I grabbed a bite to eat today and decided to then watch a bit of “Deadline White House” on MSNBC and a clip from a Fox “town hall” from last night almost made me gag. There was Laura Ingraham questioning Trump about the $450 BILLION judgement and the $80,000 per day of interest until he pays up – or until the decision is reversed on appeal. In regard to the appeal, Trump’s lawyers are, what appears to me – a non lawyer – to be incompetent. I believe the reason Judge Engoron took so long to file his decision was to make it appeal proof. I’ve read the same thing regarding the $88.8 MILLION he owes E. Jean Carroll. Alina Hobba – yikes!!! Regarding my reference to gagging – In response to Ingraham’s question Trump first compared himself to Alexei Navalny and then said “this is communism, fascism.”
It appears obvious to me Trump doesn’t understand the meaning of the words “communist and fascism.” To me, the latter reference to fascism comes across as pure projection – but, maybe he really doesn’t understand what he’s proposing for America is to turn this nation into a fascist state. He idolized people like Putin, Kim Jong Un, Viktor Orban, MBS, and other dictators who could be described as fascists. Focusing on America I’ve been pointing out the obvious push from the “right” to turn America into a fascist state for years. This did not begin with Trump, but when you look at our history he appears to be the closest to actually pulling this off.
I always thought I had a (fairly) good idea of American history pre WW II and the Americans who were sucking up to Adolph Hitler and who were “smacked down” by FDR including members of the family of GW Bush. But, last night I began reading Rachel Maddow’s “Prequel” and I quickly realized how little I know – and, I’m anxious to learn from Rachel’s expert scholarly research. I’m only through the prologue and feel I’ve already learned a lot.
I did know Adolf Hitler had a photo of Henry Ford in his office prior to WW II and I knew Ford was part of the pre-war fascist movement in America along with people like Charles Lindbergh. But, just in the first few pages I’ve already learned about several more “traitors” and I’m questioning why some of them were allowed to, well, keep “traitoring.” I also knew the Nazi’s researched the American policy of “dealing with” African Americans as they decided how they would “deal with” the Jews who ended up in the German gas chambers. (In America, African Americans were routinely being “lynched” in the 1920’s.) I’ve also known about the Nazi’s use of propaganda and have constantly been surprised/dismayed at our “liberal media’s” failure to make the connection between the constant LYING of republicans and the Nazi’s “Big Lie Theory.”
I say all that because whether it’s on his mind and he understands he’s using “projection” when he accuses President Biden, the DOJ, the State of New York, and anyone else in the democratic party or what he refers to as RHINOS as being “fascists” the reality is what Trump is proposing for his second term, out loud, can be referred to as nothing less. I’ve given the definition before of fascism here, but here it is again:
- A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, a capitalist economy subject to stringent governmental controls, violent suppression of the opposition, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
- A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.
- Oppressive, dictatorial control.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
If you haven’t been paying attention, just open “door #1” (OK, the first sentence in the definition) and you can apply it almost totally to today’s republican party and their “wish list” for the rest of us. I’ve been saying for years we are half way there (maybe not using those exact words) because of the corporate control of our nation which has been “intensified” by the Supreme Court and rulings over the years which culminated after Barack Obama was elected president with the Citizens United v FEC decision – opening an even LARGER floodgate of corporate MONEY into the political system followed by the gutting of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which opened the floodgate to voter suppression legislation across the nation with republicans trying to block democratic leaning constituencies from using their most basic right. (That was a “mouthful”)
But, as usual, it gets worse and it could get MUCH worse depending on what “we the people” choose to do come November 2024. Right now we’re dealing with a Congress which is purposely tying up the legislative process in “knots” in order to cause more people to throw up their arms and say it doesn’t matter who wins so “I’m not voting.” Republican members of the House openly BRAG about what their SHAM impeachment “investigation” into Joe Biden is doing to his “poll numbers.” (An investigation, by the way, which originated in the Kremlin) If you remember, a SHAM congressional investigation was how republicans torpedoed Hillary Clinton’s “numbers” during their SHAM Benghazi “investigation.” (Fool me once…………)
The new, and seemingly incompetent, Speaker of the House holds the future of Ukraine – and maybe Europe, and by extension America – in his Trump loving “hands.” I fear if the House of Representatives doesn’t pass the bipartisan legislative package which was miraculously passed by the Senate providing aid to Ukraine, Israel (more on that shortly), along with Humanitarian aid for Gaza right after returning from a questionable “vacation” maybe even THOUSANDS of Ukrainians will be killed unnecessarily. If the House follows Trump’s wishes and blocks further aid to Ukraine the devastation will be Mike Johnson’s legacy – as he will sit next to his idol, Trump, next to Benedict Arnold in the History books. That section is getting crowded!
