This is a very fine column for someone who is still under the weather. Overall, MAGA Republicans are revealing who and what they are. During the mid-terms, Democrats pushed back against an anticipated red tsunami and vastly outperformed expectations. Perhaps the ongoing MAGA performances will convince even more voters to shut them down.
Jessica Craven's latest post in "Chop Wood, Carry Water," celebrates many recent victories. She also writes that the two Tennessee lawmakers who were expelled can run in the special elections for their seats, and if they win, they cannot be expelled again. As for the other ugly instances cited here, I can sympathize with the anguished plea, "what does it take?" that most of us uttered during the long years of the Trump regime. Read Jessica Craven's post from today to understand that there are reasons for optimism.
We are being forged by fire to get as tough as our opponents and as clever. We already outnumber them. We are inspired by the courage of Ukrainians in their fight for their democracy and their lives. We are inspired by the heroes of our own Civil Rights movement that is ongoing. We are inspired by the turnout of the Israeli populace and even its military members that caused the Netanyahu regime to blink. We are being called upon to dig deep, stay tough and committed and resist even though we are tired.
Tomorrow is another day. Let's get on with the work.
I am reluctant to suggest that the superb and highly nuanced mind of Robert Hubbell may have missed a critical aspect of the terrible descent into anti-democracy by one of our two major parties. Reluctant perhaps but willing to venture such a thought. There is indeed a litany of despicable actions taken in just the past week by the Republican Party since it fell under the suzerainty of one Donald J. Trump.
But we on the progressive side need to reflect on the damage the GOP has done and is doing to its electoral prospects by its radical attempts to thwart the will of the voters. We can and should take unalloyed joy in the huge margin achieved by the Judge Protasiewicz in Wisconsin this week. But we should also find it more comforting than alarming when the near-instantaneous response of Wisconsin Republicans is to suggest they can use their bloated and gerrymandered super-majorities in the state Legislature to immediately impeach a judge who was elected by a thumping majority, presumably over the veto of Gov. Evers, in the absence of even a hint of an impeachable action by the not-yet installed Judge. If they undertake such a ludicrously anti-democratic maneuver, they will suffer still more lopsided defeats come the next election.
Similarly, as shocking as the actions of a similar super-majority to expel two members of the Tennessee Legislature may be, that flagrantly undemocratic behavior will almost surely have negative consequences for the GOP even in deep Red Tennessee. And we can rightly decry the actions of a Trump-appointed Federal District Court Judge in Texas to impose his religion-based views on abortion on everyone in America, not just Texas. While his action may not survive judicial review, even by this ideologically unbalanced Supreme Court, we would see by November 2024 just how much damage GOP candidates all over the country will suffer from his attempts to impose on the entire nation a policy opposed by roughly 75% of voters. Yes, these actions are deeply disturbing. But the fact that these right-wing ideologues are driven to such extremes will prove the foundation for a strong and perhaps even permanent progressive majority in America.
Robert, I think I can speak for most if not all of your subscribers when I say that you and your managing editor are very well-loved by us. Thank you so much for consistently righting our ship of democracy. We are doing well under your guidance. The WI Court just flipped, there was no Red Wave--we kept the Senate and lost many fewer seats than was antipated
(It’s late--sorry!) anticipated by Democratic pundits, a progressive was just elected mayor of Chicago, and the list goes on. Let’s just keep our heads down, keep reading your letters as well as Jessica’s Chop Wood, Carry Water, Dan Pfeiffer’s substack, Mark Elias’ Democracy Docket, Simon Rosenberg’s Hopium Chronicles, Michael Moore’s Blue Dots in a Red Sea, Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American and Heather McGee’s book the Sum of Us on racism, and stay the course.
Robert, thank you for cranking out another positive newsletter to us while still trying to hold down the fort. Hopefully, whatever the doctor gave you and the managing editor to combat the nastiness will work. We will see ya tomorrow. Take care.
My first thoughts this morning in reading your newsletter, are that this started way before Trump. He merely stepped in at an opportune moment. Remember the Tea party? The religious right and the conservatives have been slowly and methodically invading the court systems, the legislature, and state governments. And there is no morality in dark money, but there’s plenty of it out there. They will get away with whatever they can as long as they can. The situations in Tennessee and Texas will fire up a movement in my opinion that will be like the civil rights movement in the 60s. This will not be an easy time but we cannot stand back and be silent. I for one I’ve been taking Simon Rosenberg and Jessica Craven’s advice and clearly using talking points. I believe it’s working because there’s no response when I defend the lies people are being fed. I hope that you and your Managing Editor heal quickly. Despite being sick, you wrote a hell of a newsletter this morning! Thank you Robert!
