margin, would vote for her, a Democrat, against their long-time Republican Senator. Her reply is that the Kentucky voters liked Trump because of his promise to "drain the swamp," shorthand, presumably, for disingenuous, venal, tactics that obstruct, inflame, divert resources from, and add to the dysfunction of our government. Instead, Kentuckians have a Senator in McConnell, she asserts (rightly, I think) who is an entrenched embodiment of those tactics, even to the extent of blocking the Trump initiatives that Kentucky voters supposedly like.
In other words, she's asserting that Kentucky voters should vote for her over McConnell because she's not a hypocritical, self-serving, bottom-feeder like him, not because she has a particular approval of Trump and his views. This logical tactic is being employed against Trump, too, in that instead of "draining the swamp" as he promised, he's added a gigaton of fresh feces.
Please review the Morning Joe segment and see if you agree or disagree with my analysis. And to respond to another of your comments, let's both keep an eye out for good, well-sourced conservative analysts.
IMHO: I believe it is tRump’s malignant narcissism that is driving his need for re-election. He knows that he is the smartest and most clever man that has ever been born, that he will be able to outsmart our legal system and, by so doing, he will never be convicted of anything, much less go to jail (the Senate did a marvelous job of enforcing this belief). He absolutely cannot fathom losing at something, even if it is something he doesn’t even really want. His malignant narcissism allows him to run roughshod over the lives of Americans, and the very rule of law. It is all just collateral damage in his insatiable need to feed his ego. There is no moral compass and no conscience. He is the most dangerous of personalities, and for the life of me, I can’t understand the people who can’t/won’t recognize this. The fact that this “man” ( monster?) can (will?) destroy what was once considered the world’s strongest democracy and leader of the free world is unconscionable.
As I read today’s letter, I found I had tears running down my face. Tears of profound frustration, profound fear, profound anger and a feeling of overwhelming helplessness.
How can we possibly survive against onslaught of hatred and destruction??
(Sorry for this “dark” comment today; I just don’t know what to do with all of these feelings 😢)
We MUST rally friends to register and vote in massive, indisputable numbers, despite all the obstacles the administration and the GOP keep piling on. We must.
Cathy, you have said it exactly how I see it as well. He doesn't want the job, he just wants to be seen as the most clever person in the room. He'll keep on going for as long as he's able to run this fallacy into the ground, even if he takes the entire country with him.
How this isn't totally obvious to the entire population if not the entire world, continues to baffle me.
Cathy, you are not alone. I agree with absolutely everything you said. I started going back to counseling to deal with all the feelings from current events. I am so disheartened. There is just *so. much. hatred*. It is all so overwhelming.
I've started my own personal peace, love, kindness, and love campaign. I now wear t-shirts that have symbols or statements of these every day - for myself and for the world.
YES, Cathy! Exactly! Your "humble" opinion is spot on. He's an NPD (he has a narcissistic personality disorder). Even as HCR pointed out: he hates the job, doesn't have any plans, and he hates D.C. - he's still in a popularity contest. He can't lose at anything and he doesn't care about ANYTHING other than "winning". Other than his icky, incestuous-like relationship to Ivanka, he doesn't care about any person. Unfortunately, the lives of ALL Americans, the rule of law, and the United States itself are as nothing compared to his need to feed his ego. He will stop at nothing to win re-election and self-validation.
Note to those who point out that he "wants to avoid the legal vulnerability of being a private citizen". True. But that is a subset of reasons. He is DRIVEN in every moment to be "the Best Ever" at everything and to win.
Sorry, about your overwhelming emotions. We just HAVE to win on November 3rd. That's our only hope.
Thank you for expressing - I feel the same way. Dark times.
Agree with all you've said Cathy. Scary times.
Dark feelings are understandable. So here comes a comment out of left field if you are not a science fiction fan. The monologue in a Babylon 5 episode encapsulates this moment. See below
It was the end of the Earth year 2260, and the war had paused, suddenly and unexpectedly.
All around us, it was as if the universe were holding its breath . . . waiting.
All of life can be broken down into moments of transition or moments of revelation. This had the feeling of both.
G'Quon wrote, There is a greater darkness than the one we fight. It is the darkness of the soul that has lost its way.
The war we fight is not against powers and principalities – it is against chaos and despair. Greater than the death of flesh is the death of hope, the death of dreams. Against this peril we can never surrender.
The future is all around us, waiting in moments of transition, to be born in moments of revelation.
No one knows the shape of that future, or where it will take us. We know only that it is always born in pain.
