Daniel, I do like your idea of infinite fines. That is so much more satisfying than jail for an ignoramus like Trump. To watch him lose part of his kingdom every time he forgets what he is saying and falls back on the lines his handlers have given him and insults the wrong person would be great, considering the harm he has done to this nation. It seems to me, starting with $500,000 would be good, then doubling it with every subsequent insult, threat, or other breech of the order. Yep, I like it!
Carolyn, that would be OK because when the fines go up, the cult might realize that it is a black hole they are tossing their money into and may give Trump up to his own dementia.
Four sets of indictments; 91 felonies. Guilty of sexual assault in a civil case. If his cult doesn't realize their money is going into a black hole now, they never will.
This has not born out, to date. They were enrolled in reoccurring donations without their consent (scam), but that didn't wake them up. They continue to donate in response to every situation Trump can exploit to request more donations...
Not necessarily. NOT ONLY is covid STILL ripping through their ranks, BUT ALSO they are Bunkerboy is BANKRUPTING THEM! Can't send money if you can't even afford rice to eat!
Yes, money is his God. He is not a religious or moral person. And yes, of course his supporters will have to pay his fines but maybe they will get sick of it. Bottom line It's always about the money and power. No money, no power.
The "pro-Temp" speaker has powers over the functionality of the Housie but he lacks real clout. The guy holds a wooden gavel what he needs is Thor's Hammer. Holding on to that thought just maybe we could get the country back on track.
If the "track" you want is the one House Republicans are on, No Thank You. Look ahead, they're heading towards a cliff, with DT at the control, full speed ahead. The Midterms didn't teach them Anything!
Miss bit--2 who?--- Anyone need an abortion? How about the entire Republican party. How do you figure I want anything to do with any track involving the Republican party.
Daniel Solomon ; What if the deep pockets of the fascist world keeps pumping in the money to pay fines as 'the cost of doing business'? What happens to US in the meantime? Is MAGA our HAMAS?
Go on over to Opensecrets.org. Look at who is funding these thugs. Call them out. MAGA is a few thugs. I will be damned if I will be frightened by them.
Laurie, that is an interesting consideration, however, they will get sick of paying for a jerk in hopes somehow he might get re-elected. The media could help here by loudly publicizing every single fine and the government program it will support or something like that. Fascists won't want to support our government prograams.
Ruth ; In case you are not looking, these thugs are taking over. Action by our DOJ should have taken place YEARS ago! What do you think Gym Jordan is going to do as Speaker? Congress controls the 'purse'. Ukraine is a Democracy in peril. If funding is withdrawn and it is taken, it won't be long before another country ; maybe a NATO member gets attacked. As members of NATO, we must get involved. Use your imagination to think of the possible future scenarios. We should have leaders who can deal with these thugs while it is possible to do so. We need defense against enemies, foreign, and DOMESTIC ! ; NOW!
Laurie, I think Jordan is a coward and a thug. He has nothing to offer anyone, but plays himself as a strongman, but in reality, he couldn't even stand up for the young men on the team he was coaching. Right there, that says what kind of Speaker he will be, appalling! My guess is that Republicans don't have the courage to actually run for Speaker if they have integrity. They don't believe in this nation despite their patriotic whining. Jordan is the symptom of a serious problem of a major political party with no soul, no purpose except to disrupt, even destroy, while addicted to money and power. That does not bode well for any of us. Do I think Jordan will support Ukraine, not if he can help it because he is a strong man lover and Putey fits the bill. I just hope I am wrong about Republican lack of courage and that someone, a Republican with integrity, rare as that is, will stand up right there on the floor and nominate himself/herself as Speaker and win. That would be a step in the right direction, although the journey ahead is long.
I don’t see any Rethugs with integrity. Those who have some have left the scene, or intend to (Romney). The MAGA cult is an insurgency bent on destroying democracy, and needs to be treated as an enemy, and not called a ‘political party.’
Ruth: Those few who have captured Congress are disabled by their disqualification. They are unfit for office. If there is any way to enforce the Constitution's section 3 of the 14th Amendment, there is the remedy.. we should not allow the corrupt lawyers who helped the thugs into power, win. Tfg has, most likely, shared classified documents with the worst of the world. We need them out of government ASAP! We have the Constitution: In black and white. Very clear! They are the enemy!
Ruth: "The journey ahead is long." If we still have a country, or " a Republic, that we have kept" . We have the Executive. It is time for our Commander in Chief to huddle with his best advisors . He probably already has, and continues to. Must we be in a 'hot war' 🔥 for him to declare war powers? I think we are there. There have been numerous mass shootings that increase all the time. Thugs are overrunning our House. our National Security is breached. The thief will run for office!? C'mon!, there Must be a remedy! SOON.!
a tree is known by the fruit it bears! and as Mr. Reich has pointed out, here... it is the voters that have to be convinced otherwise. It will take a majority of Republican to publicly go against the maga cult, and that will require willingness to sacrifice their positions in congress (positions of power), for the greater good! If that were to happen, I still don't believe the maga cult would be swayed.
Agree! Jordan is the same kind of thug trump is, without the finesse! Jordan IS trump! Why keep putting off the inevitable? Do your jobs, activate the National Guard and begin the arrests!
Jim Jordan has been handed the task of putting Donald "Humpty Dumpty" Trump back together again. Laying in pieces at the base of his great, never-completed, border wall the tarnished remains of the past president have "Made in China" stamped on all his worldly possessions. He speaks of American productivity but he uses Chinese labor to make the products he manufactures overseas in an effort to find cheap labor, sidestepping the American labor market. Trump was more suited to enter the medical profession due to his extensive understanding of the human body. He would have found peace in the conditions offered in this field after taking the "Hypocritical oath" which the man seems to live by. Jim and Don have a unique relationship seeing as how one excreted the other. I can't tell them apart because they both stink, you decide which one forgot to flush.
Daniel, yes, jail would make Trump a kind of martyr and does nothing to solve the problem of his presence on the political scene. However, the cash penalty would help shut him up because the loss of funds would mean he wouldn't be able to pay the guys who currently feed him the stupid stuff he whines in his speeches, which now make almost no sense, but alas, his cult does not care. The bullying tone of voice he uses wins them every time. Words, sentences that make sense, who needs them!
He had to pay $25 million for his Trump University case, $2 Mil to DOL fine for using illegals on his job sites, had to pay in many other cases. Right now he is playing "ladders"in about 20 civil lawsuits. The NY civil fraud liquidated damages are $250 million, which he does not have. Execution on judgments may include forcing him to vacate Mar a Lago. His club members may become his creditors. Rudy Giuliani is potentially a creditor.
IMHO he is more concerned with the revelation that he has a small mushroom shaped penus and that he will lose his phallic symbols, etc. than jail, which is probably part of his path to martyrdom.
Walking Zombies--It seems there is an element within our government that has attracted a number of unscrupulous individuals who have been infected with a particularly nasty form of a virus. The mental abilities of these stricken souls seem to be continually deteriorating due to the corrosive agents found in the disinfectants they had injected into their systems at Trump's request. Brain activity in these congressional stooges seems to have completely subsided but the people from their respective states still found it within their hearts to elect these zombies to positions within the party. Fortunately the injected liquids contained trace chemicals that have acted similarly to embalming fluids allowing these dead members of Congress to remain in their seats for the time being, The problem lies in these catatonic members beginning to turn "Greene" over time. It seems as putrefaction sets in they gain more and more influence within their party. Trump remains in command of his walking dead.
I like that statement, Trump is the United States HAMAS. It is so true and Maga's are HAMAS as well. Trump and his maga cult don't care who they hurt or kill. They are terrorists. They hate anyone who disagrees with them or holds them accountable. Trump, if elected, (I shutter at the thought) will pardon all. Most will have to leave the Country to remain safe. And the Democratic middle class/working/retired class will end up on the streets if their income is Social Security and a small pension. We cannot let a thug become a dictator.
Any conservative christian,jews, muslims, hindus and so on are just a version of Hamas.Sadly the USA has a very high proportion of these conservatives!!
He would either move with his boyfriend in North Korea, or make a threesome with Melania, and Putskin, since the three of them already actively work very closely together remotely. Am I the only one who thinks that Melania is his translator
Fleeing the US would be the best thing he could do for the security of this country. I would hope he would wait until just before the election! Just do us this 1 little favor Donny!
I don't think so. I like the idea but suspect he will simply do what he always does - drags out in the courts ad infinitum. I want him in a jail cell. Period. Let the MAGAs riot.
Making Mr. Trump pay with his own money would probably be worse than throwing him in jail!! He will keep asking his slobbering base to donate, but eventually they will stop or slow down to a trickle and he will be in the soup!
It's hard to argue with a judge, but Hitler was a free man when he hijacked the Weimar Republic in 1933. Also, either Trump won't pay his fines, or his base will pay them for him, and the charade will continue. And then what? Surely, at some point it has to be jail.
Fines won't stop Trump since he won't have to pay them, if ever, until after a long appeal process during which he'll continue to publicly foam at the mouth. The (bad) actor can act tough about going to jail but if he actually has to do the time, he'll fold like one of his classless suits.
Liens on properties are only effective at attempts to transfer ownership. rump might be crazy and narcissistic, but he is smart enough to hire the right people to protect his nest egg from just about anybody, courts included.
Yes Daniel, but the difference is, Trump has already been President and the majority of Americans know what a colossal disaster that was. We also know he isn’t good at writing. His strength (if you can call it that) is his ability to manipulate people verbally. His behavior is much like an out of control child, so he should be put in an extended time-out in prison.
