Biden leads the way.

February 23, 2022

[Audio version here]

           Two months ago, the U.S. warned that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine. Putin denied the claim, saying that Russia was merely engaging in military exercises and that the U.S. was attempting to “demonize Russia.”

          Putin’s denial was a lie.

          Last week, Putin said that the military exercises were completed and that some Russian troops were returning home.  

          Putin’s statement was a lie.

          Yesterday, Putin recognized two provinces in Ukraine as independent states and justified his action by asserting that “Ukraine is not a real country.”

          Putin’s assertion was a lie.

          Today, President Biden succeeded in imposing unprecedented sanctions against Russia made possible only because Biden resurrected and unified an alliance that Trump nearly destroyed. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy released a statement saying that Biden had “chosen appeasement” over strength in the face of Putin’s aggression.

          McCarthy’s statement was a damnable lie.

          Today, Donald Trump described Putin’s duplicity in recognizing and then invading two Ukrainian provinces as “genius.” Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier that Putin “is a very talented statesman. . . . We should respect that.”

          Trump and Pompeo are Putin’s useful idiots—as is most of the Republican Party.

          Biden’s success in unifying NATO is a major accomplishment that cannot go unremarked. Biden even managed to convince Germany to suspend work on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline—a major source of oil for Germany and cash for Russia. Jennifer Rubin in WaPo details Biden’s success in her op-ed, Biden lowers the hammer on Russia, just as he vowed. She writes,

          The Nord Stream 2 cutoff, in particular, never would have happened without the Biden’s team’s persistence, given the resistance from Germany. Despite sniping from Biden’s critics that the president had not achieved unity, this was a powerful demonstration that even our most reluctant partners on sanctions were fully on board.

          And as Trump and McCarthy were rooting for Putin, the Russian leader was publicly expanding his ambitions by announcing that Russia would enter parts of Donbas controlled by Ukraine. Although that development may seem inconsequential, it is an admission by Putin that he will use his foothold in rebel-controlled areas to attack the heart of Ukraine—Kyiv. But Ukraine is merely prelude. As Tom Nichols explains in The Atlantic, Putin has embarked on a path that has no stopping point. See The Atlantic,  Putin Chooses a Forever War. As Nichols explains

          Putin has now affirmed that he refuses to accept the outcome of the Cold War and that he will fight to dismantle the European system of peace and security constructed by the international community after its end. This is Vladimir Putin’s forever war, and Russia . . . will be fighting it for as long as Putin remains the master of the Kremlin.

          It is our peculiar burden that we must govern America with only one of two major parties supporting the rule of law and the pursuit of global peace. The opposition party is heckling from the sidelines, rooting for dictators and tyrants. They are carrying water for America’s enemies by dividing our nation with hate, extremism, and white supremacy. So be it. We have no choice but to do the right thing for America and our allies. If Democrats must do it alone, we have no time for self-pity or anger.

          We must deal with the real-world consequences of Putin’s actions while Republicans act like mewling infants desperately seeking attention. We must ignore their whimpering and stay the course during turbulent times. Joe Biden is showing the way, and we should follow his lead.

The scandal of a Supreme Court unrestrained by ethical rules.

          It surprises most people to learn that the Supreme Court is not bound by any set of ethical rules. See Congressional Research Service/Legal Sidebar (2/6/19), A Code of Conduct for the Supreme Court? Accordingly, Supreme Court Justices are “on their honor” to act in a way that maintains impartiality and objectivity while avoiding the mere appearance of impropriety. Each Justice is the sole arbiter of whether he or she should disqualify themselves from a matter. Many Justices have never encountered an ethical conflict of interest or appearance of impropriety that they believed requires disqualification. Among the Justices, Clarence Thomas has abused this “self-policing” function in a way that is profoundly disturbing.

          The New York Times has published an analysis of the seemingly corrupt relationship between the political activities of Clarence Thomas’ wife, Ginni Thomas, and matters on which Thomas sits as a Supreme Court Justice. See The New York Times, The Long Crusade of Clarence and Ginni Thomas. The article is wide-ranging, but the most recent conduct by Ginni Thomas is the most egregious. She has emerged as one of the leading defenders of the insurrection as her husband sits on appeals relating to the investigation of the insurrections by the January 6th Committee. Ginni Thomas co-authored a letter that said the January 6th Committee “brings disrespect to our country’s rule of law [and] legal harassment to private citizens who have done nothing wrong.”  I urge you to read the entire article. Grab a cup of coffee and set aside a chunk of time to absorb the full dimensions of this scandal.

