;)
The Commentariat -- February 9, 2021
Late Morning Update:
The New York Times is liveblogging the first day of Trump's second impeachment trial here. The Washington Post's live updates are here. The Guardian's liveblog, which also covers other topics, is here.
Rosalind Helderman & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump was 'horrified' when violence broke out at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, as a joint session of Congress convened to confirm that he lost the election, according to his defense attorneys.... But that revisionist history conflicts with the timeline of events on the day of the Capitol riot, as well as accounts of multiple people in contact with the president that day, who have said Trump was initially pleased to see a halt in the counting of the electoral college votes. Some former White House officials have acknowledged that he only belatedly and reluctantly issued calls for peace, after first ignoring public and private entreaties to do so." The report relies on anonymous White House sources, but also cites Sens. Lindsey Graham, Ben Sasse & Mike Lee contradicting assertions Trump was concerned about the violence. "By 1:49 p.m. -- nearly an hour after the Capitol Police chief had urgently requested backup from D.C. police -- Trump remained focused on his recently concluded speech. He tweeted a video of his own remarks, adding the caption, 'Our country has had enough, we will not take it anymore, and that's what this is all about.'... At 2:24 p.m., [13 minutes after his supporters breached the building,] Trump tweeted: 'Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution ... USA demands the truth.'... While Trump's defense attorneys claim he and the White House 'took immediate steps to coordinate with authorities,' the president played no known role in organizing reinforcements that day."
Hayley Miller of the Huffington Post: "... Donald Trump falsely claimed more than 100 times that Democrats had 'rigged' or 'stolen' the 2020 election ahead of January's deadly insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol, a HuffPost analysis found.... He made claims of voter fraud and ballot-counting irregularities more than 250 times, specifically making baseless claims that voting machines tossed or changed votes at least 45 times....Trump falsely declared victory at least 40 times, often claiming he won in a 'landslide.' He peddled these nuggets of disinformation during press conferences and rallies watched by millions of people, or on Twitter to his more than 88 million followers."
Kristen Holmes of CNN: "Embattled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has told those close to him he wants to stay in his role under the new president, two sources tell CNN, despite his troubled tenure at the helm of the US Postal Service and his background as a supporter and donor to ... Donald Trump. President Joe Biden faces mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to remove DeJoy, however, amid months of complaints over mail delivery delays -- including prescription drugs.... The President does not have the power to remove the Postmaster General. Only the Postal Service Board of Governors -- which is comprised of members nominated by the President and confirmed in the Senate -- has the power to do so, and DeJoy continues to have the support of the Trump-appointed board. But Biden has the power to nominate members of the board and to send them to the Senate -- now led by Democrats -- for confirmation. Some lawmakers want Biden to go beyond filling empty seats, and take drastic action by firing the entire board."
The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here. The New York Times' live updates for Tuesday are here: "A team of World Health Organization scientists said on Tuesday in China that the coronavirus had probably first spread to humans through an animal and was 'extremely unlikely' to have been the result of a lab accident. The findings, delivered after 12 days of field work by the team visiting Wuhan, China, were the first step in a painstaking process to trace the pandemic's origins, a question that is critical to helping prevent a recurrence"
Ian Duncan of the Washington Post: "The pilot carrying NBA star Kobe Bryant, his teenage daughter and six other people didn't follow his training after flying into clouds and likely became disoriented, federal safety investigators said Tuesday. Pilot Ara Zobayan should have steadied the helicopter, climbed slowly and declared an emergency to get help from air traffic controllers, National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Tuesday. But the investigation into the crash found that he didn't take those steps. Once he was in the clouds, the investigators said Zobayan likely became disoriented as he lost visual references, thinking he was climbing when, in fact, the helicopter was plunging toward a hillside. Federal safety investigators were meeting Tuesday to determine the likely reason a helicopter carrying Bryant plunged into a Los Angeles County hillside last year." The AP's story is here.
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John Hudson of the Washington Post: "President Biden instructed the State Department on Monday to reengage with the United Nations Human Rights Council, reversing a decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from it nearly three years ago because of frustrations that the council repeatedly criticized Israel. In explaining the decision, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said ... Donald Trump's withdrawal from the U.N. body in June 2018 'did nothing to encourage meaningful change, but instead created a vacuum of U.S. leadership, which countries with authoritarian agendas have used to their advantage.'"
