;)
Wednesday
Feb102021
The Commentariat -- February 11, 2021
Late Morning Update:
Amanda Holpuch of the Guardian: "The US could have averted 40% of the deaths from Covid-19, had the country's death rates corresponded with the rates in other high-income G7 countries, according to a Lancet commission tasked with assessing Donald Trump's health policy record. Almost 470,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus so far, with the number widely expected to go above half a million in the next few weeks. At the same time some 27 million people in the US have been infected. Both figures are by far the highest in the world. In seeking to respond to the pandemic, Trump has been widely condemned for not taking the pandemic seriously enough soon enough, spreading conspiracy theories, not encouraging mask wearing and undermining scientists and others seeking to combat the virus's spread." Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: I have been wondering what sort of number could be attached to Trump's Covid-19 failures. This scientific effort is useful.
Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "The Justice Department is now making clear that a leader among the Oath Keepers paramilitary group -- who planned and led others in the US Capitol siege to attempt to stop the Biden presidency -- believed she was responding to the call from ... Donald Trump himself. 'As the inauguration grew nearer, [Jessica] Watkins indicated that she was awaiting direction from President Trump,' prosecutors wrote in a filing Thursday morning. This is the most direct language yet from federal prosecutors linking Trump's requests for support in Washington, DC, to the most militant aspects of the insurrection.... 'Her concern about taking action without his backing was evident in a November 9, 2020, text in which she stated, "I am concerned this is an elaborate trap. Unless the POTUS himself activates us, it's not legit. The POTUS has the right to activate units too. If Trump asks me to come, I will. Otherwise, I can't trust it." Watkins had perceived her desired signal by the end of December.'"
WXYZ Detroit: "Mike Shirkey, the Republican majority leader of the Michigan state senate, was caught on a hot mic Wednesday seemingly walking back an apology he made earlier this week for calling the riots at the U.S. Capitol a 'hoax.' Earlier this week, a video of Shirkey's meeting with Republican leaders from Hillsdale County leaked in which Shirkey referred to the Jan. 6 riots as a 'hoax,' and placed blame on Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, claiming he 'wanted to have a mess.' On Tuesday, Shirkey apologized for those comments, saying that he 'regrets the words that I chose and I apologize for my insensitive comments'. But on Wednesday while on the Senate floor, Shirkey was caught on a hot mic appearing to completely walk back the apology he made the day before. 'Frankly, I don't take back any of the points I was trying to make,' Shirkey said during a conversation with Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist, a Democrat." ~~~
~~~ Marie: In the context of this NYT story, linked here a few days ago, Shirkey's walk-back of a walk-back are especially frightening.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The New York Times' live updates of the impeachment trial Thursday are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. The Washington Post's live updates are here.
Trump Incites Mob to Attack, Kidnap and/or Murder Pence. Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The House impeachment managers opened their prosecution of Donald J. Trump on Wednesday with a meticulous account of his campaign to overturn the election and goad supporters to join him, bringing its most violent spasms to life with never-before-seen security footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Filling the Senate chamber with the profane screams of the attackers, images of police officers being brutalized, and near-miss moments in which Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers came steps away from confronting a mob hunting them down, the prosecutors made an emotional case that Mr. Trump's election lies had directly endangered the heart of American democracy. They played frantic police radio calls warning that 'we've lost the line,' body camera footage showing an officer pummeled with poles and fists on the West Front of the Capitol, and silent security tape from inside showing Mr. Pence, his family and members of the House and Senate racing to evacuate as the mob closed in, chanting: 'Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence!'" ~~~
~~~ Lauren Gambino & Sam Levine of the Guardian: "Democrats revealed disturbing new recordings of the mob attack on the US Capitol last month as they presented their case on Wednesday in the historic second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. House impeachment managers constructed a timeline which they said showed that the former president was 'singularly responsible' for the deadly assault, which brought a violent mob within footsteps of the nation's political leaders." ~~~
~~~ James Poniewozik of the New York Times: "... the proceeding against ... Donald J. Trump was likely the first to include a parental advisory for graphic violence. Beginning Wednesday's presentation, which included never-before-seen video of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, Representative Jamie Raskin, the lead House impeachment manager, began with a warning: 'We do urge parents and teachers to exercise close review of what young people are watching here, and please watch along with them if you're allowing them to watch.' The chilling footage wasn't much easier for adults -- for anyone, really, who wants to believe that America is a secure, stable democracy. It was horrible, but it was also horribly necessary. In a brutal and deftly edited presentation, the managers presented the attack on the election's certification as a found-footage horror movie." A Washington Post story is here.
Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "The chilling, unseen footage of a riotous mob storming through the U.S. Capitol intent on killing Vice President Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was presented to senators by a nonvoting member of Congress from the Virgin Islands. Del. Stacey Plaskett, a former prosecutor in the Bronx couldn't even vote on the article of impeachment against Trump, but in her role as impeachment manager, she has emerged in the Senate trial as a commanding presence entrusted with the grave task of showing how dangerously close the rioters came to lawmakers and staff members on Jan. 6."
The Washington Post's live updates of the second day of the second Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump are here: "House managers are scheduled Wednesday to begin laying out their case that Donald Trump incited the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, as the historic second impeachment trial of the former president enters its second day in the Senate. The trial could wrap up as early as the weekend." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' live updates of Wednesday's impeachment trial are here. The Guardian's live updates of the second day of the trial are here. The Senate will convene at noon ET for the trial. (Also linked yesterday.)
Marie: This, for me, was a stomach-churning day. I had no intention of watching the entire presentation, but it was so stunning, I found it difficult to look away.
Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "House impeachment managers built their case against ... Donald J. Trump on Wednesday, methodically using video and audio clips to argue that Mr. Trump was responsible for the deadly assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6. Throughout much of the day, the managers let Mr. Trump and his supporters do the talking, showing videos of Mr. Trump's speeches, his Twitter posts and footage of his supporters answering his rallying cries that began months before the attack. Here are some takeaways from the second day of the trial."
** Trump Lashed Out at Pence on Twitter Right After He Found Out Pence Was in Danger. S.V. Date of the Huffington Post: "Donald Trump posted a tweet attacking his own vice president for lacking 'the courage' to overturn the election for him ― enraging his Jan. 6 mob even further ― just minutes after learning that Mike Pence had been removed from the Senate chamber for his own safety.... Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told reporters Wednesday night, following the second day of the former president's impeachment trial, that Trump had called for his help in delaying election certification the afternoon of the U.S. Capitol attack but he had told Trump that Pence had just been taken from the Senate and he couldn't talk just then. 'He didn't get a chance to say a whole lot because I said, "Mr. President, they just took the vice president out. I've got to go,"' Tuberville said. According to video footage from that day, Pence was removed from the Senate at 2:14 p.m. after rioters had broken into the Capitol, meaning that when Trump lashed out at Pence at 2:24 p.m., he already knew Pence's life was in danger. 'Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution,' Trump wrote in his tweet." MB: Thanks for clearing that up, Mr. Potato Head. ~~~
~~~ Marie: According to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Tuberville was using Lee's cellphone to speak to Trump. The reason Tuberville cut the call short was that Lee told him security was evacuating the Senate, & Lee wanted his phone back. It seems likely that Tuberville would have related this emergency evacuation to Trump, too; IOW, yet another signal to Trump that the situation was dire.
