A note from one of my daughters that is buried deep in the thread below Stan Crock’s comment on the absence of young people at our reader meetings:
I am Robert Hubbell's daughter. I work full-time and have 2 toddlers. I am exhausted at the end of the day, and often have to pay a babysitter to leave the house. Some days, things are so hectic that I regretfully don't even have time to read the inspiring newsletter that my father writes to help save our democracy. I am THANKFUL for anyone in a season of life who has time to devote to saving our democracy alongside Robert. I would never criticize who these people are or where they come from. Myself and many other young people are in a season of life where our time is going to raising the next generation. Please do not insult my contribution to society, nor the contribution my father's readers are making by showing up to meet each other at his reader gatherings. We are all doing what we can, and Robert is doing more than most.
In deciding to take the immunity case today, with its sweeping, overly broad question and setting a very slow timetable, SCOTUS pretty much assured that Trump won’t go to trial before the election. During the months of delay, he’ll get to continue trying his case in the court of public opinion where he has the mainstream media facilitating his doing that. SCOTUS has shown itself in even starker terms to be corrupt, in Trump’s pocket. They know what this delay means that they are effectively declaring Trump immune.
We need to fight back. What are the ways open to us? At the least, we should ALL be writing letters to the Court, our Congress people, the media. Flood them with letters. I would love to hear what others think and what else we can be doing.
It’s so hard to have another battle to fight when we have so many.
We know we have to win -- and win big: President, Senate and House – at the ballot box, but in the meantime, please write - and share if you have other ideas.
Robert, I say this not to flatter you, but to offer thanks for this edition of Today's Edition! It had to be one of the more difficult pieces you've written, which is saying something. It is also one of your best! Thank you and your Managing Editor for all you do!
SCOTUS: "Hi, kids. Yeah, we know. We dug ourselves into a deep hole when we decided to review the Colorado disqualification decision and now we're chasing the hems of our robes trying to figure out how to issue a decision that doesn't totally f**k up the Fourteenth Amendment, Section 3 of that amendment, the state-by-state presidential election system that's been around since . . . [counting] . . . well, since the Electoral College was created at the Founding, and any number of long-standing or newly discovered doctrines we pretend are important but that we'll toss overboard when they don't suit our purposes.
"But never fear. We've got lots of shovels and we're not afraid to dig deeper. Just look at what we did yesterday: we decided we're going to review former President and current Dictator-in-Waiting Donald John Trump's claim of absolute immunity for criminal conduct committed while serving as President <https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/022824zr3_febh.pdf>. We could have said, "You've got to be kidding. Hell, no! Application denied." But we're the smartest people in the universe (well, at least at 1 First Street, NE in the District of Columbia), so we're quite certain we need to waste our and your time by taking on this case. Meanwhile, don't wait up. Remember to put the cat out. Hugs and kisses. TTFN <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TTFN>."
Abandoning sarcasm, I'm not convinced that trials and convictions before the November election will matter to the election's outcome. Trump's total unfitness for the Presidency -- or for any office of public trust and responsibility at any level of any democratic society -- has been on full display for years and has been obvious to anyone with a single working brain cell. I doubt that those who say "Well, if he's convicted of a crime, then I won't vote for him" are telling the truth. If Trump's unbroken contrails of dishonesty, immorality, and anti-American pro-fascist dictatorial ambitions aren't enough to keep them from voting for him, mere convictions of multiple felonies aren't likely to cause them to change their votes. So, I think that if they'd vote for Trump before any convictions come about, they'd still vote for him after any convictions, except for perhaps 5 or 6 people at the far margins of that group -- maybe. All the more reason, in my view, that we need to press on diligently and not expect that any criminal convictions would cause Trump voters to abandon him in numbers sufficient to affect the outcome of the election.
1. I am struck by the absence of young people in all your photos. That’s a shame.
I want to apologize for this comment. I offended a lot of people, including Robert and his daughter, and am truly sorry about that. The various explanations for the nature of the turnout at the lunches make a lot of sense. I am sad (not critical) that people who no longer opt for long-form pieces miss out on Robert's always lucid perspective. I am grateful for what the volunteers and Robert do and am thrilled with the resulting electoral victories. I will be far more careful in the future in my comments.
2. You omitted from your list of Trump horrors his mocking of the military and military families.
3. I wonder if the SCOTUS dynamic is something like this: Roberts promised the liberals a unanimous decision trashing Trump’s absurd immunity arguments, which the left will like, if they delay a decision and avoid criticism from Trump and the right of election interference. This might seem like a way of preserving the court’s credibility by tossing both sides of the political divide a bone. Not sure it will work.
4. Your point about focusing on the ballot box, as usual, is on the money.
Please include the other half of our population when writing about Reproductive Liberty. This is not just a women’s issue. It involves men/fathers as well. The men I know are on our side and fully understand how this impacts women’s rights…they are allies and we need them!