So much in one day! One of the issues you reported is the possibility that the regime will push a vaccine for C19 immediately before the election. I agree that the signs indicate that is is increasingly likely. As someone who works in healthcare, this absolutely terrifies me. First, because I am likely to be required to accept vaccination, in much the same way that healthcare workers are currently required to receive an annual flu vaccine. No vaccine (with documentable proof, including lot numbers) and you likely may not be allowed to work. I, personally, don’t object to the flu vaccine because it’s proven to be safe and effective but there are people in healthcare who have lost their jobs and their livelihood because they didn’t feel safe and refused to be vaccinated. Second, I have had a strong allergic reaction to a vaccine. While I wasn’t hospitalized, I don’t ever want to have that experience again. I will spare you the details but it was incredibly frightening. What is the likelihood I (or anyone else) will have an allergic reaction to a C19 vaccine? There is no telling if it hasn’t been through the established procedures for determining safety. This isn’t something to be taken lightly or brushed aside. If he insists on rolling out an unproven vaccine people very well may die. I could die. I am truly afraid.
Karen you bring up a great point, will healthcare workers be required to take the vaccine, as we are required to take the flu vaccine? Sadly, I will walk away from nursing before taking a vaccine that is being rushed through the process, simply to have it out before the election.
A question for you and Karen: would it be possible to switch, at least temporarily, to private-duty nursing? Do they have the same vaccination requirements? It may be a way to keep helping people and continue to have an income stream while we figure out if this is a viable vaccine or just leftover mayonnaise from one of Trump's cheeseburgers.
If he doesn’t care about the 180k individuals that have succumbed to this pandemic...why would he care about the heroic efforts of the healthcare workers? We have already seen what he thinks of teachers. The citizens of this country mean nothing to him...we are all pawns in his corrupt game. I would walk off the job.
Karen,
Another example of Trump following Putin.
He wants to be reelected to stay out of prison. There isn't much beyond that when I apply Occam's Razor. Also the reason conservatives are willing to do anything to steal the election is because they are deadly afraid that if they don't stay in power after the lawlessness of the last 4 years there will be payback. They are projecting on to Democrats what they would do if the tables were turned and it terrified them. There may be no solutions as conservatives are not going to go quietly. They have all the cops and right wing militants who will gun down more of their perceived enemies while the Republican politicians give them cover. I fully expect blue states to be invaded by these right wing terrorists with the blessing of the cops. Rittenhouse is already a hero of the right. This really is the worst timeline but unironically.
Absolutely right.
I disagree with this: "the cops and right wing militants who will gun down more of their perceived enemies while the Republican politicians give them cover. I fully expect blue states to be invaded by these right wing terrorists with the blessing of the cops."
These militias and rough police will be suppressed and "put down". They are not a coherent fighting unit.
You are too hopeful. All I see is darkness given how bad things are. I used to not believe ACAB but now I do.
Shaf. Some, if not many, police are bastards; but I remain clear-eyed on this (as a side note, can I ask you not to characterize me in your Reply, ie 'You are too hopeful" as it tends to make it personal). You must know that All Police are not even the same.
And, in regards to my Comment, I was referring to National Guards, and the like, if it comes to this scenario.
Daniel, my intention was not to make it personal. So I will take care in the future. I am appreciative of hope in people even if I lack any hope at the moment.
Yes, I agree with you that we should 'hope for the best, but prepare for the worst'. In this particular instance it is unreasonable (meaning driven solely by emotion) to tar all police with the same brush. This just provides the opposition false justification to vilify.
Also, it is doing the same as the opposition, who tars all protestors as rioters and looters and all cities as unsafe. We certainly don't want to emulate them.
Dan, why do you disagree? Better to tell us as we might agree, otherwise just BS.
John,
I did write that I disagree that "blue states to be invaded by these right wing terrorists with the blessing of the cops." and gave, as my reason that "These militias and rough police will be suppressed and 'put down'. They are not a coherent fighting unit."
So I DID TELL you why I disagreed.
So my opinion IS NOT BS, as you say.
I have never received a reply like yours.
But I make afford some consideration because you replied ABOVE my Comment (but still used my name, so I found your name-calling out after extensive searching). I also noted that you did the same to Marcy Meldahl after she recommended an eye-opening book. You corrected her spelling of the title more than an hour after her self-correction.
Looking for disagreement?
