For weeks now, I have vowed that I would finish these letters early and get to bed before midnight, and for weeks now, I have finally finished around three in the morning.
Professor Richardson. Your understanding of history and how it applies to the current frightening times is valuable beyond words. Your recaps of the key events are now essential reading for us. Thank you. Please never stop.
However, I agree with others, if it means less letters per week to keep your spark alive, please don't hesitate. Whatever it takes to keep your explanations pouring forth longer. Your contributions are epic.
Sleep is essential to health. Please don't lose your health balance. I would be happy with less letters and a longer life for them. Why not take the weekends off? Old school idea, I know. A letter every other day? Whatever works for you. Just stay healthy. Life is short. You deserve to enjoy it fully. And we need you :)
i totally agree Bill. Her insights are so well expressed and historically relevant. She does need to take care of herself and fewer letters would be fine. Have you seen Robert Kagan’s recent piece in the Washington Post?
In the past we bought their papers. They need $ to survive, and do the research that we need for our liberty. What does it cost? 50 cents/day for each or $1/day for both? It's totally worth it.
I understand the economic necessity of news reporting. I also understand that such an insignificant amount for one newspaper is not a burden to some ppl. (I used to subscribe to the daily paper in Miami and Gainesville Florida) However, not everyone has discretionary cash, even in small amounts.
I completely agree. You need sleep, we need you. If less of you keeps you healthy, choose THAT path. You’ve got volumes of material for us to review and reread in order to remain attentive, alert and informed. Please don’t shirk sleep.
Your rested brain, heart and soul are vital to us all, and to the truths we hold so dear.
Absolutely agree with you, Bill. I actually don't know how Dr. Richardson does it, day and night. I know how sleepless my nights have been lately, no matter what I do, and I simply cannot imagine how she has the mental stamina to keep going. Somedays I want to crawl under the covers....and yet at night sleep is illusive. So here's a suggestion.....maybe more peaceful pictures and even a musical selection to accompany it. I know our friend, Cathy Learoyd, would most likely agree!
I have often wondered what the toll is for you to write these. Staying up until midnight, let alone 0300 would flatten me - and I’m talking about just puttering around my house or watching tv. Writing these letters seems like a full time job to me.
Do what you need to do to balance it all out. I’m okay with whatever works for you.
I want you to know that your letters/essays are very important to me and have been incredibly helpful in understanding so much of our current situation and in learning things in our history that I didn’t know. Thank you for helping me understand our knotted up, ugly politics and for expanding my education. I very much appreciate your work on these letters/essays.
I totally agree with Bill's comment to you Heather! I need your explanations and your passion! But I also want you to have a healthy balance.....now that you have your classes again. Please get rest! Sr. Lisette Michaud
You mean "fewer" letters, not "less" letters, a common grammatical error that always bugs me. Otherwise, I couldn't agree more with the intent of your letter. Well done.
The thousands of folks gathering here to read Ms. Richardson’s daily LFaA are nearly as inspiring to me as the Letters themselves, as we depend on her concise explanations of the nuances of Democracy’s peril. Every day, I say a little prayer for her well-being. The fact that we’re all more or less on the same page is at least a small comfort. But gratifying as it is to read like-minded comments, it is simply not enough.
What HCR has been telling us about the danger to our democracy in these past few missives is nearly as jolting as when the former guy was still in office. CPAC in Budapest?? Good Lord. Nothing less than a muster call to the election barricades to defend our democracy is needed.
No matter how many likes we give each other in the comments section, the fact remains that if we don’t have overwhelming election numbers, we simply won’t be able to outvote this rigged minority. Every single one of us must be organizing now out in our local communities, talking up support for the President’s plan, registering voters, and preparing to get out every vote when the time comes. Even that may not be enough, but at the end of the day, how will we feel if we have not done everything we can to push this ugly fascist rock over the proverbial cliff?
Yes, read, comment, vote up and connect. We need that! This is a great online community!
But also get together, online or in person, with your local Dems and join a “Get Out The Vote” campaign. I guarantee you, they need us phone banking, letter writing, pot-lucking, canvassing, and putting out door hangers NOW. How did Stacy Abrams get it done? Boots on the ground.
I love you guys. If you’re not already there, step away from the doom-scroll and let’s get down to the real work of saving Democracy.
This. Rest here in the comfort of like-minded friends. Then do the hard work of organizing and activating- boots on the ground as you describe it so well. Thank you for articulating so clearly what each and every one of us needs to be doing. Me? Postcards to voters today. Later this week, more training with the campaign office of my US Representative who is in another dog fight to retain her seat. This is MY democracy! Lots of work required to retain it.
