The Time before Confrontation
Meduza had a piece yesterday sourced to “a source close to the Russian government and one of the sources close to the Kremlin” that claims Putin’s crowd was more interested in seeing Kamala Harris get elected, followed by another January 6, than seeing Trump win.
In the lead-up to the U.S. presidential election, the Kremlin’s political team hoped the results might spark protests reminiscent of the January 2021 riot at the Capitol, insiders told Meduza.
“Society there is even more polarized now, and back then, protests escalated to the point of storming the Capitol. Protests could have been a logical outcome of that polarization [after this election]. The main bet wasn’t so much on any particular candidate winning but on the losing side refusing to accept the results,” said a source close to Putin’s administration. Another Kremlin insider confirmed this account.
According to these sources, the Kremlin hoped such a crisis would force American authorities to focus on domestic issues rather than their standoff with Russia.
I’m not sure how much I buy this, but it’s a useful reminder that Russia would always prefer to have a weakened puppet than a strong one; Putin’s goal is to destroy the Western world order, not to install an unreliable puppet.
Last month, I had a similar thought about the likelihood of violence: Even if Harris had a 50% chance of winning, I still thought there was a 10% chance that political violence would disrupt the transfer of power.
This is the kind of timing I can’t get out of my head. According to FiveThirtyEight, Kamala Harris currently has a 53% chance of winning the electoral college. That’s bleak enough. But based on everything I know about January 6, I’d say that if Trump loses, there’s at least a 10% chance Trump’s fuckery in response will have a major impact on the transfer of power.
There was even a point on election day, when Stephen Miller and Charlie Kirk were imploring bros to get out to vote and Trump was tweeting out false claims of cheating in Philadelphia, where it seemed that Trump had started to kick off that second plan, stealing power again.
And then, instead, he won.
It took a bit of time before Putin publicly congratulated Trump, as if he were waiting to see if there would be political violence.
Viktor Orbán, though, is doing victory laps.
It has always been clear that Trump’s plan — or that of his more competent handlers — was Orbanism. It was right there, out in public, perhaps most symbolically in Orbán’s ties to Heritage and Project 2025 and CPAC’s Hungarian wing, but the implications of such ties were among the things that journalists and editors believed to be less important than Joe Biden’s stutter.
We know Trump’s more competent handlers will try to use zeno- and transphobia as a means to grab for more power. We know they will privilege and try to force Christianity, a mix of Evangelical and regressive Catholic doctrine. We know they’ll try to disempower universities and the press; tellingly, the GOP House has already had tremendous success in doing both with little discussion that that was what was going on. We know Trump will replace what Rule of Law the US has with a cronyism. We know they’ll turn the Deep State into the bogeyman they claim it was, a tool against America rather than one ostensibly used to protect it. We know oligarchs like Musk will begin eating away at the state.
What’s not clear is how they’ll implement it.
There was a moment, I guess, when the Kremlin, Trump, and I thought it might be political violence. Now it’s unclear what manufactured emergency will be used to push through authoritarian powers, though your best guess is an authoritarian crackdown in response to protests of an immediate turn to mass deportations. Notably, Johny McEntee is back in charge of personnel, and he used a willingness to invoke the Insurrection Act as a litmus test at the end of the last Trump Administration.
Rather than having immediate political violence with Joe Biden and governors calling out the National Guard, we have two months to understand what’s coming, figure out what tools and points of pressure we have, and try to undercut their most obvious plans.
This is one value, for example, of advance warning of things like a Special Counsel report on Trump’s crimes; it tells us that, rather than a symbolic firing on January 20, we’re going to get something that might feed media attention for a few hours before that, something that might even provide a focus for Democrats as they try to demonstrate Republican complicity with Trump. There are likely to be symbolic firings a few days down the line in any case, but those symbolic firings may serve as a way to make visible an assault on Civil Service protection. Sally Yates has been revered for years by people who are otherwise unfamiliar with her work because she took a stand against Trump’s first power grab, and it’s likely you don’t yet know the name of the person who will play that role this time. It won’t be adequate, but better to know to expect it than let it go to waste.
Had things gone differently on Tuesday, we would likely be in immediate crisis right now, as authorities tried to shut down political violence. Instead we have two months to assess what tools we have.
Thank you for this. I circled back to your immediately-previous post, because I’m trying to reconcile “don’t surrender in advance” with “don’t let Trump’s AG make decisions about how much of Jack Smith’s final report is released”.
Your observations in this post are clear, encouraging, and actionable. Again, thank you.
Right. I am virtually certain that both Smith and Garland would understand that the report must be released before Garland is gone. That’s part of the point of dissolving early, to make sure that gets out.
If Dems manage to eke out the House (unlikely) Dems could even hold a hearing between Jan 4 and Jan 20.
Jack Smith has likely already begun this task, and he has shown he can respond rapidly when needed. There is no reason to think that Garland would want to hold it up.
What I want to know is, why should anything be redacted at this stage of the game? To protect whom, exactly?
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I would not be surprised if SC Smith released two reports: a full one for Congress to bury and a redacted one for Garland to release now. It’s something he may have needed to do in the Hague.
IIRC, the Hur and Durham reports were released without Congress blessing the action, so if I am right about this sequence Garland should release the report now.
On other transition topics, I would be interested in whether the spooks will circle their wagons and release inconvenient reports to the press. I do suspect that CIA/NSA/DIA all are aware of how much Convict-1 is compromised and will tell him and his legion of idiots as little as possible. After all, they have to protect their sources and methods from Vlad.
I don’t have the faith that Garland would release anything. He simply won’t act. Again.
Your take on Merrick Garland seems…uninformed.
@Earl… I’m not uninformed and I hope he truly drops the hammer, but against what is now a strong headwind I think he will just stay quiet. Just my observations.
“I do suspect that CIA/NSA/DIA all are aware of how much Convict-1 is compromised and will tell him and his legion of idiots as little as possible.”
That is going to be awfully difficult to do once Kash Patel runs the CIA.
Patrick Carty
November 8, 2024 at 6:48 am
“He simply won’t act. Again.” tends to prove the contrary
There will be violence. We have all the ingredients: a vengeful man, surrounded by obedient sycophants, unchecked by the courts, and a mostly compliant press.
In the darkest part of my heart I wish those that brought this upon us would suffer the consequences of their vote, but I know the collateral damage will impact us all. It’s a terrible place to be.
The violence will be done by the administration against US residents, whether citizens or not.
The winners don’t need to use violence now, though I’d expect Trump’s call-and-response against certain of his enemies to motivate some people to violence. But most MAGAistes will be satisfied that their guy is in at the top.
Not so sure about that. Republicans starting 30 years ago but especially the last 8 years, haven’t shown much of an inclination to be satisfied with any victory, always pushing for more
Apologies if I’ve recounted this before, but back in 2020, I went as a proxy (for a USan who was too ill to travel) to protest GWB’s first inauguration. Despite the ubiquitous loop of TV footage of police taking down a guy (not a protester) who’d drunkenly hurled a glass bottle at marchers, narrowly missing a toddler, it was remarkably orderly, even convivial. I saw an obvious anti-Bush protester helping obvious (and obviously Texan) Bush supporters buy their Metro tickets, and laughing together about how bitterly cold it was. I was also jabbed in the back with a baton by Capitol Police on the steps of the Supreme Court – I’d been leaning on the rickety barricade and the officer was afraid it’d give and people would fall.
If protests are even permitted this coming January, I suspect that they’ll be more like what I experienced after attending a Tottenham/Everton match back in the early 80s: Everton improbably won, 3-0, and even in victory their supporters hurled rocks and bottles at us as we streamed dejectedly out of White Hart Lane. I hope I’m wrong, but fear I’m not.
I meant January 2001, not 2020. Glarg.
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That voters don’t recognize their own peril is one of the levels of unreality that we are dealing with. I don’t want to forecast a list of programs/spending that are going to be cut, or actions that will be taken, in part because it exposes the most vulnerable, but also because readers here are well-versed on the risks of republican control under Trump.
But the reason for my comment is to add to the idea that the consequences of their actions will make them rethink anything does not fit – at all – with the characteristics of this group. The bailout of Silicon Valley Bank being an easy recent example. The stochastic terrorism spike and increase in preventable deaths during the previous term (even excluding covid) are others. They are grasping, feckless, ungrateful externalizers.
Additionally, now that the political tables are overturned, there will likely be some initial targets – e.g. blue states vs. red states – for the most destructive promised actions. That is, it won’t be collateral damage, it will be intentional damage. There’s a part of me that advocates for a passive resistance mindset in response to this, or at least to minimize engagement and confrontation, even as we try to stay grounded in truth.
Marcy,
Recent AZ history under Sheriff Joe, was to set up road blocks in neighborhoods, people in cars had to produce documents or be arrested for driving, while being brown. Law suits proceeded, neighborhood road blocks ended and there’s a new sheriff in town. Trump’s EO, Muslim ban, was also challenged in courts. WAG, Trump 2.0 EO, addressing deportation without documentation will create “deportation” jurisdictional courts to streamline and avoid repeat of EO Muslim ban’s successful slowing and inhibition by the courts.
We had a different Supreme Court then.
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What are the hurdles to make the entire DOJ report about J6 public? Is this just in the hands of Garland? Like, just do it?
Along the same line of reasoning, I’ve been wondering if the best outcome from here would be a narrow trifecta for the GOP.
Let the US experience Trumpism without any ability to reasonably blame Biden or the Dems for the effects.
Importantly, this gives the US electorate a chance to reject Trumpism at the ballot box in ’26 hopefully while it is still possible to vote Republicans out.
ps Sen. Murkowski is in a very interesting position to be a spoiler IFF she is willing to do so
Do you honestly think there will be free and fair election in 2026?
I don’t know, which is why I used “hopefully.”
I think that even if Trump, with total GOP control, destroy everything, maga will trust Fox news over their own lying eyes. It will still be the fault of Democrats. There is no doubt blame will be shifted and believed.
I hope people integrate what the status of truth and character and the rule of law are at this point in American history.
I’d like to add for consideration the status of: conscience.
You do know that Murkowski broadcast her willingness to concede to Trump before the election. In Trump’s previous term, Murkowski sat at his right hand and confirmed all of his crooks and incompetents.
