Once, a young woman used that phrase to call out those in power who would double deal, who would try to have their cake and eat it too. Once again we are seeing the same thing.
So for the sake of history I am writing this post on this day to remind those who come after what happened in Washington on Capitol Hill today. The impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump was ended with an acquittal. Despite the fact that the House Managers proved their case against Trump Mitch McConnell and his Republican followers voted to acquit. Why? Because they said that because Trump was no longer in office the whole case was unconstitutional. However, the Sentae had already voted on this point, voting that it was. Also, Mitch McConnell in his actions to delay the trial until after the inauguration set up this time line.
So I say this is the face of hypocrisy. I can well understand if you cannot listen to it the whole way through.
Donald J. Trump did his best to undermine our democracy, breaking his oath of office. He should never be allowed to hold public office again. And it was the duty of our elected officials to call him to account. Those 7 Republican elected officials that voted with the Democrats in the Senate to convict are to be commended for their loyalty to their country. Those who chose their own political careers and their party over their country should be ashamed.
90 comments:
Yeah, well,…
Perhaps now is the time to point out that we already have 57 Senate votes for the proposition that Donald John Trump incited, i.e. engaged in, an insurrection against the United States of America.
I would point out the clear language of the 14ᵗʰ Amendment to the Constitution:
U.S. Constitution―14ᵗʰ Amendment § 3:
(Edited for clarity)
"No person shall…hold any office, civil or military, under the
United States…who, having previously taken an oath…as an
officer of the United States…, shall have engaged in insur-
rection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort
to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-
thirds of each House, remove such disability."
It's only a matter of time before somebody points out that Trump's already been "disabled" from holding federal office ever again.
He was determined to have engaged in an insurrection. He just wasn't successfully impeached. But, that's not the end of the story.
He's already been determined to have been involved in the insurrection of 6 January 2021.
Yes, well, there are those who really don't care. They are even now working to resurrect him. Think night of the zombies.
"They are even now working to resurrect him."
I think I'm in favor of that. I think I'd like to see Trump installed as the permanent, perennial, and unchallenged candidate from the Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. Make it an entitlement for him--nobody else allowed to run for that office on the Republican ticket for so long as the Trump shall live.
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I should also probably point out that the 14ᵗʰ Amendment isn't self-enforcing. According to § 5:
"The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate
legislation, the provisions of this article."
So, the Congress would have to adopt specific legislation outlawing Trump from federal office--the mere fact that he has already drawn a majority in favor of impeaching him on those grounds isn't quite sufficient. (I'm not sure if the "legislation" would require the signature of the executive--of Joe Biden in this case, but the current President's signature might be necessary--that is, if the legislation were pass with a mere majority--i.e with the 57 Senate votes who've already voted that way once.) But, the threat that Congress might outlaw Trump at any time, by a simple majority vote, should be enough to paralyze any future Trumpian candidacy.
I should probably point out that Eugene Debs ran for the Presidency five (5) times sequentially, once from prison, as head of the Socialist Party ticket in the early 1900s. I'm kinda hopin' the same level of success befall today's Republican Party.
We need another institutional political party to counter-balance today's Democrats, but the clowns who've sold out their party organization to the service of FoxNews is not what we need. I think the conservatives need to reorganize from scratch.
Lyndon LaRouche ran for President seven (7) times--once from prison where he was serving a term for fraud. We can hope Trump does likewise (although he's a little old to expect he'll be able to make six more runs at it)
Lindsey Graham has been floating Lara Trump as the future of the Republican Party. I haven't checked out who she is or how she is related to The Donald. But if she's a Trump you can bet she it in his pocket.
She's a daughter-in-law; wife of Eric Trump.
We need another institutional political party to counter-balance today's Democrats...
Yes and it appears that there are some who are looking into that. Not the clowns but other mainstream Republicans. Perhaps that is where we see Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney migrate to, if it comes to pass.
She's a daughter-in-law; wife of Eric Trump.
Ahh, I thought that was maybe it. Probably has more time since the boys are involved in the Trump Empire.
Trump is now being sued in civil court.
Former President Donald Trump and attorney Rudy Giuliani are being accused of conspiring with the far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers to incite the January 6 insurrection in a civil lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court by the Democratic chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. The suit cites a post-Civil War law designed to combat violence and intimidation by the Ku Klux Klan.
