Jun 18, 2022Liked by Robert Reich, Heather Lofthouse
I had to laugh about become an "introvert" for I have also found myself becoming the same. I totally agree that it is in part because of COVID, the war against Ukraine, crimes against our democracy, rising costs, etc., that have taken its toll on all of us. As for Trump and his followers, I'm not looking to see them change their mind, they don't care if he cheated, lied and attempted a coup against our country, if anything they're probably happy he did. That's the attitude of too many Americans. However, justice must be served and we're counting on AG Garland to make certain that the laws are administered regardless of who broke them, including Trump and Thomas. Great klatch! Have a wonderful Fathers Day!
I can't imagine our corrupt DOJ or SCOTUS or Congress taking any real action against Trump - he has too much money and crazed followers who would start a Civil war if he told them to do so.
The corruption at the various levels of government happens because while the people at the top want one thing the people at lower levels have very different LOYALTIES - to Trump and his minions and Trump's goal. Just because we have new POTUS does not mean the lower levels will obey. I read that the Secret Service had to switch some people since they were not sure if the SS would protect Biden (or Trump). When you have a very important branch of the government knowing that not all of their people will follow their oaths you have corruption. We are not as corrupt as umm. South Korea or some other countries, but we are well on the way. Trump and his minions have. stated goal to destroy our democracy but so many cannot see it. At the current rate of money spending and dirty politics, Trump or one of his MAGA troops will take control in 2024 and then we will have a truly facist country to match Putin's Russia. The insurrectionists from Jan 6 will never be really punished and Trump will never even be arrested.
patient ... this sometimes is only accomplished after ingesting generous amounts of alcohol. (well, in my case.) wondering how long my liver and kidneys can deal with politics?
A couple of months ago I gave up my effort to maintain my alcohol consumption at low moderate, and gave up alcohol completely. The reason for this was a study I read late last year, which used a new technique for scanning brain density, and my recent return to being a practicing Christian.
Previously, the only accurate way of testing for brain density, i.e., how many brain cells in any particular individual have died, was only able to be used postmortem. But with this new scan, the brain density of living people can be tracked over time.
So this large study determined conclusively that alcohol destroys brain cells, period. The rate of destruction depends completely upon the amount of alcohol consumed by the individual. Heavy drinkers lose brain cells rapidly, and light drinkers lose brain cells slowly.
Therefore it no longer matters to me that light moderate drinking appears to be good for my heart. As a Christian who believes what the Bible says about my body being God's temple, I saw no choice but to quit alcohol completely.
I realize this post has nothing to do with politics, but I think it is critical to briefly interrupt the political discussion at this point.
I enjoyed this, thanks Gregory. This only confirms something I've believed for a long time, alcohol is actively detrimental to cognition. Clint Eastwood is a prime example of a healthy, aging man (yes, genes matter) he's been vegan and alcohol free. STILL MAKING MOVIES!
Donald Trump is also alcohol free. In his case it's his personality disorders [yes plural] and the dementia that he is developing that make him act the way he does, not physical brain damage just yet.
It also stays in the body much longer than we realize! I stopped drinking during the pandemic, and feel im seeing things more clearly than I ever have.
He has been an embarrassment to them for many years...and they haven't done anything. Roberts is asleep at the switch. IMHO the lawyers in the SCOTUS bar are complicit. 28 U.S. Code § 455 - Disqualification of justice, judge, or magistrate judge
(a)Any justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned
18 U.S. Code § 4 - Misprision of felony
Whoever, having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony cognizable by a court of the United States, conceals and does not as soon as possible make known the same to some judge or other person in civil or military authority under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
Clarence Thomas never recuses himself when he has a conflict of interest (often on account of his wife. I doubt that he'll resign on account of his wife's culpability, but we won't know until it happens.
I put this up for an earlier discussion a day late! This interview is >really< enlightening on the interaction of the 1/6 committee and the DOJ: https://youtu.be/oyqitZOJ484 The expert in this interview goes into who the DOJ decides is a witness and who is a target of their investigation. I urge everyone to spend the half-hour listening to what he has to say. It certainly clarified it all for me.
Also, the reason hearing 3 seemed so "snooze-worthy" was the featured expert. I think you'd have to practice, practice, practice speaking as slowly and deliberately as he did. I'll hazard he lost half the audience within the first minute, and the loss increased exponentially for every minute thereafter. Problem is, his was the centerpiece of the hearing!
Personally, I think it was very courageous of Judge Luttig to make such a speech at all, despite clearly still recovering his ability to speak. I thought the hearing was far from snooze-worthy...indeed, I thought Judge Luttig's words were riveting and powerful.
I guess it would not have been appropriate to announce his medical history with the Hippa rules and privacy protections. I know I'm not the only one who was concerned for him. It seemed he was on the verge of passing out or worse.