The CPAC in Budapest? I can't get over that. Does that mean that crazy has metastasized tp the planetary level? Hey, let's have the next one in North Korea. /s
Charlie some days I read the comments first to break myself in gently to the “real news”. I think I would have passed out yesterday if I had not thought you were joking before reading that you were not. A blatant Fascist Party in the US of A with around 28% support of the electorate but a heckuva lot more than that in Congress! 😳😳😳 mind boggling!
Eye-opening perhaps. So perhaps we can have a different view of Italy in the Mussolini era. Perhaps we can have a different view of Germany in the NSDAP era. Maybe the USA in 2021 is just a different version of Mussolini‘s Italy and Hitler’s Germany, and perhaps 1930s Japan although here my ignorance prevails. People can be duped into giving power to somebody who turns into a self-appointed member of royalty. Even a well-intentioned political “savior“ can degenerate into an authoritarian if democratic controls are not enforced.
Yes Christy, the Republican Party is being taken over and replaced by the Fascist Party of America, in spirit if not in name. I agree completely. Heather would probably say they are going back to their 1800s imperialist capitalist roots.
Roland! I was thinking this weekend about emailing the two people whose contact info I have and ask if they knew what happened to you. I've missed your comments! Hoping you are okay.
Learning from the past may be the best way to prevent it from happening again, here. We now all have responsibilities to teach by connecting that history to the present.
YES! Write letters! Write postcards! Text! Even though some of us aren't comfortable with phoning, door-to-door, face-to-face, there are many more ways to get our voices out there. As many folks as there are in the streets, there also needs to be multitudes with pens, paper, stamps, laptops at our desks with nimble fingers.
Our indivisible group has done mentoring in going door to door. Anything anxiety producing once done several times with some hand holding becomes much less so. ❤️
Excellent idea. Georgia has thickened the plot by removing the Secretary of State from the election verification function, and will replace the Board of Elections in large, racially diverse counties (i.e., Fulton County, where Atlanta is located, with a large Black population) with partisan legislators if there is any question of mismanagement. There has only to be the accusation, but not necessarily proof of irregularities, and our majority Republican legislators, most with an axe to grind, have the power to overturn that county's votes and substitute other electors. In case you've heard about our current "heroic" Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, who recorded the infamous call from TFG asking him to "find" enough votes to overturn our election results, and reaped the wrath of our resident Trumpies, he has approved of this latest scheme, and is self-righteously justifying it to "give voters confidence that the votes are valid." He was interviewed by Nicolle Wallace on Deadline: White House, and she really made him squirm about this latest voter nullification ruse - lovely!
I agree. Many would argue with me, and they might be right, but I believe he's losing steam - heard that the Georgia rally was fairly limp. If he's losing his mojo, perhaps there won't be a civil war if he's criminally charged.
We MUST get the voting rights bill passed. Otherwise, voter nullification will pose a huge threat, as well as the upcoming redistricting/gerrymandering.
Additionally, as you've said, we all need to turn out to support voting assistance and outreach. No more sleeping on the job.
I suggest to everyone that you read Fred Kagan's Washington Post Op-Ed "Our Constitutional Crisis is Already Here. As Charlie Sykes put it in his newsletter, it is a must must must read. Rachel and I both agree that we don't agree much with most of what Kagan has written over the years, but this is "bang on" as they say. It's interesting how it's the Never-Trump conservatives like Kagan, or Steve Schmidt (what he said last night on Rachel's show was really powerful) or Stuart Stevens or any of the people at The Bulwark, who are waving their arms and shouting about what is going on with the revolutionary fascists of Trump's movement. Perhaps it's like the ex-communists who understood the dangers of Stalinism, having seen them up close and personal.
Anyway, if you haven't read Kagan's op-ed, do so now:
TC, there are two Kagans known as rightwing scholars and commentators, Robert and Frederick. They are brothers. Their father, Donald Kagan, was a well-known historian and classicist at Yale until he died about 6-7 weeks ago. Frederick's wife, Kimberly Kagan, is also a big-time academic, military historian and sometime commentator in the Wall Street Journal. I have no idea how much they all agree/d with each other, but it appears none of them is/was a Democrat, to say the least. You surely already know all this, but your post erroneously attributes the WaPo article to Fred Kagan.
The excellent must, must, must, must read article you cite was written by Robert Kagan, once a Republican but who now considers himself to be an independent of the "anyone-but-Trump" sort. Even my older sister in Bend, a lifetime Democrat like me, who recently refused to engage with me in political conversation because it was all too depressing -- preaching to the choir -- and she just couldn't stand thinking about "it", sent me an email recommending Kagan's article after she heard Rachel Maddow talking about it/him.
