Thank you for your comments on inflation. I am currently traveling in Europe (to visit family) and it is clear that inflation, even worse here (in Spain and France) is even steeper. I do not see or read people here blaming Joe Biden or their Presidents or Prime Ministers.
Of course the people here, even the most common, do step out of their front doors, other than to attend right wing pep/propaganda rallies, and see and experience the world. Frankly, they are not as easily manipulated.
The problem with inflation is that its effects are felt very quickly and it builds momentum as it moves on the supply/demand curve. Price affects demand, and supply adjusts accordingly. Then, shortages drive the prices up. When companies can maintain their profits without restoring supply, inflation continues. It takes a long time for the market forces to adjust in the other direction.
Republicans are great at making hay for themselves while the sun shines, while Democrats try to make sure there's enough hay to go around regardless of the weather.
My real cyclical fear is that companies cause inflation for the same reason Republicans don’t pass the bill that will do something to fix the border….they want the issue for the election.
Greed is one explanation for raising prices, but not the most disturbing one.
I am most suspicious of anything that causes gasoline prices to go up before the election.
I assume the CEOs who are taking record salaries and benefit packages while leaving prices high are primarily motivated by greed, but while I agree with Bob Morgan that Republicans "make hay" and Democrats try to husband it and spread it around, Republican CEOs do look to their future and want a President who will cut their taxes, relieve them of the responsibility to guard our environment and look the other way on a multitude of legal infractions. I fully agree there is an eye to their own interests while they keep prices high: It's just more greed.
It would be nice if somehow a few companies like Target actually made enough profit from incentivizing buyers with cuts to gain momentum in that direction. It would be even nicer if there were some way to limit the size of CEO pay and benefits. Oh! I know! Higher taxes on the top pay brackets!
Different topic but did you see that Dick Durbin will not pursue Senate inquiries into Alito's flag flying? He issued a "namby-pamby" statement that Alito should recuse himself but doesn't think inquiries are worthwhile. This is the same type of weakness that got us here in the first place.
Call Dick Durbin and tell him it’s not enough for Justice Alito to recuse from cases involving Trump. The Senate Judiciary Committee must start an investigation into a possible impeachment.
It’s a waste of time. A better act would be to target the Chief Justice Roberts and bombard him with letters and notes reflecting your displeasure. Congress cannot impeach him.
Stephen, many people on this thread that work in courts have said judges merely ignore or throw away communications. They are not set up to be responsive to the American electorate. Members of Congress are. I think we have to go indirect on this. Side pressure works just as well many times. I respectfully disagree that it is a waste of time. We have to get strategic when going direct doesn't work.
Agree! Apparently Durbin is sort of a no-goodnik (sad to find this out). But citizens need to put pressure on Congress. If Durbin turns his phones off, there are other members of Congress we can lobby. Rep. Dan Goldman is young, but very interested in getting Alito to recuse himself. His committee (House Committee on Oversight and Accountability) may have other members interested in demanding recusal. Let's write to/call them! Goldman in D.C.: (202) 225-7944
If he was talented and not frightened he could make all of the corruption public and warn the nation about the dangers of a corrupt court. There is much more to reveal about the court than there ever was about the Biden family.
There has to be an outcry from voters who basically are saying we have had enough but the Justices know they can’t be fired or removed. They hear and see public opinions and maybe if enough voters shout out it may have me influence. Alito and Thomas are lost souls.
I had to respond to a local Letter to Ed in my Gannett paper when a frequent (Libertarian) writer claimed, in her long-winded, fuzzy math way, that inflation hadn’t declined and shrinkflation was good because it made stuff more affordable .My published letter:⬇️
I’m a proud American pleased with the state of the US economy.
Our recovery from COVID was the best of any leading industrial country.We have the lowest unemployment rate in decades and plentiful jobs. Domestic oil production set records in 2023. Inflation has fallen.
I’m not pleased that corporations,despite record breaking profits, continue to hike prices even as supply chain pressures have eased.
No worries,though ! We can all can save money by eating cereal for dinner as suggested by multi-millionaire Gary Pilnick, CEO of Kelloggs.