He did not have a stroke. He felt the enormous importance of the moment and his role and wanted to get every word right. He explains this in his NPR interview yesterday where he speaks at a faster pace, and also especially movingly on his twitter thread about this topic.
Karen Egee ; I have received information about this and read Justice Luttig's 12 page letter posted by CNN,. I also watched his appearance on the Jan 6 committee hearings and found his remarks clear and credible. The story about a stroke does not appear to be true (and even if it is, his words are valuable). His health situation is irrelevant to his words. I will look for the NPR interview. Thank you for your input and information. Sadly, it's true that most speakers on media are talking too fast, often without much thought.
Since I asked that question, I have since posted on Reich's newsletter his comments on the matter. I guess you didn't see it. It was in response to Laurie Blaire's posts.
Interesting. The internet does not confirm it. In fact, there is a dearth of info. on the subject. I checked Snopes. They had nothing on the subject. Two other articles said his health was normal.
I Googled it and there were articles, none of which confirmed a health issue , but mentioned internet stories about a stroke. Because it is personal health information it is unlikely to be confirmed without the Judge's authorization.
According to Laurie, it's not because he's old. It's because he's recovering from a stroke. He was a good, authoritative choice whose appearance was simple rotten timing - like much of the timing of these hearings!
As I experience what the Select Committee is sharing with the country, I keep having the thought: OK: Nixon: What did he know & when did he know it? BUT ALL THESE PEOPLE knew this was wrong, was illegal, and (apparently) did nothing to STOP THIS! It's all like a very bad dream that does not end. It feels to me like a level of corruption that we have not had in our country until now. Sorry to be so heavy, but that's what I am carrying around these days. Grave concern.
Many people seem to be too much in a hurry to understand that the DoJ must do this as closely to perfect as is humanly possible.
To me as a Legal Historian one important thing that means they must put all their cards on the table at once. If they file some charges next week, some more the week after, and then a couple of more times in July, that will raise squawks from many millions of people. So I think that the apparent hesitancy of the DoJ shows wisdom, not any excess of caution.
And for people who want to better understand Trump's psychological condition, I very strongly recommend both of Mary L. Trump's books about her uncle. She is a clinical psychologist and knows what she is talking about.
There is Trump who will invoke presidential immunity and the rest of the culprits who can not.
I estimate there are approximately 7000 aiders and abettors. so far, over 840 people have been arrested in relation to the riot in nearly all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
185 people have received sentences for their roles in the insurrection, with around 80 people being sentenced to "periods of incarceration."
Six people have been found guilty at court trials, including five who were found guilty by juries of felonies. One was found guilty of "assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Consider the Green Bay sweep. Navarro implicated a cast of thousands. Bannon, who was not a federal employee was supposedly one of the masterminds. Thousands of probable donors.
Actually I think I am quite good at metaphors, at least when I have my fiction writer hat on, rather than my historian hat.
I just don't like people going on at me when I've obviously made up my mind about something because I have had a couple of people in my past who did that to me a lot.
I wonder if you are the David Richardson I went to high school with. Have you ever lived in Oregon?
The song is about not what but why. All the reasons our culture gives us to become alcoholics.
It's the "Fast Answer." It is a beautiful song, a song of forgiveness, a song that one should leave feeling humbled. Humility another lost word in our culture.
I think Ginni and Clarence may need at least a separate chapter of this hearing. The levels of corruption are deep there. I live in Arizona and am waiting to learn about her many contacts here, where I know corruption runs the Republican Party.
In re why do people believe lies? People choose a good or useful story over facts, even when the facts demonstrate that the story is false and the facts are repeated ad nauseum. The only thing that can overturn a false (or true) story is another story. With a different hero.
Effective stories tend to possess a number of common elements.
They are easy to understand
They can be briefly summarized and quickly memorized
They are internally consistent.
They concern particular characters or groups.
There is a direct connection between cause and effect.
They describe progress from a beginning through a middle to an end.
The end resolves the situation encountered at the beginning with a conclusion that is positive and inspiring.
Certain stories are repeated through history and across cultures. Hero setting out on a quest, encountering great hazard, conquering it despite overwhelming odds, thus gaining power, prestige, insight. This story goes across cultures and time.
In politics, the recurring story goes
“Disorder afflicts the land, caused by powerful and nefarious forces working against the interests of humanity. The hero – who might be one person or a group of people – revolts against the disorder, fights the nefarious forces, overcomes them despite great odds, and restores order.”
Stories that follow this pattern can sweep all before them, even our fundamental values. See, for example, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Lion King. These are medieval autocrats for whom we cheer, even though we don’t approve autocrats and autocracy. Story conquered values.
The only thing that can overcome a Story is Another Story with Another Hero. The January 6 Committee is creating the Other Story with Another Hero.