A Jury of Co-conspirators. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Trump had a lot of assistance in pushing [his fake election fraud] case, including from the conservative media and his campaign team. But he was also assisted by a large segment of the Republican Senate caucus, the group that is currently being asked to see his behavior after the election as part of an effort to overthrow the results of the presidential election. Nearly half of the Republican caucus ... is being asked to judge that the falsehood they helped propel was an instrumental part of an attempted insurrection against the U.S. government." Bump reprises some of the support GOP senators gave Trump's false claims. ~~~
~~~ For Instance, There's This Juror. Rebecca Shabad of NBC News: "Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told reporters after viewing the explicit videos of the attack on the Capitol the Senate trial is a 'complete waste of time.'... Asked if he thinks Trump bears any responsibility for the attack, Scott said, 'Look, I've been clear that that I wish the president had said something faster when they broke into it, but, you know, I've watched what he said. He's never said when somebody should break in -- [he] actually said that people should do this peacefully.'" ~~~
~~~ AND This Insolent Punk. Samson Amore of the Wrap: "Republican Sen. Josh Hawley's conduct during Trump's second impeachment trial enraged viewers [Wednesday] afternoon after he was seen kicking back with his feet up and ignoring the proceedings -- even though he's a juror on the case. Reporters covering the trial spotted Hawley sitting in the gallery of the Senate chamber instead of on the floor. NBC News' Garrett Haake tweeted that he saw the Missouri senator 'sitting up in the gallery with his feet up on the seat in front of him, reviewing paperwork, throughout the trial.' 'Not once has he paid attention to the impeachment trial,' reporter Hugo Lowell noted." MB: The studio photo of Hawley that accompanies the story makes me think of an insolent punk I used to know; these little fools have no idea they're not the cool dudes they play on teevee. ~~~
~~~ AND This One, Who Wants to Have It Both Ways. John McCormack of the National Review: "Texas senator Ted Cruz was one of the 44 Republicans who voted that ... Donald Trump is not 'subject to a court of impeachment for acts committed while president,' but in an article on Fox News, Cruz argues that, in fact, the Constitution does give Congress the authority to impeach and convict a former president. Cruz writes: 'I believe that the better constitutional argument is that a former president can be impeached and tried -- that is, that the Senate has jurisdiction to hold a trial. However, nothing in the text of the Constitution requires the Senate to choose to exercise jurisdiction. In these particular circumstances, I believe the Senate should decline to exercise jurisdiction -- and so I voted to dismiss this impeachment on jurisdictional grounds.'" MB Translation: So let's impeach President Obama.
Jim Acosta & Pamela Brown of CNN: "Advisers to ... Donald Trump say he still has not expressed remorse for the siege at the US Capitol, which could end up being important for Senate jurors to consider after House impeachment managers on Wednesday released new video of the violent mob's assault on January 6. One of the new clips show then-Vice President Mike Pence and his family being hustled away by Secret Service as the siege was under way.... Pence, who plans to keep laying low during the impeachment trial, has not quite patched up his relationship with Trump after what happened, according to a source familiar with the situation." MB: So it's been more than a month since Trump (1) directed a mob to lynch mike pence &, (2) Trump feels no remorse about it. Yet pence hasn't "quite patched up his relationship with Trump"? As for me, I would never "patch up my relationship with" someone who sicced a murderous mob on me. The other cheek I'd turn is on my backside.
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "One of the Proud Boys arrested for participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol told a court Wednesday that he was duped by ... Donald Trump's 'deception' and 'acted out of the delusional belief' that he was responding patriotically to the commander in chief. Dominic Pezzola, who was indicted last month and charged with conspiracy, urged a federal court to grant his release pending trial, emphasizing that his involvement in the Proud Boys was recent and minimal and that he has no other criminal history. But the most notable part of Pezzola's 15-page motion for leniency was his thorough repudiation of Trump. '[D]efendant acted out of the delusional belief that he was a "patriot" protecting his country ... He was responding to the entreaties of the-then commander in chief, President Trump,' Pezzola's lawyer argued in the filing. 'The President maintained that the election had been stolen and it was the duty of loyal citizens to "stop the steal." Admittedly there was no rational basis for the claim, but it is apparent defendant was one of millions of Americans who were misled by the President's deception.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
Anna Massoglia of Open Secrets: "Newly identified payments in recent Federal Election Commission filings show people involved in organizing the protests on Jan. 6 received even larger sums from Trump's 2020 campaign than previously known. OpenSecrets unearthed more than $3.5 million in direct payments from Trump;s 2020 campaign, along with its joint fundraising committees, to people and firms involved in the Washington, D.C. demonstration before a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. Recent FEC filings show at least three individuals listed on permit records for the Washington, D.C. demonstration were on the Trump campaign's payroll through Nov. 30, 2020. The Trump campaign paid Event Strategies Inc., a firm named in a permit for the rally that also employed two individuals involved in the demonstration, as recently as Dec. 15, just three weeks before the attacks on the U.S. Capitol. That's according to the most recent FEC filings covering spending through the end of 2020.... But the American public may never know the full extent of the Trump campaign's payments to organizers involved in the protests. That's because the campaign used an opaque payment scheme that concealed details of hundreds of millions of dollars in spending by routing payments through shell companies where the ultimate payee is hidden." (Also linked yesterday.)