The dominant chain in Florida is the GOP-hugging Publix. They have some good BOGO’s but their prices are outrageous. I often shop at Aldi and recently my bill was exactly half !! of what comparable products would be at Publix. I notice many mature 👩🏻🦳 shoppers there.
We are fortunate in my MAGA a county to have options so when speaking with voters I first emphasize about the cost of groceries, while wearing my Biden/Harris t 😉.Then I ask where they are shopping.👕🛒
The problem with perception versus reality is at it all time low. I think Mark Twain said “if you don’t read the news you are uninformed and if you read the news you are misinformed”. It was inflation that prevented Jimmy Carter from a second term, which Ironically was worse in the first two years of Regan’s terms and then Black Friday in his second term. Nobody seemed to blame Regan then. As you have said time and again there is a huge messaging issue with the Democrats and I hope they all get their entire act together soon. Everyone is needed to defend democracy. Usually you’re essays are my morning coffee but I am in China and they are my afternoon cocktails.
Bob Costa's list is frighteningly accurate. One correction, though, and one addition. With is friends back in charge in Washington and having his back Putin will first turn on the Baltic states (claiming to response to a call for help by 'oppressed' Russian minorities there) before dealing with Poland.
And as a 16th item: Polio, measles and other diseases, which have been mostly eradicated in modern parts of the world will spread again as trump plans to stop funding public schools who demand their kids to be vaccinated.
Concerning the first item on the list: abortion. For weeks we have been reading about the nefarious effects of the myriad of laws being passed by evangelical MAGA bigots, aka Republicans, after SCOTUS sacked Roe v. Wade. Yesterday I came across this especially hideous account on Twitter https://twitter.com/TheRyanHamilton/status/1792504436335456421
It illustrates how far out of touch the emerging theocracy in the US is with the rest of the world. In Germany parliament currently is discussing to lower the threshold to receive all kinds of benefits like paid maternity leave, etc. which can also be applied in the case of miscarriages from miscarriages after the 24th week to the 16th week.
In places like Texas being able to stay home after a miscarriage in many cases probably just means you were able to post bail...
Thank you for posting this link. It was difficult to read, but it is important & necessary for all of us to learn what is actually happening to women in the US who have problem pregnancies post Roe, & what they have to endure to simply receive the appropriate health care so that they don't DIE!
Omg that story. Thank you so much for posting that link. Seems that an easy solution to this ongoing abortion argument is to just tell people that are anti-abortion to just not have one! Sure sounds easy to me!
I read the Twitter account. Commenting only ob the clinical picture. Presuming the patient is 14-19 weeks pregnant, current recommendations are any of these: "expectant waiting" up to a week (if no signs of sepsis or hemodynamic compromise), "medication therapy", or "surgical treatment"; with the patient weighing in on the options. National Library of Medicine "Incomplete Miscarriage" updated 2/2024 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559071/
Thank-you for yet another illuminating letter. The price of groceries, like the price of gasoline are triggers to consumers and are used, fairly or unfairly, as gauges of the state of our economy. It rankles me that John and Jane Q Public get more riled up about the"price of groceries" than they do about one of the two major parties presumed presidential nominees throwing the words about like"The Creation of a Unified Reich"which should frankly terrify us all.The price of groceries really won't matter much if we are under the iron fist of a dictator.
But, Victoria, John and Jane Q Public get riled up because they are having trouble paying their bills and feeding their children. That is the bottom line of their lives! While you are correct about what life under a dictator would be like, it is, I believe, wrong to criticize people who are having trouble having their basic needs met.
True but the price of groceries are not controlled by any President and Biden has passed legislation to eliminate the add ion costs we see in our cable and other services
The section in this post that is brilliant is the section that quotes the Bob Cesca list regarding Project 2025 goals, what will happen if Trump wins.
There are a number of ways those of us who volunteer can get that narrative published: on social media, LTE's, in-person campaign events (like our meet and greets), flyers, and other campaign activities. I plan to take that paragraph, plagiarize a bit and add my own spin on it, and develop ways to get this information out to the public. I invite others on this thread to develop activities to do the same. U.S. citizens who vote need to hear this early and often.