I recently read a comment in a book speculating on the near future of "Ameristan," pointing out that no one who knows anything about the subject would build a viable military organization by giving its individual members 10 different styles of small arms, 10,000 rounds of ammo, and nothing else. That's not a real militia, its a gaggle of idiots. Do you happen to have any military experiences that could shed light on the capabilities of these Hawaiian-shirted, assault rifle totin', nut-jobs?
My suspicion is that these wing-nuts would be completely incapable of defending anything, much less a society, but could go a long way toward destroying one.
Sorry if I stepped in the middle of a personal spat, and I hope it's over already. I rely on this site too much for rational discourse have to wade through non-probative posturing.
Dan, your assesment resonates for me. I have no military training, so I leave it to the more expert in these matters. It is just my impression, and therefore opinion, that these individuals don't have any chance against well-trained and well-organized fighters.
In my opinion, his is the kind of posturing and acting out that results in death and destruction is horrifying, frightening and inhumane only (alright, I could add several more descriptors), but will ultimately contained. I am certain they will "be ended", as deserved, but deserve that end sooner rather than later.
I apologize to you and other readers of my comment, for having to drive-by my last comment, but as I mentioned in it, I had never received a reply like that. Maybe I should adjust to this new atmosphere and just anticipate more attacks. If that is the case, I'll also need to change my assessment of what these secessionists are capable of in Ameristan.
Please don't anticipate personal attacks here, as that leads to a quite unnecessary defensiveness. I've gotten a couple of comments in the past that felt either snarky or hypercritical, and I'm sure I've inadvertently made a couple, too. I've yet to see a full-on troll, although it's gonna be a long four months. But I think that everyone here values the reasonable, fact-based discourse and the trolls find it all too hard to read (or too niche).
Are you now wondering why anyone would question you? Another sad response of so many.
Clearly my opinion on this matter is shared by others, including members of this discussion. Please read Dan Thompson's reply for more. Also he suggests reading "Ameristan" for more on this topic.
But I see that you did manage to get your Reply in the correct so that your newest insult is more easily found.
Why does he want to be president? It has nothing to do with Russians and treason and everything to do with the Stat ue of Limitations. Since he cannot be indicted as President, by 2024 his federal crimes committed will be unprosecutable because the Statute of Limitations will have run out. Remember, it is ALWAYS all about him, and a man as petty and conniving as he is has no awareness of any big issues, other than he doesn't want his personal finances opened up to show how much money he got from the Russians. But it's ALL ABOUT HIM.
But if he continues his criming, the statute resets with each crime.
Today it was Daniel Prude that fell victim to police violence. Why is the police so trigger-happy and why do we think violence stops violence? Probably some historic and deep-rooted reasons for this. If so, you have a job to do with your police force.
A modern complex society needs a well educated and smart police force. The cowboy days are over and the scene has changed. It is surprising to read that a 12week, or in some cases 6,5 months, course can qualify you to be a police officer. If you want to reform the police, I think you have to start with the education. Where I live you have to attended the police college and make a bachelor degree, 3 years, before you are even considered for the job. Some students still don't make it.
I believe Americans should make a better and longer police education a political matter.
You can make a good argument about education for sure. I believe the bigger issue is recruiting "good" people into law enforcement. The best and brightest of our youth are not choosing a career in law enforcement. The pay is simply not appealing. The average entry level salary for a police officer in the U.S. is about $32,000 per year. How many college grads are going to seriously consider a job in law enforcement at that rate?
We celebrated the life of John Lewis last month. John dedicated his entire life to making things better across our country. His entire life he encouraged the young people to be involved and never stop pushing for the things he believed. The changes that were made took John's entire life to happen and he wasn't done when we lost him.
Having said that why aren't we hearing leaders, and the press, encouraging the youth to get involved in law enforcement? I read the article from The Guardian about white supremacist infiltrating law enforcement. I personally think "infiltration" was a bad choice of words. It makes it sound like there is some secret group that is out recruiting white supremacist minded to become police officers. Again, low salaries leave departments to select from those who do apply. Over time, I think they hired more Whites than Blacks and it has brought us to this point.
Since the death of George Floyd, I've listened to countless police chiefs, mayors, and governors talk about the unrest and what they need to improve their departments. Not once, that I heard, did any of them ever use the media platform to encourage young people to help by choosing a career in law enforcement. That's sad. If young people selected a career in law enforcement and made the commitment to affecting change, who knows what could happen. Or is it possible that our society is so affixed to immediate gratification that most people are incapable of such a lifetime commitment as John Lewis made?
“Infiltration” is the best choice of words in this case. The phenomenon of white nationalists into military / law enforcement Positions is the same one that draws pedophiles into occupations involving children (BSA or the priesthood for example).