Murkowski isn’t going to save anyone but herself.
With the MAGAs blame does not need to be reasonable. They will soon be taking credit for the miraculous recovery of the economy.
I witnessed a possible trigger for manufacturing a crisis yesterday: stochastic provocation by MAGA followers. A jeep full of guys on the ragged outer edge of middle age, dressed in khaki militia ware and waving large MAGA flags drove through the Main St of a small town in SE Arizona renown for its liberal, artsy and LGBTQ friendly citizens. They seemed to enjoy taunting us locals as they drove through blasting air horns and shouting “we won” while some of us responded with raised middle fingers. This kind of boisterous provocation could easily escalate into a “crisis” that could be exploited by the incoming trump administration.
Find a black parent and have them give you the talk.
Yes, it’s always possible to fabricate charges, but don’t give them an excuse. And keep your phones handy, charged, and with plenty of free space for videos.
Bingo!
One tactic the Nazis used in the early days of consolidating power was to make excursions in force into “hostile” neighborhoods to beat people up. Look up the Köpenick Blood Week (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Köpenick%27s_week_of_bloodshed) and the response one young law student, Sebastian Haffner, saw among his classmates (https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2005/10/12/156233/-) from his book Defying Hitler, the best book I’ve read about the rise of Nazism from an observer on the ground.
All my notes on readings in Nazis, Fascism, and Tyranny are available at
https://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2024/07/notes-on-nazis-fascism-and-tyranny.html
Hey ! Thanks for the recommendation. As an avid (but slow lol) reader, having hacked my way through 5 of the many volumes of Will and Ariel Durant’s history books over the years a couple times and being into social history, recommendations like this are priceless especially if I can find a copy for $7 haha so this book sounds poignant. I am going to order. I’ve mentioned before am in the middle of the Upton Sinclair “Lanny Budd” series–book 8 of 10 and have managed to plow my way through a few others about this era. Am I ordering the right book: Defying Hitler: A Memoir By Sebastian Haffner? Excited –and nervous–to read!
The Lanny Budd series was part of my childhood reading. Good stuff. My grandparents knew Upton Sinclair and here are my notes to his book about his Guberatorial run in CA in 1934, some of which may still be relevant: https://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2015/08/i-candidate-for-governor-and-how-i-got.html
And here are my notes on his 1919 book on journalism, The Brass Check (customers at a bordello would pay their money up front and get a brass check to give to the woman of their choice): https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/11/15/271728/-
Just ordered Defying Hitler, kindle edition. Thanks! Seems like good preparation.
A possible bump in the road to fascism: Putin may fall soon and Orban, too, when gas prices soar in Hungary. The loss of the European front might change some minds. Slava, Ukraine!
I hope Europe will pick up the slack in Ukraine and keep up the pressure on Putin.
Thank you for the link to your blog. I noticed that the first entry is to Barbara Tuchman’s “A Distant Mirror”. This is my favorite and go-to book to try and understand this time with the understanding of the 14th century lives. We may be back there soon.
One of my biggest fears for this election was a nail biter 270EV Harris victory where the election was decided by a few thousand votes in PA, but the GOP won both houses of congress. I feared that the legitimate election would be overturned either by the MAGA Supreme Court similar to 2000 or by the GOP in congress tossing slates of electors or forcing a contested election to be decided in the House. This would have been the worst possible outcome where we would end up with a Trump presidency AND have the legitimacy of our electoral process forever compromised.
I fully believe the MAGA cult has the zeal to push the country to fascism and the rest of the servile GOP is willing to let them do it. I do not think this country is ready to grapple with that threat in 2024. I feared that the undermining of the legitimacy (or appeared legitimacy) of our elections would forever damage the ability for (small l) liberals to challenge the fascist threat.
I agree with what Marcy has been saying, the Democrats need to work on finding ways to break into the right wing propaganda bubble and force a confrontation with reality. Between now and the next election the Democrats need to re-evaluate their approach to interreacting with the traditional MSM as well as the Fox News ecosystem. I think the appearances of Pete Buttigieg and Harris on Fox can serve as a good starting place for a new approach to messaging.
Unrelated, Any thoughts on what is going to happen with Trumps sentencing in NYS at the end of the month? What happens if Merchan gives him 5 years in prison?
For starters, there will be an appeal of the verdict by Trump. Appealing a criminal conviction cannot begin until sentencing has been decided. It is highly unlikely he would be incarcerated during the appeal.
Re: “Any thoughts on what is going to happen with Trumps sentencing in NYS at the end of the month?”
New York Daily News UPDATED: November 6, 2024 at 10:30 PM EST SUBSCRIBER ONLY
“Fate of Trump’s sentencing in NYC hush money case unclear with election win, say legal experts”
“Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan may soon be tasked with making the unenviable decision of whether to punish incoming president Donald Trump for crimes 12 New Yorkers determined he committed in a scheme to hide hush money paid to Stormy Daniels and others from voters.
“Following Trump’s stunning election victory, it’s unclear what, if any, consequences he will face or if his sentencing will even happen on Nov. 26.
“Merchan hasn’t yet ruled on Trump’s request to reject the jury’s findings and throw out the case.
“Trump has argued that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling granting the president sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution barred the Manhattan district attorney’s office from presenting evidence relating to his time in office at his spring trial and should nullify the verdict.
“Should Merchan reject the argument in his decision expected by Nov. 12, Trump’s lawyers, who have already succeeded at getting the sentencing pushed back twice, will almost certainly challenge it from going forward.”
If you’ve read this site for very long, you would know that Trump’s lawyers often lie about precedent and frequently misstate or overstate the law. Sometimes, like John Roberts, they just make shit up.
That’s not to say Merchan will have an easy time navigating this case in the few weeks he’ll have before Trump resumes office, when further work on it will likely be put on hold, owing to the preemption doctrine aspect of the Supremacy Clause.
But the reasoning for any decision Merchan or Engoron does make is very important. Trump’s reasoning, apart from being a stellar contradiction in terms, is unreliable.
Yes, I know enough to not trust Trump’s lawyers and put more faith in Judge Merchan and Judge Engoron, if that’s what you mean.
The author of the NY Daily News article from which you quoted apparently does not.
I just don’t get what makes a NON-president — regardless of past or current situation — so untouchable.
Trump has committed crimes against the Constitution and the citizenry, has endangered National Security, and loudly proclaims his intentions to continue doing so. He is violating the Logan act as I write this.
Our Legislative and Judicial branches have failed to uphold the black-letter demands of the Constitution that forbid insurrectionists to hold public office. Pres. Biden still has a chance.
This citizen does not see that the “blow-back” from an Executive Finding that Trump is unfit to serve [legally! mentally! morally!] and ordering that he be detained as a national security risk [no less than Aldrich Ames or Julian Assange] until outstanding charges are resolved, would be any worse than the consequences of letting Project 2025 / “I am your vengeance!” proceed.
Pres Biden is reputedly determined to do the moral thing; I see nothing moral about folding one’s hands and telling Liberty to fall on its sword for the sake of…. ?
IMHO, kicking the can down the road and hoping for better times isn’t going to work this time.
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The NY Supreme Court had a lot of doubts about the severity of the punishment
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/26/politics/trump-454-million-civil-fraud-new-york-appeal/index.html
If Trump is sentenced to jail and the $454M fine, it is likely that the appeal will succeed.
Agreed.
In a way, this follows the model of the unholy alliance for power between Putin and the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Church promised Putin support for his invasion of Ukraine, and Putin promised to back the primacy of the ROC over the Ukrainian church. Non-ROC Christians in Russia have had to be much more circumspect, fearing that any attention given to them will result in crackdowns on leaders and the confiscation of their churches.
Trump & Co. pushing for this power-hungry rightwing vision of Christianity here makes voices from mainline Christians and moderate-liberal Catholics that much more important, as a pushback on this.
The “No true Scotsman” fallacy tries to separate Christianity into moderates and others. But isn’t the basis of a belief system what sustains the radicalization of a belief system, meaning Christian nationalists are progeny?
That’s a reasonable point. I would observe that we are only partially responsible for our *adult* progeny. Both as a belief system, and as actual parents.
The “no true Scotsman” fallacy is an argument in the field of logic, where someone attempts to redefine “Scotsman” to validate their own position and rule out anyone else’s. They look at a dataset and then set aside all the individual data points that would challenge their conclusion, and behold: “I am right!” That’s not what I’m talking about here.
The divisions within the Christian church through the centuries are all efforts to come to grips with what it means to be a follower of Christ. Some have chosen a path that is filled with hierarchical power plays, nationalism, racism, sexism, and heterosexism, while others try to choose a path that argues against those things.
To the extent that TrumpCo will use religion in general and their vision of Christianity in particular to motivate their followers and thus propel certain policies as “the Christian thing to do,” other Christians cannot let this go unchallenged.
I’m not sure why, but whenever this topic comes up,
I think of the phrase from Sermon on the Mount:
“By their fruits will you know them.”
Mainline Christiens had plenty of opportunity this year to speak up; I’m not hopeful for the future.
Maybe we all need to start congregations and preach peace and love.
Replying to Bruce Olsen
In some ways, it’s like Republicans over the last year. Some stepped up and spoke out (Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, etc.) and many others did not (Dubya is at the top of that list for me). For ordinary Republican voters, hearing Liz, Adam, et al. speak up made them think, and led them away from supporting Trump; for many others, it did not.
He wasn’t “grabbing them by the pussy”, he was “laying on of hands.” Women should be grateful he chose them.
I have utter contempt for MAGA Christians.
The one thing I found effective in sneaking a little logic past the MAGA-cult-firewall-mantra of some relatives was by modeling “The Billionaires” as vampires continually draining the life-blood of their family economies. Bit by bit I’m trying to construct a new “OTHER” to point their grievance/anger at, in the form of an UNHOLY ALLIANCE of the billionaires (best exemplified by the remaining Koch Brother and NextGen-Thiel), the global autocrats(best exemplified by autocrat-wannabe Trump, Putin, and Orban), and “The Spanish Inquisition”(theocracy best exemplified by Opus Dei uber-operative Leonard Leo). Without that religious part of the alliance it’s impossible to logically explain why the Supreme Court is now deliberately doing them harm, as in Dobbs. Gareth Gore’s book “OPUS” is very helpful in its portrait of an obsessively ambitious Spanish priest from a privileged family fallen on hard times who created a doctrine of “the ends justify the means” on his way to a self promoted sainthood.