Is there a link to hear him make the statement that included the word "Reich"
It makes sense then that Republicans who want to see Project 2025 succeed would flock to NY to support Trump. If Project 2025 is implemented, they would become the next president, soon, given Trump's age. I bet that is his litmus test.
I have printed out Robert’s list that Cesca referred to… it will take place of “honor” on my refrigerator. ! I live in Maine and all my family (and, well, everyone I know) visits me. It will be the reference point for all our “round the table” discussions. Tho, I know it will be the “choir” who will see it. The young people will take the list away for further discussion as they have done in past. I do voter registration and give financial support, but I know, as in past elections, getting this info to young people has a tremendous strength of its own!
Here in Durham NC, we put together a terrific leaflet comparing Democrats and Republicans, with a Spanish translation by Felipe Benitez. People have been copying it across the US. Please share widely and adapt it to your locale! You can download our "Which Party Gets Your Vote?" leaflet at https://durhamdemocrats.org/resources/2024-leaflets/
Of course there are fair and competent judges across the country and there are judges who have been influenced by outside factors and organizations. For many Americans the SCOUS has been compromised by politics and money and there has been inappropriate behavior by the justices and members of their families. There are two schools of thought. There are those like myself who are frustrated because there is no remedy for the current situation and there are those who are not paying attention. The most frightening scenario is a compromised court not holding Trump accountable if re-elected. The only protection we have is an overwhelming majority in both houses and winning state legislatures to protect and nominate honorable justices. We sometimes forget that federal and state legislators are where laws are made or broken. They need our support.
Liza Donnelly is a cartoonist for the New Yorker. She has been in the courtroom and draws and writes about it and all the “characters” involved. 💙 her work and, in my opinion,a “pleasant” way to read about the trial.
Robert, your "Concluding Thoughts" provide an eloquent tribute to Judge Merchan and the rule of law. As an experienced and excellent lawyer, you give us an inside look at how Judge Merchan is performing one of the greatest functions of any democracy worth fighting for: a commitment to the power of the law and the sanctity of the courtroom. As Anne Applebaum, Timothy Snyder, Masha Gessen, and others have taught us: for tyranny to triumph, the courts must fail. You remind us that for the courts to fail, individual judges must abdicate their oath of office and their commitment to rational, learned, and careful study, explication, and articulation of a vast body of law and precedent in favor of the whims of the tyrant. The courts stopped Trump's many appeals to overturn the election in December 2019. You remind us that despite the craven behavior of Alito, Thomas, Cannon, and others, the state and federal judiciary and District Attorneys like Alvin Bragg and Fani Willis still have stood resolute in the work of democracy. I recommend to everyone Fani Willis interview with Rachel Maddow: https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/fani-willis-blasts-clown-jim-jordan-and-maga-followers-for-trying-to-interfere-in-trump-case-211288645701. Maddow's entire show is worth watching for the high stakes in Trump's, Johnson's,, and cronies' attacks on the judiciary and the corrupt model of Alito et al.
Fani Willis is a courageous, committed, patriot. She has suffered unfair attacks and investigations, and she is still resolute. No whining. Despite the enormous personal and financial costs she has paid continues to pay in service of her oath, her state, and her country.
Thank you, Robert, for reminding us of the sober dignity and care with which Judge Merchan, and many others, are defending and enacting the detailed work of democracy and law. Your readers are inspired by what you help us see.
I utterly cannot understand how who Fani Willis dates has any conceivable impact on her ability to prosecute. If I buy a house, and two of my realtors are sleeping together, how does that affect my house purchase? What about Trump sleeping with porn stars and Russian prostitutes? Does that have any effect on national security? Maybe??
