It’s on AG Garland now, he must realize that failure to indict Trump may very well destroy American Democracy. I understand that there are risks (political, personal and societal) but they must be taken. If they aren’t, this country as we know it will be gone.
Garland has shown us repeatedly that he's not equal to the job. He doesn't want to indict a sitting president, his lofty rhetoric notwithstanding. He's risk-averse to a pathological degree. Instead of taking immediate steps to safeguard the 2022 elections, Garland spent his time: 1) reading litigation memos of his attorneys, 2) refusing to reopen viable cases against Trump's circle opened by Mueller, 3) dismissing or defending Trump against a variety of issues (including inexplicably against a defamation case brought by EJean Carroll), 4) refusing to investigate the coup plotters until the 1/6 Committee embarrassed him on an international stage, 5) botching a straightforward classified documents case by allowing Trump to choose venue and jurisdiction and a special master, allowing Trump to cement a 2nd 'big lie' about the search, 6) refusing to push for additional searches despite overwhelming evidence of obstruction and missing documents (allowing our national security to erode by the day).
Garland is not only NOT going to protect the country, he's caused actual damage with his delays and decisions, refusal to prosecute Gaetz, waiting months to even make a decision on Bannon's clear contempt of Congress, refusing to protect election workers despite vowing to do so, refusing to pursue a vigorous investigation of the Uvalde debacle despite vowing to do so, refusing to investigate the FBI's infiltration by Maga supporters and lack of preparation for 1/6 despite actionable intelligence, refusal to investigate Secret Service despite their unbelievably obstructionist and partisan activities before and during 1/6. In Garland's 2 years, trust in DOJ is at an all-time low.
tRump is a 'one man crime wave' , but SOMETHING should have been done long ago, even if it involved Special Forces'. It has been done before against enemies of the state. I guess there are so many worshipping the Golden Calf (and beholden to same) that we are in this fix now
There are also a large number of people who don't understand the grave stakes of this election. The DNC, DCCC, Democratic leadership have failed to paint a vivid picture of life under 1-party autocratic rule. Many people on both sides believe that democracy is a default setting. They cannot imagine how grim daily life will become...it will happen very quickly. The media has chosen to pretend it's just another horse race. Historians and fascist scholars have sounded the alarms, but few are listening.
Is the fact that Jeff Bezos now owns The Washington Post a reason for what I perceive as The Post's lean toward the Right? Maybe it always leaned rightward, only now I am noticing it with alarm on the opinion pages. I appreciate Robert Reich's columns, political historian Heather Cox Richardson's, and the Intercept's coverage. A recent Intercept interview with the coauthors of a new book about the Democrats' failure to "seize the Impeachment moments," and why the failure, in their view, increases disgust with both parties. And as we all know, the Democrats like the Republicans are beholden to their wealthy donors, which affects the decisions their politicians make in a very significant way.
The Republican party have always received the lion's share of Corporate 'donations'. While I do not personally know Jeff Bezos, I have the strong impression that he is anti union, and I would bet that he is also opposed to taxes going in his direction, on his 'income' or certainly his wealth. I saw a post somewhere that said he collected a $4000 child tax credit for his daughter not long ago. All legal, no doubt. 'Conservative' articles in WaPo under his ownership? not too surprising to me. Musk at the helm of Twitter will do similar leaning 'Right'ward, I bet.
I think so. But the NY Times seems to be going in the same direction. Who owns them? Most major networks, newspapers & social media are now owned by right-wing billionaires, which is why they favor the conservative, corporatist & fascist points of view.
On this post I will agree whole heartedly. Especially the DNC, who stupidly chose to fund Republican candidates on the pretext they'd be 'easier to beat' in the fall. Instead of going all out to promote and defend democracy.
Perhaps you see the last nail in our democratic coffin and have lost hope. It’s not that few are listening about the warning of fascism, most don’t understand the danger of it because we isolate ourselves. We’ve never experienced it. Since the industrial revolution we consider ourselves “exceptional” and we are not. By geography we are isolated and tend to see the world through eyes of the media and other people. It’s a big mistake for a democratic country this large and diverse not to be educated in the truth. Since the Civil War we’ve only experienced the effects of war at Pearl Harbor and on 9/11 so we’ve escaped the ravages of war at home for generations. Nevertheless I can’t help but hope.
I agree, Sue, but will add that few people in the US understand the tenets of fascism. They have never lived under fascism, Europe is far away. We really need to teach students the true function of political systems - not the stupid, crowd pleasing "We Hate" fill in the blank. People need to understand what even a representative republic means, not in pedantic terms. but simplified. The same with socialism, fascism. dictatorship. Communism is a dirty, scary word - but it doesn't exist any more than ghosts exist. Look at the idiotic term 'antifa' The ignorant MAGA's picked it up and flung it like insults at the liberals. Hell, if such an organization existed I'd be honored to be founding member.
If we want to avoid fascism we have to offer voters something better than what they have now.
Trump supporters HATE Democrats.
The majority of voters think Democrats have zero to offer them based on policy after policy Democrats have supported or, today at least, simply ignore.
We should focus on what we can control. We can't control what some long time unemployed white dude and his wife think of Obama and Clinton. But we can control whether we keep elected leaders like Clinton and Obama who screwed most Americans and start elected leaders like Sanders and Warren who will truly improve the lives of the poor and middle class...
The people that don't understand the grave stakes of the election are no different than the voters that support Trump...
Both groups feel, with merit in my view, that the Democratic party has entirely abandoned them. From Clinton getting NAFTA passed with zero provisions to help the people who's lives were crushed by this policy. To Obama's brilliant economic team deciding to bail out banks, share holders and executive bonuses while letting homeowners descend into bankruptcy.
The problem is with the current leaders of the Democratic party. Not with the people who's lives have been destroyed due to the NeoLiberal policies these law makers supported.
Yes Trump is a train wreck and worse that what we have now. But until we stop electing people like Biden and Hillary this problem will just get worse and worse. Change DEMO leadership and people will listen. It is as easy as that.
I agree with your comments on Bill Clinton. Obama's big mistake was keeping the same economic advisors that George W. had, his second mistake was to listen to them. I don't think economics was Obama's strong suit, I also don't think he had any trusted economic adviasors on his team. The jury is still out on Biden, but overall I think he's doing better than either Bill Clinton or Obama. Hillary cannot be fairly judged because she was never given the chance. She did okay as Secretary of State - not great, but ok. As to trump, my cat Caliope would have been a better President.
Agree 100%... Obama did not understand economics and kept the Bush type people. I don't think he was willful in his mistakes, he is, however 100% responsible.
Agree on Biden... He is not good enough to earn the trust of the American citizens that real change will occur under him, but he is NOT making the same mistakes of Clinton and Obama.