The lawsuit, filed by Mississippi Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson in his personal capacity, is the first civil action filed against the former President related to the attack at the US Capitol and comes days after the Senate acquitted Trump in his impeachment trial.
And this guy wants his money back.
A Republican donor who gave $2.5 million for a voter fraud investigation by a conservative nonprofit has come to regret his decision and doubt the conspiracy theories that fueled the effort, The Washington Post reported Monday.
Court records and interviews conducted by the Post show donor Fred Eshelman has worked to get his millions back from True the Vote, a Texas-based group that vowed to expose voter fraud.
Eshelman, who wasn't familiar with True the Vote before Election Day, had "thought about the range of possibilities around vote fraud" when he made his donations, according to the newspaper.
I wonder, will some of those people who donated to Trump's "legal" fund also regret their choice?
I think I'm looking forward to Trump being the Republicans' Presidential nominee in 2024.
There was substantial speculation that Trump wanted to head up his own PR enterprise, maybe even a direct competitor "news" organization going toe-to-toe with FoxNews. But that dream is pretty much busted now. (Besides that was gonna involve real work.) Now, he's got limited opportunities to hear the roar of the crowd ever again unless he runs for President again. (And his need for that approval ain't near been satisfied.) And, polling as of now, indicates he'd be the early favorite by a wide margin with the primary-voting Republican "base". So….
But, I've heard that some people are already regretting their past contributions to Trump--not a lot though.
I just listened to Biden's town hall. It was refreshing to listen to someone who actually had ideas of substance. While he may not be the best communicator he appears sincere in his desire to do right by the people of our country.
I also liked the end where he spoke about living in the White House. He understands the history and weight of the office.
I missed Biden's town hall meeting on account of it was on a cable channel.
But, I did just notice that Trump's new super-PAC is unselfconsciously named "Save America".
Reckon there's a hint in there somewhere?
The lies are still flowing, so yes, he is hinting.
We can probably include what is happening in Texas to the list.
The chickens are really coming home to roost in a bad way down there for those who played fast and loose with Texas' power supply.
The lies are continuing, with the biggest being that it is the fault of renewables, when in fact it is the fossil fuel industry who was caught flat footed. Texas reliance on renewables is small.
Here in Minnesota, where we have just started to thaw out from over 10 days of below zero temps, our windmills are still functioning. Those in Texas are missing a crucial part, I believe. Cost savings no doubt.
Texas also chose to go it alone and not hook up to the national grid in an effort to avoid federal regulations.
This crisis is a crisis of leadership and governance. And it will need to be addressed, because these weather conditions will only grow more frequent as climate change reaches a tipping point.
The Perseverance rover has landed successfully on Mars and sent back pics of its new home. Score another one for NASA.
At least we can still do something right!
It's being reported that the "Trump Shall Rise Again" fantasy about "the Storm" coming on the 4ᵗʰ of March is now moving out of the QAnon-online discussions and into the evangelical/charismatic Christer prophet postings. (They just ain't givin' up on it.)
"Texas also chose to go it alone and not hook up to the national
grid in an effort to avoid federal regulations."
It has been pointed out that Texas is nevertheless always damn quick to demand the copious distribution of Federal disaster relief when the disasters they refuse to plan for inevitably strike.
(They just ain't givin' up on it.)
Some people just won't see.
It has been pointed out that Texas is nevertheless always damn quick to demand the copious distribution of Federal disaster relief when the disasters they refuse to plan for inevitably strike.
Unfortunately it is always the average person who has to weather the storm. They can't all fly to Mexico like Senator Cruz.
Politico headline: "Trump gears up for war with his own party"
It's beginning to look like the Republican Party's punishment for having successfully defended Trump through two impeachments is that they now have an embittered and still politically active Trump in their midst. And he can't rampage against the "libs" anymore (well, he can try, but the "libs" won't care anymore), so….
Well, yes, he has to have someone to fight with. So now it will be his own party.
As for the "libs" not caring, this is true. I have found the lack of Trump refreshing and very pleasant, myself.
