You are giving Biden far too much leeway in your posts. Suggest reading a recent piece in the Atlantic concerning the recklessness of a president who, given his multiplicity of significant shortcomings, has arrogantly decided that only he can save the world from Trump. Biden was a bridge president and not a 8 year rental. He should have indicated a year ago that he would not seek a second term and permitted the process to produce a different candidate. Millions are going to sit this election out, including substantial numbers of those who voted for Biden in 2020. His hubris will be condemned by history.
Drug use in the first Trump administration may be yet another scandal (how'd the last ~1000 work out so far?), but I would not be concerned about that (only about everything else) in Trump's second term.
An early "All In the Family" episode tells us why. When Archie lands in jail for trying to rescue Mike & Gloria from a demonstration, he uses a nasal inhaler for his sinuses. A hippie guy in the cell warns him about drugs, and tells him to instead get high on Jesus. Sadly, then and even more so now, Jesus - specifically their warped caricature of him - has indeed become an addictive "drug" to millions in the US alone. Most now are also firmly in the MAGA cult, with Jesus now 2nd to their top "god."
Trump doesn't need ethanol - which killed his brother - or any other substance to feed his addiction, which is of course to himself. After years of active vetting by his closest protectors, and "natural selection" (would-be Kellys, Mattises, even Pences, know better than to take the job even if they survive the vetting), the next Trump White House will be nothing but addicts. But their drug will be HIM, and they too will need nothing else. Unlike the drug addicts of the first term, who needed substances to help them cope with the choice they regretted, the next group will know exactly what they chose, and wouldn't have it any other way.
Personal side note: When I first saw that episode in 1971 I had just ended a 3-month addiction to nasal inhalers that started with a bad cold. A doctor told me to quit cold turkey and I haven't touched one since.
"Let’s state JVL’s Law again: Any person or institution which is not explicitly anti-Trump will become a tool for authoritarianism eventually."
I have been explicitly anti-Trump since 1985. And would have been earlier had I heard of him. Is that good enough? I still leaned Democrat at the time, but respected the GOP's advocacy of "personal responsibility." Since then it has done a 180 on that, at least for their "leaders," whom they absolve of all responsibility and accountability, especially to the people and Constitution they pledged (with fingers crossed) to serve. The latest insane example:
"And instead of leading and standing for the Constitution, [Haley] fobs off all questions of agency to Trump. It’s not time for Nikki Haley to choose. Oh, no."
She squandered the perfect opportunity to take responsibility, and pathetically punted to Trump to do the one thing she knows he never did in his 78 years, and never will.
Is it possible.. Trump would get Musk as VP in exchange for huge piles of money? I mean Trump is probably desperate. But he's probably also afraid of Musk. But would that combo destroy Biden? Or would dems everywhere torch Teslas? Perhaps Musk would be concerned about disconnecting from his techtopia then again who'd worry about a little thing like that I. Trumpistan? Ah wait my nightmare is partially shared. He's South African. Not a though in the future Trumpistan but it won't work in this election. I suppose they're are other tech bros dictator leaners but probably no one would really be right for the part.
It isn't the least bit surprising that Trump would send snoops to sniff out any hint of disloyalty.
Now, a whole political party and its media wing are organized around absolute fealty to Dear Leader - and cynically portraying it as the democratic will of the American people.
*****I do believe that Trump is at his ceiling because no one has campaigned against him yet, while Biden has had Republicans attacking him nonstop for three years.
Trump is about to take fire for the first time since 2020...*****
.
While this is substantially true, it is not entirely so.
One CAN say that the Biden campaign will soon target the 45th president MUCH more aggressively, and it has an enormous war chest with which to do it. The magnitude of the fire to come will make what has come before seem as nothing. It was not actually nothing. (Win It Back PAC's efforts also were not nothing – they were worse!)
I've been with you since day Bulwark 1 J. You are my spirit animal. I used to always say, "Man! I hate being right"! You know what really hurts my soul? Is since first reading your work. You have made it not just about Trump. But you have understood. I'm infatuated with his voters. I marvel at their dystopia, I'm stupefied by the enamored look, I'm disenchanted by their lack of depth at arguments in The Federalist Papers on Madisons side. And I know that your assessment that having to rise to this occasion every 2 years, democracy on the ballot, is too much to ask of any citizen.....i guess. P.s. thank Sarah for turning me on to The French Village, thank you for turning me on to Labash on Slack Tide, thank Tim for writing a book that I never read because my mother stole it and won't give it back (he's her fav), thank Bill for having the courage to sit with Charlie on the first podcast, thank Charlie tireless assessment of our state, thank AB for giving me the ability to argue with lawyers, and tell our friend on the Hollywood beat he was right, Dune 2 is fucking epic.