Laurie, I like your image of "worshipping the golden calf." Trump is like a golden calf because he seems to be worth a lot of money, causes trouble, and is really hard to remove from the scene because people just love it/him. They want to make him their messiah even though he is actually an appalling human being that people should ignore, OK, put in jail for his many crimes against this nation and our people.
At this point, it would be truly great to see him in a proper facility where he could not do any more damage. At the very least, blocked from running for government offices ever again. If you can't be trusted to run a charity, there is no place in a government caretaking the common good.
Mr.Velten, 14th Amendment, Sec.3 Text: “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
It doesn’t say “After being found guilty in a court of law.” Trump himself jeopardized his “Constitutional right to freedom” by conspiring, planning & participating in an insurrection. Likewise re “his Constitutional right to run for office.” Trump took an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Near the end of his term of office he personally planned and participated in an insurrection. He’s therefore ineligible to hold office in the U.S. government.
Trump’s “Constitutional right to freedom” will be decided based on federal criminal statutes. Nowhere does the Constitution say “if you don’t like him” Liking him or not liking him is irrelevant.
You accuse Darci and “liberals” of only liking the Constitution when it helps liberals- without any basis or factual support, so it’s just your opinion. I disagree with your opinion.
You say “Not giving him his rights will guarantee him his freedom” No one has taken Trump’s “rights.” His rights can only be taken away if he’s guilty of a crime.
With respect Tom, that sounds like a republican diatribe of half-truths. Our current inflation is worldwide. President Biden did nothing to cause it and republicans voted against legislation that would have eased it just because they want to make democrats look bad before the election.
I lived through inflation in the 1970’s and it was much worse than what we’re experiencing now. Besides, Inflation isn’t the end of the world. It will get better and there isn’t a thing Trump could do to change it either, except maybe get republicans to pass the legislation that would’ve eased it.
Are you seriously saying Covid was no worse than the flu?? Over a million Americans died from Covid and more are still dying every day.
I have no idea why you say our military is being destroyed.
Inflation is a problem in other nations too, this administration doesn't have anything to do with them. You and all the other GQP nutso voters have been conned into believing the blatant lies that the Rethugs spew on a daily basis. You are the one that is insane for believing the steady stream of lies they tell to con. And Covid 19 is NOT the flu. It has caused millions of deaths around the world. And you use projection just like the other Rethug leaders use to project their lies on the Dems. The Rethugs are the ones that are really insane. TUMP didn't make anything great, he made things worse. TUMP is the worst leader we have ever had. He is a incompetent, lying, racisist, corrupt life long criminal that was behind the Jan 6 insurrection at the Capitol building resulting in 5 deaths and numerous injuries and cost millions of dollars damage. You call that great? I don't, that was a horrible at an attempted coup... there is nothing great about that..
I would challenge pretty much all of your conclusions. These are all just talking points that are based o; lies. You have been flimflammed. I hope you really want to know the truth. I challenge you to watch jon stewart on apple, and google every thing you have said and see what other reliable sources are saying. Or you can continue to let the snake oil salesmen gin up your emotions and lead you by the nose to support the needs of sociopaths. I hope you choose yourself, and what is best for your needs, and see that you have been. conned. You deserve better.
Name one thing Trump did to ‘keep our country great.’ You talk about the price of food & gas, mortgage rates, etc, and ask if we like it, implying that inflation can be fixed. Robin points out that inflation is worldwide & therefore can’t be fixed by the U.S. because we don’t control the world.
Then you respond that you never said inflation is only in the U.S. and we need to stay on point. You’re engaging in circular arguments, implying something is the case then pointing out you never said it. People who use arguments in this way are usually trained propagandists and not the least bit sincere. You and Jack Velten engage with others on this website for the purpose of confusing us and wasting our time. We know what you’re doing and it’s not going to work with the people on this website.
HW, I have been willing to give our AG the benefit of the doubt because I keep hearing how methodical and careful he is before bringing charges to make sure he has all the "ducks in a row." Well, there are now so many ducks in a row that it is getting ridiculous. Garland has waited so long to act that the election is coming up and there are rules about doing specific things before an election. Trump is not in the election, so it should have nothing to do with him. I know that rule only works when the FBI head is not a misogynist as Comey was in 2016 when at the last minute introduced innuendo that Clinton was somehow guilty of something. This time, Trump really is guilty and it is time the charges are formally brought against him and his enablers. Republicans believe they only have to wait until after November8th when they win and all efforts against Trump will stop or they will impeach whoever they don't like and whoever doesn't like their baby Donnie and is willing to Kiss his a** as often as he needs it. So, I am with you on this one. Your evidence is there and clear.
some of the evidence youre seeing in Jan 6 hearing may not be admissible in a criminal trial because its hearsay. Yeah we all know the truth but that's not the same as convincing a fed jury. If Trump is acquitted hell crow about how it was all a witch hunt and he was vindicated.....
Don't be too sure. My fear is he will be convicted, appeal, conviction upheld, appeal to the current Supreme Court where the 5 'Injustices' will overturn. The DOJ's case must be so watertight that even those 5 idiots on the Supreme Court will lack the guts to overturn.
Let's be clear; Donald Trump is not a "sitting" president- he's a former President and as such he is just like you and me and doesn't deserve special consideration under the law. Either all men and women are equal under the law or they aren't.
That's accurate, but it's a time for choosing. Nicolle Wallace manages to clearly articulate the dangers of election deniers, yet Chuck Todd consistently platforms those who spew propaganda. Many/most pronto journalists have written books during the last 6 years...they could easily quit or refuse to publish GOP talking points (without fact-checking or context)...it's a choice.
Janet, you need to check your email and probably change your password. Two junk mails piggybacked into my email when you sent a response to me. One from Leaf Filter gutter protection and one from thecheaperlife.com for housecleaning. Good luck.
Excellent comment & 100% correct. What people who assure us that Trump will be arrested & prosecuted when the DOJ has all the evidence they need for an airtight case (how do they not have one by now?) and/or the midterm elections have passed (which should not be a consideration in the first place & why should we withhold from voters what could be a crucial factor in their decision making, anyway?), are forgetting or ignoring is all the previous decisions Garland has made showing his disinterest in holding Trump & other authority figures on the right accountable, & that Trump & his cohorts are still actively plotting against our democracy & rule of law, showing him to be a clear & present danger to our national security, making it imperative that he be detained while awaiting trial as any other national security risk would be.
Garland is more responsible for undermining the Democrats' chances in the upcoming elections than just about anyone else by boosting Republican claims that there must not be anything Trump has done wrong because he hasn't been indicted yet despite all these accusations, so it must all be a hoax & a witch hunt & Trump is being mercilessly & wrongfully attacked by the left, while the left & middle feel increasingly deflated & discouraged because no matter who is in charge, people at the top, especially the right, continually get away with serious crimes for which ordinary people would be jailed immediately, further imperiling our democracy.