Michigan. Caroline Kelly of CNN: "Michigan state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey apologized Tuesday for calling the US Capitol riot a hoax and espousing several conspiracy theories implicating political leadership in a video recorded and posted to YouTube.... In a statement Tuesday, Shirkey acknowledged the video tape was legitimate and apologized for his comments. 'I said some things in a videoed conversation that are not fitting for the role I am privileged to serve,' he said. 'I own that. I have many flaws. Being passionate coupled with an occasional lapse in restraint of tongue are at least two of them.... 'I regret the words I chose, and I apologize for my insensitive comments.'... 'That wasn't Trump people,' Shirkey said of the January 6 riots in a video taken in a restaurant. 'That's been a hoax from day one, that was all pre-arranged,' Shirkey said, asserting that rioters 'went in on separate buses, that was all arranged by somebody that was funding everyone.... Why wasn't there more security? It was ridiculous, it was all staged,' he continued, before pointing to conspiracy theories that Republican leadership -- including Senate Minority Mitch McConnell -- were somehow involved, and questioning how and why some casualties occurred or were recorded." (Also linked yesterday.)
** Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "Prosecutors in Fulton County have initiated a criminal investigation into ... Donald J. Trump's attempts to overturn Georgia's election results, including a phone call he made to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Mr. Trump pressured him to 'find' enough votes to help him reverse his loss. On Wednesday, Fani Willis, the recently elected Democratic prosecutor in Fulton County, sent a letter to numerous officials in state government, including Mr. Raffensperger, requesting that they preserve documents related to Mr. Trump's call, according to a state official with knowledge of the letter. The letter explicitly stated that the request was part of a criminal investigation, said the official...." A CNBC story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Haley Messenger of NBC News: "Twitter will uphold its ban on ... Donald Trump, even if he were to run for office again, according to the company's chief financial officer. 'When you're removed from the platform, you're removed from the platform,' Twitter CFO Ned Segal told CNBC in an interview on Wednesday morning. 'Our policies are designed to make sure that people are not inciting violence,' Segal said. 'He was removed when he was president and there'd be no difference for anybody who's a public official once they've been removed from the service.'" Thanks to Ken W. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)
Ben Protess & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "In the final months of the Trump administration, senior Justice Department officials repeatedly sought to block federal prosecutors in Manhattan from taking a crucial step in their investigation into Rudolph W. Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine, delaying a search warrant for some of Mr. Giuliani's electronic records.... The actions by political appointees at the Justice Department in Washington effectively slowed the investigation.... Last summer, prosecutors and F.B.I. agents in Manhattan were preparing to seek the search warrant.... But first, the investigators in Manhattan had to notify Justice Department officials in Washington, who must be consulted about search warrants involving lawyers.... While career Justice Department officials in Washington largely supported the search warrant, senior officials raised concerns that the warrant would be issued too close to the election [even though Manhattan agents were seeking the warrants more than 60 days before the election].... But even [after the election], political appointees in Mr. Trump's Justice Department, including officials in the deputy attorney general's office at the time, did not approve...."
Meanwhile ~~~
Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "President Biden and Vice President Harris paid tribute to the contributions of Black service members, acknowledging the barriers they have faced in uniform, on Wednesday during their first official visit to the Pentagon. Speaking to reporters, Biden referred to the service of African Americans from the Revolutionary War to the conflicts of the modern era, even though their actions, as Biden put it, 'were not always recognized or honored appropriately.' The president noted that more than 40 percent of active-duty troops are people of color, a share that remains underrepresented at the military's highest levels.... Biden and Harris later visited an area of the Pentagon that honors pioneering African American troops, including the Tuskegee Airmen, a mostly Black aviator unit that flew sorties during World War II, when the military was still segregated."