I agree with you that Kagan nailed it. I also agree with several other HRC LFAA commentators that Kagan did not have much to say about the Justice Department's investigations into the events of Jan. 6 or other legal proceedings regarding Trump's many nefarious activities both before and since the elections of 2016 and 2020.
So, I am wondering how long we will have to wait before the arrests begin? Will we first have to learn of all the incriminating details from the mainstream news media and Bob Woodward before Garland will make a move? It seems to me that the problem is extremely urgent and that the Biden strategy of passing a bunch of fairly progressive legislation so as to convince Americans to vote in sufficient numbers that Trump/GOP moves to falsify the 2022 elections in purple states they control because of gerrymandering will be overwhelmed by DEM turnout is not really a very good strategy and is likely to fail with truly catastrophic consequences, almost as catastrophic as this ridiculously long and contorted sentence.
Based on what I have read in mainstream, usually reliable news sources, there is more than enough incriminating evidence to arrest and hold for questioning Trump and a pretty large group of his cretinous underlings and opportunistic GOP politicians on charges of conspiracy to break many laws, and on charges of attempted insurrection and -- even -- treason. I deplore the death penalty. Trump does not.
Democrats needing a little more steel in their spines is not a new development. It has been true for a very long time. I am on the fence about what is responsible for that. On the one hand, I wonder if Democrats are trying to act as they would like Republicans to act towards them. On the other hand, I wonder if Democrats are afraid that if they act decisively, what the backlash might be so they waffle.
Yes. Fear of backlash. Always trying to be a big tent. Offering compromise. Being empathetic. Trying to use reason, logic, science... We want to be nice.
But you can't reason with haters and bigots. It's like standing up from a trench in WWI and saying: "Hey, hey! Wanna talk this over?"
Democrats are limited by their insistence on adhering to the rule of law. Republicans have bought into the idea that we don’t need no stinkin’ laws. We just need a brutal, Dirty Harry style police force. Steel in the spine cannot help unless the electorate puts enough decent people into legislatures to make it possible for the rule of law to survive. Plutocrats like Koch take advantage of the racist inclinations of white working class to retain power and use it to further their selfish (to put it mildly) interests.
But to be fair, Republicans have a lot more MONEY in their spines, and the acumen of a basic business plan from which to orchestrate the complete take over of 3 branches of a democrstic republic.
Donald Kagan was the terrific translator of Greek plays--yes, a curmudgeon who never got over the idea of women (gasp!) attending Yale, but very much in the mold of that era of classicists.
David I knew and admired Donald Kagan, who, in addition to being a distinguished classist, was, for a while, dean (of students, I believe) at Yale. Donald had a classist’s sense of integrity and I found him somewhat curmudgeonly in reacted to the campus changes in the 1980s. He was a man of personal integrity and conservative principles which I see reflected in some of Robert Fagab’s writings.
Keith, How could I not be thrilled with your name Robert 'Fagab's' (Kagan) as it is the perfect abbreviation of my thoughts about his writing style in 'Our constitutional crisis is already here' Opinion.
David, Applause for your clarity with reference to Robert Kagan's 'Our constitutional crisis is already here'. I wondered, too, about what seems to be his rush to conclusion, '...with a reasonable chance over the next three to four years of incidents of mass violence, a breakdown of federal authority, and the division of the country into warring red and blue enclaves.' Kagan calls this 'a reasonable chance', is he hedging with that? Clearly the opinion is a WAKE UP call. Is it also too self-confidently deterministic or, perhaps, absolutist - with an “all-or-nothing,” “black-or-white” mindset? America could go there, but Biden, the Democrats and pro-democracy advocates are determined to turn Kagan's 'reasonable chance' scenario in to a highly unlikely one. Comments here, such as Kara Hammonds, are full of suggestions for what we LFAA subscribers can do on behalf of democracy.
Rachel's 8 min interview of Steve Schmidi is posted at MSNBC & YouTube MSNBC. Schmidt 8 days ago on Twitter: "There will be no unity with the seditionists".
TC, You saw Steve too! I'm so glad. I was going to put in a big pitch for the show after HCR's Letter last night, but decided to catch the link to the transcript and post it here tonight. Guess it will be Monday, it wasn't up last time I checked.
I kept replaying his segment over a dozen times. It was pure Schmidt at his absolute best! It was the perfect corollary the the Letter.
And Rachel -- like Nicole Wallace -- knows exactly what to do with Steve: Hand him the ball and let him run free until he's finished, Repeat. It's just too bad The Media is all fake news, assisting the democrats in their evil bid to destroy our way of life and our freedoms, according to forty-five tonight in Perry. So we can't believe anything Steve said.....