In the Trump Cult, the main ingredient is self interest, and the second ingredient any easy person to blame. Who wants to say "I am not successful because I didn't pay enough attention at school". " or I didn't work as hard and honestly as I could" when a bloated TV celebrity is telling me it's not my fault, it's the immigrants, people whose skin is darker than mine, people who speak a different language, people who don't believe in my god. And then tells them "I'll protect you, I'll lead you to the promised land". And when the trumpster betrayed them in favor of the ultra wealthy, he carefully lied that it was for their sake, for more American jobs, more pay, etc., that giving tax breaks to the wealthy was really for them.
Jun 18, 2022·edited Jun 18, 2022Liked by Robert Reich, Heather Lofthouse
Thank you professor and Heather.
sigh. so much to comment on. So let's start with is it "politically correct" to call Former/ perhaps future president Trump "crazy" First some background, I have a variety of severe, chronic and persistent "mental illnesses" Some of my friends use the term "Mad Pride" I find it hurtful that you use the words "crazy" as a pejorative. They would say that what you said is "Sanism" As I write this, I cannot recall if you used that word or another perhaps some kind of diagnosis. If you think Dark Donnie is detached from reality, then say that. The last few years have been hard on me, mostly because of my MI symptoms but also because, especially the last year and half because benefits and other support were cut and costs have gone up. I am almost completed isolated. I rarely am more then walking distance of where I live, Never, since covid began, outside of metro Chicago. I am now jealous of "everyone" else who travels, who owns a car, and has people bring him coffee. I am alone. I am in pain. I can see no way that my tomorrow will be better than today. I am not sure why I am writing this. It does seem that I am simply spitting in the wind. and my spit will come back at me. on another topic, I also don't know the purpose of the hearings. Do you really believe that if Trump is indicted, and then convicted, that he will spend a day in jail or prison or be less rich then he is now? Again, I feel helpless and hopeless. Not sure if that just another symptom of my mental illness or what my life time has taught me. On yet another topic,
your friend and ex-boss, told us that "I have not had sex with that women" That was his truth but almost anyone else would say that was not true, that he was not living in reality. So what is reality? again I am not doing well, I apologize for this rambling comment.
Fred, I don’t know what your circumstances are or how old you are,
(I am a senior by the way) nor do I know if you’ve already looked into the services
available in your state for the disabled or elderly, but if you haven’t looked into it
there are services for those that qualify for Medicare/Medicaid. The Illinois Department on Aging has a lot of information on its website. If you aren’t a senior citizen & you aren’t eligible for services provided by the govt. they can still point you in the right direction.
Thanks for the coffee klatch this morning. I needed it! I had just listened to an hour and a half interview with Andrew Sullivan and David Goodhart. It left my brain exhausted. I got up, went and got another cup of coffee and escaped to coffee klatch, thanks! Listening to the two of you made me think of Daniel Kahneman and his Thinking Fast and Slow. I feel sure both of you have read it. I think you should devote an entire coffee klatch to discussing that book. "Fast Thinking" is the tool of politics and propaganda. "Slow Thinking" is the lost art and the tool of academics. A society needs to be sold on "Slow Thinking" not just a classroom. "Fast Thinking" is about sensationalism, emotion, and drama. "Slow Thinking" is about time and work. You've always had a hard sell.
I hope Mr Garland will prosecute Trump and his little band of criminals- all of them. Having worked as a criminal defense attorney, my take on the transcripts is that the committee does not want the transcripts floating around out of their control until their work is completed. The DOJ needs to know everything said by witnesses and potential defendants in all venues. I think both the committee and the DOJ have valid interests. I wish the media would seek the why and try to explain things, rather than employ the usual wedge driving insinuations that the two are at war.
Not just Trump. My theory right along has been that all of the conspirators need to be prosecuted.
DOJ has some internal problems. Sherwin, who was acting US Attorney in DC actually attended the insurrection. Some of the AUSAs are Republican holdovers. The FBI should have taken contemporaneous statements from everyone who was at the Capitol that day. These folks need to explain themselves.
The cleanest prosecution re Trump is the wire fraud scam. This is ongoing and therefore Trump cannot allege presidential immunity.
Next are the Georgia extortion/obstruction cases. So far they are in state court. Extortion/obstruction of justice. There is concurrent jurisdiction.
The Green Bay sweep is important because it includes 100 members of Congress and phony state actors. Navarro said Trump was on the calls. Spoke to him about it.
Peris of Pence. Every person who threatened Pence should be investigated. If you look at the DC statutes attempted assault', etc are misdemeanors so Trump can say he's immune from the Perils cases.
In order to tie Trump to the insurrectionists, as a prosecutor, I'd give the grand jury the burden of establishing scienter as to Trump. Need a smoking gun. But many other actors, i.e. members of Congress, Bannon et al may/may not be tied to them. So far 3 Oathkeepers have pled guilty and also some Proud Boys. The president of the Oathkeepers called the White House while the insurrection was ongoing.