Jim Tankersley & Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "The early weeks of the Biden administration have brought a surge of support, in the White House and across party lines in Congress, for what could be the most ambitious effort in a generation to reduce child poverty. The plans vary in duration, design and the amount they would add to the federal debt, but they share a new and central premise in the policy debate over how to help the poor: that sending monthly payments through tax credits to parents, even if they do not earn income from work, is the best way to help feed, clothe and house children from low-income families." ~~~
~~~ Jason DeParle of the New York Times: "Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour -- a proposal included in the package of relief measures being pushed by President Biden -- would add $54 billion to the budget deficit over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office concluded on Monday. Normally, a prediction of increased debt might harm the plan's political chances. But proponents of the wage hike seized on the forecast as evidence that the hotly contested proposal could survive a procedural challenge under the Senate's arcane rules. Democrats are trying to add the measure to a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package that is advancing through a process called budget reconciliation, which requires a simple majority rather than the 60-vote margin to overcome a filibuster. But reconciliation is reserved for matters with a significant budgetary effect. Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, said the forecast of an increased deficit showed that the measure passed the test." ~~~
~~~ Marie: BTW, Robert Reich, an economist & former secretary of labor, appeared on one of the cable networks to question the CBO's findings; he opined the CBO must not have taken into account the increased taxes higher wage-earners would pay & would generate by their increased purchasing power.
Get Out! Evan Perez & Christina Carrega of CNN: "The Justice Department, as soon as Tuesday, is expected to ask US attorneys appointed by ... Donald Trump to submit their resignations, a turnover expected to spare two top prosecutors in Delaware and Connecticut overseeing two sensitive Trump-era investigations, a senior Justice Department official said. In a call Monday night, acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson asked Delaware US Attorney David Weiss to remain in office, where he is overseeing the tax probe of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden's son. John Durham, appointed as special counsel by former Attorney General William Barr to reinvestigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, will also continue his work, but he is expected to resign as US attorney in Connecticut, the Justice official said. The resignation request is expected to apply to 56 Senate-confirmed US attorneys appointed by Trump."
Lisa Rein of the Washington Post: "The Senate on Monday confirmed Denis McDonough as President Biden's Veterans Affairs secretary, choosing a non-veteran but a manager with years of government service to lead the sprawling health and benefits agency. McDonough, 51, was chief of staff during Barack Obama's second term and held senior roles on the National Security Council and on Capitol Hill before that. He told senators at his confirmation hearing that although he is not a veteran, his long career as a behind-the-scenes troubleshooter and policymaker would serve him well at the Department of Veterans Affairs, a massive bureaucracy beset by multiple challenges.... McDonough was confirmed on an 87-to-7 vote."
Natasha Korecki of Politico: "Impeachment? What impeachment? The Biden team has shut down question after question about where Biden stands on this week's trial, even with its massive historical, constitutional and political ramifications. On Monday, press secretary Jen Psaki wouldn't even say whether the president would receive daily updates on the trial's progress." ~~~
Mike DeBonis & Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post: "The House managers prosecuting the case against Trump responded [to a brief by Trump's lawyers], vowing to prove their case in the coming days.... 'The evidence of President Trump's conduct is overwhelming,' the managers wrote. 'He has no valid excuse or defense for his actions.... President Trump violated his Oath of Office and betrayed the American people.'... In their brief filing Monday, the managers blasted [the Trump lawyers'] free-speech argument as 'utterly baseless,' responding that Trump's false claims and incendiary rhetoric were entitled to no such protection. 'When President Trump demanded that the armed, angry crowd at his Save America Rally "fight like hell" or "you're not going to have a country anymore," he wasn't urging them to form political action committees about "election security in general,"' they said, quoting the Trump defense's words. In sum, the managers wrote: 'The House did not impeach President Trump because he expressed an unpopular political opinion. It impeached him because he willfully incited violent insurrection against the government.'"