Kagan made no mention at all re congressional Jan. 6th investigation and ongoing investigations by NY state AG and federal SDNY attorneys. Does he, or anyone here, believe these to be of no consequence, whatever the outcomes?
Indeed. Most of the MAGA mob would ignore its conclusions anyway. But public testimony by subpoena-ed witnesses running up to the 2022 elections could sway individual congressional races.
It just seemed to me for Kagan to ignore the various investigations in his otherwise very good summation of the very real threat we face indicates he believes that the former president, and his congressional toadies, are beyond facing political consequences for criminal activity. If this is so, in a way, their revolution is already a success.
If the investigation isn’t done by the time of midterms, and Repubs take the House majority, am I correct that they could kill the investigation and dismantle the committee??
TC in LA…You are SO RIGHT. On all points. Kagan:OMG. And, Steve Schmidt presented his usual clear articulate brilliant explanation about what is happening. It was evident that Rachel Maddow was at a loss for words when he finished his shattering assessment. What can one say but he’s right? My hair is on fire! Every day. Still, life goes on around me. I feel almost paralyzed by the absence of alarm in ordinary citizens like my neighbors and friends who seem to think that if Democrats and Republicans all stopped squabbling, we can all get along together. If I counter any of their points, it’s met with “Joe Biden is too old to be President.” I can’t say I disagree with the age factor, but he’s what we have and thank goodness it’s not the other guy. I continue to be politically active. What choice is there? But for me hope is defined as the belief that we can act to make things better. I sure HOPE Congressional Democrats act soon to help us foot soldiers out. ❤️🤍💙
I was driving about yesterday, with several of these thoughts and issues percolating in my thoughts. I was approaching an intersection that is the second most passed in my travels through town (Albertsons on the North, BiMart on the south; both of which are go to places, with BiMart being a general store type of place with a pharmacy). I noted both parking lots fairly full for a Saturday afternoon, cars at the gas station on the corner, a guy getting his propane tank filled. Just a normal Saturday.
Then I thought: do any of these folks have any clue what is facing our country right now? I just don't think so.
“Just a normal Saturday.” That, Ally, is exactly what is at stake of us losing in America but is what the Trump Party has taken advantage of to further their agenda. The complacency of people. The comfort zone, so to speak. Don’t upset the apple cart kind of mindset.
I’m somewhat amazed recently at how difficult it has been to rally people to actively support and participate in the Women’s March on October 2nd. To take place in one week’s time. Trump’s rally in Perry, GA has gathered more press than the national opportunity Americans have next weekend to make our voices heard. And to let oppressors know we are not complacent, silent, and easily obedient. And that our Constitution will not be held hostage.
Well, if you go look at the Women's March map, it is getting pretty darned impressive! I would love to see more marches around the world--in solidarity!
I’ve sent The info to friends outside the US. For support and to be in thought with us. One friend is organizing a protest event in their international location!!! Yes!
Professor Richardson. Your understanding of history and how it applies to the current frightening times is valuable beyond words. Your recaps of the key events are now essential reading for us. Thank you. Please never stop.
However, I agree with others, if it means less letters per week to keep your spark alive, please don't hesitate. Whatever it takes to keep your explanations pouring forth longer. Your contributions are epic.
Sleep is essential to health. Please don't lose your health balance. I would be happy with less letters and a longer life for them. Why not take the weekends off? Old school idea, I know. A letter every other day? Whatever works for you. Just stay healthy. Life is short. You deserve to enjoy it fully. And we need you :)
Professor - totally agree with Bill. You need to take care of yourself before you can help take care of the rest of us. Please pace yourself.
i totally agree Bill. Her insights are so well expressed and historically relevant. She does need to take care of herself and fewer letters would be fine. Have you seen Robert Kagan’s recent piece in the Washington Post?
Yes, I shared the link to it yesterday. It’s “essential reading” and needs to be broadcast far and wide.
TCinLA shared a link early on in today's comments as well.
And here it is again. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/23/robert-kagan-constitutional-crisis/
The trouble with WaPo links is being a paid subscription it is not available to everyone. NYT the same.
In the past we bought their papers. They need $ to survive, and do the research that we need for our liberty. What does it cost? 50 cents/day for each or $1/day for both? It's totally worth it.
Joseph in Missoula
I understand the economic necessity of news reporting. I also understand that such an insignificant amount for one newspaper is not a burden to some ppl. (I used to subscribe to the daily paper in Miami and Gainesville Florida) However, not everyone has discretionary cash, even in small amounts.
Thanks. That's a terrifying read.