Well, the good news about the SCOTUS decision is that when they grant Presidential immunity, Biden can stay in office while we restore democratic guardrails to prevent billionaire-funded Christofascists from ever trying to take over our government ever again.
Great that you are doing this trip. As a result of your trip, we have a better understanding of who has the interests of all Americans and what we all can do to ensure that the political party which has that broad interest will dominate our politics. We all go to Memphis and Jackson with you.
"Its glacial pace betrays contempt for the American people—or actual bias in favor of Trump".
Both – and yes, it is maddening. It might be a blessing in disguise and might have the same rallying effect as sacking Roe. Yesterday I came across this tweet:" I thought I was fired up before. I’m ten times as fired up now!"
I think many of us are laboring under the false impression that a jury trial of Trump and a conviction would change the outcome of the 2024 election. Trump must be found guilty by the court of public opinion and the sentence administered by votes on Election Day. The Supreme Court will not do our bidding. The reality is the Republican Party has been high jacked by Trump and the MAGA followers and their positions on reproductive freedoms, immigration, gun control and the role of government is totally opposite of the what the majority of the voters have indicated they find acceptable. The primary voting confirms many Republicans are not sold on Trump returning to power. The ONLY way we can fix the threats to our Democracy is to have an overwhelming majority of voters turning out and rejecting Trump and his enablers in the House and Senate. That is how we fix our Democracy and it has to be “ job one” for everyone,
But, I have to say that looking at these group photos daily inspires me. I love this idea of people connected by a common cause and the same morning reading (!) are building an army of volunteers and making an impact.
Do I wish these pics reflected more diversity? Sure, but for whatever reasons, it appears this particular community is mostly old, white folks! Some of us struggle with that in other settings, e.g., our church.
One small thing that occurred to my (mostly old, white women) LWV group is to individually invite local university student leaders to become members, at no cost. Their availability is different than ours, but a common membership keeps us in communication with each other.
Thank you, Robert, for reminding us to keep our heads screwed on straight. Sometimes, we just need that wakeup call. In the meantime, I want to direct your attention to an article written by Sarah Kendzior about Garland. He simply isn’t the person we all thought he was/is. I wouldn’t mind getting your opinion, when you have the chance.
A note from one of my daughters that is buried deep in the thread below Stan Crock’s comment on the absence of young people at our reader meetings:
I am Robert Hubbell's daughter. I work full-time and have 2 toddlers. I am exhausted at the end of the day, and often have to pay a babysitter to leave the house. Some days, things are so hectic that I regretfully don't even have time to read the inspiring newsletter that my father writes to help save our democracy. I am THANKFUL for anyone in a season of life who has time to devote to saving our democracy alongside Robert. I would never criticize who these people are or where they come from. Myself and many other young people are in a season of life where our time is going to raising the next generation. Please do not insult my contribution to society, nor the contribution my father's readers are making by showing up to meet each other at his reader gatherings. We are all doing what we can, and Robert is doing more than most.
In deciding to take the immunity case today, with its sweeping, overly broad question and setting a very slow timetable, SCOTUS pretty much assured that Trump won’t go to trial before the election. During the months of delay, he’ll get to continue trying his case in the court of public opinion where he has the mainstream media facilitating his doing that. SCOTUS has shown itself in even starker terms to be corrupt, in Trump’s pocket. They know what this delay means that they are effectively declaring Trump immune.
We need to fight back. What are the ways open to us? At the least, we should ALL be writing letters to the Court, our Congress people, the media. Flood them with letters. I would love to hear what others think and what else we can be doing.
It’s so hard to have another battle to fight when we have so many.
We know we have to win -- and win big: President, Senate and House – at the ballot box, but in the meantime, please write - and share if you have other ideas.
Robert, I say this not to flatter you, but to offer thanks for this edition of Today's Edition! It had to be one of the more difficult pieces you've written, which is saying something. It is also one of your best! Thank you and your Managing Editor for all you do!
SCOTUS: "Hi, kids. Yeah, we know. We dug ourselves into a deep hole when we decided to review the Colorado disqualification decision and now we're chasing the hems of our robes trying to figure out how to issue a decision that doesn't totally f**k up the Fourteenth Amendment, Section 3 of that amendment, the state-by-state presidential election system that's been around since . . . [counting] . . . well, since the Electoral College was created at the Founding, and any number of long-standing or newly discovered doctrines we pretend are important but that we'll toss overboard when they don't suit our purposes.
"But never fear. We've got lots of shovels and we're not afraid to dig deeper. Just look at what we did yesterday: we decided we're going to review former President and current Dictator-in-Waiting Donald John Trump's claim of absolute immunity for criminal conduct committed while serving as President <https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/022824zr3_febh.pdf>. We could have said, "You've got to be kidding. Hell, no! Application denied." But we're the smartest people in the universe (well, at least at 1 First Street, NE in the District of Columbia), so we're quite certain we need to waste our and your time by taking on this case. Meanwhile, don't wait up. Remember to put the cat out. Hugs and kisses. TTFN <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TTFN>."