If he’s free to agitate and motivate his supporters he’ll do it. He’ll also tighten his grip on House
republicans and dictate what they should do. His influence on the House as ex-president is causing governmental chaos & dysfunction now-we can’t
let it continue. As long as Trump is free to verbally manipulate people and GOP operatives enhance & widely distribute his warped reality, we have to assume every mentally unstable individual in America who receives his message of violence will act out.
Trump should be treated as if he’s a Russian
weapon, because that’s what he is. Without
Russia’s help Trump probably wouldn’t have been elected. He’s the modern equivalent of the Trojan Hoarse--a weapon meant to destroy government from within. Powerful Republican party decision-makers are using Trump just as much as Russia is with the same goal in mind: destroy American democracy, convert America’s assets and wealth
to their own personal use and establish an oligarchy
with all of the necessary violence, assassinations and oppression necessary to keep it going.
American corporations, especially corporations that control the media are assisting with the government destruction and takeover, ostensibly because they are blinded by their greed. Powerful mainstream media should’ve been exposing republican corruption all along, similar to the way they exposed
Watergate, with a slight alteration of the key phrase
Michael Hutchinson ; Yes indeed ; Here is where the rubber meets the road! We can't just let them have their way! Otherwise, how many innocents will be murdered and terrorized while we have criminals running this country!?
My answer too. And I’d add a long time ago. What kind of people are we I keep asking myself. We die a slow death of angst rather than stand up against the rot of our government and corporate greed. What kind of people are we?
Absolutely! Trump should've been placed in jail long ago as a national security risk. We have to enforce the law.
Remember that the chancellor placed Hitler in a high position of authority in his government, & it didn't take long after that for Hitler to accumulate total power. Gym Jordan behaves like the Nazis did. He threatens & intimidates colleagues into following his orders. We know that under Nazi Gym Jordan, nothing good will get done. He'll weaponize the House just like he has weaponized his committee, spending his time trying to impeach & expel Biden & other Democrats (when it's Republican seditionists like him that require expulsion), which is meant to undermine Biden's reputation enough so that Trump can beat him, & also use stochastic terrorism to incite MAGA followers to assassinate Biden, Kamala & other Democratic lawmakers (don't think he wouldn't!)
YES YES YES. HELL YES! He is a CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER to every AMERICAN living in America! UNTIL he gets locked up, violence WILL continue and his speech WILL become worse.
This sort of thing is the fear factor. It is the question of intimidation elisiting fear and dread. And remember when trump disparages with words like thug , it is his foolish attempt to detract from fact that he is the the real thug.
Ah yes.....projection!! I am not afraid of him or any of his colleagues that try to intimidate. We are Americans and men and women have fought and died so that we can be a Democracy!! I will NOT give that up no matter what those idiots say!
No to that Veronica - that is just what Trump and his rabid MAGA thugs would do to citizens as did the nazi’s! I despise Trump and his corrupt and duped supporters but we must use our laws to keep our democracy intact!
One can certainly dream he would have the guts to do that! Remember: MAGAts make up only 40% of the meager 25% in America that are registered Insurrectionists.
Tempting, tempting. However, don't think that repetitive public reminders to Trump have no value. They do. When my young son was obstinate, a family counselor suggested I practice time outs. I asked what if he continues to do the same, regardless. He said,
"Then take him right back to time out over and over until he gets it. Do not lose your cool, be firm but not angry." It worked!
Consistency always pays off. No matter how many times we stand up to these people, we have to continue to do so. Yes, people are tired, stressed, and just want all of this to go away. Over time, with a consistent NO, things will begin to get back to normal or as normal as it can be!
I agree Michael and would like to see that in that it would show Trump and the world that our rule of law is what is most important to this democracy. Unfortunately there is the fear of huge unrest from the rabid MAGA right that the judge wisely takes into account. I am still shocked and dismayed by the number of citizens that still believe and cling to this maniacal self centered boor of a man!
The rabidity of the MAGA base is all the more reason to be strict with Trump. We can wring our hands all we want, but the fact remains that 35% of the US population would lie down in traffic for Trump, Gym Jordan is about to become House speaker, the Capitol has already been sacked, and things are beginning to look like Germany in 1933.
For Trump read Hitler, for MAGATs read the 35% of the German population who were National Socialists in 1933, for Gym Jordan read Hermann Goering, and for the assault on the Capitol read the burning down of the Reichstag.
We don't have to wait for Jordan to start purging House Democrats, we already know this nightmare is real.
Yes Michael, his MAGA base is already in a frenzy, they have been since he lost the election and they will continue until either Trump is wiped out or the National Guard takes them on.
Yeah, why not put him in jail, or fine him so much he will feel it. Us Attorney Chuck Rosenburg was on Morning Joe and was handwringing about it. Mika and Joe were having none of that handwringing. Good for them.
Yes and yes. That’s exactly what she does! Those idiots are not going to do anything because they know they will be there too after Jan 6. Put them all in jail!
“Ninety years ago, these sorts of people wore black shirts or brown shirts or red armbands with swastikas, and their hateful lies and threats silenced the publics of several nations.”
Yes, Professor, these sorts of people, Americans, are no different. This was the saddest realization of the Trump era, that millions of our countrymen are fascist cult followers, prepared to trash our Constitution and our traditions for an autocracy of white Christian nationalism.
Trump has demolished the social contract, and all our norms of civil behavior. His behavior threatens our confidence in society on the most basic level. Why should we expect other drivers on the road to obey traffic safety laws if they restrain their free passage or inconvenience them? How can we trust merchants not to abuse our credit cards? Will the post office deliver our mail if they can invent reasons not to? Should we expect our employers or our customers to pay us after we have performed our tasks? Trump has called everything into question, and has modeled a behavior for his cult that is toxic to America.
Kerry, yes, Trump has been a poison or infection in our democracy. A truth "antifascistotic" could help. It could be our media, but they have mostly given up and left the work to Fox et al which is part of the infection. Disgusting!
Agreed Kerry - I keep going back to the day Joe Biden was declared the winner of 2020 election. While glad of the outcome, I was truly dismayed, bewildered, stunned that 70 million + continued to support this fraud of a man after all of his outrageous lies and crimes!
Garland could but won't investigate Jordan for Jan 6.
Jordan's House Justice Committee is also probably performing obstruction of his own case!
I wanna know why Gym Jordan has not been subpoenaed to testify in NY and GA re his attempts to obstruct state judicial proceedings. He even held hearings in NY.
“Your attempt to invoke congressional authority to intrude upon and interfere with an active criminal case in Georgia is flagrantly at odds with the Constitution,” Fani Willis wrote in the nine-page letter, which accuses Jordan of lacking a “basic understanding of the law,” including the law regarding state sovereignty.
Daniel, do you think everyone is that scared of Jordan they won't do anything to stop him? Do they not realize he is a menace and could do a lot of harm as Speaker in 15 or so months? What is it with Garland. I had thought him a good choice for Attorney General, but I am less and less enamored with him as time goes by. He is almost like Gerald Ford light, I guess hoping all this will go away if he doesn't push the investigations and charges. Everyone is focused on Trump, but what about the rest of his insurgent crew, you know the behind-the-scenes crew. Trump is simply not smart or clever enough to have planned the whole event and we know there were a bunch of meetings about it. My guess and the guess of a whole lot of people is that Jordan was in the thick of things, probably from the beginning. He craves power but wants to do as little as possible to get it. He'd rather others like Trump give it to him.
Oooo Daniel, I hadn't thought of the rape squad as a potential threat. I thought they were stuck in Ohio with the people who care about nothing and no one (as far as I can see).
Daniel Solomon ; "Garland could but won't investigate Jordan for Jan 6." Garland is threatened by the same mob, and is most likely, unwilling to do what should have been done long ago.
Cockless pricks. Jive cowards. Punks. I wouldn't let any of them in the back door. Whoever has sex with them? Worms? And remember, Trump just said that Republicans eat their children.
How can Jordan threaten those who oppose him with a Primary? How can he now change the vote to expose who is voting against him? He isn't in charge! That is not Democracy!
My yesterday’s comment of Professor Reich as Speaker of the House because he is quick and just and true was just a flight of thought: but sometimes for the sake of contrast it doesn’t hurt to imagine.
Rishi, but it seems Jordan is also a David Duke without the courage. Jordan whines more and blames others a lot, but like Duke, beyond racism, misogyny, and xenophobia, Jordan has nothing to offer anyone but Thugtown and that is minimal unless he gets elected Speaker.
Biden is going to Israel. The Speaker of the House is 2nd in succession to the President. If we don't HAVE a Speaker, will succession fall to Patty Murray, President Pro-Tem of the Senate? If we can't get a sane Speaker, maybe a little more delay isn't the worst thing? I'm not sure; what do y'all think?
Yes, even with excellent security, he could get killed. He could also get killed falling in the White House shower! Biden's not afraid to do what he thinks is right, even at personal risk! I admire that!
The alternative for going to Israel is staying home and safe, and eventually drifting into the oblivion of Alzheimer's. He can make a difference there and he trusts Kamela Harris. He will not go gentle into that good night. Before today my opinion of him has been mixed but now, god dammit I love that man.
I agree that it is a risk. Trust me: Israel wil protect him to the utmost best of their ability. If something horrible happens, Kamala. Harris is ready to lead.