I completely agree. You need sleep, we need you. If less of you keeps you healthy, choose THAT path. You’ve got volumes of material for us to review and reread in order to remain attentive, alert and informed. Please don’t shirk sleep.
Your rested brain, heart and soul are vital to us all, and to the truths we hold so dear.
Absolutely agree with you, Bill. I actually don't know how Dr. Richardson does it, day and night. I know how sleepless my nights have been lately, no matter what I do, and I simply cannot imagine how she has the mental stamina to keep going. Somedays I want to crawl under the covers....and yet at night sleep is illusive. So here's a suggestion.....maybe more peaceful pictures and even a musical selection to accompany it. I know our friend, Cathy Learoyd, would most likely agree!
I agree with what Bill said.
I have often wondered what the toll is for you to write these. Staying up until midnight, let alone 0300 would flatten me - and I’m talking about just puttering around my house or watching tv. Writing these letters seems like a full time job to me.
Do what you need to do to balance it all out. I’m okay with whatever works for you.
I want you to know that your letters/essays are very important to me and have been incredibly helpful in understanding so much of our current situation and in learning things in our history that I didn’t know. Thank you for helping me understand our knotted up, ugly politics and for expanding my education. I very much appreciate your work on these letters/essays.
Very well said. Professor Richardson, You have such an important voice. We want you to take care of yourself.
I totally agree with Bill's comment to you Heather! I need your explanations and your passion! But I also want you to have a healthy balance.....now that you have your classes again. Please get rest! Sr. Lisette Michaud
I couldn’t have said this better and agree 100%.
"Life is short."
oh, oh
Perhaps this is not the case?
You just made my day!
You mean "fewer" letters, not "less" letters, a common grammatical error that always bugs me. Otherwise, I couldn't agree more with the intent of your letter. Well done.
The thousands of folks gathering here to read Ms. Richardson’s daily LFaA are nearly as inspiring to me as the Letters themselves, as we depend on her concise explanations of the nuances of Democracy’s peril. Every day, I say a little prayer for her well-being. The fact that we’re all more or less on the same page is at least a small comfort. But gratifying as it is to read like-minded comments, it is simply not enough.
What HCR has been telling us about the danger to our democracy in these past few missives is nearly as jolting as when the former guy was still in office. CPAC in Budapest?? Good Lord. Nothing less than a muster call to the election barricades to defend our democracy is needed.
No matter how many likes we give each other in the comments section, the fact remains that if we don’t have overwhelming election numbers, we simply won’t be able to outvote this rigged minority. Every single one of us must be organizing now out in our local communities, talking up support for the President’s plan, registering voters, and preparing to get out every vote when the time comes. Even that may not be enough, but at the end of the day, how will we feel if we have not done everything we can to push this ugly fascist rock over the proverbial cliff?
Yes, read, comment, vote up and connect. We need that! This is a great online community!
But also get together, online or in person, with your local Dems and join a “Get Out The Vote” campaign. I guarantee you, they need us phone banking, letter writing, pot-lucking, canvassing, and putting out door hangers NOW. How did Stacy Abrams get it done? Boots on the ground.
I love you guys. If you’re not already there, step away from the doom-scroll and let’s get down to the real work of saving Democracy.
This. Rest here in the comfort of like-minded friends. Then do the hard work of organizing and activating- boots on the ground as you describe it so well. Thank you for articulating so clearly what each and every one of us needs to be doing. Me? Postcards to voters today. Later this week, more training with the campaign office of my US Representative who is in another dog fight to retain her seat. This is MY democracy! Lots of work required to retain it.
You rock!
❤️🙏🙏
The CPAC in Budapest? I can't get over that. Does that mean that crazy has metastasized tp the planetary level? Hey, let's have the next one in North Korea. /s
Charlie some days I read the comments first to break myself in gently to the “real news”. I think I would have passed out yesterday if I had not thought you were joking before reading that you were not. A blatant Fascist Party in the US of A with around 28% support of the electorate but a heckuva lot more than that in Congress! 😳😳😳 mind boggling!
Eye-opening perhaps. So perhaps we can have a different view of Italy in the Mussolini era. Perhaps we can have a different view of Germany in the NSDAP era. Maybe the USA in 2021 is just a different version of Mussolini‘s Italy and Hitler’s Germany, and perhaps 1930s Japan although here my ignorance prevails. People can be duped into giving power to somebody who turns into a self-appointed member of royalty. Even a well-intentioned political “savior“ can degenerate into an authoritarian if democratic controls are not enforced.
Yes Christy, the Republican Party is being taken over and replaced by the Fascist Party of America, in spirit if not in name. I agree completely. Heather would probably say they are going back to their 1800s imperialist capitalist roots.
