Every day Trump is not incarcerated shows the rest of the world just how inept our system of justice is. I have heard the same thing over and over from many lawyers and law experts that “The Wheels of Justice Turn Slowly”, but this is ridiculous! It reminds me of my mom’s saying. “It’s slower than molasses in January!” It’s been 3 years since he incited an insurrection . Trump is continuing his conspiracy theory that the election was stolen!
The man’s been indicted four times and has 91 felony counts against him. He keeps trashing anyone and everyone he doesn’t like. President Biden, Judges, poll workers along with all Democrats! He has taken our 1st Amendment, Freedom of Speech, way over the limits intended!
How can this loser still be allowed to run around freely without consequences? It’s obvious to most of us that “Trump Is Above the Law!”
I concur. The American Justice system has failed to bring Trump to justice. We are the laughing stock of the entire planet. Trump makes a mockery out of our legal system. Robert, you know as well as I do that if it were anyone else he would already be locked up. The only reason he isn't is because the Republicans are afraid of him and he has stacked the courts in his favor and that makes me ill. Trump is, as you have pointed out many times, the ultimate menace to our Democracy. He is a Facist and a wannabe Authoritarian Dictator. He scares the hell out of me and I am terrified that he is going to be on the ballot. I live in Douglas County Oregon and the commentary that I read online about Trump related articles scares me. There are more Trump supporters here than Biden supporters. The things they believe are outrageous! The lies! I wish I could share your Substack with all of them but I have to settle for my network of friends. Please keep up the great work! Your voice is so vital to our Democracy.
Ramona, my question is (and no one has ever given me an answer) is what the hell are republicans afraid of? What? Do they think he will beat them up? Why are they afraid of this piece of excrement? He is a little man and he doesn't deserve anyone to be fearful of him! I am a 71 year old woman and he does not scare me in the slightest! I simply cannot accept that the reason he is still running around spreading vicious lies is because his party is scared of him? WHY?
I think they’re afraid because their constituents want Trump, so they will be voted out and be replaced if they criticize Trump. And maybe lose some funding sources. It’s about maintaining power.
Agreed but what kind of men do we have making decisions, that live in fear of losing a job. Character, integrity, and honesty are sincerely lacking in all of them. They are either wealthy or have excellent employment opportunities outside of politics, yet they are cowards. They either have no convictions or vote against them. The republicans are responsible for this orange bag of fat and wind and should never be voted to serve again, because they don’t serve.
Yes I agree. My own congressional representative sends me newsletters full of hate and divisive vitriol against Democrats. I have replied a few times asking him to be less so to no avail. I no longer read his newsletters because they are so upsetting.
@ Cold and Prickly The Republicans could give a shit about you. and their constituents. They fear the loss of their donors and that Trump will "primary" them.
I think of the children, and they were essentially children, storming Omaha Beach, or Iwo Jima, or scaling the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, and the cowardice of these politicians makes me both sick and infuriated. And, frankly, the dems aren't covering themselves with glory. They need to be making much much more noise, calling the republicans out for their treason—daily, making life difficult for the republicans, getting on nationwide tv, encouraging protests and marches, pushing registration drives, and making "good trouble."
Sadly, the demanded compulsive outcry for 'civility' (and the self-aggrandizing praise., and above all else emphasis OUR side puts on that, versus the MAGAts) outweighs any 'hair on fire' urgency which is imperative on this brink of outright FASCISM, and our loss of any semblance of our country, or democracy. :( :(
There are registration drives but before they are as effective as they must be, more voters and potential voters must be won over. The DNC has finally heeded the findings of neuroscience research led by Dr. George Lakoff and put out last month a thorough training session you can access online for communicating in ways that win over undecided voters. Those who've already become total MAGAs are hopeless. The link below is to a workbook that the Democratic National Committee's Grassroots Organizer Team is providing any Democrat who wants to read it in advance of a workshop.
I'm delighted to see the basis for this workshop: the DNC has recognized the necessity of talking with people in terms of traditional American values that are also progressive Democratic values. You don't have to register for the workshop to read it.
This is a seismic shift toward winning in 2024, up and down the ballot.
Feel free to share with any friends who are also concerned and who want, even privately and independently with family and/or neighbors, to help them understand what Democrats actually stand for.
I read that Sen.Rick Scott who should in jail(for that huge Medicare scandal)paid approx. 54. million dollars for his seat(no doubt the campaign unless there's more to it.)What has he done for the American public,nada.He threatens earned benefits w/ a smile.Someone ought to stick their foot somewhere!!!
so many examples of outright corruption (even among Dems, eg. NJ's Menendez)
Very few are in it for the Country - despite their speeches. I watched CNN's town hall with DeSantis and Haley and wanted to puke - they're saying what right-wing Iowans want hear - laying on the red meat. DeSantis said he wouldn't be "corrupt" like the "other guy", and Nikki said she "doesn't eat sleep and breathe politics" - Really? Well, if it were me, I'd promise to wipe out inflation, lower food and gas prices, clean up crime and homelessness, solve the immigrant "problem" (Haley said, to big applause, it'a war and as Commander-in-Chief she'd get the army to round up the "alien invaders" and throw them the hell out of "our country"). Oh yeah, and I'd lower your taxes too. Believe me.
That’s why I am impressed with Liz Cheney’s integrity. I don’t agree with her politics but for her defense of the Constitution and our democratic republic.
Liz Cheney's legacy will be the integrity she showed in standing up to Trump, in speaking the truth and defending the Constitution. Sad thing is, these should all be normal activities for elected officials.
Many people, my husband included, have given up jobs or the possibility of promotion for ethical concerns. There are still honest and moral jobholders in this country.
You damn right I would especially when it’s part of the job. I would not break an oath to perhaps millions of people or sell out my country. One of our problems and perhaps the most damaging is we don’t expect anything out of the people we elect. Or hold them accountable. We are not talking about a disagreement on policy, we are talking about sabotaging the country. Wow!
And that is part of the problem; government officials see it as their job, instead of an honor to be elected and represent the thoughts, values, needs and opinions of all the constituents they represent regardless of Red, Blue or Purple. Is it a coincidence that Hamilton the musical is making another run in 2023-2024? Hamilton wrongly believed that Burr had character and integrity and didn't believe Burr would actually shoot him.
As has already been stated above, many to MOST of them are personally quite wealthy already (or could otherwise get/qualify for other, even higher paying jobs than Congress/Senate), and most (of the Repugnaf**k ones at least) certainly do NOT 'need' that job.
They are doing it for ego/megalomaniacal reasons, or are just outright sadists who enjoy existentially hurting/'crushing' the poor (or poorer than they are) 'little people'.
No argument, Redmond Tight, that it’s easy to throw stones at others, but how many of US have cushy jobs that affect the welfare of the whole world, and the continuation of a 250-year-old national democracy?
How many of us would refuse to risk our cushy job if it required us to flush what is supposedly our beloved country down a Fascist Rat Hole?
If they had any decency or honor, they would stand up to him like many republicans did at the J6 hearings. Yes, they were replaced; however, I would wager they simply did not care as they would rather stand up for their country then bow down to a dictator!
Yes, there is a reason that the 'very low bar' of standing up for DEMOCRACY has now become sooo magnanimously praiseworthy.
It is simply BECAUSE said 'bar' has been lowered to beyond record depths by all of these squirming, acquiescent, spinelessly cowardice (or even the 'true believer' batshit psychotic fascist ANTI-democracy types there) pond scum in the (slight majority) Congress currently.
Only power motivates many if not most leading Republican lights. All law school front doors thru which many Republican law makers have passed should have a sign over the front door that reads, “All who enter here, ditch the morality.” That is, if they have any to begin with.
After what happened to Paul Pelosi and reading Mitt Romney's account of the expense of protecting his family, I suspect many of them fear for their lives. This is all I can think of to explain the position of Mike Pence and others who were at risk/
That's the reason as they are afraid of losing their job! So, find something else in the private sector! Get out! I will try as best as I can to get these people out. Next week, I am writing postcards to elect the Democrat who will take George Santos place. He was embarrassing to our Congress!
Yes, the elusive, and suddenly DISAPPEARING power they will themselves LOSE ANYWAY once their putrid orange sack of shit DESPOT takes totally unfettered power in this land FOR LIFE, with THEIR help of course.
So ironically, they will lose what they so desperately and obsessively seek while DESTROYING our country, let alone what very little is left of our actual democracy, in the process. :(
They are as much pieces of shit as their SCUMp fuehrer is, and quivering, sniveling, acquiescent, prostrating, inherently COWARDLY ones, at that!
Maybe they are worried about his wrath & the wrath of his MAGA supporters. Look what happened to Cheney & Kinzinger. Kinzinger received death threats and had to have security. But when he was “primaried”, and no longer in office, he basically had no protection except his gun.
It's causing enormous anxiety but is more doable than we realize.Did anyone hear Pres. Biden's speech yesterday?(of course) Sounded masterful.Now is that the voice of a feeble old man? No way,I was so proud of him!!!
The problem with Biden's speech is that they have been mellow, monotone, lacking passion and rage, thus boring and forgettable.
He lacks charisma. Hitler, Mussolini and Trump have passion and charisma, evil as it is, but effective and sucks in the crowd.
Just because evil uses and effective tool, does not men righteous should react and do the opposite. Hollywood and song writers know that the road to success is by copying that which works.
Biden can and should, and it appears that he has finally awakened and is using his speeches to agitate the lizard brain,and the corporate media, and even hosts on MSNBC don't like the new Biden, but eff them, they are the reason we had Trump 45, and will have (barring a miracle) Trump 47.
Biden kicked ass in Valley Forge and Montgomery Co, PA and I hope that he is just warming up. It is war, and it is hot, violence is being perpetuated by Trump humping idiots, and it will only get worse.
Some of his recent speeches have shown some fire. I hope he continues in this direction, & that he employs some dynamic, eloquent & passionate speakers like Barack. & Michelle Obama, & Jamie Raskin. Even utilize Robert Reich in TV skits with his sketches to accompany his clear & concise arguments about what's wrong with today's politics, economics, society & environment & how Democrats can fix these problems.
I used to go to the Dental Clinic at Montgomery County Community College to get my periodontal cleanings, not very far from where Joe gave that speech yesterday.
And, point out the improvements in jobs, inflation, the economy, etc.
We have a world with bullies instigating unprovoked attacks, creating peril for everyone, everywhere. Hamas, Houthi, Hezbollah, Russia, North Korea, Syria, etc. One of the things I want most, in a leader, is SANITY. President Biden brings much, much, needed SANITY to seemingly impossible situations.
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Although the news media views this as boring, quite honestly, after 4 years of drama from 2016-2020, I'm relieved by a refreshing influx of so-called boredom! I'd like to see more coverage of SANITY!
Thank you for that clear eyed and reasonable view of a wonderful man who loves our democracy.Lead pipes and junk fees,who ever cared about that? And he helps the American public w/ it.He's always working,not sitting around making money on our time.
I texted him (he provided me with his cell phone number). I strongly advised him to sound stronger, more powerful, even if he had to get a more powerful microphone.
I also told him he needed to stand up to Trump and not be so nice. I would like to think he took my advice!
No god or gods, be it Jesus, Krshna, Osiris, Allah, Oden Quetzlcoatl has ever saved humanity form itself, or natural disasters, and if anything these gods are responsible for all of the misery and death brought down on humanity, cats, dogs, horses, cows, goats, gazelles, kangaroos and platypuses.
A family home in Ohio was recently fired on because the owner had the temerity to place an anti-Trump sign in his front yard. That in a very small nutshell defines too many Trump supporters.
Like all POS fascists, who MUST bow to, and defend at ALL costs, their 'big daddy will take care of everything for them' scum DESPOT, their only answer, and the only response they know from, is life threatening violence.
This is true,look how he threatened judge's families.That's the mark of a madman.We need super strong,effective messaging to point things like this out.
Hezbollah. Not holding hostages yet. That is HAMAS
Hezbollah is Shia and a word, t means Party of Allah.
HAMAS–the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement)—is the largest and most capable militant group in the Palestinian territories and one of the territories' two major political
Peggy, my guess is that he has extortionable dirt on them. think epstein, or trash of that nature. illicit/illegal sex, drugs, theft - all the things that drumpf engages in (glorifies) when committed by repugnant lawmakers (who seem to be in the majority of lawbreakers) - all those things can be used to extort, bribe, coerce them to do his bidding, under pain of exposure. I can't think of anything else to explain this insanity. The most obvious examples are lindsay graham, moscow mitch, and well, the entire repugnant senate. the longer they're in the senate, the more they're exposed to temptation. It takes a lot of work to cover up wrongdoing and lies, and the lies take on a life of their own and become impossible to control.
I understand what you're saying, Paul. If these "conservative" politicians have behaved unethically or broken the law, they definitely should be exposed for their hypocrisy. They need to understand that even having 'dirt' on them, their country should always come first. Years from now, their lawlessness will be recorded in the history books anyway. If I were them, I would think about what history will say about them. Their families and descendants will be here long after. I would want them to be able to say, 'Yes, he/she made mistakes, but in the end he/she chose to stand up for Democracy'. I know it will never happen. I also know that most politicians today have been bought by the rich. That is the reason that I want to see laws passed that limit profoundly how much any corporation, CEO, or rich individual can give to any campaign. I also want to see that there is no possibility for corruption by stopping all of these gifts and perks these politicians are accepting. Just like with teachers, politicians should enter politics because they want to be of service to our country, not for how rich and powerful they can become.
The results of the investigation of Epstein were unsealed, Trump was mentioned 5 times, Clinton 40 (a horn dog and frequent flyer) as wells David Copperfield, and another frequent flyer, Prince Andrew, there are over 200 names. Can't wait for an expose, but I am 100% sure that we will, as it certainly contains some rich and hence powerful men maybe even Musk,.
Lee - I'm more interested in how many senators/congresspeople are implicated. supremes? justice dep't. notables? in other words, the puppets whose strings are pulled by the oligarchs, and who in rare moments of conscience might otherwise be motivated to do the right thing except for the unspeakable held over their heads.
I understand, but google is your friend. Ask the google AI, or just go to opensecrets.org and type in a Congress critters name and you will see who finances them, and just as good as finance, who endorses themm the last takes more research and the ability to ask google AI the right questions.
They aren't afraid of Trump--they are afraid of what he might unleash--he could incite his base to attack them or their families; he could call them vile names and heap oppobrious disinformation on the unfortunate victim's head, and send it forth to the general public via the various media channels. Of course this only works on those for whom the office (plus the perqs & 'opportunities') is more important than their principles--oh, wait! I'm talking about the Republican Party here. No principles in sight.
The thing is...if they tried to stand up to him they might find that he's weaker than they think. Even one Rep or Senator standing up to the orange bully might damage him...and if the Repubs smelled blood in the water, you just know they would instantly turn into great whites and have themselves a feeding frenzy.
I think it comes down to being a cult. Think of it this way. Trump is like the WWF star. He's mean, he's ornery, he likes to kick butt, he likes to curse and he likes to lie and, he likes to have the girls under his thumb . There are Republican legislators who Envy his ability to do that. Makes me wonder how many of them are graduates of trump University. Anyway.. they adore this WWF star and they want to be just like him. That's it the cult of trump.
That may be so, S. Howard, but I have yet to see or hear of the little orange man kick anyone's butt!! He talks a big talk but I don't think he could hold his own with a 90 year old, 100 lb grandma hell bent on beating the shit out of him!!!
This jerk has a squad of goons ready to attack, even with a hammer, anyone he likes. That's what his cult members like. But I agree with your sentiment. By himself he is just a rag doll with a broken neck.
Maybe someone will kick his someday,there's all kinds of big dudes in prison who'd gladly oblige just to stay in shape.To me ,if he's convicted,we should take away the'Secret Service' buddies,that's on our dime and I don't like it,it's undeserved.
Trump will buy the prison, every thing and every one is for sale if the price is right. and what will the prison do with his Secret Service agents?
Wasn't it Al Capone who had a huge cell, with guards acting as waiters, special meals and wine. The Feds did him in though, but sending him to Alcatraz,
You're really on to something here. Republicans in general and Trumps base in particular are all about worshiping a powerful leader. Trumps power is his (percieved) wealth. He's really a terrible businessman, but he has taken the posture of a great success. Much like little boys become enamored with the WWF stars they see as some ideal of masculinity Trumps base sees him as the American success they wish they could be. There was never any good reason to believe the election was stolen except "great leader" said so. Those that stormed the capital were a herd of sheep. Republicans fall in line, trying to find a sense of power in a collective, with democrats it's like herding cats, a bunch of individualistic thinkers all wanting to go their own way.
Trump is stupid, but is street smart, he is a sociopathic psychopath, he is not restrained by morals or a conscience, he has none and as you know a malignant narcissist, when his cult sees him, they see themselves, he is their avatar and that includes, especially, the Plutocrats that have and are financing him.
The editorial staff of New York papers would get a laugh, as he called in posing as John Barron, extolling the wealth and success of Donald Trump.
And like a narcissist he named his youngest son Barron.
YES, that incident alone, which happened LONG LONG ago, should be enough psychotic behavior to disqualify the putrid orange lump of feces from any position of any importance at all.
But his blood oath loyal, adoringly devoted, MAGAt brown shirt 'army' would see it as their fuehrer being 'smart'. [puke]
Why do we go on so about what motivates fascists in America today? Didn't Hannah Arendt spell it out clearly enough? Well, actually of course she didn't or we'd all be citing her daily. But where is it getting us to spend time wondering why fascists are fascists?
True and overuse of words as pejoratives lose their edge., and are easily rebutted. Take a look at the word genocide, it is used as slur, and hurled as an accusation with no foundation in fact, because it's primary purpose is to shape public opinion.
Fascism is losing it's edge, Trump is calling us fascists, he and his humpers call antifa(scists) fascists.
Frank Luntz, who learned is craft from Goebbels, is an expert at newspeak, using words as weapons, Roger Ailes crafted the effective tacic of turning a strength into a weakness.
Having learned from the Swift Boating of John Kerry, he called a war hero ,Max Clelland, who lost three limbs, a coward for opposing criminal Dubyas invasion of Iraq.
I am not wondering WHY the effing brown shirts are POS NAZIS, just wondering HOW do we fight them (PHYSICALLY, if needs be, and it comes down to that!), and beat them back into their rotting logs, and under rocks hiding places. ??
My comment probably shouldn't be directed at you. It was a general trend I saw all down the stack. If it comes down to it I also will see my duty to defend.
Like one ignores a petulant child, these GOP, representatives and senators should be ignoring Donald Trump. He isn’t in office they have given him the power.
They continue to give him power!! That's what truly stumps me! Now, they have a chance to get rid of this idiot for good and what do they do? They keep letting him do whatever he wants because they don't want to lose his base. I truly wish they would determine if his base is so important that they would rather go down with the ship than stand up for America!! It is so maddening, frustrating, and just plain sad.
The easiest examples are non republican Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss who were doxxed and approached multiple times having to leave their house for all the threats they were getting. These and the doxxing against the Colorado justices and the Maine secretary of state are reinforcing the republicans fear of offending the "boss". You step out of line we dox your house and send people to harrass or hurt your family. Trumps is a simple system. He attacks his enemy on Truth social. He has a stooge of his find and post their address on Truth social and then Trump Reposts that information to his base. The base goes apeshit and phones, texts spams and harrasses them at theie house. Democrat or Republican disobedience gets the same punishment.
I am a big believer in logic statements as I program things. If Dox then Violence/Intimidation then the Doxer, reposters and the Violent get summons/jail time.
Trump may not frighten you, but his gun toting supporters will when they point their guns at you. And believeyoume, that’s what’s coming. January 6 was only a dress rehearsal for what’s to come.
