Professor Reich: i am absolutely astonished that no one has locked up trump for threatening the president's life. why has nothing happened? why does this demented rage-a-holic roam and spout freely online and off? why has nothing happened?
IMHO besides being the orange antichrist, Trump is a stochastic terrorist, and should be the subject of contempt hearings under NY state law and in the DC case.
It would probably take some expert psychiatric testimony but the "hog tied" speech and image are the "call to fire in a crowded theater." So much for free speech.
Alternatively both courts have enough to hold a hearing whether he should be civilly committed and investigated to see whether he is 1. fit to stand trial and 2. needs to be hospitalized for his own good.
Definition "...a leader vilifies a person or group in ways likely to instigate random supporters to attack those targets, while the instigator maintains a veneer of plausible deniability."
Plausible Deniability: Trump's enablers have said time and time again, "Do not pay attention to what he says, which is nonsense, but pay attention to what he does, his policies." Even after January 6 many are still supporting him, which suggests that they like what he does. Christian supporters of Trump must be reminded of what Jesus stated about verbal utterances: What comes our of your mouth is more important than what comes out of your anus, because the latter is waste, whereas what comes out of your mouth is who you are. Hard to deny this.
Good morning, let's have a democracy challenge. I've marked my calendar for the county commission meeting this month. It's local. Can we all show up to one meeting for democracy? I'm assuming you are in South Florida. I bet there is lots to find out at those meetings.
In Miami Dade, support the mayor. The next meting in Wednesday. Starts at 9:30 and goes all day. The real action is at the city of Miami.
County Registration Democrats: 512,853, Republican 439,256, No Party:464,066.
I live in the city. Completely corrupt. The mayor is in deep trouble. The city commission could have a quorum in jail. "In a time when city hall is up to its rafters in corruption allegations — a$63.5 million civil verdict against Commissioner Joe Carollo for harassing local businesses with city power, former Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla being arrested for alleged bribery and money laundering and Mayor Francis Suarez reportedly being investigated by the FBI — a new layer of accountability is what several residents and observers have been asking for."
Oh wow, yes I lived in South Florida for a time. I was shocked and sorely disappointed. I have traveled around the globe and I was so looking forward to hospitality and learning more about South America culture. It was the most culture shock I have had anywhere.
South Florida is Juan Batiste country. All of the geese that fled the revolution and settled in Florida were white collar crooks, that exploited the peasants, and are a Cuban mafia.
We have a county mayor, Daniela Levine Cava, A democrat.
City is full of MAGATS.
In my novel I document the animosity among jurisdictions. One of the city commissioners accused the county of being communist. That was in 1990. He's still here.
I'm really glad to see you saying this, Daniel, because it confirms that he has stepped way over the line and can be jailed and charged with terrorism. I really hope this happens--finally--before anyone gets killed.
I heard a podcast w/ Dr. Bandy X. Lee who has agreed w/ other mental health experts that he has such a mass of disorders and is getting progressively worse,so much so that he will probably implode.There's a possibility he might not make it to the Nov. election.Oh happy day!!!
I sent an image of Trump's Truth Social post defying the gag order to the New York Courts email asking for clarification if that was contempt of court. Still waiting for an answer.
If the gag orders are unconstitutional that means Trump can say inflammatory statements and attack individuals involved in his trials with impunity? That seems rather unconstitutional.
I swear, that man, once an expert on constitutional law, has a brain worm.
He isn’t even logical anymore, much less accurately a legal scholar.
{“Free Speech”is not infinite, and just about ALL law is “prior restraint,” which puts limits on what people can do BEFORE they do it — in the case of defendants in law suits, poisoning the process and inciting violence by attacking the court and court officials’ family members is not permitted..
NOT prior restraint — just the law that none of us are “free” to do that.
Your comment is excellent and needs to be heard in the mainstream media which is still talking about “both sides “ and being fair to the two parties. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know who controls most of the media in the USA and that’s the point. They are for the most part big business Conservatives. Look what NBC did last week with the hiring of Ronna McDaniel. They seem to think that under a Trump dictatorship they will be just fine. I guess they don’t know any history of what happens to the press in a Fascist government.
I've been saying much the same thing for weeks if not months--doesn't the media know any history at all??? Trump won't care if the paper or the newsdesk tried to treat him fairly or not--EVERY media outlet will end up under his thumb. Believe what he says--it will be what he eventually does.
This is the refrain from so many right now, and I think we deserve a response.
WHY does he get away with it?
I know if he were to be seriously stopped, he cast himself as the “Nevalny” in this scenario, when we know he’s Mephistopheles.
But optics and PR should only play a part in determining how best to implement our law so that our people recognize it as necessary and just, not whether to actually follow the law.
tRump is a threat to society. A convicted killer who escapes from prison is considered to be armed and dangerous. But that escapee is dangerous is a much more narrow way than tRump. tRump is broadly dangerous and can impact so many people at once. He knows that people he doesn't personally know will likely act on his words. The judge's daughter has nothing to do with this hush money trial, but like a mob boss tRump is attacking the judge through his family. Why is trying to intimidate the judge not grounds for revocation of bail? So what if he is running for office? He is a defendant in a criminal trial. A less well known person would not be shown the deference tRump has received. Lock him up and shut him down!
I don’t want a police state to “trump up” charges against every dissident, but Trump has LONG AGO crossed the line between political rhetoric and criminal incitement.
He needs to be treated like he’s any citizen who poses a threat—because he is.
When he doubles down on the Big Lie we doubl down on him. When he threats the president we haul him in by law enforcement for questioning if nothing else.
He promised "There will be Problems! In the Streets!" and Justice and Homeland Security believe he could pull it off . .Yes there are that many Stand By Nut Cells . .. so much for "Let There Be Justice Though The Heavens Fall"
The solar eclipse-- This phenomenon occurs when the moon blocks the visual image of Old Saul by positioning itself perfectly between the Earth and the Sun. This age-old event sent the medicine men of their respective cultures into a tailspin trying to explain why the Sun chose to go dark for a short period of time. Wouldn't it be great if we, as a society, could experience an eclipse in "Reverse." Instead of shadowing us in darkness for a moment, just think of the warmth we all could feel if the event covered us all in the light of truth. I hope you all had a Happy Easter.
This may seem like a snarky comment but it's not. There is an astrological prediction about complete solar eclipses, and that is: If you watch the eclipse it can bring you great fortune or great tragedy. My closest neighbor -- the nicest man you could EVER meet -- watched the August 2017 eclipse out in our backyard with his father. I just stayed indoors and saw the shadow of it all passing over the yard. Two months later, on October 23, my neighbor was in Florida with his parents, and he drowned. It was the most awful, unexpected, last-thing-you-would-ever-think-of-happening event. He and his father were best friends. We were all heartbroken to the max. I still find myself in disbelief.
To me, this type of celestial event is just "something that happens" every few years. I really don't understand what the big deal is about it. Haven't we gotten beyond "ancient Greece" yet? At any rate, no solar eclipses for me . . . I won't be watching it!
Feb 26, 1979. my team made a parachute jump at the moment of a total solar eclipse, a night jump when we left the aircraft and a day jump when we landed.
But William, the Secret Service is staffed with Trump humpers, they and the FBI, also staffed with conservatives if not Trump humperss, like the DOJ is, will do nothing and Biden, afraid of what the media will say, if he does what Trump did and use the FBI and DOJ, thus concedes them both and the Secret Service to Trump.
Power,corrupts, The way people deal with cognitive dissonance is by becoming radicals in their new faith or behavior. Manifested in religions, converts become radicals, extremists, to prove to themselves and others that they made the right choice and are genuine.
Radicalized Muslims become suicide bombers, converts to Islam become radical and vehement Muslims. Protestant converts to Catholicism become rad trad Catholics.
GrrlScientist, it is Donald Trump‘s sky, kissing arrogance, and unlimited audacity that has enabled him to get as far as he has. Clearly, our founding fathers in their worst imaginings had never imagined that we would have such an evil man running for president and, I must say, supported by a staff of evil geniuses and spin artists. I would not be surprised to find that his staff is educated in the art of disinformation by Russian intelligence agents.
The molasses like speed with which Merrick Garland responds, if at all, is of no benefit either.
Yes, I agree. Trump doesn't have the intelligence to do this, he is being led by his evil staff. They should be in jail and not allowed to be pardoned by anyone.
Marc- the right wing owned media is fully complicit and I think you are spot on that this goes directly to Putin pulling the strings. Likely Saudi Arabia & China are contributing as well. This is about the accomplishment of total corruption of republicans in congress, our judicial branch and the accomplishment of well over 40 years of implementing the strongest fight against the 1930s New Deal, to finally destroy it all and any form of democracy with it.
Our justice system acts helpless in front of him. Trump has already given literally hundreds of reasons to imprison him (as would be done to the rest of us if we had done only 1 of them), with his many instances of stochastic terrorism & threats to public & national security.
All these gag orders on Trump are meaningless if nothing happens to him when he breaks them as he always does.