New York Times: "Donald J. Trump's lawyers on Monday denounced the impeachment case against him as partisan 'political theater,' arguing on the eve of the Senate's trial that he bore no responsibility for the deadly assault on the Capitol and that trying a former president at all was unconstitutional. In a 78-page brief submitted to the Senate, the lawyers asserted that Mr. Trump's speech just before the attack 'did not direct anyone to commit unlawful actions,' and that he deserved no blame for the conduct of a 'small group of criminals' who rioted at the Capitol on Jan 6. after he had urged them to 'fight like hell' against his election loss. They also insisted that the Senate 'lacks jurisdiction' to try him at all because he was now a private citizen, calling such an effort 'patently ridiculous.'" The item is part of the Times' impeachment live blog Monday. Politico's story is here and also includes a link to the brief Trump's lawyers submitted to the Senate. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Trump's Brief Is Bull. Jerry Lambe of Law & Crime: "Similar to the House Impeachment Managers' pre-trial filing, the [Trump lawyers'] brief relied heavily on a highly-regarded 2001 academic article on late impeachments by Michigan State University law professor Brian Kalt. Unfortunately for Trump's attorneys, Kalt -- who is widely viewed as the leading expert in constitutional law dealing with the presidency, presidential pardons, impeachment, succession, and the 25th Amendment -- immediately responded to the memo by saying it repeatedly distorted and misrepresented his work.... [Kalt's] 133-page article ... is an exhaustive analysis of the history and law relevant to the issue which ultimately concludes that there is a 'solid basis' for post-presidential impeachments.... [After citing some specific examples,] Kalt went on to say that there are 'multiple examples of such flat-out misrepresentations' in the Trump memo, highlighting 'the worst' such instance as the contention that his work espoused the theory that 'when a president is no longer in office, the objective of an impeachment ceases,' a notion expressly rejected as 'deeply flawed' in the article.... In an email to Law&Crime, Kalt said the misrepresentation of his work tainted the credibility of Trump's attorneys before the trial has even begun."
Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Senate leadership announced on Monday that they have reached a deal on the framework for former President Trump''s impeachment trial, which will start on Tuesday. 'For the information of the Senate, the Republican leader and I, in consultation with both the House managers and Former President Trump's lawyers, have agreed to a bipartisan resolution to govern the structure and timing of the impending trial,' Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said from the Senate floor.... Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) confirmed on the Senate floor that they have reached a deal, noting that it 'preserves due process and the rights of both sides.'... Under the deal, the Senate will debate and vote on Tuesday on whether the trial is constitutional. The effort to declare the trial unconstitutional will fall short after Rand Paul (R-Ky.) forced a vote on the issue late last month. Forty-four GOP senators supported his effort. Opening arguments will start on Wednesday. Under the deal, the House impeachment managers and Trump's team will have 16 hours over two days each to present their case to the Senate.... The deal also leaves the door open to calling witnesses." The Washington Post's story, which gives more of an idea of what to expect, is here. ~~~
~~~ Ali Zaslav, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump's lawyer David Schoen is withdrawing his request to not hold the impeachment trial on the Jewish Sabbath, according to a person familiar with trial planning, which had altered the likely schedule for the proceedings. In a letter written to Sens. Pat Leahy, Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, Schoen wrote, 'Based on adjustments that have been made on the President's defense team, I am writing today to withdraw my request so that the proceedings can go forward as originally contemplated before I made my request. I will not participate during the Sabbath; but the role I would have played will be fully covered to the satisfaction of the defense team.'... This will likely lead to a change in the trial schedule laid out in the resolution that was slated to be passed Tuesday. Text for the resolution, which set the parameters for the trial's length and schedule, included language to pause the trial on Friday evening and resume on Sunday afternoon." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Couldn't find a print story on this, but Rachel Maddow reported last night that Trump has added an ambulance-chaser -- a/k/a personal injury lawyer -- to his impeachment defense team. For you kidz thinking of becoming lawyers, the defense in the Second Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump will probably provide a living classroom example of how not to lawyer. They've already written one brief in which they misspelled "United States" in the heading, another in which they extensively misrepresent a prominent legal scholar's writing in order to put forth a spurious Constitutional argument, and have changed the schedule of trial -- twice -- for personal reasons. It can only get worse. Take notes.