Abbott isn't establishing a new rule. He's resuscitating the old Southern rule that no white man can ever be found guilty of murdering a black man. It's all part of the creation of The New Confederacy.
These four events are all part of the Right's creation of The New Confederacy, the rule of which they intend to spread across the country to non-Confederate states though the aggressive use of the now thoroughly-corrupt "judiciary" as shown in the Religious edict masquerading as a "legal" decision issued by the Religious Nut Kacsmaryk in Texas.
AOC is right. It's time to tell these New Confederate Traitors," "your so-called court has ruled - let that scum-sucking traitor enforce his rule." Fuck you, traitors. We have no need of listening to the politicians' buttfuckers in black robes masquerading as "judges."
Excellent read, Robert. Lately, when I get a "bug," it lasts for weeks, unlike my younger years when three days was the tops. Someone who seems to be as fit as you and Jill are should not despair. Get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids! AND if need be, refrain from providing a few days' worth of Today's Edition Newsletter. I would rather be without you for a short time than to have you both succumb to this nasty virus, as you call it.
Because, in my view, an abiding absolute is that means are as important as the end, that means, in fact, shape the end, one passage from Today’s Edition especially resonated: Robert wrote, “We must not give in to the temptation to adopt the GOP anti-democratic tactics. We must fight our battle of resistance from within the walls and ramparts of democracy if we have any hope of saving it.”
Restated not nearly as eloquently, to preserve democracy, one must employ democratic means; for the end and the beginning are one. If the means are un-democratic, how can we, in the end, save democracy? I raise this question, in part, because we see the crippling effects of degraded democracies going on around us: in moments of crisis, democratic nations have acted increasingly illiberal, wherein the individual has become more and more subject to authority, an instrument, if you will, of others.
I like History and how Heather Cox Richardson teaches us. Yesterday's newsletter was how, with a blistering migraine, Grant met Lee to accept the South's surrender. His migraine instantly stopped. He graciously told Lee the North would feed the starving Southern soldiers.
Robert I hope you, your wife and family will recover completely and soon!
When your mind is more rested please take a moment to look at this. It will likely fly under the radar nationally but I hope you and your readers will bring more attention to it because it does have implications down the line nationally.
“The evidence now strongly suggests that Cotham’s fraud was part of a deliberate plan by the Republican Party of North Carolina to steal a State House seat through fraud. No longer electable in Mecklenburg county by winning voter support on their own merits, Republicans resorted to backing a Trojan horse candidate in Tricia Cotham. What the precise terms were of the backroom deal Cotham struck with Republican leaders, both before and after the election, we can only speculate.”
This has a huge effect on the whole state, not just Mecklinberg Co.
Everyone needs to hang Abbott’s decision around the neck of every single Republican governor, especially Ron DeSantis who fired a duly elected state prosecutor who signed a letter saying he wouldn’t prosecute low level “crimes” including abortion. Never mind that that law wasn’t even on the books yet. We need to challenge them directly about whether they support the rule of law or Abbott.
“The Friday-night ruling by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk purporting to stay the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone for use in early abortions is a travesty — for women’s health care, principles of democracy, notions of judicial impartiality and the rule of law.
This case is wildly atypical for a number of reasons. Under well-settled legal principles, the plaintiffs in the case — a coalition of anti-abortion organizations and physicians — do not have the right to be in court asking for this remedy at all. As commentators from across the political spectrum have noted, the plaintiffs lack standing, a core requirement of any lawsuit in federal court.”
Judge shopping at its ugliest!
“The umbrella organization that is the lead party in this case, the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, incorporated itself in Amarillo, Texas — where Judge Kacsmaryk sits — just weeks after Dobbs.”
This is a very fine column for someone who is still under the weather. Overall, MAGA Republicans are revealing who and what they are. During the mid-terms, Democrats pushed back against an anticipated red tsunami and vastly outperformed expectations. Perhaps the ongoing MAGA performances will convince even more voters to shut them down.