Good analogy, Ms. Kasica. And the assault goes further. The Georgia legislature passed an act that will give lawmakers the power to review the work of district attorneys and remove them from office. Four DA's have filed suit blocking that action. And the latest I can find is that the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled against the establishment of the commission until the lawsuit is resolved. I may be wrong on the current status of this plan. Others may be able to offer a more current update. Fani Willis seemed to suggest in her comments that the threat is still very real. She also noted that the legislature exhibited little interest in having this review authoriity until the 2020 election when for the first time in 232 years Black women (7) were serving as county DAs. And of course Fani Willis's decision to charge Trump and his co-conspirators has inflamed this action.
Alito and Thomas. What a pair. They've been key violators or what the rest of us had hoped would be core ethics on the highest court. Roberts has done nothing because he's a scaredy cat. He's looked around at the press (Fox and Steve Bannon especially), he's looked around at the loudest of Trump's supporters, he's looked at the fat paychecks his wife brings in by coddling Federalist Society favorites from time to time and asked himself: why rock the boat? The bad guys may be winning, but, hey, I'm doing OK. So screw the republic.
Before I get too deep in your post tonight, Robert, do you have any thoughts on Framelab leaving Substack? They reference the Atlantics' "does Substack have a Nazi problem?" We all kicked that around a while ago, and the billionaire high tech owner/investors among other reasons. Platforming Nazis is still a major issue. 10% of our sub$ does go to those big money owners.
"But the price of groceries" - Trump has pledged to round up millions of people, put them in camps prior to deportation. Many of these people will be our farm workers. The price of food will explode if there is no one to plant or harvest. Talk about inflation. Mon dieu! How about empty shelves?
Thank you for your comments on inflation. I am currently traveling in Europe (to visit family) and it is clear that inflation, even worse here (in Spain and France) is even steeper. I do not see or read people here blaming Joe Biden or their Presidents or Prime Ministers.
Of course the people here, even the most common, do step out of their front doors, other than to attend right wing pep/propaganda rallies, and see and experience the world. Frankly, they are not as easily manipulated.
The problem with inflation is that its effects are felt very quickly and it builds momentum as it moves on the supply/demand curve. Price affects demand, and supply adjusts accordingly. Then, shortages drive the prices up. When companies can maintain their profits without restoring supply, inflation continues. It takes a long time for the market forces to adjust in the other direction.
Republicans are great at making hay for themselves while the sun shines, while Democrats try to make sure there's enough hay to go around regardless of the weather.
My real cyclical fear is that companies cause inflation for the same reason Republicans don’t pass the bill that will do something to fix the border….they want the issue for the election.
Greed is one explanation for raising prices, but not the most disturbing one.
I am most suspicious of anything that causes gasoline prices to go up before the election.
I assume the CEOs who are taking record salaries and benefit packages while leaving prices high are primarily motivated by greed, but while I agree with Bob Morgan that Republicans "make hay" and Democrats try to husband it and spread it around, Republican CEOs do look to their future and want a President who will cut their taxes, relieve them of the responsibility to guard our environment and look the other way on a multitude of legal infractions. I fully agree there is an eye to their own interests while they keep prices high: It's just more greed.
It would be nice if somehow a few companies like Target actually made enough profit from incentivizing buyers with cuts to gain momentum in that direction. It would be even nicer if there were some way to limit the size of CEO pay and benefits. Oh! I know! Higher taxes on the top pay brackets!
Different topic but did you see that Dick Durbin will not pursue Senate inquiries into Alito's flag flying? He issued a "namby-pamby" statement that Alito should recuse himself but doesn't think inquiries are worthwhile. This is the same type of weakness that got us here in the first place.
Well, that means enough of us haven’t called !📲
Call Dick Durbin and tell him it’s not enough for Justice Alito to recuse from cases involving Trump. The Senate Judiciary Committee must start an investigation into a possible impeachment.
(202) 224-2152 M-F 9a-6p ET
(312) 353-4952 8:30a-5:30p CT
(618) 351-1122
(217) 492-4062
(Thanks, Ellie!)
It’s a waste of time. A better act would be to target the Chief Justice Roberts and bombard him with letters and notes reflecting your displeasure. Congress cannot impeach him.
