524 Comments

The Capra film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington also comes to mind. One positive note of the week was the 7-2 Supreme Court decision in support of Tribal rights regarding child welfare.

Mash the first two sentences and what comes up is "Billy Jack Goes to Washington." Seriously, I think this case as well as support for the Voting Rights Act the week before might indicate a Supreme Court that cares about its reputation with the American people.

Finally, my favorite part of the political week came after Trump's arraignment, when he visited the restaurant in Miami and was showered with love, prayers, and a serenade of Happy Birthday. Then he says to the crowd: "Are you ready? FOOD for EVERYBODY!" ------ And then he leaves without buying anybody anything. (Thanks to local Miami media for following up to confirm this.)

Expand full comment

Typical grifter trump!

Expand full comment

He never said it was free! Gullible supporters.😂

Expand full comment

That's right, he didn't say it would be free. He just said it was available. Eat up, zombies.

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
June 17, 2023
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

They live for The One, they die for The One, they'd probably eat non-MAGA flesh for The One if they could...

Expand full comment
Comment removed
June 19, 2023
Comment removed
Expand full comment

"But will the MAGAs remain loyal to Emperor Trump when he's in prison?"

As I've explained many times before on various sites and fora: The Fascist Gasbag will most likely *NOT* get sent to prison. The Secret Service is *obligated* to protect him and will probably have a major say in his sentencing. About the best that we can hope for is house arrest with restrictions on his travel and electronic device use.

Will the MAGAtry remain loyal to him if he's found guilty on any of the many charges against him? I think that the more important question is: Will he get enough votes to win the presidency if he's convicted? Right now I'm of the opinion that he still has a seriously plausible chance of winning the primaries, but it's iffier as to whether he can actually win the general election.

Expand full comment

Power Corrupts ; Look at Mike Pence! A mere placeholder to keep a 'live one' who happens to be Republican from running against tfg!? "Hang Mike Pence" was just Donnie playing? A Stepford wife of a politician, or a posing phony? Or dumber than a box of rocks? Sickening.

Expand full comment

They are very much alive, but they are uneducated. If they could see what was really going on, and how it affects them, and their children (gun laws anyone?) , it could help to turn things around. I have seen GOP politicians saying they could not vote for tfg if he is found guilty.

Expand full comment

I don't know if you have noticed but as of late Donald Trump has adopted a gesture where he extends his right arm and holds up a clenched fist. There was a political figure from the 1930s that had a similar hand motion sadly he wound up killing his dog. Trump studied and imitated the mannerisms of an Italian leader that was later hung by his heel so a crowd of onlookers could see what their past leader looked like in death. Trump is going through a change in his persona that should scare everyone. There seems to be no degree of moral corruption this man won't engage in. Knowing his fondness for Hitler and Mussolini it's no wonder he hates our political system. The government that built this country is an affront to everything the man believes in, and it's the object of his destructiveness. The constitution we live by is a hindrance that stands in the way of a man that sees our way of life as weak and undisciplined. Holding the heart of a true dictator within his chest Trump seeks to undo everything our forefathers have done. Looking at his supporters that have attained elected positions within our government I find it hard to believe these people are allowed out in public without supervision. The political sickness our government is experiencing is the direct result of the weak minds that are too afraid to stand up to a Neanderthal that should be stuffed and placed in a museum with the other species that went by the way of the Dodo Bird.

Expand full comment

Don't disrespect the Neanderthals.

Expand full comment

Some of my best friends are Neanderthals.

Expand full comment

Marjorie--If they were still around I might respect them more.

Expand full comment

The extended right arm with a clinched fist isn't a sign of a greeting it's a power gesture. Just like Hitler's but Trump didn't want adopt Adolf's he wanted to make his own, and he did.

Expand full comment

They somehow 'think' that they will be better off under the bootheel of fascism, this despite being the very 'others' Aryan/white supremacist fascists WILL either persecute, or try to obliterate completely, regardless of their adoring loyalty and support of their putrid orange fuehrer.

Their reactionary response to the horrors of Castro will definitely come back to bite them in the culo, eventually. :(

Expand full comment

One can only hope!

Expand full comment

Trump's followers are white, working class and lower middle class types who feel neglected and live in "Fly over country". They have been neglected by both parties. I think they feel the squeeze because wages have been stuck for 30 years. They believe that blacks, browns and everyone else get the breaks while they go down, and see the lives of themselves and their children and grandchildren looking lost. Their fear and resentment plays into Trump's hands. They used to be democrats before the unions were destroyed and the small business world became much harder IMO.

