Thank you, Robert, for this Today's Edition; and thank you for sticking with us through it all.
And, speaking of Jamie Raskin,
having been accused of being a “damned liberal,” responds: “You’re damned right I’m a liberal; the heart of the word is liberty. And I’m a progressive because the heart of that word is progress. But my favorite thing to call myself these days is a conservative, because I want to conserve the land, the air, the water, the climate system, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Labor Relations Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act.”
Thank you so much for this link. I love that quote. My other favorite part was I've always been hearing Robert and other substack writers saying we need to enlarge the Supreme Court. I was always praying that Congress was also thinking that but this is the first time I heard someone say it from Congress.
I was in DC recently walking around it was so nice to see Jamie Raskin posters. A few years ago we were in Atlanta and I got sick seeing MTG posters. Couldn't believe people would actually want to say they voted for her. Go Jamie!
Lynette, once again you write a smart comment, this one about Jamie Raskin. Who doesn't love him? But this quote is important, I think. I'm going to use it myself. Thank you!
I believe he is a great communicator, Jocelyn. Like Robert, he takes complex subjects and breaks them down into smaller, more easily understood language. What's not to love about that?!
He is a deeply good man, on top of all of his competencies. It's a shame his mother hasn't been around these many years to see what he's become. (She died of cancer at roughly the age he is now, in 1999.)
A while back, I wrote that falsely equivalent expectations between President Biden and Felonious Trump were a problem. For the debate, if it happens (I still have my doubts), it's clear that the latter's supporters are trying to manage expectations with their preemptive accusations and excuses.
It's also clear that Felonious Trump thrives on attention, regardless of whether it's good or bad. Even if the media took him to task for his musing about "refootal" of "refuhtal," he'd spin it into something like, "I was just showing my genius by intentionally blending 'rebuttal' and 'refutal,' which are very similar but very different." The best way to defeat him is to make him irrelevant, and the best way to make him irrelevant is to defeat him soundly on Election Day.
You know; I’ve always thought that I couldn’t care less if he goes to jail- I just want him out of our hair. Yet, I’m becoming so resentful of his crap- it’s sicko of me but I’m beginning to imagine how glorious it would be to see him somewhere awful. Seriously, I know it’s wrong thinking and yet I’m thinking it. Ok; now that I have that out of my head, chin up and moving on to his sound beating on Election Day.
My idea of "correct thinking"? Trump should experience the same consequences that you or I would. If I had filled an airplane with boxes of Top Secret documents removed them illegally from the White House...and lied repeatedly about it to Federal agents?....would I be a free person now? If I had defrauded any number of contractors and government agencies where would I be now?
I am not impressed with calls for violence against anyone. Including the Orange Menace. I think that invites karmic catastrophe. And it just feels wrong.
But totally equal treatment is more than warranted. Trump has been treated as if he has special privileges for much too long. The excuses are that it might look political. And he has the money to throw all manner of legal BS at the system.
But some judge, somewhere should have put him away a long, long time ago. It's not political to expect a person charged with enforcing the laws of the nation to be punished for breaking them.
I still wonder if he really has money. I think he just gets people to pay his bills. A lot of these people paying his bills can't even afford their own bills.
There's nobody more deserving of hard time, but I don't think we'll ever see it come to pass. I think he should be forced to sit in a jail cell alone, if only for a few days. I don't think it's wrong thinking at all.
Defeating Trump in November may or may not put him in a physical jail, but he will be suffering what for him is the horror of irrelevance as a multiple loser, even though his delusional self will refuse to ever acknowledge that. What a damaged and dangerous character.
Karen, there is nothing wrong with expecting that the rule of law applies to everyone equally and that one's country is not a rogue state where well-connected mobsters and insurrectionists are given a free pass not only for what they have done in the past but what they continue to do as they are successfully gaming the system.
It definitely should not be a cheap feeling of vengeance or retribution but a sense of pride in one's country and the functioning of it's institutions, ideas and values which should be the base for hoping that the convicted felon should do time.
Here's my thinking, offered in another forum. Right now, all we have is his conviction of 34 felonies, with sentencing in July. He'll obviously appeal and tie any possible felony sentence up in the courts, possibly for years. Judge Merchan already has him on 10 contempt charges, each of which could earn him cell time. My proposal is that Judge Merchan sentences him now to one day for each contempt conviction, served consecutively. That would net him 10 days, which may be enough to get his attention. At the very least, he'll have to wipe his own butt.