I've noticed that Trump has been scheduled to appear at the closing day of the annual CPAC gathering. (Conservative Political Action Conference)
It might lead to something that "libs" may want to notice, but it might instead be pleasantly ignorable.
"They can't all fly to Mexico like Senator Cruz."
But, they can keep voting for Senator Cruz, and Trump, and the likes of them. And, since they can, they do.
It sounds like Pence has chosen to skip the CPAC conference.
But, they can keep voting for Senator Cruz, and Trump, and the likes of them. And, since they can, they do.
This is true. And so they will continue to have difficulties with their power supply.
"Pence has chosen to skip the CPAC conference."
He's unlikely to feel welcomed at venues where they're fêting Trump.
Probably not!
Two things of interest this morning. The Supreme Court has ruled against the Republicans in Pennsylvania who appealed a lower court ruling against their lawsuit regarding the 2020 election. Also, Trump has been ordered to release his tax returns to the state of New York.
Perhaps in the long run CPAC will regret having Trump as their star speaker.
CPAC may go down with the ship.
The Pennsylvania lawsuit represented the single "win" for the Trumpkin/Republicans during that blizzard of lawsuits they filed after the election. It's been called a "win" for them because a Pennsylvania judge did order that the paperwork and machinery from three (3) Pennsylvania voting precincts be maintained in their post-count condition, pending the resolution of their lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. (They'd asked for a state-wide order, but the judge gave them three precincts only.)
I was never of the opinion that they'd actually won anything other than an irrelevant order to keep some evidence untainted in case of later need to examine it again, but that's been repeatedly touted as their only win out of almost 60 cases filed. Now that's gone by the wayside as well.
Dominion Voting Systems has filed their previously threatened $1.3 billion suit against Mike Lindell. WashingtonPost
Yes, I saw that. He has apparently been gathering "evidence" of Dominion changing votes and is happy they are suing him so it can be made public.
It should be interesting.
"It should be interesting."
Not quite 200 years ago a religious cult originating in the United States was told by its leader that Christ would return to Earth for the Advent by 21 March 1844. That did not happen. The assembled followers were disappointed.
Undeterred, the cult leader reread his scriptures, allegedly spotted his error(s), and revealed that the correct date was 18 April of 1844. The followers gathered faithfully again to greet their Messiah. Again, they were disappointed. Their Messiah did not show up for the party.
Still undeterred the cult leader reinterpreted his scriptures and (confidently this time) announced that he'd finally pinned down the correct date for the end of the world and the Advent of the Kingdom of God as 22 October 1844. Accordinglyh, the faithful gathered en masse at the designated location in New Hampshire to greet the returning Messiah. Didn't happen.
Undaunted, they gave up on guessing the date and named their new religion the "Seventh-day Adventist Church" and proceeded to go out into the world to spread their new gospel.
QAnon has recently determined that Donald Trump will, somehow, successfully be sworn in as President of the United States on the 4th of March of this year, and he will then lead a bloody purge of the "others", of the not-real-Americans--we got about two weeks 'til their Messiah comes storming back in all his orangish glory and smites their enemies.
"Interesting" may not fully describe it.
"…we got about two weeks 'til their Messiah comes storming back…"
Less time than that. I forgot allow for February is a short month.
Well, the "interesting" I meant was the evidence that Lindell says he has. So far that has been pretty scarce.
As to March 4th I hope that enough people will have found enough reality to make that date less than interesting.
Yes, it is next Thursday.
Derek Chauvin's trial starts March 8th. They are preparing for possible problems surrounding that.
"They are preparing for possible problems…"
I presume you mean they're preparing for the reaction to Chavin's acquittal?
It's almost impossible to convict a cop for killing a black man. The federal courts have devised standards of proof and institutional defenses that stop just short of saying that simply being a black man is a legally adequate excuse for any cop killing said black man, so long as the cop remembers to claim that he "felt threatened" in some fashion. Very few defense lawyers forget to make the legal claim that their cop client "felt threatened". And that's usually all it takes for the cop to walk.
That needs to change. A few more George Floyds, and, given the ubiquity of cell phone captured videos, perhaps it will change eventually, perhaps even someday soon.