Abandoning sarcasm, I'm not convinced that trials and convictions before the November election will matter to the election's outcome. Trump's total unfitness for the Presidency -- or for any office of public trust and responsibility at any level of any democratic society -- has been on full display for years and has been obvious to anyone with a single working brain cell. I doubt that those who say "Well, if he's convicted of a crime, then I won't vote for him" are telling the truth. If Trump's unbroken contrails of dishonesty, immorality, and anti-American pro-fascist dictatorial ambitions aren't enough to keep them from voting for him, mere convictions of multiple felonies aren't likely to cause them to change their votes. So, I think that if they'd vote for Trump before any convictions come about, they'd still vote for him after any convictions, except for perhaps 5 or 6 people at the far margins of that group -- maybe. All the more reason, in my view, that we need to press on diligently and not expect that any criminal convictions would cause Trump voters to abandon him in numbers sufficient to affect the outcome of the election.
1. I am struck by the absence of young people in all your photos. That’s a shame.
I want to apologize for this comment. I offended a lot of people, including Robert and his daughter, and am truly sorry about that. The various explanations for the nature of the turnout at the lunches make a lot of sense. I am sad (not critical) that people who no longer opt for long-form pieces miss out on Robert's always lucid perspective. I am grateful for what the volunteers and Robert do and am thrilled with the resulting electoral victories. I will be far more careful in the future in my comments.
2. You omitted from your list of Trump horrors his mocking of the military and military families.
3. I wonder if the SCOTUS dynamic is something like this: Roberts promised the liberals a unanimous decision trashing Trump’s absurd immunity arguments, which the left will like, if they delay a decision and avoid criticism from Trump and the right of election interference. This might seem like a way of preserving the court’s credibility by tossing both sides of the political divide a bone. Not sure it will work.
4. Your point about focusing on the ballot box, as usual, is on the money.
Stan
Please include the other half of our population when writing about Reproductive Liberty. This is not just a women’s issue. It involves men/fathers as well. The men I know are on our side and fully understand how this impacts women’s rights…they are allies and we need them!
Last night Neal Katyal, looking to me visibly incredulous over the SCOTUS decision to take the case said the court needs to hear from the public.
Here is the address and phone number etc. Write, call, and inundate them with our outrage.
U.S. Mail: Supreme Court of the United States 1 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20543
Telephone: 202-479-3000 (tel:202-479-3000) TTY: 202-479-3472 (tel:202-479-3472) (Mo
nday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m
Well, the good news about the SCOTUS decision is that when they grant Presidential immunity, Biden can stay in office while we restore democratic guardrails to prevent billionaire-funded Christofascists from ever trying to take over our government ever again.
Great that you are doing this trip. As a result of your trip, we have a better understanding of who has the interests of all Americans and what we all can do to ensure that the political party which has that broad interest will dominate our politics. We all go to Memphis and Jackson with you.
"Its glacial pace betrays contempt for the American people—or actual bias in favor of Trump".
Both – and yes, it is maddening. It might be a blessing in disguise and might have the same rallying effect as sacking Roe. Yesterday I came across this tweet:" I thought I was fired up before. I’m ten times as fired up now!"
That's the spirit!
The old guard is holding down the fort until reinforcements arrive.
I think many of us are laboring under the false impression that a jury trial of Trump and a conviction would change the outcome of the 2024 election. Trump must be found guilty by the court of public opinion and the sentence administered by votes on Election Day. The Supreme Court will not do our bidding. The reality is the Republican Party has been high jacked by Trump and the MAGA followers and their positions on reproductive freedoms, immigration, gun control and the role of government is totally opposite of the what the majority of the voters have indicated they find acceptable. The primary voting confirms many Republicans are not sold on Trump returning to power. The ONLY way we can fix the threats to our Democracy is to have an overwhelming majority of voters turning out and rejecting Trump and his enablers in the House and Senate. That is how we fix our Democracy and it has to be “ job one” for everyone,
How come we all look like each other??? :-)
Yesterday was a gut punch, yes.
But, I have to say that looking at these group photos daily inspires me. I love this idea of people connected by a common cause and the same morning reading (!) are building an army of volunteers and making an impact.
Do I wish these pics reflected more diversity? Sure, but for whatever reasons, it appears this particular community is mostly old, white folks! Some of us struggle with that in other settings, e.g., our church.
One small thing that occurred to my (mostly old, white women) LWV group is to individually invite local university student leaders to become members, at no cost. Their availability is different than ours, but a common membership keeps us in communication with each other.
Thank you, Robert, for reminding us to keep our heads screwed on straight. Sometimes, we just need that wakeup call. In the meantime, I want to direct your attention to an article written by Sarah Kendzior about Garland. He simply isn’t the person we all thought he was/is. I wouldn’t mind getting your opinion, when you have the chance.
https://sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/servants-of-the-mafia-state
(And anyone else, please have at it!)
Thanks, Jill’s video was wonderful!
The link to walk the walk USA didn’t work, but I googled it and registered for their zoom.