THINGS BIDEN SHOULD BE SAYING AND USE IN THE DEBATE (AT LEAST I WILL)
STRENGTH IS NOT MEASURED BY AGE. STRENGTH IS MEASURED BY ACTION. DONALD TRUMP IS NOT STRONG. HE IS A BULLY, THE WEAKEST BEHAVIOR A MAN COULD EXHIBIT. SUCKING UP TO ALLEGED STRONGMEN LIKE PUTIN, ORBAN, KIM JONG UN IS A FEEBLE ATTEMPT TO HAVE THEIR RUTHLESSNESS SOMEHOW BECOME INFUSED IN A MAN WITH NO STRENGTH.
THE IDEA THAT DONALD TRUMP IS A VICTIM IS ANOTHER ONE OF HIS BIGGEST SCAMS, JUST LIKE EVERY VENTURE HE’S ENTERED INTO. HERE’S A MAN BORN INTO UNTOLD WEALTH WHO NEVER FACED A SINGLE HARDSHIP PRETENDING THAT SOMEHOW EVERY FAILURE, EVERY CRIMINAL CONVICTION WERE THE RESULT OF SOME FOUL PLAY. YES THERE ARE MANY THINGS UNPRECEDENTED THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO TRUMP..TWO IMPEACHMENTS, 34 CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS WITH MORE PENDING BUT IN EVERY CASE, THEY WERE BROUGHT ABOUT BY HIS OWN ACTIONS.PERIOD. HE HAS NEVER TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY FAILURE, ANY LOSS, ANY CONVICTION NOR ANY CRITICISM. HE IS NOT FIT TO BE THE LEADER OF THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. NOR WILL HE PROTECT THE GREAT EXPERIMENT THAT AMERICA IS. HE IS AN EVER PRESENT DANGER TO YOU, TO ME AND OUR ENTIRE NATION.
PURE AND SIMPLE DONALD TRUMP IS A CON ARTIST. SELLING MERCHANDISE LIKE A CARNIVAL BARKER. SOLICITING DONATIONS TO SERVE HIS OWN PRIVATE PURPOSES. USING HIS PAST TENURE IN THE WHITE HOUSE TO LINE HIS OWN POCKETS. HE IS A TAX CHEAT, A FRAUD, A LIAR. HE IS A SEXUAL ABUSER AND PREDATOR. AT THE CORE THERE IS NOTHING BUT EMPTINESS. HIS FALSE AND VACANT ATTEMPT TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT OTHERS, YOU THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, YOU WHO HE WANTS TO HAVE BELIEVE THAT HE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN ARE THE HOLLOW WORDS OF A NARCISSISTIC SOCIOPATH. YES, THAT IS WHAT HE IS AND FOLKS, I HAVE SOME NEWS FOR YOU. AMERICA IS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN GREAT AND NO THANKS TO DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP BELIEVES WOMEN ARE NOT CITIZENS AND DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO SELF DETERMINATION . NOT SUPPORTING THE RIGHT FOR A WOMAN TO CHOOSE SHOULD BE A SIGNAL TO EVERY WOMAN AND EVERY PERSON , MALE AND FEMALE. BECAUSE RIGHT BEHIND THAT WILL BE AN ONSLAUGHT OF SIMILAR ACTS TO TAKE AWAY THE FREEDOMS YOU ALL ENJOY TODAY. HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION, SOCIAL SECURITY..THESE WILL DISAPPEAR UNDER THE REIGN OF DONALD TRUMP. YOUR LOSS WILL BE HIS GAIN. THINK ABOUT IT.
DONALD TRUMP IS A WEAK AND TIRED EMPTY SUIT. HE NEEDS YOUR PRAISE, YOUR ADULATION, YOUR APPLAUSE TO FUEL HIS EVERY MOVE. HE COULD NOT WAKE UP EACH MORNING, TAKE A STEP, GET DRESSED WITHOUT IT. THERE IS NO ENGINE CHURNING INSIDE TO SELF MOTIVATE HIM. YOU ARE HIS FUEL. HE NEEDS YOU. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
DONALD TRUMP IS MORE THAN JUST A USEFUL TOOL FOR PUTIN. HE IS A USEFUL TOOL FOR RICH BILLIONAIRES AND ORGANIZATIONS DEDICATED TO REINTERPRETING AND REFORMING OUR LAWS AND CONSTITUTION TO SUIT THEIR PERSONAL NEEDS. THEY SEE HIS NEEDINESS AND WEAKNESSES, AND RIGHTLY SO, AS A MEANS TO THEIR OWN ENDS. THOSE ENDS ARE NOT THOSE OF EVERYDAY AMERICANS BUT THOSE OF A THIN SLICE OF AMERICANS WHOSE WEALTH AND FORTUNES WERE BUILT ON YOUR BACKS AND SHOULDERS . DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THESE GROUPS AND DONALD TRUMP HAVE MADE YOU A PRIORITY OVER THEIRS? THINK AGAIN.