As I said, Trump has given the justice system & law enforcement hundreds of reasons to lock him up & they've all passed, apparently due to fear. No matter how you look at it, it shows the huge disparity in how the justice system treats rich, powerful, treasonous mob figures like Trump & ordinary people.
The machinations of the Secret Service during the fat guys time in office. suggest that they were complicit in distorting their responsibilities. Just one example; Secret Service agents should never become part of the same administration that they were originally assigned to protect. The head of his protection detail went from that position to that of a Trump advisor. Giving him a direct line to law enforcement. Bad enough he was allowed to go to that position but he was allowed to return to the Secret Service. after Trump was defeated. Ethics be damned I guess
Make no mistake suggesting that law enforcement is left is laughable on its face. Trump was again testing the boundaries and knocking them down. All to establish himself with total control.
Who is responsible for arresting someone who threatens the president? Tailgaits with lifelike pictures of our president hog tied and gagged are threatening. Those people should be arrested along with Trump for approving it.
The Secret Service. Anybody else who posted that picture would likely already have been contacted and his position clarified at least. The Secret Service primary responsibility is protecting the president and investigating all related threats maintaining intelligence on such threats.
Gloria, actually, they are the ones who refused to drive him to the insurrectionist rally on the day that the electoral college votes were counted. Even though he attempted to grab the wheel of his car, they resisted, and instead drove him to the White House.Can you imagine what the scene would be like if he showed up in front of the insurrectionists?
As an incarcerated former president, can you imagine the scene in prison where he is guarded by Secret Service agents? I don’t think it would be a duty that they would gladly volunteer for.
Marc, As the hope and prospect of TFG being sent to jail for violating bail terms or gag orders and eventually conviction, the “Secret Service” question usually comes up. I’d agree few if any would volunteer, except maybe some of the deeply devoted MAGA agents.
But the question should be are they needed at all? Former presidents get Secret Service protection for life, first spouse also gets at least one agent for life even after the death of the president, adult children only get one year of protection after the end of a presidential term. The presumption is the former president’s life is sacred and the president has knowledge of things best kept secret if he/she were to be abducted for ransom. Ditto for first spouse if abducted and used for leverage. Realistically, TFG is not going to be abducted away from a well guarded prison; although the possibility of an inside job with participating sympathetic prison guards could exist. I’d also probably wouldn’t be too far out on a limb to speculate a good chunk of Americans may not view his particular life as sacred.
If there’s a concern, put TFG in solidarity confinement with several adjacent cells empty. Maybe reopen an old wing just for him, similar to England holding Rudolf Hess during WW2 and then in Spandau Prison, Berlin afterwards as the only prisoner. Maybe a cell behind a sound and bulletproof glass wall where he can enjoy fava beans and a nice Chianti. This could be special preferential treatment I could actually get behind, unlike the kid gloves stuff he’s getting now from courts, politicians, and the lame stream media.
Paula B. Your suggestion is actually my preferred option - maximum security general population. That’s what he deserves. But realistically will never come to pass. Another good option is Guantánamo Bay. Anything but cozy, very isolated and difficult to access or visit. Solves the problem of his supporters from protesting at the front gate. It has a naval hospital, as former presidents get free medical for life at military hospitals. The only hitch is it’s Federal, so states can’t use it, and DoD operated not DoJ Bureau of Prisons. DoJ would need to allow the transfer. My experience is federal departments have turf wars and usually don’t play well together.
You are right Marc. The secret service agent that refused to drive him to the capitol was protecting Trump from himself, not protecting the country. Then there was the secret service agent who tried to drive Pence away from the Capitol, if he had succeeded then the insurrection would have succeeded.
Game of Thrones time, don't trust the Secret Service.
Dogs have a sixth sense, Biden's dog Major knew that the secret service agents were not loyal, but hostile to Biden, and bit only secret service agents. Biden, afraid of the media , fired Major but should have fired the Secret Service agents, they are loyal to Trump.
No Gloria, the people responsible for protecting the president are conservative and Trump humpers.
Bidens dog Major bit Secret Service agents and no one else. Dogs have a sixth sense, smell and aura, Major knew that those who were suppose to guard Joe were actually hostile to Joe. Biden should have fired the agents, not Major. An error judgement on his part.
Trumpy is being treated with kid gloves. If anybody else did these things, they'd be in jail right now. Why is HE getting away with things? He has proven that he DOES do the things he threatens.
"Astonished" is a reasonable response. I think a better question we need to ask is...why there hasn't been a reasonable response on a sliding scale to any and all the unreasonable activities of the right and extreme right over the last 40+ years?
I don't disagree about trump. HOWEVER, the Dems are still (and have been) missing the point.
The Dems do not listen about income inequality. When people can't pay the rent next month. They do not care about democracy.
Math : Rent $2000 a month (average in all of Florida) $15 = $2600. That leave $600 for taxes, child care, food, car, car insurance, clothes and it doesn't work. And NO, I should not be forced to get a roommate to subsidize the businesses labor costs.
What are the Dems going to do about it - Biden wins - then what??
Citizens United, Corporations as Individuals! Black Rock, Vanguard, Wall Street own us. Just sold the Steward Hospital System in the Boston area. All the buildings you and I paid for in Subsidized building for healthcare. Can't you hear the sucking sound of the rest of US common good going to the greedy?
Wall Street got the pension system, so all the folks in 401Ks , who will never have enough money to retire comfortably, support Wall Street. Wait til Wall Street gets social security and privatize Medicare . Dejoy has already deconstructed much of the post office as Biden watched. Then, the US justice system, directed by Federalist Garland and FBI federalist Chris Wray, pretend to seek justice as threats, guns, destruction of standards, checks and balances run rampant toward fascism.
Americans don't take to the streets anymore. WE were ridiculed for it years ago. Part of it is the homeland security distortions and part of it is the comfort of the 50% that don't want to bother, just chat on line.. Many of the rest of the 50% are either desperate to survive or too discouraged by the last 50 years. I wish we had the French tradition of taking to the streets. Political Incrementalism and greed may have won.
Also, Vicki, I think that threats of violence on the part of law enforcement have quashed large-scale protests. After all, in some locations, it's now illegal to gather for mass demonstrations. Even 20 years ago, I was in the streets on more than one occasion. Now, I'd be afraid of being tased or clubbed or thrown into an unmarked van by guys with no identifying insignia.
Black Rock, Vanguard and about two others, do own the U.S.A., not only health care, but the media as well, Vanguard, a private equity fund, owns Comcast,, which owns NBCUniversal which owns the "liberal" MSNBC.
GrrlScientst-We need to see an end to this abomination of extreme privilege to the worst criminal and existential threat this nation has known. You speak for us all. Our collective patience is gone!
I will say it for the umpteenth time, we should be going after the entire Republican Party! They are complicit in the destruction of our government and they enable tRump in words and in their silence.
The same is true for the people who vote for tRump in the primaries and have supported him financially. They are as much to blame for the hate, chaos and divisiveness that is destroying the U.S.
Flood the media with emails, calls, or postcards with complaints over their coverage of this threat to America. Flood the offices of Republican members of Congress with emails, calls or postcards and tell them they are not upholding their oath of office. Stand up and be heard! If you are threatened in any way, report it to the police and the FBI. They won't do anything but they need to have a better sense of the danger we face by speaking out.
If millions of loyal, patriotic Americans between now and election speak out, maybe just maybe the enemies of America will think twice about how they contributing to the destruction of the country.
Robert Reich has given us a tremendous summary of the threat facing America by a dangerous Christo-fascist movement. I'm sure he would not mind if you copy and pasted some of the text into your emails and messages to Republicans and the media.
The answer Grlllscienttist is that the Democratic party are cowards, They are intimidated by Trump and his MAGAts.
And the same for Judges like Engoron and Marchand, Trump has violated gag orders, and the penalty in NY is $1,000 fine (peanuts for Trump) and/or 30 days in Rikers, yet Trump walks free, threatening and harassing.
Our institutions tends to give a former President all the pomp and ceremony that we grant to the Office of the Presidency. We have never had a charlatan like Trump as President. We must break from this tendency before it is too late
GrrlScientist - garland will never stand up to his masters. and truthfull, i'm starting to wonder if democracy isn't overrated? i mean, living in this fascist state, i got my dog, my pickup truck, my bigscreen tv, (beer is more expensive, gotta right my congressman about that), gotta wife keeps a clean house. what the heck, why complain?
as a woman who is married and "keeps a clean house", i can honestly tell you this is a recipe for alcoholism or suicide. for the woman, i mean. the man is (obviously) doing fine.
GrrlScientist - I truly hope that my attempt at sarcastic humor was at least somewhat evident. I will say with all honesty and humility that it took me more than a substantial portion of our 51 years together to realize that I owe a huge debt to my hardworking wife. having always looked with scorn on patriarchy, and priding myself on progressive values, i nevertheless fell easily into the comfortable familiarity of being cared for, as if by my mother. there is no excuse for this; it is a moral, spiritual, and personal failure of my own making. as i look back, all sorts of feeble excuses and rationalizations for my laziness arise, and none of them are justified. so i will once again try to find some way to make amends to my sweet wife, and she will just shrug it off and say, don't be silly, our life is fine. at least I can say that i have mastered the art of bathroom cleaning, a huge part of which is simplified by sitting down to pee.