I have to add, speaking of “thousands killed unnecessarily” – I, personally, believe any future aid to Israel SHOULD be conditioned on, at a minimum, a CEASE FIRE in Gaza with the focus going forward to save as many PALESTINIAN lives as possible via humanitarian aid. Netanyahu has GOT to go! I fully understand the importance of supporting Israel, but NOT on Netanyahu’s conditions. The Israeli’s have ventured, in my opinion, well into WAR CRIMES territory and the Biden administration needs to draw the line regarding “unconditional support.” But, I digress………..
Here’s the deal. The House returns on February 28th and, without a budget, parts of the government will shut down on March 1st. (That gives them 2 days to do what they’ve been unable to do in 13 months) I personally don’t think the House republicans are capable of creating a budget which will be acceptable to a bipartisan group of legislators without right wing House members (Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Chip Roy, Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, etc.) voting to “oust” Johnson as Speaker and then the “circus” begins anew. I honestly don’t believe these republicans care about how this looks to the nation because most, if not all, of the whack jobs are in totally “safe” republican districts. They’re going to get their 15 minutes of fame this year no matter the cost. Of course, what they’re counting on is the voting public blaming democrats for the lack of a budget. It could get really ugly. (OK, it’s already really ugly)
I can list a plethora of reasons why I believe any sane thinking American, especially younger Americans, should be rejecting this republican malfeasance but I’m going to start with the one which may register more with younger, and especially younger women, about why they should, despite his “age,” vote for Joe Biden, no matter what. The issue is the SUPREME COURT. The court got the attention of America’s women when they chose to go back on what they “promised” in their confirmation hearings and decided to overturn 50 years of precedent and repeal the Roe v Wade decision from back in 1973. That decision has opened the “door” to more decisions to follow which have justices Thomas and Alito almost salivating. These decisions to come will relate to “same sex marriage,” contraception/birth control, inter marriage (although, I don’t think even they have the guts to overrule that one: see Clarence Thomas) and other individual rights which will be very difficult to get back once they’re “gone.” The fights for those rights took years and it could take the court just a few months to turn back the clock decades as they did with Roe.
The judges on this court, with the exception of Thomas and Alito, are very young, considering they have “lifetime appointments.” Trump has already promised to appoint judges more extreme than during his last reign of terror on America and I believe it’s likely both Alito and Thomas will retire if Trump wins in 2024. The chances the Senate goes back into control by republicans in 2025 is extremely likely – from what I can tell by looking at the electoral “map.” There are 23 democrats up for re-election in 2024 – with three or four “toss up” races and one “for sure” loss (West Virginia) and only 11 republican held seats up for re-election. I believe the best democrats can hope for in 2024 is a 50/50 split in the Senate – and, that will require a massive mobilization of young and progressive voters.
So, if you’re thinking you’re going to vote for someone like RFK Jr. or Jill Stein, or any other “third party” candidate to register your complaint for whatever reason toward President Biden you’re falling into the traditional republican trap. Keep in mind, it’s republicans funding their campaigns – and, I’m talking about republicans who are Trump lackies. The Court already is doing MASSIVE damage to our republic – in places many of us aren’t even noticing – and, there’s some key decisions coming this year – including the 14th amendment case against Trump which I predict the SCOTUS won’t use the text of the constitution to decide, but instead they’ll “chicken” out by finding a convenient “off ramp” AND there’s the Trump claim of “absolute immunity” which is so absurd I can’t imagine the Court will even take the case – but, of course, I never thought they’d crown GW Bush president back in 2000. With this Court, nothing surprises me.
That SHOULD be enough to convince any sane (young) American about the importance of re-electing President Biden, but as I said above, there’s a lot more. The Court has already turned becoming pregnant in America into a dangerous medical condition for America’s women depending on where they live (and, of course, how much money they have). Roe will NOT be codified into law until there are enough members of Congress to overcome right wing opposition in both Houses – and, keep in mind, that would require 60 votes in the Senate unless the filibuster would somehow get repealed. (Not likely, at least in the next few years) The issue of abortion SHOULD be enough to get a massive turnout in November by the largest voting block in America – women.
