Good day all. Just got to ask, why are we still dealing with this? He needs to be indicted and brought to trial. The hearings today should put a ribbon this. C’mon man…
In 1935 Sinclair Lewis wrote "It Can't Happen Here" about a populist leader who comes to power on a wave of depression-era woes (blamed on the Jews) and then installs a fascist government and suspends all civil liberties. But Lewis places the blame squarely on the shoulders of a complacent and apathetic populace who literally vote away their democracy because of short-term discontent.
On Nov. 8 a lot of Americans will cast their vote more concerned about this week's price of gas than with preserving democracy. Like Doug P said, democracy can indeed die in the full light of day. Timothy Snyder said it best in On Tyranny: "Each election could be the last."
Surprised that Alex. Vindman doesn't know that Trump receives no intelligence briefings:
Published Feb. 5, 2021
WASHINGTON — President Biden said on Friday that he would bar his predecessor, Donald J. Trump, from receiving intelligence briefings traditionally given to former presidents, saying that Mr. Trump could not be trusted because of his “erratic behavior” even before the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Remember these comments came on the same day that Russian State Media said that the US should change out the Biden regime for their "partner", Trump. People are openly committing treason while we watch and no one is getting arrested or prosecuted. Never thought I'd see the day.
Problem is the MAGAs will eat it up and believe every word. Trump trained his Pets very well - our intelligence agencies, FBI, news other than FOX, etc., are fake, etc.
As Charlie observed, our vocabulary of outrage has been taxed to exhaustion by Donald Trump. But my own personal one is getting its second wind. And I've made no vow to fast vis a vie obscenities and Lent. However, I'll be hurling no profanities toward that son of a bitch here. Well, beyond that last, anyway.
Trump is what he is, and he does what he does, and by now we should all well know this. And while some may be justifiably and viscerally outraged at this latest act of base and despicable treachery toward our country, none should be shocked or surprised. Some folks will perhaps not get this, but for me - an ardent and proud Never Trumper from long before the time the term was even coined - both emotionally and intellectually, my reaction is pretty much the equivalent of a mental shrug. I mean c'mon, what did you expect?
No, the gathering wind in my vocabulary is for the men and women who will still - after all that's come before this, and now this itself - praise, support, promote, and embrace this modern-day Benedict Arnold, along with all those who refuse to raise their voice to condemn or even mildly criticize him, especially and particularly those in the political realm who see such an action as disadvantageous to their political careers or goals. They are, through their words and deeds, or lack thereof, complicit in the on-going treachery, and are no better than the man himself. So, let me just take a breath here and sum up my feelings toward them as Americans and as human beings...
Fuck 'em. Fuck 'em all. May their fates be in the end as ignominious as Arnold's, and their names remembered thusly.
Sorry about the language. But, I do feel a bit better. Exercising that vocabulary occasionally is a pretty good way to keep it in shape for perhaps more important endeavors yet to come.
Truth Social is owned by a SPAC, a type of company that goes public without any operations. The company's initials are DWAC. JVL wrote about it a few times.
Thanks. Knew it was an SPAC - don't remember seeing DWAC before. So, what happened to the $1 billion that was supposedly invested in it? Several pockets, including Trump, Nunes, etc.?
Signups for Truth Social, Trump's new network, has dropped precipitously. Maybe people see no connection between Trump & truth. Does Trump really expect to get truth from Putin abt Hunter Biden; he's looking for dirt, not truth.
One thing I disagree with Charlie Sykes on is the future of the GOP. I think he believes Trumpism is a permanent feature of the GOP moving forward. I think Trumpism, which doesn't appeal to more than a minority of people and is untethered to any actual governing political philosophy, is unsustainable as guiding force within the GOP. I believe that Trumpism will almost surely come to an end sometime in the future. The question is when. It certainly won't be as early as 2024, but will almost certainly be before the 2028 elections.
Is Vindman talking about revoking Trump's security clearance? I don't believe Trump has or ever has had a security clearance. His "security clearance" came entirely from being elected President of the United States. Presidents don't need security clearances to see classified material. If Trump had to get a security clearance like those around him, he likely would never have received it. Does anyone think Trump could pass a background test in order to get a security clearance? Highly unlikely.
Can someone clear something for me? I thought Joe Biden was President. Isn't Hunter Biden his 40 something year old son? Why does anyone care what he does?
As Mona pointed out, the MAGAats NEED Hunter to be the most Corrupt Corruptocrat who ever Corrupted, because they know Trump is a world class crook (even though they won’t admit it.) They can’t see themselves on the side of the angels if they were honest: they can’t say “Yeah, our guy’s a huge liar, a serial grifter, a sexual predator, a hypocritical bigot, and probably a traitor too, but...but...your guy’s son did drugs and took naughty pictures of himself!!”
They been doing that for a while. It's the standard go to phrase any time they can't rebut an argument. Other than insulting people and, like their god, name calling.