In all I think there are easy prosecutions of 7000 aiders and abettors.
As to Eastman, Clark and Giuliani, Republicans may invoke the Albert B. Fall, Teapot Dome defense. All could take a fall and "admit" they mislead Trump in order to save him. This would make "scienter" specific intent, tough to prove.
The media's only interest is PROFIT. Like the yellow rags of the late 19th/early 20th centuries they say whatever will get the most listeners (readers) and the truth be damned.
I seriously want to know why these two treasonous, seditist, criminal pieces of shit, donald trump & jinni thomas, (among so many others) are still walking around free. trump SHOULD HAVE BEEN INDICTED & ARRESTED, even before President Biden's hand came down after being sworn in and he should have been tried, convicted and sentenced to death row in a Federal Prison by now. And this brain dead fucking idiot, jinnie thomas, should be sitting in a Federal Jail cell awaiting trial for treason & sedition while her husband should be REMOVED IMMEDIATELY from the Supreme Court. How much more of this insanity, this treason, this criminality are we going to tolerate from trump and trumpism before we say enough, is enough, is enough and we start EXECUTING these people.
I can't imagine any scenario, any laws, that protect a traitorous president, administrators, collaborators, CONGRESSMEN that protects these criminals from prosecution. We have laws to protect the country, our democracy, our citizens. Authoritarians are stopped with the rule of law. It is stunning to me that is is even a QUESTION that Trump should be prosecuted and jailed. Our country will be forever changed from being a democracy if he is not. My question is, if this can't happen WHO is stopping it? The ruling class rich/corporate entities for whom the laws no longer apply....and that is not a country I want to remain.
Yes, Dee, Trump should give the world a break and drop dead. He is an evil and greedy man. His fat ass has out lived it usefulness. In the future we may be looking at a civil war in the USA.
I sure wish there were a transcript of this. I am severely hearing impaired and as a result cannot listen to podcasts. Zoom meetings are torture! Please reconsider!
I had to laugh about become an "introvert" for I have also found myself becoming the same. I totally agree that it is in part because of COVID, the war against Ukraine, crimes against our democracy, rising costs, etc., that have taken its toll on all of us. As for Trump and his followers, I'm not looking to see them change their mind, they don't care if he cheated, lied and attempted a coup against our country, if anything they're probably happy he did. That's the attitude of too many Americans. However, justice must be served and we're counting on AG Garland to make certain that the laws are administered regardless of who broke them, including Trump and Thomas. Great klatch! Have a wonderful Fathers Day!
I can't imagine our corrupt DOJ or SCOTUS or Congress taking any real action against Trump - he has too much money and crazed followers who would start a Civil war if he told them to do so.
The corruption at the various levels of government happens because while the people at the top want one thing the people at lower levels have very different LOYALTIES - to Trump and his minions and Trump's goal. Just because we have new POTUS does not mean the lower levels will obey. I read that the Secret Service had to switch some people since they were not sure if the SS would protect Biden (or Trump). When you have a very important branch of the government knowing that not all of their people will follow their oaths you have corruption. We are not as corrupt as umm. South Korea or some other countries, but we are well on the way. Trump and his minions have. stated goal to destroy our democracy but so many cannot see it. At the current rate of money spending and dirty politics, Trump or one of his MAGA troops will take control in 2024 and then we will have a truly facist country to match Putin's Russia. The insurrectionists from Jan 6 will never be really punished and Trump will never even be arrested.
still waiting for ginni thomas to get indicted.
....and Clarence Thomas to be impeached!
I am waiting too. I would like to see her husband pressured to resign over this. But I think we need to be patient here as well.
patient ... this sometimes is only accomplished after ingesting generous amounts of alcohol. (well, in my case.) wondering how long my liver and kidneys can deal with politics?
A couple of months ago I gave up my effort to maintain my alcohol consumption at low moderate, and gave up alcohol completely. The reason for this was a study I read late last year, which used a new technique for scanning brain density, and my recent return to being a practicing Christian.
Previously, the only accurate way of testing for brain density, i.e., how many brain cells in any particular individual have died, was only able to be used postmortem. But with this new scan, the brain density of living people can be tracked over time.
So this large study determined conclusively that alcohol destroys brain cells, period. The rate of destruction depends completely upon the amount of alcohol consumed by the individual. Heavy drinkers lose brain cells rapidly, and light drinkers lose brain cells slowly.
Therefore it no longer matters to me that light moderate drinking appears to be good for my heart. As a Christian who believes what the Bible says about my body being God's temple, I saw no choice but to quit alcohol completely.
I realize this post has nothing to do with politics, but I think it is critical to briefly interrupt the political discussion at this point.