I have to repeat myself because, there’s more, there’s always more – much more. If you’re a younger voter thinking of voting third party or not voting, think about the issue of Climate Change. Trump and the republicans deny it’s even an issue. President Biden miraculously, with only a 50/50 Senate and a thin House majority with only 5 votes to spare, passed the most significant Climate legislation of my lifetime and now Trump is threatening to “repeal it” once he’s back in the “White House.” (yuck, that just can’t happen!) Trump has also said on “day one” he’s going to “drill baby drill.” (And, he’ll repeal Obamacare) I don’t think he understands he can’t just “repeal Obamacare” AND America is already the leading oil and natural gas producer in the world, but I digress. To me, for young people the Climate issue is enough by itself to motivate one to go to the polls and vote democratic up and down the ticket.
I’ve stated here I’ve always considered myself an “independent” voter, but since GW Bush and DICK Cheney LIED “we the people” into Iraq back in 2002-2003 I’ve voted AGAINST republicans and will likely do so in the future not knowing how many elections I’ve got in this tired old body. Denying the Climate crisis is, to me, bonkers. But how about Civil Rights and Voting Rights. It will require Congress to overcome some of the overreach of the Supreme Court and that will be an issue for as far into the future as I can see. The Court is about to, from what I can tell, continue their assault on “progressive” Civil Rights and, they’ve already “unleashed the hounds” regarding those who wish to suppress the votes of certain groups regarding Voting Rights. Plus, they’re likely to cram THEIR “God” down the throats of the rest of us. (I say that as a Christian)
How about education. President Biden attempted to “forgive” the student loan debt of MILLIONS of Americans and was blocked by republicans who took the issue to the courts and, of course, the courts agreed he didn’t have that executive “power.” He managed to get a “chisled down” version in place, but with enough democrats in Congress BILLIONS in student debt could be forgiven PLUS (and I say this hopefully) state universities could possibly become tuition FREE. My first trip through the “college” system came from 1965 until 1969. I loved the game of basketball and played it a bit in college but wasn’t good enough to go to a school which provided athletic scholarships back then. However, as I remember it, the tuition was somewhere near (maybe a bit over) $100 per quarter and living expenses were REALLY cheap (I remember five guys sharing a house and paying $15 each per month in rent. Yes, those were the days of a $1.25/hour minimum wage, but I got out of school in 1969 owing $3000 in student loan debt which I was able to pay back. (I didn’t have a family capable of supporting me in school)
So, I’m in favor of tuition free universities (state funded universities) and any other measure which would open up “higher” education to ANY student capable of succeeding with the desire to do so. (I’m, obviously, not in favor of “book banning,” and “subject banning” like what is going on in Florida and other so-called “red states.”) How about environmental regulations and other regulations designed to make things better for the “commons.” I fear the SCOTUS is about to “knee cap” many of the regulatory agencies – why? because, when you look “under the hood” there are enough judges on this court who “owe” their position to big business that they will do what is expected of them.
There’s a prior case referred to as “Chevron” (I don’t fully understand it) which is likely to be overturned (just as Roe was overturned) taking the regulatory decision making process away from the experts in the various agencies and, apparently, giving it to judges (who have NO expertise). These are issues which will be hard to overcome once “Chevron” is overturned, if it happens – without a strong democratic Congress or a different composition on the Court – which, likely won’t happen for maybe another decade. (God help us if one of the “liberal” women on the Court retires during a republican administration)
What started this “rant” was me listening to Trump compare himself to Alexei Navalny (just writing that makes me feel like I’m going to throw up in my mouth) and then complaining that America has become a “communist, fascist” country. Why? Because the legal system he’s been “thumbing his nose at” for years has FINALLY caught up to him. I once wrote Trump would “rue the day” he decided to make a run for the presidency – and, I’m sure that day has arrived. His penchant for LYING and CHEATING (not to mention his admission to being a sexual predator in the Access Hollywood tape) led to CRIMINAL charges from before he “won” the 2016 election (The Manhattan election interference case – ie “hush money”), during his administration (he WOULD have been charged with OBSTRUCTION of Justice in the Mueller investigation but for a Justice Department policy of not indicting a sitting president), toward the end of his term – the INSURRECTION (ie coup d’etat) and AFTER his term – the Espionage case – ie STOLEN Classified documents case.
