;)
The Conversation -- November 20, 2023
** Katherine Seelye of the New York Times: "Rosalynn Carter, a true life partner to Jimmy Carter who helped propel him from rural Georgia to the White House in a single decade and became the most politically active first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt, died on Sunday in Plains, Ga. She was 96." The Washington Post's obituary is here.
New York Times: Notables paid tribute to Rosalynn Carter. The Washington Post posts some condolence messages here.
The announcement of Rosalynn Carter's death by the Carter Center is here.
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Monday Afternoon:
Cristiano Lima of the Washington Post: "A Senate panel announced Monday it subpoenaed the CEOs of Elon Musk's X, Discord and Snap to testify at a hearing on children's online safety next month after 'repeated refusals' by the tech companies to cooperate with its investigation into the matter. In a rare show of force, the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee are seeking to force X's Linda Yaccarino, Discord's Jason Citron and Snap's Evan Spiegel to appear at the Dec. 6 session.... The committee said that in a 'remarkable departure from typical practice,' it had to 'enlist the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service to personally serve the subpoenas' to the CEOs of Discord and X ... after their chief executives 'further refused to cooperate.'"
Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Sunday called on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to create a new Jan. 6 select committee she said would target the original members of the panel and exonerate the so-called 'MAGA' wing of the Republican Party from blame associated with the 2021 attack on the Capitol. In a post on X..., Greene outlined her vision for the committee. She said it must issue subpoenas to the original committee members, to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and to the witnesses who testified."
Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court issued a ruling on Monday that would drastically weaken the Voting Rights Act, effectively barring private citizens and civil rights groups from filing lawsuits under a central provision of the landmark law. The ruling, made by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, found that only the federal government could bring a legal challenge under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a crucial part of the law that prohibits election or voting practices that discriminate against Americans based on race. The opinion is almost certain to be appealed to the Supreme Court. The court's current conservative majority has issued several key decisions in recent years that have weakened the Voting Rights Act." Politico's report is here.
Alan Feuer & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court in Washington appeared to signal at a hearing on Monday that it would keep in place at least some version of the gag order placed on ... Donald J. Trump in the criminal case accusing him of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. But a three-judge panel of the court left open the possibility of adjusting the terms of the order or even narrowing the scope of the people covered by it, including by potentially freeing Mr. Trump to attack Jack Smith, the special counsel overseeing the federal cases against him." A CNN analysis is here.
** Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "... late Friday..., a [Colorado state] judge [-- Sarah Wallace --] ruled that while the former president can't be disqualified, he did incite an insurrection.... And she documented his history of promoting and legitimizing political violence -- which she said helps prove he incited the riot.... Wallace is hardly the first judge to lay blame at Trump's feet, however. Indeed, many judges have gestured in this general direction, including some Republican-appointed ones." The particulars Blake lists are interesting.
Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "The Commission on Presidential Debates on Monday announced the dates and locations of three presidential debates to be held during the general election campaign next year, as well as one vice-presidential debate. The presidential debates are scheduled for Sept. 16 at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas; Oct. 1 at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va.; and Oct. 9 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The vice-presidential debate is scheduled for Sept. 25 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. The moderators and formats for each debate are not expected to be announced until next year, but the events are scheduled to run for 90 minutes with no commercial breaks." The AP's story is here.
Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "A Republican pastor who coordinates the faith-based outreach for the Philadelphia chapter of Moms for Liberty was convicted a decade ago of sexually abusing a teenage boy." MB: Oh, read on. You will not be surprised to learn that Pastor Phil there claims he was the victim.
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Peter Baker of the New York Times: "For President Biden, who turns 81 on Monday, another birthday may bring more liability than revelry, offering one more reminder of his age to an already skeptical electorate. Unlike other presidents who have celebrated birthdays with lavish political events, Mr. Biden plans to observe his milestone privately with family in Nantucket later this week."
Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "Democrats are the true majority in the House.... At a Wednesday news conference, [Democratic Leader Hakeem] Jeffries emphasized, 'House Republicans are unable to govern on their own....' Republicans just do not have a majority that can govern.... Jeffries told reporters on Wednesday, 'House Democrats came into this week with three principal objectives with respect to the continuing resolution.' He explained: 'First, no spending cuts. Mission accomplished. Second, no extreme right-wing policy changes. Mission accomplished. Third, no government shutdown. Mission accomplished.'"
Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) shared an image of a Jan. 6 attacker with a claim that he was a secret FBI agent. He was proved wrong, but still won't delete the claim.... Lee shared the post ... [by a conspiracy theorist], saying, 'I can't wait to ask FBI Director Christopher Wray about this at our next oversight hearing. I predict that, as always, his answers will be 97% information-free.' The social media site ... included a fact-check dispelling the lie, saying, 'The person in the photo is Kevin Lyons. He has been sentenced to 51 months in prison for his illegal activities inside the Capitol on J6. He is not a police officer and is not holding a badge. He is carrying a vape and a photograph and wallet stolen from [Nancy] Pelosi's office.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: I'm confused. If all the leaders of the insurrection were FBI agents, and Donald Trump will to pardon the "patriots" who stormed the Capitol, is he going to pardon the FBI agents? And what about that purge of the FBI he promised? Will he pardon these guys, then fire them? It's sad when these bozos' conspiracy theories conflict with each other. Maybe Trump, et al., are stable geniuses after all who can "hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function."
The Deplorables. Hannah Knowles of the Washington Post: Donald "Trump's coarseness and cruelty have come to define the Republican Party since his rise to the presidency -- and many GOP voters relish and emulate the approach, while others tolerate it.... Trump's rhetoric has alienated voters across the political spectrum and made him a particularly galvanizing opponent for Democrats. Within the GOP, however, it has spread, with others down the ballot and even some of his rivals looking to replicate his shock tactics.... Campaigning for president again, Trump's rhetoric has only escalated.... Trump's language has rubbed off on his supporters."
Elizabeth Dwoskin, et al., of the Washington Post: "Antisemitism has long festered online, but the Israel-Gaza war and the loosening of content moderation on X have propelled it to unprecedented levels, coinciding with a dramatic rise in real-world attacks on Jews, according to several monitoring organizations. Since Oct. 7, antisemitic content has surged more than 900 percent on X and there have been more than 1,000 incidents of real-world antisemitic attacks, vandalism and harassment in America, according to the Anti-Defamation League -- the highest number since the human rights group started counting.... [Elon Musk's] comments amplifying antisemitic tropes to his 163.5 million followers, his dramatic loosening of standards for what can be posted, and his boosting of voices that previously had been banned from the platform ... all have made antisemitism more acceptable on what is still one of the world's most influential social media platforms." ~~~
~~~ David Edwards of the Raw Story: In an exchange with Jake Tapper of CNN, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to condemn Elon Musk for his antisemitic remarks. First DeSantis went the "I haven't heard that" route, then he did the what-aboutism routine and he downplayed Musk's remarks as "just blogging."
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Argentina. Jack Nicas of the New York Times: "Argentines on Sunday chose Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian who has drawn comparisons to Donald J. Trump, as their next president, a lurch to the right for a nation struggling under an economic crisis and a sign of the enduring strength of the global far right. Mr. Milei, 53, an economist and former television personality with little political experience, burst onto the traditionally closed Argentine political scene with a brash style, an embrace of conspiracy theories and a series of extreme proposals that he says are needed to upend a broken economy and government. Mr. Milei drew 56 percent of the vote, with 95 percent of the ballots counted, defeating Sergio Massa, Argentina's center-left economy minister, who had 44 percent." MB: Another reminder that it isn't only U.S. voters who are stupid.
Israel/Palestine. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Monday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israel's military released footage of what it said showed Hamas members 'forcibly transporting hostages' through al-Shifa Hospital on Oct. 7, citing the video as proof that Hamas used the hospital 'on the day of the massacre as terrorist infrastructure.' Hamas, in response to the video shared Sunday, did not dispute that its hostages receive medical treatment and said some had been wounded by Israeli airstrikes.... The medical director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza told The Post that there was a strike on the facility Monday, followed by shooting in the direction of the hospital.... The World Health Organization said it evacuated 31 very sick premature infants from al-Shifa Hospital, taking them by ambulance to a facility near the Egyptian border. Two babies died the night before a U.N. team reached them, the WHO said." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' live updates for Monday are here. CNN's live updates are here.
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Reader Comments (14)
RIP, Rosalynn Carter, and thank you for all you did for this country.