But, there's also the possibility that the right-wingers are eager enough to spring into action that they may decide to invade Minneapolis in protest of action of trying a white cop for killing a black man. It seems they're gettin' braver ever day (or perhaps it's them gettin' more desperate, but sure looks they're gettin' braver). Maybe that's what you were referring to?
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In what might be considered a follow up to an earlier round of conversation….
Democrats are beginning to make noises about possibly investigating the role played by cable television in spreading misinformation and disinformation in the lead-up to the January 6ᵗʰ insurrection at the Capitol Building. Specifically, they're asking about whether One America News Network, Newsmax, and even FoxNews ought to be allowed to spread their faerie tales via America's cable news companies.
(If they're gonna get banned from Facebook should the cable services be asked about their own obligations to democracy?)
Predictably, the Republicans are so-far dead set against any such investigations. They think even discussing the problem is an assault on their First Amendment Rights to promote sedition and foment insurrection. Politico
It would be more the first option, I believe. Although I think they are preparing for anything. They are looking at the trial to last into the latter part of April.
There will always be those who scream free speech even when the speech is shot full of holes.
I don't like the idea of muzzling people, but there needs to be a chance at a rebuttal based on real facts. Especially if people aren't going to do their due diligence.
I had to correct the wording in that one comment...
"I don't like the idea of muzzling people, but there needs to
be a chance at a rebuttal based on real facts."
I'm worried about "muzzling" people as well, especially as the the technology to track people, both online and in the real world, becomes ubiquitous. We're entering a new time, and such transitions are dangerous to democracy. But…, if the government isn't going to be directing the counter-strike against the new flows of false information (and I'm not onboard with giving the government that power), if FoxNews is to be treated as if it were a real news provider, or, alternatively, tolerated as a generally legal fascist propaganda agency; if Facebook is to allowed to continue as a platform for the the crazies to find one another and proselytize to the poorly informed; if the government isn't going to regulate the flow of argument and information in this new "information age", then somebody's gotta do it.
I think the younger generation's demands for social accountability (in the place of absence of government imposed legal accountability) is probably where the new age will take us.
This is the reality of the "cancel culture" that the authoritarians have identified as their natural enemy (although I'd take exception to the name), and that they are trying so desperately to stigmatize and nip in the bud. The kids are better at spotting the online bullshitters than their parents are. And there's plenty of bullshitters who've been fairly successful of late who don't like that development even a little bit. So, now their enemies aren't just the Democrats; now they've found an even broader American enemy to hate on.
I'm not sure how it's gonna work out in the end, but I think I'm on the side of those who're now striving to impose non-governmental, social accountability on those who're trying to spin up today's faerie tales and tomorrow's faerie tale histories. If it's gonna be "cancel culture" against Trump and his dedicated Trumpkins (they're already back out in the field, again promoting the lies that brought us the attempted clown coup of the 6ᵗʰ of January), and that looks to be how that front in the culture war contest is shakin' out for the future, I think I'm on the side of the "cancel culture" folks.
I think.
The Democrats have to put up with "AOC", Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Who I'd originally considered a burden to bear.
Turns out she ain't nothin' compared to Marjorie Taylor Greene. (Who, it's being said, goes by "MTG" these days.)
Omg...they just rolled in a gold statue of Donald Trump at the CPAC conference!!
I kid you not.
This is no longer a political party. It is truly a cult.
Yes, I tend to agree with you on cancel culture.
If there is anything that should be canceled it is what Trump and his Republican enablers are doing.
"Yes, I tend to agree with you on cancel culture."
In that case, let me reiterate and emphasize the point… "I'd take exception to the name.".
The right-winger crazies who've agreed among themselves upon the name, who've agreed to use and promote the name, haven't yet agreed upon what it means. They don't know what it means yet; they're still workin' on that, but they know their followers will follow them into this new unknown if they sell it as a "culture" thing. Just so long as they define it as an element of the culture war they're waging, they can expect a large and unquestioning following. The followers don't need to know what it's about just yet, so long as they're told it's got something to do with their "culture war" against the not-real-Americans.
(Leaves them room to fill in the blanks later, as the need may arise.)
We'll all find out what it means later. (For the right-wingers trying to use the term as an implement of war--it's still just a generally inchoate allegation of … … … of something yet to be adequately defined, but already conceived of as a weapon against those who call them out on their lies.)