Jim Acosta & Paul LeBlanc of CNN: "... Donald Trump has been reaching out to aides and advisers to discuss his upcoming Senate impeachment trial, sources familiar with the conversations said, with one of those sources saying Trump thinks there won't be enough Republican senators who'll vote to convict him.... Since leaving office, Trump has been fixated on punishing GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach him in the House.... Ten Republicans, including [Liz] Cheney [Wyo.], voted to impeach Trump. One Trump adviser said the ex-President is seeking what he sees as 'accountability' for Republican House members who turned 'against the people.' The adviser acknowledged that was a twisted view of reality as Trump was the one who was actively attempting to overturn the will of the voters.... Former Trump aides recall the then-President having enjoyed the spectacle created by the riot at the Capitol. Trump was 'loving watching the Capitol mob,' one former senior White House official said." Emphasis added.
Karen Heller of the Washington Post profiles Bruce Castor, one of Trump's top impeachment attorneys and "a magnet for controversy." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "The office of Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, on Monday started an investigation into ... Donald J. Trump's attempts to overturn the state's election results, including a phone call he made to Mr. Raffensperger in which Mr. Trump pressured him to 'find' enough votes to reverse his loss. Such inquiries are 'fact-finding and administrative in nature,' the secretary's office said, and are a routine step when complaints are received about electoral matters. Findings are typically brought before the Republican-controlled state board of elections, which decides whether to refer them for prosecution to the state attorney general or another agency. The move comes as Fani Willis, the Democratic district attorney of Fulton County, which encompasses much of Atlanta, is weighing whether to begin a criminal inquiry of her own.... The January call was one of several attempts Mr. Trump made to try to persuade top Republican officials in the state to uncover instances of voting fraud that might change the outcome, despite the insistence of voting officials that there was no widespread fraud to be found." Reuters' story is here.
Alanna Richer & Michael Balsamo of the AP: "A man who authorities say is a leader of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group and helped to organize a ring of other extremists and led them in the attack last month at the U.S. Capitol has held a top-secret security clearance for decades and previously worked for the FBI, his attorney said Monday. Thomas Caldwell, who authorities believe holds a leadership role in the extremist group, worked as a section chief for the FBI from 2009 to 2010 after retiring from the Navy, his lawyer, Thomas Plofchan, wrote in a motion urging the judge to release him from jail while he awaits trial. The defense said Caldwell, who has denied being part of the Oath Keepers, has held a top-secret security clearance since 1979, which required multiple special background investigations, according to Plofchan. Caldwell also ran a consulting firm that did classified work for the U.S. government, the lawyer said." MB: If this is true, what kind of "background checks" is the FBI doing on its own employees & contractors?
Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal magistrate judge in Seattle on Monday ordered the release of top Proud Boys organizer Ethan Nordean, rejecting prosecutors' call to detain him pending trial for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Nordean, who went by the alias Rufio Panman, was charged with destruction of government property, as well as a series of lower level charges for trespassing on Capitol Grounds. The government described him as a flight risk -- a passport with someone else's name was found on his bedside dresser -- and a danger to the community. But Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida agreed to release Nordean with a series of conditions, including limiting his travel to within the Seattle area, imposing a curfew and requiring him to follow local Covid masking rules.... Prosecutors say they intend to appeal the ruling and seek a stay of Tsuchida's order. Tsuchida agreed to stay the effect of his decision once they file their appeal."