I remember back in the Occupy Wall Street days that Charlie Pierce praised the protesters for at least yelling at the right buildings. I think your approach has a bit of that (trying to point the blame for What is Wrong) at the right people, rather than the “Others” that MAGA uses to keep us at each other’s throats.
“What’s not clear is how they’ll implement it.”
Through legislation, lawfare and executive order. They have control of the executive, legislature and the judiciary. Violence is unlikely to be required.
Marcy’s obvious point was that without violence in the streets, in the manner of Trump’s Jan. 6th lovefest, Trump and Congress need a pretext – such as Hitler’s Reichstag fire – for such “legislation, lawfare and executive order.” Congress all the more so, because its members will face the electorate again in 2026, whereas Trump is unlikely to do so ever.
I’m not sure they need any pretext – Trump will just claim a mandate for any legislation he wants to pass. Republican legislators will be primaried as RINOs if they stand up to Trump, so they will all fall in line. By the time 2026 comes along, free and fair elections will be but a memory. Even if Dems win the House, Trump will just ignore Congressional subpoenas, even moreso than he did in his first term.
As limited by the bondholders. If you are a debtor, your creditors limit what you can do.
For example, trump will be restricted in what he can do with tariffs because the bondholders and bond buyers will scream immediately.
He can do immense damage in the interval, but he cannot just impose 100 or 200% tariffs.
i also think that the bondholders will react negatively to a mass roundup of immigrants.
How much effect have the bondholders had so far?
Not much since the economy has done so well. But there were a couple of auctions where the banks had a little trouble unloading, so that’s a warning.
Remember, the creditor is China. China has its own fiscal difficulties and (I surmise) its own reasons for not wanting to roil the US Treasury, but if trump is stupid enough to start a full-scale trade war (he is), he will quickly discover that he is fighting unarmed.
Mass deportations, I think, will also cause a creditor revolt.
Mass deportations are a win-win for the Cruelty-Is-Us cadre Trump surrounds himself with.
They would remove millions of hard working people who would otherwise be paying, local, state, and federal income taxes, Social Security and Medicare, while having virtually no chance of benefiting from it.
When you want to destroy government, attack its sources of revenue. It was how Karl Rove attacked Southern Democrats, through fake tort reform, which served as cover for its primary purpose: to drastically reduce the income of liberal trial lawyers, who subsidized them.
He hasn’t proposed tariffs of that magnitude, dude. 60% on certain Chinese imports, 20% on everything else from everywhere. That’s certainly sufficient to wreck the economy, and bondholders won’t have jack shit to say about it. Especially if he simultaneously tries to destroy the Federal Reserve.
Actually, he has.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-suggests-tariffs-higher-than-200-vehicles-mexico-2024-10-13/
Ha ha. How often has Donald Trump been restrained by the concerns or demands of creditors? He usually borrows so much, he owns them, rather than the other way round.
Well, he did give up his casinos, so there’s that. And he failed to get his boyish dream of an NFL team because nobody would become a creditor on that.
trump has been fortunate that there are plenty of stupid bankers but he has failed dozens of times to find such a one when he wanted. Otherwise, there’d be a trump tower in Moscow.
Harry Eagar
November 7, 2024 at 9:29 pm
“ Well, he did give up his casinos, so there’s that. And he failed to get his boyish dream of an NFL team because nobody would become a creditor on that.”
He lost interest in casinos when he found the Apprentice. He was denied an NFL team because most of the owners knew he was fake.
If they get rid of the filibuster (why wouldn’t they?) there will be nothing to stand in their way.
Exactly. Theoretically, there’s still the Constitution and federalism, but with this SCOTUS that is a fig leaf.
Why would they?
Tax cuts are budget and therefor immune to filibuster.
Anything where Congress does not act gives the President a stronger case for executive orders.
Filibuster provides excuse to not pass popular legislation that donors do not want (and also preserves the issue for campaign promises in next election).
McConnell has said the filibuster will remain.
How much of an autocracy will stretch but not break the Constitution?
Trump wants money; wants to punish opponents; aims to deport 10 to 20 million people; and, he hopes for enforced adulation and, big parades. (Not much talk yet about the military!) Trump also is a sadist.
Around him are people who want the erasure of the New Deal and the elimination of the influence of liberalism and large segments of the professional, educated middle and upper classes.
Alexander Dugin gave his thumbs up on Xitter. There’s a lot of Carl Schmitt rolling around.
The false flag will be something like that fake video of brown people rushing the border fence, or “they’re eating the dawgs”.
Once people realise, there will be exodus, brain drain…
When the roundups start, there will likely be skirmishes. Remember people have been programmed to think the 2A is to defend against government tyranny.
Then Trump will revoke the 2A (he already has grounds, with the 2 assassination attempts – 3 including Michael Sandford in 2016).
His follower and cult members are the 2A backers and absolutists.
There are no grounds for revoking the constitution. None.
Marc Elias has been a rock star in challenging and winning all the crazy election law challenges put forward by TrumpCo. In the days and weeks and months ahead, we’re going to need a host of Marc Eliases, defending different aspects of our system of government.
Want to tear down environmental protections? We’re going to need a lawyer who knows environmental law as well as Marc knows election law.
Want to tear down safety laws and regulations that provide workplace protections? Going to need a lawyer who know OSHA and labor law as well as Marc knows election law.
Want to greenlight monopolistic corporate mergers? Going to need a business lawyer who knows M&A law as well as Marc knows election law.
Lather, rinse, and especially repeat. Note, please, that Marc’s been fighting the election law battles against Trump for over five years and he’s still at it.
This is not a sprint, or even a marathon. This is more like the ironman triathalon, with huge distances and different skills needed for the different legs of the race.
Agree strongly with all of the above.
I had long thought that federal civil service rules and regulations were pretty iron clad, but apparently not.
https://www.fedmanager.com/news/opm-issues-guidance-on-implementing-civil-service-protections
“OPM issued regulations to bolster civil service protections in April and to guard against a return of Schedule F, the Trump-era executive order that aimed to reclassify large swathes of the civil service as at-will employees, therefore making it easier for them to be fired.
However, efforts to codify civil service protections have not advanced in Congress, meaning that former President Trump or another president could reinstate Schedule F and walk back the OPM regulations.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_civil_service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Service_Reform_Act_of_1978
https://guides.loc.gov/federal-civil-service-employment-law
I admire your spirit but the legions of attorneys on the other side dedicated to destroying all those things you’ve listed to protect have been winning for quite some time now.
Trump’s handpicked legion of election attorneys haven’t been winning at all.
While private industry has good lawyers, lawsuits against the US government will be defended by DOJ lawyers and I would expect that Trump will personally select as many as possible with loyalty, not competence, as the primary criteria. Further, and more to the point, he will order them to argue as he wishes – a strategy that doomed many of his cases.
“Want to tear down environmental protections? …”
Have your Supreme Court judges (he has the best judges) end precedent and let federal judges (again the best and smartest judges) decide what the administrative policy should be.
I hear you, though. It’s not over and we’re in for a long, tough slog. Cue Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows”
From hours later…
“The fight continues”
“I was in New York City on election night in 2016. It was awful. As the general counsel to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, my job was to monitor and respond to legal issues that might arise on Election Day or afterwards…
“Except this time, it was different. There was no mystery about what kind of president Trump would be. There was no question that he wanted to use the government to exact revenge against his enemies and enrich his friends. He had made his racist, authoritarian preferences more explicit and more well organized.
Most chilling, it was clear he was going to win not just the Electoral College, but the popular vote as well.
At 4 p.m. Wednesday, I turned on the television for the first time all day. I had been avoiding political coverage, but I wanted to see Kamala Harris offer her concession speech. She sounded a lot like Hillary, but more resolute and more specific:
‘We will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld.’…
“A few sentences later, I felt her speaking to me directly, just as Hillary had eight years earlier:
‘We will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public square.’…
“We will fight. And when we fight we win.”
https://www.democracydocket.com/opinion/the-fight-continues/
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Will no one notice the deafening silence about Democrats cheating in elections? MTG says something that is a logical fallacy, about election deniers?
“It doesn’t look like anything to me.” – Westworld
So it’s not possible there was cheating by the R in this election?
“It doesn’t look like anything to me.” – Westworld
They know it wasn’t the Dems cheating, not in the last 50 years.
If that’s what you’re suggesting, it flies like a ton of lead ingots.
Exactly. We’ve all been programmed to swallow the GOP bilge water the entire time, though: the ‘Pugs accuse, then the Dems apologize for whatever they’re accused of. It’s goddamned Pavlovian.
Q; How did you glean from that I was suggesting Dems cheat? I am referring to the sudden thundering silence from the fascist party about election cheating.
This is why he won now. This is why Hilary lost then. It was well known in the Obama admin there was likely to be violence, Trump was already laying the groundwork for that. Maybe that’s why Bannon took over in August 2016. They didn’t count on Manafort being so desperate to pay back Deripaska though.
That, as much as I hate to say it, was likely the best outcome then though. Not sure it is now. But it keeps democracy “alive” for at least a bit longer. Hopefully the IC and the military brass have/are working on a plan.
How is this the best outcome?
There was violence on J6 and we managed to pull through even with Trump in charge.
With Biden in charge and plans laid ahead of time to handle any violence wouldn’t have gotten as far as j6 if it happened at all.
Well I said I’m not sure it is. I partially agree with you that Biden’s had time to plan for this, so that a J6 style event might be mitigated. But let’s say there was a violence plan in place by the Kremlin. We don’t know how far reaching it was, we don’t know who might’ve been helping inside government, who the players were, etc. It’s possible, given what sounds like a bit of surprise from the Kremlin, that since that didn’t materialize, the IC may have gleaned some insight into how it was supposed to go down. Which means they’ll be better prepared in 2 months.
If KH had won there was a 10% there would have been violence.
So it’s better that she lost and now there 100% chance the US will become a fascist state.
Your poor math is the least suspect thing about your sarcasm.
Not being sarcastic why is it better she lost?
