Well, the CORRUPT justices on the SCOTUS have left nothing for the imagination regarding where they stand on the issue of JUSTICE in America. Today, they agreed to “hear” the arguments in the ABSURD claim by Donald Trump that he is “absolutely immune” from prosecution as President. Making matters worse, they will hear “arguments” on April 22nd. I pointed out recently if they decide to “slow walk” this ABSURD claim it will likely push Trump’s trial in the “January 6th” case back to after the election – EXACTLY what Trump is hoping.
Now, compare this “decision” by the court, to the speed in which they heard the Section 3 of the 14th amendment case originating in Colorado in a matter of a couple weeks. The “arguments” were heard shortly thereafter. When they will make a decision is “up in the air” – my guess is they’re “slow walking” this issue as well. They, likely, don’t want to make a decision on that one because it will require them to violate their own professions of being “texualists” and “originalists.” This court is CORRUPT beyond imagination – and, the corruption falls entirely on the “republicans” on the court.
Trump is showing his bona fides as an organized crime figure. He’s turned the Georgia investigation/indictments into somewhat (hopefully temporarily) a, in the words of Andrew Weissman, “hot mess.” The Judge in that case is “new” as is the judge in the Florida “Espionage” case, who, in addition, appears to be MAGA all the way. Trump is showing his masterful ability to push these CRIMINAL trials off as far into the future as he can. My guess is Trump either wins re-election or heads out of the country to someplace (Russia?) which doesn’t have an extradition agreement with America.
He won’t be able to put off the election interference case in Manhattan where he’s been charged with 34 FELONIES and I have to wonder if the judge in that case will follow the law as he would with anyone else should Trump be found guilty. I’ve heard reports, should that be the outcome, the sentence would be something in the neighborhood of FOUR years in prison. Trump’s “fixer,” Michael Cohen, got THREE years for his part in the scheme so, to me, it’s only FAIR Trump would get MORE jail time. He’ll likely put off any jail time via the appeal process, so I’m likely going to have to live much longer to fulfill the place on my bucket list of seeing Trump going to jail. (Where he belongs)
I’ve been writing for years comparing Trump to Benedict Arnold – regarding his place in the history books – and, just earlier today, I posted an article by Thom Hartman, which gives a “plethora” of evidence to why Trump is a TRAITOR – in Hartman’s view, worse than Arnold. I’ve also wondered where the documents are that were MISSING from the folders labeled “Top Secret SCI” and Mr. Hartman gave detailed evidence on what is actually missing which I had not learned previously – and, when you think about it, well, it’s between sobering and frightening.
Of course, I’m not one of the spies or CIA agents who’ve been murdered and who may have been outed by the information found in the documents which are missing. NARA and Jack Smith KNOW exactly which documents have not been returned and what is in them. Much of it has to do with the “Russia investigation” and includes sources and methods used to gain intelligence from Russia and China. Mr. Hartman posed the question of how much would that information be worth to Russia and China? And, of course, at the present time, Trump is desperately in need of MONEY to pay for his fraudulent business practices and his serial defamation of E. Jean Carroll. (After all the Saudi’s gave $2 BILLION to Jared Kushner for a plan he was unqualified for, Hunter Biden be damned!)
NONE of this information will “ring a bell” to those who’ve been sucked into the MAGA cult. Yesterday, as Michiganders went to the polls for the Michigan primary many of them were interviewed regarding their views on Trump. I heard several people from Michigan say they support Vladimir Putin and call Volodymyr Zelensky ugly names. They said they support Putin’s aims of “claiming” Ukraine as Russian territory and they could care less about Putin’s aims on the former Soviet Republics. I’ve called these people “willfully STUPID” on several occasions and nothing I heard from these MAGA voters caused me to think differently.
I’m constantly amazed at how ignorant so many Americans seem to be virtually anytime you hear the actual words of someone in Trump’s cult. I started making comparisons of Trump to Hitler while he was still the (TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two times popular vote LOSING) president. That, of course, was before the FOUR indictments comprising of 91 separate FELONY charges. Trump has convinced MILLIONS of Americans he’s telling them the truth when, in reality, he’s a pathological LIAR. Think I’m exaggerating, here’s the definition of “pathological LIAR.