I pray that you are wrong, but I fear that the worst is yet to come. If Trump is removed from the ballot his followers are going to go crazy and if he's convicted they are going to riot. Either way we have a huge problem on our hands. He is not going to go down quietly. I think that is part of the reason the wheels of justice are turning so slowly. Fear of fallout. His followers are unreasonable. They believe the Big Lie and that they are fighting on the right side. The extent some of these people have been brainwashed and indoctrinated is so frightening. They are willing to kill or die for him. We very well could have a Civil War. The Country is so divided.
Many Trump supporters like nothing better than threatening the use of their guns on people who have the temerity to say ANYTHING critical of their hero. Trump knows this and supports his soon-to-be jack booted bully boys who attempt to intimidate anyone who opposes him and his fascist ways. Germany’s Nazi Party of thugs and criminals has been born again in herr Trump and his psychopathic followers.
It's like a Jim Jones type effect,I remember how congressmen in Calif. were giving money and property to that maniac.We need superstrong messaging to 'deprogram' them.What kind of'wonderful person' would tell people who were already scared and confused about the Covid to take bleach?Yesterday I read something about hydroxychloroquin,another winner!
THE ultimate reason those fascist pieces of shit in power are all against ANY and ALL weapon legislation, and their unlimited 'interpretation' of 2A (even more so than to support their weapons manufacturers and get their campaign donation kickbacks).
They want and NEED their batshit insane, loyalist brown shirts heavily armed for threatening/intimidation purposes, if not for actual butchering 'action'.
Lorraine, that alone should have normal and sane republicans finding a different party to belong to. I can't stand Putin anymore than I can stand the little orange man!!
Normal and sane Republicans are Never Trumpers and the Lincoln Project, but I am as wary of them as I am of Liz Cheney, they are William Buckley, Jr's conservatives, idolize Ronald Reagan, toadies of corporations., want to roll back so called "entitlements" and are libertarians, not social libertarians but financial libertarians mavens of the phony"free market"
And whether they admit it or not, Trump and his cult are the products of their ideology and political power.
However in times like these, the enemy of my enemy (my frenemy) is my friend.
Yes. Aren't there back rooms where they can agree on what they agree on and move forward on it without Trymp....Don't look at him Don't answer him. They can push their nasty agenda without him.
It is a most fascinating question isn't it? Does he have damaging dossiers on each and every one of them? More likely, they realize they will not get elected without his base. They thus are willing to sellout our democracy to stay in office. This is beyond cowardice, it's treason.
Do you remember what happened to Paul Pelosi? Deranged Zealots attacking you or your loved ones is something to fear. Also I believe Trump has the backing of the Russian mob, and they have "dirt" on many politicians. These are very scary times and we need to stand up and fight the good fight.
As Trump has done to so many, he lies, he ruins, he may have a morsel of embarrassing dirt on someone and blow it into unimaginable awfulness, he is relentless, he torments, he threatens...Trump is Satan personified, pure evil. On the flip side, he has half of our country ready to murder for him. No way to explain this except soulless EVIL, that is what people fear AND the believable reality that nobody can stop him. I fear for my grandsons, in so many ways.
Deb, I know what you mean. I don't want my grandchildren to grow up in a dictator regime. I want them to know what it means to be free. trump aggravates and annoys me, but I am not afraid of him. If his followers feel they need to kill people for him, I feel very sorry for them. I am not a violent person; however, I want back down either. I hope and pray every night that everything will work out and we will come out of this mess better and stronger than before. Hang in there!
In reference to the Supreme Court,it's occurred to me he could shut them down too,he wants total control and doesn't want to be ruled on.Give him a Burger King hat.
He WILL shut them down, possibly even 'eliminate' them (physically), yes, even the devout loyalist ones there, once he is in total and unfettered, uncontrolled power, like he DEMANDS to be. ;)
I agree that our DOJ is pathetic. Even in Brazil, 2 corrupt Presidents (Lula and Rousseff) went to jail. Our justice system is definitely worse than the one in Brazil
A conman like Trump should have been jailed long time ago if the wheels of justice had worked as they should. What amazes me the most are Trump's supporters who consider him being "persecuted". Idiocy has NO limits!!
I believe they think that because he says it so often,which brings to mind a scene I saw of him sitting in a courtroom(many years ago w/ real hair) singing the 'witch hunt' song.That one is pretty damn old and some bozos still fall for it.
It reminds me what Joseph Goebbels used to say: "a lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth" This is exactly what Trump is doing. He doesn't hide his nazi ideology because he is proud of it.
Even his very own 'minister of propaganda', Goebbels lookalike, Stephen Miller (who ironically was raised in the Jewish faith) uses this fascist tactic to maximal effect.
We will deal w/ this poor excuse for a human ,even though the timing is way off!
Prof. Glen Kirschner(former federal prosecutor for 30 yrs.) sits in those courtrooms and mentioned on his podcast(Justice Matters) that he WILL be convicted on all 4 counts and jailed.I pray about this everyday.What good does he offer our beloved nation or the rest of humanity?Zip! Tax credits aren't good enough!
Garland is a right winger Gary, he was vetted to Obama, who needed a win at any cost, by Orrin Hatch R-Ut, the most right wing Senator of that time, and he had worked as a moderator for the Federalist Society
It’s interesting that you have these opinions coming from Douglas County, Oregon. My parents used to live there and I always thought of rural Oregon being far right conservative.
I believe that they were called loyalists was because they were tied to one man and would walk off a cliff if he asked them to. I call them what they are insurrectionists and traitors to the United State of America!
Let Fox give Trump a co-host job or a podcast or his own show! He belongs on TV. Today I listened to clips from Iowa ralleys and found his remarks excellent fodder for TV entertainment. Formerly I agonized about his words being totally out of line for
I watched the events of 1/6 unfold but what really was unsettling to me was the obvious enjoyment Trump was experiencing as his moronic mob stormed the capital in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump's intentions carried more weight than he might have thought. The desire to treat Mike Pence in the same manner the British dealt with Nathan Hale left me horrified. Those people who smashed their way into the capital weren't Americans wanting a guided tour, those animals defecated in our country's capital, and no they didn't use the toilets. I don't understand how anyone who called themselves Americans could desecrate what lies at the heart of this country. They spit on 250 years of history that has been nourished by the blood of countless men and women who gave their lives to an idea that the insurrectionists couldn't understand if their guide would have given them a handbook as they entered the building. The fools that followed the treasonous directions of Trump as they descended upon the capital should be forced to undergo the same educational requirements immigrants struggle with as they learn about this country's history and what it takes to become a citizen. The lost members of our own society that attacked what lies at the heart of this country, basically attempted to eviscerate the dreams of every honest American who sees this country as a signpost of what others might strive to develop within their own countries. Trump wants what Hitler failed to realize, and he won't stop until "we" stop him. Donald Trump is nothing more than a pig in an expensive suit, that he didn't earn the money to pay for.
Trump was, is and always will be a psychopath (or sociopath if you prefer.) He's criminally insane and the community of mental health professionals widely agree.
Sometimes you have to accept that there are not rational reasons for irrational behavior.
Excellent,and that pig party 3 yrs. ago cost us 30 million to clean up.Scenes of the guardsmen sleeping on the floor stayed w/ me.That guy w/ dirty feet on Nancy Pelosi's desk.She must have flipped out.I would have been seething.
It's like he reads and/or hears things ,then his demented mind goes on a mission and gets sicko ideas.He'll be on the slopline someday serving chow.What I'd really like to do is freak him out by showing him the reality of life and major community service besides prison,send him to a children's hospital to see sick children,to an animal shelter to see lonely animals,to a nursing home to see sick,lonely people,God works in mysterious ways.
Insurrectionists (aka terrorists) and their leaders (tRump and his cabal) should have been arrested, convicted and incarcerated for the rest of their lives. In the past, they were hunted down and hung in the public square. Whatever your feelings about the punishment, the fact remains these people are terrorists and should be treated like every other terrorist. When they chose to overthrow the US government, they forfeited their rights of citizenship. Everyone should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, but they most certainly do not deserve any deference whatsoever. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has been hijacked by right wing zealots who are operatives for the wealthy oligarchs bent on establishing a plutocracy.
David--How long did the Iranians hold our hostages.? This is an imperfect situation controlled by imperfect men. Hell bent on creating a perfect world. The only thing you can count on is innocent people will die.
Jeff--absurdity lies in the eyes of the beholder. What I said makes perfect sense. Trump is a Hitler clone, and the 4th Reich is his desire here in this country. If you can't see that reality you need to take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself this question, Am I really that naive?
Facts are facts, Everyone's face has a blemish, There are no saints and martyrs except in religion. We lionize the founding fathers, despite the fact that most if not all were slave holders. When one tries to hide the blemishes, that only encourages those that would defame the subject to dig harder.
So Harriet was delusional, so was Joseph Smith, but with that delusion he founded a powerful and wealthy cult called Latter Day Saints.
Hitler was delusional and destroyed Germany and the lives of millions.
Not all delusions are disastrous, though many are ruinous
Some like Harriet Tubman's was disastrous for the slave states.
I personally think that Harriet Tubman was remarkable, considering her origins and trials. Quite the role model I say, warts and pimples and all.
Hero's come in all sizes, shapes, colors, backgrounds and abiliies or disabilities. So do villains.
The mere fact that tRump became president is proof enough that God has no say or any power over human actions. If you believe in God, then presumably you believe in the Devil. Trump is the devil incarnate, at least metaphorically.
As a non-believer, I cannot even make this statement at all, and realize that it is up to U.S. (or at least the democracy craving, mostly sane, beings in the U.S.) to do this, and save whatever is left of our (sort of, at least idealistically) democratic republic. ;)
Sorry, but despite the theologists' (or theocrats') arguments otherwise, to me at least, IF there were any such entity as a 'benevolent god', there would never exist evils such as; Hitler, Putin, SCUMp, et al, ad nauseum, their devout, equally as evil followers/worshipers, or any of the other sadistic, purely demonic, abjectly inhuman(e) despots all throughout human history, since the dawn of our species on this globe. ;)
Would there be a god, then it is a pscyhic vampire, and the earth is it's garden. It would be nourished by the perpetual pain and suffering inflicted on it's creatures. Mostly being eaten alive the rodent eaten by the cat, the anquish caused by the disease ridden and hungry, the pain of people being burned alive, beheaded . Those who die an instant death, provide no nourishment, those kept alive on a ventilator are a constant source of nourishment
There is a god that has more credibility than a merciful god.
Keith Olson ; Even without the insurrection, there is the fact of his taking and viewing Highly Classified documents. He most likely shared some of them, too. That alone should have put him away for a significant amount of time. there are those serving undercover as agents who have been killed, most likely as a result of his traitor behavior.
Laurie - Very true but the Florida judge is happily slow walking the classified documents case. Funny how tfg doesn’t go after her like he does the others. In my opinion she has been bought and paid for since he is the one who put her on the bench. The Senate needs to continue to approve as many judges as possible before the election.
Anon ; Justice should not allow that sycophant to openly aid and abet the traitor! It is obvious that she has an agenda. It should not be considered 'partisan' to save our country from evil like Donald Trump! May be that they know that he is disqualified and will be gone from politics in the U.S.A.!! ❤😀
Laurie - I am in total agreement with you. Just remember that when all else fails for trump to delay whatever trial his next move will be to fire his attorneys for that case so he can delay some more. He has gotten very good, after all these years, with delaying (and denying) Justice. The American people deserve to watch his trials Before the election so they can see the evidence for themselves and then decide whether to support such a despicable man.
Chutkan is known for imposing some tough punishments in those cases. According to an analysis from NPR's investigative team, as of July 2023, Chutkan had given prison sentences to all of the 38 Jan. 6 defendants to come before her, even though prosecutors had only recommended 34 of them for prison. That stands in contrast to the other judges in Jan. 6 cases who have tended to be more lenient at sentencing.
This was on NPR in August. I was under the impression that she was an independent thinker. I must have missed a lot since August? There is a lot to keep up with.
Still Learning - I don’t believe anyone has threatened her because he appointed her and he has not targeted her like the others. She is apparently in no rush to bring his case to trial even though she should have already set a date.
Anon: There is his way of communicating that could telegraph that she will "Do the right thing". He is transactional. She knows what he wants her to do. The judicial system should intervene, like they did before, when she was not doing justice to a case.
Still learning ; Judge Chutkin has been threatened, but she is standing her ground and doing her job. judge Cannon is another story, down in Florida on the Documents case. She is the one he appointed, and has seemed to be a sycophant, and actually working for tRump.
Anon : Maybe the 11th circuit will short circuit her again. 'Just' in time! Or the Supreme Court will take him off the ballot, and we can all celebrate 🍾!
What very much troubles me is why didn't Jack Smith have her removed right away,we already knew about her and she was chastised by a court.He's more of a shark than that.
Perhaps he could have gone to the proper entity and made mention that there was a conflict of interest.Given her past behavior and also the area she works is a'red' area and a great many of the potential jury pool voted for him in the past.
Trump is probably living on borrowed time and his hatred is what is keeping him alive. Maybe he'll spare the Nation and cease to exist before much more time passes. We can only hope for that to happen.
I’m just hoping he ends up stripped of everything and imprisoned.... but if the Lord wants to take his money grubbing ass ahead of that.... I won’t shed a fkn tear
In god you trust huh. How has that worked out for mankind Praise god says the person being burned at the stake.
BTW burning at the stake was a slow painful death, and if you had friends who could bribe the executioner he would hang a pouch of gun powder around your neck.
So very well stated. Thank you. For some reason the “powers that be” seem to be afraid of Trump (at least it appears that way to me). We, the people, should not tolerate Trump’s willingness to defy the Constitution for his own personal gratification & gain. His motto is “it’s about ME, the hell with everybody else”. That’s his entire attitude/motto his whole life. He appealed to the lowest (very) common denominator among us. The ill-informed, non-thinking masses are his well-named “base”. He must not be allowed anywhere near the Presidency ever again. He cares not one whit for anyone but himself.
And when he loses a second time, do we think it will be over then? Will he slink away at last, shamed and defeated, leaving the rest of us to repair our tattered democracy?
No, we wont be rid of him as long as he’s still able to stand in front of a crowd of his worshippers and incite them to violence.
Agreed! Never in the history of the USA has an individual who has stolen classified top secret documents EVER walked freely before trial! The magnitude of this crime alone should mean he’s in chains for the remainder of his life, with zero access to any communications with anyone, including the public! That he does walk freely pending trial for the MOST EGREGIOUS theft of national secrets & MOST PROBABLE ESPIONAGE means either he is BLACKMAILING THE USA GOVERNMENT or other very powerful players in government!
Oh, Keith Olson, how can we get you on every TV show available to read what you have written here because it is the heart and soul of the wound that is becoming gangrenous in our nation! You speak for me, for sure, and I would speculate, for many Americans. We cannot understand why, three years out, "this loser" - and let's call him also a traitor - is still out there doing the same thing he did throughout 2020 and into 2021 - and STILL!!?
Even late last week we started hearing debates about the validity of the traitor's claims of "double jeopardy" because he was impeached and acquitted!!! Has the whole country gone insane?? Impeachment is not a criminal or civil trial. It is a POLITICAL trial regarding staying in office! What tRump and his thug-mob and crime organization have done belongs in criminal and civil courts and unless they are tried TWICE in one of those cases, there is NO double jeopardy!! Why are judges or experts or pundits or - well, anyone - giving that evil traitor ANY slack at all. Get him in courts and trials and (lips to God's ears, please) prison - the whole lot of them!! I long for American judges to have the kind of courage that judges in Italy have shown against the violence, amorality and depravity of the Mafia. THAT is what we need. I want that judge who told tRump and his "attorneys" last year that tRump is not a king (it is blows the mind that it has to be said in America to anyone but a mad man - like Mad King George!!!) to shout it from a megaphone every time tRump and/or his "attorneys" enter a courtroom: tRump is not a king. America does not have kings. America does now bow to kings. tRump is not a king. (and add please: tRump IS a crook, a con-man, a criminal....."alleged.")
tRump is not a king, except in his own deranged, grandiose, sick mind and America's courts should get out from under the thrall of a violent lunatic and his violent lunatic army of cowardly "big men" who are traitors and thugs!
THE ENEMY INSURRECTIONIST ARE AT THE GATE, DEFEAT TREASONOUS , TERRORIST, AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE AND JAIL CORRUPT AND TRAITOR RTRUMP AND CRONIES.THE ENEMY INSURRECTIONIST ARE AT THE GATE, DEFEAT TREASONOUS , TERRORIST, AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE AND JAIL CORRUPT AND TRAITOR RTRUMP AND CRONIES. VOTE DEMOCRATIC , AND RESTORE DEMOCRACY.
I agree completely with you and also wonder how much longer until justice is done with the former president because the sooner he is incarcerated the sooner the Nation can begin healing and repairs to our International reputation can begin although President Biden has been doing quite well in the World audience at promoting that responsibility and we are thankful for his progress everywhere.
Keith - Trump is Above the Law until the Law Catches up with him. I hope, by then , it is not too late for our democracy. Biden's speech this week at Valley Forge is exactly what we need to slow down Trump's polling numbers. It was excellent and needs to be delivered over and over again until November. Truth, accountability, and reclaiming the meaning of democracy - our democracy, and the history that is contained within it.
If our Legacy Media wants to prove that they stand up for our constitution and our country they should replay President Biden’s Valley Forge speech constantly and support his administration by showing all the positive things they are doing to help the American people and stop trying to equate the two parties! CNN, MSNBC, FOX, CBS, ABC, ETC…
I listened to Joe Biden's speech from Valley Forge yesterday. He recalled the mob marauding in the Capitol calling, "Nancy! Where's Nancy?!" and I wanted so badly for him - for everyone - to draw attention to the filthy cowardice of these "big, big men" hiding behind their ski masks, their Confederate flags (in OUR nation's capitol!!!) with the war-weapons imprinted over that heinous symbol, their spears and their mob numbers - calling out for one very petite, elderly woman in high heels.... Oh, they are so very brave, so "patriotic" - those traitors, bullies, cowards, low-life scum in their big-men numbers calling out one tiny elderly woman. THAT is who they are and THAT is all they are - and the whole disgusting lot should be in prison, and their mob-boss leader should be the one to lead them into prison; it is fitting. He has always gotten others to do his dirty work and to pay HIM for the "privilege" of doing his dirty work; it is a lifetime past due for HIM to pay for his dirty deeds.
I agree with your thoughts but, ultimately, under our system of democracy we have not been able to successfully impeach Trump and no prosecutor has charged him with insurrection. As "due process" is a concept that we generally consider to be core to our justice system, Trump is able to continue saying and doing what he has been doing for the last three years. Ultimately, America will show the world the strength of our democracy when the American PEOPLE cast their votes. That's what democracy is at it's heart. Let Trump stay on the ballot - I am confident in the American people to be the final judge. We're in a very dangerous spot for sure - more danger than we've ever been in in history. But all we can do now is vote and encourage everyone to cast their votes.
It's incredible to think that we have a political party that's trying to aid Putin and Russia. Especially if you can remember back to the Reagan era. It's shocking, but not surprising as schools are beginning to teach revised history - and some have stopped teaching history at all. But when you realize that Trump is really peddling fascism, it all starts to make sense. Honestly, I think Trump is just a figure-head for some more unseen group trying to break this democracy and, while I have a reasonable amount of confidence that the voters can save us, I'm not convinced that it isn't just too late. It's going to be a scary year. Truly.
He’s not OFFICIALLY above the law, but in practice, as seen clearly, he is above it. And that’s because our legal system is not just slow, it’s weaseling around Trump. It works pretty fast to put poor people in jail!!!
thank you for this recap, Professor Reich. i watched the J6 event live online and was unable to process the astounding events i was seeing.
but now that i've had time to think about it all (still thinking, actually, and continuing investigations are helpful), i've come to one conclusion, with other conclusions still pending: WE MUST GET RID OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE ASAP. it's a racist tradition that takes away most peoples' votes, regardless of what skin color they have. if we all enjoyed a one-person-one-vote system, things would be far fairer for all citizens.