Stephen, many people on this thread that work in courts have said judges merely ignore or throw away communications. They are not set up to be responsive to the American electorate. Members of Congress are. I think we have to go indirect on this. Side pressure works just as well many times. I respectfully disagree that it is a waste of time. We have to get strategic when going direct doesn't work.
Agree! Apparently Durbin is sort of a no-goodnik (sad to find this out). But citizens need to put pressure on Congress. If Durbin turns his phones off, there are other members of Congress we can lobby. Rep. Dan Goldman is young, but very interested in getting Alito to recuse himself. His committee (House Committee on Oversight and Accountability) may have other members interested in demanding recusal. Let's write to/call them! Goldman in D.C.: (202) 225-7944
It's SO infuriating!
It’s not weakness it reality. There is nothing he can do about it.
If he was talented and not frightened he could make all of the corruption public and warn the nation about the dangers of a corrupt court. There is much more to reveal about the court than there ever was about the Biden family.
The Supreme Court makes Nixon look good!
And the GOP's mantra, "Biden Crime Family" is a joke, especially when balanced against "Trump Crime Family," which is the genuine article!
Maybe legally he can't do anything about it for, for crying out loud, he could get LOUD and NOISY about it. Come on Dems.
There has to be an outcry from voters who basically are saying we have had enough but the Justices know they can’t be fired or removed. They hear and see public opinions and maybe if enough voters shout out it may have me influence. Alito and Thomas are lost souls.
I had to respond to a local Letter to Ed in my Gannett paper when a frequent (Libertarian) writer claimed, in her long-winded, fuzzy math way, that inflation hadn’t declined and shrinkflation was good because it made stuff more affordable .My published letter:⬇️
I’m a proud American pleased with the state of the US economy.
Our recovery from COVID was the best of any leading industrial country.We have the lowest unemployment rate in decades and plentiful jobs. Domestic oil production set records in 2023. Inflation has fallen.
I’m not pleased that corporations,despite record breaking profits, continue to hike prices even as supply chain pressures have eased.
No worries,though ! We can all can save money by eating cereal for dinner as suggested by multi-millionaire Gary Pilnick, CEO of Kelloggs.
The dominant chain in Florida is the GOP-hugging Publix. They have some good BOGO’s but their prices are outrageous. I often shop at Aldi and recently my bill was exactly half !! of what comparable products would be at Publix. I notice many mature 👩🏻🦳 shoppers there.
We are fortunate in my MAGA a county to have options so when speaking with voters I first emphasize about the cost of groceries, while wearing my Biden/Harris t 😉.Then I ask where they are shopping.👕🛒
Thanks Robert,
The problem with perception versus reality is at it all time low. I think Mark Twain said “if you don’t read the news you are uninformed and if you read the news you are misinformed”. It was inflation that prevented Jimmy Carter from a second term, which Ironically was worse in the first two years of Regan’s terms and then Black Friday in his second term. Nobody seemed to blame Regan then. As you have said time and again there is a huge messaging issue with the Democrats and I hope they all get their entire act together soon. Everyone is needed to defend democracy. Usually you’re essays are my morning coffee but I am in China and they are my afternoon cocktails.
Pretty good news, in general and good enough for a good nights sleep. Thank you Robert.
Bob Costa's list is frighteningly accurate. One correction, though, and one addition. With is friends back in charge in Washington and having his back Putin will first turn on the Baltic states (claiming to response to a call for help by 'oppressed' Russian minorities there) before dealing with Poland.
And as a 16th item: Polio, measles and other diseases, which have been mostly eradicated in modern parts of the world will spread again as trump plans to stop funding public schools who demand their kids to be vaccinated.
Concerning the first item on the list: abortion. For weeks we have been reading about the nefarious effects of the myriad of laws being passed by evangelical MAGA bigots, aka Republicans, after SCOTUS sacked Roe v. Wade. Yesterday I came across this especially hideous account on Twitter https://twitter.com/TheRyanHamilton/status/1792504436335456421
It illustrates how far out of touch the emerging theocracy in the US is with the rest of the world. In Germany parliament currently is discussing to lower the threshold to receive all kinds of benefits like paid maternity leave, etc. which can also be applied in the case of miscarriages from miscarriages after the 24th week to the 16th week.