I'm certain there are plans of such actions that are being weighed. I'm also sure one item that has delayed this is fear of the NOT constitutionally appropriate reaction that Trump enthusiasts would implement if secret service acted. Much of any actions must be seen by ALL as due process appropriate not a political ploy against Trump. Trump would use power to his advantage. But we all must resist taking action against him that looks self serving.
Agreed... while I am still wondering why nobody has called Dump to task for his recorded pronouncement promoting "pussy grabbing" before any of this other stuff. His statement (before 2016 sometime) not only encouraged men to molest and rape women... he said "women like it; they let you" or words to that effect. Add to that the fact that I believe he was talking about women in some beauty contest he owned, which makes him the employer and them the employee, and multiplies the crime by many factors. He got away with that, so it's no surprise he just keeps getting away with endless crimes... like trying to have his minions take the Capitol by force, lynch the VP, and yadda yadda without end. JTC
In the universe of our highly confused, electorate listening to many opposing claims and disinformation, your clarity around Trump‘s five step fascist plan is a clear, concise and pithy description of what’s to com should Trump somehow win the upcoming election. It is exactly this type of clarity laid out, simply that we need to be able to reach people Who have not had the opportunity for sophisticated higher education. Bravo, and thank you, Dr. Reich.
Don't be afraid! Help get out the vote today! Fully one-third of the electorate DID NOT VOTE in 2020. Republicans and Trump are COUNTING on themto not vote in 2024!
Patricia - I think we all feel your disquiet. For myself, I try to take hold of fearfulness and turn it into positive action, affirming what I support in our society, strengthening good will and involvement in our community. A warm and open heart is so much stronger than any fear - thankfully so!
I believe that he and his evil enablers will not accept a loss and we might see a repeat of January 6th but better orchestrated since they have had four years to plan for it.
Problem is the limits of this circle. Of course Trump is modeled after Adolf Hitler. But does it help to say so? Should we not look for the innocent believers in his machismo and separate them from the ranks of the GOP?
And who is behind this weirdo? Is it the Heritage Foudation? Big business?
And imagine Trump is not put behind bars but lost the election? Will his followers accept that the second coming of the Saviour went wrong?
The Pope and many of his bishops are at war with each other. Libertarians are very influential in the US Catholic Church, and they supported Trump in 2020. Pope Francis witnessed fascism first hand in his native Argentina, back in the 1970-1980s, when leftist were thrown from airplanes into the sea, but now as then, the Church is largely controlled by wealthy authoritarians.
Indeed, and the most of them are in the Rust Belt...where they know the "truth" from the Trumpische Beobachter, er, truth Social: of course there are literally no migrants in flyover space, land of patriots...but they're in them varmint blue cities and states, only; vermin are pouring them in and showering Fed printing press cash on them, causing the patriots higher prices, more debt, less opportunity for patriots, blah blah blah.
Of course, looking at data even from such as American Immigration Council, it never occurs to them that even in Floridareich, home of Grofaz and deep red patriots, as of 2021 immigrant-led families paid $27B in Fed taxes, over $10B in state/local taxes, and contributed $125 billion to the Floridareich economy. Not to mention that in Texasgau 2018, under Grofaz' eye, 22% of the workforce was immigrant. And some say Generalfeldmarschall Abbott is border spieling for Goebbels and Riefenstahl...
This likely is why Trump and company spin relentlessly in venom, to ensure the Rust Belt core of the GOP base...no longer "the southern strategy"...stay focused on becoming Sturmtrumpers proud to be Americans, and help their Orange Messiah purge "godless" issues existing "only in the blue places, Jehovah Gire and Lee Greenwood be praised for the purity of all things red".
They are easy to gaslight, then exploit with say fundraiser Bibles having Constitution copies in them...just keep turning up the anti-blue imagery to keep the patriots motivated, like any good grifter always does.
Your explanation for how the grift works in the rust belt is excellent and should be shared so that people who are still not paying attention to the current political climate, take notice and understand what the country is up against.
The fact that Trump, as President, never even tried to unite the country is all anyone needs to know about the kind of person he is! Or the fact that he has never tried to quell the violence that has followed him and plagued his party, but rather has encouraged the violence by his rhetoric! Our judicial branch has condoned his actions and by doing so has made him believe he is above the law!
The truly sad part is that the people also believe he is above the law.
Keith, even worse, is that his ability to “game“ the Justice system is in many cases working. Much of his strategy in the federal cases is based on his belief that because he appoints ultra-conservative judges, they owe him a return “favor.“ In actuality, we are seeing this occur. In the non-federal cases, he does not hesitate to threaten violence to those who are committed to making the justice system work properly. He is also not above threats to the families of those that oppose him. One thing that he is truthful on is his commitment to authoritarianism and fascism from “Day One” of his presidency should he somehow manage to be elected. If he is not elected, we can expect double the amount of violence and insurrection in an attempt to gain the office of President by any means possible. He will not succeeded; but I believe he will attempt to move heaven and earth, or hell and earth, in order to gain this most powerful and coveted, position. Putin would be delighted!
Marc, I can’t help but think if the DOJ had nipped this in the bud right after Jan.6, when even the Republicans were on board with stopping Trump’s coup attempt, they could have put this guy away for good! Trump called the Media the enemy of the people. I think the DOJ might be the enemy of our democracy! What say you?
I find the DOJ complicit in Trump's lawless, disruptive & divisive behavior by doing nothing to prevent or punish it. He has seen that he can say & do anything he wants with no legal consequence. The irony of Biden's own DOJ apparently condoning attacks on Biden!
I don’t think the DOJ in its current form and actions can be called “an enemy of the people.“ However, under President Trump, the DOJ would most certainly be an instrument of the fascists and “an enemy of the people.”
Putin is probably delighted right now because he has succeeded in dividing the country without firing a shot. Still doing it and doing it well. Who knows how far Russian money and influence have infected the body politic? Turning the USA into a Fascist state would be the penultimate wet dream for Putin.
But he will be if elected, as MAGA Republicans plan on changing the presidency into a virtual kingship in which the president can order armed forces to do WHATEVER HE WANTS!
Well, Keith.....not to put too fine a point on it, but....thus far, he HAS been above the law. He's not in prison awaiting trial, as anyone else would be, had they made the threats or committed the crimes (esp. theft of classified documents) he has. He hasn't paid a dime in penalties, as the judgments are all in limbo, pending the outcomes of [endless] appeals. He just had a bond requirement reduced by half, and as of this writing, hasn't paid it. He's got a Florida federal judge in his corner, going to bat for him. SCOTUS agreed to hear his case for immunity. The U.S. AG slow-walked all possible indictments for at least two years, in the first place.
Sure looks to me as if he's skating on everything so far, more's the pity.
Trump has packed the Supreme Court so that even if he is found guilty in court, he just appeals it until it reaches his cohorts.
SCOTUS should have allowed Colorado and Maine to leave him off the ballot as per the 14th Amendment section three. Other states would’ve joined them. That couldn’t have been clearer but there it was he was free to run. And what does that say to the general public? He’s perfectly suited to run for president.
Many Republicans have said that if he’s found guilty of a crime they won’t vote for him. And yet if he is found guilty, and he should be, he’ll just take it up with SCOTUS.
The excuse that no president has ever been charged with ( chose your favorite indictment here) in trumps world that means he’s being unfairly prosecuted or as he just today announced he is being persecuted more than Jesus was. But no president has ever been charged with ( choose your favorite crime here) BECAUSE NO PRESIDENT HAS COMMITTED THE MANY CRIMES HES COMMITTED.
I’m longing for the good old Nixon days. At least then the Republican Party held him accountable.
I have felt the same way for sometime now and don’t see Trump being held accountable yet. He stacked the courts, delayed justice and has intelligent right wing players behind him now. He’s not capable of this kind of strategizing. He is barely coherent when speaking.
I fully concur with your sentiments. America is sleepwalking into national disaster. Trump has repeatedly trashed political conventions and tested the limits of civility. He has directly accused judges of being partisan and aligns himself with the power base of the Police and the gun lobby. He has stacked the Supreme Court and Lower Courts with his allies but this was not undertaken in the interest of political balance but as a personal quid pro quo for himself as he plans to overstep the bounds of law and constitutionality. There is no doubting his modus operandi and anyone believing otherwise is going to have a nasty surprise should Trump seize power, legal or illegally, at the next election. Jailing him promptly for his infractions will send a clear message to his sycophants and MAGA base that the rule of law applies equally. If that ultimately means repealing Presidential immunity for all Presidents, past, present or future, then so be it. Bugger any fears of whether the MAGA base retaliates. The nation will be better off for it. The Founding Fathers may have feared for the constitution but never ever envisaged a lying, opportunistic fascist-leaning scoundrel like Trump.