Astounding for a reasonable, functioning society, but in a party full of fascist kakistocrats, it's what we have come to expect, & has been happening time after time in recent years.
In the World according to Trump you do! What is the latest from the FPOTUS?
This P.O.S., Donald Trump, called American Generals "some of the dumbest people I've ever met in my life" in a babbling speech to his followers in Iowa Monday.
This from a man who never served in the military!
I wonder how our military men and women feel about his latest verbal diarrhea!
And from another of America’s worst. Tommy Tuberville, Senator from Alabama, went on Kimberly Guilfoyle's podcast to discuss his views to defend his refusal to allow military promotions to be brought to the floor of the Senate for a vote. Despite never serving in the military, for months Tuberville has complained that the US military has "gone woke" and gotten soft over the past 3 years under Biden.
A friend told me her brother in law thinks it’s Biden that has “ruined the military”. I have no more information than that, but just the idea makes my blood boil.
Of course. He's likely listening to this propaganda. Some of this is Putin's doing. Russia has a large and influential propaganda machine that functions around the world.
I had heard that FOX 'news' is played on channels for the military folks.. Not any wonder that some from January 6 were former military. Indoctrination.
They are in the official position to illuminate democracy, they have one year to arrange it. Biden must come forward to attack it, no more sitting on the sidelines
The world is so daring by not checking the characters of wrong people...here in African continent, no ever best candidate is chosen...yes the West has also aided in retaining political thugs to remain in power. Corruption is a strong network all over the world given that the right leaders are never given opportunity. The whole world is crying for leadership that is why the best leaders are seen as a big obstacle to looters.
The problem became worse in 2012; the linked text provides a number of suggestions for checking corruption (which has its own unique American character in our political system & which is corrosive the world over)...
No, we don't have to cave into thuggery. We do have a strong Police force in every State of the Union. I know a very small percentage of the police are thugs themselves and get more publicity than they deserve, but the majority of our police officers are Americans first and foremost, are dedicated to the law and willing to put themselves in danger to protect the US. We also have the National Guard who are our first line of defense against domestic terrorism. If, and this is a big IF, by chance the magats were capable of putting together a sufficiently large armed force to attack us, President Biden does have the right to call up the Military to defend the nation against all enemies foreign and domestic, and they have sworn an oath to do so.
If, by mischance or weakness of the GOP, Jordan should be voted in as Speaker we can demand closure of the House of Representative and the Federal Government has the right not to pay either salary or expenses of the members of the House.
We, meaning the voters, can demand, our demands of course will be ignored. As to the right not to pay, There is a law passed in the mid-20 teens by written by Congressman Dr. Ami Bera and signed into law by Barack Obama, that essentially says no work no pay. That the Federal Government can act upon.
sadly, Professor Reich, part of the problem is that people "get away" with criminal behavior daily, which makes it really difficult to have any faith in anyone or anything. USA politics and public life are just as jack london eloquently described as "the law of the club and fang" in his amazing book, the call of the wild.
The wildness needs to be called out, loud and clear. It’s not just about getting reelected for dissenters. Mitt Romney spent thousands of dollars a month on his and his family’s security. Election workers in Arizona resigned in droves because of threats received after certifying Bidens win. It’s already top to bottom. Mexico has drug cartels, we have MAGA Republicans.
The right is playing hardball while the left clings to softball.
JANUARY 6TH , 2021 IS THE DAY MAGA REPUBLICANS ATTEMPTED TO OVERTHROW THE UNITED STATES AND THE CONSTITUTION. THIS DAY , WHICH WILL LIVE ON INFAMY , UNFORTUNATELY MAY NOT BE MAGABILLIES LAST ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW OUR GOVERMENT!! MAGA REPUBLICANS ARE MODERN DAY NAZIS!
I am glad to see Robert Reich writing on this topic. Yesterday my Rep Wagner (MO2CD) reversed her position and declared she will support Jordan for House speaker. By empowering him she disempowers herself and others who would stand against Jordan.
The use of intimidation to try to get Jordan elected----this is how intimidation creates a juggernaut of fear and power which becomes more and more difficult to stop.
This handwringing about what MAGA people will do if Judge Chutkan should take action against Trump should he violate his gag order needs to stop. To make any considerations about the political consequences is not Chutkan's job. Our concern should be that the Judge and many others do their job, come what may.
The time to stand up against fear and intimidation is now. Not tomorrow when only a few with resolve form a White Rose as in Nazi Germany.
If Jordan becomes speaker it will speak volumes about how fear and power was used to flip so many Republican holdouts, and an indicator of worse to come.
I’ve thought violence is inevitable and we’ve seen it,
but we’re not done with it. Trump has known all along that democrats are reluctant to rile up his base to the point where they might get violent and he counted on that.
No one knows how these Trump court cases will play out, but the odds are we will have more violence. If anyone were to ask me, I would say that going forward we should be prepared for it and expect it.
As the metaphoric walls close in on Trump he will
get more frantic, and it will trigger his abusive & sadistic nature. He’ll feel compelled to inflict pain. Chances are he won’t be in a position to inflict pain himself, so he’ll manipulate his supporters to inflict pain for him. It’s inevitable.
Even though the judges involved already understand they have a duty to protect the public as well as court personnel and individual jurors, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for someone at DOJ to have a formal role as liaison, to keep in close touch with the judges, the
prosecutors, the FBI, Homeland security and local law enforcement to act as a clearinghouse and coordinator for information about what’s going on
and where it’s going on.
I also believe a show of overwhelming strength, immediately deployed at the first hint of violence
will go a long way toward discouraging Trump’s proxies in the future. Although Trump has already
received a lot of special handling because of his status as a former President, it’s important to keep
in mind that he became president with a lot of illegal help from Russia, without which he probably wouldn’t have won.
It’s past time to take off the kid gloves and treat him like any other criminal defendant. His presidency was a near-calamity for this nation and we’ll be cleaning up his messes for a long time.
If you haven't already done so, steveandjane, I'd suggest you call Rep. Wagner and strongly protest her change in position. It won't make her flip back, but at least she'll know her constituents are watching.
I and friends wrote her yesterday. She doesn't care. Her statement tries to put a good face on it. It includes her strong stance against human trafficking. That's always in the mix. Don't know many that support human trafficking. She is a perfect example, one of many, of how our political system has been corrupted by the Supreme Court and Citizens United. And get this. Her biggest donor last cycle is a company largely responsible for her advertising. Then there's Edward Jones, Vanguard !, the banking and finance industry. her district was gerrymandered last cycle and she is in a safe district now as the R's included rural areas. So our corporations keep these morons in power, who work to block action on climate change. It is a circle of Doom. I would not invest with Edward Jones. I would not stay on twitter. We must take personal responsibility.
Agree on all points, steveandjane. Here in Ohio, I've only gotten one answer to a letter to "Senator" Vance, and his reply was total rightwing BS, while he didn't budge on his position. His predecessor, Portman, was the same. Maybe one response, during an election year.
Both, I think. We as a nation are MUCH more dumbed-down than, say 40 years ago. And the current state of affairs in politics is drawing more of the....less endowed, intellectually speaking. Exhibits A and B: Gym Jordan and Lauren "4-tries-at-the-GED" Boebert.
Certainly, judge Evans Hughes formulates, almost in the same words the quote I found of George Orwell: the laws won't help without a sound public opinion.
And how to further a sound public opinion? Not be giving the media to the rich and the businesses.
I.F. Stone found this way out and dedicated his professionalism to Stones weekly, a paper all made by himself, without advertising or sponsors.
How should the U.S. overcome this problem? How to smash the power of capital in the media? I wish I knew the answer. But let's engage in thinking and trying...
Yes Tom. People can get news about what is going on in their own state by looking for their affiliate paper at https://statesnewsroom.com/ and spreading the word. You can write your Congress rep and ask them to support bills to make our media environment healthier. Antitrust is part of the answer. Europe likely has some answers for us.
To be clever, I say democracy doesn't die in darkness. It drowns in sewage. We are drowning.
Tom, vote for progressive Dems and tell your reps & senators to remove the incentive that’s driving
the corruption--money. The Citizens United decision
from the corrupt U.S. Supreme Crt. and the emergence of PACs pursuant to Citizens U is responsible for the flow of cash corrupting our government and our country.
What we have to do is pass legislation making all campaign contributions illegal and legally allowing
only public money for campaigning. It must be specifically worded in order to nullify Citizens U.
The FEC should collect campaign receipts and keeping a running tally of how much each candidate has spent. When the public funds are gone, that’s
it. There’s no more money allowed.
All members of the House & Senate must be made by law to put their assets in a blind trust and sign a pledge to not trade on the stock market as long as they are in Congress--before they can be seated.
As things stand now, we already have a corrupt Sup.
Crt--no question about it. The Court must be forced to adopt a formal Code of Ethics approved by the Senate. Justices who’ve been caught in unethical
schemes to buy their vote should be impeached. In
addition, four more Justices should be added to the Supreme Crt. in order to match the number of Justices with the number of Circuits.
The Federal Election Commission has members who’ve been corrupted and refuse to do their job
as documented by other members. Consequently
there should be a formal investigation and penalties for wrongdoing should be imposed. I don’t know exactly what these FEC members have done, but it probably has to do with foreign money, mostly
from Russia. Rand Paul, John Kennedy from Louisiana & Mitch McConnell have been extensively
involved with a man convicted of funneling illegal
foreign money into republican coffers.
All of the above information is available online. If I found it, anyone can find it.