Just hope that it doesn't happen here. We can't let them win.
Roland! I was thinking this weekend about emailing the two people whose contact info I have and ask if they knew what happened to you. I've missed your comments! Hoping you are okay.
Wonderful to see your comment today. We’ve missed you Roland.
Learning from the past may be the best way to prevent it from happening again, here. We now all have responsibilities to teach by connecting that history to the present.
I agree in spirit, but most of these people are so intractable in their beliefs, I'm not sure they're reachable by reasonable discourse.
Hope you’re doing well Roland. ❤️
Thank you Christy, very sweet of you
Some say it metastasized FROM the planetary level. https://www.csis.org/analysis/kremlin-playbook
Most excellent analysis. Thank you.
There is a sequel: https://www.csis.org/features/kremlin-playbook-2
Yes, it is a Stupid Pandemic. They have protestors against COVID vaccine and mandatory masking in Europe as well as the U.S.
Well, keep in mind that, unlike North Korea, Budapest isn't jailing Americans - yet.
Too bad, then they could take some of those CPAC speakers hostage.
Hi, Roland! Good to “see” you!
Darn! I should have considered that posssibility.
That’s why we have each other Nancy ❤️
YES! Write letters! Write postcards! Text! Even though some of us aren't comfortable with phoning, door-to-door, face-to-face, there are many more ways to get our voices out there. As many folks as there are in the streets, there also needs to be multitudes with pens, paper, stamps, laptops at our desks with nimble fingers.
Our indivisible group has done mentoring in going door to door. Anything anxiety producing once done several times with some hand holding becomes much less so. ❤️
Yes! what you said, in spades. We ALL need to contribute in whatever way we can, to Get Out The Vote. Our mantra for the next three years - GOTV.
"if we don’t have overwhelming election numbers, we simply won’t be able to outvote this rigged minority"
Right you are, Chief! (with a nod to C.S. Lewis)
Clear-eyed focus. Thank you, Kara.
Excellent! Thank you ❤️
Agreed!
Excellent idea. Georgia has thickened the plot by removing the Secretary of State from the election verification function, and will replace the Board of Elections in large, racially diverse counties (i.e., Fulton County, where Atlanta is located, with a large Black population) with partisan legislators if there is any question of mismanagement. There has only to be the accusation, but not necessarily proof of irregularities, and our majority Republican legislators, most with an axe to grind, have the power to overturn that county's votes and substitute other electors. In case you've heard about our current "heroic" Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, who recorded the infamous call from TFG asking him to "find" enough votes to overturn our election results, and reaped the wrath of our resident Trumpies, he has approved of this latest scheme, and is self-righteously justifying it to "give voters confidence that the votes are valid." He was interviewed by Nicolle Wallace on Deadline: White House, and she really made him squirm about this latest voter nullification ruse - lovely!
I agree. Many would argue with me, and they might be right, but I believe he's losing steam - heard that the Georgia rally was fairly limp. If he's losing his mojo, perhaps there won't be a civil war if he's criminally charged.
We MUST get the voting rights bill passed. Otherwise, voter nullification will pose a huge threat, as well as the upcoming redistricting/gerrymandering.
Additionally, as you've said, we all need to turn out to support voting assistance and outreach. No more sleeping on the job.
I suggest to everyone that you read Fred Kagan's Washington Post Op-Ed "Our Constitutional Crisis is Already Here. As Charlie Sykes put it in his newsletter, it is a must must must read. Rachel and I both agree that we don't agree much with most of what Kagan has written over the years, but this is "bang on" as they say. It's interesting how it's the Never-Trump conservatives like Kagan, or Steve Schmidt (what he said last night on Rachel's show was really powerful) or Stuart Stevens or any of the people at The Bulwark, who are waving their arms and shouting about what is going on with the revolutionary fascists of Trump's movement. Perhaps it's like the ex-communists who understood the dangers of Stalinism, having seen them up close and personal.
Anyway, if you haven't read Kagan's op-ed, do so now:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/23/robert-kagan-constitutional-crisis/
TC, there are two Kagans known as rightwing scholars and commentators, Robert and Frederick. They are brothers. Their father, Donald Kagan, was a well-known historian and classicist at Yale until he died about 6-7 weeks ago. Frederick's wife, Kimberly Kagan, is also a big-time academic, military historian and sometime commentator in the Wall Street Journal. I have no idea how much they all agree/d with each other, but it appears none of them is/was a Democrat, to say the least. You surely already know all this, but your post erroneously attributes the WaPo article to Fred Kagan.