Expand full comment

Yes, agreed, except for how many of them have very co$tly 'toys' which I as a 'coastal elite liberal' could NEVER HAVE afforded, even if I wanted them.

Hard to claim the victimhood of being 'passed over' while dumping the kind of coin they do into all of their playthings, although they probably think that their multiple weapons of mass death, and war like stockpiles of .223 ammo are 'kitchen table' "necessities" in order to butcher all of us 'libtards'. :(

Expand full comment

Uff, having Latinos adore that racist piece of excrement is specially galling for us Latinos with brains.

Expand full comment

Yes.. annoying audio issues.. but thank you for all you do to inform us..❤️❤️❤️

Expand full comment

Got corrected……hang in there……:)

Expand full comment

Not corrected here yet. Sounds like they're underwater, starting at 7:40 (-12:30). Only slightly better by about 10:50 (-9:20), all better suddenly at 15:46 (-4.25).

Expand full comment

Visited "Little Havana" 20 years ago. Watched the guys play dominoes in the park. Ate lunch at Versailles Restaurant. This infuriating, heart-warming Trump item calls back the memories. "Are you ready? POVERTY AND LIVING DEATH for EVERYBODY!

Expand full comment

No such thing as a free lunch? Or he's getting forgetful?

Expand full comment

He won’t even give free lunch to poor children. Why would he give it to those gullible suckers?

Expand full comment

They learned something maybe?

Expand full comment

One would only hope, but nah, probably not. :(

Expand full comment

Yes. Very sad that I can’t hear most of this week’s clatch.

Expand full comment

got corrected….patience….:)

Expand full comment

What if instead of postulating what if he wins, we push the narrative that the American people would never elect a criminal? If we keep saying he could win, we normalize it and enough uninformed voters will think it’s ok to vote for him. Let’s not allow that to happen.

Expand full comment

I very much agree. I’m thinking that’s why Biden and Dems aren’t focusing on TFG’s legal issues-hell, everyone else is so why add to his publicity? In TFG’s mind, bad publicity is as good as is good publicity. Just spell his name right. Dems then really have got to hammer home the many good things that Biden and the democrats have pushed through the legislature; from drug prices to judges. The idiots will always be there but stop focusing on them.

Expand full comment

I believe we are seeing Biden's infrastructure bill going to work fixing our roads. Such a great deal. Less wear and tear on our cars. Less accidents.

I would love to see high powered trains!

Expand full comment

I can't decide if I like Biden's silent stand at all, but the rest of us need to make some noise. My partner was so upset about the News Hours' uncritical airing of a focus group of Trumpers that he dreamed about Judy Woodruff last night. (And I got an email claiming that we have to defend PBS against the right.)

Expand full comment

Progwoman ; have a listen to President Biden's West Hartford, CT gun law reform speech last Friday on MSNBC' Deadline Whitehouse with Ali Velshi hosting. Google should have it.

Expand full comment

Haven't nailed it yet. Was this the one he ended with God save the queen?

Expand full comment

I listened to a recording of last Friday 's "deadline Whitehouse" which was hosted by Ali Velshi, and featured Joe Biden's gun legislation speech. It was very strong. Hecwas in a manufacturing plant hall full of union supporters and survivors of mass shootings and their parents/loved ones. All were fired up and President Biden delivered. He listed accomplishments in 21 states of gun reform legislation that had been passed. Outright bans on AR --15 type rifles and accessories that can turn a regular gun into a short war style rifle shooting multiple rounds. Red flag laws and laws keeping boyfriends or girlfriend's who have been abusive from possession/ access to weapons

were passed. It was a very strong and informative speech! The large hall was packed with cheering voters, and their families!

Expand full comment

Do his body guards go with him to his overseas golf course?

Expand full comment

Will they be required by duty of assignment to follow him to Moscow, PERMANENYLY, if he flees there to escape jail time?!? LOFL

Expand full comment

He'll go to Saudi, not Russia. Betcha he'll get a heads up before they come to cuff him and he'll be outta here.

Expand full comment

Mistyped above, it should be PERMANENTLY.

Expand full comment

Can a president really pardon themselves? Wouldn’t that just mean they are above the law? Also was it written one could still president from behind bars incase of being captured by the British? So many things need to be righted with this very old constitution to suit more modern times. Like the 2nd amendment… that was issued when muskets were available…

Expand full comment

If one intent of a pardon is to correct an injustice, then it would seem somewhat self-serving to allow one to become the final arbiter in their own application of justice.

Expand full comment

Something smells bad with criminals being granted presidential pardons!