The problem is this thuggery is okay with the wealthy donors who support the Republicans. The donors know that their interests can't appeal to a majority of voters, so they support whatever the fascists do to suppress democracy and prevent the government from from pursuing justice. The donors count on us not perceiving the wealthy as thugs. They look like gentlemen, and everyone would like their support. They own most of the USA.
Is it possible that the democracy that was so carefully crafted and ratified in 1778 is no longer able to enforce the ideal of the Common Good 250 years later? We all so dearly hope that the tide will turn with the next election, and I hope that is the case as vehemently as anyone else. Those in this forum unitedly hold our desire for the Common Good to prevail against the forces that are bringing fascism to our doorstep. Who could have imagined we would be facing such a crisis? Our constitution was supposed to protect us from such perilous waters.
But it is not the constitution that is at fault, it is that the forces of capitalism and the ultra-wealthy that have meticulously step by step with their own army of well-paid lawyers, consultants and paid-for-hire lawmakers that are undermining the principles of the constitution so that it is no longer able to be the bulwark for the Common Good. Our forefathers could have never imagined such a coordinated and vicious attack on the democracy they so carefully crafted with the belief that the Common Good would prevail. And it did for over 200 years.
The angry army of voters that support Trump’s version of fascism have had their anger building for decades. They felt left out of the increasing prosperity offered by the American Dream… and they were. Their Common Good was scrapped by the Republicans influenced by the long game of the Koch brothers and their cohorts whose highest values was to have the freedom to collect the greatest amount of wealth and to hell with the Common Good. Then along came a demagogue who could tap into their anger of those left out and blame it all on the Democrats. And, with jaw dropping speed the Common Good was sacrificed on the altar of greed and power.
Even if the Democrats prevail in the next election, that will not solve the problem of ongoing wealth inequality. We need to also plan for the long game, an evolution in democracy crafted to serve the Common Good where all get to share in the economic benefits of increasing prosperity, and enough political power is again vested in local communities to govern themselves and not be told whether or not women can have control over their own bodies and schools can create curriculums appropriate for their communities.
While our primary attention is riveted on the unfolding disasters around us and around the world, some of us must plan for a brighter future. I would suggest we consider a new form of Democracy based on local and cooperative ownership of wealth creating industries and agriculture. To do this, appropriate local autonomy must be envisioned.
Just as Martin Luthier King said “I have a dream” and before him Theodore Herzl said “If you will it, it is not a dream,” some of us must be willing to dream an evolved form of Democracy with provisions to ensure the prevalence of the Common Good. We cannot endure under a regime where thuggery prevails. When government by thugs finally fails, and it will, we must be able to come forward with the next evolution of democracy, an Economic Democracy where all share in the increasing prosperity. If we will it, it will not be just a dream. When the grip of capitalism falls, and I truly believe it will, we must be ready.
Nancy, here are some excerpts from an article by Joseph Stiglitz, a Professor at Columbia University and chief economist at the Roosevelt Institute. He received the Nobel prize in economics in 2001. He chaired President Bill Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers from 1995 to 1997 and served as the chief economist and senior vice president of the World Bank from 1997 to 2000.
The article is published in Scientific American, 11/1/18. The title: “The American Economy Is Rigged” I recommend reading it.
1. “Economic inequality is higher in the U.S. than in virtually all other advanced countries.
2. The American political system, coupled with high initial inequality, gave the moneyed enough political influence to change laws to benefit themselves, further exacerbating inequality.
3. Breaking this feedback loop by curbing the power of money in politics is essential to reducing inequality and restoring hope.”
“Since the mid-1970s the rules of the economic game have been rewritten, both globally and nationally, in ways that advantage the rich and disadvantage the rest. And they have been rewritten further in this perverse direction in the U.S. than in other developed countries—even though the rules in the U.S. were already less favorable to workers. From this perspective, increasing inequality is a matter of choice: a consequence of our policies, laws and regulations.”
“A vicious spiral has formed: economic inequality translates into political inequality, which leads to rules that favor the wealthy, which in turn reinforces economic inequality.”
“There is no magic bullet to remedy a problem as deep-rooted as America's inequality. Its origins are largely political, so it is hard to imagine meaningful change without a concerted effort to take money out of politics—through, for instance, campaign finance reform. Blocking the revolving doors by which regulators and other government officials come from and return to the same industries they regulate and work with is also essential.”
“Beyond that, we need more progressive taxation and high-quality federally funded public education, including affordable access to universities for all, no ruinous loans required. We need modern competition laws to deal with the problems posed by 21st-century market power and stronger enforcement of the laws we do have. We need labor laws that protect workers and their rights to unionize. We need corporate governance laws that curb exorbitant salaries bestowed on chief executives, and we need stronger financial regulations that will prevent banks from engaging in the exploitative practices that have become their hallmark. We need better enforcement of antidiscrimination laws: it is unconscionable that women and minorities get paid a mere fraction of what their white male counterparts receive. We also need more sensible inheritance laws that will reduce the intergenerational transmission of advantage and disadvantage.”
Nancy, I’m glad you asked that question and my short answer is Economic Democracy as proposed by P.R. Sarkar. To find out what that is I would refer you to two sources:
"As a practical matter, though, what is she to do if his attacks continue? Throw Trump in jail and put his MAGA base into a frenzy?"
Yes.
Trump the actor plays the archetypal role of martyr. Jail can make a martyr.
From jail, Fidel Castro’s, "History will absolve me" helped a 24 carat phony become a dictator. Hitler wrote Mein Kamph from jail.....
I like fines. If they double for every offense the potential future result for Trump is financial infinity.
I think the civil trial in NY is actually more threatening to Trump's massive ego than martyrdom.
Daniel, I do like your idea of infinite fines. That is so much more satisfying than jail for an ignoramus like Trump. To watch him lose part of his kingdom every time he forgets what he is saying and falls back on the lines his handlers have given him and insults the wrong person would be great, considering the harm he has done to this nation. It seems to me, starting with $500,000 would be good, then doubling it with every subsequent insult, threat, or other breech of the order. Yep, I like it!
Fines will just be paid by the MAGA cult members as Trump's fat ass sachets on thorough his phony rallies, begging for donations. .
Carolyn, that would be OK because when the fines go up, the cult might realize that it is a black hole they are tossing their money into and may give Trump up to his own dementia.
One can hope but it is doubtful because they believe Trump was sent from God. Not sure which God but I am guessing he was sent by the God of Evil.
Beliefs in gods are just superstitions. Trump, however, thinks he is a god, above the law. This belief needs to be debunked by locking him up.
Look up, in the SCRIPTURES,
The Definition of :
THE. REPROBATE. HEART !!
( Our. LORD !, .....HAVE MERCY !!, On Us, ......ALL !
Four sets of indictments; 91 felonies. Guilty of sexual assault in a civil case. If his cult doesn't realize their money is going into a black hole now, they never will.
Whenever he is found guilty, if the law allows for incarceration, then lock him up! That might be the only effective punishment.
This has not born out, to date. They were enrolled in reoccurring donations without their consent (scam), but that didn't wake them up. They continue to donate in response to every situation Trump can exploit to request more donations...
Don't allow the MAGA base to atone for the crimes of Trump. Lock him up!
Not necessarily. NOT ONLY is covid STILL ripping through their ranks, BUT ALSO they are Bunkerboy is BANKRUPTING THEM! Can't send money if you can't even afford rice to eat!
but they could put liens on his property!!!!! That might kill him to have that happen!!!
That would be the icing on the cake, especially if it did what you suggests it may do. wink! wink!
Unfortunately, I think you are right...
Yes, money is his God. He is not a religious or moral person. And yes, of course his supporters will have to pay his fines but maybe they will get sick of it. Bottom line It's always about the money and power. No money, no power.
The. MAMMONITES ! , Rule ! ...
IN !, Their godFORSAKEN
Filthy ( bubble ) Earth !!
Nope. Fines will not work with Trump, never have, never will. But take away his freedom, and that might work.
The "pro-Temp" speaker has powers over the functionality of the Housie but he lacks real clout. The guy holds a wooden gavel what he needs is Thor's Hammer. Holding on to that thought just maybe we could get the country back on track.
If the "track" you want is the one House Republicans are on, No Thank You. Look ahead, they're heading towards a cliff, with DT at the control, full speed ahead. The Midterms didn't teach them Anything!
Miss bit--2 who?--- Anyone need an abortion? How about the entire Republican party. How do you figure I want anything to do with any track involving the Republican party.
Daniel Solomon ; What if the deep pockets of the fascist world keeps pumping in the money to pay fines as 'the cost of doing business'? What happens to US in the meantime? Is MAGA our HAMAS?
Go on over to Opensecrets.org. Look at who is funding these thugs. Call them out. MAGA is a few thugs. I will be damned if I will be frightened by them.
Black Shirts, every one of them.
Laurie, that is an interesting consideration, however, they will get sick of paying for a jerk in hopes somehow he might get re-elected. The media could help here by loudly publicizing every single fine and the government program it will support or something like that. Fascists won't want to support our government prograams.
Ruth ; In case you are not looking, these thugs are taking over. Action by our DOJ should have taken place YEARS ago! What do you think Gym Jordan is going to do as Speaker? Congress controls the 'purse'. Ukraine is a Democracy in peril. If funding is withdrawn and it is taken, it won't be long before another country ; maybe a NATO member gets attacked. As members of NATO, we must get involved. Use your imagination to think of the possible future scenarios. We should have leaders who can deal with these thugs while it is possible to do so. We need defense against enemies, foreign, and DOMESTIC ! ; NOW!