MAGAs care about him. They are incessantly bringing him in up The Hill comments every time some posts something good about Biden/Dems. They are convinced that Biden is illegitimate because of Hunter.
Problem is to MAGAs, Ivanka, Don Jr and Eric are angels incarnate and owe all their good fortune to their own skills. The MAGAs wish they were Ivanka, etc.
Jeez, yet another assault on our senses of decency. Between the pleas to Putin for Biden's son and Putin's attempts to have Zelensky assassinated and now finding a gap in phone records that would have made Rosemary Woods blush, we find ourselves with a republican party that has no moral compass at all. None.
But the scary part is how many people continue to think Trump is great. Maybe he should send his shock troops directly to Putin to help the poor boy out.
But it's not just Trump. He's the boil on the surface but the disease is within that allows the boil to fester. It's in the house, it's in the senate. It's in their blood and bones now. When John McCain was alive, he really was not necessarily rational much of the time. Now, in death he looks like a saint. And look at what was left? - Lindsay Graham, Mark Meadows, Kevin McCarthy Ted Cruz and Ron Desantis. It's just pathetic and profoundly dangerous and the crowd loves it.
Try to imagine any of those people prosecuting the War effort.
I really prefer Andy Borosky's conclusion that Trump was watching Shark week on the discovery channel for that period of time.
I would be interested in what Putin has on Trump with respect to the oligarchs, since some of his dealings with them seem to smell of money laundering and one of the boys did state that they were getting a lot of money from Russia.
Yes, money is a much more powerful motivator for Trump than shame (the fabled pee videos - which might not ever be mentioned in history books in Florida or Texas!).
Good day all. Just got to ask, why are we still dealing with this? He needs to be indicted and brought to trial. The hearings today should put a ribbon this. C’mon man…
The Washington Post has it all wrong. Democracy doesn't die in darkness, it dies in the full light of day by followers who approve of its death.
In 1935 Sinclair Lewis wrote "It Can't Happen Here" about a populist leader who comes to power on a wave of depression-era woes (blamed on the Jews) and then installs a fascist government and suspends all civil liberties. But Lewis places the blame squarely on the shoulders of a complacent and apathetic populace who literally vote away their democracy because of short-term discontent.
On Nov. 8 a lot of Americans will cast their vote more concerned about this week's price of gas than with preserving democracy. Like Doug P said, democracy can indeed die in the full light of day. Timothy Snyder said it best in On Tyranny: "Each election could be the last."
https://neofascism.substack.com/
Finally some good news - apparently there's a DOJ grand jury issuing subpoenas re 1/6. A bit harder for the Pets to ignore than the 1/6 committee.
Surprised that Alex. Vindman doesn't know that Trump receives no intelligence briefings:
Published Feb. 5, 2021
WASHINGTON — President Biden said on Friday that he would bar his predecessor, Donald J. Trump, from receiving intelligence briefings traditionally given to former presidents, saying that Mr. Trump could not be trusted because of his “erratic behavior” even before the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Remember these comments came on the same day that Russian State Media said that the US should change out the Biden regime for their "partner", Trump. People are openly committing treason while we watch and no one is getting arrested or prosecuted. Never thought I'd see the day.
Heck, Tucker is on Russian TV on a daily basis now. He might as well register as a foreign agent.
Putin might be happy to fill Trump's order for "noise news" just to shift the spot light away from himself... even if it is total BS.
Problem is the MAGAs will eat it up and believe every word. Trump trained his Pets very well - our intelligence agencies, FBI, news other than FOX, etc., are fake, etc.
He is the slimiest of the slime!
As Charlie observed, our vocabulary of outrage has been taxed to exhaustion by Donald Trump. But my own personal one is getting its second wind. And I've made no vow to fast vis a vie obscenities and Lent. However, I'll be hurling no profanities toward that son of a bitch here. Well, beyond that last, anyway.
Trump is what he is, and he does what he does, and by now we should all well know this. And while some may be justifiably and viscerally outraged at this latest act of base and despicable treachery toward our country, none should be shocked or surprised. Some folks will perhaps not get this, but for me - an ardent and proud Never Trumper from long before the time the term was even coined - both emotionally and intellectually, my reaction is pretty much the equivalent of a mental shrug. I mean c'mon, what did you expect?
No, the gathering wind in my vocabulary is for the men and women who will still - after all that's come before this, and now this itself - praise, support, promote, and embrace this modern-day Benedict Arnold, along with all those who refuse to raise their voice to condemn or even mildly criticize him, especially and particularly those in the political realm who see such an action as disadvantageous to their political careers or goals. They are, through their words and deeds, or lack thereof, complicit in the on-going treachery, and are no better than the man himself. So, let me just take a breath here and sum up my feelings toward them as Americans and as human beings...
Fuck 'em. Fuck 'em all. May their fates be in the end as ignominious as Arnold's, and their names remembered thusly.
Sorry about the language. But, I do feel a bit better. Exercising that vocabulary occasionally is a pretty good way to keep it in shape for perhaps more important endeavors yet to come.