** "The Republican Party Has It's Own Domestic Army." David Kirkpatrick & Mike McIntire of the New York Times: "Following signals from ... Donald J. Trump -- who had tweeted 'LIBERATE MICHIGAN!' after a ... show of force in Lansing -- Michigan's Republican Party last year welcomed the support of newly emboldened paramilitary groups and other vigilantes. Prominent party members formed bonds with militias or gave tacit approval to armed activists using intimidation in a series of rallies and confrontations around the state. That intrusion into the Statehouse now looks like a portent of the assault halfway across the country months later at the United States Capitol. As the Senate on Tuesday begins the impeachment trial of Mr. Trump on charges of inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol rioting, what happened in Michigan helps explain how, under his influence, party leaders aligned themselves with a culture of militancy to pursue political goals.... The Republican alliance with paramilitary groups shows how difficult it may be for the national party to extricate itself from the shadow of the former president and his appeal to this aggressive segment of its base." ~~~
~~~ Marie: This is the most unsettling story I've read in a long time. Charles Pierce's "laboratories of democracy," in at least one case (and I'd guess more) are actually "laboratories of sedition." The Civil War of the 19th century was confined largely to a section of the country; the civil war of the 21st century is bubbling up in every state. And it exists at every level of government, from the ex-president* on down to beat cops. The Republican party, here and there, is a domestic terrorist organization. The fact that the majority of GOP members of the House of Representatives & the vast majority of GOP U.S. senators won't acknowledge that is all the evidence you need. Pretending this is business as usual is a nonsustainable fantasy. I admit it; it's worse than I thought.
Manafort Is Granted Another Get-out-of-Jail Card. Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: "The Manhattan district attorney's attempt to prosecute ... Donald Trump's 2016 campaign chairman was dealt a final blow when New York's highest court said quietly last week it would not review lower court rulings on the case. The court's decision brings to an end the district attorney's quest to ensure that the campaign chairman, Paul J. Manafort, will face state charges for mortgage fraud and other state felonies, crimes similar to those for which he was convicted in federal court and then pardoned by Mr. Trump. When the district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., a Democrat, first brought charges against Mr. Manafort in March 2019, it was widely understood that he was doing so to make sure that Mr. Manafort would face prosecution even if Mr. Trump decided to pardon him.... In October, a New York appeals court found that Mr. Vance's efforts to try Mr. Manafort violated the state's double jeopardy law.... It is possible, though unlikely, that Mr. Manafort may still face federal charges. Last month, Andrew Weissmann, a former prosecutor from the special counsel's office, argued that the wording of Mr. Trump's pardons had been 'oddly' drafted. Rather than relieving those who had been pardoned from all potential liability for their actions, Mr. Weissmann argued, the language only narrowly covered their convictions.... That might leave the door open to new charges, including on crimes that Mr. Manafort admitted he was guilty of as part of a plea deal." A CNBC story is here.
Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "David Correia, whose business ties to Rudolph W. Giuliani had drawn scrutiny, was sentenced Monday to a year in prison for defrauding investors of an insurance start-up that paid the former New York mayor hundreds of thousands of dollars for consulting work while he was ... Donald Trump's lawyer. Correia pleaded guilty in October to duping investors in Fraud Guarantee, the business he started with Giuliani's former associate Lev Parnas. The firm offered fraud protection and 'risk management tools' to other companies, but prosecutors say it was never operational and that, instead, Correia and Parnas used over $2 million in investment capital for personal expenses."
Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), a fixture of the Senate who chaired the powerful Appropriations Committee, announced Monday that he will retire when his term ends in 2022. Shelby, 86, was first elected to the House in 1978 as a Democrat and won election to the Senate in 1986. He switched parties to become a Republican in 1994. Shelby has been a master of steering projects to his home state and also adept at cutting deals with Democrats. He becomes the fourth Senate Republican to announce his retirement in 2022, and the race to replace him will become another test for the direction of the GOP in the post-Trump era." The New York Times' story is here. The Week has an item here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
News About Women Who Have Fucked Donald Trump
(Forgive My Indelicacy)
DOJ Drops "Melanie's Revenge" Suit. Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department on Monday dropped a lawsuit that asserted that a former senior aide to Melania Trump violated a White House nondisclosure agreement by publishing a tell-all memoir about the former first lady. The department's Civil Division gave no reason for the decision to voluntarily dismiss the suit, brought in October, against Stephanie Winston Wolkoff.... The lawsuit filed under the Trump administration had also sought to seize the profits of Wolkoff's book."
Jim Mustian of the AP: In his new podcast, former Trump consigliere Michael Cohen interviews Stormy Daniels. Describing her sexual encounter with Trump, a memory she said she had repressed for years, Daniels called it "the worst 90 seconds of my life, for sure, because it just made me hate myself." At one point preceding the brief moment of torture, Daniels said she considered a way to escape; "I could definitely outrun him," she thought. Thanks to unwashed for the lead.