Laurie, I think Jordan is a coward and a thug. He has nothing to offer anyone, but plays himself as a strongman, but in reality, he couldn't even stand up for the young men on the team he was coaching. Right there, that says what kind of Speaker he will be, appalling! My guess is that Republicans don't have the courage to actually run for Speaker if they have integrity. They don't believe in this nation despite their patriotic whining. Jordan is the symptom of a serious problem of a major political party with no soul, no purpose except to disrupt, even destroy, while addicted to money and power. That does not bode well for any of us. Do I think Jordan will support Ukraine, not if he can help it because he is a strong man lover and Putey fits the bill. I just hope I am wrong about Republican lack of courage and that someone, a Republican with integrity, rare as that is, will stand up right there on the floor and nominate himself/herself as Speaker and win. That would be a step in the right direction, although the journey ahead is long.
I don’t see any Rethugs with integrity. Those who have some have left the scene, or intend to (Romney). The MAGA cult is an insurgency bent on destroying democracy, and needs to be treated as an enemy, and not called a ‘political party.’
Ruth: Those few who have captured Congress are disabled by their disqualification. They are unfit for office. If there is any way to enforce the Constitution's section 3 of the 14th Amendment, there is the remedy.. we should not allow the corrupt lawyers who helped the thugs into power, win. Tfg has, most likely, shared classified documents with the worst of the world. We need them out of government ASAP! We have the Constitution: In black and white. Very clear! They are the enemy!
Ruth: "The journey ahead is long." If we still have a country, or " a Republic, that we have kept" . We have the Executive. It is time for our Commander in Chief to huddle with his best advisors . He probably already has, and continues to. Must we be in a 'hot war' 🔥 for him to declare war powers? I think we are there. There have been numerous mass shootings that increase all the time. Thugs are overrunning our House. our National Security is breached. The thief will run for office!? C'mon!, there Must be a remedy! SOON.!
a tree is known by the fruit it bears! and as Mr. Reich has pointed out, here... it is the voters that have to be convinced otherwise. It will take a majority of Republican to publicly go against the maga cult, and that will require willingness to sacrifice their positions in congress (positions of power), for the greater good! If that were to happen, I still don't believe the maga cult would be swayed.
Agree! Jordan is the same kind of thug trump is, without the finesse! Jordan IS trump! Why keep putting off the inevitable? Do your jobs, activate the National Guard and begin the arrests!
Ruth, I hope you are right
Jim Jordan has been handed the task of putting Donald "Humpty Dumpty" Trump back together again. Laying in pieces at the base of his great, never-completed, border wall the tarnished remains of the past president have "Made in China" stamped on all his worldly possessions. He speaks of American productivity but he uses Chinese labor to make the products he manufactures overseas in an effort to find cheap labor, sidestepping the American labor market. Trump was more suited to enter the medical profession due to his extensive understanding of the human body. He would have found peace in the conditions offered in this field after taking the "Hypocritical oath" which the man seems to live by. Jim and Don have a unique relationship seeing as how one excreted the other. I can't tell them apart because they both stink, you decide which one forgot to flush.
Absolutely!
100%
Trump is first and formost a material man. Loss of his phallic symbol, Trump Tower, will turn him to jelly. To jail him is to empower him.
Daniel, yes, jail would make Trump a kind of martyr and does nothing to solve the problem of his presence on the political scene. However, the cash penalty would help shut him up because the loss of funds would mean he wouldn't be able to pay the guys who currently feed him the stupid stuff he whines in his speeches, which now make almost no sense, but alas, his cult does not care. The bullying tone of voice he uses wins them every time. Words, sentences that make sense, who needs them!
Daniel ; tfg does not pay his bills, anyway.
He had to pay $25 million for his Trump University case, $2 Mil to DOL fine for using illegals on his job sites, had to pay in many other cases. Right now he is playing "ladders"in about 20 civil lawsuits. The NY civil fraud liquidated damages are $250 million, which he does not have. Execution on judgments may include forcing him to vacate Mar a Lago. His club members may become his creditors. Rudy Giuliani is potentially a creditor.
IMHO he is more concerned with the revelation that he has a small mushroom shaped penus and that he will lose his phallic symbols, etc. than jail, which is probably part of his path to martyrdom.
The media is mesmerized by the eye of the snake and his flicking tongue.
they haven't yet
Yes, Ruth : They hate the Common good.!
MAGA is our version of Hitler "Brown Shirts". Look to the 1930s Germany for clues explaining what's happening now in America & where we're heading.
In fact, the international scene is very similar, too, with the rise of authoritarianism, imperialism & aggression.
Walking Zombies--It seems there is an element within our government that has attracted a number of unscrupulous individuals who have been infected with a particularly nasty form of a virus. The mental abilities of these stricken souls seem to be continually deteriorating due to the corrosive agents found in the disinfectants they had injected into their systems at Trump's request. Brain activity in these congressional stooges seems to have completely subsided but the people from their respective states still found it within their hearts to elect these zombies to positions within the party. Fortunately the injected liquids contained trace chemicals that have acted similarly to embalming fluids allowing these dead members of Congress to remain in their seats for the time being, The problem lies in these catatonic members beginning to turn "Greene" over time. It seems as putrefaction sets in they gain more and more influence within their party. Trump remains in command of his walking dead.
No thug has $100,000,000 to waste on a LOSER like him! They will sacrifice him when the price is too high, MAGAts be damned.
I like that statement, Trump is the United States HAMAS. It is so true and Maga's are HAMAS as well. Trump and his maga cult don't care who they hurt or kill. They are terrorists. They hate anyone who disagrees with them or holds them accountable. Trump, if elected, (I shutter at the thought) will pardon all. Most will have to leave the Country to remain safe. And the Democratic middle class/working/retired class will end up on the streets if their income is Social Security and a small pension. We cannot let a thug become a dictator.
Any conservative christian,jews, muslims, hindus and so on are just a version of Hamas.Sadly the USA has a very high proportion of these conservatives!!
GOD HELP THE USA!
I thought of that earlier today that the Proud Boys were our Hamas.
absolutely!
100%
Jail will also remove the wireless device.
Yes. He could (and probably would) run away to another country to escape jail, but he can't so easily evade paying huge fines.
He would either move with his boyfriend in North Korea, or make a threesome with Melania, and Putskin, since the three of them already actively work very closely together remotely. Am I the only one who thinks that Melania is his translator
Dumbass
Fleeing the US would be the best thing he could do for the security of this country. I would hope he would wait until just before the election! Just do us this 1 little favor Donny!
I wonder how long it would take before he wanders too close to an open window...
Putin doesn't seem the type to tolerate nonstop nonsense.
You gonna make it Bruh? Sound vaccinated.
Delusional dumbass
Precisely.
I don't think so. I like the idea but suspect he will simply do what he always does - drags out in the courts ad infinitum. I want him in a jail cell. Period. Let the MAGAs riot.
Trump owes so many contractors, attorneys, etc. money. He doesn't pay! Another fine won't do anything. He just doesn't care!
You are missing the drama at the NY civil fraud trial. He is obviously more concerned with it than anything......can lose his phallic symbol.
He is worried about losing Trump Tower, etc., the Trump name will no longer be the money maker. True.
Making Mr. Trump pay with his own money would probably be worse than throwing him in jail!! He will keep asking his slobbering base to donate, but eventually they will stop or slow down to a trickle and he will be in the soup!
It's hard to argue with a judge, but Hitler was a free man when he hijacked the Weimar Republic in 1933. Also, either Trump won't pay his fines, or his base will pay them for him, and the charade will continue. And then what? Surely, at some point it has to be jail.
Actually I still doubt that he will ever stand trial. Next year in Abu Dhabi.
Hit him hard where it hurts, in his pseudo fat wallet.
Fines won't stop Trump since he won't have to pay them, if ever, until after a long appeal process during which he'll continue to publicly foam at the mouth. The (bad) actor can act tough about going to jail but if he actually has to do the time, he'll fold like one of his classless suits.
this is consistent with the point that Mr. Reich is making... it is succumbing to the threats of maga colt followers.
Fines will be effective only if rump pays them, which he won't. If his money can't be collected, then his time must be taken, HaMAGAs be damned.
Easy to collect. Liens on all his properties can garnish all his accounts.
Liens on properties are only effective at attempts to transfer ownership. rump might be crazy and narcissistic, but he is smart enough to hire the right people to protect his nest egg from just about anybody, courts included.
Trump is old. Just keep him in jail long enough for him to be out of the running for office.
I think he should be fined $130,000,000. He IS a billionaire, yeah? And the hilarity of adding the "130" is just karma.
Yes Daniel, but the difference is, Trump has already been President and the majority of Americans know what a colossal disaster that was. We also know he isn’t good at writing. His strength (if you can call it that) is his ability to manipulate people verbally. His behavior is much like an out of control child, so he should be put in an extended time-out in prison.
If he’s free to agitate and motivate his supporters he’ll do it. He’ll also tighten his grip on House
republicans and dictate what they should do. His influence on the House as ex-president is causing governmental chaos & dysfunction now-we can’t
let it continue. As long as Trump is free to verbally manipulate people and GOP operatives enhance & widely distribute his warped reality, we have to assume every mentally unstable individual in America who receives his message of violence will act out.