Stephen, I disagree. Polls show that more informed voters lean toward Biden. The more people who watch, the more informed people will be. Biden WILL trounce Trump. And newly informed voters will swing Biden’s way.
Does this mean I am exempt? I feel obligated to watch. But I don’t know that I have the stomach for it.
My doc has just upped my blood pressure meds. (Not kidding.)
To be clear, I expect our President to kick the other guy’s fat arse. What I can’t stomach is the other guy’s face, voice, lies. And watching the moderators sit there and let it continue.
That depends on how thoroughly embarrassing the convicted felon's performance is. If he has a complete meltdown it's possible, however unlikely, that some supporters will be shaken loose.
Forget about those who for whatever reason at this point are still his supporters. The ones who are still sitting on the fence because they have 'issues' with age, Gaza, immigration or 'but the gas price!' have to be made aware that in November they will decide about the continuation or end of the American experiment and the world order we have created since the end of WWII.
... and then after he loses, please, everyone stop talking about him!! (I know that's not going to happen, because of all the "rigged election" BS ..... I have somehow missed Felonious' team making preemptive excuses. Where have people seen/heard that? (And are you perhaps referencing Theolnious Monk? Funny, but unfair to Mr. Monk!)
The excuses include his having to be in court while he could have been preparing, that President Biden will be on performance enhancing drugs, and that he'll be debating Jake Tapper and Dana Bash as well as half a man in President Biden. And yes, I'm playing off of Thelonious Monk's name, but certainly not his talent, as Felonious Trump has absolutely none.
Great newsletter, Robert. Thank you. I was glad to be able to read the Jennifer Rubin column about Kamala Harris. And I greatly appreciated your emphasis on climate change as one of our critical issues. I noted that Sam, one of the three young organizers of the Tour for Democracy, consistently included the climate when mentioning the important issues he plans to highlight with the young people they talk to in 20 states. I would like to note here that there was an excellent column in the Washington Post last Friday by Eugene Robinson, entitled, "Extreme Heat Should Inspire Urgency, Not Doom'". I was glad to see it and to be able to gift it to several friends.
Shelley, thanks for mentioning Tour to Save Democracy. Here’s a link to the recording for those who will be encouraged by Sam and the young organizers and as always, Robert and Jess Craven. 🚌 Coming to TX,AZ,CA,MI,OH,PA,N.Y.,FL !! +++++
I too was impressed with the way the Tour to Save Democracy leaders including Sam Schwartz were focused on the issues. They spent little time insulting the loathsomeness of Trump. To them that he's a puke is a given. Let's get about defeating him where it matters. And thanks for the tip on the Eugene Robinson piece.
Robert was correct, in a narrow technical sense, that weather is not climate. However, weather is intertwined with climate. The weather is more likely to be hot or cold in, respectively, hot or cold climates. It *is* therefore appropriate to attribute the increased persistence of hot spells, to climate, even though one should not specifically attribute this or that specific hot spell to climate change.
If Trump took of his shirt, everyone who saw it - in person or on TV - would be traumatized for life.
His "wavy thick hair: - what a crock. There are several photos of his hair getting lifted and blown by the wind, and he's got a billiard ball hidden under that bird's nest.
There's a direct connection between the increase in deadly heat waves and fossil fuel billionaires and Republican politicians who deny climate change and stacked the Supreme Court with extremist justices who have crippled the EPA in it's fight against Global Warming.
How do fossil fuel billionaires get away with HEAT WAVE MURDERS? Check this real time map and follow the money!
It is a very consequential week, but with SCOTUS broken and the campaign going full swing, I think they all are from here to November. One thing that’s bothering me is this fear, going into the debate, that somehow Biden will make a significant gaffe look weak to Trump’s supposed “strength” or otherwise screw the pooch at the debate. For the love of god, stop!
I had several conversations with politically-minded friends this weekend, and they were all nervous about the debate. They've somehow bought into the idea that Trump is in his element on TV and that Biden appears awkward in that format. Are you kidding me? Then, this morning, Robert Reich’s Substack has the headline “Why I’m scared sh*tless about Thursday.” Hell, I'm looking forward to the debate and I’m not worried one iota about Biden. Everyone was scared he’d blow the State of the Union speech, which he delivered. Then they were concerned about the campaign kickoff, and he aced it. His recent speech in Normandy was hailed globally. Also, don't forget that he pantsed Trump in the 2020 debate. He’s got this.
Simon Rosenberg often refers to Trump as being “the ugliest political thing” that we have ever seen. So, who do you think will win the debate, the bloviating gas bag or the accomplished statesman with a record of success? Of all the things to be concerned about, this debate is at the bottom of my list. Agent Orange will look like the fool that he is. Still, I'm sure the media and some Democrats will have the hand-wringing down to an art form this week. Don’t listen to them.