Absolutely. I'm beginning to think the best that could happen is for Biden to FIRE Garland and replace him with someone like Letitia James who won't let political considerations stand in the way of the pursuit of justice
John Thompson ; I agree and would add that at this point, Political considerations be damned ; If someone is standing on your neck it does not matter how it 'looks' when you fight them off! " life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" does not include draconian denials of long fought for and won rights! It is unjustifiable to take away freedoms that have already been established! It is Unconstitutional to defy the Constitution ; especially when you can't even honestly take an oath of office to uphold the Constitution! If Merrick Garland cannot do his job he should be dismissed!
Garland is what he is. I'm sure he has done quite well in other situations, but like most of us, he is not not wired for getting into a cage to subdue a rabid guerilla. I think Biden should replace him with someone who is. Very smart , tough as nails, steel backbone, honest, and an incestuous desire to bring cases to just conclusions before the next comet appearance. We are at such a critical crossroad in our society that we need to fill public positions with the best suited for the difficulties we are facing. This is war, not chess.
"Incestuous desire?" Hmmmm..... :D But well said. I agree, Biden should replace Garland unless he acts quickly and decisively, like TODAY, and he should not wait until after the Midterms. We don't convict people in the court of public opinion, supposedly, but to use his own metaphor, Trump has literally shot someone in the middle of Times Square, and the entire nation has seen it. Just his possession of those classified documents is sufficient to prosecute him. There is no way to pass Garland's inaction off as prosecutorial thoroughness. It's coming to look more like prosecutorial cowardice, or perhaps even co-conspiracy.
Dear Sherm. I think you meant "hot wired", "gorilla" and "incessant", or at least I hope that's what you had in mind. Merrick Garland is two things, an excellent lawyer and a judge. There is no need to indict Trump before the midterms. I am aware that you, and a lot of our fellow Substackers, are impatient, but there are procedures that have to be followed in our legal system. First you have to gather sufficient legally qualified evidence of guilt to present to a Grand Jury for and indictment - no indictment, no trial. Secondly, you need airtight legal evidence, a number of reliable, believable witnesses, and a great prosecution team. Then and only then, you are ready to go to a Superior Court to request a trial by jury date. The January 6th Committee presented a good and compelling show to compel a lot of Americans to see just how guilty the trumpster and his minions were in treason (attempting to disrupt the electoral vote count) inciting an assault on the Nation's Capitol, and attempting to illegally overturn a fair and just election. I listened to each of the public hearings. They presented a convincing scenario, but too much of the presentation was hearsay which must be backed up with rock solid evidence. If you want examples of how NOT to go to court, just look at the trumpster's legal team - they went to court 62 times, often before judges who were appointed by the trumpter himself. They lost 61 cases and won one technicality which got them nothing. When Merrick Garland, goes to the Grand Jury he will get an indictment. When his prosecutorial team goes to court they will get a conviction, when they go to the Appellate court they will win the appeal - all because they made damned sure they had admissible evidence. solid, believable witnesses, and the best prosecutorial team
I disagree. Democrats trust in the DOJ must have been lower throughout the "trumpster's" reign of terror, Barr better than Garland? I don't think so. Garland is slow and methodical, yes. The wheels of justice turn slowly, yes. But why go full steam ahead before you've collected sufficient, legally undeniable evidence to get a conviction.
The MAL documents case required unlawful retention of documents and knowledge that the documents were government property. There is literally video proof of the former, and a subpoena that proves the latter. Unless Garland is waiting for a confession written in a particular blood type, he has what he needed. Instead, he once again allowed Trump to create a PR defense that gave air cover to partisan judges. The Mueller obstruction cases were tied up in a bow...facts, case law, defense arguments, rebuttals, statutory precedent...and Garland ignored everything. Garland was a highly risk-averse judge and he's even worse as a prosecutor.
I agree wholeheartedly HE with ur fine summary of AG Garland’s lack of action to put tRump in his rightful place once and for all. I am so disappointed in him, he seems afraid to confront the conman & prosecute him like other prosecutors have stated should be done sooner rather than later. He would be more suited for the Supreme Court rather than active prosecution. I think Pres Biden should appoint someone tough on crime, white collar crime of the worst variety.
Thank you for reminding us all in actual list form of all the things Garland has failed to do despite vowing to do so. I have listened to all sorts of liberal pundits urging patience as in “Garland is, in fact, investigating,” and “Garland has to make sure it’s an airtight case,” etc. And is is true that the case(s) is(are) getting tighter and tighter, but when is enough enough? We cannot wait and let trump decide our midterms. Arrest and hold him for trial without his phone. NOW.
HW [and RS] I think your righteous indignation and impatience with Garland is probably due to the fact that you assume that Merrick Garland, AG, is all knowing and that DOJ and the state AGS are more powerful than is actually the case.
Re the Jan 6 debacle, the DOJ website lists the DOJ prosecutions to date. In those cases the evidence was in and so those prosecutions were ripe. Prosecuting the higher ups depends on harder to obtain evidence. AG Garland will probably do more with the further evidence gathered by the Hearings in Congress--- and there will probably be the threat of a presidential pardon that could undo all that.
I don't think an AG is all knowing, but DOJ has massive resources and far-reaching I investigatory powers. Garland is allowing the Mueller obstruction cases to expire, bungling the documents case, via leaks from his own department, he didn't seriously begin to look at the multiple efforts to overturn the 2020 election until Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony. He's ignored obstruction by the USSS and FBI. He promised and failed to protect election workers. He promised and failed to vigorously investigate the Uvalde debacle. The majority of low level 1/6 cases were prosecuted as misdemeanors. I could go on and on, but his poor performance speaks for itself.
Having worked with DOJ for decades and a state AG I know for a fact that neither enjoys "massive resources". Your expectations are leading you into frustration.
Well Garland himself (via Congressional testimony) said he had all the resources he needed to conduct his investigations. Was he lying? The 1/6 Committee tackled a tremendous amount of information, and repeatedly stated that they had far fewer resources than DOJ. I'm frustrated because Garland has done a poor job, and he understood the stakes when he fought for the position. He's now allowed 2 big lies to be cemented into the consciousness of the country: election fraud and an illegitimate MAL search. There's plenty of blame to go around: apathetic voters, cynical media, an authoritarian GOP, lackluster Democratic leadership opposition, but Garland's passivity and errors are glaring.