The excellent must, must, must, must read article you cite was written by Robert Kagan, once a Republican but who now considers himself to be an independent of the "anyone-but-Trump" sort. Even my older sister in Bend, a lifetime Democrat like me, who recently refused to engage with me in political conversation because it was all too depressing -- preaching to the choir -- and she just couldn't stand thinking about "it", sent me an email recommending Kagan's article after she heard Rachel Maddow talking about it/him.
I agree with you that Kagan nailed it. I also agree with several other HRC LFAA commentators that Kagan did not have much to say about the Justice Department's investigations into the events of Jan. 6 or other legal proceedings regarding Trump's many nefarious activities both before and since the elections of 2016 and 2020.
So, I am wondering how long we will have to wait before the arrests begin? Will we first have to learn of all the incriminating details from the mainstream news media and Bob Woodward before Garland will make a move? It seems to me that the problem is extremely urgent and that the Biden strategy of passing a bunch of fairly progressive legislation so as to convince Americans to vote in sufficient numbers that Trump/GOP moves to falsify the 2022 elections in purple states they control because of gerrymandering will be overwhelmed by DEM turnout is not really a very good strategy and is likely to fail with truly catastrophic consequences, almost as catastrophic as this ridiculously long and contorted sentence.
Based on what I have read in mainstream, usually reliable news sources, there is more than enough incriminating evidence to arrest and hold for questioning Trump and a pretty large group of his cretinous underlings and opportunistic GOP politicians on charges of conspiracy to break many laws, and on charges of attempted insurrection and -- even -- treason. I deplore the death penalty. Trump does not.
What gives?
Excellent point. If Republicans were in power Democrats would have been rounded up long ago. Democrats need a little more steel in their spines.
Democrats needing a little more steel in their spines is not a new development. It has been true for a very long time. I am on the fence about what is responsible for that. On the one hand, I wonder if Democrats are trying to act as they would like Republicans to act towards them. On the other hand, I wonder if Democrats are afraid that if they act decisively, what the backlash might be so they waffle.
Yes. Fear of backlash. Always trying to be a big tent. Offering compromise. Being empathetic. Trying to use reason, logic, science... We want to be nice.
But you can't reason with haters and bigots. It's like standing up from a trench in WWI and saying: "Hey, hey! Wanna talk this over?"
Absolutely!!!
Democrats are limited by their insistence on adhering to the rule of law. Republicans have bought into the idea that we don’t need no stinkin’ laws. We just need a brutal, Dirty Harry style police force. Steel in the spine cannot help unless the electorate puts enough decent people into legislatures to make it possible for the rule of law to survive. Plutocrats like Koch take advantage of the racist inclinations of white working class to retain power and use it to further their selfish (to put it mildly) interests.
Can we just call the Republicans "The Criminal Party"?
But to be fair, Republicans have a lot more MONEY in their spines, and the acumen of a basic business plan from which to orchestrate the complete take over of 3 branches of a democrstic republic.
If no arrests are made, it would mean to me, we are lost. The dems we elected are complicit.
Donald Kagan was the terrific translator of Greek plays--yes, a curmudgeon who never got over the idea of women (gasp!) attending Yale, but very much in the mold of that era of classicists.
Wait a minute, women are going to college?? 😳
Good to see you again, Roland. I have missed you!!!
😘
It's true & there are even Distinguished women Professors, very distinguished.
Hmmmm... Distinguished Professors of History, being referenced?
You noticed, thank you. See above; "kcmo" equals Kansas City Mo. Missouri. University thereof.
I’m surprised and I even attended University. 😎
Welcome to Afghanistan of the post-Russian post-US era.
😔
Thank you Professor, aptly summarized.
David I knew and admired Donald Kagan, who, in addition to being a distinguished classist, was, for a while, dean (of students, I believe) at Yale. Donald had a classist’s sense of integrity and I found him somewhat curmudgeonly in reacted to the campus changes in the 1980s. He was a man of personal integrity and conservative principles which I see reflected in some of Robert Fagab’s writings.
Keith, How could I not be thrilled with your name Robert 'Fagab's' (Kagan) as it is the perfect abbreviation of my thoughts about his writing style in 'Our constitutional crisis is already here' Opinion.
Maybe, no one want's to unleash the anger of the Trumpists, "keep it cool, boy!"
BS. Bring it!
David, Applause for your clarity with reference to Robert Kagan's 'Our constitutional crisis is already here'. I wondered, too, about what seems to be his rush to conclusion, '...with a reasonable chance over the next three to four years of incidents of mass violence, a breakdown of federal authority, and the division of the country into warring red and blue enclaves.' Kagan calls this 'a reasonable chance', is he hedging with that? Clearly the opinion is a WAKE UP call. Is it also too self-confidently deterministic or, perhaps, absolutist - with an “all-or-nothing,” “black-or-white” mindset? America could go there, but Biden, the Democrats and pro-democracy advocates are determined to turn Kagan's 'reasonable chance' scenario in to a highly unlikely one. Comments here, such as Kara Hammonds, are full of suggestions for what we LFAA subscribers can do on behalf of democracy.