It was a terrible decision from the right wing USSC to decide that money was Free Speech and it has been easy to see how it has corrupted everything that the money has touched. Political campaign finance reform must be accomplished absolutely before politics is to return to normalcy.
Let’s be more specific here; Mitch Mc Connell fronted for the Koch Bros and Mc Connell ushered the case through the, even then (!) Supreme Court... in a nutshell.
And Trump would never have “won” or taken office in 2016. He lost the popular vote both times. The Electoral College is an absurd, anti-democratic, tyrannical, outmoded system that should have been abolished 100 years ago. It benefits the same people it always benefitted: the traitors.
JC displeasure with the EC is certainly warranted. It benefits the landed and wealthy as it was designed to do. It is an anachronism and sits high on the list of amendments that need to be reformed/enacted; right after Equal Rights; Voting Rights; Bearing Arms; Reproductive Rights; and the absurd notion that corporations are "persons," with the same rights as individuals. That ruling has ensured the buying of representatives is no longer considered bribery; it is now freedom of speech!? ANV
i also looked up the definition of a cult, since you mention it here when you say: "The Republican Party is close to becoming a cult whose central animating idea is that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump."
according to my online dictionary, a cult is "a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous. a satanic cult." another definition is 1. a system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object. 2. a person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society.
which makes me wonder what aspect of trump is not cultish?
I live in a small red community in a blue state. This is a dying small town with an aging community that sees their mission as fighting spiritual warfare on the front lines. They are bigots, homophobics, misogynistic church members. They live in fear based on their daily doses of fear based media. They are union members that vote Republican. They are about guns and God. Most don't care politics. They like the malignant/sociopath because he normalized their prejudices. He said, it's ok to be an abuser like me. Over 60 million people suffer from Narcissist Abuse. In this country we blame the abused not the abuser. Too many rape apologists. Do these people recognize the abusers in their own lives? Probably not. Why would they acknowledge him. Abusers are everywhere. I believe the lack of emotional intelligence amongst humans is bringing us down. Compassion is a sign of higher intelligence.
I recently looked up what experts in the field had to say about cult leader traits. Experts in field said that charismatic people often share some of the same traits of cult leaders. One main trait separates charasmstic people from cult leaders. "Cult leaders hurt people." IMO, openly condoning violence against people who disagree meets the main distinguishing trait.
Yes. Jonestown was textbook. 1, Hide behind a church for authority and credentials. 2, Use the Bible to project superior knowledge to manipulate. 3, Isolate followers from family and friends who really love them for complete control. 4, Attack (and hurt) those who question the cult leader's legitimacy. #3 & 4 reveal the leader's ego-manical, self-serving, evil intentions.
Danny, that man was pure evil. You could just see it emanating from him!! What was even scarier was how blindly those people followed him without question!! If somebody handed me a cup of kool aid and people around me were dropping like flies, you can safely bet I wouldn't take even a sip!! I'd be looking for the nearest exit!!
I have to wonder why the followers did not recognize the cult leader's actions to isolate themselves and hurt people. I suppose it's difficult to question leaders associated with a Christianity or a church.
In 3rd grade, I witnessed a Priest verbally assault a nun. She was in tears. He destroyed her emotionally. I remember it like yesterday. The Priest's beet red face and unimaginable anger. The agony and helplessness on the Sister's face. The Priest stormed out of the small office. I sympathized for the Sister, the Principle.
Shortly later, the Priest took extreme measures to hurt my character in front of the entire congregation. Cult leaders do not tolerate those who can expose him/her as a phony Christian leader. Cult leaders have no problem hurting good people to maintain their authority.
As I recall, it was nearly impossible to think that the leader of the church could be mean and hurtful. In fact, it was unfathomable. It wasn't until the Priest berated the replacement Sister-Principle to tears that I could grasp that something was wrong with the Priest. After the 2nd Sister was hurt to tears, I knew the Priest was not acting with the love and compassion of Jesus.
To me, the choice is larger than the choice between Biden and Trump. It is the choice between looking forward to a progressive future with a government that serves it citizens, or a failing capitalistic form of democracy that fails to provide even the basic economic purchasing power for all citizens. Today, democracy as it now operates is failing to do this most basic of functions. It is this failure that allows a fascist party and candidate to gain so much support among the voting public. If our democracy were not so weakened, we would not be in such a condition. It is like the condominium building in Surfside, Florida that just collapsed in 2021 because the structural components had become dangerously weakened by neglect and the resident/owners did not undertake to repair the understructure of the building in a timely fashion. On June 24th 2021 at 1:22 a.m., the building simply collapsed and 98 people died because of the failure to address the underlying problems. https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › surfside_condominium_collapse
We the resident/owners of the United States are at that same critical juncture. Despite the clear and present danger of our democracy collapsing, we continue to ignore erosion of our economic structure caused by capitalism trumping democracy. We must be willing to undertake the pressing task to design and implement a system that is the better alternative to capitalism and save our country before it meets the same fate as the collapsed condominium building in surfside, Florida. No matter which candidate wins the November election, the risk of collapse remains. Unbridled capitalism allowed by fascism will speed the inevitable collapse, but even under our existing democracy hobbled by runaway capitalism, the risk remains.
There are progressive thinkers who have brought forward plans for the next level of an economically sound democracy, “Economic Democracy” based on the Progressive Utilization Theory. If planning and action are taken now, much human suffering and injustice can be averted. When the Soviet Union collapsed seemingly overnight, it was because as the economic and government underpinnings were rotting, no one had planned for that eventuality and the Russia that emerged has caused great suffering as a result. No plan was made for the likely chance for a wildfire to reach Lahaina and that town on Maui was totally destroyed in a matter of hours resulting in deaths, economic devastation, and total dispersion of the once cohesive community and culture of that town. We cannot afford to ignore the possibility of the same type of inferno engulfing the United States. We cannot afford to follow the example of Lahaina, the Soviet Union or the collapsed condominium in Florida. We must lay plans now for a structural overhaul. For a short essay see https://www.proutinstitute.org/policy-solutions/economic-democracy-the-alternative-to-corporate-rule
Popular voting and the elimination of the antiquated Electoral College including GERRYMANDERING would level up the field and accomplish what is needed for our elections.
You wrote, “WE MUST GET RID OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.” Unfortunately that would require a Constitutional Amendment. As long as The Electoral College gives Republicans a disproportionate advantage, they will oppose it. Only if a Democrat wins The Electoral College while losing the popular vote will the Republicans support such an Amendment.
Every word written in the article is true. I read a poll that 55% of potential American voters believe Jan. 6 was an attempted coup and blame tRump for the violence. All Biden and the Democrats need to do is keep blasting this truth louder than Orange Bully can shout his lies.
Trump was/is to blame for the violence. Left to his own devices he’ll destroy OUR country. Beware, BE AWARE! He’s tried it once & because he wasn’t punished to deter him, he’ll try again. Mark my words. His lust for attention & power is too great.
The adage "Justice delayed is justice denied" applies in part. Justice has been delayed because tRump has lawyers who have filed frivolous motions to delay his trials. But in the US system, only so many maneuvers can be tried. He is about to face justice in New York State in the best possible way--his fortune will be attacked. tRump has used his money to get power. Take away the money--make him appear a "loser"--and the MAGA maggots will desert him.
Winning requires turning out the base and winning a majority of independents. The independents are crucial. What's interesting is why that number is not 65% or higher due to more independents.
I keep listening to advice about treating Trump cultists with respect and not rustling their feathers by arguing with them. These are the same kind of people who rationalized slavery and Nazi genocide and Soviet style totalitarianism. Ah, no. The kid gloves have to come off.
I'm surrounded by bigots. My neighbors post White Pride Month all year long. I have biracial grandchildren. I did have a run in with one recently over our dogs. I knew who she was and I didn't hold back. She ran home crying. They think I'm crazy. I love it. Those are my boundaries. We travel road travel often and because of my Minnesota license plates we have been confronted at gas stations in Nebraska. A group tried to run us off the road. Our truck was bigger thank goodness. My nephew was refused a haircut in Indiana because he was the only person of color in the MAGAQ barbershop last summer. He lives in San Diego. I have many stories on this subject. People are armed. Be careful.
😢 Trump has encouraged bad behavior. It’s why people are so rude. It’s why defendants attack judges. It’s why road rage has increased. He’s given people permission to act out. I’m so sorry you are victims of those thugs, because that’s what they are. He’s turned us into us and them.
Perhaps after a couple of generations we'll again have a Democracy to enjoy and the idiocy will have died off leaving a stable populace of intelligence, maybe.
Lisa59, You should see the looks and talk I get with California plates while driving through Red states or even tRump loving counties of California. Gas station convenience stores are “Thanks for your cash, now get out of here”. I have grey in the beard, let the whiskers go a few days. It helps me “pass” amongst those locals, as long as I don’t open my mouth much. My wife tells me not to put the bumper stickers on the SUV, leave them on the refrigerator with magnets.
Tell your San Diego nephew to be careful in deep dark Red East County. True tRump cultist, hypocritical bible thumping, gun loving folks. I’m sure he knows why the town of Santee is called Klantee.
His in-laws live there. He attempted to play golf at the public golf course. They only gave him 4 clubs when he rented them. He asked a group of men (white) if he could join them. They refused and proceeded to taunt him. He's Mexican American and 6'5. He tried to get his money back and just leave. They refused and gave him a hard time. He looked around and saw the whole place was white. Before he left he did ask where the colored bathrooms were. He is a very successful young man that I am so very proud of. The KKK are now called Patriots. Indiana is home of the Klan. That state would benefit from a full enema.
In that case I feel sorry for the folks further down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers that pull their drinking water from the rivers. Some treatment, no matter how much, can’t get rid of everything.
I'm sorry Kerry. You don't know what you are talking about.
The republican party was founded to STOP DEMOCRAT RACISM.
1400 Republicans were murdered by Democrat KKK member defending the right of black people to vote. You need to read history for yourself, and stop getting all your news from CNN.
Are Pringles potato chips? While this question may seem to have an obvious answer, it ended up costing Procter & Gamble (the company that once owned Pringles, but since has sold it to Diamond Foods) more than $150 million. In 1975, the FDA declared that the makers of Pringles could not officially call them "potato chips" because their product was made from dehydrated potatoes, not thin slices of fried potatoes. However, the FDA gave Procter & Gamble a sort of half victory by allowing the company to refer to Pringles as "potato chips made from dried potatoes" as long as the lettering on the label was "not less than one‐half the size of the largest type." However, to do away with confusion, Pringles simply declared itself to be potato "crisps" and has since fully embraced this distinction.
But in 2009, a British court declared that Pringles were, in fact, "potato chips." This ruling meant that the snack food was subject to certain British sales taxes that applied to potato chips, but not other snacks. Despite arguments from Procter & Gamble regarding Pringles' precise "potatoness," the judge in the case declared that there was "more than enough potato content for it to be a reasonable view that it is made from potato." Due to this ruling, Procter & Gamble owed nearly $160 million in back taxes and $31 million every year going forward."
Amazing! many smiles! Looks like P & G wanted to actually be "potatoes" in America, but not potatoes in the UK. I'm glad their plan didn't work.
Sad development however.
1 - despite my last name, I am not heir to the fortune :-)
2 - because of the name, it has been a tradition in the pringle house for decades to give Pringles chips in the stockings. Not sure how long we can keep this up, since P & G have clearly tried to cheap out on the ingredients. Everyone I know says they taste somewhere between flour and sawdust. You can have the same can, but You can't fool our tastebuds. :-)
I admit that I'm frightened. Frightened for my friends in the USA and I have no answers. I've asked friends if they have any plans if Trump wins and all they can do is shrug and say, 'Endure.' None of them can leave the country or they would have done so already. Today should be called 'Traitor's Day' to remember the coup that Trump tried to mastermind. I hope, I hope that sense will prevail, but I am worried.
Kara Hughes, great idea. Thank you! Today should be titled Traitors Day. We should spread those words by using them. If left to the delusional, they will surely call it Patriots Day.
Kara Hughes : Why give them their very own day? I wonder . Hopefully when /if justice prevails we can come up with triumph Day, or something like that. ''Freedom Day' but not for the 6th. The 6th would be Justice day. But only if there is Justice ⚖.
True. A friend of mine on YouTube when I posited this, said we ought to call it 'Liars and Suckers Day' when I suggested Traitor's Day. And if we were to call it that, they wouldn't think that it referred to them in any case...so good point.
To leave is to capitulate. This is MY Country. OUR Country. Our best "weapon" is the ballot, imo. Wasting time, energy, resources arguing with those who "Can't handle the truth," for whatever reason(s), is an exercise in futility. We need to, first and foremost, ensure a HUGE voter turnout. How? Messaging. Messaging. Messaging. I watched ABC's "Impact" last night (1/5/24). Please petition your local ABC Affiliate to run this extremely educational piece monthly. It is an in-depth look at how anti-abortion laws are adversely affecting women's health. Brave, brave women tell their stories of how THEIR states' laws put them in horrible jeopardy which could easily affect their chances of a future pregnancy or, in many cases, cause them extreme pain, physical and emotional, or END THEIR LIVES! "WHO ARE WE?!"
I've been thinking about this all day. This "anti-abortion" disaster. Why can't the ACLU, or some such organization file in states where abortion is now banned as well as in federal court that anti-abortion constitutes "Cruel and unusual" punishment under law? Reading what several constitutional attorneys have stated, the 8th Amendment protections from "cruel and unusual" punishment appiles to federal AS WELL AS STATE LAWS! The women I watched last night on that ABC Impact special are exactly WHO the 8th Amendment was written to protect. In Congress, while discussing the 8th, the INQUISITION was mentioned as an example of cruel and unusual punishment. Let THAT sink in!
It's difficult to have positive feeling about our species - seriously flawed. If we're going to have a dictator, surely we could do better than Trump. If Trump doesn't obey the Christian collective that are gaining control, there could be trouble.
All so true. I still can't believe that the gop is not just enabling but encouraging this traitorous behavior. There are just so many levels of blatantly illegal actions taken by the insurrectionists, many of whom are in prison, but the gop seems to be successfully ignoring this and the mass media is kow towing to their whims...
Donna ; there is no doubt that the Obscenely wealthy own the media and are complicit with tfg and the 'republican' party. the nearly two trillion dollar hand out to the billionaires is proof that he is much appreciated. They want twice as much this time, I bet.
Power and money, people! That’s the threat to Republicans and why they bow to Trump. Liz Cheney, while I disagree on her policy stands, has character and my respect. Mitt Romney, not quite so strongly, is another. Adam Kinzinger resigned because it wasn’t worth it to him and his family to go through a campaign. Power and money is all it takes, and the former guy’s mafia takes care of any threats to his position. He’s a master cult leader. Look to history for his idols.
As one of the lucky post Second World War boomers, I live in hope that the new youth voters in the 75% of democracies holding elections in 2024 will rise up in anger and cast their votes for equity and freedom rather than inequality and suppression funded by secretive big money lobbyists. We need to see a repeat of the rebellious Sixties. You have my support kids!
Thank you for an accurate and concise recital of the ugly facts.
Here is a proposal.
I encourage all of your readers to write and call and email their representatives and senators. They should respectfully demand a prompt convening in each chamber of Congress to debate a simple resolution: "The House/Senate resolve by two-thirds majority that Donald J Trump is qualified to hold the office of the President of the United States."
I'll be happy to discuss my reasoning, but it is based on the last sentence of Section 3 of Amendment XIV (the "insurrection clause"). If such a resolution were to pass both chambers, then we can move on from the frantic and exasperating speculation about what the Supreme Court is going to do with the appeal from Colorado. I imagine that the justices on the Supreme Court would be relieved to have Congress take the leadership on the issue. Isn't this question of the application of Section 3 to the case of Donald J Trump's attempted self-coup in any event a prime example of a "political question?"
It is high time that members of Congress set aside their petty personal squabbles and start acting like the expression of the political will of the people.
Yeah but the House is chock-full of lunatic MAGA cultists/loyalists and insurrectionists themselves! The House is not innocent: many of those in Congress are guilty of trying to overthrow democracy as well. The fact that none of them have been held to account is nauseating as well. Traitors like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Chip Roy, Paul Gosar and so many, many more. It would never make it to the Senate.
I want each chamber independently to start debate on the resolution. If either chamber fails to approve it by 2/3 majority, the public will be justified in concluding that the sense of Congress is that Mr Trump is NOT permitted to return to office. I think that that might have a profound effect on the general election in November if, as seems likely, he is the Republican candidate.
You are correct that the House of Representatives has a number of members who will want to vote for the resolution, given the opportunity. Let them!
I think you are correct. I wanted the Democrats to initiate it while they still had the House, There's a op ed in the NYT today, from Gerard N. Magliocca, who wrote a book on the 14th Amendment. He argues that the framers of the 14th Amendment deliberately gave Congress — not the president or the Supreme Court — the power to grant a Section 3 waiver on public policy grounds.
However, his advice is that Congress’s amnesty authority for disqualification from office is the equivalent of executive clemency in criminal cases, which can be exercised in the interests of justice or for the common good.
His advice is that Congress should consider granting Trump amnesty.
"Republicans would have to admit that their leader committed a grave constitutional wrong and can serve in office again only if Congress lets him out of the penalty box. Democrats would have to admit that they want the former president to get a special privilege from the law and would need to vote for that gift."
Thank you for the referral to Mr Magliocca's letter in the New York Times. I think I can say that I agree with his conclusion: "Perhaps Donald Trump deserves Section 3 amnesty. Perhaps not. But the answer to this question must come from our elected representatives in Congress. They were attacked on Jan. 6. Only they have the right to forgive."
However, I hope Mr Magliocca is not suggesting that Congress should grant the former president amnesty against prosecution for criminal activity.
The distinguishing feature of the last sentence of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment is that it gives Congress a choice, if it is willing, to remove a political disability. No more.
Mr Trump has yet to be tried in any criminal proceeding. My proposal has nothing to do with insulating Mr Trump from criminal liability. I want merely to test the willingness of Congress to say that he is to be given another chance to become president.
I wish Mr Magliocca had not used the term, "amnesty." It is misleading in this context.
I've been quoting you. I thought that Democratic leadership was negligent in not using it to attack the members of her chamber who were insurrectionists -- at least to make a record using a resolution. Trump bears the burden of proof!
I think "amnesty" is useful in plea bargaining if nothing else. Representing Trump is like representing a cold blooded killer charged with 1st degree murder. The best a lawyer can do is get a deal for something that doesn't involve the death penalty. I'd want him to take it.
Yes. It can't hurt to ask. Let's also share this with Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, Robert Hubbell, and anyone else you follow on substack. They all have many followers. If all the followers follow up, and I know many many will, it could work! It's better than this hopeless feeling that dwells in my gut. Great thinking, Vincent.
I know Robert is on all venues. I wonder whether newsmedia will publish an article as an op ed if he sends it FREE to them? [Robert if you're reading this stuff, what I said about loss leaders?]
Some people who post here daily have their own substacks and blogs and send me emails daily.
"No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. BUT CONGRESS MAY BY A VOTE OF 2/3 OF EACH HOUSE REMOVE SUCH DISABILITY".
This is the make up of Congress as it stands today:
House of Representatives: 220 Republicans (plus 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico) and 213 Democrats (plus 3 Delegates), and 2 vacant seats.
Senate: 49 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and 3 Independents, who all caucus with the Democrats. assumes that no seat is temporarily vacant.