“Pathological lying, also known as mythomania and pseudologia fantastica, is a chronic behavior characterized by the habitual or compulsive tendency to lie. It involves a pervasive pattern of intentionally making false statements with the aim of deceiving others, sometimes without a clear or apparent reason.”
We do have to consider the possibility of Trump actually purposefully using the “Big Lie Theory” of the Nazi’s. I mean, it’s hard to look the other way regarding the effectiveness of his LYING (along with his republican sycophants) and his use of another NAZI “strategy” – projection. Trump, and his republican sycophants, are constantly claiming their opponents have violated the very “norms/laws” they are trampling. I will say it again, to me, Trump is a TRAITOR. He’s all about Trump.
As much as I dislike Trump I have to give him credit for his ability to manipulate our legal system to push off his “day of reckoning” with, obviously, hoping to be able to make it all go away should “we the people” be STUPID enough to allow him back into the “White House.” He’s proving, with a “chesire cat smile” on his face, that “justice delayed is Justice denied.” Of course, he’s got the support of at least 4 right wing judges on the Supreme Court who seem to want to clear as much of a path for Trump’s re-election as they possibly can. Payback to democrats for such probing questions in their confirmation hearings?
In my mind, I can’t believe these judges can possibly be planning to approve Trump’s RIDICULOUS appeal, therefore ending the January 6th case and, likely, the Georgia RICO case. They must realize what doing so would do to their own power, unless they’re full in on the fascist takeover of America. Even if they manage to put this off until after the November election, I don’t think they’ve thought through their decision today. If this appeal is not resolved prior to the election it’s been widely understood Trump’s AG would simply make this case go away, thereby giving Trump the impression he IS “absolutely immune” from prosecution.
It’s a blackmark on the American voting public that someone this flawed has gotten to this point in the first place. He’s soon to go on trial, in a case he can’t delay, in the Manhattan election interference case where he allegedly paid off a couple women ahead of the 2016 election so “we the people” wouldn’t get confirmation of his sexual “prowess” prior to the election. (Other than the Access Hollywood tape where he admitted to being a sexual predator which didn’t seem to “move the needle” with republicans.)
The SCOTUS appears ready to “legislate from the bench” on this ABSURD claim on “absolute immunity” similar to their Citizen’s United decision back in 2010, their gutting of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and, most recently, the “Dobbs” decision where they overturned 50 years of precedent by overturning Roe v Wade. As I said above, it appears the court will slow walk this case as a favor for Trump. At this point it wouldn’t surprise me if they decide to send it back to the appeals court on some kind of technicality. (I believe they’re going to argue over what is an “official act”)
Since the day the court crowned Bush/Cheney back in 2000 I’ve believed the Court has been strategically overtaken by the republican “puppet masters” who work behind the scenes (Charles Koch, Leonard Leo, Timothy Mellon, etc. etc.) to create a stranglehold on our republic enabling “minority rule.” Mitch McConnell (more on him shortly) managed to create this right wing “super majority” on the court via the epitome of unethical behavior – why? because he could – and that has led to an oversized reality of Trump judges in our judiciary – and, McConnell made it a point to appoint YOUNG judges to these lifetime appointments. One of the three branches of our government is going to be making stunningly shocking decisions to the vast majority of Americans – who, likely won’t know “what hit them,” because most Americans don’t pay attention to the court (other than Dobbs).
That is the MAIN reason why I’ve said “we the people” MUST go to the polls in MASSIVE numbers this November to repudiate TRUMP and hopefully several republicans in Congress who’ve become supplicants of Trump. (Plus protect “we the people” from and even worse situation with the Courts) At a bare minimum, democrats MUST retain control of the House and re-elect Biden as president. If that doesn’t happen Trump will be filling at least two seats on the court (yes, it will be Thomas and Alito, probably the two worst) and Trump has promised even more radical judges. If, somehow democrats can retain control of the Senate – maybe relying on Ted Cruz being defeated in Texas – any potential Trump appointees could be blocked. Republican members of Congress have proven they’re no match for Trump and his MAGA base. Yikes!!!