Natasha Bertrand of Politico: "President Joe Biden held his first official phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday night, marking an end to weeks of conspicuous silence between the leaders. During the call, Biden confronted Xi about China's 'coercive and unfair economic practices, crackdown in Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang and increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan,' according to a readout of the call. They also discussed the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, among other issues." The New York Times' story is here.
David Sanger of the New York Times: "President Biden announced on Wednesday that he was imposing sanctions that would prevent the generals who engineered a coup in Myanmar from gaining access to $1 billion in funds their government keeps in the United States, and said he would announce additional actions against the military leaders and their families. It was the first concrete step the U.S. government has taken since Mr. Biden demanded that the generals restore democracy and release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the nation's civilian leader. Noting that protests were growing, Mr. Biden warned that 'violence against those asserting their democratic rights is unacceptable' and that 'the world is watching.'"
Susannah Luthi of Politico: "The Biden administration is withdrawing the federal government's support for a challenge to Obamacare, telling the Supreme Court that the law should remain on the books.... The move will likely have little impact on the outcome of the case, which the justices heard one week after Election Day and could decide on soon."
Sarah Dadouch & Kareem Fahim of the Washington Post: "Saudi Arabia released Loujain al-Hathloul, one of the country's most prominent women's rights activists, from prison on Wednesday in the clearest sign yet that the kingdom's leaders were taking steps to assuage President Biden's complaints about human rights violations. Hathloul, 31, has been among the most visible faces of an unrelenting Saudi crackdown on human rights advocates, dissidents and civil society activists. Her imprisonment, which lasted 1,001 days, and her allegations that she had been tortured, sparked an international outcry. Her release from prison comes at a time when Saudi Arabia faces increased skepticism, if not hostility, in Washington after the election of a new president and after the Democrats won control of the Senate." ~~~
~~~ Martin Chulov of the Guardian: "Following a concerted campaign by her relatives and global rights groups, [Loujain al-]Hathloul was granted probation by a judge in Riyadh and released to her family on Wednesday afternoon.... Hathloul became a cause célèbre for leading Democrats in the US during her imprisonment and her case had been championed by Joe Biden during his presidential election campaign. The release of the activist is thought to at least in part be connected to Biden's election win."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Thursday are here.
Jennifer Jett of the New York Times: "Instagram took down the account of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the political scion and prominent anti-vaccine activist, on Wednesday over false information related to the coronavirus. 'We removed this account for repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines,' Facebook, which owns Instagram, said in a statement. Mr. Kennedy, the son of the former senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, worked for decades as an environmental lawyer but is now better known as an anti-vaccine crusader. A 2019 study found that two groups including his nonprofit, now called Children's Health Defense, had funded more than half of Facebook advertisements spreading misinformation about vaccines." MB: Good. I hope this means that anti-vaxxers will soon find their dangerous message barred from all social media.
Lena Sun & Fenit Nirappil of the Washington Post: "Federal health officials Wednesday urged Americans to consider wearing two masks as one of several strategies to better protect themselves against the threat of more contagious variants of the coronavirus. Two methods substantially boost fit and protection, according to a CDC report and updated guidance on its website. One is wearing a cloth mask over a disposable surgical mask. The second is improving the fit of a single surgical mask by knotting the ear loops and tucking in the sides close to the face to prevent air from leaking out around the edges and to form a closer fit. Both of those methods reduced exposure to potentially infectious aerosols by more than 95 percent in a laboratory experiment using dummies, the report said." The article is free to nonsubscribers.
Beth Reinhard of the Washington Post: "Former Washington Football Team cheerleaders who appeared in lewd videos that team employees secretly produced from outtakes of 2008 and 2010 swimsuit calendar shoots have reached confidential settlements with the team.... An August report in The Washington Post [revealed that] about two 10-minute videos set to classic rock hits they said were made without their knowledge. In the videos, some of the cheerleaders' nipples are exposed as they shifted positions and adjusted props, and two cheerleaders' pubic areas are obscured only partly by body paint."