I enjoyed this, thanks Gregory. This only confirms something I've believed for a long time, alcohol is actively detrimental to cognition. Clint Eastwood is a prime example of a healthy, aging man (yes, genes matter) he's been vegan and alcohol free. STILL MAKING MOVIES!
Donald Trump is also alcohol free. In his case it's his personality disorders [yes plural] and the dementia that he is developing that make him act the way he does, not physical brain damage just yet.
Don’t drink. Act.
Probably the worst thing about alcohol is the way that even a little inhibits sensible action. Even if it's not enough to cause inappropriate actions.
It also stays in the body much longer than we realize! I stopped drinking during the pandemic, and feel im seeing things more clearly than I ever have.
Good for you. I got to the point during that same time period where I would get a very noticeable hangover from drinking 3 beer, so I cut back to 2.
Where is dope there is hope.
In my experience, where there is dope, even a small quantity, there is little chance of true clarity of thought.
Sometimes clarity of thought is not such a good thing.
His colleagues on the Court will do that, by frosting him out ..
I certainly hope so.
He has been an embarrassment to them for many years...and they haven't done anything. Roberts is asleep at the switch. IMHO the lawyers in the SCOTUS bar are complicit. 28 U.S. Code § 455 - Disqualification of justice, judge, or magistrate judge
(a)Any justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned
18 U.S. Code § 4 - Misprision of felony
Whoever, having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony cognizable by a court of the United States, conceals and does not as soon as possible make known the same to some judge or other person in civil or military authority under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 684; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(G), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)
Then let’s indict Justice Thomas!
Oh geez, excellent Daniel, totally.
Whew. Already, I'm wondering about conjugal visits.
And while we're at it, Bush pere et fils helped bring this about, and escaped our selective justice. Well, one did ..
Very good point.
Clarence Thomas never recuses himself when he has a conflict of interest (often on account of his wife. I doubt that he'll resign on account of his wife's culpability, but we won't know until it happens.
That will take extreme pressure from all or almost all of his colleagues, not just the liberals and Roberts.
Yes, & I doubt that most of his colleagues are so inclined, especially those 4 extreme conservatives that lied under oath to get on the Supreme Court.
You're probably right, but I think it probably will come down to how bad they think holding out makes them look.
I put this up for an earlier discussion a day late! This interview is >really< enlightening on the interaction of the 1/6 committee and the DOJ: https://youtu.be/oyqitZOJ484 The expert in this interview goes into who the DOJ decides is a witness and who is a target of their investigation. I urge everyone to spend the half-hour listening to what he has to say. It certainly clarified it all for me.
Also, the reason hearing 3 seemed so "snooze-worthy" was the featured expert. I think you'd have to practice, practice, practice speaking as slowly and deliberately as he did. I'll hazard he lost half the audience within the first minute, and the loss increased exponentially for every minute thereafter. Problem is, his was the centerpiece of the hearing!
Recovering from a stroke can do that. He certainly was determined to make his statement which was very strong indeed.
Thank you, Laurie Blair.
Personally, I think it was very courageous of Judge Luttig to make such a speech at all, despite clearly still recovering his ability to speak. I thought the hearing was far from snooze-worthy...indeed, I thought Judge Luttig's words were riveting and powerful.
Did he have a stroke?
Who knew ‽ (Well, I didn't.) In that case, we owe him a double debt of gratitude! Still, I'm sure most folks who tuned out didn't know, either.
I guess it would not have been appropriate to announce his medical history with the Hippa rules and privacy protections. I know I'm not the only one who was concerned for him. It seemed he was on the verge of passing out or worse.
That explains a lot. Intestinal fortitude, to be sure!
The man has his principles, unlike many contemporary 'conservatives'.
He did not have a stroke. He felt the enormous importance of the moment and his role and wanted to get every word right. He explains this in his NPR interview yesterday where he speaks at a faster pace, and also especially movingly on his twitter thread about this topic.
Karen Egee ; I have received information about this and read Justice Luttig's 12 page letter posted by CNN,. I also watched his appearance on the Jan 6 committee hearings and found his remarks clear and credible. The story about a stroke does not appear to be true (and even if it is, his words are valuable). His health situation is irrelevant to his words. I will look for the NPR interview. Thank you for your input and information. Sadly, it's true that most speakers on media are talking too fast, often without much thought.
Since I asked that question, I have since posted on Reich's newsletter his comments on the matter. I guess you didn't see it. It was in response to Laurie Blaire's posts.
Yes. Very courageous.
Where did you find this info? I checked the internet and the two articles I found said his health was normal.
Eadie Sharron ; I was watching MSNBC's recap of the third session of the Jan 6 investigation and there was a panel discussion of the highlights.
Interesting. The internet does not confirm it. In fact, there is a dearth of info. on the subject. I checked Snopes. They had nothing on the subject. Two other articles said his health was normal.