I think most of todays Republican leadership is irony impaired. Haley quotes the Book of Joshua, expressing the need for strength and courage. In the same breath she succumbs to Trump and refuses to withhold her support. Any respect she earned while attacking Trump was washed away in an instant. She looks like a fraud. So disappointing…you’d think I’d be immune to disappointment by now.
With Trump being the shoe in for the RNC - democracy only has a few options left. I would suggest there be a serious effort to assure there isn't another 1/6. Cheney and the commission came up short and did nothing about the insurrectionists in Congress. We can change that by requiring them to restate their oath of office and to admit that Trump lost; the Dems in the Senate should have done this months ago, but McConnell's devices stopped any vote on if there was an approved insurrection. Or the DOJ can do it's job and send them target letters - as well as Ginni, Bannon, Navarro, Powell, and Chesebro for a few. Or Biden can stack SCOTUS and challenge the Federalist Society of unethical lawyers to give up Leonard Leo and come out against corruption, insurrection and election denial. Even though it may hurt MAGA and legal fees.
Trump will follow Project 2025. He is not the mastermind of anything but enriching himself by copying up to Saidis etc. The others however have a clear plan to end all abortion, probably contraception and gay rights, funding for non MAGa states, public education, voting rights ( GOP will end filibuster with Manchin and Sinema gone), and of course Putin and Saudis are already planning to cut oil production before election. The Bibi stubbornness seems to be suspiciously helpful to Trump as well. Then privatizing social security and eliminating most safety nets. There will be a desperate slave class. Of course farmers hurt by tariffs will be gifted " socialist welfare." OH, and further tax cuts for rich
I hope people are sending letters to the editors of NYT, LAT, WaPo, CT, and WSJ about why Rolling Stone got such a scoop...lots of letters....
You are giving Biden far too much leeway in your posts. Suggest reading a recent piece in the Atlantic concerning the recklessness of a president who, given his multiplicity of significant shortcomings, has arrogantly decided that only he can save the world from Trump. Biden was a bridge president and not a 8 year rental. He should have indicated a year ago that he would not seek a second term and permitted the process to produce a different candidate. Millions are going to sit this election out, including substantial numbers of those who voted for Biden in 2020. His hubris will be condemned by history.
We were warned that fascism would come to us holding a cross.
Drug use in the first Trump administration may be yet another scandal (how'd the last ~1000 work out so far?), but I would not be concerned about that (only about everything else) in Trump's second term.
An early "All In the Family" episode tells us why. When Archie lands in jail for trying to rescue Mike & Gloria from a demonstration, he uses a nasal inhaler for his sinuses. A hippie guy in the cell warns him about drugs, and tells him to instead get high on Jesus. Sadly, then and even more so now, Jesus - specifically their warped caricature of him - has indeed become an addictive "drug" to millions in the US alone. Most now are also firmly in the MAGA cult, with Jesus now 2nd to their top "god."
Trump doesn't need ethanol - which killed his brother - or any other substance to feed his addiction, which is of course to himself. After years of active vetting by his closest protectors, and "natural selection" (would-be Kellys, Mattises, even Pences, know better than to take the job even if they survive the vetting), the next Trump White House will be nothing but addicts. But their drug will be HIM, and they too will need nothing else. Unlike the drug addicts of the first term, who needed substances to help them cope with the choice they regretted, the next group will know exactly what they chose, and wouldn't have it any other way.
Personal side note: When I first saw that episode in 1971 I had just ended a 3-month addiction to nasal inhalers that started with a bad cold. A doctor told me to quit cold turkey and I haven't touched one since.
"Let’s state JVL’s Law again: Any person or institution which is not explicitly anti-Trump will become a tool for authoritarianism eventually."
I have been explicitly anti-Trump since 1985. And would have been earlier had I heard of him. Is that good enough? I still leaned Democrat at the time, but respected the GOP's advocacy of "personal responsibility." Since then it has done a 180 on that, at least for their "leaders," whom they absolve of all responsibility and accountability, especially to the people and Constitution they pledged (with fingers crossed) to serve. The latest insane example:
"And instead of leading and standing for the Constitution, [Haley] fobs off all questions of agency to Trump. It’s not time for Nikki Haley to choose. Oh, no."
She squandered the perfect opportunity to take responsibility, and pathetically punted to Trump to do the one thing she knows he never did in his 78 years, and never will.
Is it possible.. Trump would get Musk as VP in exchange for huge piles of money? I mean Trump is probably desperate. But he's probably also afraid of Musk. But would that combo destroy Biden? Or would dems everywhere torch Teslas? Perhaps Musk would be concerned about disconnecting from his techtopia then again who'd worry about a little thing like that I. Trumpistan? Ah wait my nightmare is partially shared. He's South African. Not a though in the future Trumpistan but it won't work in this election. I suppose they're are other tech bros dictator leaners but probably no one would really be right for the part.