Could there possibly be a more stark contrast between First Families when comparing the Carters to the Trumps? Rosalynn Carter, public spirited activist for mental health, among many other causes, versus soft core porn Melania whose motto is “I really don’t care”; Jimmy Carter, whose post presidential life has been a model of what that period could be like, who picked up a hammer and went to work building homes with Habitat for Humanity, who in the Navy served in the Naval Reactors Branch, US Atomic Energy Commission, and assisted in the design and development of nuclear propulsion plants for naval vessels, versus a narcissistic, grifting traitor who pisses on the poor, destroys everything in his path, stole top secret documents and revealed highly classified information about US Naval nuclear submarines.
Then compare the kids. Amy Carter was arrested several times protesting CIA recruitment on college campuses* and participated in protests against South African apartheid. Fatty’s kids are greedy, self serving mooches who would have stood up FOR apartheid in South Africa, at least when they weren’t off pretending to be big game hunters, shooting endangered wildlife.
The comparison also works when examining what both parties offer: pubic service to help make the world a better place, or grifting, lying treason.
I listened to a podcast the other day, an interview with former Missouri Secretary of State, Democrat Jason Kander, who also served as an Army captain in Afghanistan. He zeroed in on an essential difference between parties, a difference that extends to the comparison between the Carters and the Trumps.
In Missouri, he recalled, Republicans put forward a bill to cut the salaries of anyone working in state government if they made more than the lieutenant governor (a Republican, in a part time job). The problem was that this would affect people like doctors and scientists who were working in various public departments, working full time. The rationale? As Kander describes it, as far as Republicans are concerned, if you were any good, you wouldn’t be in public service. You’d be off working at some corporation making a pile of money for yourself.
Why help others when you can be helping yourself?
This seems exactly right, although not sure what but says about Rs in elected office, except they see it as a way to grift off the taxpayers and force their ideology on the rest of us.
Nonetheless, the distinction is clear. Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter saw public service as the highest calling and they were exceptional in that pursuit. The Trumps? Fuck all you little people. I want mine!
Vote.
*So I looked up Amy Carter to make sure my memory was correct about her activities as a protester. One site listed her as just another problematic presidential kid, comparing her to Dubya’s daughters going out on drunken sprees. Because protesting state sponsored racism is the same as doing Jell-O shots in a Texas bar. Both sides” everywhere you look.
Since my Ayn Rand days (six or so weeks when I was a high school senior), I have always thought libertarians an amalgam of sometimes smart, often selfish, and always naive folks whose "philosophy" of me- first smacked heavily of elitism, implying as it does that I'm smart enough to do just fine without anyone's help but you probably aren't.
Maybe I have libertarianism wrong, but I can't fathom how that viewpoint or a person who espouses it can possibly act on behalf of others instead of him- or herself.
More specifically, in Argentina's case, how the new libertarian savior will be able to save anything. Libertarians are, after all, leave me alone people, who believe government should have little place in our lives, that our fate should be in our hands alone. There's even an element of you deserve what you get in there somewhere, often espoused by people like Musk, much of whose vast wealthy went directly from taxpayers' pockets into his.
So will Javier M. take a hands off approach to governing (kinda a contraction in terms..) and let the economy right itself as if by magic, or will he go all Chicago School and impose grinding poverty on the majority in the name of fiscal responsibility?
I view it as an experiment.
Not that I need to look far afield for another experiment in living.
We're running plenty of them here at home.
Just curious, so I looked it up.
https://www.g20climaterisks.org/argentina/#:~:text=Longer%20droughts%2C%20rising%20sea%20levels,tourism%20–%20causing%20massive%20economic%20costs.
A report the new Argentinian leader won't read that might provide more sand for him to stick his head into.
WaPo has a story about the many people who worked for DiJiT in his administration (Kelly, Barr, et al) who publicly claim that he should never be re-elected, and that he is unfit for office. Kelly is quoted as being unable to understand how anyone could support DiJiT now that we know what we know. And yet .... here is a paragraph taken about a third of the way in:
"At the same time, even some who have publicly declared Trump unfit for office have said they would still support him over Biden in 2024."
Many of these people, who have direct experience with DiJiT's evil and who believe he would be a disaster for the country, cannot bring themselves to support "a Democrat" or "Biden." And, many question whether their opposition to DiJiT would in any way degrade his chances. Some of them fear for their income or their safety if DiJiT comes back, but still can't support "a Democrat."
How to explain this other than mental illness? I don't know.
The Kraken has been released!
This article is from when the latest Covid variant was discovered.
Canadian biologist Dr. Grefory said we'll call this one the Kraken.