Excellent article and accompanying video. and links to your other videos. I am forwarding to my list of several dozen compatriots. The only good news here is that the more desperate Trump gets, the more brazen his outrages become. But that won't matter until many of the 80 million Trump supporters change their minds and the poll numbers. We are like the Germans before their 1933 election. I hope we can avoid a similar outcome.
Douglas, I doubt we can get many of the Trump supporters to change their minds. What we do need is to get 160, million Democrats to show up at the polls.
Good point. But so far, the polls of registered voters are better for Biden than the polls of likely voters, suggesting that not enough pro-Biden leaners plan to actually vote. I'm optimistic that the Biden team is right, that those leaners will get motivated, and the daily drip of bad news for Trump along with his continued outrages will work like a kind of Chinese water torture on the minds of many Trump supporters. And Biden's campaign has the financial advantage to keep the faucet turned on.
If enough people pay attention, all will be well. That's why articles like Reich's and others are important, and the sharing of them with others by people like us is also.
I understand Hitler liked animals in general, a positive quality, even if it might've been his only one. I challenge anyone to find a Trump attribute that he uses in a positive way.
Anything Trump says is interpreted by his brain washed supporters as positive . The rest of us can only hope that the independents finally realize that their lives under a Fascist dictatorship who has lost his mind will be ruined
If Putin extends war into NATO countries the US will become involved in another war in Europe. Biden needs to ask Americans are they prepared to sacrifice their sons and daughters to such a war because Republicans in Congress are stopping more aid to Ukraine. . .
This is the issue. Those with power are refusing to admit the staggering depth of the rot and corruption.
Democratic Senators are focused on destroying the confirmation of a Muslim judge to appease Nevada right-wing media. Judges are folding, or complicit in corruption. Biden is focused on fundraising vs educating the populace. Media has surrendered in advance.
How to fight on a fronts? Israelis are protesting in the streets, but the US seems incapable of rousing itself even for symbolic gestures.
There are few remaining options. I hope enough people vote...the turnout in 2024 has been dismal.
If Biden wins, it's untenable for him to continue to pretend that 35-40% of the country isn't wedded to fascism.
Trump and the GOP have already have corrupted the supreme Court, the justice department, the post office, the FBI, the secret service, law enforcement, the military and probably homeland security and the CIA and more. Garland has ignored it all. Biden has ignored Garland ignoring at all.
I don't see Trump sending healthy young immigrants back to their countries, but I do see him sending the elderly and the disabled back to their countries. I see Trump throwing Americans into those concentration camps that are disabled and needing a government check, as well as journalists that speak the truth.This all may take several years but they've had plenty of time planning already so it may be much quicker. The Confederates could not have done this without the help of the billionaires. The billionaires will throw them into the concentration camps or sent to the front lines, as well when they cannot no longer produce a profit for their owner.
America will turn into another third world failed nation and be ravaged by global warming like the rest of the world, so we must all get the ones that don't vote to vote and we must get the Republicans who don't like Trump to not vote. I don't like Biden, but I will vote democratic party to prevent fascism.
It’s like I’ve said all along. Trump belongs in prison . He’s been the instigator and ringleader of most of the trouble in this country since 2011. And our system is allowing him to continue because of money. We let the radical right have their way with JFK, RFK, and MLK. Then with Nixon and now with Trump. The people have been led for years to believe we have a “liberal press” and that democracy and liberals are evil. The Republicans don’t have Rush Limbaugh anymore to spit his venom on the radio so now Trump has taken his place everywhere else. He has filled the angry void left behind and now we have fascism and a wannabe dictator knocking at the doors of every person in this country. It’s going to take more than thoughts, prayers, and votes to clarify the direction of the country that we want to take. If the right and left really are part of the same bird then justice needs to be served for all the criminals involved and make it clear that we don’t want leaders who are bought and paid for by the extreme factions of our country.
The image posted of Biden is disgusting and disturbing. Trump has lost it. If you can't be civil all of the time, you shouldn't be leader of the Free World at any time.
I don't get it. If you were President, wouldn't you want to be a President for ALL the people, rather than a faction of your own Party? IMO, Biden is very underrated. He's a President for ALL the People.
Right you are, Danny. Trump is running scared. He was desperate on January 6. Now he is scared that he will end up in jail and financially ruined. His fantasy of Biden hog-tied is a subconscious reflection of himself all tied up in legal bindings. Let's tell Trump oveer and over again: you lost the election, you will lose again; you will spend the rest of your life in jail!
I agree with most everything RR says, but I am exasperated. It feels like we are in echo chamber talking to ourselves. Trump’s vileness is not going to keep him from getting elected. We are too smart to waste our time. I do NOT mean working to get Biden reelected (it would be nice). We need to find ways values language that appeal to people who are buying the fascist charade
We know all this. The courts have failed us. He is working the system to his advantage. One glaring weakness of the judicial system, that I find astonishing, is the method of chosing presiding judges. Random? You must be kidding. Young inexperienced or corrupt judges on some of the most seminal cases in American history. Cannon? What a cruel joke. Same with Georgia. You would never ever randmonly pick novice refs or umpires for Championship games.
And they have no courage. Only older male NYC judges have been serious. I have often mentioned Judge Sirica was the only one serious about Nixon.
This is not even about Democracy. Democracy allows the choice of a cruel and heinous leader. Hitler was elected! Putin was elected. Netanyahu was elected. The choice is about freedom and civility.
We are dealing with a gaslighted and unserious electorate. We are dealing with a party that knows their only path to victory is lie, cheat and steal. And they are good at it.
Professor Reich: i am absolutely astonished that no one has locked up trump for threatening the president's life. why has nothing happened? why does this demented rage-a-holic roam and spout freely online and off? why has nothing happened?
Request an investigation via the Secret Service tip line:
tips@usss.dhs.gov
I filed a request for an investigation two days ago.
IMHO besides being the orange antichrist, Trump is a stochastic terrorist, and should be the subject of contempt hearings under NY state law and in the DC case.
It would probably take some expert psychiatric testimony but the "hog tied" speech and image are the "call to fire in a crowded theater." So much for free speech.
Alternatively both courts have enough to hold a hearing whether he should be civilly committed and investigated to see whether he is 1. fit to stand trial and 2. needs to be hospitalized for his own good.
Definition "...a leader vilifies a person or group in ways likely to instigate random supporters to attack those targets, while the instigator maintains a veneer of plausible deniability."
Goes to probability. Causation.
The guy should be in a straight jacket
You mean a straitjacket.
Plausible Deniability: Trump's enablers have said time and time again, "Do not pay attention to what he says, which is nonsense, but pay attention to what he does, his policies." Even after January 6 many are still supporting him, which suggests that they like what he does. Christian supporters of Trump must be reminded of what Jesus stated about verbal utterances: What comes our of your mouth is more important than what comes out of your anus, because the latter is waste, whereas what comes out of your mouth is who you are. Hard to deny this.
For a T-Rump the difference is. . hard to distinguish . .. pungently small . . .
Matthew 7:15-20. Judge them by their fruits.
Trump: whoever has the most fruits wins.
Good morning, let's have a democracy challenge. I've marked my calendar for the county commission meeting this month. It's local. Can we all show up to one meeting for democracy? I'm assuming you are in South Florida. I bet there is lots to find out at those meetings.
In Miami Dade, support the mayor. The next meting in Wednesday. Starts at 9:30 and goes all day. The real action is at the city of Miami.
County Registration Democrats: 512,853, Republican 439,256, No Party:464,066.
I live in the city. Completely corrupt. The mayor is in deep trouble. The city commission could have a quorum in jail. "In a time when city hall is up to its rafters in corruption allegations — a$63.5 million civil verdict against Commissioner Joe Carollo for harassing local businesses with city power, former Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla being arrested for alleged bribery and money laundering and Mayor Francis Suarez reportedly being investigated by the FBI — a new layer of accountability is what several residents and observers have been asking for."
BTW I am author of Miami'90. https://www.amazon.com/Miami-90-2Paths2-Murder-Novel/dp/1977222374
Oh wow, yes I lived in South Florida for a time. I was shocked and sorely disappointed. I have traveled around the globe and I was so looking forward to hospitality and learning more about South America culture. It was the most culture shock I have had anywhere.
I've marked my calendar for my county to! #showUP
;)
South Florida is Juan Batiste country. All of the geese that fled the revolution and settled in Florida were white collar crooks, that exploited the peasants, and are a Cuban mafia.
“A quorum in jail.” Wow. What an image of a place.
So much work to do!
I'm proud of your accomplishment!!!
Daniel I don't understand your comment
First sentence: You say "In Miami Dade, support the mayor", then Last sentence say that Mayor Francis Suarez is being investigated by the FBI.
You surely aren't saying that you support the mayor that is being investigated by the FBI.
We have a county mayor, Daniela Levine Cava, A democrat.
City is full of MAGATS.
In my novel I document the animosity among jurisdictions. One of the city commissioners accused the county of being communist. That was in 1990. He's still here.