Ive already said I think Garland is proceeding on the Jan 6 prosecutions and ongoing investigations matters as well as anyone probably can under the circumstances. There is alot of process underway as Trump and his GOP pals like Sen Graham have the money to exhaust their legal rights - and it could all be preempted by pardons. You mentioned lots of ongoing messes, eg election fraud - this is one of the GOPs favorite claims in many states any of which have been investigated,- generally its been found to be an unsupported, false allegation. I think poorly educated US citizens are really getting screwed by all this lying by both parties and by the general right wing nature of MSM. The uneducated are frustrated because they cannot begin to figure this stuff out, they cant assess whats thrown at them n in MSM, and as a result they are unfortunately the big losers in all this.
wrong-clearly you know nothing about federal criminal probes. I would argue trust in DOJ was low when you had career prosecutors quitting under Barr because of blatant politicization
Open corruption nd blatant partisanship under Barr was rampant, but I didn't see a rash of resignations by DOJ attorneys. I still recall the DOJ attorney who argued that soap and toothpaste weren't 'necessities' for refugees caged by Trump's DHS. That said, ineffective actions and placing 'optics' over 'justice' is equally corrosive to the rule of law. And yes, I'm an attorney.
My question is, why do we allow a high-crime criminal to roam around the US after inciting a deadly attack on it! Trump should not be eligible! He must be arrested not participating in the Democracy he continues to try to destroy! Had a Democrat attacked the capital, they’d have been long gone by any means. But Republicans get the red carpet.
Derek is correct, failure to indict is a helping hand to fascism. Failure to indict before elections looks like collusion, not justice!
Seeking Reason, you are right about the message of not indicting Trump as well as needing to restrict Trump from his ridiculous "rallies" that are just lie fests to keep his crazies in line. Our DOJ should know this and get indictments going no matter whether Trump testifies before the January 6th Committee or not. It is time!
indicting trump is like indicting a mob boss who never gets his hands dirty-its complicated and difficult to prove in fed court, especially when all the criminals used encrypted apps, shred documents, and refuse to testify, or like Anthony Ornato and Chadd Wolfe who destroyed evidence-I want those criminals in jail but alas that would take cooperating SS agents.
Good point about the poor timing. And about how Dems would have been out long ago had the roles been reversed. I am trying to gather psychologists who will talk to me for a book about how the U.S. political system has the same dynamics as any toxic system: At the untouchable top of the system are abusers, enablers, and flying monkeys (deniers who spread the toxicity like the ones in The Wizard of Oz.) At the bottom are Peacemakers and Scapegoats. I’m sure you can see where Democrats sit in this intransigent system. Intransigent because Democrats keep unwittingly playing their roles.
To start with about 30% of the voters in this country will never believe he is a criminal regardless of what evidence you produce and another 19% will vote for him as President because despite his criminal behavior they see him as a better choice than the alternative.
We need to stop blaming others for this problems. We go ourselves in this position electing leaders like Clinton and Obama who totally screwed the poor and middle class in this country (NAFTA and leaving those effected hight and dry with nothing and the companies that took advantage of NAFTA made fortunes AND lets not forget Obama who bailed out Banks, Share holders and the bonuses of the Executives and left home owners to file for bankruptcy...).
Lets focus on what we can control and what we have done to get us in this spot.
30% of American voters don't agree with you on this and another 19% simply don't care and will vote for him anyway..
You can't have laws that people respect if that many people don't see him as guilty. (Yes of course he is guilty as hell, that is not what i am talking about).
Just saying. Dems got ourselves in this spot. the leaders we elected to office have been so TERRIBLE to so many Americans that even a criminal like Trump looks better in their eyes...
(Clinton pushed NAFTA with zero assistance to people and communities devastated by this policy and Obama bailed out banks, share holders and banker bonuses but left homeowners to file for bankruptcy so bankers could reposes their homes.
Maybe we need to focus on why our own leaders are so ODIOS to so many Americans.../
A criminal is a criminal. A convicted criminal is a convict. You are not real smart are you??? You pal Trump is a rapist and a liar, if you believe one word him or any of the idiots who worship him then you may be missing the grey matter called a brain. Do some actual research friend it is far better to be thought a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
None the less Trump has 42% favorability with voters.. Not saying that doe snot make him a criminal. Just saying that something he is doing works with a large number of voters...
And my guess is that saying those voters are "missing the grey mater called a brain" just makes them more loyal to Trump and less open minded to the truth...
Here is my question, what is your view on how the Dems can get Trump supporters to move away from him?
The people on this board are no different than the right wingers that watch Fox and listen to Ben Shapiro..
They see only one side of the story. A crafted narrative that tells you HATE the other side enough and things will be okay.... People that live in glass houses aught not throw rocks... right?
I agree! "making sweeping generalizations about hundreds of people...." is not a good idea.
My commentary is based on their comments which is informed by reading their comments with regularity. The consistency of assumptions and truths that are actually half truths or flat out wrong is not surprising. As i have noted, i see similar errors on boards that cater to Fox news watchers. I know nothing about any of these people personally nor have i made personal comments on them. I assume the people on both types of boards are, for the most part, sweet.
Do you not agree that is it helpful to have your assumptions challenged, especially when they are coming from media, not Prof Reich, that tends to give only one side of most stories and that ignores many massively important stories for fear of reproachment from sponsors (Universal Health Care and Monopolies are two topics the MSM tries to avoid and certainly does almost no investigation and deep research on)
If i am rude please call me out. No excuse for being rude.. But if you are not willing to have your opinions challenged then why are you posting them publicly? Right?
If you can't stand the heat ; get out of the kitchen. Why should someone not getting a job done be paid? Whether it is a Congressman, Senator or the United States Attorney General and his staff? Enough already. We, the people should be able to say "you're fired!".
you are a troll. Obvious that you are not human or intelligent. I’ll just call you Schadenfreude Queen who behaves like the stereotype of every high school mean girl bully movie. You are a little little person who has no concept of humor. I would like to believe that you are not lost, but I believe your brain is wired and there is no hope for you.
It’s on AG Garland now, he must realize that failure to indict Trump may very well destroy American Democracy. I understand that there are risks (political, personal and societal) but they must be taken. If they aren’t, this country as we know it will be gone.
Garland has shown us repeatedly that he's not equal to the job. He doesn't want to indict a sitting president, his lofty rhetoric notwithstanding. He's risk-averse to a pathological degree. Instead of taking immediate steps to safeguard the 2022 elections, Garland spent his time: 1) reading litigation memos of his attorneys, 2) refusing to reopen viable cases against Trump's circle opened by Mueller, 3) dismissing or defending Trump against a variety of issues (including inexplicably against a defamation case brought by EJean Carroll), 4) refusing to investigate the coup plotters until the 1/6 Committee embarrassed him on an international stage, 5) botching a straightforward classified documents case by allowing Trump to choose venue and jurisdiction and a special master, allowing Trump to cement a 2nd 'big lie' about the search, 6) refusing to push for additional searches despite overwhelming evidence of obstruction and missing documents (allowing our national security to erode by the day).