Was he referring to M. T. Greene? Or maybe he reads RealityChex.
https://healthyreads.com/572/yahoo/947689/0014/kraken-covid/
Reading Rubin's op-ed that Democrats are the majority in the House of Representatives, not only do the Republicans lack a governing majority, they lack a majority that wants to govern.
Raw Story
"Donald Trump shared a post calling for a "citizen's arrest" of New York Attorney General Letitia James and Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron — and a legal expert said that should make him liable for incitement."
The self-awareness is not strong in this one
“Mmm the dark side is very powerful in Biden. Crooked is he. Your country, he does not care. The force is strong in Trump. Win he must. Help him, you can. Caucus for him, you shall. For without his victory, all hope is lost.” – Republican Iowa state Rep. Mike Sexton's Yoda impression.
@RAS: It so happens I am listening to three federal appeals court judges do some serious thumb-sucking on whether or not Judge Tanya Chutkan's gag order should be enforced against the Trumpster. They are considering all kinds of what-ifs.
Then you raise a citizen's arrest!
To make sure I knew what I was talking about (which, admittedly, I don't always), I looked up exactly how a citizen makes an arrest. So here is what the Googles say:
"Tell the suspect plainly that you are making a citizen's arrest and that you are holding him or her until police arrive.
"Call the police.
"Ask explicitly for his or her cooperation until police arrive.
"Avoid using force, if at all possible, and use it to the minimum possible otherwise."
IOW, the citizen detains the person, and he may do so, if necessary, by using some measure of force. That is, the citizen may detain the person and may commit violence against the person if he determines on his own that force is necessary.
On top of that, as the law expert cited in the Raw Story report says, the only time a citizen can arrest a person in New York State is if he has witnessed the person commit a felony.
There's no citizen walking around the streets of New York who has seen Letitia James or Arthur Engoron commit a felony.
So, IMO, Trump is inciting his followers to illegally use violence against the judge and prosecutor. Not only that, if history serves, some MAGAt will follow Trump's cue.
Those federal judges can go on sucking their thumbs, but Trump is thumbing his nose at them as he encourages his followers to do violence against members of the New York State judicial system.
@Marie: I saw this highlighted on wonkette From AP
"Both posts included a picture that Greenfield had publicly posted online of her with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, but Trump added a falsehood about her personal life [that she was Schumer's girlfriend] before sending it off to his millions of followers.
Kise on Thursday characterized Trump’s addition as “political parody” and Friedman questioned if the blowback for Greenfield was entirely Trump’s fault, asking, “If you put something out in public and then it goes viral, who’s responsible?”"
Re: Fatty’s bullshit citizen’s arrest order. This asshole never demands that his thugs do something legal, follow the law, or act in a responsible manner. He’s all about “Go to bat for me and do whatever you have to do to screw my enemies!” now and then followed by a laughable lie about paying any legal fees incurred after the requested violence has been committed.
The “citizen’s arrest” scam is mentioned solely for purposes of deniability should one or two or more MAGA thugs carry out his order and do something illegal-violent-dangerous. “I never told them to hit her with a pipe wrench. I said ‘citizen’s arrest’ (*snicker-snicker*).”
Real deal Christians …and Americans
While I’m thinking of comparisons between the Trump Crime Family and the Carter family, it’s instructive to recall that Rosalynn Carter, way back in 1976, voiced her opinion on abortion and made it clear that while she was personally against it, she was adamantly pro-choice as was her husband, Jimmy Carter. :
“INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 8 (UPI)—Jimmy Carter's wife said today that her husband was not likely to change his position on abortion.
His stand on that issue has not changed since the days when he was Governor of Georgia, Rosalynn Carter said, adding that Mr. CArter personally opposed abortion but did not want it made illegal.”
(From NY Times article, Sept. 9, 1976.)
Unlike Fatty and Mrs. I Really Don’t Care, the Carters were serious church going Baptists. Jimmy taught Sunday school. But they didn’t think they had a right to force everyone else to abide by their beliefs.
They were true to their faith and true to the founding principles of their country and its constitution. Jimmy Carter would never have had peaceful citizens gassed so he could stand in front of a church he had never seen the inside of and hold up a Bible (upside down) the inside of which he had never seen either, to curry favor with phony Christians (and equally phony Americans).
They were the real deal.
Mr. Milei, take notice:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/20/us/death-valley-lake.html
No climate change in Death Valley either.
"A look back at Biden’s epic WHCD riff from April taking on those who call him too old"