You’re the one who said it was better that she lost (and guaranteed fascism under Trump) than to have her win and risk a 10% chance of violence.
I was quoting from above just questioning the logic of it
Punctuation is your friend. Use it occasionally.
Marcy:
We MUST use this time well.
For what, exactly? Other than disputing crowd size, I can’t imagine.
I did respond just a bit ago. I was doing laundry and so wasn’t checking on this site. I went back up to see your response but didn’t find it. Sorry. I am not at my best.
I did a basic TL at the linked piece where Marcy writes above:
It was right there, out in public, perhaps most symbolically in Orbán’s ties to Heritage and Project 2025 and CPAC’s Hungarian wing
That rudimentary TL might come in handy now.
https://www.emptywheel.net/2024/07/12/transitive-transatlantic-authoritarianism-heritage-orban-trump/#comment-1060342
harpie:
When GW Bush’s staff took over, they found that Clinton’s staff had mischievously removed the “W” from typewriters. I hope that Biden’s staff and his Administration will use the interregnum as an opportunity to take more meaningful acts to harden democracy’s infrastructure against the barbarians at the gate. Will Biden and Garland meet the moment or revert to meaningless bromides about tradition, bipartisanship, and integrity of the institution?
Trump will look for the earliest possible excuse to use the military to tamp down a protest. He (or, his minions) will want that show of force to show that demonstrations against him will not be tolerated. Maybe look at rules regarding the military’s use in domestic order.
A counter to the Bush-Clinton typewriter story:
The White House vandal scandal that wasn’t
How the incoming Bush team nudge-nudged a credulous press corps into swallowing a trashy Clinton story.
https://www.salon.com/2001/05/23/vandals/
Did they? Because the only people who claimed that were all in the Bush43 administration.
My wife will kill me if I get hit in the head with a brick at a protest.
Not if they’re standing next to you when you do. :-)
If you haven’t already seen it, I implore you to seek out the clip of the idiot protester from the British riots who is taunting the police with violence, only to get hit by a badly aimed brick from his own friends. I won’t say what happens next lest I spoil the surprise if you haven’t seen it.
The only source I can find rn is Musk’s hellsite so I don’t wish to include a link, I’m afraid.
A strained literalness is the hobgoblin of…, especially when it misses the snark tag.
What are the chances they can federalize an abortion ban after all the states that have voted on this (-FL by 3%) voted for protections? Is the “states rights” concept going to hold? Or will they have it both ways?
What do we think are the most pressing/likely immediate things they can do? I note the stock in prison companies has gone up after the election. Will they just build camps with tents and barbed wire? The cost of this is tremendous. Billions and billions. Will they just starve people like is happening in Gaza?
I admit I have not focused on P2025 enough.
A ban would be litigated, for sure, but I’ve seen nothing claiming that the Supremacy Clause of Article V! wouldn’t hold.
That’s assuming that the state courts would accept it, instead of using the Ninth and Tenth amendments, citing Federalism concerns. Unlikely, but who knows what the California Supreme Court could come up with, in a pinch?
I wonder what our NATO allies can/will do to protect themselves from the new US,
and if the Biden Administration can/will work with them on that.
Intelligence sharing surely will take a hit. Would you share state secrets knowing they could end up being used as toilet paper in a tacky Florida country club?
They are on their own now and fully aware of this. The main problem they face (and have faced since 2022) is the reluctance of the US to do more than just achieve a stalemate.
The best outcome for NATO will be Trump’s indifference coupled with US military continued engagement, if only on the sidelines.
Good piece!
Yes, once Smith writes both of his reports for Garland, one for the Florida Docs case and one for the J-6 Insurrection case, Garland should release both in their entirety,
Garland should not hold anything back. Release everything about everyone who was investigated, interviewed or interrogated.
Trump will pardon everyone associated with his Federal cases, so there is no reason to withhold information for use in future Federal trials of Trump associates. Get it all out and on the public record now.
As for Viktor Orbán, it has been well publicized for several years his relationships with Semion Mogilevich and Vladimir Putin.
Mogilevich was once on the FBI’s ten most wanted lists and his attorney of record was former FBI Director William Sessions, father of Congressman Pete Sessions.
The FBI has plenty of information on the Mogilevich Mafia crime syndicate in the US and abroad. Biden should declassify all that information as well before he leaves office.
In fact, Biden should release everything that pertains to Trump, Putin, Mogilevich, MBS, Netanyahu, Xi, Kim Jong Un, the JFK and RFK assassination, Bay of Pigs/CIA and US Mafia connection notes/docs, and all Jeffrey Epstein information before leaving office.
Once in office, Trump will have all this information destroyed, if he hadn’t already done so prior to leaving office in January 2021.
Good piece!
Yes, once Smith writes both of his reports for Garland, one for the Florida Docs case and one for the J-6 Insurrection case, Garland should release both in their entirety,
Garland should not hold anything back. Release everything about everyone who was investigated, interviewed or interrogated.
Trump will pardon everyone associated with his Federal cases, so there is no reason to withhold information for use in future Federal trials of Trump associates. Get it all out and on the public record now.
As for Viktor Orbán, it has been well publicized for several years his relationships with Semion Mogilevich and Vladimir Putin.
Mogilevich was once on the FBI’s ten most wanted lists and his attorney of record was former FBI Director William Sessions, father of Congressman Pete Sessions.
The FBI has plenty of information on the Mogilevich Mafia crime syndicate in the US and abroad. Biden should declassify all that information as well before he leaves office.
In fact, Biden should release everything that pertains to Trump, Putin, Mogilevich, MBS, Netanyahu, Xi, Kim Jong Un, the JFK and RFK assassination, Bay of Pigs/CIA and US Mafia connection notes/docs, and all Jeffrey Epstein information before leaving office.
Once in office, Trump will have all this information destroyed.
We’re caught in the Banana Republic’s cycle of electing reactionary leaders who ignore the poor and centrist leaders that will tax the middle class to help the poor-’cause god knows we cannot tax the rich. Every election will be about throwing the bums out instead of getting good policy.
Chris Hayes reminded us that the convicted felon will back down if the resistance is is strong enough. So mass resistance and opposition in the future will be very important.
I think Chris is wrong on that point. Serious resistance will lead to invocation of the Insurrection Act.
I wonder if other types of resistance could be deployed, a whisper campaign of rolling boycotts for example.
I spoke this morning with both of the Ukrainians with whom I have weekly conversations as part of the engin program that facilitates their practicing speaking English. One of them lives 40 km from the front line and is considering moving his family again, the other has had to interrupt our conversation in the past as he headed to the basement during a missile warning alarm or postponed the conversation due to electrical supply outages. Orban’s and Trump’s affinity was part of the conversation. I sincerely hope Biden has enough concern for his legacy to push shipments of every spare piece of military hardware he can out to Ukraine and to Trump proof as much as possible any funding sources before he leaves office. Fearing the implementation of a fascist regime is all the more real when you have regular talks with people being actively attacked by one. We’ll see if the temperature of the water in the pot ever gets high enough fast enough for the US frog to jump out. Ukrainians already know they don’t want to go back.
Reuter’s article regarding billions in aid to Ukraine:
“Biden rushing assistance to Ukraine, with aid uncertain under Trump”
https://www.reuters.com/world/white-house-plans-rush-military-aid-ukraine-by-inauguration-day-politico-reports-2024-11-06/
I’m pleased to see he’s finally taken my advice for once ;-)
Speaking of Orbanism, I worry they will structurally insulate themselves from accountability to voters, and establish single-party rule, just like Orban has. For example, if Republicans take the House, what’s to stop Trump from ordering them to repeal the Electoral Count Act and re-writing it to enshrine into law the powers to toss inconvenient electoral votes that Trump falsely claimed Pence had in 2020? And then Trump can manipulate the ’28 RNC nomination process, even eliminate primaries, and effectively choose his successor.
Can we really trust enough Republicans to block such an effort? Can we trust the Supreme Court to reverse it as an unconstitutional power grab?
The Electoral Count Act is only to streamline the count. Any changes they make can be dealt with in a newly elected joint congressional session, when they determine the rules for that joint session.
In a sane normal world sure. But in a ruthless Orban-like world, can’t Republicans use Article I Section 4 and/or House/Senate rules to create hoops that effectively make it impossible for new members of the opposing party to win enough elections and get seated to form a majority?
No. They’ll over extend and the electorate will create a blue wave bloodbath. Usually because the economy is in tatters like it was in 2008. One reason why Obama had an easier time in his first election. As well as FDR in 1932, and his was so long lasting, Republicans didn’t get back the crown jewel for 20 years and they had to convince Eisenhower to run on their ticket.
A while back, I drew criticism in these comments by saying Joe Biden wasn’t a great public speaker. I stand by that, to an extent.
But I’ve just watched his speech, he’s only just finished, and seriously I’m choking back the tears. Of course he emphasised all the obvious points about a peaceful transition of power, and he spoke of keeping the faith in democracy – that was a given, although of course we didn’t have that four years ago.
What struck me, though, was his genuinely sincere praise for election workers, many of them volunteers, and his words on the integrity of the election. That needed saying, and I’m sure thousands of people are grateful.
He’s used the line before, but “you can’t just love your country when you’re winning” is so powerful. And he’s absolutely correct.
Obama probably raised the bar for our expectations of a Presidential speech, he’s a truly gifted orator. But this afternoon, in the Rose Garden, President Biden gave him a run for his money.
“Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable.” Damn right, sir.
So if there are issues with votes not being counted ie the overseas votes nothing should be said about it?
A better question: What does the overseas vote count have to do with Biden’s public speaking skills and sincerity?
You didnt read the entire post Biden praised election integrity and said you cant just love your country when you are winning.
@ Lulu1964
I did read your one-sentence post and the post it was replying to. I also read Marcy’s entire piece and most of the other comments.
Your post is off topic because there’s no mention of “problems with the overseas vote count” anywhere. On EW, such extraordinary claims should always be backed up by a link to a reputable news source. A quick search of the news this AM reveals zero stories.