Suarez, Miami mayor was a Republican candidate for president, has a checkered history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Suarez#:~:text=While%20Suarez%20identifies%20himself%20as,a%20moderate%20or%20liberal%20Republican. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article286922240.html
Shakedown City. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article282921823.html
I'm really glad to see you saying this, Daniel, because it confirms that he has stepped way over the line and can be jailed and charged with terrorism. I really hope this happens--finally--before anyone gets killed.
I heard a podcast w/ Dr. Bandy X. Lee who has agreed w/ other mental health experts that he has such a mass of disorders and is getting progressively worse,so much so that he will probably implode.There's a possibility he might not make it to the Nov. election.Oh happy day!!!
If only!
It FEELS imminent, doesn’t it …
I sent an image of Trump's Truth Social post defying the gag order to the New York Courts email asking for clarification if that was contempt of court. Still waiting for an answer.
No thanks. I don't listen to Alan Dershowitz.
If the gag orders are unconstitutional that means Trump can say inflammatory statements and attack individuals involved in his trials with impunity? That seems rather unconstitutional.
PLEASE, DON’T EVER LISTEN TO ALAN DERSHOWITZ.
I swear, that man, once an expert on constitutional law, has a brain worm.
He isn’t even logical anymore, much less accurately a legal scholar.
{“Free Speech”is not infinite, and just about ALL law is “prior restraint,” which puts limits on what people can do BEFORE they do it — in the case of defendants in law suits, poisoning the process and inciting violence by attacking the court and court officials’ family members is not permitted..
NOT prior restraint — just the law that none of us are “free” to do that.
😂
Your comment is excellent and needs to be heard in the mainstream media which is still talking about “both sides “ and being fair to the two parties. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know who controls most of the media in the USA and that’s the point. They are for the most part big business Conservatives. Look what NBC did last week with the hiring of Ronna McDaniel. They seem to think that under a Trump dictatorship they will be just fine. I guess they don’t know any history of what happens to the press in a Fascist government.
I've been saying much the same thing for weeks if not months--doesn't the media know any history at all??? Trump won't care if the paper or the newsdesk tried to treat him fairly or not--EVERY media outlet will end up under his thumb. Believe what he says--it will be what he eventually does.
This is the refrain from so many right now, and I think we deserve a response.
WHY does he get away with it?
I know if he were to be seriously stopped, he cast himself as the “Nevalny” in this scenario, when we know he’s Mephistopheles.
But optics and PR should only play a part in determining how best to implement our law so that our people recognize it as necessary and just, not whether to actually follow the law.
tRump is a threat to society. A convicted killer who escapes from prison is considered to be armed and dangerous. But that escapee is dangerous is a much more narrow way than tRump. tRump is broadly dangerous and can impact so many people at once. He knows that people he doesn't personally know will likely act on his words. The judge's daughter has nothing to do with this hush money trial, but like a mob boss tRump is attacking the judge through his family. Why is trying to intimidate the judge not grounds for revocation of bail? So what if he is running for office? He is a defendant in a criminal trial. A less well known person would not be shown the deference tRump has received. Lock him up and shut him down!
I don’t want a police state to “trump up” charges against every dissident, but Trump has LONG AGO crossed the line between political rhetoric and criminal incitement.
He needs to be treated like he’s any citizen who poses a threat—because he is.
When he doubles down on the Big Lie we doubl down on him. When he threats the president we haul him in by law enforcement for questioning if nothing else.
Courts and law enforcement lets go, do you job.
H.B. The FBI is conservative and staffed with Trump humpers or sympthizers, recall how Comey helped Trump in 2016?
And Biden kept Trump's man to run it. Dumb. Yet, Trumpers still complain about the FBI.
He promised "There will be Problems! In the Streets!" and Justice and Homeland Security believe he could pull it off . .Yes there are that many Stand By Nut Cells . .. so much for "Let There Be Justice Though The Heavens Fall"
Excellent point, HB — makes the case!!
{That was a great Jimmy Kimmel line, wasn’t it!}
The eclipse--
Donald Hodgins <silencenotbad@gmail.com>
6:53 AM (0 minutes ago)
The solar eclipse-- This phenomenon occurs when the moon blocks the visual image of Old Saul by positioning itself perfectly between the Earth and the Sun. This age-old event sent the medicine men of their respective cultures into a tailspin trying to explain why the Sun chose to go dark for a short period of time. Wouldn't it be great if we, as a society, could experience an eclipse in "Reverse." Instead of shadowing us in darkness for a moment, just think of the warmth we all could feel if the event covered us all in the light of truth. I hope you all had a Happy Easter.
I thought it was "sol", not "Saul".
Easter was cancelled. They found the body.
This may seem like a snarky comment but it's not. There is an astrological prediction about complete solar eclipses, and that is: If you watch the eclipse it can bring you great fortune or great tragedy. My closest neighbor -- the nicest man you could EVER meet -- watched the August 2017 eclipse out in our backyard with his father. I just stayed indoors and saw the shadow of it all passing over the yard. Two months later, on October 23, my neighbor was in Florida with his parents, and he drowned. It was the most awful, unexpected, last-thing-you-would-ever-think-of-happening event. He and his father were best friends. We were all heartbroken to the max. I still find myself in disbelief.
To me, this type of celestial event is just "something that happens" every few years. I really don't understand what the big deal is about it. Haven't we gotten beyond "ancient Greece" yet? At any rate, no solar eclipses for me . . . I won't be watching it!
.
Feb 26, 1979. my team made a parachute jump at the moment of a total solar eclipse, a night jump when we left the aircraft and a day jump when we landed.
Guinness wouldn't accept it as a record.
Cool! Why didn’t Guinness take it? Could it prove otherwise?
Lee--I would.
Me too, Donald.
They won’t touch him with a pointed stick. Better to sic a pack of foaming-at-the-mouth dogs on him.
Well, then, we'll just have to resort to fresh fruit.
Fantastic idea!! He has threatened Biden, judges, district attorneys, basically anyone who he deems a threat.
Thank you, William Burke. Done!
God bless you for that!
But William, the Secret Service is staffed with Trump humpers, they and the FBI, also staffed with conservatives if not Trump humperss, like the DOJ is, will do nothing and Biden, afraid of what the media will say, if he does what Trump did and use the FBI and DOJ, thus concedes them both and the Secret Service to Trump.
And if we don’t believe you, we can just ask HRC, right?
I just did, thank you for this information.
done.
Power,corrupts, The way people deal with cognitive dissonance is by becoming radicals in their new faith or behavior. Manifested in religions, converts become radicals, extremists, to prove to themselves and others that they made the right choice and are genuine.
Radicalized Muslims become suicide bombers, converts to Islam become radical and vehement Muslims. Protestant converts to Catholicism become rad trad Catholics.
GrrlScientist, it is Donald Trump‘s sky, kissing arrogance, and unlimited audacity that has enabled him to get as far as he has. Clearly, our founding fathers in their worst imaginings had never imagined that we would have such an evil man running for president and, I must say, supported by a staff of evil geniuses and spin artists. I would not be surprised to find that his staff is educated in the art of disinformation by Russian intelligence agents.
The molasses like speed with which Merrick Garland responds, if at all, is of no benefit either.
Yes, I agree. Trump doesn't have the intelligence to do this, he is being led by his evil staff. They should be in jail and not allowed to be pardoned by anyone.
Marc- the right wing owned media is fully complicit and I think you are spot on that this goes directly to Putin pulling the strings. Likely Saudi Arabia & China are contributing as well. This is about the accomplishment of total corruption of republicans in congress, our judicial branch and the accomplishment of well over 40 years of implementing the strongest fight against the 1930s New Deal, to finally destroy it all and any form of democracy with it.
Our justice system acts helpless in front of him. Trump has already given literally hundreds of reasons to imprison him (as would be done to the rest of us if we had done only 1 of them), with his many instances of stochastic terrorism & threats to public & national security.
All these gag orders on Trump are meaningless if nothing happens to him when he breaks them as he always does.
Jaime,OZ has spoken!
Iow, holding criminals responsible for their acts is biased. Now THAT’S sad.
As I said, Trump has given the justice system & law enforcement hundreds of reasons to lock him up & they've all passed, apparently due to fear. No matter how you look at it, it shows the huge disparity in how the justice system treats rich, powerful, treasonous mob figures like Trump & ordinary people.
That's a good question. Are those responsible for protecting the president afraid of Trump and his thugs?
The machinations of the Secret Service during the fat guys time in office. suggest that they were complicit in distorting their responsibilities. Just one example; Secret Service agents should never become part of the same administration that they were originally assigned to protect. The head of his protection detail went from that position to that of a Trump advisor. Giving him a direct line to law enforcement. Bad enough he was allowed to go to that position but he was allowed to return to the Secret Service. after Trump was defeated. Ethics be damned I guess
Make no mistake suggesting that law enforcement is left is laughable on its face. Trump was again testing the boundaries and knocking them down. All to establish himself with total control.
Who is responsible for arresting someone who threatens the president? Tailgaits with lifelike pictures of our president hog tied and gagged are threatening. Those people should be arrested along with Trump for approving it.
The Secret Service. Anybody else who posted that picture would likely already have been contacted and his position clarified at least. The Secret Service primary responsibility is protecting the president and investigating all related threats maintaining intelligence on such threats.