The number of representatives with full voting rights is 435. 2/3 of them would have to acquit, which I do not see happening. and also 2/3 of the Senate [and there are 100 Senators. I do not see this happening either.
But before this can happen, Trump has to be accused and CONVICTED of Sedition, and so far, no VOTE has happened in Congress, and Merrick Garland, who stupidly let 2 years go by without any movement has yet to find his... courage.
But I am with you. After this, it would not matter how many endorsements Trump gathers in the House of the Senate. I'm sure Trump is twisting arms, threatening and cajoling and promising power to any in Congress who will endorse him. but that will not amount to 2/3
I must disagree with your contention that a conviction of sedition is a pre-requisite to Congress taking responsibility for implementing the insurrection clause. I do not see such a condition in the Constitution. It appears to me, rather, that the insurrection clause was written as we see it to create a purely political response to the then-imminent perceived political threat of revanchist Confederates assuming positions of political power in the former rebellious jurisdictions.
Your math is accurate. If pressed, I think I would agree that passage of my proposed resolution is unlikely. And that would be a good thing.
While it is true that the 14th amendment doesn't mention a necessary conviction, the vote that Congress would have to take would "REMOVE THAT DISABILITY".
Before a "disability" can be removed, it first has to be asserted, and the common way to do that is with some sort of conviction, either in Congress or in a Court of Law, so we are all on the same page in stating that there is a need for the removal of that ... what? stain? statement of conviction? That was left unclear.
I am a linguist, not a lawyer, and certainly much more knowledgeable people have stated that the 14th amendment Section 3 is "self executing", meaning that a conviction is not necessary.
I certainly hope it is so, but it would have helped if the language for insurrection and legal removal from office had been spelled out. It is a right to run for office, so removing that right should not be that we just 'feel' that he committed insurrection. To me, it is so obvious that he did that it is laughable that his lawyers would deny it and they should be disbarred for their lies.
Congress certainly dropped the ball when twice they refused to convict him twice at his impeachments, even though, as you will recall, they admitted that the facts had been proven. [That is why Barr had to mention the OLC memo "protecting the President while in office" from prosecution]. The fact is he was NOT acquitted. That is also why McConnell stated that once the President was out of office, he was fair game.
Good thinking. Actually, I do respect your logic on the prior conviction issue. If we were in a strictly legal environment, your argument would certainly be sound, or at least not wrong.
However, at this moment in our nation's career, I believe that we are not really dealing with lawyerly logic. The issue of the application of the insurrection clause to Mr Trump is profoundly political. You may want to review some Supreme Court precedent in which the Court refused to rule, deciding that the issues presented were "political questions," hence non-justiciable. Start with Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962).
I imagine that the Supreme Court justices will be strongly tempted to label the issues in the Colorado appeal "political questions." They would be justified. If they feel that way, their conclusion will be to pass the poisoned chalice to -- whom else? -- Congress.
Permit me a comment about the current state of affairs in the appeal from Colorado. The trial court held a week of evidentiary hearings, in which the Trump advocates had their due-process opportunity to question witnesses and to present their own proofs and argument. The trial court found as a matter of fact that Mr Trump had engaged in insurrection. The Supreme Court of Colorado accepted and did not reverse that finding. In the absence of egregious and obvious error, an appeals court does not upset the trial court's findings of fact. I doubt very much that the Supreme Court justices will be willing to bend the law so far as to impugn the trial court's finding. To do so would be to invite universal condemnation, even or especially from conservative observers.
So you feel that SCOTUS might refuse to rule or even reverse Colorado on the count that they judge the Colorado decision political?
We don't need to go that far back to 1962 to find them using that excuse to refuse to rule: In Wisconsin, which is so crazily gerrymandered that a Popular vote of 54% favoring Democrats resulted in Republicans having a 2/3 majority of Representatives in 2012, SCOTUS also decided that this was a *political* problem to be solved by our State's legislature; the same legislature that gerrymandered the State in 2010 in the first place.
Why do Courts exist at all? to make decisions when non-lawyers are not sure of the right way to rule on things ourselves.
You and I have, I think a pretty good sense of right and wrong in moral matters. The hard thing to do is precisely to cut the Gordian knot when things are not so obvious. i.e. when the decision has a political feel to it. IMHO, that is precisely when they should be called on to make a decision.
Again, as a linguist, an insurrection is an easy thing to define.:
A violent uprising against an authority or government. It was violent. It was an uprising, and it was against the new government. This checks all the boxes.
Did Trump participate or engage in it? He communicated his "stop the steal" to all who would follow him, called them to the Ellipse and sent them to the Capitol to "fight like Hell or you won 't have a country anymore". He chose to listen to Mr. Chesebro [a Wisconsinite, to our shame and horror] and even change the date of that rally to the 6th [It was going to be a different date] so that it would coincide with the counting of electors, which he was told he could stop if only Pence was amenable..
Again, that checks the box: He did participate and engage in. He was in it to his eyeballs. Remember that he wanted to even be present and was furious that he could not be there.
Amendment 14 Section 3 is as clear as can be. and it applies here.
Do you really feel that if SCOTUS were to reverse the Colorado findings they would invite universal condemnation "Even or especially from Conservatives"? Conservatives would cheer, IMHO, as they did when SCOTUS reversed Roe V. Wade.
Universal condemnation wasn't enough to alter the way in which they have been conducting themselves.
Also, realize that theirs is a *lifetime* appointment.: They could not care less if you or I disapprove of their rulings. They are in forever, even if they misbehave in ways that would doom another Judge to Impeachment. They hastily wrote a 'code of ethics' when the scandal of Mr Thomas exploded and we saw that he got a lot of benefits from his very rich benefactors. But they made sure that this 'code' had no teeth. Thomas recused only in the case against Meadows, because Meadows was, [I think? a clerk] under Thomas. But he has refused to recuse so far on the insurrection even though his wife aided and abetted the insurrection.
So no, I do not have any hope that they will do the right thing and remove Trump from the ballots. They will find an excuse, public outcry or not.
It's possible, but according to Ms Stelzer-Johnson's careful calculations, not likely.
The point of the exercise, of course, is to give the Trump supporters in the House and Senate their opportunity to show us what they really think. I believe that the country will be better off for having compelled the members to do the work we send them to Washington to do.
I'm with you. I would much rather compel the members to place their votes on the record. Among other things, that would get them to think seriously about how their own recent histories of voting have put the country into this situation, where we must discuss whether a presidential candidate should be disqualified because he is effectively a neo-Confederate and a violator of his previous oath of office.
Aside from the fact that Trump would never agree to walk away from unlimited power and money, it would be a stark admission that Trump is above the law.
A further thought. I am sure that you have many friends and relations around the country in different congressional districts. Get them on board to press the issue with their representatives.
Thank you for doing what you can. (I am a 78-year old retired attorney in West Michigan. Fortunately, here in the Third District, we elected a Democrat in 2022.)
I've written to Marco Rubio & Rick Scott in the past on many issues & all I got was a standard non-response email touting they are working for all Floridians, which is pure BS. I have found, unfortunately, writing senators & congressmen/women in the fascist state of Florida is a waste of time. They are so bound & determined to do what they want & people be damned if they don't agree with their personal agenda.
When I write to my representatives, I get back a form letter on some issue they've regurgitated. I'm not sure how to present an issue that they don't want to hear. I need better organization.
Vincent, I just now re-read the 14th Amendment, section 3. Until your post, I was unaware that a 2/3's vote by both House and Senate could "remove that disability." A very interesting point you bring up. Getting a vote "on the agenda" no doubt is difficult, but I would be very, very interested in hearing how progessives in both chambers assess your proposal. To me, it's fascinating.
Wasted effort and repeats hot air in Congress. It will be a strict party line vote in both houses. Congress has more pressing priorities.
Take the most expedient way to get TFG off all ballots. He’s an insurrectionist. Period. Guilty. Disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
And these people, some even Democrats (should we call them Democrats in Name Only?) that say “No, vote him out in a huge Blue wave. We’re a democracy.” It will be a squeakier of an election. The Fascist Party cult is huge.
However, I do not see that as a reason to refrain from trying. There may well be a few Republicans in the House who will be eager to test whether they can get the two-thirds vote to demonstrate their loyalty to the former president.
Trump also directed the "fake electors" plot, involving 6 states, and is the basis for the Georgia conspiracy indictments.
Perhaps worst of all, Trump's claims of "absolute immunity", promises to pardon convicted 1/6 rioters, and disqualification under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment directly undermine the rule of law...which has already been severely weakened by a a dozen partisan judges appointed by Trump (ruling solely on partisan ideology).
The decisions by SCOTUS will either buttress or further weaken the rule of law.
Great synopsis of the insurrection and Trump's attempt to illegally stay in office except it deletes Trump's attempt to force the Secret Service to take him to the Capitol riot rather than back to the White House. On the day of the riot, a reporter noted that Gini Thomas had paid to charter busses that took rioters to the event. I'm not a lawyer, but I think Trump should have been charged and convicted of insurrection by now.
Thanks for this reminder of the unprecedented horror show three years ago and its evil instigator. The horror show is not over. This year is our last chance to end it.
It is really beyond belief that Trump still evades jail. I would imagine people who have commuted much lesser crimes would have been banged up by now. But here we are at the brink of s new election and he still walks free. If he wins he’ll just pardon himself and all his cronies and cancel any investigations and throw his enemies in jail. The prospect of another Trump presidency is very real but I live in hope and prey to thr universe for the sake of democracy around the world that this nutcase will unravel at some point very soon and get thrown in jail very soon !
If you are willing to take action, please consider writing and calling your senators and representative to demand that they take responsibility for implementing Section 3 of Amendment XIV (the "insurrection clause").
Bear with me here for a moment. The insurrection clause tells us that an insurrectionist who has violated his or her oath to support the Constitution is thenceforth ineligible to hold office under the United States or any state. The last sentence of the insurrection clause gives Congress the authority to waive the ineligibility. It takes a two-thirds vote of each chamber.
Here's what I would propose. Demand that your senators and representative move to convene urgent hearings to debate the following resolution: "RESOLVED: By two-thirds vote, the House/Senate determines that Donald J Trump is qualified, if elected, to take and to hold the office of President of the United States."
I would like to discuss this with you. I can't predict whether such a resolution might acquire the necessary two-thirds supermajority in both chambers. If it does, then the argument will be ended, and we can move on to the "ordinary" issues of a presidential election. If the resolution fails, then we won't have lost anything. We will have gained some insight into the sense of the Congress on the failed coup. And individual congress members will have declared their loyalties. Not a bad thing.
I do believe that a conviction for Sedition has to happen *first* before a vote can be taken to reverse the conviction, but indeed it could be a good move, forcing Republican Congressmen to "put their cards on the table". That would inform the public as to how to vote in November.
I am not sure , but if it could be a secret vote, we might find that his hold on Congress is more tenuous than he thinks, if Mr. Romney's statement that Republicans are in fear for their lives is correct.
I read nothing in the 14th Amendment, Section 3 which states that a conviction of sedition is step one in the disqualification process. I think Vincent's proposal is, actually, masterful. Definitely would separate the "wheat from the shaff."
No harm in trying. Nullifying #45 from ever, ever holding power again is worth trying ANYTHING (legally), imo.
There is NO POINT. It will never make it to the Senate. Congress has a (small) right wing majority and it’s full on MAGA. It’s full of traitors who participated in the Big Lie, some of whom participated in the events leading up to J6 as well. This country is in deep, deep trouble.
Thanks for this brilliant summation Mr. Reich. I share most of your articles on my FB wall, as it helps us to keep our Spirits up, and hopefully shows your continued voice of reason, analytical thinking, and wisdom resulting from decades of experience in our Federal Govt and Academia as well. You remind me of the grit, political savvy and brevity that one of my ancestors President John Adams had as well. Bravo Sir. You give us all HOPE in these dark times of our Democratic Republic. <3
You're welcome and I would find these times MUCH harder without Reich to keep me relatively sane! "relatively" being the key word, after 7 YEARS of having Herr Orange Orangutan around to try and ignore to have a higher standard of living and sanity! LOL. ;) Cheers! :)
As Ramona Agin said, “Your voice is vital to our democracy.” And so it is, Robert. I hope you are able to reach many more people this year. Can you talk to Taylor Swift about mobilizing her followers? I mean that.
The truth and real consequences for the perp in chief (and his minions in Congress), will set us free from this threat to our Democracy and allow US to keep our Republic. May Justice prevail!
Just a matter of fact
Every day Trump is not incarcerated shows the rest of the world just how inept our system of justice is. I have heard the same thing over and over from many lawyers and law experts that “The Wheels of Justice Turn Slowly”, but this is ridiculous! It reminds me of my mom’s saying. “It’s slower than molasses in January!” It’s been 3 years since he incited an insurrection . Trump is continuing his conspiracy theory that the election was stolen!
The man’s been indicted four times and has 91 felony counts against him. He keeps trashing anyone and everyone he doesn’t like. President Biden, Judges, poll workers along with all Democrats! He has taken our 1st Amendment, Freedom of Speech, way over the limits intended!
How can this loser still be allowed to run around freely without consequences? It’s obvious to most of us that “Trump Is Above the Law!”
I concur. The American Justice system has failed to bring Trump to justice. We are the laughing stock of the entire planet. Trump makes a mockery out of our legal system. Robert, you know as well as I do that if it were anyone else he would already be locked up. The only reason he isn't is because the Republicans are afraid of him and he has stacked the courts in his favor and that makes me ill. Trump is, as you have pointed out many times, the ultimate menace to our Democracy. He is a Facist and a wannabe Authoritarian Dictator. He scares the hell out of me and I am terrified that he is going to be on the ballot. I live in Douglas County Oregon and the commentary that I read online about Trump related articles scares me. There are more Trump supporters here than Biden supporters. The things they believe are outrageous! The lies! I wish I could share your Substack with all of them but I have to settle for my network of friends. Please keep up the great work! Your voice is so vital to our Democracy.
Ramona, my question is (and no one has ever given me an answer) is what the hell are republicans afraid of? What? Do they think he will beat them up? Why are they afraid of this piece of excrement? He is a little man and he doesn't deserve anyone to be fearful of him! I am a 71 year old woman and he does not scare me in the slightest! I simply cannot accept that the reason he is still running around spreading vicious lies is because his party is scared of him? WHY?
I think they’re afraid because their constituents want Trump, so they will be voted out and be replaced if they criticize Trump. And maybe lose some funding sources. It’s about maintaining power.
Agreed but what kind of men do we have making decisions, that live in fear of losing a job. Character, integrity, and honesty are sincerely lacking in all of them. They are either wealthy or have excellent employment opportunities outside of politics, yet they are cowards. They either have no convictions or vote against them. The republicans are responsible for this orange bag of fat and wind and should never be voted to serve again, because they don’t serve.
Yes I agree. My own congressional representative sends me newsletters full of hate and divisive vitriol against Democrats. I have replied a few times asking him to be less so to no avail. I no longer read his newsletters because they are so upsetting.
That's my experience, in Florida, "represented" by Greg Steube.
I am fortunate as I live in New York City and have decent representatives! I'm not crazy about our Major and did not vote for him!
My same experiences with mine in Alabama although, I let them have a piece of my mind as well. Same with Tommy T and Britt.
@ Cold and Prickly The Republicans could give a shit about you. and their constituents. They fear the loss of their donors and that Trump will "primary" them.
I think of the children, and they were essentially children, storming Omaha Beach, or Iwo Jima, or scaling the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, and the cowardice of these politicians makes me both sick and infuriated. And, frankly, the dems aren't covering themselves with glory. They need to be making much much more noise, calling the republicans out for their treason—daily, making life difficult for the republicans, getting on nationwide tv, encouraging protests and marches, pushing registration drives, and making "good trouble."
I agree, Gary, but Dems also need media coverage, & they don’t get it.
Not only that, instead of condemning the insanity, media promotes it.
Sadly, the demanded compulsive outcry for 'civility' (and the self-aggrandizing praise., and above all else emphasis OUR side puts on that, versus the MAGAts) outweighs any 'hair on fire' urgency which is imperative on this brink of outright FASCISM, and our loss of any semblance of our country, or democracy. :( :(
good trouble? like the 2 billion in arson and "mostly peaceful" Democrat BLM riots that killed 50 people?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sJZbKDy-Fk
There are registration drives but before they are as effective as they must be, more voters and potential voters must be won over. The DNC has finally heeded the findings of neuroscience research led by Dr. George Lakoff and put out last month a thorough training session you can access online for communicating in ways that win over undecided voters. Those who've already become total MAGAs are hopeless. The link below is to a workbook that the Democratic National Committee's Grassroots Organizer Team is providing any Democrat who wants to read it in advance of a workshop.
I'm delighted to see the basis for this workshop: the DNC has recognized the necessity of talking with people in terms of traditional American values that are also progressive Democratic values. You don't have to register for the workshop to read it.
This is a seismic shift toward winning in 2024, up and down the ballot.
Here's the link:
https://www.buildingbridgesforamerica.com/_files/ugd/83edb8_bb6700ce65a044f6ae07dabb1e59fc46.pdf
Feel free to share with any friends who are also concerned and who want, even privately and independently with family and/or neighbors, to help them understand what Democrats actually stand for.
The workshop video is also online now: https://www.buildingbridgesforamerica.com/courses/say-this-not-that
Republicans put themselves first (their egos are the only allowable consideration)
Many people put themselves first.
But death threats are an issue too. Elsewhere on this page I have a link to a Vox article about death threats made to Reps.
I read that Sen.Rick Scott who should in jail(for that huge Medicare scandal)paid approx. 54. million dollars for his seat(no doubt the campaign unless there's more to it.)What has he done for the American public,nada.He threatens earned benefits w/ a smile.Someone ought to stick their foot somewhere!!!
so many examples of outright corruption (even among Dems, eg. NJ's Menendez)
Very few are in it for the Country - despite their speeches. I watched CNN's town hall with DeSantis and Haley and wanted to puke - they're saying what right-wing Iowans want hear - laying on the red meat. DeSantis said he wouldn't be "corrupt" like the "other guy", and Nikki said she "doesn't eat sleep and breathe politics" - Really? Well, if it were me, I'd promise to wipe out inflation, lower food and gas prices, clean up crime and homelessness, solve the immigrant "problem" (Haley said, to big applause, it'a war and as Commander-in-Chief she'd get the army to round up the "alien invaders" and throw them the hell out of "our country"). Oh yeah, and I'd lower your taxes too. Believe me.
That’s why I am impressed with Liz Cheney’s integrity. I don’t agree with her politics but for her defense of the Constitution and our democratic republic.
Liz Cheney's legacy will be the integrity she showed in standing up to Trump, in speaking the truth and defending the Constitution. Sad thing is, these should all be normal activities for elected officials.
No one has been better at it.
True Mike, but are you willing to give up your own well paid job for the sake of character, integrity and honesty? Easy to throw stones at others.
Many people, my husband included, have given up jobs or the possibility of promotion for ethical concerns. There are still honest and moral jobholders in this country.
You damn right I would especially when it’s part of the job. I would not break an oath to perhaps millions of people or sell out my country. One of our problems and perhaps the most damaging is we don’t expect anything out of the people we elect. Or hold them accountable. We are not talking about a disagreement on policy, we are talking about sabotaging the country. Wow!
And that is part of the problem; government officials see it as their job, instead of an honor to be elected and represent the thoughts, values, needs and opinions of all the constituents they represent regardless of Red, Blue or Purple. Is it a coincidence that Hamilton the musical is making another run in 2023-2024? Hamilton wrongly believed that Burr had character and integrity and didn't believe Burr would actually shoot him.
As has already been stated above, many to MOST of them are personally quite wealthy already (or could otherwise get/qualify for other, even higher paying jobs than Congress/Senate), and most (of the Repugnaf**k ones at least) certainly do NOT 'need' that job.