Expand full comment

Yeah, I was horrified when Bill Clinton pardoned Marc Rich! Just one guy.

Expand full comment

Muskets are still available (join a reenactment group) but they're not cheap. But you can get a kit and build your own. Perhaps we need to start a (well regulated of course) National Musket Association. Don't fire until you see the eyes of their whites.

Expand full comment

Yes, what is the quickest, world record for a Musket reload, like 20 seconds or so??

Sounds a lot better to me than a 30 or 100 round magazine, firing at 10-15 rounds per second (in the fully auto mode these NAZI criminals will all convert their AR-15s to), and a 5 second reload of said mag. ;)

Expand full comment

Certainly less than a minute if you use prerolled cartridges, even allowing for swabbing the barrel. Assuming you’ve practiced.

Expand full comment

We just need to use our drones to combat these dunderheads.

Expand full comment

Don’t know, but he would certainly try. For his whole presidency the Republican Party except for a very few did hold him above the law. And of course those participating in the “coup” thought they were above the law. Thankfully thet weren’t.

Expand full comment

Well said! Completely agree! A revise/rewrite is something I’ve supported for years.

Expand full comment

One thing to change would be the way the Senate is weighted with members from sparsely populated areas. Another, but related, is the Electoral College.

We need an amendment making political free speech a property of the People, and not something amplified by big money. Corporations are not mentioned at all in the Constitution, and are in severe need of being reigned in. An amendment needs to make it clear that they are mere entities of convention and do not have the same rights as humans.

Expand full comment

I like the idea that the Senate gives each state equyal power while the House is population based. Seems wise to me.

Expand full comment

The trouble is, the Senate controls the very important function of ratifying judges.

Each state has an equal say in this process, regardless of its population, so decisions are made according to how many states support something, rather than how many in the population of the nation as a whole do so. Since there are a large number of states with low populations agreeing on certain issues, it is difficult to get a true national consensus on the ratification of judges, particularly for the supreme Court.

When Obama appointed Merrick Garland to fill a seat in the Supreme Court, Mitch McConnell refused to schedule a hearing, and the clock ran out on the Obama presidency before the vacant seat was looked at again, this time under Trump. Then, Neil Gorsuch was appointed and ratified by the (tilted) Senate. After that, two more were pushed through in this blatantly unfair process.

If we had a wish list for reform of the constitution, I would wish that the House also had to confirm any appointments the Senate approved.

Expand full comment

The Senate gives each state equal power. The Founders were firm on that points What you suggest amounts to gerrymandering.

Expand full comment

The Senate gives each state equal power. The Founders were firm on that point. What you’re suggesting amounts to gerrymandering.

Expand full comment

The House is weighted according to population, but the Senate has 2 from each state.. Given the power of the Senate, it would be more democratic to add a few members to it according to population, but perhaps not a copy of the way it's done in the House..

Also, it would be nice to have more members in the House, to closer approximate the kind of representation we had at the beginning. One member per 30,000 population.

Expand full comment

Of course, it will take a series of amendments that will take a lifetime (at lest mine - I’m 81) to ratify.

Expand full comment

techinical diificulties with audio at about 7min 41sec. Skipping and unable to listen.

Expand full comment

Yes. So it’s not just me.

Expand full comment

Me too. Gets better around the 9:20 mark

Expand full comment

I am having the same problem. I don’t think it’s my device.

Expand full comment

Jan - Me, too. It stabilized within 2 minutes but was not fully smooth again. At least I could hear what the discussion was.

Expand full comment

I had this. experience also. I am glad to see it's not just me.

Expand full comment

It was worth sticking it out, the sound eventually improved.

Expand full comment

Also had the skipping from about 7min 41 sec.

Expand full comment

Same here with the interference on audio.

Expand full comment

I have noticed several homes in my area no longer flying their ridiculous trump flags. Good to see they might be slowly understanding what a lying fraud trump is... some of them anyway. There is hope.

Expand full comment

*That's* the best news I've read all week.

Expand full comment

Until their 'dear leader' starts spewing all of the culture war hatred, and outright; racism, ANTI-SEMITISM, xenophobia, border/wall BS, and "I am your ONLY savior/hope against the commie socialist leftist Dems and corrupt Biden" dogma, which so mesmerized the brain dead dolts to support the wannabe SHITler in the very first place.

Then the SCUMp 2024, F**K Biden, Gadsden, "F**K Your Feelings" with the AR-15 outline on it, etc. shit will come right back out. :(

Expand full comment

I find it baffling that Trump is antisemitic when all his in laws are jewish. Very odd.