There’s been tons written on this subject so I won’t repeat it. I served in the military for 25 years. The military is a slice of our citizenry. What you find in our society, you will find in the military. During my time, there was little white supremacy visible. I stress visible. Our president has embraced them and now they aren’t afraid to make their presence known. But polls of military members show that the majority favor Biden over Trump this time around.
I grieve for what this country has become in the past 4 years, and will never forgive the Republicans who have enabled this incompetent insecure inhumane narcissistic CRIMINAL to stay in office and destroy the democracy that we all took for granted. The next generation or two will be suffering the consequences.
He will/can be indicted on numerous tax fraud matters when out of office. Four more years gives him ample time to coverup and change laws in his favor. Plus, he gets to do favors and get favors... lots of corruption ... Otherwise, every minute under this presidency makes me want to vomit. Sorry! That's how I feel.
Ok. So let's say that Trump is a Russian operative doing all he can to stay in power for the real boss. But he truly doesn't want the job which is obvious. Let's also say that he owes the Russians tons of money for all the bankruptcies and if he doesn't pay up (dismantle the usa) he's a goner, like the recent example of Putin's opponent who's in a coma in Germany. Follow the money. There are so many Replublicans who are in really deep... IDK... too many spy thrillers?
I'm not sure that I completely agree with commentators who say that Trump and the elected Republicans are willing go to these lengths merely to shield Trump from criminal prosecution and to retain their governmental seats for a while longer. Even if that is the motivation for Trump, what about the rest of them?
Why should the Republicans be so willing to trash their own government and the rule of law? It's not as if any of them would be missing any meals if they lose. They'll still be rich. They all have enough connections to keep themselves busy and in luxury for the rest of their lives, especially the Senators. They'd even be able to continue to blame everyone else for their problems, with even greater credibility if they are not simultaneously holding the power to solve those problems, but refusing to use it.
Even assuming that Trump is afraid of criminal prosecution and civil liability, I've not heard of anyone calling for a wholesale prosecutorial hunt for Republicans. So, what do the rest of them fear so badly that they are willing to kill their fellow Americans for the flimsiest of reasons? If Trump would just lose and go away, I'd bet that even the passion for prosecuting our Criminal-in-Chief would fade in the face of the monumental task of repairing the damage he's caused.
In other words, I'm agreeing with Dr. Richardson. The motivation behind this assault on our democracy is still a mystery.
Of course, the above observations would make a good jumping off point for a dozen conspiracy theories, a leap I will not make. It just seems that a large portion of our elected officials are remarkably insouciant about what looks like an existential threat to the democracy.
In a word, the operator is Racism.
And $$$$$ HCR has said there’s a lot of money to be made from chaos - and here we are. 🙁
My question too — Why are the Repubs so willing to trash their own government? They must be as criminally up to their eyeballs as Trump is. And/or, it’s just flat out racist hate of anyone not white.
I'm sure that there's lots of those "-isms" at work, but I think Elissa hit the biggest point: money. The Republican leaders (not necessarily the rank-and-file) are both rich in their own right and mouthpieces for the richer. As a class, they are deeply afraid that the Dems will take their away money if they get into power and pour it into what they consider "rat hole" regulatory and social welfare programs. They see what we liberals view as good governance as an existential threat to themselves, since they see their money as their only defense against the social upheaval we are going to experience over the next century. They know that the policies they enact will spell death to most of their own supporters, but they hope their money will be able to save them, if they can keep it.
Also, unresolved internalized racism, misogyny and homophobia are very real probabilities driving Stockholm syndrome and trauma bonding in this country.
Clinging to the presidency tooth and nail smacks of desperation. He doesn't want all of his dirty little secrets to see the light of day and the only way to suppress them is by hiding behind the presidency. We know he does not take criticism well (lashing out, name calling, threatening to sue), but as president he has federal law enforcement agents at his disposal making him feel like a "big, tough guy", he can hide behind "you can't indict a sitting president". Can you imagine if the it was exposed to the world that he wasn't as rich as he purports, that he is living his life of largesse on money borrowed from Russian? His ego pushes him to prevent that from happening by whatever means necessary, no blows too low, no tricks unturned. Keep Congress blue and flip the Senate. Hobble his enablers so America can get back up on its feet again once this malignant administration gets the boot.