My God, the doom & gloom. I will relate a story of during the reagone years, environmental laws were put in place in Europe. One of which If memory serves me was something in refrigerators, et al. Europe wouldn’t buy things that didn’t fit their environmental regulations. Oh the stink thrown up by the manufacturers here but in order to make money they ended up complying. I relay this to explain this isn’t over on a worldwide basis. Musk overextended, can take his money and shove it! There is such a thing called boycott!
Earlier in a post here when the Pelosi woman bomb decided to hinder a current president before Joe was con vinced. Before myself included WE all got mind fucked in the wash, I said “We’ve been down this fucking road before,” I.E. Hillary. Leave Joe alone before I myself included after Joe stepped down & I, WE got swept into the psychological wipe out that this is, I.E. the MSM won. My point is “We’ve been down this road before.” WE will survive. I myself have more resolve. There’s a whole world watching. Be like Joe, with respect, with perspective.
^^ privilege ^^
Example: persons married in Michigan in the last 10 years since the Obergefell v. Hodges decision allowed same-sex marriage are now concerned their marriages will be invalidated should a case come before Trump’s fascistic Roberts SCOTUS providing them an opportunity to overturn Obergefell. Michigan’s then-GOP trifecta passed a ban on same-sex marriage in 2004; that law is still on the books. There’s no chance at this point in time the state’s legislature could muster a super majority to overturn the ban.
Justice Thomas already wrote in Dobbs that this SCOTUS was coming for Obergefell as well as Loving v. Virginia, Griswold v. Connecticut.
Don’t get me started on what’s happening to trans persons.
As for boycotting Musk’s X — get a grip. What Musk paid for Twitter is chump change. He isn’t missing the income he lost from ad revenues or account departures because in exchange he won control of Trump’s account and access to the next White House.
This is exactly why groups in California moved Amendment 3 forward, without being able to say this is why they moved Amendment 3 forward. Fortunately, it passed despite the red wave wrecking havoc with propositions in an otherwise “uber-liberal” state and got one of the most egregious “revenge propositions” in the history of the state approved….
And yet for some incredibly fucking stupid reason Californians didn’t pass a law banning slavery.
Sure hope this next Trump admin doesn’t figure out how to play that failure.
ADDER: for non-Californians, see Proposition 6.
““We’ve been down this road before.” WE will survive. I myself have more resolve.”
At this rate there will be Americans who will die because of changes Trump’s advocated — like mass deportations — before Trump even takes office, because his MAGA henchmen are eager and willing to comply in advance. There were Americans detained and nearly deported under the first Trump administration.
There are women who have not survived the fallout of Trump’s last term in office thanks to his SCOTUS nominees and Dobbs.
YOU may survive. But do not try to lull others into a sense of normalcy and complaisancy.
This.
I have not heard about this. Was this in a red county? I don’t have Mastodon. Thx.
The poster didn’t indicate what county, and I doubt they’d share it out of security concerns for their friend.
Doesn’t matter if red county in blue state or blue county in red state. This was just some asshole in a doctor’s office who felt entitled to demand some innocent bystander cough up citizenship papers. IIRC under Trump’s last term at least two veterans — one black, one Hispanic — were detained because they couldn’t offer proof of citizenship. The Hispanic person was detained in Michigan.
p.s. you don’t need a Mastodon account to browse Mastodon. You just need to know how to navigate instances (that post was on https://sfba.social, for example).
You’re missing what I’m explaining here. We’ve all known Nancy Pelosi has been in the senile turnstile for at least 10 years if not longer. Joe should have been left alone. IMO at worst we would have at least maybe lost Joe but retained the congress which is still being decided. It used to be Democrats would have a big majority in the House. Joe wasn’t that bad. It is what it is but I imagine 20 million voters deciding to not vote in a historical percentage comparison of is a new historical abnormality of voting records.
Privilege. That’s funny. I’m a low income senior. Been low income my entire life. Did you ever hear of the bigger they are, the harder they fall? Musk can be taken down with boycotts of. You’re missing the great flaw of oligarchy, time in a day.
I’m sad to say, your comments are missing a lot more than that.
I’m not missing dick-all here.
“I relay this to explain this isn’t over on a worldwide basis.”
Apparently you missed how Musk worked out his situation in Brazil. It was a minor inconvenience to him because he doesn’t need the money. He personally earns 14-18 billion a year, and given how much wealth he’s already amassed, he could simply invest cash in the market, do nothing, and still be rich enough to buy small countries.
But sure, you go ahead with your pathetic boycotting. The rest of us are going to have to come up with real restraints on oligarchic power in spite of a presidency purchased by oligarchs.
You don’t have to be wealthy to be privileged. You just have to think that what’s about to happen is like the Reagan years when the Reagan administration could be constrained by the law. Or do you not remember the Iran-Contra scandal and the 11 people indicted for their roles?
Now there is little to no restraint on the presidency thanks to Trump’s Roberts SCOTUS which has granted him near-monarchic status. Why would a Trump DOJ even bother with charging offenses to those who followed the orders of a president with nearly unlimited immunity, who would dispense pardons as soon as possible? I wouldn’t be surprised if this fucking corrupt iteration of SCOTUS doesn’t rationalize letters of marque and reprisal against US citizens on US soil.
You just have to think we’re are dooming-and-glooming when we have reasonable concerns for the vulnerable like undocumented persons and persons of color who will surely be mistaken for undocumented persons, given not the goddamned Reagan years but Trump’s first term when he ensured undocumented asylum seekers’ families were ripped apart, children put in cages.
Jesus. I can’t believe I have to explain this shit. But apparently the internalized oppression of white supremacy makes you think everything will be just fine because YOU are just fine, YOU survived Reagan.
So did I and I have not forgotten how much damage that administration caused without benefit of a corrupt SCOTUS and a compromised GOP congressional caucus.
ADDER – Rayne
November 7, 2024 at 6:53 pm
“But mah boycott!”
Synergies: “We’ve all known Nancy Pelosi has been in the senile turnstile for at least 10 years if not longer.” Don’t tell us what we all know. It is your assumption that you are a mind reader.
Rayne says:
November 7, 2024 at 2:34 pm
I voted for that, and rent control, and local affordable housing, and against revenge…
Reply to P J Evans
November 7, 2024 at 7:04 pm
I worry about your neighbors, though. Yeesh.
I came out in 1972. I watched friends die of AIDS. In all the hatred I’ve seen, I can honestly claim to have just a glimpse of what prejudice is to people of color. Enough to when our eyes meet, whether they notice my remaining long hair or in Gay areas, there is a glimpse of understanding.
I’m pissed that Biden was forced out IMO. I went with the hopeful flow. I’m venting now. You think I don’t understand where this corrupt SCOTUS & oligarchy is and how WE need to organize in a steadfast tenor? My hope is the world will respond in support. I have more resolve now.
Note to Rip van Winkle. I remember Ronald Reagan. Donald Trump, sir, is no Ronald Reagan. Neither is the wholly-owned subsidiary he calls the Republican Party anything like Ronald Reagan’s Republican Party.
Reagan did considerable damage to American society and the rule of law. But he’ll be ranked with Moses compared to Donald Trump.
Oh please. Reagone during his campaign to unseat Carter, paying the Iranians to hold the hostages with helicopters known to fail in sand sent in by General Westmoreland who wasn’t happy he lost Viet Nam for the rescue of which in turn gave Iran POWER starting the ENTIRE middle east being turned into terrorists, TO THIS DAY. Iran got their start to middle east dominance through reagone. I remember sir.
As I said, Ronald Reagan’s malfeasance won’t hold a candle to Donald Trump’s.
He wasn’t the worst president we’ve had, and I hated him as governor also.
You, however, are not making whateve-the-fck point you’re trying for.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Westmoreland
“Westmoreland’s tenure as Chief of Staff ended on 30 June 1972. He was offered the position of Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, but opted to retire on 30 June 1972.”
No mention of Westmoreland, who was retired, in this article on the 1980 rescue mission:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Eagle_Claw
The above post reads like something assembled by AI or a bot.
@omphaloscepsis
Thank You. We hippies didn’t have the internet back then & the version I relate was what we were told in those times including some news sources. So reading wiki, it was commanded by Maj. Gen. James B. Vaught. The wiki quotes “sandstorm.” I don’t expect wiki to relay not made for the sand theory but does mention a huge dust storm among other helicopter problems.
What’s missing in the wiki the article is the beginning of mass media manipulation: One of the ayatollahs approached one of the news organizations allowed to film then to TV carrying a satchel by his side, he reached in and took out a long bone and shook it at the camera saying “it was of one of the service mens bodies and that would be the fate of anyone who tried another rescue.”
What to understand is Jimmy was 10% ahead. reagone & the republicans were all over the news “we’re going to get those Iranians!” Et al. The general public went into a raqe. The bone being shook at the TV viewers was all over the news for days. The beginning of mass media manipulation. reagone won in a landslide. The hostages were conveniently released Jan 20, 1981, minutes after reagone took office. See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Contra_affair.
I lived it. You can do the research. Amazing the beginning of mass media manipulation is missing in wiki. Who knew?
@synergies
I am not usually one to police style or tone, but prefer to focus on the substance of argument. I also recognise this period is difficult, bewildering and frightening — meaning that everyone has their own way of processing recent events and finding ways to express their thoughts and feelings, and tolerance kindness and thoughtfulness are as important now as ever, to carry forward pro-democracy ideals and organisations, to avoid becoming a bickering rabble.
But I must say that the incoherent blethering in this comment is just fatuous nonsense. Why you should choose not to state your propositions plainly is beyond me, unless it was to pompously condescend to your audience.
Clearly “we’ve been down this road before” is a seriously inadequate appraisal of the situation.
And I for one deeply resent and am offended by everything about your comment: style, tone, choices of metaphor, analogy, argument and substance.
I realize you’ve always thought Hillary explained she knew who Trump was and thoroughly explained how grotesque he is in her campaign to people in other states who weren’t aware of and didn’t spend more time bad mouthing fellow Democrats. I remember.
Thank You. I accept the compliments. I could go to work in the MSM. I’m not mind controlled.
What is the point? I don’t mean just that last reply, nor even the sequence of comments in this sub-thread. But the general purpose of your contributions. What is the point?
2 correctifications to what I said:
1- I think I am mischaracterizing Synergies as an elder woman, a clue in comments above reminds me I think I have seen Synergies relating stories of how things were at the start of the 60s gay right movement and making think Synergies is probably a man. All my takes.