They are doing it for ego/megalomaniacal reasons, or are just outright sadists who enjoy existentially hurting/'crushing' the poor (or poorer than they are) 'little people'.
No argument, Redmond Tight, that it’s easy to throw stones at others, but how many of US have cushy jobs that affect the welfare of the whole world, and the continuation of a 250-year-old national democracy?
How many of us would refuse to risk our cushy job if it required us to flush what is supposedly our beloved country down a Fascist Rat Hole?
That is the question you should ask….
I would, in fact, make it a campaign issue, & if I go down in defeat, I would view it as a source of pride.
That this should even be in question shows how far down honor & honesty have diminished in value by our decrepit society.
Are you, Redmond?
If they had any decency or honor, they would stand up to him like many republicans did at the J6 hearings. Yes, they were replaced; however, I would wager they simply did not care as they would rather stand up for their country then bow down to a dictator!
Like Liz Cheney! I don't like her politics however, she has courage and will do everything she can to prevent DT from winning again!
Yes, there is a reason that the 'very low bar' of standing up for DEMOCRACY has now become sooo magnanimously praiseworthy.
It is simply BECAUSE said 'bar' has been lowered to beyond record depths by all of these squirming, acquiescent, spinelessly cowardice (or even the 'true believer' batshit psychotic fascist ANTI-democracy types there) pond scum in the (slight majority) Congress currently.
Only power motivates many if not most leading Republican lights. All law school front doors thru which many Republican law makers have passed should have a sign over the front door that reads, “All who enter here, ditch the morality.” That is, if they have any to begin with.
'
After what happened to Paul Pelosi and reading Mitt Romney's account of the expense of protecting his family, I suspect many of them fear for their lives. This is all I can think of to explain the position of Mike Pence and others who were at risk/
I agree!
Amen allleuia!!!
It's alleluia I meant
That's the reason as they are afraid of losing their job! So, find something else in the private sector! Get out! I will try as best as I can to get these people out. Next week, I am writing postcards to elect the Democrat who will take George Santos place. He was embarrassing to our Congress!
I wrote postcards for Indivisible for the midterms,I believe we're doing that for the Nov. election.
Taking over Facebook pages and twitter, telegram, instagram are more productive, but then there is Zuckerberg and Musk who will delete and ban.
I write postcards too. They have proven to be effective!! We ALL have to do what we can to defeat trump/maga/gop!
Yes, the elusive, and suddenly DISAPPEARING power they will themselves LOSE ANYWAY once their putrid orange sack of shit DESPOT takes totally unfettered power in this land FOR LIFE, with THEIR help of course.
So ironically, they will lose what they so desperately and obsessively seek while DESTROYING our country, let alone what very little is left of our actual democracy, in the process. :(
They are as much pieces of shit as their SCUMp fuehrer is, and quivering, sniveling, acquiescent, prostrating, inherently COWARDLY ones, at that!
Maybe they are worried about his wrath & the wrath of his MAGA supporters. Look what happened to Cheney & Kinzinger. Kinzinger received death threats and had to have security. But when he was “primaried”, and no longer in office, he basically had no protection except his gun.
I’m with Zapata. “I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees”. I bend a knee to no one but God.
❤️
Some are also legitimately concerned about possible physical harm by lunatic Trump worshipers.
Robert's substack of today and yesterday perfectly pull together where we are with democracy. Our side will prevail because it must.
It's causing enormous anxiety but is more doable than we realize.Did anyone hear Pres. Biden's speech yesterday?(of course) Sounded masterful.Now is that the voice of a feeble old man? No way,I was so proud of him!!!
The problem with Biden's speech is that they have been mellow, monotone, lacking passion and rage, thus boring and forgettable.
He lacks charisma. Hitler, Mussolini and Trump have passion and charisma, evil as it is, but effective and sucks in the crowd.
Just because evil uses and effective tool, does not men righteous should react and do the opposite. Hollywood and song writers know that the road to success is by copying that which works.
Biden can and should, and it appears that he has finally awakened and is using his speeches to agitate the lizard brain,and the corporate media, and even hosts on MSNBC don't like the new Biden, but eff them, they are the reason we had Trump 45, and will have (barring a miracle) Trump 47.
Biden kicked ass in Valley Forge and Montgomery Co, PA and I hope that he is just warming up. It is war, and it is hot, violence is being perpetuated by Trump humping idiots, and it will only get worse.
Buckle up.
Listen to his speech yesterday. It will blow you away! Sounds like someone decades younger!!
I don't find Biden boring at all. I find him poised and calm and ready to kick ass.
Some of his recent speeches have shown some fire. I hope he continues in this direction, & that he employs some dynamic, eloquent & passionate speakers like Barack. & Michelle Obama, & Jamie Raskin. Even utilize Robert Reich in TV skits with his sketches to accompany his clear & concise arguments about what's wrong with today's politics, economics, society & environment & how Democrats can fix these problems.
I used to go to the Dental Clinic at Montgomery County Community College to get my periodontal cleanings, not very far from where Joe gave that speech yesterday.
And he said exactly what needed to be said.
We need to echo it.
And, point out the improvements in jobs, inflation, the economy, etc.
We have a world with bullies instigating unprovoked attacks, creating peril for everyone, everywhere. Hamas, Houthi, Hezbollah, Russia, North Korea, Syria, etc. One of the things I want most, in a leader, is SANITY. President Biden brings much, much, needed SANITY to seemingly impossible situations.
.
Although the news media views this as boring, quite honestly, after 4 years of drama from 2016-2020, I'm relieved by a refreshing influx of so-called boredom! I'd like to see more coverage of SANITY!
Thank you for that clear eyed and reasonable view of a wonderful man who loves our democracy.Lead pipes and junk fees,who ever cared about that? And he helps the American public w/ it.He's always working,not sitting around making money on our time.
Well said. SANITY, INTEGRITY and STABILITY.
Me too. He is one of the most accomplished President’s in decades and he gets no credit. Breaks my heart.
I texted him (he provided me with his cell phone number). I strongly advised him to sound stronger, more powerful, even if he had to get a more powerful microphone.
I also told him he needed to stand up to Trump and not be so nice. I would like to think he took my advice!
Pray hard to whatever power you fancy
May the Flying Spaghetti Monster come down from the heavens to save U.S.!!
(Does that count??)
I am on board with that idea.
Absolutely.
No god or gods, be it Jesus, Krshna, Osiris, Allah, Oden Quetzlcoatl has ever saved humanity form itself, or natural disasters, and if anything these gods are responsible for all of the misery and death brought down on humanity, cats, dogs, horses, cows, goats, gazelles, kangaroos and platypuses.
Forget the gods, we're the evil.
They're afraid of his well armed base and threats against their families. They're about the last card he holds in his hand.
A family home in Ohio was recently fired on because the owner had the temerity to place an anti-Trump sign in his front yard. That in a very small nutshell defines too many Trump supporters.
What cowards they are. They want to impose their will but they dont want to go to jail for it.
The Nazi Party in this country is alive and well and goes by the name, the Party
of Trump.. Trump’s gun toting fascist supporters are renowned for threatening anyone who dares to criticize their Great Leader.
You never hear about Democrats being violent and arsonists. Trump has unleashed violent fury.
Like all POS fascists, who MUST bow to, and defend at ALL costs, their 'big daddy will take care of everything for them' scum DESPOT, their only answer, and the only response they know from, is life threatening violence.
This is true,look how he threatened judge's families.That's the mark of a madman.We need super strong,effective messaging to point things like this out.
A lot in common with prisoners of Hesbola, you think?
Hezbollah. Not holding hostages yet. That is HAMAS
Hezbollah is Shia and a word, t means Party of Allah.
HAMAS–the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement)—is the largest and most capable militant group in the Palestinian territories and one of the territories' two major political
Thank you for correcting me. Clearly I'm way out of my depth on Middle East history and current events.
Peggy, my guess is that he has extortionable dirt on them. think epstein, or trash of that nature. illicit/illegal sex, drugs, theft - all the things that drumpf engages in (glorifies) when committed by repugnant lawmakers (who seem to be in the majority of lawbreakers) - all those things can be used to extort, bribe, coerce them to do his bidding, under pain of exposure. I can't think of anything else to explain this insanity. The most obvious examples are lindsay graham, moscow mitch, and well, the entire repugnant senate. the longer they're in the senate, the more they're exposed to temptation. It takes a lot of work to cover up wrongdoing and lies, and the lies take on a life of their own and become impossible to control.
I understand what you're saying, Paul. If these "conservative" politicians have behaved unethically or broken the law, they definitely should be exposed for their hypocrisy. They need to understand that even having 'dirt' on them, their country should always come first. Years from now, their lawlessness will be recorded in the history books anyway. If I were them, I would think about what history will say about them. Their families and descendants will be here long after. I would want them to be able to say, 'Yes, he/she made mistakes, but in the end he/she chose to stand up for Democracy'. I know it will never happen. I also know that most politicians today have been bought by the rich. That is the reason that I want to see laws passed that limit profoundly how much any corporation, CEO, or rich individual can give to any campaign. I also want to see that there is no possibility for corruption by stopping all of these gifts and perks these politicians are accepting. Just like with teachers, politicians should enter politics because they want to be of service to our country, not for how rich and powerful they can become.
Public Citizen has been working on something to overturn 'Citizen's United"
According to Liz Cheney,Donald Trump will one day be gone(hopefully in the dungeon w/ a muzzle),but their dishonor will live on.
So true, RedElisa! It will go down in the history books and they will not be kind.
Think - Big Mac attack!
Here here
As regards history telling the story. Two true things
The victors write history., and they are rewriting as we speak, book banning, banning CRT and LGBT books and school curriculum
And to quote two Republican Senators when asked about their legacy.
"What do I care about legacy, I will be dead" Our historical hero's know nothing nor care about their legacy, neither do historical villains.
Only the heirs enjoy or suffer legacies.
NO DOUBT aided, abetted, and supplemented by whatever his boyfriend Pootie has dug up on them via his evil FSB, etc.
The results of the investigation of Epstein were unsealed, Trump was mentioned 5 times, Clinton 40 (a horn dog and frequent flyer) as wells David Copperfield, and another frequent flyer, Prince Andrew, there are over 200 names. Can't wait for an expose, but I am 100% sure that we will, as it certainly contains some rich and hence powerful men maybe even Musk,.
Lee - I'm more interested in how many senators/congresspeople are implicated. supremes? justice dep't. notables? in other words, the puppets whose strings are pulled by the oligarchs, and who in rare moments of conscience might otherwise be motivated to do the right thing except for the unspeakable held over their heads.
I understand, but google is your friend. Ask the google AI, or just go to opensecrets.org and type in a Congress critters name and you will see who finances them, and just as good as finance, who endorses themm the last takes more research and the ability to ask google AI the right questions.
You make sense.
They aren't afraid of Trump--they are afraid of what he might unleash--he could incite his base to attack them or their families; he could call them vile names and heap oppobrious disinformation on the unfortunate victim's head, and send it forth to the general public via the various media channels. Of course this only works on those for whom the office (plus the perqs & 'opportunities') is more important than their principles--oh, wait! I'm talking about the Republican Party here. No principles in sight.
The thing is...if they tried to stand up to him they might find that he's weaker than they think. Even one Rep or Senator standing up to the orange bully might damage him...and if the Repubs smelled blood in the water, you just know they would instantly turn into great whites and have themselves a feeding frenzy.
I would like to think that we would protect these families from the slobbering idiots that blindly follow the little orange man!
Yes! We control the choppers! Not them!
Like one ignores a small child, these GOP, senators and representatives should be ignoring Donald Trump. Why are they even listening?
I think it comes down to being a cult. Think of it this way. Trump is like the WWF star. He's mean, he's ornery, he likes to kick butt, he likes to curse and he likes to lie and, he likes to have the girls under his thumb . There are Republican legislators who Envy his ability to do that. Makes me wonder how many of them are graduates of trump University. Anyway.. they adore this WWF star and they want to be just like him. That's it the cult of trump.
That may be so, S. Howard, but I have yet to see or hear of the little orange man kick anyone's butt!! He talks a big talk but I don't think he could hold his own with a 90 year old, 100 lb grandma hell bent on beating the shit out of him!!!
This jerk has a squad of goons ready to attack, even with a hammer, anyone he likes. That's what his cult members like. But I agree with your sentiment. By himself he is just a rag doll with a broken neck.
Ha! Ha! Good one!
What's gonna happen when someone catches him in the shower?Just sayin.
Maybe someone will kick his someday,there's all kinds of big dudes in prison who'd gladly oblige just to stay in shape.To me ,if he's convicted,we should take away the'Secret Service' buddies,that's on our dime and I don't like it,it's undeserved.
True!
Trump will buy the prison, every thing and every one is for sale if the price is right. and what will the prison do with his Secret Service agents?
Wasn't it Al Capone who had a huge cell, with guards acting as waiters, special meals and wine. The Feds did him in though, but sending him to Alcatraz,
You're really on to something here. Republicans in general and Trumps base in particular are all about worshiping a powerful leader. Trumps power is his (percieved) wealth. He's really a terrible businessman, but he has taken the posture of a great success. Much like little boys become enamored with the WWF stars they see as some ideal of masculinity Trumps base sees him as the American success they wish they could be. There was never any good reason to believe the election was stolen except "great leader" said so. Those that stormed the capital were a herd of sheep. Republicans fall in line, trying to find a sense of power in a collective, with democrats it's like herding cats, a bunch of individualistic thinkers all wanting to go their own way.
Looks like Judge Engoron and AG Leticia James are putting him out of commission in New York.The wheels are turning!
Trump is stupid, but is street smart, he is a sociopathic psychopath, he is not restrained by morals or a conscience, he has none and as you know a malignant narcissist, when his cult sees him, they see themselves, he is their avatar and that includes, especially, the Plutocrats that have and are financing him.
The editorial staff of New York papers would get a laugh, as he called in posing as John Barron, extolling the wealth and success of Donald Trump.
And like a narcissist he named his youngest son Barron.
YES, that incident alone, which happened LONG LONG ago, should be enough psychotic behavior to disqualify the putrid orange lump of feces from any position of any importance at all.
But his blood oath loyal, adoringly devoted, MAGAt brown shirt 'army' would see it as their fuehrer being 'smart'. [puke]
Why do we go on so about what motivates fascists in America today? Didn't Hannah Arendt spell it out clearly enough? Well, actually of course she didn't or we'd all be citing her daily. But where is it getting us to spend time wondering why fascists are fascists?
True and overuse of words as pejoratives lose their edge., and are easily rebutted. Take a look at the word genocide, it is used as slur, and hurled as an accusation with no foundation in fact, because it's primary purpose is to shape public opinion.
Fascism is losing it's edge, Trump is calling us fascists, he and his humpers call antifa(scists) fascists.
Frank Luntz, who learned is craft from Goebbels, is an expert at newspeak, using words as weapons, Roger Ailes crafted the effective tacic of turning a strength into a weakness.
Having learned from the Swift Boating of John Kerry, he called a war hero ,Max Clelland, who lost three limbs, a coward for opposing criminal Dubyas invasion of Iraq.
Your depth of knowledge on this is impressive. By this I suppose I mean the use/maluse of words by propagandists old and new.
I am not wondering WHY the effing brown shirts are POS NAZIS, just wondering HOW do we fight them (PHYSICALLY, if needs be, and it comes down to that!), and beat them back into their rotting logs, and under rocks hiding places. ??
My comment probably shouldn't be directed at you. It was a general trend I saw all down the stack. If it comes down to it I also will see my duty to defend.
Like one ignores a petulant child, these GOP, representatives and senators should be ignoring Donald Trump. He isn’t in office they have given him the power.
They continue to give him power!! That's what truly stumps me! Now, they have a chance to get rid of this idiot for good and what do they do? They keep letting him do whatever he wants because they don't want to lose his base. I truly wish they would determine if his base is so important that they would rather go down with the ship than stand up for America!! It is so maddening, frustrating, and just plain sad.
Peggy, I don't understand it either! I am a 64 year old woman and he doesn't frighten me in the least either. I just don't understand it.
The easiest examples are non republican Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss who were doxxed and approached multiple times having to leave their house for all the threats they were getting. These and the doxxing against the Colorado justices and the Maine secretary of state are reinforcing the republicans fear of offending the "boss". You step out of line we dox your house and send people to harrass or hurt your family. Trumps is a simple system. He attacks his enemy on Truth social. He has a stooge of his find and post their address on Truth social and then Trump Reposts that information to his base. The base goes apeshit and phones, texts spams and harrasses them at theie house. Democrat or Republican disobedience gets the same punishment.
In a just world, that behavior would be illegal and have stiff penalties.
I am a big believer in logic statements as I program things. If Dox then Violence/Intimidation then the Doxer, reposters and the Violent get summons/jail time.
We need to stuff him in a dungeon and pretrial confinement might be nice.Who's in charge,us or him?
You know we would be in pretrial detention for an offense if we couldnt cough up the cash guilty or not.
Trump may not frighten you, but his gun toting supporters will when they point their guns at you. And believeyoume, that’s what’s coming. January 6 was only a dress rehearsal for what’s to come.
They may be surprised at the amount of liberal gun owners in America. Hope for the best & pass the bullets.
I pray that you are wrong, but I fear that the worst is yet to come. If Trump is removed from the ballot his followers are going to go crazy and if he's convicted they are going to riot. Either way we have a huge problem on our hands. He is not going to go down quietly. I think that is part of the reason the wheels of justice are turning so slowly. Fear of fallout. His followers are unreasonable. They believe the Big Lie and that they are fighting on the right side. The extent some of these people have been brainwashed and indoctrinated is so frightening. They are willing to kill or die for him. We very well could have a Civil War. The Country is so divided.
Many Trump supporters like nothing better than threatening the use of their guns on people who have the temerity to say ANYTHING critical of their hero. Trump knows this and supports his soon-to-be jack booted bully boys who attempt to intimidate anyone who opposes him and his fascist ways. Germany’s Nazi Party of thugs and criminals has been born again in herr Trump and his psychopathic followers.
It's like a Jim Jones type effect,I remember how congressmen in Calif. were giving money and property to that maniac.We need superstrong messaging to 'deprogram' them.What kind of'wonderful person' would tell people who were already scared and confused about the Covid to take bleach?Yesterday I read something about hydroxychloroquin,another winner!
THE ultimate reason those fascist pieces of shit in power are all against ANY and ALL weapon legislation, and their unlimited 'interpretation' of 2A (even more so than to support their weapons manufacturers and get their campaign donation kickbacks).
They want and NEED their batshit insane, loyalist brown shirts heavily armed for threatening/intimidation purposes, if not for actual butchering 'action'.
A little melodramatic - another reason why men shouldn't have the vote :-)
Are you on Mars?
PUTIN, THEY ARE AFRAID OF PUTIN. He has owned that party for twenty years.
Lorraine, that alone should have normal and sane republicans finding a different party to belong to. I can't stand Putin anymore than I can stand the little orange man!!
Normal and sane Republicans are Never Trumpers and the Lincoln Project, but I am as wary of them as I am of Liz Cheney, they are William Buckley, Jr's conservatives, idolize Ronald Reagan, toadies of corporations., want to roll back so called "entitlements" and are libertarians, not social libertarians but financial libertarians mavens of the phony"free market"
And whether they admit it or not, Trump and his cult are the products of their ideology and political power.
However in times like these, the enemy of my enemy (my frenemy) is my friend.
Hillary WAS (and IS) correct in stating that Vlad The Impaler is SCUMp's puppetmaster!
Yes. Aren't there back rooms where they can agree on what they agree on and move forward on it without Trymp....Don't look at him Don't answer him. They can push their nasty agenda without him.