So the Secret Service investigates outside of D.C.?
The Secret Service isn’t confined to investigating threats in DC. Their mandate covers all of the US, if someone under their protection is threatened.
They need to be tarred and feathered!
Who let this guy back into the Secret Svc?
Gloria, actually, they are the ones who refused to drive him to the insurrectionist rally on the day that the electoral college votes were counted. Even though he attempted to grab the wheel of his car, they resisted, and instead drove him to the White House.Can you imagine what the scene would be like if he showed up in front of the insurrectionists?
As an incarcerated former president, can you imagine the scene in prison where he is guarded by Secret Service agents? I don’t think it would be a duty that they would gladly volunteer for.
Marc, As the hope and prospect of TFG being sent to jail for violating bail terms or gag orders and eventually conviction, the “Secret Service” question usually comes up. I’d agree few if any would volunteer, except maybe some of the deeply devoted MAGA agents.
But the question should be are they needed at all? Former presidents get Secret Service protection for life, first spouse also gets at least one agent for life even after the death of the president, adult children only get one year of protection after the end of a presidential term. The presumption is the former president’s life is sacred and the president has knowledge of things best kept secret if he/she were to be abducted for ransom. Ditto for first spouse if abducted and used for leverage. Realistically, TFG is not going to be abducted away from a well guarded prison; although the possibility of an inside job with participating sympathetic prison guards could exist. I’d also probably wouldn’t be too far out on a limb to speculate a good chunk of Americans may not view his particular life as sacred.
If there’s a concern, put TFG in solidarity confinement with several adjacent cells empty. Maybe reopen an old wing just for him, similar to England holding Rudolf Hess during WW2 and then in Spandau Prison, Berlin afterwards as the only prisoner. Maybe a cell behind a sound and bulletproof glass wall where he can enjoy fava beans and a nice Chianti. This could be special preferential treatment I could actually get behind, unlike the kid gloves stuff he’s getting now from courts, politicians, and the lame stream media.
No, I think he should be put into a maximum security prison with the most violent criminals. Problem solved.
Paula B. Your suggestion is actually my preferred option - maximum security general population. That’s what he deserves. But realistically will never come to pass. Another good option is Guantánamo Bay. Anything but cozy, very isolated and difficult to access or visit. Solves the problem of his supporters from protesting at the front gate. It has a naval hospital, as former presidents get free medical for life at military hospitals. The only hitch is it’s Federal, so states can’t use it, and DoD operated not DoJ Bureau of Prisons. DoJ would need to allow the transfer. My experience is federal departments have turf wars and usually don’t play well together.
You are right Marc. The secret service agent that refused to drive him to the capitol was protecting Trump from himself, not protecting the country. Then there was the secret service agent who tried to drive Pence away from the Capitol, if he had succeeded then the insurrection would have succeeded.
Game of Thrones time, don't trust the Secret Service.
Dogs have a sixth sense, Biden's dog Major knew that the secret service agents were not loyal, but hostile to Biden, and bit only secret service agents. Biden, afraid of the media , fired Major but should have fired the Secret Service agents, they are loyal to Trump.
No Gloria, the people responsible for protecting the president are conservative and Trump humpers.
Bidens dog Major bit Secret Service agents and no one else. Dogs have a sixth sense, smell and aura, Major knew that those who were suppose to guard Joe were actually hostile to Joe. Biden should have fired the agents, not Major. An error judgement on his part.
Certainly looks like it. Perhaps their pay level doesn’t include death threats and other types of harassment
Trumpy is being treated with kid gloves. If anybody else did these things, they'd be in jail right now. Why is HE getting away with things? He has proven that he DOES do the things he threatens.
"Astonished" is a reasonable response. I think a better question we need to ask is...why there hasn't been a reasonable response on a sliding scale to any and all the unreasonable activities of the right and extreme right over the last 40+ years?
a gradual normalization of what should be unacceptable
In a nut shell, steve. Excellent summary!
thanks
I don't disagree about trump. HOWEVER, the Dems are still (and have been) missing the point.
The Dems do not listen about income inequality. When people can't pay the rent next month. They do not care about democracy.
Math : Rent $2000 a month (average in all of Florida) $15 = $2600. That leave $600 for taxes, child care, food, car, car insurance, clothes and it doesn't work. And NO, I should not be forced to get a roommate to subsidize the businesses labor costs.
What are the Dems going to do about it - Biden wins - then what??
Citizens United, Corporations as Individuals! Black Rock, Vanguard, Wall Street own us. Just sold the Steward Hospital System in the Boston area. All the buildings you and I paid for in Subsidized building for healthcare. Can't you hear the sucking sound of the rest of US common good going to the greedy?
Wall Street got the pension system, so all the folks in 401Ks , who will never have enough money to retire comfortably, support Wall Street. Wait til Wall Street gets social security and privatize Medicare . Dejoy has already deconstructed much of the post office as Biden watched. Then, the US justice system, directed by Federalist Garland and FBI federalist Chris Wray, pretend to seek justice as threats, guns, destruction of standards, checks and balances run rampant toward fascism.
Agreed, what are we going to do about it??
Americans don't take to the streets anymore. WE were ridiculed for it years ago. Part of it is the homeland security distortions and part of it is the comfort of the 50% that don't want to bother, just chat on line.. Many of the rest of the 50% are either desperate to survive or too discouraged by the last 50 years. I wish we had the French tradition of taking to the streets. Political Incrementalism and greed may have won.
Also, Vicki, I think that threats of violence on the part of law enforcement have quashed large-scale protests. After all, in some locations, it's now illegal to gather for mass demonstrations. Even 20 years ago, I was in the streets on more than one occasion. Now, I'd be afraid of being tased or clubbed or thrown into an unmarked van by guys with no identifying insignia.
Oye! I love the French protests. I've watched it. So creative.
I love the Hand Maids outfit and just sit in the audience.
Black Rock, Vanguard and about two others, do own the U.S.A., not only health care, but the media as well, Vanguard, a private equity fund, owns Comcast,, which owns NBCUniversal which owns the "liberal" MSNBC.
what's trump going to do about this if he gets into power again?
what are the Dems going to do ?
The Con
https://www.thecon.tv
I agree - we are in conundrum.
GrrlScientst-We need to see an end to this abomination of extreme privilege to the worst criminal and existential threat this nation has known. You speak for us all. Our collective patience is gone!
I will say it for the umpteenth time, we should be going after the entire Republican Party! They are complicit in the destruction of our government and they enable tRump in words and in their silence.
The same is true for the people who vote for tRump in the primaries and have supported him financially. They are as much to blame for the hate, chaos and divisiveness that is destroying the U.S.
Flood the media with emails, calls, or postcards with complaints over their coverage of this threat to America. Flood the offices of Republican members of Congress with emails, calls or postcards and tell them they are not upholding their oath of office. Stand up and be heard! If you are threatened in any way, report it to the police and the FBI. They won't do anything but they need to have a better sense of the danger we face by speaking out.
If millions of loyal, patriotic Americans between now and election speak out, maybe just maybe the enemies of America will think twice about how they contributing to the destruction of the country.
Robert Reich has given us a tremendous summary of the threat facing America by a dangerous Christo-fascist movement. I'm sure he would not mind if you copy and pasted some of the text into your emails and messages to Republicans and the media.
The answer Grlllscienttist is that the Democratic party are cowards, They are intimidated by Trump and his MAGAts.
And the same for Judges like Engoron and Marchand, Trump has violated gag orders, and the penalty in NY is $1,000 fine (peanuts for Trump) and/or 30 days in Rikers, yet Trump walks free, threatening and harassing.
Don’t you think corporate Dem greed is also a factor, Lee? Cong. Repubs aren’t the only ones snuffling at the public trough.
Our institutions tends to give a former President all the pomp and ceremony that we grant to the Office of the Presidency. We have never had a charlatan like Trump as President. We must break from this tendency before it is too late
I'm scared. Really.
I think we all are, Miriam.
Popok's take: https://youtu.be/idAG6E0UKic?si=yVa0UI4TVUYW6S1r
GrrlScientist - garland will never stand up to his masters. and truthfull, i'm starting to wonder if democracy isn't overrated? i mean, living in this fascist state, i got my dog, my pickup truck, my bigscreen tv, (beer is more expensive, gotta right my congressman about that), gotta wife keeps a clean house. what the heck, why complain?
as a woman who is married and "keeps a clean house", i can honestly tell you this is a recipe for alcoholism or suicide. for the woman, i mean. the man is (obviously) doing fine.
GrrlScientist - I truly hope that my attempt at sarcastic humor was at least somewhat evident. I will say with all honesty and humility that it took me more than a substantial portion of our 51 years together to realize that I owe a huge debt to my hardworking wife. having always looked with scorn on patriarchy, and priding myself on progressive values, i nevertheless fell easily into the comfortable familiarity of being cared for, as if by my mother. there is no excuse for this; it is a moral, spiritual, and personal failure of my own making. as i look back, all sorts of feeble excuses and rationalizations for my laziness arise, and none of them are justified. so i will once again try to find some way to make amends to my sweet wife, and she will just shrug it off and say, don't be silly, our life is fine. at least I can say that i have mastered the art of bathroom cleaning, a huge part of which is simplified by sitting down to pee.