I am not worried about President Biden's "performance" at the debate. He will appear calm and confident. Trump will provide multiple soundbites that will be ammunition for endless ads, Youtube and TikTok posts. His ignorance and mental messiness will be on full display.
Some of us are old enough to remember Nixon's sweaty upper lip. It helped move the needle. Imagine what Trump's clown show will do. If nothing else it might discourage some big donors from putting away their checkbooks.
And...I think there is a small possibility that Trump will walk off the stage mid-debate. The time restrictions enforced by turning off the mics could make him crazy. He also may look like a buffoon silently waving his arms around in frustration. He is not used to being controlled.
I think Biden will look like the seasoned mature professional adult he is. The other guy has nothing to offer other than lies that are easily disproved and deranged ranting.
If only the media would provide real-time fact checking...but I know that with Trump, who spits out lies like a machine gun spits out bullets, any attempt at trying to keep up would be difficult at best.
Robert Reich's headline this morning was depressing enough, but his weekend cartoon caption contest had a picture of Biden and Trump as sleeping boxers in a ring and Reich subscribers were invited to think up funny gags for the dialogue balloon above the referee's head. Over 1,000 people submitted gags, most on the order of a "shouldn't have scheduled the debate when old people needed a nap." I and a handful of other readers complained about the false equivalency in this light-hearted portrayal. But the wave of people who wanted to make fun of the President by repeating the "Sleepy Joe" image of the Trump camp was decidedly depressing.
This week we have to actively counter the vision that the debate is about two personalities or about two old men. It's about two radically different visions of who we are as American and what we will become in the next four years. Trump has told us what he will do. Biden has shown us how he will lead and get things done. The choice could not be clearer. I don't worry about Biden. I worry about Democrats and Independents who will treat the debate as just another TV show where we count who lands the most zingers.
It was more than a bit depressing. I admire Reich, but this was a misstep that brought out a more depressing vision of what a large segment of Democrats and Independents seem to think, at least some influential ones who have the time and energy to post on RR's site. (I check out the weekend caption contest in part because I freelanced as a gag writer for cartoonist for several years, back in the '80s. I was trying to help pay for my addiction to teaching English writing and literature at small colleges. Didn't make a lot of money to be sure, but I've always admired the craft of the gag and the art of the cartoon.)
“This week we have to actively counter the vision that the debate is about two personalities or about two old men. It's about two radically different visions . . .”
Not just for the next four years. Climate change is now. Climate catastrophe is our certain future if Trump and Republicans are elected.
But it *is* about two personalities! One is the personality of a thug, bully, compulsive liar, and ignoramus. The other is the personality of a reasonable, ethical, talented, and decent man.
Robert, I start every day with you and Heather Cox Richardson to keep me sane. PLEASE publicize her Letters from an American of June 23, 2024 (this morning). The facts are compelling for the Biden side and we have to amplify them 1000 percent. There are too many for me to cite, but GREAT facts about reductions in crime, reduced inflation, lack of support for Trump among CEOs, and on and on. You and Heather are the BEST!
This is a tangential point, but can we please retire the phrase "runs the country" to describe the function of the president of the United States? The president doesn't even "run" two of the three branches of the federal government, let alone state and local government, the private sector (for-profit and nonprofit), or the numberless institutions, large and small, that make up the complex fabric of life in a large, modern, still to a considerable (if arguably shrinking) degree free society. Xi Jinping can be plausibly said to "run" China. Trump no doubt aspires to "run" the United States. But Joe Biden--as we can all be thankful--does not "run the country."
Bill, I don't think Daniel's point is "picky". Biden was being blamed for the price of oil and eggs as we were trying to work our way out of the pandemic. Too many people think he controls every aspect of this country and that's why the MAGA GOP will do anything within their means to avoid giving Biden any kind of a "win".
I couldn't agree more that too many people think a president can flip a switch and make magic happen - like with inflation, etc.
My quibble was with the semantics. No big deal. Daniel does make an important point.
I was just listening to a piece about the state of the UK economy. It is a very big mess. Labour is expected to win the next election and the fear is that the public will expect them to correct quickly the damage done by the conservatives "trickle down/funnel up to the rich" policies. It will take several years of sensible leadership.
Thank you, Cheryl--that was an unstated part of my point. As Robert himself has pointed out, many Americans hold Biden responsible not just for inflation but for the reversal of Roe v Wade-- as if presidents determine the constitutionality of our laws, along with their other responsibilities. I don't think we should be helping to foster such illusions.
President Biden was terrific in the SOTU speech in January. The fact that he is preparing makes me feel good about him having a breakout session. The key for me is the moderators managing the debate and controlling Trump. I hope they are preparing as well for the debacle. Trump is nervous or his team is because they have stepped up their negative rhetoric. What will happen is President Biden won’t be the person Trump tells people he is and Trump won’t be the person his fans think he is. Facts will matter in this debate and facts are on President Biden’s side. Now all we need is to have the media be truthful and unbiased.