Trump should be treated as if he’s a Russian
weapon, because that’s what he is. Without
Russia’s help Trump probably wouldn’t have been elected. He’s the modern equivalent of the Trojan Hoarse--a weapon meant to destroy government from within. Powerful Republican party decision-makers are using Trump just as much as Russia is with the same goal in mind: destroy American democracy, convert America’s assets and wealth
to their own personal use and establish an oligarchy
with all of the necessary violence, assassinations and oppression necessary to keep it going.
American corporations, especially corporations that control the media are assisting with the government destruction and takeover, ostensibly because they are blinded by their greed. Powerful mainstream media should’ve been exposing republican corruption all along, similar to the way they exposed
Watergate, with a slight alteration of the key phrase
that was made emblematic of the Watergate era:
Follow the Russian money.
You gotta find his money first !!!
Michael Hutchinson ; Yes indeed ; Here is where the rubber meets the road! We can't just let them have their way! Otherwise, how many innocents will be murdered and terrorized while we have criminals running this country!?
Yes Ann keep prosecuting thugs, like now. And vote pro constitution.
My answer too. And I’d add a long time ago. What kind of people are we I keep asking myself. We die a slow death of angst rather than stand up against the rot of our government and corporate greed. What kind of people are we?
Absolutely! Trump should've been placed in jail long ago as a national security risk. We have to enforce the law.
Remember that the chancellor placed Hitler in a high position of authority in his government, & it didn't take long after that for Hitler to accumulate total power. Gym Jordan behaves like the Nazis did. He threatens & intimidates colleagues into following his orders. We know that under Nazi Gym Jordan, nothing good will get done. He'll weaponize the House just like he has weaponized his committee, spending his time trying to impeach & expel Biden & other Democrats (when it's Republican seditionists like him that require expulsion), which is meant to undermine Biden's reputation enough so that Trump can beat him, & also use stochastic terrorism to incite MAGA followers to assassinate Biden, Kamala & other Democratic lawmakers (don't think he wouldn't!)
YES YES YES. HELL YES! He is a CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER to every AMERICAN living in America! UNTIL he gets locked up, violence WILL continue and his speech WILL become worse.
WHY are they so f- blind?!?
This sort of thing is the fear factor. It is the question of intimidation elisiting fear and dread. And remember when trump disparages with words like thug , it is his foolish attempt to detract from fact that he is the the real thug.
Ah yes.....projection!! I am not afraid of him or any of his colleagues that try to intimidate. We are Americans and men and women have fought and died so that we can be a Democracy!! I will NOT give that up no matter what those idiots say!
ABSOLUTELY!! BIDEN WILL GET THE ARMY OUT AND THROW THEM ALL IN JAIL!!
Nah.
As one vulture said to another "Patience phooey! I'm gonna kill something!" How bad does it have to get?!!
Nero Wolfe fan, maybe?
No to that Veronica - that is just what Trump and his rabid MAGA thugs would do to citizens as did the nazi’s! I despise Trump and his corrupt and duped supporters but we must use our laws to keep our democracy intact!
One can certainly dream he would have the guts to do that! Remember: MAGAts make up only 40% of the meager 25% in America that are registered Insurrectionists.
That is TEN PERCENT.
Veronica Von Bernath Morra : That would be Truly Great! If only!
There is going to be violence. It should be dealt with BEFORE MAGA strengthens its power. We have to be prepared for it.
Tempting, tempting. However, don't think that repetitive public reminders to Trump have no value. They do. When my young son was obstinate, a family counselor suggested I practice time outs. I asked what if he continues to do the same, regardless. He said,
"Then take him right back to time out over and over until he gets it. Do not lose your cool, be firm but not angry." It worked!
Consistency always pays off. No matter how many times we stand up to these people, we have to continue to do so. Yes, people are tired, stressed, and just want all of this to go away. Over time, with a consistent NO, things will begin to get back to normal or as normal as it can be!
Move his trial date up a date for each violation plus fining him for each violation.
I agree Michael and would like to see that in that it would show Trump and the world that our rule of law is what is most important to this democracy. Unfortunately there is the fear of huge unrest from the rabid MAGA right that the judge wisely takes into account. I am still shocked and dismayed by the number of citizens that still believe and cling to this maniacal self centered boor of a man!
The rabidity of the MAGA base is all the more reason to be strict with Trump. We can wring our hands all we want, but the fact remains that 35% of the US population would lie down in traffic for Trump, Gym Jordan is about to become House speaker, the Capitol has already been sacked, and things are beginning to look like Germany in 1933.
For Trump read Hitler, for MAGATs read the 35% of the German population who were National Socialists in 1933, for Gym Jordan read Hermann Goering, and for the assault on the Capitol read the burning down of the Reichstag.
We don't have to wait for Jordan to start purging House Democrats, we already know this nightmare is real.
History repeats.
Yes Michael, his MAGA base is already in a frenzy, they have been since he lost the election and they will continue until either Trump is wiped out or the National Guard takes them on.
I would like to see the MAGA base in another frenzy. But fines are fine.
Yeah, why not put him in jail, or fine him so much he will feel it. Us Attorney Chuck Rosenburg was on Morning Joe and was handwringing about it. Mika and Joe were having none of that handwringing. Good for them.
Yes and yes. That’s exactly what she does! Those idiots are not going to do anything because they know they will be there too after Jan 6. Put them all in jail!
“Ninety years ago, these sorts of people wore black shirts or brown shirts or red armbands with swastikas, and their hateful lies and threats silenced the publics of several nations.”
Yes, Professor, these sorts of people, Americans, are no different. This was the saddest realization of the Trump era, that millions of our countrymen are fascist cult followers, prepared to trash our Constitution and our traditions for an autocracy of white Christian nationalism.
Trump has demolished the social contract, and all our norms of civil behavior. His behavior threatens our confidence in society on the most basic level. Why should we expect other drivers on the road to obey traffic safety laws if they restrain their free passage or inconvenience them? How can we trust merchants not to abuse our credit cards? Will the post office deliver our mail if they can invent reasons not to? Should we expect our employers or our customers to pay us after we have performed our tasks? Trump has called everything into question, and has modeled a behavior for his cult that is toxic to America.
We have STAGE 5 Ethical Cancer spreading across our country!
TRUE...AND SO VERY SAD!!
Kerry, yes, Trump has been a poison or infection in our democracy. A truth "antifascistotic" could help. It could be our media, but they have mostly given up and left the work to Fox et al which is part of the infection. Disgusting!
Agreed Kerry - I keep going back to the day Joe Biden was declared the winner of 2020 election. While glad of the outcome, I was truly dismayed, bewildered, stunned that 70 million + continued to support this fraud of a man after all of his outrageous lies and crimes!
Most frightening to me is that these are the same people who are gun fanatics.
Funny how that works, isn’t it? That the most retrograde people in society tend to adopt gun fetishes?
Astounding how one of the worst candidates for House Speaker, Jim Jordan, has risen from the pile of dung on the Republican side of the aisle.
If he gets in, expect #RepubloFascism to bury American democracy - until outrage brings a massive blue wave a little more than a year from now.
Garland could but won't investigate Jordan for Jan 6.
Jordan's House Justice Committee is also probably performing obstruction of his own case!
I wanna know why Gym Jordan has not been subpoenaed to testify in NY and GA re his attempts to obstruct state judicial proceedings. He even held hearings in NY.
“Your attempt to invoke congressional authority to intrude upon and interfere with an active criminal case in Georgia is flagrantly at odds with the Constitution,” Fani Willis wrote in the nine-page letter, which accuses Jordan of lacking a “basic understanding of the law,” including the law regarding state sovereignty.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/09/07/fani-willis-jim-jordan-trump-prosecution/
Daniel, do you think everyone is that scared of Jordan they won't do anything to stop him? Do they not realize he is a menace and could do a lot of harm as Speaker in 15 or so months? What is it with Garland. I had thought him a good choice for Attorney General, but I am less and less enamored with him as time goes by. He is almost like Gerald Ford light, I guess hoping all this will go away if he doesn't push the investigations and charges. Everyone is focused on Trump, but what about the rest of his insurgent crew, you know the behind-the-scenes crew. Trump is simply not smart or clever enough to have planned the whole event and we know there were a bunch of meetings about it. My guess and the guess of a whole lot of people is that Jordan was in the thick of things, probably from the beginning. He craves power but wants to do as little as possible to get it. He'd rather others like Trump give it to him.
1. Hoping not "everyone."
2. Garland was and continues to be a wuss.
3. My ol' pappy was a DA and I learned early on to go after the low hanging fruit.... Garland still doesn't want to do it.
Maybe they are afraid Gymnasium, (Jimnasium?), will send his liddle RAPIST friends on them? [sic]
Oooo Daniel, I hadn't thought of the rape squad as a potential threat. I thought they were stuck in Ohio with the people who care about nothing and no one (as far as I can see).
Daniel Solomon ; "Garland could but won't investigate Jordan for Jan 6." Garland is threatened by the same mob, and is most likely, unwilling to do what should have been done long ago.
I don't think Garland is motivated by fear of MAGA.
Apparently someone is or Jim Jordan would not be considered for speaker and Trump would NOT be allowed to run for President.
Cockless pricks. Jive cowards. Punks. I wouldn't let any of them in the back door. Whoever has sex with them? Worms? And remember, Trump just said that Republicans eat their children.
😱
I agree, but I not sure what is holding him back. It doesn't seem to me to be lack of evidence of Jordan's involvement in Jan 6!
How can Jordan threaten those who oppose him with a Primary? How can he now change the vote to expose who is voting against him? He isn't in charge! That is not Democracy!