The Pandemic, Ctd.
Every day the Washington Post posts on its online front page the number of Americans who have received at least one dose of the vaccination. You don't need a subscription, of course, to check it out.
Gregory Wallace & Caroline Kelly of CNN: "Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will quarantine for 14 days after a member of his security detail tested positive for Covid-19, department chief of staff Laura Schiller said in a statement. Schiller's statement says the agent has been in 'close contact' with Buttigieg as recently as Monday morning. Buttigieg tested negative Monday and has not shown any symptoms, the statement said."
Paulina Firozi & Dave Wiegel of the Washington Post: "Rep. Ron Wright (R-Tex.), who had received cancer treatment for years, died Sunday after being hospitalized with covid-19. He was 67.... Wright had announced on Jan. 21 that he tested positive for the coronavirus 'after coming in contact with an individual with the virus last week.' He is the first sitting member of Congress to die after battling covid-19." CNN's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Beyond the Beltway
Florida. Ivan Pereira of ABC News: "A hacker allegedly took control over a Florida water treatment facility's computer and attempted to tamper with the water supply, investigators said. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a news conference that an 'awful intrusion' into the computer system at Oldsmar's water treatment plant took place Friday afternoon. The computer system, which had remote access capabilities, controls the chemicals and other operations, and a plant manager noticed that someone was raising the levels of sodium hydroxide [i.e., lye] from about 100 parts per million to 11,100 parts per million, Gualtieri said.... The plant manager who noticed the three to five-minute hack acted quickly to prevent serious damage to the water, Gualtieri said."
News Lede
New York Times: "Mary Wilson, a founding member of the Supremes, the trailblazing group from the 1960s that spun up 12 No. 1 singles on the musical charts and was key to Motown's legendary sound, died on Monday at her home in Henderson, Nev. She was 76."
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Reader Comments (11)
This is probably for the Infotainment section. I enjoy the BBC show Mock the Week, and they were especially brutal in the middle of January. The most pertinent section starts a little after 15:00 here:
https://youtu.be/ASjXlNx84sk
"The Republican Party has its own domestic army..." and they know it, have known it for years.
Elsewise why have they suppressed every effort to investigate and report on this evident and growing threat to democracy?
Here's a long one from a few years back:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/magazine/FBI-charlottesville-white-nationalism-far-right.html
As I said the other day, this goes back to Reagan and the sagebrush wars, where the one-time voice of "Death Valley Days" chose the wrong side.
And along with the growth of alt-right militias, we have Republicans' close alliance with the NRA and their eagerness to bury or eliminate all government studies of gun violence.
Both spring from. the same source: For years Republicans have known of their emerging army, have courted it, and have come to rely on it for political support, while all the while wanting to keep it a secret--even, I suspect, from their oh-I'd never, oh-so innocent selves.
Cowards, all, with guns.
An article from "The Hill" linked above avers the following:
"Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said from the Senate floor.... Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) confirmed on the Senate floor that they have reached a deal, noting that it 'preserves due process and the rights of both sides.'..."
If The Angel of Death to Democracy, Mitch McConnell is saying this, it means that in his view, Republicans have won. To Republicans, and this is especially true of McConnell, "fairness" means "We win and fuck you". Fairness is not for both sides, only for the right. Remember, Fatty constantly complained about things "not being fair to Trump", meaning, it's only fair if he gets exactly what he wants. The same mindset is cast in concrete for all winger congressional denizens, both elected representatives and their support staff. Schumer (aka Charlie Brown), I'm very afraid, has gotten Lucy-ed once again.
This pisses me off for many reasons but particularly for something I mentioned here a while back, that, to paraphrase a line from "The Godfather", Chuck Schumer is "not a wartime consigliere". He's a nice guy but he (and to a slightly lesser extent) and Nancy Pelosi, and Biden, as well, came of age when comity and bipartisanship were possible, when legislators from both sides of the aisle could work together and when at least some R's could be counted on to keep their word.