In places like Texas being able to stay home after a miscarriage in many cases probably just means you were able to post bail...
Thank you for posting this link. It was difficult to read, but it is important & necessary for all of us to learn what is actually happening to women in the US who have problem pregnancies post Roe, & what they have to endure to simply receive the appropriate health care so that they don't DIE!
Omg that story. Thank you so much for posting that link. Seems that an easy solution to this ongoing abortion argument is to just tell people that are anti-abortion to just not have one! Sure sounds easy to me!
I read the Twitter account. Commenting only ob the clinical picture. Presuming the patient is 14-19 weeks pregnant, current recommendations are any of these: "expectant waiting" up to a week (if no signs of sepsis or hemodynamic compromise), "medication therapy", or "surgical treatment"; with the patient weighing in on the options. National Library of Medicine "Incomplete Miscarriage" updated 2/2024 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559071/
Thank-you for yet another illuminating letter. The price of groceries, like the price of gasoline are triggers to consumers and are used, fairly or unfairly, as gauges of the state of our economy. It rankles me that John and Jane Q Public get more riled up about the"price of groceries" than they do about one of the two major parties presumed presidential nominees throwing the words about like"The Creation of a Unified Reich"which should frankly terrify us all.The price of groceries really won't matter much if we are under the iron fist of a dictator.
But, Victoria, John and Jane Q Public get riled up because they are having trouble paying their bills and feeding their children. That is the bottom line of their lives! While you are correct about what life under a dictator would be like, it is, I believe, wrong to criticize people who are having trouble having their basic needs met.
True but the price of groceries are not controlled by any President and Biden has passed legislation to eliminate the add ion costs we see in our cable and other services
The section in this post that is brilliant is the section that quotes the Bob Cesca list regarding Project 2025 goals, what will happen if Trump wins.
There are a number of ways those of us who volunteer can get that narrative published: on social media, LTE's, in-person campaign events (like our meet and greets), flyers, and other campaign activities. I plan to take that paragraph, plagiarize a bit and add my own spin on it, and develop ways to get this information out to the public. I invite others on this thread to develop activities to do the same. U.S. citizens who vote need to hear this early and often.
Is there a link to hear him make the statement that included the word "Reich"
It makes sense then that Republicans who want to see Project 2025 succeed would flock to NY to support Trump. If Project 2025 is implemented, they would become the next president, soon, given Trump's age. I bet that is his litmus test.
I have printed out Robert’s list that Cesca referred to… it will take place of “honor” on my refrigerator. ! I live in Maine and all my family (and, well, everyone I know) visits me. It will be the reference point for all our “round the table” discussions. Tho, I know it will be the “choir” who will see it. The young people will take the list away for further discussion as they have done in past. I do voter registration and give financial support, but I know, as in past elections, getting this info to young people has a tremendous strength of its own!
Here in Durham NC, we put together a terrific leaflet comparing Democrats and Republicans, with a Spanish translation by Felipe Benitez. People have been copying it across the US. Please share widely and adapt it to your locale! You can download our "Which Party Gets Your Vote?" leaflet at https://durhamdemocrats.org/resources/2024-leaflets/
Hi Judy. Precinct 3. Old West Durham. Would love to compare notes. Thanks for this link. 💙
Of course there are fair and competent judges across the country and there are judges who have been influenced by outside factors and organizations. For many Americans the SCOUS has been compromised by politics and money and there has been inappropriate behavior by the justices and members of their families. There are two schools of thought. There are those like myself who are frustrated because there is no remedy for the current situation and there are those who are not paying attention. The most frightening scenario is a compromised court not holding Trump accountable if re-elected. The only protection we have is an overwhelming majority in both houses and winning state legislatures to protect and nominate honorable justices. We sometimes forget that federal and state legislators are where laws are made or broken. They need our support.
Stephen I read the comments and then look for your clear and pragmatic analysis. I am in your camp.
Time for the hard questions: What underarm deodorant does Michael Cohen endorse?