Golden statue you say? Guess they're expecting that Moses won't survive to come back down from the mountain this time.
Snopes.com has already been obliged to "fact check" the allegation that they rolled out a golden statue of Trump at the CPAC gathering. Even the dedicated Trumpkins didn't believe it. Snopes
He was wearing American flag shorts.
I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't been watching it on CNN. Somehow I doubt it was something they would have even thought of faking, it was that stupid.
They've approved the j&j vacvine. First shots may start next week.
Ok, I listened to the video of the artist who apparently created that statue for Trump. I feel rather bad for calling it stupid as I feel rather sorry for that guy. He has totally drunk the Kool Aid.
"The artist" did not approve its display at the CPAC conference. "Stupid" still applies.
it appears that some people are rather insulted that others would suggest is was Antifa at the riot on Jan. 6th.
"There's a lot of memes and posts flying around saying that the people who were fighting last night were all Antifa provocateurs etc.," defendant Jose Padilla allegedly posted to Facebook one day after the January 6 attack. "I just want to say that as a first hand observer of every point of last night, that it was not Antifa. They were Patriots who were trying to Restore the Republic."
As the article goes on there are more people who are pushing back againt the Antifa idea.
They are also closing in on a possible suspect in the murder of Officer Brian Sicknick. They are thinking it was the guy who was spraying people with bear spray. They just need to identify him.
"Stupid" still applies.
Yeah. Most of the major religions did away with idolatry a long time ago.
"…people who are pushing back againt the Antifa idea."
Something you may want to keep in mind going forward…
The dedicated Trumpkins, for the most part, don't believe the Antifa story because they think it's true. They believe it because they've been given permission to believe it, in spite of it not being true.
This has turned into a political cult. That's the way cults work. Indeed, believing in the cult dogma, irrespective of its truth or believability, is usually considered the price of admission to the cult. Failure to believe is often punished by exile.
(Take a look at that profile of Marjorie Taylor Greene if you get time; I know it's a little long, but I think it's worth it--if yet get a little free time.)
trivia: The golden Trump statue was made in Mexico, in a town called Rosarito.
(Take a look at that profile of Marjorie Taylor Greene if you get time; I know it's a little long, but I think it's worth it--if yet get a little free time.)
I started reading that the other day. I haven't finished it yet, because you are right, it is rather long. But also, I just got tired of the weirdness. I will skip back up and try to finish it.
"I just got tired of the weirdness."
Well then, maybe you read enough of it to get the idea. They believe in the unbelievable because they think they've been given permission to believe in it, not because they think it's actually true.
(In the case, specifically, of Greene, she believes in it because it brings her attention, which she craves. The truth of the proposition is irrelevant to her cravings for attention.)
I did go back up and finish the article.
She is just another version of Trump. What got him elected got her elected.
That is what makes this so scary. That so many people are okay with the lies, the totally crazy conspiracy laden persona.
That they are so afraid of giving others a seat at the table or maybe a seat in the front of the bus would be more apt, and choose to not even look at the damage they are doing to our country is so cowardly.
The biggest lie of all isn't about Trump and the election it is that these people are patriotic.
"That is what makes this so scary. That so many people are
okay with the lies…"
Yeah, well, they've been lied to consistently on FoxNews for decades. "Supply-side" economics, global warming, the Laffer curve, "trickle down" economic benefits.
They've had to learn to be okay with it.
Got to thinking overnight about the issue of political lying on the political right.
I figure ya gotta go back to the administration of Ronald Reagan, more precisely to his subsequent beatification as a right-wing secular saint to fully understand the relationship of dedicated Trumpkins to political lies.
They expect to be lied to by politicians. Indeed they demanded that their politicians lie to them. And to fully understand that we have to go back to Ronald Reagan. Consider, if you will:
"The Laffer curve: Tax cuts for the rich will result in increased tax collections for the federal government." (Demonstrably wrong; repeatedly proven wrong.)
"Supply-side economics: Along with the entirely imaginary, repeatedly proven imaginary ‛trickle-down’ of benefits from the very wealthy to the Republiocan ‘base’ voter."