Garland is not only NOT going to protect the country, he's caused actual damage with his delays and decisions, refusal to prosecute Gaetz, waiting months to even make a decision on Bannon's clear contempt of Congress, refusing to protect election workers despite vowing to do so, refusing to pursue a vigorous investigation of the Uvalde debacle despite vowing to do so, refusing to investigate the FBI's infiltration by Maga supporters and lack of preparation for 1/6 despite actionable intelligence, refusal to investigate Secret Service despite their unbelievably obstructionist and partisan activities before and during 1/6. In Garland's 2 years, trust in DOJ is at an all-time low.
tRump is a 'one man crime wave' , but SOMETHING should have been done long ago, even if it involved Special Forces'. It has been done before against enemies of the state. I guess there are so many worshipping the Golden Calf (and beholden to same) that we are in this fix now
There are also a large number of people who don't understand the grave stakes of this election. The DNC, DCCC, Democratic leadership have failed to paint a vivid picture of life under 1-party autocratic rule. Many people on both sides believe that democracy is a default setting. They cannot imagine how grim daily life will become...it will happen very quickly. The media has chosen to pretend it's just another horse race. Historians and fascist scholars have sounded the alarms, but few are listening.
The media are owned by very wealthy interests who benefit by not naming those behind 'inflation'.
Is the fact that Jeff Bezos now owns The Washington Post a reason for what I perceive as The Post's lean toward the Right? Maybe it always leaned rightward, only now I am noticing it with alarm on the opinion pages. I appreciate Robert Reich's columns, political historian Heather Cox Richardson's, and the Intercept's coverage. A recent Intercept interview with the coauthors of a new book about the Democrats' failure to "seize the Impeachment moments," and why the failure, in their view, increases disgust with both parties. And as we all know, the Democrats like the Republicans are beholden to their wealthy donors, which affects the decisions their politicians make in a very significant way.
The Republican party have always received the lion's share of Corporate 'donations'. While I do not personally know Jeff Bezos, I have the strong impression that he is anti union, and I would bet that he is also opposed to taxes going in his direction, on his 'income' or certainly his wealth. I saw a post somewhere that said he collected a $4000 child tax credit for his daughter not long ago. All legal, no doubt. 'Conservative' articles in WaPo under his ownership? not too surprising to me. Musk at the helm of Twitter will do similar leaning 'Right'ward, I bet.
I think so. But the NY Times seems to be going in the same direction. Who owns them? Most major networks, newspapers & social media are now owned by right-wing billionaires, which is why they favor the conservative, corporatist & fascist points of view.
On this post I will agree whole heartedly. Especially the DNC, who stupidly chose to fund Republican candidates on the pretext they'd be 'easier to beat' in the fall. Instead of going all out to promote and defend democracy.
FR
Totally agree!!
Perhaps you see the last nail in our democratic coffin and have lost hope. It’s not that few are listening about the warning of fascism, most don’t understand the danger of it because we isolate ourselves. We’ve never experienced it. Since the industrial revolution we consider ourselves “exceptional” and we are not. By geography we are isolated and tend to see the world through eyes of the media and other people. It’s a big mistake for a democratic country this large and diverse not to be educated in the truth. Since the Civil War we’ve only experienced the effects of war at Pearl Harbor and on 9/11 so we’ve escaped the ravages of war at home for generations. Nevertheless I can’t help but hope.
I agree, Sue, but will add that few people in the US understand the tenets of fascism. They have never lived under fascism, Europe is far away. We really need to teach students the true function of political systems - not the stupid, crowd pleasing "We Hate" fill in the blank. People need to understand what even a representative republic means, not in pedantic terms. but simplified. The same with socialism, fascism. dictatorship. Communism is a dirty, scary word - but it doesn't exist any more than ghosts exist. Look at the idiotic term 'antifa' The ignorant MAGA's picked it up and flung it like insults at the liberals. Hell, if such an organization existed I'd be honored to be founding member.
Fay...
If we want to avoid fascism we have to offer voters something better than what they have now.
Trump supporters HATE Democrats.
The majority of voters think Democrats have zero to offer them based on policy after policy Democrats have supported or, today at least, simply ignore.
We should focus on what we can control. We can't control what some long time unemployed white dude and his wife think of Obama and Clinton. But we can control whether we keep elected leaders like Clinton and Obama who screwed most Americans and start elected leaders like Sanders and Warren who will truly improve the lives of the poor and middle class...
I agree, thank you for the thoughtful comment.
I wholeheartedly agree with you.
The people that don't understand the grave stakes of the election are no different than the voters that support Trump...
Both groups feel, with merit in my view, that the Democratic party has entirely abandoned them. From Clinton getting NAFTA passed with zero provisions to help the people who's lives were crushed by this policy. To Obama's brilliant economic team deciding to bail out banks, share holders and executive bonuses while letting homeowners descend into bankruptcy.
The problem is with the current leaders of the Democratic party. Not with the people who's lives have been destroyed due to the NeoLiberal policies these law makers supported.
Yes Trump is a train wreck and worse that what we have now. But until we stop electing people like Biden and Hillary this problem will just get worse and worse. Change DEMO leadership and people will listen. It is as easy as that.
I agree with your comments on Bill Clinton. Obama's big mistake was keeping the same economic advisors that George W. had, his second mistake was to listen to them. I don't think economics was Obama's strong suit, I also don't think he had any trusted economic adviasors on his team. The jury is still out on Biden, but overall I think he's doing better than either Bill Clinton or Obama. Hillary cannot be fairly judged because she was never given the chance. She did okay as Secretary of State - not great, but ok. As to trump, my cat Caliope would have been a better President.
FR
Agree 100%... Obama did not understand economics and kept the Bush type people. I don't think he was willful in his mistakes, he is, however 100% responsible.
Agree on Biden... He is not good enough to earn the trust of the American citizens that real change will occur under him, but he is NOT making the same mistakes of Clinton and Obama.
Laurie, I like your image of "worshipping the golden calf." Trump is like a golden calf because he seems to be worth a lot of money, causes trouble, and is really hard to remove from the scene because people just love it/him. They want to make him their messiah even though he is actually an appalling human being that people should ignore, OK, put in jail for his many crimes against this nation and our people.
At this point, it would be truly great to see him in a proper facility where he could not do any more damage. At the very least, blocked from running for government offices ever again. If you can't be trusted to run a charity, there is no place in a government caretaking the common good.
Good point and at least one fact that the dems should use
Well said, Laurie
Thank you, Fay. tRump should stick to running Casinos and Beauty Contests.
Someone let a trump lover in!
Mr.Velten, 14th Amendment, Sec.3 Text: “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
It doesn’t say “After being found guilty in a court of law.” Trump himself jeopardized his “Constitutional right to freedom” by conspiring, planning & participating in an insurrection. Likewise re “his Constitutional right to run for office.” Trump took an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Near the end of his term of office he personally planned and participated in an insurrection. He’s therefore ineligible to hold office in the U.S. government.