Biden is preparing like a seasoned pro while Trump is “refooting” and threatening to take his shirt off. In terms of the election, I will never underestimate him or his supporters. In regards to the debate, though? Good luck with that, MAGA.
I'm still not sure that Trump will even bother to show up or that if he does and the moderators cut off his mic that he won't have a tantrum/meltdown as Bill suggests. I think it may depend on how hard the moderators try to hold Trump's feet to the fire and make him answer the questions.
The GOP has plans for you. Ask about them. Don’t let other people run your life. Vote Blue.
(The GOP will control your reproductive rights, what you can read, your right to vote, limit access to healthcare and a secure retirement, what your kids will learn in school, being safe from people with machine guns,… what else?)
Robert- can you please explain to me why mainstream media is fawning over the orange guy? What might it be and you are the only one that give a cogent opinion 🙏🏻
This election is a referendum that will determine if the billionaire overlords of the United States have been able to use an aging, corrupt, slightly deranged, TV performer to manipulate the masses into giving up their freedom, money, and “inalienable rights.” (That's my comment for the day. I will place it in several comment sections.)
The use of social media and email for communication has contributed greatly to the ability for people to organize large peaceful demonstrations and non violent civil disobedience actions to gain the attention of the news media and therefore large numbers of the American population. A few examples of this would be the 2017 Women's March (enacted globally), the protests after the murder of George Floyd and the uprising of campus students in defense of the people in Gaza.
I would love to listen to young voters and their concerns related to our devastating climate chaos, but why do I have to search it out to find it? Why have there been no organized protests by young people for the last number of years? They had Greta Thunberg to spur them on for years- but it's essentially been crickets when one views the magnitude of this problem.
I fear it is young voters social media algorithms that prevent such organizing, which should be on a global scale. Such communication was very successful against Netanyahu's war, but I see that as being propelled, at least in part, to have been a referendum against Biden.
Even March For Our Lives achieved some notoriety across the country, but not to the level it should have. I feel that powers that direct energies to the fossil fuel industry and the preservation of conscienceless gun "rights" take great effort in preventing protest organization, and I have to wonder why young people have not risen up to that yet, in order to protect the planet that they will have to live in.
Thank you, Robert, for this Today's Edition; and thank you for sticking with us through it all.
And, speaking of Jamie Raskin,
having been accused of being a “damned liberal,” responds: “You’re damned right I’m a liberal; the heart of the word is liberty. And I’m a progressive because the heart of that word is progress. But my favorite thing to call myself these days is a conservative, because I want to conserve the land, the air, the water, the climate system, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Labor Relations Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoOx-nZlrqY
I love Jamie Raskin
That is a beautiful quote. Thanks for sharing.
I love that quote. Thanks!
Thank you Lynell. I absolutely love Jamie Raskin.
Thank you so much for this link. I love that quote. My other favorite part was I've always been hearing Robert and other substack writers saying we need to enlarge the Supreme Court. I was always praying that Congress was also thinking that but this is the first time I heard someone say it from Congress.
I was in DC recently walking around it was so nice to see Jamie Raskin posters. A few years ago we were in Atlanta and I got sick seeing MTG posters. Couldn't believe people would actually want to say they voted for her. Go Jamie!
Lynell, “to conserve”—- “the wise use of”
Lynette, once again you write a smart comment, this one about Jamie Raskin. Who doesn't love him? But this quote is important, I think. I'm going to use it myself. Thank you!
That's why I shared what he said, Kathleen, so others will share!
I have also become a huge Jamie R fan!
I believe he is a great communicator, Jocelyn. Like Robert, he takes complex subjects and breaks them down into smaller, more easily understood language. What's not to love about that?!
He is a deeply good man, on top of all of his competencies. It's a shame his mother hasn't been around these many years to see what he's become. (She died of cancer at roughly the age he is now, in 1999.)
I love this quote! Thank you for sharing.
A while back, I wrote that falsely equivalent expectations between President Biden and Felonious Trump were a problem. For the debate, if it happens (I still have my doubts), it's clear that the latter's supporters are trying to manage expectations with their preemptive accusations and excuses.
It's also clear that Felonious Trump thrives on attention, regardless of whether it's good or bad. Even if the media took him to task for his musing about "refootal" of "refuhtal," he'd spin it into something like, "I was just showing my genius by intentionally blending 'rebuttal' and 'refutal,' which are very similar but very different." The best way to defeat him is to make him irrelevant, and the best way to make him irrelevant is to defeat him soundly on Election Day.