And, Oh by the way, I still wonder where the documents are that were missing from the SEVERAL empty folders found at Mar a Lago when the FBI executed the search warrant finding the over 100 CLASSIFIED documents (that were missing) and that Trump attempted to HIDE from the bureau and NARA. The FBI was called into the situation because of Trump’s REFUSAL to cooperate with the National Archives (NARA) where ALL presidential records belong (based on the Presidential Records Act which Trump routinely LIES about saying: “I had the right to keep those documents.” He just assumes his supporters are STUPID enough to believe this s@#t).
The issue with defamation regarding E. Jean Carroll is the result of Trump’s MOUTH and apparent inability to stop defaming Ms. Carroll on social media or in TV interviews until, well, he got hit with an $83 MILLION judgement. (It seems as if that was enough to get him to STOP). And, the $450 MILLION judgement in New York only came about because he couldn’t help himself from attacking Michael Cohen after his arrest – for, essentially, doing Trump’s “bidding” and then not providing Mr. Cohen help with his legal bills. The New York fraud case originated in the House of Representatives during Cohen’s testimony to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after he’d been sent to prison for something Trump initiated. Cohen explained it all and yes, you’re correct, the “Trump fraud case” began with Trump’s inability to NOT CHEAT! Trump is STUPID in so many ways.
The bottom line here is that Trump is desperate to stay out of jail, although I’ve heard enough reports suggesting, if convicted of any of these alleged CRIMES, he’ll be spared jail time. Like, for example, in New York a couple years at Rikers Island probably ain’t happening. I sadly believe he’ll get something like “home confinement” or they’ll find a prison for rich people and, avoiding even that is really the fuel to his re-election campaign.
There is a significant portion of America who would gladly trade our constitution for some kind of fascist “Christian nationalism” which requires a massive progressive voter turnout to put this rendition of American fascism to “bed.” Trump is desperate – but, so am I. I watched the return of John Stewart on “Comedy Central” and was stunned by his “ageism” attack on Joe Biden. And, then yesterday, and almost worse, in the substack I subscribe to written by Robert Reich, he (or someone he was quoting) was making the case for Biden to drop out of the race. At this point that won’t/can’t happen. Progressives need to put on their “big boy” pants and buckle down to get the anti-Trump voters to the polls. And, don’t be fooled by JFK Jr., for example, who’s major funding source, Timothy Mellon, is ALSO a major funding source for Trump! Sadly, Mellon is from one of my favorite places, Pittsburgh.
That kind of stuff (Biden and ageism) from supposed “progressives” is what has “irked” me about democrats over the years. It’s almost as if they’re afraid of their own shadows. I’ve been writing about the COWARDICE of republicans for almost eight years now – regarding Trump – and, I can’t believe all these people holding Joe Biden’s age against him when he’s been one of/maybe the best progressive president(s) in my lifetime. Apparently, it’s no longer “the economy stupid” when it comes to elections.
This post pandemic economy, so far, has been historic. Progressives should be attempting to get as many young Americans registered to vote and should be giving them the reasons why to, if nothing else, vote AGAINST Trump. The next few decades will depend on it – and, maybe more. It grieved my heart to read Professor Reich’s comments about Biden’s age. (Apparently, Dr. Reich was quoting Ezra Klein) Biden is the MOST qualified person in this nation to run our government, period full stop!
Final Thought: Yesterday, in Alabama, their Supreme Court ruled that embryos are “people” (ie children). This is the logical extension of the Dobbs SCOTUS decision overturning Roe (abortion or as the women I know – “women’s health care”). In the decision “God” was referenced repeatedly as if they don’t understand the notion “God” is not mentioned in our constitution and the founding fathers clearly wrote the constitution to embed the principle of “separation of church and state.” The Chief Justice of the Alabama Surpreme Court referred to “God” repeatedly in his opinion as if his interpretation of “God’s law” is suited for all Alabamians, like it or not – despite our Nations’ constitution prohibiting such blasphemy. They ruled that discarding an embryo (which routinely happens in “IVF”) is akin to MURDER.
There’s a bunch of right wing Christians (and I say that as, apparently, a liberal Christian) who just never got the message that America was founded on the principle of the separation of church and state. Or accepted it. In essence, that decision, in Alabama, has ended what I just referred to as “IVF” (In Vetro Fertilization) in that state which allows couples with fertility issues to have children. So, on the one hand they support forced birth (in many grave situations for women) while, on the other hand, they support preventing couples who WANT to have children but are unable to “naturally” from becoming parents – in the name of “God.” Yikes!!! Stay tuned….