Trump’s “Constitutional right to freedom” will be decided based on federal criminal statutes. Nowhere does the Constitution say “if you don’t like him” Liking him or not liking him is irrelevant.
You accuse Darci and “liberals” of only liking the Constitution when it helps liberals- without any basis or factual support, so it’s just your opinion. I disagree with your opinion.
You say “Not giving him his rights will guarantee him his freedom” No one has taken Trump’s “rights.” His rights can only be taken away if he’s guilty of a crime.
LMAO! You watch Fox News and spew every single lie that they brainwashed you with.
Gas isn't 3x what it was. If you think inflation is only in the US you really need to get out of the trailer park more often.
With respect Tom, that sounds like a republican diatribe of half-truths. Our current inflation is worldwide. President Biden did nothing to cause it and republicans voted against legislation that would have eased it just because they want to make democrats look bad before the election.
I lived through inflation in the 1970’s and it was much worse than what we’re experiencing now. Besides, Inflation isn’t the end of the world. It will get better and there isn’t a thing Trump could do to change it either, except maybe get republicans to pass the legislation that would’ve eased it.
Are you seriously saying Covid was no worse than the flu?? Over a million Americans died from Covid and more are still dying every day.
I have no idea why you say our military is being destroyed.
Inflation is a problem in other nations too, this administration doesn't have anything to do with them. You and all the other GQP nutso voters have been conned into believing the blatant lies that the Rethugs spew on a daily basis. You are the one that is insane for believing the steady stream of lies they tell to con. And Covid 19 is NOT the flu. It has caused millions of deaths around the world. And you use projection just like the other Rethug leaders use to project their lies on the Dems. The Rethugs are the ones that are really insane. TUMP didn't make anything great, he made things worse. TUMP is the worst leader we have ever had. He is a incompetent, lying, racisist, corrupt life long criminal that was behind the Jan 6 insurrection at the Capitol building resulting in 5 deaths and numerous injuries and cost millions of dollars damage. You call that great? I don't, that was a horrible at an attempted coup... there is nothing great about that..
I would challenge pretty much all of your conclusions. These are all just talking points that are based o; lies. You have been flimflammed. I hope you really want to know the truth. I challenge you to watch jon stewart on apple, and google every thing you have said and see what other reliable sources are saying. Or you can continue to let the snake oil salesmen gin up your emotions and lead you by the nose to support the needs of sociopaths. I hope you choose yourself, and what is best for your needs, and see that you have been. conned. You deserve better.
Tom deserves whatever karma throws at him!
Name one thing Trump did to ‘keep our country great.’ You talk about the price of food & gas, mortgage rates, etc, and ask if we like it, implying that inflation can be fixed. Robin points out that inflation is worldwide & therefore can’t be fixed by the U.S. because we don’t control the world.
Then you respond that you never said inflation is only in the U.S. and we need to stay on point. You’re engaging in circular arguments, implying something is the case then pointing out you never said it. People who use arguments in this way are usually trained propagandists and not the least bit sincere. You and Jack Velten engage with others on this website for the purpose of confusing us and wasting our time. We know what you’re doing and it’s not going to work with the people on this website.
I don’t engage with simpleton anymore. He’s just on here as a troll.
I rest my case.
HW, I have been willing to give our AG the benefit of the doubt because I keep hearing how methodical and careful he is before bringing charges to make sure he has all the "ducks in a row." Well, there are now so many ducks in a row that it is getting ridiculous. Garland has waited so long to act that the election is coming up and there are rules about doing specific things before an election. Trump is not in the election, so it should have nothing to do with him. I know that rule only works when the FBI head is not a misogynist as Comey was in 2016 when at the last minute introduced innuendo that Clinton was somehow guilty of something. This time, Trump really is guilty and it is time the charges are formally brought against him and his enablers. Republicans believe they only have to wait until after November8th when they win and all efforts against Trump will stop or they will impeach whoever they don't like and whoever doesn't like their baby Donnie and is willing to Kiss his a** as often as he needs it. So, I am with you on this one. Your evidence is there and clear.
The repugnant party make up rules they themselves choose not to follow. They make up rules that favor their agenda as time goes on.
Sorry the hearts stopped working. Totally agree!
some of the evidence youre seeing in Jan 6 hearing may not be admissible in a criminal trial because its hearsay. Yeah we all know the truth but that's not the same as convincing a fed jury. If Trump is acquitted hell crow about how it was all a witch hunt and he was vindicated.....
He’s not gonna be acquitted.
He can't be acquitted if he's not even tried.
Don't be too sure. My fear is he will be convicted, appeal, conviction upheld, appeal to the current Supreme Court where the 5 'Injustices' will overturn. The DOJ's case must be so watertight that even those 5 idiots on the Supreme Court will lack the guts to overturn.
Very true, HHm. I fully agree with your statement.
Let's be clear; Donald Trump is not a "sitting" president- he's a former President and as such he is just like you and me and doesn't deserve special consideration under the law. Either all men and women are equal under the law or they aren't.
Hw ; I believe that most media, especially main stream media are owned by those who do not have the voter's best interests in mind.
That's accurate, but it's a time for choosing. Nicolle Wallace manages to clearly articulate the dangers of election deniers, yet Chuck Todd consistently platforms those who spew propaganda. Many/most pronto journalists have written books during the last 6 years...they could easily quit or refuse to publish GOP talking points (without fact-checking or context)...it's a choice.
Janet, you need to check your email and probably change your password. Two junk mails piggybacked into my email when you sent a response to me. One from Leaf Filter gutter protection and one from thecheaperlife.com for housecleaning. Good luck.
Excellent comment & 100% correct. What people who assure us that Trump will be arrested & prosecuted when the DOJ has all the evidence they need for an airtight case (how do they not have one by now?) and/or the midterm elections have passed (which should not be a consideration in the first place & why should we withhold from voters what could be a crucial factor in their decision making, anyway?), are forgetting or ignoring is all the previous decisions Garland has made showing his disinterest in holding Trump & other authority figures on the right accountable, & that Trump & his cohorts are still actively plotting against our democracy & rule of law, showing him to be a clear & present danger to our national security, making it imperative that he be detained while awaiting trial as any other national security risk would be.
Garland is more responsible for undermining the Democrats' chances in the upcoming elections than just about anyone else by boosting Republican claims that there must not be anything Trump has done wrong because he hasn't been indicted yet despite all these accusations, so it must all be a hoax & a witch hunt & Trump is being mercilessly & wrongfully attacked by the left, while the left & middle feel increasingly deflated & discouraged because no matter who is in charge, people at the top, especially the right, continually get away with serious crimes for which ordinary people would be jailed immediately, further imperiling our democracy.