You know; I’ve always thought that I couldn’t care less if he goes to jail- I just want him out of our hair. Yet, I’m becoming so resentful of his crap- it’s sicko of me but I’m beginning to imagine how glorious it would be to see him somewhere awful. Seriously, I know it’s wrong thinking and yet I’m thinking it. Ok; now that I have that out of my head, chin up and moving on to his sound beating on Election Day.
My idea of "correct thinking"? Trump should experience the same consequences that you or I would. If I had filled an airplane with boxes of Top Secret documents removed them illegally from the White House...and lied repeatedly about it to Federal agents?....would I be a free person now? If I had defrauded any number of contractors and government agencies where would I be now?
I am not impressed with calls for violence against anyone. Including the Orange Menace. I think that invites karmic catastrophe. And it just feels wrong.
But totally equal treatment is more than warranted. Trump has been treated as if he has special privileges for much too long. The excuses are that it might look political. And he has the money to throw all manner of legal BS at the system.
But some judge, somewhere should have put him away a long, long time ago. It's not political to expect a person charged with enforcing the laws of the nation to be punished for breaking them.
I still wonder if he really has money. I think he just gets people to pay his bills. A lot of these people paying his bills can't even afford their own bills.
To your point, negative publicity is always considered better than no publicity. The Orange Clown thrives on this, much like a toddler.
YES. This^^^^^^^^^^!
Thank you for that.
What you said, Bill.
There's nobody more deserving of hard time, but I don't think we'll ever see it come to pass. I think he should be forced to sit in a jail cell alone, if only for a few days. I don't think it's wrong thinking at all.
Nor do I.
Defeating Trump is November guarantees he goes to jail I. 2025.
Defeating Trump in November may or may not put him in a physical jail, but he will be suffering what for him is the horror of irrelevance as a multiple loser, even though his delusional self will refuse to ever acknowledge that. What a damaged and dangerous character.
Karen, there is nothing wrong with expecting that the rule of law applies to everyone equally and that one's country is not a rogue state where well-connected mobsters and insurrectionists are given a free pass not only for what they have done in the past but what they continue to do as they are successfully gaming the system.
It definitely should not be a cheap feeling of vengeance or retribution but a sense of pride in one's country and the functioning of it's institutions, ideas and values which should be the base for hoping that the convicted felon should do time.
Here's my thinking, offered in another forum. Right now, all we have is his conviction of 34 felonies, with sentencing in July. He'll obviously appeal and tie any possible felony sentence up in the courts, possibly for years. Judge Merchan already has him on 10 contempt charges, each of which could earn him cell time. My proposal is that Judge Merchan sentences him now to one day for each contempt conviction, served consecutively. That would net him 10 days, which may be enough to get his attention. At the very least, he'll have to wipe his own butt.
The Judge's name has a "c" where ou put an "s"--Merchan.
https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/MERCHAN has interesting info on the name. It's French.
Thanks, David. I knew that but got sloppy - twice! I corrected them.
Looks like I got a bit sloppy--left the "y" off of "you". It happens to all of us.
Humbling, ain't it?
He's an evil, traitorous man and I for one make no apologies for wishing harsh retribution for the deliberate damage he and ilk have done.
It's moral outrage and the backbone of reform.
I’m right with you on this one and thank you for saying it. Tump is a time waster and I too and sick of him taking up so damn much oxygen.
THINGS BIDEN SHOULD BE SAYING AND USE IN THE DEBATE (AT LEAST I WILL)
STRENGTH IS NOT MEASURED BY AGE. STRENGTH IS MEASURED BY ACTION. DONALD TRUMP IS NOT STRONG. HE IS A BULLY, THE WEAKEST BEHAVIOR A MAN COULD EXHIBIT. SUCKING UP TO ALLEGED STRONGMEN LIKE PUTIN, ORBAN, KIM JONG UN IS A FEEBLE ATTEMPT TO HAVE THEIR RUTHLESSNESS SOMEHOW BECOME INFUSED IN A MAN WITH NO STRENGTH.
THE IDEA THAT DONALD TRUMP IS A VICTIM IS ANOTHER ONE OF HIS BIGGEST SCAMS, JUST LIKE EVERY VENTURE HE’S ENTERED INTO. HERE’S A MAN BORN INTO UNTOLD WEALTH WHO NEVER FACED A SINGLE HARDSHIP PRETENDING THAT SOMEHOW EVERY FAILURE, EVERY CRIMINAL CONVICTION WERE THE RESULT OF SOME FOUL PLAY. YES THERE ARE MANY THINGS UNPRECEDENTED THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO TRUMP..TWO IMPEACHMENTS, 34 CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS WITH MORE PENDING BUT IN EVERY CASE, THEY WERE BROUGHT ABOUT BY HIS OWN ACTIONS.PERIOD. HE HAS NEVER TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY FAILURE, ANY LOSS, ANY CONVICTION NOR ANY CRITICISM. HE IS NOT FIT TO BE THE LEADER OF THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. NOR WILL HE PROTECT THE GREAT EXPERIMENT THAT AMERICA IS. HE IS AN EVER PRESENT DANGER TO YOU, TO ME AND OUR ENTIRE NATION.