I'm certain there are plans of such actions that are being weighed. I'm also sure one item that has delayed this is fear of the NOT constitutionally appropriate reaction that Trump enthusiasts would implement if secret service acted. Much of any actions must be seen by ALL as due process appropriate not a political ploy against Trump. Trump would use power to his advantage. But we all must resist taking action against him that looks self serving.
No. Just do the right thing. You are advocating being intimidated.
So if he says someone’s out to get him, he’s right because that’s how it looks to him?
If you come at me with a knife, I won’t worry about whether it looks self-serving if I smack you with a bat. Just saying. 🙂
Agreed... while I am still wondering why nobody has called Dump to task for his recorded pronouncement promoting "pussy grabbing" before any of this other stuff. His statement (before 2016 sometime) not only encouraged men to molest and rape women... he said "women like it; they let you" or words to that effect. Add to that the fact that I believe he was talking about women in some beauty contest he owned, which makes him the employer and them the employee, and multiplies the crime by many factors. He got away with that, so it's no surprise he just keeps getting away with endless crimes... like trying to have his minions take the Capitol by force, lynch the VP, and yadda yadda without end. JTC
In the universe of our highly confused, electorate listening to many opposing claims and disinformation, your clarity around Trump‘s five step fascist plan is a clear, concise and pithy description of what’s to com should Trump somehow win the upcoming election. It is exactly this type of clarity laid out, simply that we need to be able to reach people Who have not had the opportunity for sophisticated higher education. Bravo, and thank you, Dr. Reich.
Perfectly said. 🎯 Even if he loses the election I am still fearful of the outcome.
Don't be afraid! Help get out the vote today! Fully one-third of the electorate DID NOT VOTE in 2020. Republicans and Trump are COUNTING on themto not vote in 2024!
As should we all Patricia:
As should we ALL
Patricia - I think we all feel your disquiet. For myself, I try to take hold of fearfulness and turn it into positive action, affirming what I support in our society, strengthening good will and involvement in our community. A warm and open heart is so much stronger than any fear - thankfully so!
I believe that he and his evil enablers will not accept a loss and we might see a repeat of January 6th but better orchestrated since they have had four years to plan for it.
Win to save democracy.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
Problem is the limits of this circle. Of course Trump is modeled after Adolf Hitler. But does it help to say so? Should we not look for the innocent believers in his machismo and separate them from the ranks of the GOP?
And who is behind this weirdo? Is it the Heritage Foudation? Big business?
And imagine Trump is not put behind bars but lost the election? Will his followers accept that the second coming of the Saviour went wrong?
It's Easter Monday. I have no standing, as I am an infidel, but what about the orange antichrist coopting the Christian religion?
What do the Catholic bishops, even the Pope have to say about that?
The DNCC should advertise on CBN! BEWARE of the ANTICHRIST!!
HOLY JOES FOR JOE! https://www.votecommongood.com/
The Pope and many of his bishops are at war with each other. Libertarians are very influential in the US Catholic Church, and they supported Trump in 2020. Pope Francis witnessed fascism first hand in his native Argentina, back in the 1970-1980s, when leftist were thrown from airplanes into the sea, but now as then, the Church is largely controlled by wealthy authoritarians.
Trump passes himself off as the second coming. This is even more offensive than the fact that he stole from kids with cancer, raped E.Jean Daniels.
Lust for power defines the Antichrist, according to Nietzsche. Lust knows neither shame not guilt. Pure beauty for the superman!
Did he even go to church on Easter? He's a fraud.
Paula, you are wrong.
They love Trump and do not have a problem with his fascists ideas. Remember, they are the "new" patriots...
Indeed, and the most of them are in the Rust Belt...where they know the "truth" from the Trumpische Beobachter, er, truth Social: of course there are literally no migrants in flyover space, land of patriots...but they're in them varmint blue cities and states, only; vermin are pouring them in and showering Fed printing press cash on them, causing the patriots higher prices, more debt, less opportunity for patriots, blah blah blah.
Of course, looking at data even from such as American Immigration Council, it never occurs to them that even in Floridareich, home of Grofaz and deep red patriots, as of 2021 immigrant-led families paid $27B in Fed taxes, over $10B in state/local taxes, and contributed $125 billion to the Floridareich economy. Not to mention that in Texasgau 2018, under Grofaz' eye, 22% of the workforce was immigrant. And some say Generalfeldmarschall Abbott is border spieling for Goebbels and Riefenstahl...
This likely is why Trump and company spin relentlessly in venom, to ensure the Rust Belt core of the GOP base...no longer "the southern strategy"...stay focused on becoming Sturmtrumpers proud to be Americans, and help their Orange Messiah purge "godless" issues existing "only in the blue places, Jehovah Gire and Lee Greenwood be praised for the purity of all things red".
They are easy to gaslight, then exploit with say fundraiser Bibles having Constitution copies in them...just keep turning up the anti-blue imagery to keep the patriots motivated, like any good grifter always does.
Your explanation for how the grift works in the rust belt is excellent and should be shared so that people who are still not paying attention to the current political climate, take notice and understand what the country is up against.
Unless they love dogs.
The fact that Trump, as President, never even tried to unite the country is all anyone needs to know about the kind of person he is! Or the fact that he has never tried to quell the violence that has followed him and plagued his party, but rather has encouraged the violence by his rhetoric! Our judicial branch has condoned his actions and by doing so has made him believe he is above the law!
The truly sad part is that the people also believe he is above the law.
Keith, even worse, is that his ability to “game“ the Justice system is in many cases working. Much of his strategy in the federal cases is based on his belief that because he appoints ultra-conservative judges, they owe him a return “favor.“ In actuality, we are seeing this occur. In the non-federal cases, he does not hesitate to threaten violence to those who are committed to making the justice system work properly. He is also not above threats to the families of those that oppose him. One thing that he is truthful on is his commitment to authoritarianism and fascism from “Day One” of his presidency should he somehow manage to be elected. If he is not elected, we can expect double the amount of violence and insurrection in an attempt to gain the office of President by any means possible. He will not succeeded; but I believe he will attempt to move heaven and earth, or hell and earth, in order to gain this most powerful and coveted, position. Putin would be delighted!
Marc, I can’t help but think if the DOJ had nipped this in the bud right after Jan.6, when even the Republicans were on board with stopping Trump’s coup attempt, they could have put this guy away for good! Trump called the Media the enemy of the people. I think the DOJ might be the enemy of our democracy! What say you?
I find the DOJ complicit in Trump's lawless, disruptive & divisive behavior by doing nothing to prevent or punish it. He has seen that he can say & do anything he wants with no legal consequence. The irony of Biden's own DOJ apparently condoning attacks on Biden!
I don’t think the DOJ in its current form and actions can be called “an enemy of the people.“ However, under President Trump, the DOJ would most certainly be an instrument of the fascists and “an enemy of the people.”
No. The enemy of the people should be obvious by now.
Putin is probably delighted right now because he has succeeded in dividing the country without firing a shot. Still doing it and doing it well. Who knows how far Russian money and influence have infected the body politic? Turning the USA into a Fascist state would be the penultimate wet dream for Putin.
He isn't above the law in today's America.
But he will be if elected, as MAGA Republicans plan on changing the presidency into a virtual kingship in which the president can order armed forces to do WHATEVER HE WANTS!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025
Ms. Magazine sums up the total gutting of democracy by Republicans' Project 2025 :
https://msmagazine.com/2024/02/08/project-2025-conservative-right-wing-trump-woke/
Well, Keith.....not to put too fine a point on it, but....thus far, he HAS been above the law. He's not in prison awaiting trial, as anyone else would be, had they made the threats or committed the crimes (esp. theft of classified documents) he has. He hasn't paid a dime in penalties, as the judgments are all in limbo, pending the outcomes of [endless] appeals. He just had a bond requirement reduced by half, and as of this writing, hasn't paid it. He's got a Florida federal judge in his corner, going to bat for him. SCOTUS agreed to hear his case for immunity. The U.S. AG slow-walked all possible indictments for at least two years, in the first place.
Sure looks to me as if he's skating on everything so far, more's the pity.
Absolutely right and the only thing that can save the country from a Fascist takeover is to vote.
So far it looks like that with a few exceptions.
Keith, you are right.
Trump has packed the Supreme Court so that even if he is found guilty in court, he just appeals it until it reaches his cohorts.
SCOTUS should have allowed Colorado and Maine to leave him off the ballot as per the 14th Amendment section three. Other states would’ve joined them. That couldn’t have been clearer but there it was he was free to run. And what does that say to the general public? He’s perfectly suited to run for president.
Many Republicans have said that if he’s found guilty of a crime they won’t vote for him. And yet if he is found guilty, and he should be, he’ll just take it up with SCOTUS.