He is Trump's chump and faceman.
But how does Jordan have so much control? He is not in charge!
The other MAGAT House members know he speaks for Trump.
My yesterday’s comment of Professor Reich as Speaker of the House because he is quick and just and true was just a flight of thought: but sometimes for the sake of contrast it doesn’t hurt to imagine.
Hard to do worse when your opponent goes on the public record describing himself as "Like David Duke without the baggage-"...
> = |
Rishi, but it seems Jordan is also a David Duke without the courage. Jordan whines more and blames others a lot, but like Duke, beyond racism, misogyny, and xenophobia, Jordan has nothing to offer anyone but Thugtown and that is minimal unless he gets elected Speaker.
Yes, just meaning to say that it is astounding(ly bad), but not surprising...
= D
Right... but what will we have left? We need to overwhelm this minority of thugs with the power of our voices, pens and protests now!
Write letters, sign petitions and VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!!
Biden is going to Israel. The Speaker of the House is 2nd in succession to the President. If we don't HAVE a Speaker, will succession fall to Patty Murray, President Pro-Tem of the Senate? If we can't get a sane Speaker, maybe a little more delay isn't the worst thing? I'm not sure; what do y'all think?
I don't think Biden should risk going to Israel. He could get killed. We can't risk that.
Yes, even with excellent security, he could get killed. He could also get killed falling in the White House shower! Biden's not afraid to do what he thinks is right, even at personal risk! I admire that!
Totally agreed. We'll put!
The alternative for going to Israel is staying home and safe, and eventually drifting into the oblivion of Alzheimer's. He can make a difference there and he trusts Kamela Harris. He will not go gentle into that good night. Before today my opinion of him has been mixed but now, god dammit I love that man.
I agree that it is a risk. Trust me: Israel wil protect him to the utmost best of their ability. If something horrible happens, Kamala. Harris is ready to lead.
Kamala Harris is READY to lead!!
Todd Telford ; If we are allowed to vote and have it counted, or, at this rate, ignored.
Astounding for a reasonable, functioning society, but in a party full of fascist kakistocrats, it's what we have come to expect, & has been happening time after time in recent years.
We cannot wait for a year to go by, it gives them time to prepare, and when the vote comes in they will deny it and establish their own cult
In the World according to Trump you do! What is the latest from the FPOTUS?
This P.O.S., Donald Trump, called American Generals "some of the dumbest people I've ever met in my life" in a babbling speech to his followers in Iowa Monday.
This from a man who never served in the military!
I wonder how our military men and women feel about his latest verbal diarrhea!
And from another of America’s worst. Tommy Tuberville, Senator from Alabama, went on Kimberly Guilfoyle's podcast to discuss his views to defend his refusal to allow military promotions to be brought to the floor of the Senate for a vote. Despite never serving in the military, for months Tuberville has complained that the US military has "gone woke" and gotten soft over the past 3 years under Biden.
The world is watching and scratching their heads!.I am in Europe. I am unwilling (ashamed) to be American right now. This is very painful!!
A friend told me her brother in law thinks it’s Biden that has “ruined the military”. I have no more information than that, but just the idea makes my blood boil.
Keep the Faith in our President and our Military
Of course. He's likely listening to this propaganda. Some of this is Putin's doing. Russia has a large and influential propaganda machine that functions around the world.
The opposition are blaming everything on Biden. They even blame Biden for Hamas bombing Israel.
I had heard that FOX 'news' is played on channels for the military folks.. Not any wonder that some from January 6 were former military. Indoctrination.
This one’s over 65. I’m sure he got it from FOX - or maybe his kids from a first marriage. He moved to Missouri to be closer to them…
That person can go......you know where!
I agree, but it’s not MY brother in law, so I can’t. (Never even met the guy, thank god)
The trumpers are attacking the national military, the first stage of overrunning democracy. Be alert America or you will get run over
Also if Jim Jordan is elected Speaker of the House he will be third in line to be President!
Yes, Trump’s Junkyard Dog would be 3rd in line to the most powerful position in the free world. That is something to be very concerned about!
Why are attempted coup seditionists still in our halls of government?
Ask Garland's DOJ.
They are in the official position to illuminate democracy, they have one year to arrange it. Biden must come forward to attack it, no more sitting on the sidelines
Illuminate or eliminate?
Jim Jordan is a traitor to the United States and unfit to have any official position. Lock him up... throw away the key.
Jim Jordan is just another perforated colostomy bag in the Outhouse of Incongruous.
Excellent! Love it!!
The world is so daring by not checking the characters of wrong people...here in African continent, no ever best candidate is chosen...yes the West has also aided in retaining political thugs to remain in power. Corruption is a strong network all over the world given that the right leaders are never given opportunity. The whole world is crying for leadership that is why the best leaders are seen as a big obstacle to looters.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11814478-republic-lost
The problem became worse in 2012; the linked text provides a number of suggestions for checking corruption (which has its own unique American character in our political system & which is corrosive the world over)...
No, we don't have to cave into thuggery. We do have a strong Police force in every State of the Union. I know a very small percentage of the police are thugs themselves and get more publicity than they deserve, but the majority of our police officers are Americans first and foremost, are dedicated to the law and willing to put themselves in danger to protect the US. We also have the National Guard who are our first line of defense against domestic terrorism. If, and this is a big IF, by chance the magats were capable of putting together a sufficiently large armed force to attack us, President Biden does have the right to call up the Military to defend the nation against all enemies foreign and domestic, and they have sworn an oath to do so.
If, by mischance or weakness of the GOP, Jordan should be voted in as Speaker we can demand closure of the House of Representative and the Federal Government has the right not to pay either salary or expenses of the members of the House.
It doesn't work like that.
Who is "we can demand?" What are you talking about?
We, meaning the voters, can demand, our demands of course will be ignored. As to the right not to pay, There is a law passed in the mid-20 teens by written by Congressman Dr. Ami Bera and signed into law by Barack Obama, that essentially says no work no pay. That the Federal Government can act upon.
AMEN TO THIS. MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY.
IT IS HORRIBLE TO HAVE FOREIGNERS ASKING :
"HOW CAN THIS BE HAPPENING IN AMERICA?"
sadly, Professor Reich, part of the problem is that people "get away" with criminal behavior daily, which makes it really difficult to have any faith in anyone or anything. USA politics and public life are just as jack london eloquently described as "the law of the club and fang" in his amazing book, the call of the wild.
The wildness needs to be called out, loud and clear. It’s not just about getting reelected for dissenters. Mitt Romney spent thousands of dollars a month on his and his family’s security. Election workers in Arizona resigned in droves because of threats received after certifying Bidens win. It’s already top to bottom. Mexico has drug cartels, we have MAGA Republicans.
The right is playing hardball while the left clings to softball.
JANUARY 6TH , 2021 IS THE DAY MAGA REPUBLICANS ATTEMPTED TO OVERTHROW THE UNITED STATES AND THE CONSTITUTION. THIS DAY , WHICH WILL LIVE ON INFAMY , UNFORTUNATELY MAY NOT BE MAGABILLIES LAST ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW OUR GOVERMENT!! MAGA REPUBLICANS ARE MODERN DAY NAZIS!
I am glad to see Robert Reich writing on this topic. Yesterday my Rep Wagner (MO2CD) reversed her position and declared she will support Jordan for House speaker. By empowering him she disempowers herself and others who would stand against Jordan.
The use of intimidation to try to get Jordan elected----this is how intimidation creates a juggernaut of fear and power which becomes more and more difficult to stop.
This handwringing about what MAGA people will do if Judge Chutkan should take action against Trump should he violate his gag order needs to stop. To make any considerations about the political consequences is not Chutkan's job. Our concern should be that the Judge and many others do their job, come what may.
The time to stand up against fear and intimidation is now. Not tomorrow when only a few with resolve form a White Rose as in Nazi Germany.
If Jordan becomes speaker it will speak volumes about how fear and power was used to flip so many Republican holdouts, and an indicator of worse to come.
I agree Steveandjan. Throughout this era of Trump
I’ve thought violence is inevitable and we’ve seen it,
but we’re not done with it. Trump has known all along that democrats are reluctant to rile up his base to the point where they might get violent and he counted on that.
No one knows how these Trump court cases will play out, but the odds are we will have more violence. If anyone were to ask me, I would say that going forward we should be prepared for it and expect it.
As the metaphoric walls close in on Trump he will
get more frantic, and it will trigger his abusive & sadistic nature. He’ll feel compelled to inflict pain. Chances are he won’t be in a position to inflict pain himself, so he’ll manipulate his supporters to inflict pain for him. It’s inevitable.
Even though the judges involved already understand they have a duty to protect the public as well as court personnel and individual jurors, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for someone at DOJ to have a formal role as liaison, to keep in close touch with the judges, the
prosecutors, the FBI, Homeland security and local law enforcement to act as a clearinghouse and coordinator for information about what’s going on
and where it’s going on.
I also believe a show of overwhelming strength, immediately deployed at the first hint of violence
will go a long way toward discouraging Trump’s proxies in the future. Although Trump has already
received a lot of special handling because of his status as a former President, it’s important to keep
in mind that he became president with a lot of illegal help from Russia, without which he probably wouldn’t have won.
It’s past time to take off the kid gloves and treat him like any other criminal defendant. His presidency was a near-calamity for this nation and we’ll be cleaning up his messes for a long time.