Absolutely. I'm beginning to think the best that could happen is for Biden to FIRE Garland and replace him with someone like Letitia James who won't let political considerations stand in the way of the pursuit of justice
John Thompson ; I agree and would add that at this point, Political considerations be damned ; If someone is standing on your neck it does not matter how it 'looks' when you fight them off! " life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" does not include draconian denials of long fought for and won rights! It is unjustifiable to take away freedoms that have already been established! It is Unconstitutional to defy the Constitution ; especially when you can't even honestly take an oath of office to uphold the Constitution! If Merrick Garland cannot do his job he should be dismissed!
Garland is what he is. I'm sure he has done quite well in other situations, but like most of us, he is not not wired for getting into a cage to subdue a rabid guerilla. I think Biden should replace him with someone who is. Very smart , tough as nails, steel backbone, honest, and an incestuous desire to bring cases to just conclusions before the next comet appearance. We are at such a critical crossroad in our society that we need to fill public positions with the best suited for the difficulties we are facing. This is war, not chess.
"Incestuous desire?" Hmmmm..... :D But well said. I agree, Biden should replace Garland unless he acts quickly and decisively, like TODAY, and he should not wait until after the Midterms. We don't convict people in the court of public opinion, supposedly, but to use his own metaphor, Trump has literally shot someone in the middle of Times Square, and the entire nation has seen it. Just his possession of those classified documents is sufficient to prosecute him. There is no way to pass Garland's inaction off as prosecutorial thoroughness. It's coming to look more like prosecutorial cowardice, or perhaps even co-conspiracy.
My thoughts exactly. Trump needs to be charged BEFORE he announced his candidacy.
Dear Sherm. I think you meant "hot wired", "gorilla" and "incessant", or at least I hope that's what you had in mind. Merrick Garland is two things, an excellent lawyer and a judge. There is no need to indict Trump before the midterms. I am aware that you, and a lot of our fellow Substackers, are impatient, but there are procedures that have to be followed in our legal system. First you have to gather sufficient legally qualified evidence of guilt to present to a Grand Jury for and indictment - no indictment, no trial. Secondly, you need airtight legal evidence, a number of reliable, believable witnesses, and a great prosecution team. Then and only then, you are ready to go to a Superior Court to request a trial by jury date. The January 6th Committee presented a good and compelling show to compel a lot of Americans to see just how guilty the trumpster and his minions were in treason (attempting to disrupt the electoral vote count) inciting an assault on the Nation's Capitol, and attempting to illegally overturn a fair and just election. I listened to each of the public hearings. They presented a convincing scenario, but too much of the presentation was hearsay which must be backed up with rock solid evidence. If you want examples of how NOT to go to court, just look at the trumpster's legal team - they went to court 62 times, often before judges who were appointed by the trumpter himself. They lost 61 cases and won one technicality which got them nothing. When Merrick Garland, goes to the Grand Jury he will get an indictment. When his prosecutorial team goes to court they will get a conviction, when they go to the Appellate court they will win the appeal - all because they made damned sure they had admissible evidence. solid, believable witnesses, and the best prosecutorial team
sherm gallay ; Well said!
I disagree. Democrats trust in the DOJ must have been lower throughout the "trumpster's" reign of terror, Barr better than Garland? I don't think so. Garland is slow and methodical, yes. The wheels of justice turn slowly, yes. But why go full steam ahead before you've collected sufficient, legally undeniable evidence to get a conviction.
The MAL documents case required unlawful retention of documents and knowledge that the documents were government property. There is literally video proof of the former, and a subpoena that proves the latter. Unless Garland is waiting for a confession written in a particular blood type, he has what he needed. Instead, he once again allowed Trump to create a PR defense that gave air cover to partisan judges. The Mueller obstruction cases were tied up in a bow...facts, case law, defense arguments, rebuttals, statutory precedent...and Garland ignored everything. Garland was a highly risk-averse judge and he's even worse as a prosecutor.
I agree wholeheartedly HE with ur fine summary of AG Garland’s lack of action to put tRump in his rightful place once and for all. I am so disappointed in him, he seems afraid to confront the conman & prosecute him like other prosecutors have stated should be done sooner rather than later. He would be more suited for the Supreme Court rather than active prosecution. I think Pres Biden should appoint someone tough on crime, white collar crime of the worst variety.
I’ve been extremely frustrated too. We’re at what some would call an inflection point--I call it a turning point. Something’s got to give soon.
Thank you for reminding us all in actual list form of all the things Garland has failed to do despite vowing to do so. I have listened to all sorts of liberal pundits urging patience as in “Garland is, in fact, investigating,” and “Garland has to make sure it’s an airtight case,” etc. And is is true that the case(s) is(are) getting tighter and tighter, but when is enough enough? We cannot wait and let trump decide our midterms. Arrest and hold him for trial without his phone. NOW.
HW [and RS] I think your righteous indignation and impatience with Garland is probably due to the fact that you assume that Merrick Garland, AG, is all knowing and that DOJ and the state AGS are more powerful than is actually the case.
Re the Jan 6 debacle, the DOJ website lists the DOJ prosecutions to date. In those cases the evidence was in and so those prosecutions were ripe. Prosecuting the higher ups depends on harder to obtain evidence. AG Garland will probably do more with the further evidence gathered by the Hearings in Congress--- and there will probably be the threat of a presidential pardon that could undo all that.
I don't think an AG is all knowing, but DOJ has massive resources and far-reaching I investigatory powers. Garland is allowing the Mueller obstruction cases to expire, bungling the documents case, via leaks from his own department, he didn't seriously begin to look at the multiple efforts to overturn the 2020 election until Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony. He's ignored obstruction by the USSS and FBI. He promised and failed to protect election workers. He promised and failed to vigorously investigate the Uvalde debacle. The majority of low level 1/6 cases were prosecuted as misdemeanors. I could go on and on, but his poor performance speaks for itself.
Having worked with DOJ for decades and a state AG I know for a fact that neither enjoys "massive resources". Your expectations are leading you into frustration.
Well Garland himself (via Congressional testimony) said he had all the resources he needed to conduct his investigations. Was he lying? The 1/6 Committee tackled a tremendous amount of information, and repeatedly stated that they had far fewer resources than DOJ. I'm frustrated because Garland has done a poor job, and he understood the stakes when he fought for the position. He's now allowed 2 big lies to be cemented into the consciousness of the country: election fraud and an illegitimate MAL search. There's plenty of blame to go around: apathetic voters, cynical media, an authoritarian GOP, lackluster Democratic leadership opposition, but Garland's passivity and errors are glaring.