I'm not Catholic and thought it was a hell of a post.
Thank you.
I hope JVL shorted the DWAC SPAC.
?
Truth Social is owned by a SPAC, a type of company that goes public without any operations. The company's initials are DWAC. JVL wrote about it a few times.
Thanks. Knew it was an SPAC - don't remember seeing DWAC before. So, what happened to the $1 billion that was supposedly invested in it? Several pockets, including Trump, Nunes, etc.?
Signups for Truth Social, Trump's new network, has dropped precipitously. Maybe people see no connection between Trump & truth. Does Trump really expect to get truth from Putin abt Hunter Biden; he's looking for dirt, not truth.
Trump doesn't care if Russians actually have anything on Hunter. He just wants them to say they do and he'll take care of the rest.
One thing I disagree with Charlie Sykes on is the future of the GOP. I think he believes Trumpism is a permanent feature of the GOP moving forward. I think Trumpism, which doesn't appeal to more than a minority of people and is untethered to any actual governing political philosophy, is unsustainable as guiding force within the GOP. I believe that Trumpism will almost surely come to an end sometime in the future. The question is when. It certainly won't be as early as 2024, but will almost certainly be before the 2028 elections.
Let's be clear...Trumpism, in some form or another, will be a permanent fixture in the GOP.
Remember Trump is a symptom of the problem...not the problem itself. Trump was a catalyst and provided adrenaline to the problem...for sure.
I wish I had your optimism.
The problem is that Trump will be gone, but his stench in the GOP, Congress and the country will continue. Even now, the GOP protects him.
Is Vindman talking about revoking Trump's security clearance? I don't believe Trump has or ever has had a security clearance. His "security clearance" came entirely from being elected President of the United States. Presidents don't need security clearances to see classified material. If Trump had to get a security clearance like those around him, he likely would never have received it. Does anyone think Trump could pass a background test in order to get a security clearance? Highly unlikely.
Heck, how many, including Jared and Ivanka, couldn't pass, yet Trump gave it to them!
Can someone clear something for me? I thought Joe Biden was President. Isn't Hunter Biden his 40 something year old son? Why does anyone care what he does?
As Mona pointed out, the MAGAats NEED Hunter to be the most Corrupt Corruptocrat who ever Corrupted, because they know Trump is a world class crook (even though they won’t admit it.) They can’t see themselves on the side of the angels if they were honest: they can’t say “Yeah, our guy’s a huge liar, a serial grifter, a sexual predator, a hypocritical bigot, and probably a traitor too, but...but...your guy’s son did drugs and took naughty pictures of himself!!”
It doesn’t compute for them.
Well...the MAGAs are calling the Biden's a crime family now...
They been doing that for a while. It's the standard go to phrase any time they can't rebut an argument. Other than insulting people and, like their god, name calling.
MAGAs care about him. They are incessantly bringing him in up The Hill comments every time some posts something good about Biden/Dems. They are convinced that Biden is illegitimate because of Hunter.
That's because the Trump children are so honest and above doing anything wrong. Laughing so hard...it's hard to write that sentence.
Problem is to MAGAs, Ivanka, Don Jr and Eric are angels incarnate and owe all their good fortune to their own skills. The MAGAs wish they were Ivanka, etc.
Um, the MAGAs wished they were banging Ivanka . . . like her dad did.
So Trumps social App is suffering. How can this be? He's got Devin Nunes in charge. What could possibly go wrong?
Does anyone have the Vegas odds on when Trump dumps Nunes?
Unless they collaborated on this scam and agreed to something like an 80-20 split; pretty sure there's $$$ involved.
Jeez, yet another assault on our senses of decency. Between the pleas to Putin for Biden's son and Putin's attempts to have Zelensky assassinated and now finding a gap in phone records that would have made Rosemary Woods blush, we find ourselves with a republican party that has no moral compass at all. None.
But the scary part is how many people continue to think Trump is great. Maybe he should send his shock troops directly to Putin to help the poor boy out.
But it's not just Trump. He's the boil on the surface but the disease is within that allows the boil to fester. It's in the house, it's in the senate. It's in their blood and bones now. When John McCain was alive, he really was not necessarily rational much of the time. Now, in death he looks like a saint. And look at what was left? - Lindsay Graham, Mark Meadows, Kevin McCarthy Ted Cruz and Ron Desantis. It's just pathetic and profoundly dangerous and the crowd loves it.
Try to imagine any of those people prosecuting the War effort.
I really prefer Andy Borosky's conclusion that Trump was watching Shark week on the discovery channel for that period of time.
I would be interested in what Putin has on Trump with respect to the oligarchs, since some of his dealings with them seem to smell of money laundering and one of the boys did state that they were getting a lot of money from Russia.
Yes, money is a much more powerful motivator for Trump than shame (the fabled pee videos - which might not ever be mentioned in history books in Florida or Texas!).