Rachel's 8 min interview of Steve Schmidi is posted at MSNBC & YouTube MSNBC. Schmidt 8 days ago on Twitter: "There will be no unity with the seditionists".
And they are in our government, paid by us, obstructing democracy.... (just me again with my little message....)...
TC, You saw Steve too! I'm so glad. I was going to put in a big pitch for the show after HCR's Letter last night, but decided to catch the link to the transcript and post it here tonight. Guess it will be Monday, it wasn't up last time I checked.
I kept replaying his segment over a dozen times. It was pure Schmidt at his absolute best! It was the perfect corollary the the Letter.
And Rachel -- like Nicole Wallace -- knows exactly what to do with Steve: Hand him the ball and let him run free until he's finished, Repeat. It's just too bad The Media is all fake news, assisting the democrats in their evil bid to destroy our way of life and our freedoms, according to forty-five tonight in Perry. So we can't believe anything Steve said.....
P.S. ( just kidding about the can't believe Schmidt part! My dry humor again...)
We appreciate your humor.
Kagan made no mention at all re congressional Jan. 6th investigation and ongoing investigations by NY state AG and federal SDNY attorneys. Does he, or anyone here, believe these to be of no consequence, whatever the outcomes?
The House investigation is unlikely to be done before next year's elections.
Indeed. Most of the MAGA mob would ignore its conclusions anyway. But public testimony by subpoena-ed witnesses running up to the 2022 elections could sway individual congressional races.
It just seemed to me for Kagan to ignore the various investigations in his otherwise very good summation of the very real threat we face indicates he believes that the former president, and his congressional toadies, are beyond facing political consequences for criminal activity. If this is so, in a way, their revolution is already a success.
Yup
If the investigation isn’t done by the time of midterms, and Repubs take the House majority, am I correct that they could kill the investigation and dismantle the committee??
I think they'd do it in a heartbeat-can't have facts floating around, right? S/
Wow! Kagan’s op-ed is a rallying cry. Let’s pray that it gets widely distributed. Thank you TC in LA.
TC in LA…You are SO RIGHT. On all points. Kagan:OMG. And, Steve Schmidt presented his usual clear articulate brilliant explanation about what is happening. It was evident that Rachel Maddow was at a loss for words when he finished his shattering assessment. What can one say but he’s right? My hair is on fire! Every day. Still, life goes on around me. I feel almost paralyzed by the absence of alarm in ordinary citizens like my neighbors and friends who seem to think that if Democrats and Republicans all stopped squabbling, we can all get along together. If I counter any of their points, it’s met with “Joe Biden is too old to be President.” I can’t say I disagree with the age factor, but he’s what we have and thank goodness it’s not the other guy. I continue to be politically active. What choice is there? But for me hope is defined as the belief that we can act to make things better. I sure HOPE Congressional Democrats act soon to help us foot soldiers out. ❤️🤍💙
I was driving about yesterday, with several of these thoughts and issues percolating in my thoughts. I was approaching an intersection that is the second most passed in my travels through town (Albertsons on the North, BiMart on the south; both of which are go to places, with BiMart being a general store type of place with a pharmacy). I noted both parking lots fairly full for a Saturday afternoon, cars at the gas station on the corner, a guy getting his propane tank filled. Just a normal Saturday.
Then I thought: do any of these folks have any clue what is facing our country right now? I just don't think so.
“Just a normal Saturday.” That, Ally, is exactly what is at stake of us losing in America but is what the Trump Party has taken advantage of to further their agenda. The complacency of people. The comfort zone, so to speak. Don’t upset the apple cart kind of mindset.
I’m somewhat amazed recently at how difficult it has been to rally people to actively support and participate in the Women’s March on October 2nd. To take place in one week’s time. Trump’s rally in Perry, GA has gathered more press than the national opportunity Americans have next weekend to make our voices heard. And to let oppressors know we are not complacent, silent, and easily obedient. And that our Constitution will not be held hostage.
http://bit.ly/3o1Ft0N
Well, if you go look at the Women's March map, it is getting pretty darned impressive! I would love to see more marches around the world--in solidarity!
https://map.womensmarch.com/?source=website
I’ve sent The info to friends outside the US. For support and to be in thought with us. One friend is organizing a protest event in their international location!!! Yes!