I agree. They aren’t afraid they are in favor of his tactics. They are anti democracy. They are outright telling us this regularly. Vote Blue
Yes!
It is a most fascinating question isn't it? Does he have damaging dossiers on each and every one of them? More likely, they realize they will not get elected without his base. They thus are willing to sellout our democracy to stay in office. This is beyond cowardice, it's treason.
Agreed!
Do you remember what happened to Paul Pelosi? Deranged Zealots attacking you or your loved ones is something to fear. Also I believe Trump has the backing of the Russian mob, and they have "dirt" on many politicians. These are very scary times and we need to stand up and fight the good fight.
As Trump has done to so many, he lies, he ruins, he may have a morsel of embarrassing dirt on someone and blow it into unimaginable awfulness, he is relentless, he torments, he threatens...Trump is Satan personified, pure evil. On the flip side, he has half of our country ready to murder for him. No way to explain this except soulless EVIL, that is what people fear AND the believable reality that nobody can stop him. I fear for my grandsons, in so many ways.
Deb, I know what you mean. I don't want my grandchildren to grow up in a dictator regime. I want them to know what it means to be free. trump aggravates and annoys me, but I am not afraid of him. If his followers feel they need to kill people for him, I feel very sorry for them. I am not a violent person; however, I want back down either. I hope and pray every night that everything will work out and we will come out of this mess better and stronger than before. Hang in there!
How Where's-my-jacket Jim Jordan becomes chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is another truly frightening aspect of US politics.
Some did not speak up for personal fear theur lives would be destroyed.
The only thing to fear is fear itself. Their lives will be destroyed because they cowered, if Trump is re- elected!
To be fair, some people actually ENJOY being dominated. Even if the one doing the dominating has NEVER achomplished ANYTHING. [sic]
Yes you are absolutely correct. David Koresh, Jim Jones, Bonnie Nettles and Marshall Applewhite, Comet Hale–Bopp! Trump has a very large flock.
In reference to the Supreme Court,it's occurred to me he could shut them down too,he wants total control and doesn't want to be ruled on.Give him a Burger King hat.
He WILL shut them down, possibly even 'eliminate' them (physically), yes, even the devout loyalist ones there, once he is in total and unfettered, uncontrolled power, like he DEMANDS to be. ;)
I agree that our DOJ is pathetic. Even in Brazil, 2 corrupt Presidents (Lula and Rousseff) went to jail. Our justice system is definitely worse than the one in Brazil
A conman like Trump should have been jailed long time ago if the wheels of justice had worked as they should. What amazes me the most are Trump's supporters who consider him being "persecuted". Idiocy has NO limits!!
As stated before; the imbeciles in the flick "Idiocracy" make these brain dead MAGAts seem like supra-MENSA members, by comparison! ;)
I believe they think that because he says it so often,which brings to mind a scene I saw of him sitting in a courtroom(many years ago w/ real hair) singing the 'witch hunt' song.That one is pretty damn old and some bozos still fall for it.
It reminds me what Joseph Goebbels used to say: "a lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth" This is exactly what Trump is doing. He doesn't hide his nazi ideology because he is proud of it.
OF COURSE!
Even his very own 'minister of propaganda', Goebbels lookalike, Stephen Miller (who ironically was raised in the Jewish faith) uses this fascist tactic to maximal effect.
Unbelievable that a Jew like Steven Miller is a neo-nazi. It seems surreal but it's the "new" normal in our country.
Because the moneyed elite in this country are in charge now.
We will deal w/ this poor excuse for a human ,even though the timing is way off!
Prof. Glen Kirschner(former federal prosecutor for 30 yrs.) sits in those courtrooms and mentioned on his podcast(Justice Matters) that he WILL be convicted on all 4 counts and jailed.I pray about this everyday.What good does he offer our beloved nation or the rest of humanity?Zip! Tax credits aren't good enough!
The court stacking has been done over decades by Mitch McConnell. He was the mastermind of that with this historic moment in mind
Yes. This has been in the making for decades.
I fear that Garland is either entirely inept, or he is bent.
Garland is a right winger Gary, he was vetted to Obama, who needed a win at any cost, by Orrin Hatch R-Ut, the most right wing Senator of that time, and he had worked as a moderator for the Federalist Society
Precisely
It’s interesting that you have these opinions coming from Douglas County, Oregon. My parents used to live there and I always thought of rural Oregon being far right conservative.
I believe that they were called loyalists was because they were tied to one man and would walk off a cliff if he asked them to. I call them what they are insurrectionists and traitors to the United State of America!
Professor Reich erroneously stated that the Gop is DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO BECOMING a cult. It HAS BEEN a cult for YEARS.
There are ZERO other facets to the Trumplican party other than kowtowing and surrendering one's entire being to Dear Leader.
How do I subscribe?
Let Fox give Trump a co-host job or a podcast or his own show! He belongs on TV. Today I listened to clips from Iowa ralleys and found his remarks excellent fodder for TV entertainment. Formerly I agonized about his words being totally out of line for
I watched the events of 1/6 unfold but what really was unsettling to me was the obvious enjoyment Trump was experiencing as his moronic mob stormed the capital in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump's intentions carried more weight than he might have thought. The desire to treat Mike Pence in the same manner the British dealt with Nathan Hale left me horrified. Those people who smashed their way into the capital weren't Americans wanting a guided tour, those animals defecated in our country's capital, and no they didn't use the toilets. I don't understand how anyone who called themselves Americans could desecrate what lies at the heart of this country. They spit on 250 years of history that has been nourished by the blood of countless men and women who gave their lives to an idea that the insurrectionists couldn't understand if their guide would have given them a handbook as they entered the building. The fools that followed the treasonous directions of Trump as they descended upon the capital should be forced to undergo the same educational requirements immigrants struggle with as they learn about this country's history and what it takes to become a citizen. The lost members of our own society that attacked what lies at the heart of this country, basically attempted to eviscerate the dreams of every honest American who sees this country as a signpost of what others might strive to develop within their own countries. Trump wants what Hitler failed to realize, and he won't stop until "we" stop him. Donald Trump is nothing more than a pig in an expensive suit, that he didn't earn the money to pay for.
I take issue with calling him 'a pig in an expensive suit". this is an insult to pigs,. See "Babe" the movie,
David--- I loved Wilbur as well.
Trump was, is and always will be a psychopath (or sociopath if you prefer.) He's criminally insane and the community of mental health professionals widely agree.
Sometimes you have to accept that there are not rational reasons for irrational behavior.
Chips--I agree but what bothers me, and a world of others is why are there so many lost members of our own society completely absorbed in his lunacy.
Excellent,and that pig party 3 yrs. ago cost us 30 million to clean up.Scenes of the guardsmen sleeping on the floor stayed w/ me.That guy w/ dirty feet on Nancy Pelosi's desk.She must have flipped out.I would have been seething.
It's like he reads and/or hears things ,then his demented mind goes on a mission and gets sicko ideas.He'll be on the slopline someday serving chow.What I'd really like to do is freak him out by showing him the reality of life and major community service besides prison,send him to a children's hospital to see sick children,to an animal shelter to see lonely animals,to a nursing home to see sick,lonely people,God works in mysterious ways.
Red--We all make mistakes, maybe Trump is God's.
Earn, no, stole is the word. I'm curious: at what point in the insurrection did the food throwing happen?
Les--When he ordered seconds.
Agreed Jan 6 insurrections should be getting actual history lessons with tests.
Insurrectionists (aka terrorists) and their leaders (tRump and his cabal) should have been arrested, convicted and incarcerated for the rest of their lives. In the past, they were hunted down and hung in the public square. Whatever your feelings about the punishment, the fact remains these people are terrorists and should be treated like every other terrorist. When they chose to overthrow the US government, they forfeited their rights of citizenship. Everyone should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, but they most certainly do not deserve any deference whatsoever. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has been hijacked by right wing zealots who are operatives for the wealthy oligarchs bent on establishing a plutocracy.
AND will release the "hostages" on Day1...
David--How long did the Iranians hold our hostages.? This is an imperfect situation controlled by imperfect men. Hell bent on creating a perfect world. The only thing you can count on is innocent people will die.
👏bravo!
Linda--The encore is coming.
What do you mean that Trump wants what Hitler failed to realize? That seems like an absurd comment for a host of reasons.
Jeff--absurdity lies in the eyes of the beholder. What I said makes perfect sense. Trump is a Hitler clone, and the 4th Reich is his desire here in this country. If you can't see that reality you need to take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself this question, Am I really that naive?
Maybe, if you provide some reasons, I could better understand why you think the way you do, Jeff.
For the record, Trump's pattern of development and the strategies he employs are remarkably similar to Hitler's.
Power Corrupts - Why do you denigrate the reputation of a very brave woman - a hero to the slaves she helped rescue? And then mock her beliefs.
Facts about Harriet Tubman include:
She was an escaped enslaved woman who became a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, leading enslaved people to freedom before the Civil War.
She was never caught during her 13 dangerous missions to lead her friends and family out of slavery.
She never learned to read or write, but was smart, calculating, and bold.
During the Civil War, she became the first woman to lead an armed military raid in June 1863.
She was also a Union scout, spy, and nurse.
She conducted the Combahee River Raid which set free 700 slaves.
On March 1869 when Harriet was about 59 years old she married Nelson Davis who was 22 years younger. They spent the next 20 years together.
Learn more:
Facts are facts, Everyone's face has a blemish, There are no saints and martyrs except in religion. We lionize the founding fathers, despite the fact that most if not all were slave holders. When one tries to hide the blemishes, that only encourages those that would defame the subject to dig harder.
So Harriet was delusional, so was Joseph Smith, but with that delusion he founded a powerful and wealthy cult called Latter Day Saints.
Hitler was delusional and destroyed Germany and the lives of millions.
Not all delusions are disastrous, though many are ruinous
Some like Harriet Tubman's was disastrous for the slave states.
I personally think that Harriet Tubman was remarkable, considering her origins and trials. Quite the role model I say, warts and pimples and all.
Hero's come in all sizes, shapes, colors, backgrounds and abiliies or disabilities. So do villains.
I respect her more for everything she was.
I wish I could say that I trust God to keep Trump out of the White House in 2024.
It's not God's responsibility, it's ours.
AHMEN.
The election of 2024 will come down to a vote, cast for a man that desires to destroy a country as opposed to one who wishes to nurture it.
The mere fact that tRump became president is proof enough that God has no say or any power over human actions. If you believe in God, then presumably you believe in the Devil. Trump is the devil incarnate, at least metaphorically.
Which god, so many gods so little time.
No god has ever interceded in the life or affairs of humans.
As a non-believer, I cannot even make this statement at all, and realize that it is up to U.S. (or at least the democracy craving, mostly sane, beings in the U.S.) to do this, and save whatever is left of our (sort of, at least idealistically) democratic republic. ;)
Sorry, but despite the theologists' (or theocrats') arguments otherwise, to me at least, IF there were any such entity as a 'benevolent god', there would never exist evils such as; Hitler, Putin, SCUMp, et al, ad nauseum, their devout, equally as evil followers/worshipers, or any of the other sadistic, purely demonic, abjectly inhuman(e) despots all throughout human history, since the dawn of our species on this globe. ;)
Would there be a god, then it is a pscyhic vampire, and the earth is it's garden. It would be nourished by the perpetual pain and suffering inflicted on it's creatures. Mostly being eaten alive the rodent eaten by the cat, the anquish caused by the disease ridden and hungry, the pain of people being burned alive, beheaded . Those who die an instant death, provide no nourishment, those kept alive on a ventilator are a constant source of nourishment
There is a god that has more credibility than a merciful god.
Are you on Mars?
Anything that works right now, you know.
Oy Vey
Keith Olson ; Even without the insurrection, there is the fact of his taking and viewing Highly Classified documents. He most likely shared some of them, too. That alone should have put him away for a significant amount of time. there are those serving undercover as agents who have been killed, most likely as a result of his traitor behavior.
Laurie - Very true but the Florida judge is happily slow walking the classified documents case. Funny how tfg doesn’t go after her like he does the others. In my opinion she has been bought and paid for since he is the one who put her on the bench. The Senate needs to continue to approve as many judges as possible before the election.
Anon ; Justice should not allow that sycophant to openly aid and abet the traitor! It is obvious that she has an agenda. It should not be considered 'partisan' to save our country from evil like Donald Trump! May be that they know that he is disqualified and will be gone from politics in the U.S.A.!! ❤😀
Laurie - I am in total agreement with you. Just remember that when all else fails for trump to delay whatever trial his next move will be to fire his attorneys for that case so he can delay some more. He has gotten very good, after all these years, with delaying (and denying) Justice. The American people deserve to watch his trials Before the election so they can see the evidence for themselves and then decide whether to support such a despicable man.
The judges are on to him,Judge Chutkin is not having it in her courtroom.
Or has she been threatened?
Still Learning, I doubt he or his minions have threatened her because she is doing exactly what they want!
Peggy, It's likely that she would not want to risk crossing him. Or she has drunk the Kool Aid , and is dumb as a stump!
Chutkan is known for imposing some tough punishments in those cases. According to an analysis from NPR's investigative team, as of July 2023, Chutkan had given prison sentences to all of the 38 Jan. 6 defendants to come before her, even though prosecutors had only recommended 34 of them for prison. That stands in contrast to the other judges in Jan. 6 cases who have tended to be more lenient at sentencing.
This was on NPR in August. I was under the impression that she was an independent thinker. I must have missed a lot since August? There is a lot to keep up with.
Still Learning - I don’t believe anyone has threatened her because he appointed her and he has not targeted her like the others. She is apparently in no rush to bring his case to trial even though she should have already set a date.
Anon: There is his way of communicating that could telegraph that she will "Do the right thing". He is transactional. She knows what he wants her to do. The judicial system should intervene, like they did before, when she was not doing justice to a case.
He appointed her, BUT that doesn't mean there are no threats.
Anon: yes, judge Canon is a tRump appointee.sitting on the Florida stolen classified documents case.
Anon: I'm sure he is pleased that she is taking her time.
Still learning ; Judge Chutkin has been threatened, but she is standing her ground and doing her job. judge Cannon is another story, down in Florida on the Documents case. She is the one he appointed, and has seemed to be a sycophant, and actually working for tRump.
Anon : Maybe the 11th circuit will short circuit her again. 'Just' in time! Or the Supreme Court will take him off the ballot, and we can all celebrate 🍾!
Laurie - Fingers crossed!
True!
What very much troubles me is why didn't Jack Smith have her removed right away,we already knew about her and she was chastised by a court.He's more of a shark than that.
RedElisa Mendoza ; I don't think that prosecutor Jack Smith has the authority to 'remove' a judge.
Perhaps he could have gone to the proper entity and made mention that there was a conflict of interest.Given her past behavior and also the area she works is a'red' area and a great many of the potential jury pool voted for him in the past.
RedElisa Mendoza ; Hopefully, the 11th circuit will short circuit any missteps she makes, like they did before.
And don’t forget he took millions from our adversaries while he was in office!
Keith Olson, yes, in violation of the rules laid by the Founders against Taking foreign gifts /money. Seems like a quaint idea today, doesn't it?
Keith - we know that if Comer didn’t squash the investigation it would be a lot higher than $8 million. Must be nice to get paid to play golf.
I don’t understand how he’s still drawing free breaths....
Trump is probably living on borrowed time and his hatred is what is keeping him alive. Maybe he'll spare the Nation and cease to exist before much more time passes. We can only hope for that to happen.
I’m just hoping he ends up stripped of everything and imprisoned.... but if the Lord wants to take his money grubbing ass ahead of that.... I won’t shed a fkn tear
In god you trust huh. How has that worked out for mankind Praise god says the person being burned at the stake.
BTW burning at the stake was a slow painful death, and if you had friends who could bribe the executioner he would hang a pouch of gun powder around your neck.
His arteries are a biological miracle! Rage tests their PSI, cholesterol clogs them, adderdal strains them, and still they function! How?????
Trump doesn’t “ borrow” ANYTHING, he steals it! Yeah, even Time!
So very well stated. Thank you. For some reason the “powers that be” seem to be afraid of Trump (at least it appears that way to me). We, the people, should not tolerate Trump’s willingness to defy the Constitution for his own personal gratification & gain. His motto is “it’s about ME, the hell with everybody else”. That’s his entire attitude/motto his whole life. He appealed to the lowest (very) common denominator among us. The ill-informed, non-thinking masses are his well-named “base”. He must not be allowed anywhere near the Presidency ever again. He cares not one whit for anyone but himself.
And when he loses a second time, do we think it will be over then? Will he slink away at last, shamed and defeated, leaving the rest of us to repair our tattered democracy?
No, we wont be rid of him as long as he’s still able to stand in front of a crowd of his worshippers and incite them to violence.
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I've always said....Trump & Putin have discovered the soft vulnerable underbelly of the republic & are relentlessly exploiting the weakness.
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It absolutely seems that way, Keith! American citizens have been held to account much faster than this narcissistic pig!
Much better men have had their lives upended or ended in general for far less....
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Agreed! Never in the history of the USA has an individual who has stolen classified top secret documents EVER walked freely before trial! The magnitude of this crime alone should mean he’s in chains for the remainder of his life, with zero access to any communications with anyone, including the public! That he does walk freely pending trial for the MOST EGREGIOUS theft of national secrets & MOST PROBABLE ESPIONAGE means either he is BLACKMAILING THE USA GOVERNMENT or other very powerful players in government!
Oh, Keith Olson, how can we get you on every TV show available to read what you have written here because it is the heart and soul of the wound that is becoming gangrenous in our nation! You speak for me, for sure, and I would speculate, for many Americans. We cannot understand why, three years out, "this loser" - and let's call him also a traitor - is still out there doing the same thing he did throughout 2020 and into 2021 - and STILL!!?
Even late last week we started hearing debates about the validity of the traitor's claims of "double jeopardy" because he was impeached and acquitted!!! Has the whole country gone insane?? Impeachment is not a criminal or civil trial. It is a POLITICAL trial regarding staying in office! What tRump and his thug-mob and crime organization have done belongs in criminal and civil courts and unless they are tried TWICE in one of those cases, there is NO double jeopardy!! Why are judges or experts or pundits or - well, anyone - giving that evil traitor ANY slack at all. Get him in courts and trials and (lips to God's ears, please) prison - the whole lot of them!! I long for American judges to have the kind of courage that judges in Italy have shown against the violence, amorality and depravity of the Mafia. THAT is what we need. I want that judge who told tRump and his "attorneys" last year that tRump is not a king (it is blows the mind that it has to be said in America to anyone but a mad man - like Mad King George!!!) to shout it from a megaphone every time tRump and/or his "attorneys" enter a courtroom: tRump is not a king. America does not have kings. America does now bow to kings. tRump is not a king. (and add please: tRump IS a crook, a con-man, a criminal....."alleged.")
tRump is not a king, except in his own deranged, grandiose, sick mind and America's courts should get out from under the thrall of a violent lunatic and his violent lunatic army of cowardly "big men" who are traitors and thugs!
Wow Annie, I think you should be the one hitting the airwaves with your awesome passionate comment !
THE ENEMY INSURRECTIONIST ARE AT THE GATE, DEFEAT TREASONOUS , TERRORIST, AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE AND JAIL CORRUPT AND TRAITOR RTRUMP AND CRONIES.THE ENEMY INSURRECTIONIST ARE AT THE GATE, DEFEAT TREASONOUS , TERRORIST, AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE AND JAIL CORRUPT AND TRAITOR RTRUMP AND CRONIES. VOTE DEMOCRATIC , AND RESTORE DEMOCRACY.
I agree completely with you and also wonder how much longer until justice is done with the former president because the sooner he is incarcerated the sooner the Nation can begin healing and repairs to our International reputation can begin although President Biden has been doing quite well in the World audience at promoting that responsibility and we are thankful for his progress everywhere.