Apparently Reality Chex commentators who periodically complain about right-wing bias on NPR just have not been making compelling criticisms. You all should have asked about dinosaurs. ~~~
~~~ "Newsy Things Considered." Mary Kelly of NPR: "An 8-year-old from Minneapolis recently pointed out a big problem with NPR's oldest news show, All Things Considered. Leo Shidla wrote to his local NPR station: 'My name is Leo and I am 8 years old. I listen to All Things Considered in the car with mom. I listen a lot. I never hear much about nature or dinosaurs or things like that. Maybe you should call your show Newsy things Considered, since I don't get to hear about all the things. Or please talk more about dinosaurs and cool things....' Leo has a point. All Things Considered is about to turn 50 years old. NPR's archivists found the word 'dinosaur' appearing in stories 294 times in the show's history. By comparison, 'senator' has appeared 20,447 times. To remedy the situation, All Things Considered invited Leo to ask some questions about dinosaurs to Ashley Poust, a research associate at the San Diego Natural History Museum." (Also linked yesterday.)
News Lede
CNBC: "First-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 793,000 last week as declining Covid-19 cases provided little relief for the jobs market. The total for the week ended Feb. 6 was above the 760,000 forecast from economists surveyed by Dow Jones but a slight decrease from the previous week's upwardly revised total of 812,000."
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Reader Comments (13)
It is apparent from the clips and the timeline presented yesterday that the insurrectionists came very close to confronting Pence. If these were the ones who had been chanting "Hang Pence," had they met they would have had a dilemma: charge at him and be gunned down by Secret Service who, unlike the Capitol Police, have only one job; or back down and look like baby cats.
Since mobs are not logical entities, it could have gone either way. Had they gone the martyrdom route, would the political dynamics of the impeachment trial be any different? I don't know. The R capacity for self-delusion remains infinite.
This is pure speculation. But worlds turn on split-second contingencies (ask Gavrilo Princeps if you get the chance), and Jan 6 events allowed the flagboys to live.
It occurs to me that the Con-man in Chief has pulled the ultimate con, getting all those nuts to attack the Capitol.
Did he really expect Pence to come through for him? And what would have happened if he did? Civil war? Militias step in to reinstate him in the Oval Office?
The mind boggles. We really did dodge a bullet there. So to speak.
I'm trying to understand my feelings about this whole mess––the utter abhorrence, shock and despair after viewing the gut wrenching new videos presented in yesterday's hearing. I think back to JFK's assassination, 911, and countless other horrors, but this feels different. And I think because it's like a home invasion––you never think it could happen to you and suddenly there you are trapped in your own home by murderous thugs who force you to give them your savings while upstairs one of them is raping a family member.
There is no doubt that in this case the head of the insurrectionists was the man who, from the very beginning, showed his true colors that many of us took to heart and drew HIS black heart on the political parchment papers over and over –-but, to no avail. He was allowed to continue his animus for four long agonizing years.
I doubt that he will be indicted; the majority of the senate republicans have lost their moral compass along with those who never had it in the first place.
Yesterday, late afternoon, Claire McCaskel was asked to respond to what she had just witnessed; She tried but started to cry and couldn't speak until later when they got back to her. I thought–-a women like this–-a senator who was one of the best of the bunch was beaten by that little prick of a man, Josh Hawley! Missouri is known as the "Show-me" state; evidently many of its voters wished otherwise and voted for a brash bratty upstart who, I understand, was up in the balcony during the whole of the hearing with his feet up on the rungs, ruffling through papers, blatantly ignoring the speakers.
Meanwhile Biden pushes on with his agenda and news that S.Korea might be putting a stick in the electric car manufacturing process would be front and center in the new's cycle; the hearings are overtaking a lot of other news except of course in the NTY when you can still get recipes for Sunday brunch.
And somewhere another person dies of Covid.
I wonder if anyone filmed certain senators as they swore to be impartial jurors. Finishing closing arguments by rolling those tapes along with statements by some of those same statements they have made about how they will not convict seems in order.
The horror of it for me was the realization that ***** had actually killed (through his incitement) someone (not exactly on 5th Ave) and that he would get away with it. No remorse.