          I have railed against the Supreme Court until I have worn out the patience of the readers of this newsletter. But the scandal of a Court unbounded by a code of ethics and hell-bent on imposing a conservative religious agenda in spite of precedent and the Constitution is simply too much. We need to expand the Court if we have any hope of reconstituting a legitimate Court any time in the next fifty years. Jessica Craven at Chop Wood Carry Water has started a Resistbot campaign that will send letters to your Senators demanding they support expansion of the Court. Text SIGN PROSBA to 50409, or check out this website: Resistbot Petition: Justice Thomas is an an extremist married to an insurrectionist. EXPAND SCOTUS!

The case for indicting Trump.

          Barbara McQuade, former U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Michigan, has drafted a “model prosecution memo” that makes the case for prosecuting Trump for conspiracy to pressure Vice President Pence. See Just Security, United States v. Donald Trump. McQuade concludes that there is evidence “sufficient to obtain and sustain convictions of charges for conspiracy to defraud the United States and for obstruction of an official proceeding.” In other words, if the DOJ is investigating Trump, there is sufficient evidence to obtain an indictment. Let’s hope that the DOJ is investigating Trump.

          Note that McQuade analyzed only one basis for indicting Trump. There are dozens of others—like inciting insurrection, attempting to interfere in Georgia’s election for president, attempting to extort Ukraine, obstructing Robert Mueller’s investigation, violating the Presidential Records Act, and profiteering from the presidency. There is no dearth of opportunities to hold Trump to account.

          Speaking of holding Trump to account, the Supreme Court refused Trump’s final effort to prevent the National Archives from turning over documents relating to January 6th. See Talking Points Memo, SCOTUS Deals Another Blow To Trump’s Jan. 6 Stonewalling. Good.

Update on Florida legislation.

          The Florida “Don’t Say Gay” bill was debated in the Florida legislature today. It appears that the bill will pass, although the amendment requiring the “outing” of LGBTQ students to their parents has been withdrawn. That is an important development, but the bill will remain a stain on Florida’s reputation—until it is defeated or repealed.

          It is time for every American who cares about equal treatment under law to begin lobbying corporations—including their employers—to recognize that Florida has officially declared itself as an “anti-LGBTQ” state. Most large employers have mission statements that claim a commitment to diversity and respect for all employees regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Many of those same corporations will schedule business meetings and employee retreats in Florida. They may also support Republican members of Florida’s legislature or Ron DeSantis with political donations. If so, those corporations are dishonoring their commitment to diversity and respect in the workplace. If you are in a position to do so—especially if you are a senior executive with job security—please do what you can to ensure that your company does not reward Florida for taking an anti-LGBTQ stance.

Concluding Thoughts.

          The Republican Party has not had a party platform since 2016. The absence of a policy platform reflects the fact that the GOP no longer stands “for” anything, but exists merely to allow a small group of conservatives to hold onto power. The Republican National Committee has not issued a platform for the upcoming 2022 elections, so Senator Rick Scott stepped in to fill the void. The so-called “platform” is a familiar list of grievances and lies. In the main, it is an anti-government screed written by someone without sufficient maturity or sophistication to understand that “government” is the name we give to ourselves when we come together for the common good. As one commentator speculated today, the “platform” was likely written by a young staffer who is still enthralled with the pablum in Ayn Rand’s books. Indeed, the platform uses the phrase “rugged individualism,” a nod to Ayn Rand’s rejection of altruism as a governing principle.

          Should we be worried about Rick Scott’s screed? Nope! If we begin debating the GOP platform, we have lost. Democrats have a platform that came within two votes of passing last year—the series of programs collected under the unfortunate name, “Build Back Better.” [I hope the Democratic Party did not pay anyone for that branding.] The programs in the BBB speak to the real needs and desires of the American people. There is nothing “radical” or “far-left” about those programs—as readers sometimes complain. What is radical about paying for dental care for seniors? Or lowering the cost of prescription drug? Or helping working parents with the costs of childcare? Or providing free tuition for students at community colleges?

          You get the picture. In 2022, let’s compare what Democrats will do for the American people with the list of grievances that is the only thing holding the GOP together. In that comparison, Democrats have every reason to be hopeful that they will come out on top.

          Talk to you tomorrow!