It isn't the least bit surprising that Trump would send snoops to sniff out any hint of disloyalty.
Now, a whole political party and its media wing are organized around absolute fealty to Dear Leader - and cynically portraying it as the democratic will of the American people.
JVL wrote:
*****I do believe that Trump is at his ceiling because no one has campaigned against him yet, while Biden has had Republicans attacking him nonstop for three years.
Trump is about to take fire for the first time since 2020...*****
.
While this is substantially true, it is not entirely so.
Consider the ads from The Lincoln Project: https://lincolnproject.us/videos/
Consider the ads from Win It Back PAC (or maybe don't): https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/03/anti-trump-group-ads-backfired-00125087
Closest to home(!), consider the ads from the Republican Accountability Project: https://www.youtube.com/@RepublicanAccountability
One CAN say that the Biden campaign will soon target the 45th president MUCH more aggressively, and it has an enormous war chest with which to do it. The magnitude of the fire to come will make what has come before seem as nothing. It was not actually nothing. (Win It Back PAC's efforts also were not nothing – they were worse!)
I've been with you since day Bulwark 1 J. You are my spirit animal. I used to always say, "Man! I hate being right"! You know what really hurts my soul? Is since first reading your work. You have made it not just about Trump. But you have understood. I'm infatuated with his voters. I marvel at their dystopia, I'm stupefied by the enamored look, I'm disenchanted by their lack of depth at arguments in The Federalist Papers on Madisons side. And I know that your assessment that having to rise to this occasion every 2 years, democracy on the ballot, is too much to ask of any citizen.....i guess. P.s. thank Sarah for turning me on to The French Village, thank you for turning me on to Labash on Slack Tide, thank Tim for writing a book that I never read because my mother stole it and won't give it back (he's her fav), thank Bill for having the courage to sit with Charlie on the first podcast, thank Charlie tireless assessment of our state, thank AB for giving me the ability to argue with lawyers, and tell our friend on the Hollywood beat he was right, Dune 2 is fucking epic.
I think most of todays Republican leadership is irony impaired. Haley quotes the Book of Joshua, expressing the need for strength and courage. In the same breath she succumbs to Trump and refuses to withhold her support. Any respect she earned while attacking Trump was washed away in an instant. She looks like a fraud. So disappointing…you’d think I’d be immune to disappointment by now.
I love tired and slap-happy Tim, Sarah, and JVL. You guys made me laugh on a very depressing “morning after!”
I have looked upon Haley's campaign with a bit of a smirk (my nature)
from the beginning. Perhaps if she had run her entire campaign as she did the
past two months I would give her SOME credit. BUT she has always been what she is -
a "fall in line" (tow the line" - whatever) repub. Indictments, insults, boorish behavior, RAPE.
She will endorse trump and campaign against the "evils " of Biden just like the rest of "them".
As for her assertion that she could be the "future" of the party? Wow! If that's what she wants -
go for it. What rational person would want to be the "standard bearer" of that mess....
(all apologies for all of the " ")
I have been found guilty of sexual assault - will you vote for me?
She did not say NO. It is an easy NO.
Trump did get clobbered in one primary: DC
Dana Milbank of the WaPo (rest its soul) did a piece about he specifically changed parties to vote for Haley.
With Trump being the shoe in for the RNC - democracy only has a few options left. I would suggest there be a serious effort to assure there isn't another 1/6. Cheney and the commission came up short and did nothing about the insurrectionists in Congress. We can change that by requiring them to restate their oath of office and to admit that Trump lost; the Dems in the Senate should have done this months ago, but McConnell's devices stopped any vote on if there was an approved insurrection. Or the DOJ can do it's job and send them target letters - as well as Ginni, Bannon, Navarro, Powell, and Chesebro for a few. Or Biden can stack SCOTUS and challenge the Federalist Society of unethical lawyers to give up Leonard Leo and come out against corruption, insurrection and election denial. Even though it may hurt MAGA and legal fees.
Trump will follow Project 2025. He is not the mastermind of anything but enriching himself by copying up to Saidis etc. The others however have a clear plan to end all abortion, probably contraception and gay rights, funding for non MAGa states, public education, voting rights ( GOP will end filibuster with Manchin and Sinema gone), and of course Putin and Saudis are already planning to cut oil production before election. The Bibi stubbornness seems to be suspiciously helpful to Trump as well. Then privatizing social security and eliminating most safety nets. There will be a desperate slave class. Of course farmers hurt by tariffs will be gifted " socialist welfare." OH, and further tax cuts for rich