Keith - Trump is Above the Law until the Law Catches up with him. I hope, by then , it is not too late for our democracy. Biden's speech this week at Valley Forge is exactly what we need to slow down Trump's polling numbers. It was excellent and needs to be delivered over and over again until November. Truth, accountability, and reclaiming the meaning of democracy - our democracy, and the history that is contained within it.
If our Legacy Media wants to prove that they stand up for our constitution and our country they should replay President Biden’s Valley Forge speech constantly and support his administration by showing all the positive things they are doing to help the American people and stop trying to equate the two parties! CNN, MSNBC, FOX, CBS, ABC, ETC…
I listened to Joe Biden's speech from Valley Forge yesterday. He recalled the mob marauding in the Capitol calling, "Nancy! Where's Nancy?!" and I wanted so badly for him - for everyone - to draw attention to the filthy cowardice of these "big, big men" hiding behind their ski masks, their Confederate flags (in OUR nation's capitol!!!) with the war-weapons imprinted over that heinous symbol, their spears and their mob numbers - calling out for one very petite, elderly woman in high heels.... Oh, they are so very brave, so "patriotic" - those traitors, bullies, cowards, low-life scum in their big-men numbers calling out one tiny elderly woman. THAT is who they are and THAT is all they are - and the whole disgusting lot should be in prison, and their mob-boss leader should be the one to lead them into prison; it is fitting. He has always gotten others to do his dirty work and to pay HIM for the "privilege" of doing his dirty work; it is a lifetime past due for HIM to pay for his dirty deeds.
Yes! If only they would ...
He should have been hung by now for treason.
I agree with your thoughts but, ultimately, under our system of democracy we have not been able to successfully impeach Trump and no prosecutor has charged him with insurrection. As "due process" is a concept that we generally consider to be core to our justice system, Trump is able to continue saying and doing what he has been doing for the last three years. Ultimately, America will show the world the strength of our democracy when the American PEOPLE cast their votes. That's what democracy is at it's heart. Let Trump stay on the ballot - I am confident in the American people to be the final judge. We're in a very dangerous spot for sure - more danger than we've ever been in in history. But all we can do now is vote and encourage everyone to cast their votes.
I agree because our justice system is inept and I think we outnumber the Putin Party!
It's incredible to think that we have a political party that's trying to aid Putin and Russia. Especially if you can remember back to the Reagan era. It's shocking, but not surprising as schools are beginning to teach revised history - and some have stopped teaching history at all. But when you realize that Trump is really peddling fascism, it all starts to make sense. Honestly, I think Trump is just a figure-head for some more unseen group trying to break this democracy and, while I have a reasonable amount of confidence that the voters can save us, I'm not convinced that it isn't just too late. It's going to be a scary year. Truly.
Think positive and always stay humble and kind
Well said, Kieth. Inept is the correct word for our justice system...... definitely a black hole of incompetence in our democracy.
He’s not OFFICIALLY above the law, but in practice, as seen clearly, he is above it. And that’s because our legal system is not just slow, it’s weaseling around Trump. It works pretty fast to put poor people in jail!!!
thank you for this recap, Professor Reich. i watched the J6 event live online and was unable to process the astounding events i was seeing.
but now that i've had time to think about it all (still thinking, actually, and continuing investigations are helpful), i've come to one conclusion, with other conclusions still pending: WE MUST GET RID OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE ASAP. it's a racist tradition that takes away most peoples' votes, regardless of what skin color they have. if we all enjoyed a one-person-one-vote system, things would be far fairer for all citizens.
GrrlScientist ; Yes, and get money out of politics by ending Citizens United!
It was a terrible decision from the right wing USSC to decide that money was Free Speech and it has been easy to see how it has corrupted everything that the money has touched. Political campaign finance reform must be accomplished absolutely before politics is to return to normalcy.
Let’s be more specific here; Mitch Mc Connell fronted for the Koch Bros and Mc Connell ushered the case through the, even then (!) Supreme Court... in a nutshell.
And Trump would never have “won” or taken office in 2016. He lost the popular vote both times. The Electoral College is an absurd, anti-democratic, tyrannical, outmoded system that should have been abolished 100 years ago. It benefits the same people it always benefitted: the traitors.
JC displeasure with the EC is certainly warranted. It benefits the landed and wealthy as it was designed to do. It is an anachronism and sits high on the list of amendments that need to be reformed/enacted; right after Equal Rights; Voting Rights; Bearing Arms; Reproductive Rights; and the absurd notion that corporations are "persons," with the same rights as individuals. That ruling has ensured the buying of representatives is no longer considered bribery; it is now freedom of speech!? ANV
No to the filibuster forever.
Spot on!
Amen.
i also looked up the definition of a cult, since you mention it here when you say: "The Republican Party is close to becoming a cult whose central animating idea is that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump."
according to my online dictionary, a cult is "a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous. a satanic cult." another definition is 1. a system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object. 2. a person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society.
which makes me wonder what aspect of trump is not cultish?
I live in a small red community in a blue state. This is a dying small town with an aging community that sees their mission as fighting spiritual warfare on the front lines. They are bigots, homophobics, misogynistic church members. They live in fear based on their daily doses of fear based media. They are union members that vote Republican. They are about guns and God. Most don't care politics. They like the malignant/sociopath because he normalized their prejudices. He said, it's ok to be an abuser like me. Over 60 million people suffer from Narcissist Abuse. In this country we blame the abused not the abuser. Too many rape apologists. Do these people recognize the abusers in their own lives? Probably not. Why would they acknowledge him. Abusers are everywhere. I believe the lack of emotional intelligence amongst humans is bringing us down. Compassion is a sign of higher intelligence.
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I recently looked up what experts in the field had to say about cult leader traits. Experts in field said that charismatic people often share some of the same traits of cult leaders. One main trait separates charasmstic people from cult leaders. "Cult leaders hurt people." IMO, openly condoning violence against people who disagree meets the main distinguishing trait.
I remember Jim Jones! Pure evil!!
Yes. Jonestown was textbook. 1, Hide behind a church for authority and credentials. 2, Use the Bible to project superior knowledge to manipulate. 3, Isolate followers from family and friends who really love them for complete control. 4, Attack (and hurt) those who question the cult leader's legitimacy. #3 & 4 reveal the leader's ego-manical, self-serving, evil intentions.
Danny, that man was pure evil. You could just see it emanating from him!! What was even scarier was how blindly those people followed him without question!! If somebody handed me a cup of kool aid and people around me were dropping like flies, you can safely bet I wouldn't take even a sip!! I'd be looking for the nearest exit!!
I have to wonder why the followers did not recognize the cult leader's actions to isolate themselves and hurt people. I suppose it's difficult to question leaders associated with a Christianity or a church.
In 3rd grade, I witnessed a Priest verbally assault a nun. She was in tears. He destroyed her emotionally. I remember it like yesterday. The Priest's beet red face and unimaginable anger. The agony and helplessness on the Sister's face. The Priest stormed out of the small office. I sympathized for the Sister, the Principle.
Shortly later, the Priest took extreme measures to hurt my character in front of the entire congregation. Cult leaders do not tolerate those who can expose him/her as a phony Christian leader. Cult leaders have no problem hurting good people to maintain their authority.
As I recall, it was nearly impossible to think that the leader of the church could be mean and hurtful. In fact, it was unfathomable. It wasn't until the Priest berated the replacement Sister-Principle to tears that I could grasp that something was wrong with the Priest. After the 2nd Sister was hurt to tears, I knew the Priest was not acting with the love and compassion of Jesus.
To me, the choice is larger than the choice between Biden and Trump. It is the choice between looking forward to a progressive future with a government that serves it citizens, or a failing capitalistic form of democracy that fails to provide even the basic economic purchasing power for all citizens. Today, democracy as it now operates is failing to do this most basic of functions. It is this failure that allows a fascist party and candidate to gain so much support among the voting public. If our democracy were not so weakened, we would not be in such a condition. It is like the condominium building in Surfside, Florida that just collapsed in 2021 because the structural components had become dangerously weakened by neglect and the resident/owners did not undertake to repair the understructure of the building in a timely fashion. On June 24th 2021 at 1:22 a.m., the building simply collapsed and 98 people died because of the failure to address the underlying problems. https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › surfside_condominium_collapse
We the resident/owners of the United States are at that same critical juncture. Despite the clear and present danger of our democracy collapsing, we continue to ignore erosion of our economic structure caused by capitalism trumping democracy. We must be willing to undertake the pressing task to design and implement a system that is the better alternative to capitalism and save our country before it meets the same fate as the collapsed condominium building in surfside, Florida. No matter which candidate wins the November election, the risk of collapse remains. Unbridled capitalism allowed by fascism will speed the inevitable collapse, but even under our existing democracy hobbled by runaway capitalism, the risk remains.
There are progressive thinkers who have brought forward plans for the next level of an economically sound democracy, “Economic Democracy” based on the Progressive Utilization Theory. If planning and action are taken now, much human suffering and injustice can be averted. When the Soviet Union collapsed seemingly overnight, it was because as the economic and government underpinnings were rotting, no one had planned for that eventuality and the Russia that emerged has caused great suffering as a result. No plan was made for the likely chance for a wildfire to reach Lahaina and that town on Maui was totally destroyed in a matter of hours resulting in deaths, economic devastation, and total dispersion of the once cohesive community and culture of that town. We cannot afford to ignore the possibility of the same type of inferno engulfing the United States. We cannot afford to follow the example of Lahaina, the Soviet Union or the collapsed condominium in Florida. We must lay plans now for a structural overhaul. For a short essay see https://www.proutinstitute.org/policy-solutions/economic-democracy-the-alternative-to-corporate-rule
Thank you for this response, Marc. Your spot -on three examples are perfect and aid in understanding in a visual manner.
Always appreciate you comments Marc. Thanks for that.
Very well said!
Popular voting and the elimination of the antiquated Electoral College including GERRYMANDERING would level up the field and accomplish what is needed for our elections.
End the filibuster.
Filibuster has no place in any civilized government. Debate accomplishes so much more.
You wrote, “WE MUST GET RID OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.” Unfortunately that would require a Constitutional Amendment. As long as The Electoral College gives Republicans a disproportionate advantage, they will oppose it. Only if a Democrat wins The Electoral College while losing the popular vote will the Republicans support such an Amendment.
Thank you for your work, Robert Reich !!
Every word written in the article is true. I read a poll that 55% of potential American voters believe Jan. 6 was an attempted coup and blame tRump for the violence. All Biden and the Democrats need to do is keep blasting this truth louder than Orange Bully can shout his lies.
Trump was/is to blame for the violence. Left to his own devices he’ll destroy OUR country. Beware, BE AWARE! He’s tried it once & because he wasn’t punished to deter him, he’ll try again. Mark my words. His lust for attention & power is too great.
The adage "Justice delayed is justice denied" applies in part. Justice has been delayed because tRump has lawyers who have filed frivolous motions to delay his trials. But in the US system, only so many maneuvers can be tried. He is about to face justice in New York State in the best possible way--his fortune will be attacked. tRump has used his money to get power. Take away the money--make him appear a "loser"--and the MAGA maggots will desert him.
Winning requires turning out the base and winning a majority of independents. The independents are crucial. What's interesting is why that number is not 65% or higher due to more independents.
40 % of the electorate will be Gen Z. They can overwhelm the forces of darkness because they trend more than 70% Democratic.
The key is to motivate voters under age 45.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/there-is-nothing-wrong-with-young-voters-that-the-biden-campaign-cant-fix/
Taylor can save us. https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/taylor-swift-save-joe-biden-rcna130344
Oh, thanks Daniel! I will read these.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
I keep listening to advice about treating Trump cultists with respect and not rustling their feathers by arguing with them. These are the same kind of people who rationalized slavery and Nazi genocide and Soviet style totalitarianism. Ah, no. The kid gloves have to come off.
Kerry Truchero : Just be careful: getting into a shouting match, or 'pissing match' with a skunk could be not worth it. Especially if they are armed.
Good advice.
Besides: "Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and irritates the pig."
(Old Irish saying)
I'm surrounded by bigots. My neighbors post White Pride Month all year long. I have biracial grandchildren. I did have a run in with one recently over our dogs. I knew who she was and I didn't hold back. She ran home crying. They think I'm crazy. I love it. Those are my boundaries. We travel road travel often and because of my Minnesota license plates we have been confronted at gas stations in Nebraska. A group tried to run us off the road. Our truck was bigger thank goodness. My nephew was refused a haircut in Indiana because he was the only person of color in the MAGAQ barbershop last summer. He lives in San Diego. I have many stories on this subject. People are armed. Be careful.
😢 Trump has encouraged bad behavior. It’s why people are so rude. It’s why defendants attack judges. It’s why road rage has increased. He’s given people permission to act out. I’m so sorry you are victims of those thugs, because that’s what they are. He’s turned us into us and them.
Perhaps after a couple of generations we'll again have a Democracy to enjoy and the idiocy will have died off leaving a stable populace of intelligence, maybe.
Reading your post gave me chills because I know it's true.
Sad isn't it. I saw one Democratic sign last year in my town and I knocked on there door and introduced myself. I was thrilled.
Lisa59, You should see the looks and talk I get with California plates while driving through Red states or even tRump loving counties of California. Gas station convenience stores are “Thanks for your cash, now get out of here”. I have grey in the beard, let the whiskers go a few days. It helps me “pass” amongst those locals, as long as I don’t open my mouth much. My wife tells me not to put the bumper stickers on the SUV, leave them on the refrigerator with magnets.
Tell your San Diego nephew to be careful in deep dark Red East County. True tRump cultist, hypocritical bible thumping, gun loving folks. I’m sure he knows why the town of Santee is called Klantee.
His in-laws live there. He attempted to play golf at the public golf course. They only gave him 4 clubs when he rented them. He asked a group of men (white) if he could join them. They refused and proceeded to taunt him. He's Mexican American and 6'5. He tried to get his money back and just leave. They refused and gave him a hard time. He looked around and saw the whole place was white. Before he left he did ask where the colored bathrooms were. He is a very successful young man that I am so very proud of. The KKK are now called Patriots. Indiana is home of the Klan. That state would benefit from a full enema.
In that case I feel sorry for the folks further down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers that pull their drinking water from the rivers. Some treatment, no matter how much, can’t get rid of everything.
There's nothing to gain from talking to Brock walls.
I'm sorry Kerry. You don't know what you are talking about.
The republican party was founded to STOP DEMOCRAT RACISM.
1400 Republicans were murdered by Democrat KKK member defending the right of black people to vote. You need to read history for yourself, and stop getting all your news from CNN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_knRyu2ol8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uDXiCGVLoc
Furthermore - PUTIN goes into Ukraine during Obama - Who's fault is Ukraine?
PUTIN goes into Ukraine again during Biden - Who's fault is Ukraine? wake up
"The Great Chip/Crisp Debate
Are Pringles potato chips? While this question may seem to have an obvious answer, it ended up costing Procter & Gamble (the company that once owned Pringles, but since has sold it to Diamond Foods) more than $150 million. In 1975, the FDA declared that the makers of Pringles could not officially call them "potato chips" because their product was made from dehydrated potatoes, not thin slices of fried potatoes. However, the FDA gave Procter & Gamble a sort of half victory by allowing the company to refer to Pringles as "potato chips made from dried potatoes" as long as the lettering on the label was "not less than one‐half the size of the largest type." However, to do away with confusion, Pringles simply declared itself to be potato "crisps" and has since fully embraced this distinction.
But in 2009, a British court declared that Pringles were, in fact, "potato chips." This ruling meant that the snack food was subject to certain British sales taxes that applied to potato chips, but not other snacks. Despite arguments from Procter & Gamble regarding Pringles' precise "potatoness," the judge in the case declared that there was "more than enough potato content for it to be a reasonable view that it is made from potato." Due to this ruling, Procter & Gamble owed nearly $160 million in back taxes and $31 million every year going forward."
Wake up!
Amazing! many smiles! Looks like P & G wanted to actually be "potatoes" in America, but not potatoes in the UK. I'm glad their plan didn't work.
Sad development however.
1 - despite my last name, I am not heir to the fortune :-)
2 - because of the name, it has been a tradition in the pringle house for decades to give Pringles chips in the stockings. Not sure how long we can keep this up, since P & G have clearly tried to cheap out on the ingredients. Everyone I know says they taste somewhere between flour and sawdust. You can have the same can, but You can't fool our tastebuds. :-)
I admit that I'm frightened. Frightened for my friends in the USA and I have no answers. I've asked friends if they have any plans if Trump wins and all they can do is shrug and say, 'Endure.' None of them can leave the country or they would have done so already. Today should be called 'Traitor's Day' to remember the coup that Trump tried to mastermind. I hope, I hope that sense will prevail, but I am worried.
Kara Hughes, great idea. Thank you! Today should be titled Traitors Day. We should spread those words by using them. If left to the delusional, they will surely call it Patriots Day.
Kara Hughes : Why give them their very own day? I wonder . Hopefully when /if justice prevails we can come up with triumph Day, or something like that. ''Freedom Day' but not for the 6th. The 6th would be Justice day. But only if there is Justice ⚖.
True. A friend of mine on YouTube when I posited this, said we ought to call it 'Liars and Suckers Day' when I suggested Traitor's Day. And if we were to call it that, they wouldn't think that it referred to them in any case...so good point.
Suckers Day. KISS.
To leave is to capitulate. This is MY Country. OUR Country. Our best "weapon" is the ballot, imo. Wasting time, energy, resources arguing with those who "Can't handle the truth," for whatever reason(s), is an exercise in futility. We need to, first and foremost, ensure a HUGE voter turnout. How? Messaging. Messaging. Messaging. I watched ABC's "Impact" last night (1/5/24). Please petition your local ABC Affiliate to run this extremely educational piece monthly. It is an in-depth look at how anti-abortion laws are adversely affecting women's health. Brave, brave women tell their stories of how THEIR states' laws put them in horrible jeopardy which could easily affect their chances of a future pregnancy or, in many cases, cause them extreme pain, physical and emotional, or END THEIR LIVES! "WHO ARE WE?!"
I've been thinking about this all day. This "anti-abortion" disaster. Why can't the ACLU, or some such organization file in states where abortion is now banned as well as in federal court that anti-abortion constitutes "Cruel and unusual" punishment under law? Reading what several constitutional attorneys have stated, the 8th Amendment protections from "cruel and unusual" punishment appiles to federal AS WELL AS STATE LAWS! The women I watched last night on that ABC Impact special are exactly WHO the 8th Amendment was written to protect. In Congress, while discussing the 8th, the INQUISITION was mentioned as an example of cruel and unusual punishment. Let THAT sink in!
It's difficult to have positive feeling about our species - seriously flawed. If we're going to have a dictator, surely we could do better than Trump. If Trump doesn't obey the Christian collective that are gaining control, there could be trouble.
All so true. I still can't believe that the gop is not just enabling but encouraging this traitorous behavior. There are just so many levels of blatantly illegal actions taken by the insurrectionists, many of whom are in prison, but the gop seems to be successfully ignoring this and the mass media is kow towing to their whims...
Donna ; there is no doubt that the Obscenely wealthy own the media and are complicit with tfg and the 'republican' party. the nearly two trillion dollar hand out to the billionaires is proof that he is much appreciated. They want twice as much this time, I bet.
Power and money, people! That’s the threat to Republicans and why they bow to Trump. Liz Cheney, while I disagree on her policy stands, has character and my respect. Mitt Romney, not quite so strongly, is another. Adam Kinzinger resigned because it wasn’t worth it to him and his family to go through a campaign. Power and money is all it takes, and the former guy’s mafia takes care of any threats to his position. He’s a master cult leader. Look to history for his idols.
"tfg" is this an acronym for #45? If so, I understand. If not, ?????