The excuse that no president has ever been charged with ( chose your favorite indictment here) in trumps world that means he’s being unfairly prosecuted or as he just today announced he is being persecuted more than Jesus was. But no president has ever been charged with ( choose your favorite crime here) BECAUSE NO PRESIDENT HAS COMMITTED THE MANY CRIMES HES COMMITTED.
I’m longing for the good old Nixon days. At least then the Republican Party held him accountable.
I’m feeling very hopeless about our future.
At least the republican party held him accountable. Those were the days....
I have felt the same way for sometime now and don’t see Trump being held accountable yet. He stacked the courts, delayed justice and has intelligent right wing players behind him now. He’s not capable of this kind of strategizing. He is barely coherent when speaking.
I fully concur with your sentiments. America is sleepwalking into national disaster. Trump has repeatedly trashed political conventions and tested the limits of civility. He has directly accused judges of being partisan and aligns himself with the power base of the Police and the gun lobby. He has stacked the Supreme Court and Lower Courts with his allies but this was not undertaken in the interest of political balance but as a personal quid pro quo for himself as he plans to overstep the bounds of law and constitutionality. There is no doubting his modus operandi and anyone believing otherwise is going to have a nasty surprise should Trump seize power, legal or illegally, at the next election. Jailing him promptly for his infractions will send a clear message to his sycophants and MAGA base that the rule of law applies equally. If that ultimately means repealing Presidential immunity for all Presidents, past, present or future, then so be it. Bugger any fears of whether the MAGA base retaliates. The nation will be better off for it. The Founding Fathers may have feared for the constitution but never ever envisaged a lying, opportunistic fascist-leaning scoundrel like Trump.
👏👏👏
Right on! There’s nothing more I could add to your assessment of the current situation in the country
Excellent article and accompanying video. and links to your other videos. I am forwarding to my list of several dozen compatriots. The only good news here is that the more desperate Trump gets, the more brazen his outrages become. But that won't matter until many of the 80 million Trump supporters change their minds and the poll numbers. We are like the Germans before their 1933 election. I hope we can avoid a similar outcome.
Douglas, I doubt we can get many of the Trump supporters to change their minds. What we do need is to get 160, million Democrats to show up at the polls.
Good point. But so far, the polls of registered voters are better for Biden than the polls of likely voters, suggesting that not enough pro-Biden leaners plan to actually vote. I'm optimistic that the Biden team is right, that those leaners will get motivated, and the daily drip of bad news for Trump along with his continued outrages will work like a kind of Chinese water torture on the minds of many Trump supporters. And Biden's campaign has the financial advantage to keep the faucet turned on.
If enough people pay attention, all will be well. That's why articles like Reich's and others are important, and the sharing of them with others by people like us is also.
Please discuss in your Substack.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission
Hitler loved dogs.
I understand Hitler liked animals in general, a positive quality, even if it might've been his only one. I challenge anyone to find a Trump attribute that he uses in a positive way.
Anything Trump says is interpreted by his brain washed supporters as positive . The rest of us can only hope that the independents finally realize that their lives under a Fascist dictatorship who has lost his mind will be ruined
I don't think he even hasn't any friends. Even Nixon had friends.
He can be humorous and personable at times.
I don't see him using those qualities in a positive way.
and Trump loves Ivanka
If Putin extends war into NATO countries the US will become involved in another war in Europe. Biden needs to ask Americans are they prepared to sacrifice their sons and daughters to such a war because Republicans in Congress are stopping more aid to Ukraine. . .
When someone tells you WHO they are:, and WHAT they will do(?):
ALWAYS believe them.
When they tell you watch what they do, not what they say, I say watch both.
Thank you for your clarity.
It was a "break-glass" moment a year ago...now, every passing day is a clear and present danger.
Even if Biden wins, the ongoing onslaught on civil rights and women's economic freedoms will continue across the country.
That's why the Democrats need to win both houses and state offices.
As did Marilyn Lands of Alabama. A Democrat who rode a landslide into the state house. She ran on a platform of women's rights. The vote was 60-30.
How much better would the the win be for a similar candidate in a swing state?
This could be the cookie cutter we need to win this --bigly.
A strategy that relies on winning every race until the end of time is a losing hand by definition.
True but it's very hard to change a culture. What other options are there?
This is the issue. Those with power are refusing to admit the staggering depth of the rot and corruption.
Democratic Senators are focused on destroying the confirmation of a Muslim judge to appease Nevada right-wing media. Judges are folding, or complicit in corruption. Biden is focused on fundraising vs educating the populace. Media has surrendered in advance.
How to fight on a fronts? Israelis are protesting in the streets, but the US seems incapable of rousing itself even for symbolic gestures.
There are few remaining options. I hope enough people vote...the turnout in 2024 has been dismal.
If Biden wins, it's untenable for him to continue to pretend that 35-40% of the country isn't wedded to fascism.
We need to keep applying pressure.
Only women can save Biden (and the rest of us).
Agreed.
Trump and the GOP have already have corrupted the supreme Court, the justice department, the post office, the FBI, the secret service, law enforcement, the military and probably homeland security and the CIA and more. Garland has ignored it all. Biden has ignored Garland ignoring at all.
I don't see Trump sending healthy young immigrants back to their countries, but I do see him sending the elderly and the disabled back to their countries. I see Trump throwing Americans into those concentration camps that are disabled and needing a government check, as well as journalists that speak the truth.This all may take several years but they've had plenty of time planning already so it may be much quicker. The Confederates could not have done this without the help of the billionaires. The billionaires will throw them into the concentration camps or sent to the front lines, as well when they cannot no longer produce a profit for their owner.
America will turn into another third world failed nation and be ravaged by global warming like the rest of the world, so we must all get the ones that don't vote to vote and we must get the Republicans who don't like Trump to not vote. I don't like Biden, but I will vote democratic party to prevent fascism.
It’s like I’ve said all along. Trump belongs in prison . He’s been the instigator and ringleader of most of the trouble in this country since 2011. And our system is allowing him to continue because of money. We let the radical right have their way with JFK, RFK, and MLK. Then with Nixon and now with Trump. The people have been led for years to believe we have a “liberal press” and that democracy and liberals are evil. The Republicans don’t have Rush Limbaugh anymore to spit his venom on the radio so now Trump has taken his place everywhere else. He has filled the angry void left behind and now we have fascism and a wannabe dictator knocking at the doors of every person in this country. It’s going to take more than thoughts, prayers, and votes to clarify the direction of the country that we want to take. If the right and left really are part of the same bird then justice needs to be served for all the criminals involved and make it clear that we don’t want leaders who are bought and paid for by the extreme factions of our country.
Unfortunately the USA has the best government money can buy
Lucky for them I’m not in government because I’m not for sale. At any price.
The image posted of Biden is disgusting and disturbing. Trump has lost it. If you can't be civil all of the time, you shouldn't be leader of the Free World at any time.
Fascist dictators are not all civil as we know. They use raw emotion and fear to gain control over the masses and civility be damned
I don't get it. If you were President, wouldn't you want to be a President for ALL the people, rather than a faction of your own Party? IMO, Biden is very underrated. He's a President for ALL the People.
Right you are, Danny. Trump is running scared. He was desperate on January 6. Now he is scared that he will end up in jail and financially ruined. His fantasy of Biden hog-tied is a subconscious reflection of himself all tied up in legal bindings. Let's tell Trump oveer and over again: you lost the election, you will lose again; you will spend the rest of your life in jail!
Shhh... Don't tell anyone he will lose again. 🤣
I agree with most everything RR says, but I am exasperated. It feels like we are in echo chamber talking to ourselves. Trump’s vileness is not going to keep him from getting elected. We are too smart to waste our time. I do NOT mean working to get Biden reelected (it would be nice). We need to find ways values language that appeal to people who are buying the fascist charade
Most of them are unreachable.
I signed up with Field Team 6 to go beyond the echo chamber and get Biden reelected.
Joe Biden can invoke the Insurrection Act as well.
We know all this. The courts have failed us. He is working the system to his advantage. One glaring weakness of the judicial system, that I find astonishing, is the method of chosing presiding judges. Random? You must be kidding. Young inexperienced or corrupt judges on some of the most seminal cases in American history. Cannon? What a cruel joke. Same with Georgia. You would never ever randmonly pick novice refs or umpires for Championship games.
And they have no courage. Only older male NYC judges have been serious. I have often mentioned Judge Sirica was the only one serious about Nixon.
This is not even about Democracy. Democracy allows the choice of a cruel and heinous leader. Hitler was elected! Putin was elected. Netanyahu was elected. The choice is about freedom and civility.
We are dealing with a gaslighted and unserious electorate. We are dealing with a party that knows their only path to victory is lie, cheat and steal. And they are good at it.
It's so frightening even from Australia to see what's going on in broad daylight and I find it perplexing that he continues to get away with so much. I hope it's ok to post this here, some more thoughts on the topic: https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-strongman-fantasy?r=qjqpg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwAR252MrRsAmzIi1VBwN2LZx6-5RVYASjY2UgzRQQMz1GE5rdvqLEbm2KMVU&triedRedirect=true