I feel that people who are saying Hawley is just being a jerk are giving Hawley way too much credit. He's more like a five year old holding his hands over his ears and saying, "yayaya I can't hear you."
Former Republican officials in talks to form Center-right anti-Trump party. Good luck with that.
https://thehill.com/homenews/news/538362-former-republicans-in-talks-to-form-center-right-anti-trump-party
P.S. In my previous comment I mentioned the NYT's but screwed up the letters unless "New Time's York"might just do in this topsy turvy world of ours.
@pat: Re: "Did he really expect Pence to come through for him?" yes, I think he did. Did we ever see or hear Pence disavow anything the master said or did? Poor Pence–-he coulda been hanged. Word has it that he hasn't spoken to the man he stood behind for years always carrying an extra hankie to wipe up the slime Fatty left on the podium. If that meeting between the two ever takes place I'm hoping Pence will shun his "Give it to Mikey–-he'll eat it" label and throw some hard nuggets back at a man that would let his own vice president be hung out to die.
Just for laughs I sometimes go to the website
Rightwingwatch.org to see what's going on in the
lowIQAnon world.
Seems like the plan was for God to put Biden in the
presidency, but on March 4th She will reinstate trump
to his rightful throne as president so that all of us sinners
can witness first hand God's plan.
So I guess the next insurrection is planned for March 4th.
On day one Trump's lawyer Schoen suggested that Pat Leahy should not be able to vote on the impeachment because he is also presiding over the proceedings. Maybe Raskin should vote to disqualify all the Republicans that were coconspirators with Trump in his big lie or have already said that they have already decided the case before all the evidence is presented. If they can disqualify 25 Republicans then Trump could actually get convicted.
Also I want someone to drag John Roberts up to the Senate gallery, point at Josh Hawley and ask him if that is the kind of respect he instills in his clerks towards governmental proceedings?
US could have averted 40% of Covid deaths, says panel examining Trump's policies
"In a wide-ranging assessment published on Thursday, the commission said Trump “brought misfortune to the USA and the planet” during his four years in office. The stinging critique not only blamed Trump, but also tied his actions to the historical conditions which made his presidency possible."
Rep. Lieu showed a clip of Mick Mulvaney saying DiJiT was wrong 1/6.
"Diplomat" to N. Ireland Mick wore an orange tie. What an omadhan.
@Forrest
March 4th...lets see, that's 3-4-2-1. That can't be a coincidence! Do these people use Ouija boards?
@periscope: The "reason" QAnon has chosen March 4 as Trump Resurrection Day is that March 4 is the day specified in the original Constitution as presidential inauguration day. This changed to January 20 in the early 1930s with the passage & ratification of the 20th Amendment. But I like your 3-4-2-1 explanation much better. And I'm really looking forward to 4-3-2-1.
Birmingham, 1963. Washington, DC, 2021.
After KKK racist pricks bombed the 16th St. Baptist Church in Birmingham, killing four little girls, the FBI, at the direction of cross-dressing evil bigot J. Edgar Hoover, ordered the evidence that would have convicted the murderers hidden.
None of the murderers were held accountable, even though everyone knew who they were and what they had done. It was Connected KKK 'Bama White Guys vs Insignificant Little Nigger Girls . Who cared?
Not Hoover. Not most in Alabama.
This is exactly what is going to happen in the Senate.
Everyone knows who caused the insurrection and deaths at the Capitol. Everyone. But confederates in the Senate will all play J. Edgar Hoover and toss the evidence out the window.
The murderer will walk.
Yes, some of those KKK murderers in Birmingham (Doug Jones, the man who finally brought them to justice is despised by many in Alabama. He was voted out in favor of a fucking secession supporting moron who doesn't have the first clue about government, the Constitution, or what America means) were caught and tried, but it's a lead pipe cinch that the fascist who formerly larded his fat ass into the White House will walk because his KKK-authoritarian-lying-evil-anti-democratic-anti-American accomplices in the Senate will never hold him accountable.
This is a political version of Jim Crow. And it ain't goin' away.
This isn't the Party of Lincoln. This is the Party of the KKK. The Party of Authoritarian Lies. The Party of Fuck You, We Win, Even If We Lose.