PURE AND SIMPLE DONALD TRUMP IS A CON ARTIST. SELLING MERCHANDISE LIKE A CARNIVAL BARKER. SOLICITING DONATIONS TO SERVE HIS OWN PRIVATE PURPOSES. USING HIS PAST TENURE IN THE WHITE HOUSE TO LINE HIS OWN POCKETS. HE IS A TAX CHEAT, A FRAUD, A LIAR. HE IS A SEXUAL ABUSER AND PREDATOR. AT THE CORE THERE IS NOTHING BUT EMPTINESS. HIS FALSE AND VACANT ATTEMPT TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT OTHERS, YOU THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, YOU WHO HE WANTS TO HAVE BELIEVE THAT HE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN ARE THE HOLLOW WORDS OF A NARCISSISTIC SOCIOPATH. YES, THAT IS WHAT HE IS AND FOLKS, I HAVE SOME NEWS FOR YOU. AMERICA IS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN GREAT AND NO THANKS TO DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP BELIEVES WOMEN ARE NOT CITIZENS AND DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO SELF DETERMINATION . NOT SUPPORTING THE RIGHT FOR A WOMAN TO CHOOSE SHOULD BE A SIGNAL TO EVERY WOMAN AND EVERY PERSON , MALE AND FEMALE. BECAUSE RIGHT BEHIND THAT WILL BE AN ONSLAUGHT OF SIMILAR ACTS TO TAKE AWAY THE FREEDOMS YOU ALL ENJOY TODAY. HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION, SOCIAL SECURITY..THESE WILL DISAPPEAR UNDER THE REIGN OF DONALD TRUMP. YOUR LOSS WILL BE HIS GAIN. THINK ABOUT IT.
DONALD TRUMP IS A WEAK AND TIRED EMPTY SUIT. HE NEEDS YOUR PRAISE, YOUR ADULATION, YOUR APPLAUSE TO FUEL HIS EVERY MOVE. HE COULD NOT WAKE UP EACH MORNING, TAKE A STEP, GET DRESSED WITHOUT IT. THERE IS NO ENGINE CHURNING INSIDE TO SELF MOTIVATE HIM. YOU ARE HIS FUEL. HE NEEDS YOU. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
DONALD TRUMP IS MORE THAN JUST A USEFUL TOOL FOR PUTIN. HE IS A USEFUL TOOL FOR RICH BILLIONAIRES AND ORGANIZATIONS DEDICATED TO REINTERPRETING AND REFORMING OUR LAWS AND CONSTITUTION TO SUIT THEIR PERSONAL NEEDS. THEY SEE HIS NEEDINESS AND WEAKNESSES, AND RIGHTLY SO, AS A MEANS TO THEIR OWN ENDS. THOSE ENDS ARE NOT THOSE OF EVERYDAY AMERICANS BUT THOSE OF A THIN SLICE OF AMERICANS WHOSE WEALTH AND FORTUNES WERE BUILT ON YOUR BACKS AND SHOULDERS . DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THESE GROUPS AND DONALD TRUMP HAVE MADE YOU A PRIORITY OVER THEIRS? THINK AGAIN.
Well said, Bob. It is a hard sell, though, to ask people to think about it, when their emotional bond with Trump filters out facts about him.
At least one of the moderators must have an olfactometer.
#trumpstinks
Agree winning the debate doesn’t translate into votes.
Stephen, I disagree. Polls show that more informed voters lean toward Biden. The more people who watch, the more informed people will be. Biden WILL trounce Trump. And newly informed voters will swing Biden’s way.
Informed voters don’t need to watch the debate. They have picked their candidates
Does this mean I am exempt? I feel obligated to watch. But I don’t know that I have the stomach for it.
My doc has just upped my blood pressure meds. (Not kidding.)
To be clear, I expect our President to kick the other guy’s fat arse. What I can’t stomach is the other guy’s face, voice, lies. And watching the moderators sit there and let it continue.
That depends on how thoroughly embarrassing the convicted felon's performance is. If he has a complete meltdown it's possible, however unlikely, that some supporters will be shaken loose.
Forget about those who for whatever reason at this point are still his supporters. The ones who are still sitting on the fence because they have 'issues' with age, Gaza, immigration or 'but the gas price!' have to be made aware that in November they will decide about the continuation or end of the American experiment and the world order we have created since the end of WWII.