Jessica Craven's latest post in "Chop Wood, Carry Water," celebrates many recent victories. She also writes that the two Tennessee lawmakers who were expelled can run in the special elections for their seats, and if they win, they cannot be expelled again. As for the other ugly instances cited here, I can sympathize with the anguished plea, "what does it take?" that most of us uttered during the long years of the Trump regime. Read Jessica Craven's post from today to understand that there are reasons for optimism.
https://open.substack.com/pub/chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions/p/extra-extra-april-9th
We are being forged by fire to get as tough as our opponents and as clever. We already outnumber them. We are inspired by the courage of Ukrainians in their fight for their democracy and their lives. We are inspired by the heroes of our own Civil Rights movement that is ongoing. We are inspired by the turnout of the Israeli populace and even its military members that caused the Netanyahu regime to blink. We are being called upon to dig deep, stay tough and committed and resist even though we are tired.
Tomorrow is another day. Let's get on with the work.
I am reluctant to suggest that the superb and highly nuanced mind of Robert Hubbell may have missed a critical aspect of the terrible descent into anti-democracy by one of our two major parties. Reluctant perhaps but willing to venture such a thought. There is indeed a litany of despicable actions taken in just the past week by the Republican Party since it fell under the suzerainty of one Donald J. Trump.
But we on the progressive side need to reflect on the damage the GOP has done and is doing to its electoral prospects by its radical attempts to thwart the will of the voters. We can and should take unalloyed joy in the huge margin achieved by the Judge Protasiewicz in Wisconsin this week. But we should also find it more comforting than alarming when the near-instantaneous response of Wisconsin Republicans is to suggest they can use their bloated and gerrymandered super-majorities in the state Legislature to immediately impeach a judge who was elected by a thumping majority, presumably over the veto of Gov. Evers, in the absence of even a hint of an impeachable action by the not-yet installed Judge. If they undertake such a ludicrously anti-democratic maneuver, they will suffer still more lopsided defeats come the next election.
Similarly, as shocking as the actions of a similar super-majority to expel two members of the Tennessee Legislature may be, that flagrantly undemocratic behavior will almost surely have negative consequences for the GOP even in deep Red Tennessee. And we can rightly decry the actions of a Trump-appointed Federal District Court Judge in Texas to impose his religion-based views on abortion on everyone in America, not just Texas. While his action may not survive judicial review, even by this ideologically unbalanced Supreme Court, we would see by November 2024 just how much damage GOP candidates all over the country will suffer from his attempts to impose on the entire nation a policy opposed by roughly 75% of voters. Yes, these actions are deeply disturbing. But the fact that these right-wing ideologues are driven to such extremes will prove the foundation for a strong and perhaps even permanent progressive majority in America.
Robert, I think I can speak for most if not all of your subscribers when I say that you and your managing editor are very well-loved by us. Thank you so much for consistently righting our ship of democracy. We are doing well under your guidance. The WI Court just flipped, there was no Red Wave--we kept the Senate and lost many fewer seats than was antipated
(It’s late--sorry!) anticipated by Democratic pundits, a progressive was just elected mayor of Chicago, and the list goes on. Let’s just keep our heads down, keep reading your letters as well as Jessica’s Chop Wood, Carry Water, Dan Pfeiffer’s substack, Mark Elias’ Democracy Docket, Simon Rosenberg’s Hopium Chronicles, Michael Moore’s Blue Dots in a Red Sea, Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American and Heather McGee’s book the Sum of Us on racism, and stay the course.
Robert, thank you for cranking out another positive newsletter to us while still trying to hold down the fort. Hopefully, whatever the doctor gave you and the managing editor to combat the nastiness will work. We will see ya tomorrow. Take care.
A most-excellent summary of the lawless (nice term for fascistic) activities of the modern-day Republican party.
The GOP is now a fascist party.
My first thoughts this morning in reading your newsletter, are that this started way before Trump. He merely stepped in at an opportune moment. Remember the Tea party? The religious right and the conservatives have been slowly and methodically invading the court systems, the legislature, and state governments. And there is no morality in dark money, but there’s plenty of it out there. They will get away with whatever they can as long as they can. The situations in Tennessee and Texas will fire up a movement in my opinion that will be like the civil rights movement in the 60s. This will not be an easy time but we cannot stand back and be silent. I for one I’ve been taking Simon Rosenberg and Jessica Craven’s advice and clearly using talking points. I believe it’s working because there’s no response when I defend the lies people are being fed. I hope that you and your Managing Editor heal quickly. Despite being sick, you wrote a hell of a newsletter this morning! Thank you Robert!