I Googled it and there were articles, none of which confirmed a health issue , but mentioned internet stories about a stroke. Because it is personal health information it is unlikely to be confirmed without the Judge's authorization.
Great Utube! Thank you.
He is old. He didn’t practice that. He just can’t think except very slowly. I agree. Bad choice as a witness
According to Laurie, it's not because he's old. It's because he's recovering from a stroke. He was a good, authoritative choice whose appearance was simple rotten timing - like much of the timing of these hearings!
As I experience what the Select Committee is sharing with the country, I keep having the thought: OK: Nixon: What did he know & when did he know it? BUT ALL THESE PEOPLE knew this was wrong, was illegal, and (apparently) did nothing to STOP THIS! It's all like a very bad dream that does not end. It feels to me like a level of corruption that we have not had in our country until now. Sorry to be so heavy, but that's what I am carrying around these days. Grave concern.
Many people seem to be too much in a hurry to understand that the DoJ must do this as closely to perfect as is humanly possible.
To me as a Legal Historian one important thing that means they must put all their cards on the table at once. If they file some charges next week, some more the week after, and then a couple of more times in July, that will raise squawks from many millions of people. So I think that the apparent hesitancy of the DoJ shows wisdom, not any excess of caution.
And for people who want to better understand Trump's psychological condition, I very strongly recommend both of Mary L. Trump's books about her uncle. She is a clinical psychologist and knows what she is talking about.
There is Trump who will invoke presidential immunity and the rest of the culprits who can not.
I estimate there are approximately 7000 aiders and abettors. so far, over 840 people have been arrested in relation to the riot in nearly all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
185 people have received sentences for their roles in the insurrection, with around 80 people being sentenced to "periods of incarceration."
Six people have been found guilty at court trials, including five who were found guilty by juries of felonies. One was found guilty of "assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Consider the Green Bay sweep. Navarro implicated a cast of thousands. Bannon, who was not a federal employee was supposedly one of the masterminds. Thousands of probable donors.
There is no post-office Presidential immunity; that's why Ford issued Nixon a pardon.
Do you think Biden will pardon Trump? He definitely could. But I can't see him doing that.
My god I hope not.
You and me and many millions of other people, which is one reason Biden won't do it.
Or perhaps, you might need a more philosophical answer -
https://www.bing.com/search?q=dan+reeder+l+drink+beer&cvid=ff34c98243814731a3325689a96a2608&aqs=edge.4.0l9.13969j0j1&pglt=427&FORM=ANSPA1&PC=SMTS
In heaven there is no beer.
That's why we drink it here.
No beer in hell either, so maybe you should consider starting to practice doing without it
I haven't had a drink in over 35 yrs Greg. You don't seem to be very good at metaphor.
Actually I think I am quite good at metaphors, at least when I have my fiction writer hat on, rather than my historian hat.
I just don't like people going on at me when I've obviously made up my mind about something because I have had a couple of people in my past who did that to me a lot.
I wonder if you are the David Richardson I went to high school with. Have you ever lived in Oregon?
Sorry
and I've never been to Oregon
NOW THAT'S PHILOSOPHY!
Or in these times, alcoholism
The song is about not what but why. All the reasons our culture gives us to become alcoholics.
It's the "Fast Answer." It is a beautiful song, a song of forgiveness, a song that one should leave feeling humbled. Humility another lost word in our culture.
I Drink Beer
Dan Reeder
A man who is usually careful
Met the man who just didn't care
They went to the house
Of the man or a mouse
And met the mailman there
A man with a plan
A man on a mission
A man who could do no wrong
They all stood around in the kitchen
And sang the following song
I drink beer to improve my mind
End the the war
Help mankind
Through these dark and trying times
Hey batter batter batter batter hey batter hey
Swing batter swing
Hey, swing away
Swing for the fence
Live for today
Put your life in Jesus hands
Shut your eyes just as tight as you can
swing like a man like a man like a man
I drink beer to boost retail sales
Save those dolphins
Save those whales
I drink beer for the revolution
Hey batter batter batter hey batter hey
Swing batter swing, swing away
Swing for the fence
Live for today
Put your life in Jesus hands
Shut your eyes just as tight as you can
And swing like a man like a man like a man
Cuz
We are men
Men we shall we remain
We shall remain men
Until we go home
We are men
Men we shall we remain
We shall remain men
until we go home
Why should I need a more philosophical answer?
If you want to destroy your brain cells you go right ahead. But to me, both the medical evidence and the Bible are perfectly clear.
Hit the link. It might even make you smile, maybe.
Ginni is more like poached flounder than toast. She has shown her colors on the national stage. The evidence speaks for itself!