Cathleen707 ; tfg= the former guy.
Thanks. I didn't know either.
Thank you.
As one of the lucky post Second World War boomers, I live in hope that the new youth voters in the 75% of democracies holding elections in 2024 will rise up in anger and cast their votes for equity and freedom rather than inequality and suppression funded by secretive big money lobbyists. We need to see a repeat of the rebellious Sixties. You have my support kids!
Mine, too!!
Mine also!
My grandchildren who now vote are the fruit of my labor!
Professor Reich:
Thank you for an accurate and concise recital of the ugly facts.
Here is a proposal.
I encourage all of your readers to write and call and email their representatives and senators. They should respectfully demand a prompt convening in each chamber of Congress to debate a simple resolution: "The House/Senate resolve by two-thirds majority that Donald J Trump is qualified to hold the office of the President of the United States."
I'll be happy to discuss my reasoning, but it is based on the last sentence of Section 3 of Amendment XIV (the "insurrection clause"). If such a resolution were to pass both chambers, then we can move on from the frantic and exasperating speculation about what the Supreme Court is going to do with the appeal from Colorado. I imagine that the justices on the Supreme Court would be relieved to have Congress take the leadership on the issue. Isn't this question of the application of Section 3 to the case of Donald J Trump's attempted self-coup in any event a prime example of a "political question?"
It is high time that members of Congress set aside their petty personal squabbles and start acting like the expression of the political will of the people.
Yeah but the House is chock-full of lunatic MAGA cultists/loyalists and insurrectionists themselves! The House is not innocent: many of those in Congress are guilty of trying to overthrow democracy as well. The fact that none of them have been held to account is nauseating as well. Traitors like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Chip Roy, Paul Gosar and so many, many more. It would never make it to the Senate.
Jessie:
I think you are misinterpreting my proposal.
I want each chamber independently to start debate on the resolution. If either chamber fails to approve it by 2/3 majority, the public will be justified in concluding that the sense of Congress is that Mr Trump is NOT permitted to return to office. I think that that might have a profound effect on the general election in November if, as seems likely, he is the Republican candidate.
You are correct that the House of Representatives has a number of members who will want to vote for the resolution, given the opportunity. Let them!
I think you are correct. I wanted the Democrats to initiate it while they still had the House, There's a op ed in the NYT today, from Gerard N. Magliocca, who wrote a book on the 14th Amendment. He argues that the framers of the 14th Amendment deliberately gave Congress — not the president or the Supreme Court — the power to grant a Section 3 waiver on public policy grounds.
However, his advice is that Congress’s amnesty authority for disqualification from office is the equivalent of executive clemency in criminal cases, which can be exercised in the interests of justice or for the common good.
His advice is that Congress should consider granting Trump amnesty.
"Republicans would have to admit that their leader committed a grave constitutional wrong and can serve in office again only if Congress lets him out of the penalty box. Democrats would have to admit that they want the former president to get a special privilege from the law and would need to vote for that gift."
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/05/opinion/trump-supreme-court-colorado-ballot.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Lk0.ZMSy.Ks41JNi6su_I&smid=url-share
Mr Solomon:
Thank you for the referral to Mr Magliocca's letter in the New York Times. I think I can say that I agree with his conclusion: "Perhaps Donald Trump deserves Section 3 amnesty. Perhaps not. But the answer to this question must come from our elected representatives in Congress. They were attacked on Jan. 6. Only they have the right to forgive."
However, I hope Mr Magliocca is not suggesting that Congress should grant the former president amnesty against prosecution for criminal activity.
The distinguishing feature of the last sentence of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment is that it gives Congress a choice, if it is willing, to remove a political disability. No more.
Mr Trump has yet to be tried in any criminal proceeding. My proposal has nothing to do with insulating Mr Trump from criminal liability. I want merely to test the willingness of Congress to say that he is to be given another chance to become president.
I wish Mr Magliocca had not used the term, "amnesty." It is misleading in this context.
I've been quoting you. I thought that Democratic leadership was negligent in not using it to attack the members of her chamber who were insurrectionists -- at least to make a record using a resolution. Trump bears the burden of proof!
I think "amnesty" is useful in plea bargaining if nothing else. Representing Trump is like representing a cold blooded killer charged with 1st degree murder. The best a lawyer can do is get a deal for something that doesn't involve the death penalty. I'd want him to take it.
Biden can offer him a pardon with strings.
Repubs control the House. They won't have a debate or vote on this.
Yes. It can't hurt to ask. Let's also share this with Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, Robert Hubbell, and anyone else you follow on substack. They all have many followers. If all the followers follow up, and I know many many will, it could work! It's better than this hopeless feeling that dwells in my gut. Great thinking, Vincent.
Think Taylor Swift. Think TicToc. Think Field Team 6, https://www.fieldteam6.org/
I know Robert is on all venues. I wonder whether newsmedia will publish an article as an op ed if he sends it FREE to them? [Robert if you're reading this stuff, what I said about loss leaders?]
Some people who post here daily have their own substacks and blogs and send me emails daily.
Swifties may be a group to court.
That is a great idea, Vincent. Who would introduce it on the floor of the House? Could they get it to a vote?
That is actually a great idea, Vincent.
Amendment 14 Section 3, :
Section 3 Disqualification from Holding Office:
"No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. BUT CONGRESS MAY BY A VOTE OF 2/3 OF EACH HOUSE REMOVE SUCH DISABILITY".
This is the make up of Congress as it stands today:
House of Representatives: 220 Republicans (plus 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico) and 213 Democrats (plus 3 Delegates), and 2 vacant seats.
Senate: 49 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and 3 Independents, who all caucus with the Democrats. assumes that no seat is temporarily vacant.
The number of representatives with full voting rights is 435. 2/3 of them would have to acquit, which I do not see happening. and also 2/3 of the Senate [and there are 100 Senators. I do not see this happening either.
But before this can happen, Trump has to be accused and CONVICTED of Sedition, and so far, no VOTE has happened in Congress, and Merrick Garland, who stupidly let 2 years go by without any movement has yet to find his... courage.
But I am with you. After this, it would not matter how many endorsements Trump gathers in the House of the Senate. I'm sure Trump is twisting arms, threatening and cajoling and promising power to any in Congress who will endorse him. but that will not amount to 2/3
Ms Stelzer-Johnson:
Thank you for your thoughtful reply.
I must disagree with your contention that a conviction of sedition is a pre-requisite to Congress taking responsibility for implementing the insurrection clause. I do not see such a condition in the Constitution. It appears to me, rather, that the insurrection clause was written as we see it to create a purely political response to the then-imminent perceived political threat of revanchist Confederates assuming positions of political power in the former rebellious jurisdictions.
Your math is accurate. If pressed, I think I would agree that passage of my proposed resolution is unlikely. And that would be a good thing.
Conviction was not a requirement for the Confederate traitors. It shouldn’t be required for Trump.
Cecile said, "Trump has to be accused and CONVICTED of Sedition"
I don't think that is true according to the 14th Amendment.
While it is true that the 14th amendment doesn't mention a necessary conviction, the vote that Congress would have to take would "REMOVE THAT DISABILITY".
Before a "disability" can be removed, it first has to be asserted, and the common way to do that is with some sort of conviction, either in Congress or in a Court of Law, so we are all on the same page in stating that there is a need for the removal of that ... what? stain? statement of conviction? That was left unclear.
I am a linguist, not a lawyer, and certainly much more knowledgeable people have stated that the 14th amendment Section 3 is "self executing", meaning that a conviction is not necessary.
I certainly hope it is so, but it would have helped if the language for insurrection and legal removal from office had been spelled out. It is a right to run for office, so removing that right should not be that we just 'feel' that he committed insurrection. To me, it is so obvious that he did that it is laughable that his lawyers would deny it and they should be disbarred for their lies.
Congress certainly dropped the ball when twice they refused to convict him twice at his impeachments, even though, as you will recall, they admitted that the facts had been proven. [That is why Barr had to mention the OLC memo "protecting the President while in office" from prosecution]. The fact is he was NOT acquitted. That is also why McConnell stated that once the President was out of office, he was fair game.
Ms Stelzer-Johnson:
Good thinking. Actually, I do respect your logic on the prior conviction issue. If we were in a strictly legal environment, your argument would certainly be sound, or at least not wrong.
However, at this moment in our nation's career, I believe that we are not really dealing with lawyerly logic. The issue of the application of the insurrection clause to Mr Trump is profoundly political. You may want to review some Supreme Court precedent in which the Court refused to rule, deciding that the issues presented were "political questions," hence non-justiciable. Start with Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962).
I imagine that the Supreme Court justices will be strongly tempted to label the issues in the Colorado appeal "political questions." They would be justified. If they feel that way, their conclusion will be to pass the poisoned chalice to -- whom else? -- Congress.
Permit me a comment about the current state of affairs in the appeal from Colorado. The trial court held a week of evidentiary hearings, in which the Trump advocates had their due-process opportunity to question witnesses and to present their own proofs and argument. The trial court found as a matter of fact that Mr Trump had engaged in insurrection. The Supreme Court of Colorado accepted and did not reverse that finding. In the absence of egregious and obvious error, an appeals court does not upset the trial court's findings of fact. I doubt very much that the Supreme Court justices will be willing to bend the law so far as to impugn the trial court's finding. To do so would be to invite universal condemnation, even or especially from conservative observers.
Thank, Vincent. for your thoughtful comments.
So you feel that SCOTUS might refuse to rule or even reverse Colorado on the count that they judge the Colorado decision political?
We don't need to go that far back to 1962 to find them using that excuse to refuse to rule: In Wisconsin, which is so crazily gerrymandered that a Popular vote of 54% favoring Democrats resulted in Republicans having a 2/3 majority of Representatives in 2012, SCOTUS also decided that this was a *political* problem to be solved by our State's legislature; the same legislature that gerrymandered the State in 2010 in the first place.
Why do Courts exist at all? to make decisions when non-lawyers are not sure of the right way to rule on things ourselves.
You and I have, I think a pretty good sense of right and wrong in moral matters. The hard thing to do is precisely to cut the Gordian knot when things are not so obvious. i.e. when the decision has a political feel to it. IMHO, that is precisely when they should be called on to make a decision.
Again, as a linguist, an insurrection is an easy thing to define.:
A violent uprising against an authority or government. It was violent. It was an uprising, and it was against the new government. This checks all the boxes.
Did Trump participate or engage in it? He communicated his "stop the steal" to all who would follow him, called them to the Ellipse and sent them to the Capitol to "fight like Hell or you won 't have a country anymore". He chose to listen to Mr. Chesebro [a Wisconsinite, to our shame and horror] and even change the date of that rally to the 6th [It was going to be a different date] so that it would coincide with the counting of electors, which he was told he could stop if only Pence was amenable..
Again, that checks the box: He did participate and engage in. He was in it to his eyeballs. Remember that he wanted to even be present and was furious that he could not be there.
Amendment 14 Section 3 is as clear as can be. and it applies here.
Do you really feel that if SCOTUS were to reverse the Colorado findings they would invite universal condemnation "Even or especially from Conservatives"? Conservatives would cheer, IMHO, as they did when SCOTUS reversed Roe V. Wade.
Universal condemnation wasn't enough to alter the way in which they have been conducting themselves.
Also, realize that theirs is a *lifetime* appointment.: They could not care less if you or I disapprove of their rulings. They are in forever, even if they misbehave in ways that would doom another Judge to Impeachment. They hastily wrote a 'code of ethics' when the scandal of Mr Thomas exploded and we saw that he got a lot of benefits from his very rich benefactors. But they made sure that this 'code' had no teeth. Thomas recused only in the case against Meadows, because Meadows was, [I think? a clerk] under Thomas. But he has refused to recuse so far on the insurrection even though his wife aided and abetted the insurrection.
So no, I do not have any hope that they will do the right thing and remove Trump from the ballots. They will find an excuse, public outcry or not.
Again, if I were Trump and 4 indictments and 91 felony counts would disappear in exchange for amnesty, I'd take that deal. ,
Many thanks for this thoughtful commentary
A significant number of GOP Representatives and Senators have already endorsed Trump for 2024, hence this idea is DOA.
See above, hw: Endorsements are not votes, and they don't have the votes to come up with 2/3 in each House.
But would two thirds of both houses vote that Trump is qualified?
Ms Maloney:
It's possible, but according to Ms Stelzer-Johnson's careful calculations, not likely.
The point of the exercise, of course, is to give the Trump supporters in the House and Senate their opportunity to show us what they really think. I believe that the country will be better off for having compelled the members to do the work we send them to Washington to do.
Agree. That is the reason I don't want anonymous voting in Congress as some are advocating.
Ms Maloney:
I'm with you. I would much rather compel the members to place their votes on the record. Among other things, that would get them to think seriously about how their own recent histories of voting have put the country into this situation, where we must discuss whether a presidential candidate should be disqualified because he is effectively a neo-Confederate and a violator of his previous oath of office.
@hw See my comments above re amnesty. What if Trump seeks a global deal in exchange for removing his name from ballots?
Aside from the fact that Trump would never agree to walk away from unlimited power and money, it would be a stark admission that Trump is above the law.
Ms Maloney:
Ask your federal representative. No harm in asking.
My Congressman had ties to the John Birch Society. Do you still think I should ask him?
A further thought. I am sure that you have many friends and relations around the country in different congressional districts. Get them on board to press the issue with their representatives.
Thank you for doing what you can. (I am a 78-year old retired attorney in West Michigan. Fortunately, here in the Third District, we elected a Democrat in 2022.)
Sure. What harm? Let him know what you think.
Maybe approach him at a local "meet your congressman" coffee, if he holds such meetings.
I will think about it until Monday. This is largely Kinzinger's district before redistricting.
I've written to Marco Rubio & Rick Scott in the past on many issues & all I got was a standard non-response email touting they are working for all Floridians, which is pure BS. I have found, unfortunately, writing senators & congressmen/women in the fascist state of Florida is a waste of time. They are so bound & determined to do what they want & people be damned if they don't agree with their personal agenda.
Marsha:
Don't despair!
Your representative and senators may be unresponsive, but you can call on your friends and family elsewhere to correspond with theirs.
This is a community effort.
When I write to my representatives, I get back a form letter on some issue they've regurgitated. I'm not sure how to present an issue that they don't want to hear. I need better organization.
Vincent, I just now re-read the 14th Amendment, section 3. Until your post, I was unaware that a 2/3's vote by both House and Senate could "remove that disability." A very interesting point you bring up. Getting a vote "on the agenda" no doubt is difficult, but I would be very, very interested in hearing how progessives in both chambers assess your proposal. To me, it's fascinating.
Wasted effort and repeats hot air in Congress. It will be a strict party line vote in both houses. Congress has more pressing priorities.
Take the most expedient way to get TFG off all ballots. He’s an insurrectionist. Period. Guilty. Disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
And these people, some even Democrats (should we call them Democrats in Name Only?) that say “No, vote him out in a huge Blue wave. We’re a democracy.” It will be a squeakier of an election. The Fascist Party cult is huge.
Off the top, this doesn't sound doable since Dems in the House can't force the issue.
Mr Reed:
I understand. You may be right.
However, I do not see that as a reason to refrain from trying. There may well be a few Republicans in the House who will be eager to test whether they can get the two-thirds vote to demonstrate their loyalty to the former president.
because it diverts from other better actions.
Trump also directed the "fake electors" plot, involving 6 states, and is the basis for the Georgia conspiracy indictments.
Perhaps worst of all, Trump's claims of "absolute immunity", promises to pardon convicted 1/6 rioters, and disqualification under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment directly undermine the rule of law...which has already been severely weakened by a a dozen partisan judges appointed by Trump (ruling solely on partisan ideology).
The decisions by SCOTUS will either buttress or further weaken the rule of law.
They might load up the Electoral College from the start next time. Who are these people?
Great synopsis of the insurrection and Trump's attempt to illegally stay in office except it deletes Trump's attempt to force the Secret Service to take him to the Capitol riot rather than back to the White House. On the day of the riot, a reporter noted that Gini Thomas had paid to charter busses that took rioters to the event. I'm not a lawyer, but I think Trump should have been charged and convicted of insurrection by now.
Thanks for this reminder of the unprecedented horror show three years ago and its evil instigator. The horror show is not over. This year is our last chance to end it.
It is really beyond belief that Trump still evades jail. I would imagine people who have commuted much lesser crimes would have been banged up by now. But here we are at the brink of s new election and he still walks free. If he wins he’ll just pardon himself and all his cronies and cancel any investigations and throw his enemies in jail. The prospect of another Trump presidency is very real but I live in hope and prey to thr universe for the sake of democracy around the world that this nutcase will unravel at some point very soon and get thrown in jail very soon !
Mr Gregory:
If you are willing to take action, please consider writing and calling your senators and representative to demand that they take responsibility for implementing Section 3 of Amendment XIV (the "insurrection clause").
Bear with me here for a moment. The insurrection clause tells us that an insurrectionist who has violated his or her oath to support the Constitution is thenceforth ineligible to hold office under the United States or any state. The last sentence of the insurrection clause gives Congress the authority to waive the ineligibility. It takes a two-thirds vote of each chamber.
Here's what I would propose. Demand that your senators and representative move to convene urgent hearings to debate the following resolution: "RESOLVED: By two-thirds vote, the House/Senate determines that Donald J Trump is qualified, if elected, to take and to hold the office of President of the United States."
I would like to discuss this with you. I can't predict whether such a resolution might acquire the necessary two-thirds supermajority in both chambers. If it does, then the argument will be ended, and we can move on to the "ordinary" issues of a presidential election. If the resolution fails, then we won't have lost anything. We will have gained some insight into the sense of the Congress on the failed coup. And individual congress members will have declared their loyalties. Not a bad thing.
I do believe that a conviction for Sedition has to happen *first* before a vote can be taken to reverse the conviction, but indeed it could be a good move, forcing Republican Congressmen to "put their cards on the table". That would inform the public as to how to vote in November.
I am not sure , but if it could be a secret vote, we might find that his hold on Congress is more tenuous than he thinks, if Mr. Romney's statement that Republicans are in fear for their lives is correct.
I read nothing in the 14th Amendment, Section 3 which states that a conviction of sedition is step one in the disqualification process. I think Vincent's proposal is, actually, masterful. Definitely would separate the "wheat from the shaff."
No harm in trying. Nullifying #45 from ever, ever holding power again is worth trying ANYTHING (legally), imo.
Biden could grant him a pardon in exchange for an admission of guilt.
There is NO POINT. It will never make it to the Senate. Congress has a (small) right wing majority and it’s full on MAGA. It’s full of traitors who participated in the Big Lie, some of whom participated in the events leading up to J6 as well. This country is in deep, deep trouble.
What if TRUMP WANTS IT?
Thanks for this brilliant summation Mr. Reich. I share most of your articles on my FB wall, as it helps us to keep our Spirits up, and hopefully shows your continued voice of reason, analytical thinking, and wisdom resulting from decades of experience in our Federal Govt and Academia as well. You remind me of the grit, political savvy and brevity that one of my ancestors President John Adams had as well. Bravo Sir. You give us all HOPE in these dark times of our Democratic Republic. <3
Thank you Mark.
And thank you Robert. Every day
You're welcome and I would find these times MUCH harder without Reich to keep me relatively sane! "relatively" being the key word, after 7 YEARS of having Herr Orange Orangutan around to try and ignore to have a higher standard of living and sanity! LOL. ;) Cheers! :)
As Ramona Agin said, “Your voice is vital to our democracy.” And so it is, Robert. I hope you are able to reach many more people this year. Can you talk to Taylor Swift about mobilizing her followers? I mean that.
The truth and real consequences for the perp in chief (and his minions in Congress), will set us free from this threat to our Democracy and allow US to keep our Republic. May Justice prevail!