2- I am saying above when I am talking about how rich folks and their sticky money don’t have a future going on wacky world manipulation adventures; that the non-sustainability of non-econmically productive activities are not going to allow Elon to get his way in the economic-ecology that we live in globally. He and other’s like him are not going to be pull many more shenanigans before their tower of shit and holes collapses on them, and that blocking of hijinks will happen due both to non-support from their backers and stockholders and those they are trying to pull one over on.Xitter is a total liability for the web of moneyball they are playing. They showed way too many or all their hands…while overplaying them.
Generally love your comment, SteveBev, but you are quite off, as are EoH and Rayne.
Yes, Synergies is always a little breezy, fairly loose and totally understandabe to anyone who has a good history with elder women in the US.
We have been down this road before and it is not any worse than Reagan years, these Trump years. Yeah, Maga is gonna try all kinda shitfuckery and Elon is a rich bratbitch, they are no worse than crap was in the 1980’s here in America.
I grew up in the 80s here and had to fight at least yearly some kind of deadly proposition that roamed free in the lives of others and the streets that was directly the fault of Reagan and on down Republicans and their voters.
Absolutely thrilled to be raising kids now rather than the 80s.
People and society have learned many more lessons in all kinds of niche and general ways. Our fellow man is more open to brotherhood, even if they vote Maga.
Maga is weak sauce, weak dish and weak finish. They don’t have it in them to change the world, just diddle the controls.
We have been down this road before and we are not going to let it go anywhere as smooth and the electorate and most of who they voted for don’t have any real guts to get anything done in any sustained manner.
Yes lots too many people are going to die, be detained, pay crazy legal bills and have life crushing stress placed upon them.
Just like the 80s, 90s and 00-now. The typical urban criminal class and their milleu that made them and the justice system that mismanaged them at socitey’s behest has been morphing and rethought and now we have a new target of underclass in crosshairs. Been down this road before indeed. And US society has evolved and matured and progressed and has lots of very healthy lacunae that ‘will not be going back’.
The global economy has to function and America’s political influence is waning world wide; rich people with sticky money are not going to keep plowing fwd with wacky, non-economic ecologically sustainable schemes, especially out in the daylight.
Maga is way easier to shout down than the the trash thugs of the 80s, rednecks of the 90s, and lazy chauvinist revenants, tea baggers and h8r libertarians of the last 2 decades.
I will take the decompensating Maga over anything we have seen in my life time; street level, MSM or institutional. They are naked on podiums, they are fully aware that all of their concepts and goals and standards are pure shit and easily tossed and seen thru.They continue to hold that in the only place that hasnt been saturated with or having fairly easy access to info that crushes them: their heads. They are naked and reviled in public and can only survive in a group in private and don’t trust each other. They just don’t want to face any truth except on their own lazy terms.
Flat earthers exemplify this, they know they are totally wrong and are just engaging in a game at how good they can ignore the mostly hole based structure to the world they conceive. Maga is just a lazier version, it doesnt hold shit. It wont keep good cheap china cars out of Brasil, it wont quench freedom her in the US and won’t win shit for friendship and cooperation abroad.
Speaking of holes,like me and you, EoH and Rayne also need to remind themselves their comments are often having holes, big holes and that is fine, even EW does it, we must be human huh.
We actually have bigger problems in this country than what lazy Maga sez they gonna do.
People on SSecurity, SSI, Medicaid, Medicare and most insurance are being mowed down and tossed aside by policies and obstruction by Republicans past, like Reagan on fwd.
They deserve our attention and respect as vulnerable, probably moreso to Maga action. Lots of people are already being detained and having their lives and families ruined by things like classic jail bail.
Not gonna lie, US healthcare is a way bigger problem than Maga; though the 2 together are shit scary. Honestly I think Maga will be a useful wrecking ball to do what Dems will probably never have uncompromised balls to knock down the travesty know as American medicine. With good fortune I see Maga and US medicine as both being too big for each other and will wear each other down in their continued pillaging and grappling after american blood and we can get some true progress in health in this country. Want to get smart on that? Go read Paul Farmer’s exquisite Fever, Feuds and Diamonds for a masterful take of what the history, present and future are.
This is definitely hippie bullshit.
Somewhere between 500,000 and one million Americans did not survive Trump’s first term in office, mostly due to the ill-managed COVID pandemic including Trump’s termination of the NSC directorate for global health and security and bio-defense established under Obama’s administration, then ignoring the pandemic playbook left by Obama, and then allowing deliberate neglect of blue states in pandemic response.
The death toll could have been worse; at least Sen. John McCain prevented Trump from ending ACA health care.
Reagan administration’s bigoted response (or lack thereof) to HIV/AIDS was horrific but Trump made Reagan look like a piker.
“Synergies is always a little breezy, fairly loose and totally understandabe [sic] to anyone who has a good history with elder women in the US.”
I’d say I’d like what you’re smoking, but it remains illegal in all 50 states.
“Maga is way easier to shout down than the the trash thugs of the 80s, rednecks of the 90s, and lazy chauvinist revenants, tea baggers and h8r libertarians of the last 2 decades.
I will take the decompensating Maga over anything we have seen in my life time; street level, MSM or institutional”
Wishful thinking.
There was an attempted coup. And now there has been “State Capture” of all branches of the Federal Government, with substantial “State Capture” of many State Governments.And these captures have involved and/or are planed to involve capture of administrative officials at multiple levels of the civil sevice. If you are unable to recognise this as the a massive step forward towards implementation of one-party rule in fact if not by name then you need to adjust your analytical skills.
As for
“Honestly I think Maga will be a useful wrecking ball to do what Dems will probably never have uncompromised balls to knock down the travesty know as American medicine. With good fortune I see Maga and US medicine as both being too big for each other and will wear each other down in their continued pillaging and grappling after american blood and we can get some true progress in health in this country.”
This is pure projection. You have absolutely no evidence to support this, and if anything “Trump Maga concepts of a plan” suggests an instinctive approach entirely antithetical to the public good.
My guess is that overall life expectancy will decrease in absolute terms, and certainly in comparison with developed nations ie the excrable American health care system is going to get worse not better, especially since it is touted RFK conspiracy theories are going to be central.
Your “defense” of synergies is a spectacular backfire IMHO
@hippiebullshit, @eoh
It’s funny to me. I have a high voice. When I was 10 and in a boys choir my two older brothers said “When you get to an older age out of childhood a boy needs to start talking in a lower voice like a man.” With demonstration I might add. In my 10 year old thinking translated now to adult, I said to myself, “Fuck that!” “I love my voice!” to this day. All tele calls, people think I’m a woman. Hilarious to me is now learning in my writings also, because I’m just a white t-shirt, levi jeans Gay hippie man, who has worked all sorts of regular jobs.
Interesting is when others think the Gay Liberation Movement is men who like to wear lipstick. Most of the Gays I know, like being men even if some once in a while like entertaining themselves in drag. I.e. exploring their feminine side. We also accept all parts of our movement even if we are in disagreement and don’t advocate for attention with some and aren’t going to diss them. Key words: attention, disorder IMO. I put on lipstick once and said definitely not me.
@eoh Insulting is I’ve never done hard drugs. Not even cocaine. Rarely, rarely, rarely do weed or magic. What in the fuck is illegal in all 50 states? Please DON’T answer! You’re insulting yourself.
Long/short. Thank you to all who posted in this thread. It’s nice to know WE aren’t giving up. I can not explain in human words watching friends die of AIDS. Yes, this is bad. Miraculously because there is a God WE will fight the GOOD fight and survive. Goodness is a POWER. POWER to the PEOPLE is real. Adding, I don’t think the dismantling of government is going to go well. ROADBLOCKS & dogs are a mans best friends. Cats too : ) keyword: hep. TY hippiebullshit, grok
“Please DON’T answer!”
Stop. You are not going to police comments here. EoH has also been a valued community member here for 17 years — he knows how this place works and what’s up.
(p.s. EoH, happy belated EW anniversary on 4/23. LOL)
Thank you Rayne, EoH and Steve. Agree with all.
Despite significant efforts to save her, the plan to scuttle the United States is scheduled to move forward this month.
Once the largest and fastest in her class, she can no longer move under her own control. Although structurally sound, she contained some hazardous elements that made long-term occupancy challenging. There was a plan to renovate her, but it came with significant risks and the cost was deemed too high.
The Florida group that has acquired the ship will begin gutting her early next year and will sink her soon after. After a period of leaching and rusting, it is hoped that her remains will support life, but that is expected to take many years. There are a number of viewing parties scheduled for next Friday for those that want to say goodbye.
https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/ss-united-states-departure-philadelphia-florida-artificial-reel/
The allegory is painfully obvious SandMan.
But Just a flesh wound.
I was thinking more along the lines of Biden using his executive orders and powers to affect change: 1. Stock the judiciary with the most leftist judges (Democratic Senators be damned. 2. Forgive all government issued student debt, 3. Reclassify marijuana, 4. Pardon his son, 5. Announce public investigations on Roberts, Ginny/Clarence (tax evasion for RV loan forgiveness), Kavanaugh (how’d his 110K credit card bill get paid).
My point is to have Biden gum up the convicted felon’s future. Make the convicted felon spend time unwinding Biden’s decisions so the convicted felon cannot do more damage to our society.
The line for sparkle ponies is growing round the block. Most of your suggestions are non-starters. They would not fit his or generally agreed upon notions of a peaceful transfer of power.
He’s only missing the one where Sotomayor retires now and Biden appoints Harris and she’s confirmed before January 20.