Expand full comment

Or maybe they have gone silent regarding their intentions about Trump until they get to the polls to vote for him. Clearly in this atmosphere they don’t want to bring any unwanted negative or violent attention to themselves.

Expand full comment

I think he'll flee the country before he ever submits to going to jail.

Expand full comment

or stand in the middle of 5th Ave and shoot himself.

Expand full comment

Hope so and SOON!

Expand full comment

Gotta stay true to it's mentor, lol.

Expand full comment

Putin's already publicly invited disaffected US citizens!

Expand full comment

And the woman who accused Biden of sexual misconduct is already there! Of course the Insane Clown Posse has it she fled in fear for her life!🤡🤪💩

Expand full comment

Thanks for the reminder! That shouldn't be overlooked or forgotten about.

Expand full comment

DZK: You mean. Putin doesn't want him either? What a surprise!

Expand full comment

No. Putin issued a blanket invitation to >all< disaffected US citizens so he didn't appear to be personally inviting ol' Tweety personally. (He appears to understand how that would play out for ol' Tweety both politically and legally.)

Expand full comment

Fingers crossed!

Expand full comment

Better: Can we imprison those who would want to re-elect a convicted of treason ex-President? The actual issue isn't the guy about to wear orange for the rest of his life, it's his minions and those who want his minions to follow them. We NEED an intervention.

Expand full comment

Remember the "deprogramming" hustles back in the late '70s into the '80s conducted by what would become the minions of today on kids who decided the religion they were brought up with was a load of $@!7 ‽

Expand full comment

100% !!!!

Expand full comment

I agree we need intervention. That's what we elected Congress for. Fat chance.

Expand full comment

Trump can pardon himself from Federal crimes but not state crimes! Go Fanni Willis!!!

Expand full comment

Barbara Woodward; She has experience with RICO! Has been successful bringing and winning these cases .

Expand full comment

Barbara Woodward; Yes, let 'em all be charged for conspiring together to break the laws! This is racketeering of the most evil kind. Stealing freedom of self rule from over 300 million human beings! They can't win! They just can't!

Expand full comment

Actually, it's not clear whether the president can pardon himself for Federal crimes. It would likely end up in the courts for years and in the meantime he would drive this country into rack and ruin.

https://www.americanbar.org/advocacy/governmental_legislative_work/publications/washingtonletter/dec-2020-wl/legal-fact-check-pardons-1220wl/

Expand full comment

Excellent point!

Expand full comment

Since the answer, chosen by 80%, is obvious, let's question the question. Nightmare scenarios like this only show how Trump has infected the American mind. All of us know people who simply cannot stop ranting and raving about Trump. The right mocks "Trump Derangement Syndrome," but honestly, it's not much of an exaggeration. I think it's time to stop repeating the nightmares and have a little faith. Faith in the system which threw out Trump, then indicted him. Faith in the good people, Dems and Republicans who didn't fall for "Stop the Steal." Faith in the people.

Expand full comment

While it is good to have “fath” we need MORE. We need to stand up to the Republicans. When they go after Hunter Biden, we need to point out the 2 billion dollars Jared got from the crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

When MTG nastily heckled Biden during his State of the Union disrespectfully interrupting his speech & calling him a “LIAR”, we should have demanded she be censured or held accountable in some way. (Wrote & called McCarthy & my representative).

I did as Robert Reich asked and asked my SOS in Michigan not to put Trump on the ballot. Unfortunately, she said she was unable to do so legally.

We can’t give up trying and fighting back. We can’t be silent. That’s what the Republicans want. So they can keep spreading lies.

Expand full comment

Socialist Eugene Debs, in prison for protesting American involvement in WWI, received about 1 million votes in the 1920 presidential election.

Expand full comment

His campaign buttons read: "For President ... Convict No. 9653"

Expand full comment

Basically Debs was a political prisoner, more or less unjustified. Trump will be a convicted felon, although it's quite obvious by now that his supporters will (already have) insist it's politically driven.

Expand full comment

I thought a convicted felon was legally prohibited from serving. He is facing charges that could put him in that position.

Expand full comment

Some states, including mine, do have such laws. I don't know whether they would put his name on the ballot if he were convicted before their primaries. It's an interesting question.

Expand full comment

It seems the media has gone from saying "Nobody is above the law" to a president cannot go to jail, (because of his secret service detail"?).

Expand full comment

Instead of SS, he'll be guarded by Loud Boys and Oaf Creepers.

Expand full comment

Well they ARE kind of it's personal (Waffen) SS/Gestapo already, no??