Final Thought: Today, Mitch McConnell, ie “Moscow Mitch” announced in November he will step down as the republican leader in the Senate. He’s been the longest serving leader of either caucus in Senate History (18 years?) and, of course, probably the worst leader in the Senate from the standpoint of “getting things done.” He has a long list of “accomplishments” you’d have to be part of the right wing attempting to take down our republic to appreciate. And, it appears, there are enough members of his caucus who DON’T appreciate his OBSTRUCTION of the legislative process to imply his replacement will be worse. As I’ve been saying for over 20 years, this version of the republican party needs to be voted into the history books right next to Benedict Arnold. (see above)
Just looking at this issue with the court. It’s not a reach to say that BOTH Judge Gorsuch and Judge Barrett were illegitimately put on the court. McConnell is responsible in both cases. Although you could put the BLAME on “we the people” who, along with the Russians, Saudi’s, Emerati’s, Egyptians, and members of Israeli intelligence (see Seth Abramson’s “Proof of Conspiracy”) “elected” Trump back in 2016 (exactly what he’s going to be on trial for starting March 25th.) But, make no mistake, neither Gorsush OR Barrett would be on this court except for McConnell’s brazen, shameless, well, I can’t think of a better word than immorality.
McConnell got the monniker “Moscow Mitch” after it was reported he “torpedoed” sanctions against a Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, because Deripaska was planning to build a large factory in Kentucky – I believe an Aluminum plant. Of course, McConnell denied the two situations were connected but there was only enough support for the sanctions in the Senate to get a 57-43 vote majority, lacking the three votes needed to overtake another of McConnell’s unending uses of the filibuster to get his way.
Speaking of the filibuster, that may end up being, other than packing the courts, McConnell’s lasting damage to our republic. During President Obama’s eight years in office McConnell used the filibuster MORE than it had been invoked in the entire history of the Senate. Now days, it’s just a routine part of the Senate’s “business” when there’s a democrat in the “White House” where ANYTHING, say, for example, President Biden and the democrats want passed will require 60 votes before it can even be brought up for a vote on the actual issue.
There’s a long list of DAMAGE McConnell has managed to accomplish over his 18 years in charge of the Senate republicans that will take at least a GENERATION of Americans committed to defending our republic from authoritarian rule as each and every election going forward will be CRITICAL. Likely the worst was refusing to vote to convict Trump after the INSURRECTION of January 6th, 2021. This issue of Trump running again would have become moot and the timing issue of the federal prosecutions wouldn’t be a key issue in the upcoming election. (If, somehow Trump prevails in November this issue will move right to the top of his dark “legacy”)
These MAGA(t) republicans will not go away on their own – they specialize in obtaining power and being unable to govern. Somehow, “we the people” MUST understand the importance of being politically aware and participating in elections (if we can keep them – meaning elections). Trump has proven he’ll CHEAT to get what he wants and McConnell proved himself to be incapable of showing COURAGE in the face of Trump’s verbal attacks. McConnell’s place in the history books will be on the same page as Trump’s!
McConnell’s list of “trespasses” against the will of the American people is much longer (Oh yes, I just remembered he tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act ie Obamacare) and I can’t bring many of them to mind, but my guess is within a few days it won’t be hard to find a LONG list of his “accomplishment” on the internet. Personally, I say “good riddance” to McConnell and pray that somehow democrats can keep control of the Senate. (I’ve sent money to Jon Tester in Montana and to Sherrod Brown in Ohio two critical races and, when I can I’ll send money to Jackie Rosen in Nevada – those will likely be three of the most challenging seats for democrats to retain) Stay tuned…..
Just as I suspected, the list of articles taking a “hard look” at McConnell’s record are coming out fast and furious. Here’s one from one of my heroes, Robert Reich.
OK, it’s true President Biden has MANY positive accomplishments to “crow” about – but, here’s my take: Democrats will LOSE if they choose to make this election about their accomplishments.