Ive already said I think Garland is proceeding on the Jan 6 prosecutions and ongoing investigations matters as well as anyone probably can under the circumstances. There is alot of process underway as Trump and his GOP pals like Sen Graham have the money to exhaust their legal rights - and it could all be preempted by pardons. You mentioned lots of ongoing messes, eg election fraud - this is one of the GOPs favorite claims in many states any of which have been investigated,- generally its been found to be an unsupported, false allegation. I think poorly educated US citizens are really getting screwed by all this lying by both parties and by the general right wing nature of MSM. The uneducated are frustrated because they cannot begin to figure this stuff out, they cant assess whats thrown at them n in MSM, and as a result they are unfortunately the big losers in all this.
Well said!
wrong-clearly you know nothing about federal criminal probes. I would argue trust in DOJ was low when you had career prosecutors quitting under Barr because of blatant politicization
Open corruption nd blatant partisanship under Barr was rampant, but I didn't see a rash of resignations by DOJ attorneys. I still recall the DOJ attorney who argued that soap and toothpaste weren't 'necessities' for refugees caged by Trump's DHS. That said, ineffective actions and placing 'optics' over 'justice' is equally corrosive to the rule of law. And yes, I'm an attorney.
i agree with optics over justice criticism 100%
Thanks for sharing your opinion based on whatever.
Debbie Downer
Sad but true
My question is, why do we allow a high-crime criminal to roam around the US after inciting a deadly attack on it! Trump should not be eligible! He must be arrested not participating in the Democracy he continues to try to destroy! Had a Democrat attacked the capital, they’d have been long gone by any means. But Republicans get the red carpet.
Derek is correct, failure to indict is a helping hand to fascism. Failure to indict before elections looks like collusion, not justice!
Seeking Reason, you are right about the message of not indicting Trump as well as needing to restrict Trump from his ridiculous "rallies" that are just lie fests to keep his crazies in line. Our DOJ should know this and get indictments going no matter whether Trump testifies before the January 6th Committee or not. It is time!
indicting trump is like indicting a mob boss who never gets his hands dirty-its complicated and difficult to prove in fed court, especially when all the criminals used encrypted apps, shred documents, and refuse to testify, or like Anthony Ornato and Chadd Wolfe who destroyed evidence-I want those criminals in jail but alas that would take cooperating SS agents.
Good point about the poor timing. And about how Dems would have been out long ago had the roles been reversed. I am trying to gather psychologists who will talk to me for a book about how the U.S. political system has the same dynamics as any toxic system: At the untouchable top of the system are abusers, enablers, and flying monkeys (deniers who spread the toxicity like the ones in The Wizard of Oz.) At the bottom are Peacemakers and Scapegoats. I’m sure you can see where Democrats sit in this intransigent system. Intransigent because Democrats keep unwittingly playing their roles.
SR
To start with about 30% of the voters in this country will never believe he is a criminal regardless of what evidence you produce and another 19% will vote for him as President because despite his criminal behavior they see him as a better choice than the alternative.
We need to stop blaming others for this problems. We go ourselves in this position electing leaders like Clinton and Obama who totally screwed the poor and middle class in this country (NAFTA and leaving those effected hight and dry with nothing and the companies that took advantage of NAFTA made fortunes AND lets not forget Obama who bailed out Banks, Share holders and the bonuses of the Executives and left home owners to file for bankruptcy...).
Lets focus on what we can control and what we have done to get us in this spot.
TS
Estimates... but directionally correct.
Trump has a 42% favorability rating.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/favorability/donald-trump/
Janet
30% of American voters don't agree with you on this and another 19% simply don't care and will vote for him anyway..
You can't have laws that people respect if that many people don't see him as guilty. (Yes of course he is guilty as hell, that is not what i am talking about).
Just saying. Dems got ourselves in this spot. the leaders we elected to office have been so TERRIBLE to so many Americans that even a criminal like Trump looks better in their eyes...
(Clinton pushed NAFTA with zero assistance to people and communities devastated by this policy and Obama bailed out banks, share holders and banker bonuses but left homeowners to file for bankruptcy so bankers could reposes their homes.
Maybe we need to focus on why our own leaders are so ODIOS to so many Americans.../
Bernie 2020
A criminal is a criminal. A convicted criminal is a convict. You are not real smart are you??? You pal Trump is a rapist and a liar, if you believe one word him or any of the idiots who worship him then you may be missing the grey matter called a brain. Do some actual research friend it is far better to be thought a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
LM
None the less Trump has 42% favorability with voters.. Not saying that doe snot make him a criminal. Just saying that something he is doing works with a large number of voters...
And my guess is that saying those voters are "missing the grey mater called a brain" just makes them more loyal to Trump and less open minded to the truth...
Here is my question, what is your view on how the Dems can get Trump supporters to move away from him?
As did tommy get hurt feelers😜😘
Better dead than Red.
Yes that is true Tom...
The people on this board are no different than the right wingers that watch Fox and listen to Ben Shapiro..
They see only one side of the story. A crafted narrative that tells you HATE the other side enough and things will be okay.... People that live in glass houses aught not throw rocks... right?
Janet
I agree! "making sweeping generalizations about hundreds of people...." is not a good idea.
My commentary is based on their comments which is informed by reading their comments with regularity. The consistency of assumptions and truths that are actually half truths or flat out wrong is not surprising. As i have noted, i see similar errors on boards that cater to Fox news watchers. I know nothing about any of these people personally nor have i made personal comments on them. I assume the people on both types of boards are, for the most part, sweet.
Do you not agree that is it helpful to have your assumptions challenged, especially when they are coming from media, not Prof Reich, that tends to give only one side of most stories and that ignores many massively important stories for fear of reproachment from sponsors (Universal Health Care and Monopolies are two topics the MSM tries to avoid and certainly does almost no investigation and deep research on)
If i am rude please call me out. No excuse for being rude.. But if you are not willing to have your opinions challenged then why are you posting them publicly? Right?
Tom, you can’t seem to explain your thought. Typical.
Aww. Such a cute little attempt to sound like a 10 year old. Time to grow up snowflake.
If you can't stand the heat ; get out of the kitchen. Why should someone not getting a job done be paid? Whether it is a Congressman, Senator or the United States Attorney General and his staff? Enough already. We, the people should be able to say "you're fired!".
We should yes but unfortunately that’s a decision that would be out of our hands regardless.
If you don't have all the ingredients assembled, don't start cooking.
Buy, if you wait to long some of your ingredients will stale or rot. The final dish will still be disappointment.
With stale ingredients you are taking this metaphor too far. Evidence doesn't get stale
And we all vote blue!
I guess you do not believe in facts. Hopefully you will someday
you are a troll. Obvious that you are not human or intelligent. I’ll just call you Schadenfreude Queen who behaves like the stereotype of every high school mean girl bully movie. You are a little little person who has no concept of humor. I would like to believe that you are not lost, but I believe your brain is wired and there is no hope for you.