I think the answer to the question "why does Trump want to be re-elected?" is two-fold: on the one hand , he has no choice because of Putin, Koch etc, pending criminal charges and potential bankruptcy and, on the other, he doesn't see it as a job but thinks he can transform it into a monarchy in which he will reign supreme and have others do his bidding at the flick of a finger on his way to the golf course or while attending to his personal harem.
But the life expectancy of puppet kings like that tends to be somewhat short as his " dark shadow" tires of his presence and his inanities. In the succession to the original Vlad, after the founding of Kievan Russia a1000 or so years ago,17 contenders to the throne were assassinated by the eventual winner before things stabalized again.
Not wishing to incite violence in any way, however, but "he who lives by the gun....."
I'm in alignment on the monarch ideology added to the rest (and he does seem leveraged by those listed and others), particularly with the power dynamics you mentioned. But it still doesn't feel like there is an end game, just constant pivots to avoid being held accountable. How long does his health hold out? Are his kids able to maintain in his absence? Do these ideas even cross his mind? Does he care? I can't imagine there is any real longevity if we go down this path, even before accounting for the violence which will inevitably follow. It might be all about running out the clock (life) while in power to avoid once and for all the accountability he's evaded his entire life. Do his kids matter at all or his level of belief/delusion so far removed from any normal anchoring that it's a literal non factor in his approach? I don't think I'll ever understand who this guy truly is and how he has captivated so many Americans.
Very true! I don't think he feels that their is a limit to his hold on power. Hence the blatant strategy to bias the election results in his favour. Putin has "elections" too! The problem with fascist regimes is that they lack a legitimate succession process and so he would most definitely plan on doing an Elizabeth II and die in the job. I wouldn't give much for the chances of Eric or Donald Jr, Ivanka or Melania to succeed him however and they would most assuredly be members of the "club of 17" .
And remember, Putin's not backing him because he views Trump as an ally, Putin's backing him because he knows that Trump is incompetent. I suspect that Putin's quite surprised at how well Trump has neutralized the United States as a world power. Now, the Russian oligarchs are linking hands with American oligarchs in a bid to deepen and extend the weakening of our government, which is the only force in this country powerful enough to limit their ability to make money. And if they can keep the U.S. down, they can then turn their attention to destabilizing the E.U.
I agree, with a shudder. 350,000,000 guns in the hands of Americans, and SOME of those “Second Amendment people” remember the purpose of the amendment was to forestall future enforced fealty to a despotic ruler. Not beyond the realm of imagination...
One for every citizen! One can start that sort of bun fight but neither he, Koch, Putin or anyone else knows where it will end. Revolutions are often thus!
He flees or the Law gets him. Again, Occam's razor.
Why is Trump so desperate to keep a job he doesn’t want? Seems clear to me: the instant he’s a private citizen again he’s under arrest in New York and headed to prison. Any reason to doubt that? Stay President, flee to a safe haven, or get a jumpsuit to match your hair. Not much of a choice...
correct, imho (and of most others in our anarchist jurisdiction.)
If stopping police from killing Black (primarily) people is not allowing them to do their job, that implies their job is ... killing Black people. Which is an argument I hear from numerous activists.
Marco Union old a Florida news program that the Senate Intel committee will continue to receive in-person briefings. Ratcliffe has *pledged* to do this. Presumably because that committee has direct overwrite over the IC.
https://apple.news/Adf3S8VcJShWPF9WJGzP7CQ
In my mind, this is total nonsense. The *leaked* information the DNI and IQ45 are babbling about was PUBLICLY RELEASED for gods sake. I don’t understand how these people can continue to get away with this BS. How is it possible for a nation designed with copious checks and balances to have declined so rapidly in terms of the ACTUAL rule of law? From Meadows saying no one cares about the Hatch Act outside the Beltway (wrong!) to everything that comes out of Barr’s mouth to refusing to respond to subpoenas, records requests, the lies...
Does this all boil down to having an AG who is SO familiar with the Presidency and all its powers that he’s been able to weave that thin thread around all the *norms that aren’t laws that a lot of people assumed were laws and that’s why presidents didn’t do them*?
With Barr’s keen focus on the *unitary executive*
That espouses that every power exercised by the executive branch “must be exercised under the President’s supervision.” That no one in the executive branch should be independent of the president, and that such independence is in fact constitutionally illegitimate. Read the speech he gave at a Federalist Society function last year to get his full views on that, it’s a doozy.
My big questions these days are...How much work is he next Congress going to have to do to plug all these holes? And will Biden will have the strength of character to allow Congress to severely curtail the Executive branch’s powers?
^^ Marco Rubio (autocorrect is my mortal enemy)