In the years which followed they've grafted additional faerie tales onto the original Reagan matrix, including:
"The liberals gave away our win in the Vietnam War; we had it won and then they surrendered; they betrayed us to the commies." (This almost exactly parallels the ‛dolchstoßlegende’ faerie tale from Nazi Germany.)
"Global warming is a liberal hoax (or a Chinese hoax, as the case may be)"
"The Jews are seeking to replace white Americans with brown immigrant people."
"George Soros is everywhere."
Any Republican politician who contradicted any of these faerie tales, or any of a dozen others, was summarily declared an apostate (a ‛RINO’ in their jargon), and is quickly banished from FoxNews.
They demand that their leaders lie to them, that their leaders repeat these and other favored lies for them to bask in. They are therefore entirely unpreturbed when their leaders spin up a new set of "Trump-friendly" lies for them and for the rest of us.
And….
Perhaps now's the time to point out that FoxNews refuses to go to broadcast television for a real reason. Broadcast TV still requires a public license. The public license still subjects the broadcaster to FCC oversight ("in the public interest"). It's arguable that patently anti-American fascist propaganda (even if it self-professes to be "super-patriotic-real-American stuff") could cause the loss of that license. The "fairness doctrine" has been long abandoned, but the question of serving "the public interest" on the public's airwaves still applies.
FoxNews don't wanna clean up their act, and they don't wanna risk getting quaeried 'bout why they're puttin' anti-democratic bullshit on that public airwaves. Rupert Murdoch don't wanna be answering those question during a Senate hearing in front of his competitors' cameras.*
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* CNN doesn't have a broadcast network channel either, but then neither do they have an entertainment/broadcast subsidiary like Fox does. But, Fox specifically, intentionally does not carry any network news programs on its entertainment/broadcast subsidiary ("FoxNewsSunday", the talking head program which is carried there, is a misnomer, it's not actually affiliated with FoxNews.)
Brief correction: FoxNewsSunday is now affiliated with Fox News. It pre-dated the formation of the Fox News, opened for business on the Fox entertainment channel back when there was no Fox News channel, but they've since affiliated it with Fox News, although they don't actually produce it over there. It's now nominally a "presentation" of Fox News, the only one that makes it over to the Fox entertainment channel where FoxNewsSunday first appeared back when there was no Fox News channel. (I probably should have looked that up instead of going off the top of my head on that one.)
CPAC stage's floor plan appears to mimic the NAZI "odel" rune. pic
Kinda hard to believe that was accidental. Equally hard to believe they thought they could get away with it unnoticed.
Conclusion: They probably expected it to be noticed, and then they expected to deny it was intentional. "Plausible deniability" that's called.
Or simply lying. I have not listened to Trump's speech, nor will I, but for those who did it appeared that he is going to do everything in his power to encourage voter suppression. Already we are seeing Republican efforts to roll back mail in voting and any early voting.
Trump has also made it clear he will seek revenge on those who have stood against him.
They really should have purged him from the party when they had the chance.
"They really should have purged him from the party when
they had the chance."
If you're talking about either of the two impeachments (or even more restrictively, about the immediate aftermath to the January 6th clown coup), they were well past having any chance to purge Trump by then. Accordingly, Trump has abandoned any plan he might have been developing to start a third, overtly Trumpkin Party.
The widely ballyhooed "Republican Civil War" is already over; Trump won, obviously. They didn't even make a token effort at putting up a good fight.
On the bright side… I can't see Trump foregoing the nomination in 2024, and I can't see them keeping it away from him. But, I can envision him taking the entire Trumpkin/Republican Party down with him next time.
On the bright side… I can't see Trump foregoing the nomination in 2024, and I can't see them keeping it away from him. But, I can envision him taking the entire Trumpkin/Republican Party down with him next time.
If Biden doesn't run again in 4 years this might be the thing that could elect Kamala Harris as president.
Two interesting conversations today.
Sadly, the first was someone who is no longer talking to his Democratic (former) friends. From other remarks he made, obviously a Trump supporter. But at least he did acknowledge that the election is over, get over it.
The second person was someone who looked at Trump's policies and actually liked some of them. She didn't go into detail, but she said it was nice not to have to listen to him anymore. She said she would not vote for Trump in 2024 if he ran again.
