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? He has made it clear he doesn’t particularly like the job. He has no real goals for a second term. He feels victimized by the media and his opponents. He prefers Florida to Washington, D.C., and he really likes to golf. He claims to be wealthy enough to do whatever he wants. So why on earth is he apparently determined to bend our democracy to the point of breaking in order to win reelection to a job he doesn’t seem to want to do?
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.
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 😢)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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....."
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.
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 😢)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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....."
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.
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?