I think Ginni and Clarence may need at least a separate chapter of this hearing. The levels of corruption are deep there. I live in Arizona and am waiting to learn about her many contacts here, where I know corruption runs the Republican Party.
I learned early on that you have to be crazy to question a crazy person.
Or, to take Obama's advice, "When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't really have to do anything, you just let them talk."
Trump and Guiliani are other examples. And MTG. And Louie Gohmert. And on and on ...
Daniel Solomon ; Who are you calling crazy !? Me or Ginni? LOL!
In re why do people believe lies? People choose a good or useful story over facts, even when the facts demonstrate that the story is false and the facts are repeated ad nauseum. The only thing that can overturn a false (or true) story is another story. With a different hero.
Effective stories tend to possess a number of common elements.
They are easy to understand
They can be briefly summarized and quickly memorized
They are internally consistent.
They concern particular characters or groups.
There is a direct connection between cause and effect.
They describe progress from a beginning through a middle to an end.
The end resolves the situation encountered at the beginning with a conclusion that is positive and inspiring.
Certain stories are repeated through history and across cultures. Hero setting out on a quest, encountering great hazard, conquering it despite overwhelming odds, thus gaining power, prestige, insight. This story goes across cultures and time.
In politics, the recurring story goes
“Disorder afflicts the land, caused by powerful and nefarious forces working against the interests of humanity. The hero – who might be one person or a group of people – revolts against the disorder, fights the nefarious forces, overcomes them despite great odds, and restores order.”
Stories that follow this pattern can sweep all before them, even our fundamental values. See, for example, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Lion King. These are medieval autocrats for whom we cheer, even though we don’t approve autocrats and autocracy. Story conquered values.
The only thing that can overcome a Story is Another Story with Another Hero. The January 6 Committee is creating the Other Story with Another Hero.
You must be a mythologist, perfect truth. I'll leave you to wrestle with the word truth:)
I think Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung would applaud your comment.
In the Trump Cult, the main ingredient is self interest, and the second ingredient any easy person to blame. Who wants to say "I am not successful because I didn't pay enough attention at school". " or I didn't work as hard and honestly as I could" when a bloated TV celebrity is telling me it's not my fault, it's the immigrants, people whose skin is darker than mine, people who speak a different language, people who don't believe in my god. And then tells them "I'll protect you, I'll lead you to the promised land". And when the trumpster betrayed them in favor of the ultra wealthy, he carefully lied that it was for their sake, for more American jobs, more pay, etc., that giving tax breaks to the wealthy was really for them.
Mike Pence? Liz Cheney? Both?
Thank you professor and Heather.
sigh. so much to comment on. So let's start with is it "politically correct" to call Former/ perhaps future president Trump "crazy" First some background, I have a variety of severe, chronic and persistent "mental illnesses" Some of my friends use the term "Mad Pride" I find it hurtful that you use the words "crazy" as a pejorative. They would say that what you said is "Sanism" As I write this, I cannot recall if you used that word or another perhaps some kind of diagnosis. If you think Dark Donnie is detached from reality, then say that. The last few years have been hard on me, mostly because of my MI symptoms but also because, especially the last year and half because benefits and other support were cut and costs have gone up. I am almost completed isolated. I rarely am more then walking distance of where I live, Never, since covid began, outside of metro Chicago. I am now jealous of "everyone" else who travels, who owns a car, and has people bring him coffee. I am alone. I am in pain. I can see no way that my tomorrow will be better than today. I am not sure why I am writing this. It does seem that I am simply spitting in the wind. and my spit will come back at me. on another topic, I also don't know the purpose of the hearings. Do you really believe that if Trump is indicted, and then convicted, that he will spend a day in jail or prison or be less rich then he is now? Again, I feel helpless and hopeless. Not sure if that just another symptom of my mental illness or what my life time has taught me. On yet another topic,
your friend and ex-boss, told us that "I have not had sex with that women" That was his truth but almost anyone else would say that was not true, that he was not living in reality. So what is reality? again I am not doing well, I apologize for this rambling comment.
Fred, I don’t know what your circumstances are or how old you are,
(I am a senior by the way) nor do I know if you’ve already looked into the services
available in your state for the disabled or elderly, but if you haven’t looked into it
there are services for those that qualify for Medicare/Medicaid. The Illinois Department on Aging has a lot of information on its website. If you aren’t a senior citizen & you aren’t eligible for services provided by the govt. they can still point you in the right direction.
Their phone number is: 1 800-252-8966.
kind of you to offer. I am a senior. they do not sem very helpful to me.
It made me sad to hear an obviously intelligent man so depressed.For what it's worth,I will pray for you,I've been there!
of course, what Bill Clinton said was " I did not have sex with that woman. " Sigh I could use an editor.