P.S. In order to do what I’ve outlined above we’ll
have to have a Dem majority in both the Senate and the House and a Dem President, and that may happen sooner than we think. If I were in charge,
I would have drafts of bills ready before the next presidential election in 2024.
If you haven't already done so, steveandjane, I'd suggest you call Rep. Wagner and strongly protest her change in position. It won't make her flip back, but at least she'll know her constituents are watching.
I and friends wrote her yesterday. She doesn't care. Her statement tries to put a good face on it. It includes her strong stance against human trafficking. That's always in the mix. Don't know many that support human trafficking. She is a perfect example, one of many, of how our political system has been corrupted by the Supreme Court and Citizens United. And get this. Her biggest donor last cycle is a company largely responsible for her advertising. Then there's Edward Jones, Vanguard !, the banking and finance industry. her district was gerrymandered last cycle and she is in a safe district now as the R's included rural areas. So our corporations keep these morons in power, who work to block action on climate change. It is a circle of Doom. I would not invest with Edward Jones. I would not stay on twitter. We must take personal responsibility.
Agree on all points, steveandjane. Here in Ohio, I've only gotten one answer to a letter to "Senator" Vance, and his reply was total rightwing BS, while he didn't budge on his position. His predecessor, Portman, was the same. Maybe one response, during an election year.
Yes, Big Corp is in control.
What a zero Vance turned out to be. Is society producing more of his type or more of them just find int a way into politics?
Both, I think. We as a nation are MUCH more dumbed-down than, say 40 years ago. And the current state of affairs in politics is drawing more of the....less endowed, intellectually speaking. Exhibits A and B: Gym Jordan and Lauren "4-tries-at-the-GED" Boebert.
gas, food, and housing.
Lock him up!
Certainly, judge Evans Hughes formulates, almost in the same words the quote I found of George Orwell: the laws won't help without a sound public opinion.
And how to further a sound public opinion? Not be giving the media to the rich and the businesses.
I.F. Stone found this way out and dedicated his professionalism to Stones weekly, a paper all made by himself, without advertising or sponsors.
How should the U.S. overcome this problem? How to smash the power of capital in the media? I wish I knew the answer. But let's engage in thinking and trying...
Vote for PROGRESSIVE Dems who are not beholden to corporations & PACs for campaign monies.
Yes Tom. People can get news about what is going on in their own state by looking for their affiliate paper at https://statesnewsroom.com/ and spreading the word. You can write your Congress rep and ask them to support bills to make our media environment healthier. Antitrust is part of the answer. Europe likely has some answers for us.
To be clever, I say democracy doesn't die in darkness. It drowns in sewage. We are drowning.
Tom, vote for progressive Dems and tell your reps & senators to remove the incentive that’s driving
the corruption--money. The Citizens United decision
from the corrupt U.S. Supreme Crt. and the emergence of PACs pursuant to Citizens U is responsible for the flow of cash corrupting our government and our country.
What we have to do is pass legislation making all campaign contributions illegal and legally allowing
only public money for campaigning. It must be specifically worded in order to nullify Citizens U.
The FEC should collect campaign receipts and keeping a running tally of how much each candidate has spent. When the public funds are gone, that’s
it. There’s no more money allowed.
All members of the House & Senate must be made by law to put their assets in a blind trust and sign a pledge to not trade on the stock market as long as they are in Congress--before they can be seated.
As things stand now, we already have a corrupt Sup.
Crt--no question about it. The Court must be forced to adopt a formal Code of Ethics approved by the Senate. Justices who’ve been caught in unethical
schemes to buy their vote should be impeached. In
addition, four more Justices should be added to the Supreme Crt. in order to match the number of Justices with the number of Circuits.
The Federal Election Commission has members who’ve been corrupted and refuse to do their job
as documented by other members. Consequently
there should be a formal investigation and penalties for wrongdoing should be imposed. I don’t know exactly what these FEC members have done, but it probably has to do with foreign money, mostly
from Russia. Rand Paul, John Kennedy from Louisiana & Mitch McConnell have been extensively
involved with a man convicted of funneling illegal
foreign money into republican coffers.
All of the above information is available online. If I found it, anyone can find it.
The problem is this thuggery is okay with the wealthy donors who support the Republicans. The donors know that their interests can't appeal to a majority of voters, so they support whatever the fascists do to suppress democracy and prevent the government from from pursuing justice. The donors count on us not perceiving the wealthy as thugs. They look like gentlemen, and everyone would like their support. They own most of the USA.
Is it possible that the democracy that was so carefully crafted and ratified in 1778 is no longer able to enforce the ideal of the Common Good 250 years later? We all so dearly hope that the tide will turn with the next election, and I hope that is the case as vehemently as anyone else. Those in this forum unitedly hold our desire for the Common Good to prevail against the forces that are bringing fascism to our doorstep. Who could have imagined we would be facing such a crisis? Our constitution was supposed to protect us from such perilous waters.
But it is not the constitution that is at fault, it is that the forces of capitalism and the ultra-wealthy that have meticulously step by step with their own army of well-paid lawyers, consultants and paid-for-hire lawmakers that are undermining the principles of the constitution so that it is no longer able to be the bulwark for the Common Good. Our forefathers could have never imagined such a coordinated and vicious attack on the democracy they so carefully crafted with the belief that the Common Good would prevail. And it did for over 200 years.
The angry army of voters that support Trump’s version of fascism have had their anger building for decades. They felt left out of the increasing prosperity offered by the American Dream… and they were. Their Common Good was scrapped by the Republicans influenced by the long game of the Koch brothers and their cohorts whose highest values was to have the freedom to collect the greatest amount of wealth and to hell with the Common Good. Then along came a demagogue who could tap into their anger of those left out and blame it all on the Democrats. And, with jaw dropping speed the Common Good was sacrificed on the altar of greed and power.
Even if the Democrats prevail in the next election, that will not solve the problem of ongoing wealth inequality. We need to also plan for the long game, an evolution in democracy crafted to serve the Common Good where all get to share in the economic benefits of increasing prosperity, and enough political power is again vested in local communities to govern themselves and not be told whether or not women can have control over their own bodies and schools can create curriculums appropriate for their communities.
While our primary attention is riveted on the unfolding disasters around us and around the world, some of us must plan for a brighter future. I would suggest we consider a new form of Democracy based on local and cooperative ownership of wealth creating industries and agriculture. To do this, appropriate local autonomy must be envisioned.
Just as Martin Luthier King said “I have a dream” and before him Theodore Herzl said “If you will it, it is not a dream,” some of us must be willing to dream an evolved form of Democracy with provisions to ensure the prevalence of the Common Good. We cannot endure under a regime where thuggery prevails. When government by thugs finally fails, and it will, we must be able to come forward with the next evolution of democracy, an Economic Democracy where all share in the increasing prosperity. If we will it, it will not be just a dream. When the grip of capitalism falls, and I truly believe it will, we must be ready.
How does one actually solve the problem of wealth inequality? I ponder this often.
Nancy, here are some excerpts from an article by Joseph Stiglitz, a Professor at Columbia University and chief economist at the Roosevelt Institute. He received the Nobel prize in economics in 2001. He chaired President Bill Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers from 1995 to 1997 and served as the chief economist and senior vice president of the World Bank from 1997 to 2000.
The article is published in Scientific American, 11/1/18. The title: “The American Economy Is Rigged” I recommend reading it.
1. “Economic inequality is higher in the U.S. than in virtually all other advanced countries.
2. The American political system, coupled with high initial inequality, gave the moneyed enough political influence to change laws to benefit themselves, further exacerbating inequality.
3. Breaking this feedback loop by curbing the power of money in politics is essential to reducing inequality and restoring hope.”
“Since the mid-1970s the rules of the economic game have been rewritten, both globally and nationally, in ways that advantage the rich and disadvantage the rest. And they have been rewritten further in this perverse direction in the U.S. than in other developed countries—even though the rules in the U.S. were already less favorable to workers. From this perspective, increasing inequality is a matter of choice: a consequence of our policies, laws and regulations.”
“A vicious spiral has formed: economic inequality translates into political inequality, which leads to rules that favor the wealthy, which in turn reinforces economic inequality.”
“There is no magic bullet to remedy a problem as deep-rooted as America's inequality. Its origins are largely political, so it is hard to imagine meaningful change without a concerted effort to take money out of politics—through, for instance, campaign finance reform. Blocking the revolving doors by which regulators and other government officials come from and return to the same industries they regulate and work with is also essential.”
“Beyond that, we need more progressive taxation and high-quality federally funded public education, including affordable access to universities for all, no ruinous loans required. We need modern competition laws to deal with the problems posed by 21st-century market power and stronger enforcement of the laws we do have. We need labor laws that protect workers and their rights to unionize. We need corporate governance laws that curb exorbitant salaries bestowed on chief executives, and we need stronger financial regulations that will prevent banks from engaging in the exploitative practices that have become their hallmark. We need better enforcement of antidiscrimination laws: it is unconscionable that women and minorities get paid a mere fraction of what their white male counterparts receive. We also need more sensible inheritance laws that will reduce the intergenerational transmission of advantage and disadvantage.”
Thank you!
Nancy, I’m glad you asked that question and my short answer is Economic Democracy as proposed by P.R. Sarkar. To find out what that is I would refer you to two sources:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_democracy
and a short excellent essay by Ravi Logan: https://www.proutinstitute.org/policy-solutions/economic-democracy-the-alternative-to-corporate-rule
Let me know what you think.
Thank you!