Abbott isn't establishing a new rule. He's resuscitating the old Southern rule that no white man can ever be found guilty of murdering a black man. It's all part of the creation of The New Confederacy.
These four events are all part of the Right's creation of The New Confederacy, the rule of which they intend to spread across the country to non-Confederate states though the aggressive use of the now thoroughly-corrupt "judiciary" as shown in the Religious edict masquerading as a "legal" decision issued by the Religious Nut Kacsmaryk in Texas.
AOC is right. It's time to tell these New Confederate Traitors," "your so-called court has ruled - let that scum-sucking traitor enforce his rule." Fuck you, traitors. We have no need of listening to the politicians' buttfuckers in black robes masquerading as "judges."
Excellent read, Robert. Lately, when I get a "bug," it lasts for weeks, unlike my younger years when three days was the tops. Someone who seems to be as fit as you and Jill are should not despair. Get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids! AND if need be, refrain from providing a few days' worth of Today's Edition Newsletter. I would rather be without you for a short time than to have you both succumb to this nasty virus, as you call it.
Democrats must not resort to the cowboy tactics of the GOP. If they do, they are dead.
Robert, I hope you and Jill feel better soon.
Because, in my view, an abiding absolute is that means are as important as the end, that means, in fact, shape the end, one passage from Today’s Edition especially resonated: Robert wrote, “We must not give in to the temptation to adopt the GOP anti-democratic tactics. We must fight our battle of resistance from within the walls and ramparts of democracy if we have any hope of saving it.”
Restated not nearly as eloquently, to preserve democracy, one must employ democratic means; for the end and the beginning are one. If the means are un-democratic, how can we, in the end, save democracy? I raise this question, in part, because we see the crippling effects of degraded democracies going on around us: in moments of crisis, democratic nations have acted increasingly illiberal, wherein the individual has become more and more subject to authority, an instrument, if you will, of others.
I like History and how Heather Cox Richardson teaches us. Yesterday's newsletter was how, with a blistering migraine, Grant met Lee to accept the South's surrender. His migraine instantly stopped. He graciously told Lee the North would feed the starving Southern soldiers.
Robert I hope you, your wife and family will recover completely and soon!
When your mind is more rested please take a moment to look at this. It will likely fly under the radar nationally but I hope you and your readers will bring more attention to it because it does have implications down the line nationally.
“The evidence now strongly suggests that Cotham’s fraud was part of a deliberate plan by the Republican Party of North Carolina to steal a State House seat through fraud. No longer electable in Mecklenburg county by winning voter support on their own merits, Republicans resorted to backing a Trojan horse candidate in Tricia Cotham. What the precise terms were of the backroom deal Cotham struck with Republican leaders, both before and after the election, we can only speculate.”
This has a huge effect on the whole state, not just Mecklinberg Co.
https://carolinaforward.org/blog/defrauding-voters-mecklenburg/
Everyone needs to hang Abbott’s decision around the neck of every single Republican governor, especially Ron DeSantis who fired a duly elected state prosecutor who signed a letter saying he wouldn’t prosecute low level “crimes” including abortion. Never mind that that law wasn’t even on the books yet. We need to challenge them directly about whether they support the rule of law or Abbott.
An excellent article on the demented so called judge’s decision on the next morning pills!
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/09/opinion/abortion-pill-case-decision.html
“The Friday-night ruling by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk purporting to stay the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone for use in early abortions is a travesty — for women’s health care, principles of democracy, notions of judicial impartiality and the rule of law.
This case is wildly atypical for a number of reasons. Under well-settled legal principles, the plaintiffs in the case — a coalition of anti-abortion organizations and physicians — do not have the right to be in court asking for this remedy at all. As commentators from across the political spectrum have noted, the plaintiffs lack standing, a core requirement of any lawsuit in federal court.”
Judge shopping at its ugliest!
“The umbrella organization that is the lead party in this case, the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, incorporated itself in Amarillo, Texas — where Judge Kacsmaryk sits — just weeks after Dobbs.”