Doesn't sound like either of them were sufficiently upset over Trump's effort to delegitimize American democracy. As you mentioned before, the lie that these people are even remotely "patriotic" is the most dangerous one they promote.
The QAnon/Evangelical talk of the coming of "the Storm" and the overthrow of the American government (Lee C @ Fri Feb 19, 03:45 pm--↑↑) has resulted in the canceling of Congress for tomorrow.
Cancel culture has morphed into cancel government thanks to the crazies on the right.
The 'crazies on the right' are now going to have to come to terms with the failure of the Great Orange Leader to return in all his orangish glory. They may simply reschedule the day, much as did the religion besotted throngs looking for the Rapture back in the mid 19ᵗʰ Century.
More likely they'll react by dialing back down their allegiance to their Great Orange Leader and dialing up their commitment to violent "self-help". I don't think they'll abandon their hopes of "the Storm" to come.
But, I do think that going forward with the expectation of "the Storm" still coming one day will mean they'll recognize that they'll have to help it along. So, their dedication to the Great Orange Leader will fade with time, but they will probably become increasingly radical and increasingly violent in the next few years. (The lack of the Great Orange Leader will necessitate some other rallying point--social violence is likely to supply that rally point.)
Meaning no disrespect to our friends who live there, but I am rather glad I do not live in Texas. After the inability of the state to create a capable power grid they are now removing the mask mandate. Too early in my opinion. I would want more people to be vaccinated first.
They may simply reschedule the day, much as did the religion besotted throngs looking for the Rapture back in the mid 19ᵗʰ Century.
Yes, the more delusional will. They interviewed one of the people who believe Trump will be inaugurated today. When asked what she would think if that didn't happen she just said all it would mean was that Trump had other plans.
*sigh*
Trump may be gone, but Trumpism is here to stay. Bet that.
And when I say “may” I mean may. That fat, orange sonofagun might just surprise us all once more.
I sometimes, very rarely but sometimes, wonder how Zeyad is doing these days and what he’s doing. He started this whole thing and was mostly leavel headed although he did go batshit crazy for a brief period, and who can blame him, but all in all came of as an ok dude. I hope he does ok now.
"Trumpism is here to stay."
What you call "Trumpism" pre-dated Trump's incursion into politics by decades. We can trace that particular mix of right-wing crazie back to the John Birch Society (formally organized under that name in 1958), at least that far back.
Trump's particular talent lays (as usual) in branding his name onto something that someone else built. Whether that name will stick now that Trump himself has been turned out is an open question.
But that particular mix of nuts predates Trump by decades and will certainly outlast him as well.
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I think Zeyad was actually the second Baghdad blogger to come along. "Salaam Pax" was the first. I must admit, I seldom think of Zeyad anymore--once in awhile, but not often.
I remember to mention a comment you made a couple of weeks ago…
"I mostly just liked him bc he was pissing my political enemies
off."
Marcus @ Wed Feb 17, 12:20:00 pm
You might be surprised to find out that actually does qualify you as a "true Trumpkin". (Perhaps not a "dedicated" Trumpkin, but certainly true enough to the form.) Turned out his open malice was his biggest draw all along. In the end that's about all he had goin' for him, and most of his supporters will admit it these days (perhaps not the quasi-religiously struck extremists, but the majority of 'em). The "America First" and "MAGA" crap was just window dressing, something to give Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity a theme to hold together their one hour shows.
That fat, orange sonofagun might just surprise us all once more.
As the pandemic fades and the economy starts to rev up there will be more people who shake their heads and mutter "what was I thinking?" This would also occur if for some reason Trump is shown to have participated in criminal activity through one or more of the various lawsuits pending against him and his interests.
Of course, this does not apply to the utterly brainwashed who are beyond reason. They will continue to back a losing horse. Nor does it apply to those who act out because of racial bias. They will always oppose any kind of even playing field for people who do not look like them.
I think Zeyad was actually the second Baghdad blogger to come along.
Didn't Riverbend predate Zeyad?
I hope he does ok now.
I have always wished Zeyad well. I think about both him and Bridget when Texas is in the news. I also wonder periodically if he has found happiness. He really was an enigma.
"Didn't Riverbend predate Zeyad?"
I stand corrected; forgot 'bout her.
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