Popehat has thoughts actions on the days to come. Worth the time, I think…
https://www.popehat.com/p/and-yet-it-moves
>…Reconsider Any Belief In Innate American Goodness:
Are Americans inherently good, freedom-loving, devoted to free speech and free worship, committed to all people being created equal? That’s our founding myth, and isn’t it pretty to think so? But a glance at history shows it’s not true. Bodies in graves and jails across America disprove it. We’re freedom-loving when times are easy, devoted to speech and worship we like with lip service to the rest, and divided about our differences since our inception. That doesn’t make us worse than any other nation. It’s all very human. But faith in the inherent goodness of Americans has failed us. Too many people saw it as a self-evident truth that the despicable rhetoric and policy of Trump and his acolytes was un-American. But to win elections you still have to talk people out of evil things. You can’t just trust them to reject evil. You must persuade. You must work. You have to keep making the same arguments about the same values over and over again, defend the same ground every time. Sometimes, when people are afraid or suffering and more vulnerable to lies, it’s very hard. Trump came wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross (upside down, but still) and too many people assumed their fellow Americans would see how hollow that was. That assumption was fatal…<
thanks so much for the Popehat link! i encourage all to read the entire essay. i decided long ago to delete my twitter account once the election was decided, and today i cut the cord. i left a few parting thoughts, and Popehat got at it in his own Popehat way:
“Fuck civility! Do you need to be screaming and waving your middle finger in the face of Trump voters? Only if you want to. Live your best life. But please don’t be conned by the cult of civility and discourse, the ‘now is the time to come together’ folks… Trump voters, to the extent they fault you for judging them, have a double standard you need not respect. Part of the way Trumpists win is when you announce ‘ah well, voting for Trump is just a normal difference of opinion, we all share the same basic American values,’ while the Trumpists are saying ‘everyone who disagrees with us is cuck scum, they’re the enemy within.’ Stop that nonsense.”
On the topic of some things to do now, I found this insightful:
https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/
“Thus, for us to be of any use in a Trump world, we have to pay grave attention to our inner states, so we don’t perpetuate the autocrat’s goals of fear, isolatuion, exhaustion or constant disorientation.
1. Trust yourself
2. Find others who you trust
3. Grieve
4. Find your path
….
From: 10 ways to be prepared and grounded now that Trump has won by Daniel Hunter
–
Thank you for this.
I also observe that Bannon, et al gleefully admitted that Project 2025 was the agenda all along in spite of repeated denials by Convict-1 and his handlers. Quelle surprise! The GOP lied again.
One of Project 2025’s elements is the attack on birthright citizenship, but to do that the MAGA maniacs have to amend the Constitution to modify the 14th Amendment. Even if SCOTUS tried to interfere the 14th is pretty clear on the topic, which FWIW was included to ensure former slaves were going to have citizenship from the get-go.
With all respect, the 14th amendment also ventures to prohibit insurrectionists who violated their oaths from holding public office, but two-going-on-three branches of our government have failed to enforce this provision.
Don’t expect the institutions to save us.
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Trump could tank the economy and if he does, another Great Depression, all bets are off. It could tank on its own, too. Trump just helping it fail. Nobody wants a failed world economy, so efforts to avoid it will be universal, but, we’ll see.
If his trade practices cause inflated prices, he could lose his support, since the Republicans will have no House or Senate to blame. It will be Trump, then, but the media might not report things straight.
Deportations will destroy agriculture and food prices will sky rocket.
But, but, but millions of earnest Americans voted for Trump because they concluded a six-time bankrupt and convicted financial fraudster and tax cheat would tame inflation better than a Democrat! The irrationality of these votes seems boundless, and defeats normal post-election analysis.
Yes, anything like the promised deportations would drive a hurricane through several industries, including Ag and meat producers. Food prices would skyrocket and disrupt the industry from farm to table.
The personal devastation the deportations would cause would be incalculable. But that’s Stephen “Mini-Goebbels” Miller’s aim: to terrorize and threaten to terrorize average Americans. When the time comes, his actual policies, whatever they are, won’t seem so bad. Wash, rinse, repeat.
There’s more to this, though. Baby Goebbels may be the face of this, but I will put down good money this is a grift set-up.
Let’s say you’re the CEO/owner of a food processing company utterly reliant on undocumented labor. It will crush your business if undocumented workers disappear.
You can feel the pressure mounting because Congress is debating legislation to formalize the method and appropriations for mass deportation of all undocumented workers — in other words, the shakedown has begun in earnest, with GOP caucus doing Trump’s bidding because Trump-controlled RNC won’t cough up funds for the next election and may primary members who don’t cooperate.
You go to Mar-a-Lago and lobby the orange bawbag for special dispensation — ICE won’t look your direction and you’re willing to offer a SCOTUS-approved gratuity for such a benefit. Not even an ugly commitment to a resort membership necessary thanks to SCOTUS.
Food prices will rise to cover the gratuity but your business remains a going concern.
Only businesses not willing to roll over and offer gratuities will be punished.
Oh, I agree. The sale of indulgences and dispensations will be medieval. Staying at a Trump hotel in DC won’t cut it. Trump will be after bigger game.
Your company or industry doesn’t want to be subject to tariffs? We can arrange that. You want to be covered by this immunity or benefit from an exception to that regulation? Here’s the prix fixe. You want preferred access to the auction of what used to be called public lands and National Parks? Get out your checkbook, bitcoin preferred.
If that works, the next step would be the Training Day-Lite Exercise, punishing those who don’t ask for favors to get them to join the crowd. Everybody has to join the union. The president? He’s immune.
Tech and H1B workers, many of whom are from Asia and may not be white enough.
I expect Trump dies or gets Article 25 by 2027.
Meantime who is #1 puting papers in front of him to sign ?
First business will be cut Ukraine support.
Worsest of all he gets 2 supreme picks.
Grim.
why does hw get two Supreme picks whose dead or retiring?
I think you need to slow your roll. Making typos and grammatical errors are clues you may be posting too fast.
You could use more time thinking through your comments as well.
Signed, your friendly neighborhood moderator
I have won many misspelling bees, thank you.
I am not unchallenged typing at all, just some times.
My grammar fails me, and competes with my spelling abilities.
My disgust Of Trump is unfailing.
.Putin. Putin. Putin.
Stone.
Stone.
Stone.
Who will be running the Trump White House ? Because, c’mon, he’s gone.
Cook-koo for coco puffs.
Sorry, Vinnie, I left my comment on a reply to yours – that comment disappeared. I assume the commenter must have noticed the problems and deleted it during the 4-minute editing window shifting where mine ended up.
You’re doing fine — well, mostly. It’s “Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.” LOL
Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have virtually promised to retire, in the event Trump won. He did. They may.
Is there time for Sonia Sotomayor to resign and appoint a younger liberal while we still control the Senate?
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No. It would have to be done before New Year’s, and Congress has two holidays before then.
Even if the schedule permitted it, Durbin and Schumer have shown no ability to execute such a plan.
There’s also the down side. Sotomayor would have to resign before there was an opening and a nomination for the Senate to vote on. If the Senate failed to confirm her replacement this term, it would leave another opening for Donald Trump to fill on the Supreme Court. No sentient being would voluntarily expose the country to such an outcome.
Given those odds, I would say this should be a non-starter. There are a plethora of other judicial nominations and items for the Senate to act on, without adding this one.
One very thin silver lining on a huge dark cloud is that the scale of Trump’s win might mean that he is less exposed to Putin’s blackmail. At this point, I would assume that he will (be allowed to) wriggle out of any piece of dirt they might have on him. Like I said, thin. Very very thin.
Like a dope, I thought Trump would lose. I saw the rally clips of him going down on microphone.
Putin, I thought.
Trump is Putin ‘s Manchurian blow job ?
Where and when will Trump’s Eminent Snot Rag
Roger Stone arrive.
Willard Room reunion party ?
Too bad the choir can’t sing the national anthem or America the Beautiful.
This piece is along the same lines but places the blame more squarely with racism and mysogyny:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/07/us-progressive-election-trump-maga
“Our mistake was to think we lived in a better country than we do. Our mistake was to see the joy, the extraordinary balance between idealism and pragmatism, the energy, the generosity, the coalition-building of the Kamala Harris campaign and think that it must triumph over the politics of lies and resentment. Our mistake was to think that racism and misogyny were not as bad as they are, whether it applied to who was willing to vote for a supremely qualified Black woman or who was willing to vote for an adjudicated rapist and convicted criminal who admires Hitler. Our mistake was to think we could row this boat across the acid lake before the acid dissolved it.”
(Reply to Spooky Mulder, 3:39 PM)
There are reports of Black students at southern universities getting racist text messages to report to work in cotton fields, and I would not be surprised to find out it’s the work of foreign ratf**kers like Russia.
Those texts are going to Black people across the country, some of them are very personally targeted.
These text are attacks. A premeditated campaign to stoke reactions the Trumpians can/ will use to justify
Martial law. That’s where these emeffers want to go.
” Forget the election. Go straight to the violence. ” Snot Rag Stone.
The MAGAs are coming out of the woodwork, and there are a lot at the hellsite who didn’t buy blue checks.
I worry.
This is what (among many things) worries me; a return to Jim Crow for not just Blacks but anyone the modern version of the KKK feels free to terrorize with a racist Justice Dept and local law enforcement turning a blind eye or slow-walking cases.
If I had to pick a group that would be most resilient to what is happening, I would choose southern African-Americans. I was raised there, but moved away after college. I very much do not express my opinions when I visit my family, so many of my old friends are unaware of my opinions and talk freely with me. About six years ago a friend (of over 40 years) that runs an inherently dangerous heavy industry business told me “We don’t hire [euphemism for African-Americans] anymore, just illegals. When they get hurt they just disappear.” Others are members of groups many think are ancient history.
Southern African-Americans have dealt with worse than many here can imagine for decades.
We need to *listen* to them, because they’ve been dealing with this stuff for centuries. They can teach us, if we hear them.
(SL is going to hate this:)
Donnie has named Susie Wiles as his chief of staff.
Exactly what I predicted if he ever won again. I wonder what Ron and Casey DeSantis are thinking. I know our former mayor thinks this is good for the city. At least she might filter out some of the craziest of crazies. We’ll see.
Keep in mind, she and her husband (Lanny of Natalia Veselnitskaya fame) used to mingle with Manafort and Stone when they were all young. And Stone included her in the acknowledgments of his book.
Another anecdote I can share is that after I sent the email to the mayor’s office about my concern about the disruptive behavior of white supremacists and the special accommodations that the administration was giving them, I was yanked out of the branch and moved to another location.
One day while I was there, a man came charging at me like an angry bull. He was only about a foot away and he yelled, “You better shut your big mouth. Just shut up. There is someone high up in the Republican Party here who belongs to that group and bad things are going to happen if you don’t shut up.” Then he stomped away. I told my supervisor and the next day I was moved to a non-public area.