(I know you meant the POTUS Secret Service, but i could not help it. ;) )

Expand full comment

Gazpacho Police!

Expand full comment

... and the Witch Hunt will be a Bitch hunt.

Expand full comment

Actually that may not be a bad idea. Keep them busy (& out of trouble) doing something they believe in strongly (until they can't stand it anymore).

Expand full comment

I don't think he'll be serving in the same establishment as his friends.

Expand full comment

But he’ll make new friends!😂

Expand full comment

The only qualifications for President are:

At least 35

Natural born citizen

Live in the US for at least 14 years

That’s it!

Expand full comment

Again, does that "Live in the US for at least 14 years" infer 'live in the US CURRENTLY'??

White House-on-the-Kremlin grounds, anybody?

Expand full comment

It is not specific: “been 14 years a resident.” Because that’s what you want. An ambiguous qualification for President!😂

Expand full comment

I guess this means Ted Cruz's presidential campaigns are actually illegal because he was born in Canada.

Expand full comment

In Florida, if you have been convicted of a felony, you are not eligible to vote! So Trump wouldn't be able to vote for himself.

Expand full comment

I can see DeSantis (& his minions in the Florida legislature) changing that law (which, by the way, was voted on by Floridians a few years ago to make it legal for felons to vote, but was repressed by the government) too late for the Republican primary, but in time for the general election.

Expand full comment

Unfortunately our constitution does not state that a convicted felon cannot serve as President. But it is unlikely if he was convicted and sentenced to prison that he would be a viable candidate.

Expand full comment

One would logically assume that, but logic rarely prevails when it comes to anything regarding Trump & his worshipers.

Expand full comment

Trump’s Tribulations:

Remember when he said, “It’s going to disappear. One day—it’s like a miracle—it will disappear…We’re doing a great job with it. And it will go away.”

As of Wednesday this week, there have been 767,984,989 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, including 6,943,390 deaths!

The number one priority of the POTUS is the safety of the American people. Yet 74,000,000 people voted to give him a another 4 years!

Expand full comment

Keith Olson: How will we ever really know if those votes are genuine? He may have succeeded in strong arming other top election officials! He threatens people and their family members with horrible deaths, just like the mobster he is! Fani Willis will get him on RICO and they ALL will be ineligible to run for office or be pardoned. I read that if the President was working with those who were to be pardoned in criminal acts, the pardon could not happen!

Expand full comment
Comment removed
June 17, 2023
Comment removed
Expand full comment

No, a self proclaimed "stable genius". LOFL

He forgot to add; a sociopathic, delusional, malignant narcissist, criminal, megalomaniac as well. ;)

How could the fascist Pieces OS in this land NOT 'love him'??

Expand full comment

EEYAW🫏

Expand full comment

- THIS GUY HAS THE PROBLEM COMPLETELY SURROUNDED: https://youtu.be/De4_ZqMwuOg

Expand full comment

Contrary to what Republicans would have us believe, the Justice Department is not obsessed with Trump. The indictment of him is just one of many tasks the department performs every day, like catching cybercriminals and drug traffickers.

If Trump were even tangentially connected to reality, he would be thankful he is not a Black or Native American resident of Minneapolis. He is receiving full due process, while so many of them did not.

Expand full comment

Remember that Hitler came out of prison even stronger, started his war , and millions died. I expect that could happen here.

Expand full comment

Then lost the war and committed suicide. 🙏🏻🤞🏻🍀

Expand full comment

Yeah, but...we'd kind of like to skip the "millions of people died" part.

Expand full comment

Due to Covid that already happened.

Expand full comment

Valid point. But we can still hope to avoid even worse.

Expand full comment

All AFTER a failed PUTSCH, no less. ;)

What is it that Rachel says about history?

Expand full comment

George Santayana said, “Those who do not pay attention to history are condemned to repeat it.”

Given the state of many school systems, we’re doomed!

Expand full comment

Those who know history are condemned to watch other people repeat it.

Expand full comment

If any Republican is elected the blood letting will come

Expand full comment

Almost. I can conceive of Republican candidates that might not have that result -- Hutchinson, Cheney -- but their chances of being elected are less than 1%.

Expand full comment

Darn re the audio issues! So sorry, all. We’ll make it better next week; try a new piece of software. Bob records us on his laptop in Safari and went to reference something (a Trump quote? Blech.) in a Word doc and I think that messed it up. Thanks for listening in any and all cases!

Expand full comment

Thank you for the explanation. I was blaming it on my internet provider. Word is a nest of irritation these days.

Expand full comment