Liza Donnelly is a cartoonist for the New Yorker. She has been in the courtroom and draws and writes about it and all the “characters” involved. 💙 her work and, in my opinion,a “pleasant” way to read about the trial.
https://open.substack.com/pub/lizadonnelly/p/drama-in-the-trump-trial?r=fqsxl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Robert, your "Concluding Thoughts" provide an eloquent tribute to Judge Merchan and the rule of law. As an experienced and excellent lawyer, you give us an inside look at how Judge Merchan is performing one of the greatest functions of any democracy worth fighting for: a commitment to the power of the law and the sanctity of the courtroom. As Anne Applebaum, Timothy Snyder, Masha Gessen, and others have taught us: for tyranny to triumph, the courts must fail. You remind us that for the courts to fail, individual judges must abdicate their oath of office and their commitment to rational, learned, and careful study, explication, and articulation of a vast body of law and precedent in favor of the whims of the tyrant. The courts stopped Trump's many appeals to overturn the election in December 2019. You remind us that despite the craven behavior of Alito, Thomas, Cannon, and others, the state and federal judiciary and District Attorneys like Alvin Bragg and Fani Willis still have stood resolute in the work of democracy. I recommend to everyone Fani Willis interview with Rachel Maddow: https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/fani-willis-blasts-clown-jim-jordan-and-maga-followers-for-trying-to-interfere-in-trump-case-211288645701. Maddow's entire show is worth watching for the high stakes in Trump's, Johnson's,, and cronies' attacks on the judiciary and the corrupt model of Alito et al.
Fani Willis is a courageous, committed, patriot. She has suffered unfair attacks and investigations, and she is still resolute. No whining. Despite the enormous personal and financial costs she has paid continues to pay in service of her oath, her state, and her country.
Thank you, Robert, for reminding us of the sober dignity and care with which Judge Merchan, and many others, are defending and enacting the detailed work of democracy and law. Your readers are inspired by what you help us see.
I utterly cannot understand how who Fani Willis dates has any conceivable impact on her ability to prosecute. If I buy a house, and two of my realtors are sleeping together, how does that affect my house purchase? What about Trump sleeping with porn stars and Russian prostitutes? Does that have any effect on national security? Maybe??
Good analogy, Ms. Kasica. And the assault goes further. The Georgia legislature passed an act that will give lawmakers the power to review the work of district attorneys and remove them from office. Four DA's have filed suit blocking that action. And the latest I can find is that the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled against the establishment of the commission until the lawsuit is resolved. I may be wrong on the current status of this plan. Others may be able to offer a more current update. Fani Willis seemed to suggest in her comments that the threat is still very real. She also noted that the legislature exhibited little interest in having this review authoriity until the 2020 election when for the first time in 232 years Black women (7) were serving as county DAs. And of course Fani Willis's decision to charge Trump and his co-conspirators has inflamed this action.
Alito and Thomas. What a pair. They've been key violators or what the rest of us had hoped would be core ethics on the highest court. Roberts has done nothing because he's a scaredy cat. He's looked around at the press (Fox and Steve Bannon especially), he's looked around at the loudest of Trump's supporters, he's looked at the fat paychecks his wife brings in by coddling Federalist Society favorites from time to time and asked himself: why rock the boat? The bad guys may be winning, but, hey, I'm doing OK. So screw the republic.
Ginni Thomas' company profits increased 1,000% under Trump. They've fallen under Biden.
I'm shocked. Shocked!
-;) I know, it's almost inconceivable, isn't it?
Before I get too deep in your post tonight, Robert, do you have any thoughts on Framelab leaving Substack? They reference the Atlantics' "does Substack have a Nazi problem?" We all kicked that around a while ago, and the billionaire high tech owner/investors among other reasons. Platforming Nazis is still a major issue. 10% of our sub$ does go to those big money owners.
"But the price of groceries" - Trump has pledged to round up millions of people, put them in camps prior to deportation. Many of these people will be our farm workers. The price of food will explode if there is no one to plant or harvest. Talk about inflation. Mon dieu! How about empty shelves?