No longer. In fact, not in a very long time. These people are out to fuck us, to maintain power in any way possible. So when I read that McConnell is happy with whatever sort of mishegas power sharing whoop-de-doo has been agreed upon, it can only mean that he's winning the battle for control. And this at a time when control means everything for the life of this nation, especially the very concept of democracy which R's are going after, hammer and tongs.
Regarding the Republican Army of Insurrection and Treason, don't forget the lesson of most monster movies. Monsters tend to kill their creators. In Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", the creator and the monster end up together floating away on an ice floe. I'd be okay with that as long as the ice sheet was large enough for all the traitors in congress.
But we don't need to wait to see if this prediction is accurate. We've already seen it. January 6th. Part of that army attacked the Capitol building with many of those same monster creators inside.
"For they have sown the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind."
This stuff is not controllable. Largely because, as Ken points out, the creators are cowards. But also because the faction they've helped create is violent, vicious, and recognizes no law but their own.
This could get very bad. And when it does, look for confederates to absolve themselves of all responsibility (responsibility being only for liberals and Democrats, never for the right).
As post election results trickled in and it became clear that the Orange Monster was getting his clock cleaned, I thought to myself, "Well, there go voting rights in any place controlled by the traitors".
And so it goes.
Reports are coming in about the Party of Traitors and Authoritarianism filing over 100 bills in over two dozen states to shiv voting rights.
They're going after what they see as the weak spots in their quest to maintain control at all costs: mail-in voting and any form of early voting. But these bills are also designed to increase voter ID hurdles and severely restrict absentee voting.
Democrats need to respond to these attacks on democracy, and right soon. Republicans have a way of slithering around, under cover and working their will, hoping no one is watching. By the time the deeds are done, and people wake up, they realize that they're screwed, but good.
These attacks on democracy, on voting rights, and the expanding influence of lawless insurrection combine both official and unofficial tracks for ensuring that a white minority keeps a stranglehold on power, by any means. If Democrats aren't prepared to head off both tracks, we truly are screwed.
@AK: Well, I hope you are wrong about the Charlie Brown scenario of weak kneed leaders of the Dem's caucus, once again being hoodwinked into thinking they can actually "come together" with the Devil's workshop. If, true to form, there isn't much hope, is there? I tend to think the body of democrats who have shown their mettle and are pushing hard for a reckoning would be giving our Charlie a bit of the big boot and force those "Brown noses"on the other side to capitulate or at least admit defeat.
However–-. "The Civil War of the 19th century was confined largely to a section of the country; the civil war of the 21st century is bubbling up in every state." And this, I agree with M.B., is a terrible concept to contemplate. We are up against a force that is fighting the very democratic structures within our country; how do we change that? Are there enough leaders whose voices and actions who will make a difference–-enough voters to do the same?
It's staring to snow again in this part of New England––it's cold cover corresponding to the icy prospect of the impeachment trial–-luckily I have a warm throw to cover myself with while watching, all the while taking cold comfort.
Q (STAR TREK)
A friend just sent this to me saying "this explains everything" and wonders why he hadn't remembered this before:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_(Star_Trek)
"Nordean, who went by the alias Rufio Panman"
I guess I can see why these losers would be fans of Peter Pan. Never have to grow up or abide by the rules of society imposed on us in adulthood. Just live in Never neverland and do whatever they want to do, no rules.
Straight outta Hanoi: US Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink drops Lunar New Year message rap
There is a tweet for everything.
"We should impeach him for that. Why aren't we impeaching him?" -- Trump suggests Republican should impeach former President Obama for his comments about health care
Fatty's shyster today screamed, in the midst of due process being carried out in accordance with the Constitution, that he (Traitor Fatty) was not being accorded due process.
Umm..what? He was invited to testify in his own defense. He declined. Fatty demanded that his shysters be given extra time to prepare his (ahem) defense (hahahahahaha). Extra time was granted.
But there's no due process?
Then (and here's my favorite)...if Fatty is impeached, Jimmy Carter should have been impeached too.
Comparing the Orange Monster to Jimmy Carter? This is the sort of psycho shit you hear in authoritarian countries as they "defend" their dear leaders. EVERYONE should be jailed before the Dear Leader.
Just because.
This is a defense? This sounded more like one of those 3am rants you'd hear from self-possessed idiots in your college dorm.