Thanks for the coffee klatch this morning. I needed it! I had just listened to an hour and a half interview with Andrew Sullivan and David Goodhart. It left my brain exhausted. I got up, went and got another cup of coffee and escaped to coffee klatch, thanks! Listening to the two of you made me think of Daniel Kahneman and his Thinking Fast and Slow. I feel sure both of you have read it. I think you should devote an entire coffee klatch to discussing that book. "Fast Thinking" is the tool of politics and propaganda. "Slow Thinking" is the lost art and the tool of academics. A society needs to be sold on "Slow Thinking" not just a classroom. "Fast Thinking" is about sensationalism, emotion, and drama. "Slow Thinking" is about time and work. You've always had a hard sell.
Slow thinking is essential in this case.
Slow thinking I what’s necessary to overcome the fast thinkers.
I hope Mr Garland will prosecute Trump and his little band of criminals- all of them. Having worked as a criminal defense attorney, my take on the transcripts is that the committee does not want the transcripts floating around out of their control until their work is completed. The DOJ needs to know everything said by witnesses and potential defendants in all venues. I think both the committee and the DOJ have valid interests. I wish the media would seek the why and try to explain things, rather than employ the usual wedge driving insinuations that the two are at war.
Not just Trump. My theory right along has been that all of the conspirators need to be prosecuted.
DOJ has some internal problems. Sherwin, who was acting US Attorney in DC actually attended the insurrection. Some of the AUSAs are Republican holdovers. The FBI should have taken contemporaneous statements from everyone who was at the Capitol that day. These folks need to explain themselves.
The cleanest prosecution re Trump is the wire fraud scam. This is ongoing and therefore Trump cannot allege presidential immunity.
Next are the Georgia extortion/obstruction cases. So far they are in state court. Extortion/obstruction of justice. There is concurrent jurisdiction.
The Green Bay sweep is important because it includes 100 members of Congress and phony state actors. Navarro said Trump was on the calls. Spoke to him about it.
Peris of Pence. Every person who threatened Pence should be investigated. If you look at the DC statutes attempted assault', etc are misdemeanors so Trump can say he's immune from the Perils cases.
In order to tie Trump to the insurrectionists, as a prosecutor, I'd give the grand jury the burden of establishing scienter as to Trump. Need a smoking gun. But many other actors, i.e. members of Congress, Bannon et al may/may not be tied to them. So far 3 Oathkeepers have pled guilty and also some Proud Boys. The president of the Oathkeepers called the White House while the insurrection was ongoing.
In all I think there are easy prosecutions of 7000 aiders and abettors.
As to Eastman, Clark and Giuliani, Republicans may invoke the Albert B. Fall, Teapot Dome defense. All could take a fall and "admit" they mislead Trump in order to save him. This would make "scienter" specific intent, tough to prove.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_B._Fall
The media's only interest is PROFIT. Like the yellow rags of the late 19th/early 20th centuries they say whatever will get the most listeners (readers) and the truth be damned.
I seriously want to know why these two treasonous, seditist, criminal pieces of shit, donald trump & jinni thomas, (among so many others) are still walking around free. trump SHOULD HAVE BEEN INDICTED & ARRESTED, even before President Biden's hand came down after being sworn in and he should have been tried, convicted and sentenced to death row in a Federal Prison by now. And this brain dead fucking idiot, jinnie thomas, should be sitting in a Federal Jail cell awaiting trial for treason & sedition while her husband should be REMOVED IMMEDIATELY from the Supreme Court. How much more of this insanity, this treason, this criminality are we going to tolerate from trump and trumpism before we say enough, is enough, is enough and we start EXECUTING these people.
Extremely well stated,exactly our sentiments! This is OUR beloved nation,Constitution,democracy,
it's a GRAND OLD FLAG!!!
Don’t you agree that the corporate greed in this country has in a sense emboldened by the the Trump tax cuts while he was in office?
I can't imagine any scenario, any laws, that protect a traitorous president, administrators, collaborators, CONGRESSMEN that protects these criminals from prosecution. We have laws to protect the country, our democracy, our citizens. Authoritarians are stopped with the rule of law. It is stunning to me that is is even a QUESTION that Trump should be prosecuted and jailed. Our country will be forever changed from being a democracy if he is not. My question is, if this can't happen WHO is stopping it? The ruling class rich/corporate entities for whom the laws no longer apply....and that is not a country I want to remain.
the headline I want to see - Donald Trump DROPS DEAD!!
Yes, Dee, Trump should give the world a break and drop dead. He is an evil and greedy man. His fat ass has out lived it usefulness. In the future we may be looking at a civil war in the USA.
We need to indite Trump before he dies.
If you shoot at the king, don't miss.
You don’t seem to GET that Garland is waiting for the completion of these hearings to indict the jerk.
I sure wish there were a transcript of this. I am severely hearing impaired and as a result cannot listen to podcasts. Zoom meetings are torture! Please reconsider!