I often wondered if Susie Wiles knew who that person high up in the Republican Party was.
I have been thinking about you quite bit the last few days, SL, seeing Wiles sneaking around in the background of Trumps gatherings.
I think the Powers That Be have her there to be sure that 2.0 keeps to their play book.
Thanks, Molly. I like this photo with Melania in the background. I once read that they attend the same Episcopalian church, but I don’t know how accurate that is.
Trump’s people seem to be genuinely fond of her and have given her the nickname, Ice Maiden. Maybe that is why she is wearing that metallic looking blouse. But to me it brings to mind something else entirely.
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/07/nx-s1-5183242/trump-chief-of-staff-susie-wiles
“Donald Trump has chosen Susie Wiles to serve as his chief of staff”
Orban certainly is vocal these days. He might want to be careful. Putin may consider him too much competition when it comes to publicity. Orban maybe attempting to “influence” Trump but he is out of his league. Orban hasn’t realized he is expendable.
What will be interesting is if Trump actually tries to “round up” 10 million undocumented people for deportation. He may try to order the military to do his dirty work but if they won’t he may have a problem The other issue is, over the decades I’ve read there are more guns in American than people. If that is correct, whatever goals trump has maybe difficult to achieve
Of course there will be other Americans who will be more than willing to carry out Trump’s orders, but it will all come at a cost.
I highly doubt that Putin is anywhere close to considering Orbán as less than useful— a pro-Russian anti-democrat inside NATO and the EU what’s not to like from Putin’s POV? Publicity, pah!!
Любая реклама – хорошая реклама!!
So our POTUS will be a convicted felon who is a drug addict and a Russian asset. Get the 25th amendment ready, JD.
That IMHO was the plan all along by the techbros. I noted in an earlier thread that I give JDV three months to depose Convict-1 using the 25th Amendment process. If all of the really offensive Project 2025 elements are already WH-approved including all of the pardons then the techbros will be perfectly happy to let Convict-1 become the scapegoat and install JDV to do the previously authorized dismantling.
Another thing to watch for is the Article V convention process. As it is now, it is very close to being invoked and this is where I suspect stuff like repeal of the 14th Amendment birthright citizenship clause happens because there is no way 2/3 of both houses of Congress, much less 3/4 of the states will approve that modification. It would also provide a vehicle for all sorts of other RWNJ wet dreams (like lifetime Presidency) since there will be no rules to constrain topics or decisions.
I’m not a lawyer and am well aware of just how hypothetical this question is, but if an Article V convention happens and it’s as bad as we think it will be will CA for example be able to opt out by not ratifying it and go independent?
Republicans may get control of the 2/3 of state legislatures needed to call a convention. They are unlikely to get approval for any of their amendments from 3/4 of the states. There are more pressing issues I would pay attention to.
Just like the Constitution was only supposed to be a slight modification of the Articles of Confederation which turned into a complete rewrite, an Article V convention would have no guard rails. The 3/4 rule only applies to the current Constitution, not anything an Article V convention barfs up.
I don’t know if you heard Homan on 60 Minutes, but he directly said he would deport citizens and remove birthright citizenship as promised by Project 2025. That’s why I noted that either an amendment of the current Constitution (not happening) or a new constitution eliminating the right would be needed.
Far from being unimportant, it is something that needs attention because all of the planned mischief will be attainable.
“The 3/4 rule only applies to the current Constitution, not anything an Article V convention barfs up.”
Really? That’s not what Art. V says.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren: Here’s the Plan to Fight Back
https://time.com/collection/time100-voices/7173801/elizabeth-warren-democrats-plan-after-2024-election/ Sen. Elizabeth Warren November 7, 2024 3:34 PM EST
^^^ Pretty underwhelming, tbh.
Yes I had read this previously and had the same thought
Warren:
Today, Mark Chadbourne reports: [This is not a new idea for them]:
https://bsky.app/profile/chadbourn.bsky.social/post/3laghiqfloi2q
November 8, 2024 at 4:27 AM
Warren cont’d:
Yesterday:
https://bsky.app/profile/newsguy.bsky.social/post/3laf2rrm5x22l
November 7, 2024 at 3:07 PM
Here’s Aaron Rupar with those exchanges bet. Powell and reporters:
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.bsky.social/post/3laf2q7ward2c
November 7, 2024 at 3:06 PM
TRUMP – ORBAN The Early Days
[I have links for all this, but not posting them now]
7/XX/17 ORBAN speech: Orbán defined his project as not merely remaking Hungary but developing a new governing ideology that could challenge liberal democracy across the West
11/XX/17 State Department announces a $700,000 grant to help nurture independent media outlets in rural Hungary. [NYT] [SEE 7/XX/18]
2/13/18 TRUMP appoints [wealthy businessman] David CORNSTEIN as Ambassador to Hungary
[He begins tenure on 6/22/18 and steps down on 10/30/20]
5/XX/18 BANNON and ORBAN meet one on one in Budapest
5/XX/18 SoS POMPEO meets with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter SZIJJARTO in DC [It is the first high-level bi-lateral contact in since 2012]
6/22/18 David CORNSTEIN begins tenure as US Ambassador to Hungary [Resigns on 10/30/20]
7/XX/18 State Department 11/XX/17 $700,00 grant to Hungary to help nurture independent media outlets in rural Hungary unexpectedly deferred to other parts of Europe
7/30/18 Hungarian Spectrum: Viktor Orban Welcomes Steve Bannon’s Efforts on Behalf of the European Far Right
8/15/18 CORNSTEIN on ORBAN
[NYT: Hungary’s Leader Was Shunned by Obama, but Has a Friend in Trump]
9/XX/18 BANNON is in EUROPE with his “the movement” aimed at spreading Orbán’s populist politics across the continent
12/3/18 SOROS-founded Central European University [Budapest]
says it has been kicked out of Hungary
Paul Krugman lent his column to a Hungarian Academic a few times, who warned of Hungarian descent in real time. I’ll try to find the links, but it was a while ago.
There may be useful things about Orban’s first steps, and how resistance failed in that case, to learn from.
What will JD do? When will he do it?
1) Assume the office of Vice President of the United States.
2) January 20, 2025.
3) You’re welcome.
Your angst is not JD Vance’s timeline.
A commentator on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show the other night argued that voters were not voting against their interest. They were voting for their primary interest. I think that’s simplistic bullshit, looking for a niche to fill, but nothing says it can’t be both.
Trump has an irrational, Pied Piper effect on many people. It’s a gift. If Ted Williams could tell what a pitched ball would do within microseconds, Donald Trump can tell whether he can con someone within seconds of meeting them. That the hold is irrational is easy to see. A majority of Americans are afraid that democracy is in peril, but think a convicted felon and financial fraudster would defend it better than Kamala Harris. In the same way, everything Trump says is a lie, but he doesn’t lose all credibility because of it, as would a human being.
Can someone otherwise explain why, say, 53% of white women in America voted for a serial adulterer; abusive sex partner; angry, abusive father; incompetent manager; financial fraudster; and tax cheat? Because they hate women? Because the shittiest man is better than the best woman? Because they are all racist and don’t care how bad he is, if the alternative is a talented, energetic, hopeful woman of color? I’m stumped.
Yes, it’s internalized oppression AND stupidity driving white women to show up and vote for an adjudicated rapist while simultaneously voting to protect their reproductive rights at state level.
They’re authoritarian personalities who believe Trump’s bullshit lies — literally an abuser telling them, “I promise I won’t hit you again, honey!” — and they fell for it and continue to fall for it because their socialization rewards this cultivated naivete. White supremacy is a helluva drug.
It’s extremely difficult to avoid blaming the victims because these are adults who’ve consumed enough media and culture in which they’ve seen the story of Bluebeard played out again and again at personal, community and societal level; they know the mythos of the abusive male partner who lies and locks them up and eventually kills them after forbidding their pursuit of awareness. Goddamned Hallmark channel and Court TV have been replete with these fictional and non-fictional tales of women victims.
And yet they fall for it and they fucking drag the rest of us with them.
I could be wrong but I just don’t think a lot of voters know a god-damn thing about a god-damn thing. Republicans have relentlessly gutted civics curricula out of our education system, and so voters don’t know what government is, or what it does, or why it’s crucial. They’ve never been taught any form of social responsibility either, so they don’t see consequences of their votes on those around them. Look at all the videos of Trump voters being interviewed on why they voted for him: one god-damn astoundingly jaw-droppingly stupid comment after another, borne out of vast ignorance, and voiced with a casual entitlement as if they’re explaining why they prefer this green over THAT green in the kitchen. It’s the kind of voter MAGAs want, and we’ve GOT to do something about it, I just don’t see what. (I know, there’s a lot else going on too, including the media desert most people live in, but that’s just what strikes me.)
The only thing I see changing this scenario is an accumulation of white people’s bodies with their faces gnawed off by leopards.
I’m afraid a lot of it boils down to the issue plaguing a good chunk of the US population:
No critical thinking process = swallowing bullshit whole and without examination.
Exactly what comes out of home schools and religious schools without any standards. It’s a feature of the RW universe, not a bug.
You’ll get no argument from me on that, RUGGER_9, but I will add that it’s a feature of many public school systems, too.
Well, it’s a feature of the entirety of American elementary & secondary education, thanks to relentless attacks from … you know, I don’t think the term “conservatives” is really descriptive any more. I prefer “vandals.” But listening to Marcy on Nicole Sandler’s program, she makes a bunch of very heartening (to me) points about all the inroads liberal legislators and/or policies made on local levels in the last election. Which makes me wonder if making the assumption that we’re stuck with a ‘hegemony of the vandals’ over our childrens’ education might not be as irremediable as it sometimes looks?
ExRacerX says:
November 8, 2024 at 5:47 pm
Texas, where they instituted state-mandated tests and taught to the tests, so no one really learned anything in school. (This affects everyone who grew up in Texas after about 1990.)
Then there are Texas school textbooks, something of a contradiction in terms.
Lynne Cheney, Dick’s spouse and Liz’s mom, spent years on the commission that censored what could be included in them. The economics of textbook publishing being what they are, that affected what could be included in the school textbooks of many other states.