Agreed
... and then after he loses, please, everyone stop talking about him!! (I know that's not going to happen, because of all the "rigged election" BS ..... I have somehow missed Felonious' team making preemptive excuses. Where have people seen/heard that? (And are you perhaps referencing Theolnious Monk? Funny, but unfair to Mr. Monk!)
The excuses include his having to be in court while he could have been preparing, that President Biden will be on performance enhancing drugs, and that he'll be debating Jake Tapper and Dana Bash as well as half a man in President Biden. And yes, I'm playing off of Thelonious Monk's name, but certainly not his talent, as Felonious Trump has absolutely none.
<SIGH> (Right about Felonious vs. Thelonious!)
Great newsletter, Robert. Thank you. I was glad to be able to read the Jennifer Rubin column about Kamala Harris. And I greatly appreciated your emphasis on climate change as one of our critical issues. I noted that Sam, one of the three young organizers of the Tour for Democracy, consistently included the climate when mentioning the important issues he plans to highlight with the young people they talk to in 20 states. I would like to note here that there was an excellent column in the Washington Post last Friday by Eugene Robinson, entitled, "Extreme Heat Should Inspire Urgency, Not Doom'". I was glad to see it and to be able to gift it to several friends.
Shelley, thanks for mentioning Tour to Save Democracy. Here’s a link to the recording for those who will be encouraged by Sam and the young organizers and as always, Robert and Jess Craven. 🚌 Coming to TX,AZ,CA,MI,OH,PA,N.Y.,FL !! +++++
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCMRSkAulOU
To donate:⬇️
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/tourtosavedemocracy
I too was impressed with the way the Tour to Save Democracy leaders including Sam Schwartz were focused on the issues. They spent little time insulting the loathsomeness of Trump. To them that he's a puke is a given. Let's get about defeating him where it matters. And thanks for the tip on the Eugene Robinson piece.
Robert was correct, in a narrow technical sense, that weather is not climate. However, weather is intertwined with climate. The weather is more likely to be hot or cold in, respectively, hot or cold climates. It *is* therefore appropriate to attribute the increased persistence of hot spells, to climate, even though one should not specifically attribute this or that specific hot spell to climate change.
Thank you.
If Trump took of his shirt, everyone who saw it - in person or on TV - would be traumatized for life.
His "wavy thick hair: - what a crock. There are several photos of his hair getting lifted and blown by the wind, and he's got a billiard ball hidden under that bird's nest.
The man is a braying ass and I wish he would shut up and leave us alone.
Thanks, TC for the chuckle. Thankfully, I swallowed my mouthful of morning beverage before reading your first sentence.
Indeed. If there were a combover Olympics, Trump would win the gold medal in a walk.
There's a direct connection between the increase in deadly heat waves and fossil fuel billionaires and Republican politicians who deny climate change and stacked the Supreme Court with extremist justices who have crippled the EPA in it's fight against Global Warming.
How do fossil fuel billionaires get away with HEAT WAVE MURDERS? Check this real time map and follow the money!
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/06/18/how-do-fossil-fuel-billionaires-get-away-with-heat-wave-murders-follow-the-money/
Scorched by the heatwave? Thank these Senators.
https://thedemlabs.org/2022/07/22/heatwaves-made-worse-by-fossil-fuel-donations-to-republicans/
It is a very consequential week, but with SCOTUS broken and the campaign going full swing, I think they all are from here to November. One thing that’s bothering me is this fear, going into the debate, that somehow Biden will make a significant gaffe look weak to Trump’s supposed “strength” or otherwise screw the pooch at the debate. For the love of god, stop!
I had several conversations with politically-minded friends this weekend, and they were all nervous about the debate. They've somehow bought into the idea that Trump is in his element on TV and that Biden appears awkward in that format. Are you kidding me? Then, this morning, Robert Reich’s Substack has the headline “Why I’m scared sh*tless about Thursday.” Hell, I'm looking forward to the debate and I’m not worried one iota about Biden. Everyone was scared he’d blow the State of the Union speech, which he delivered. Then they were concerned about the campaign kickoff, and he aced it. His recent speech in Normandy was hailed globally. Also, don't forget that he pantsed Trump in the 2020 debate. He’s got this.
Simon Rosenberg often refers to Trump as being “the ugliest political thing” that we have ever seen. So, who do you think will win the debate, the bloviating gas bag or the accomplished statesman with a record of success? Of all the things to be concerned about, this debate is at the bottom of my list. Agent Orange will look like the fool that he is. Still, I'm sure the media and some Democrats will have the hand-wringing down to an art form this week. Don’t listen to them.
Agree, Dean, and same thoughts on Robert Reich’s headline….sigh.
Love Simon Roseneberg’s colorful descriptions. Thanks to Simon I now refer to the GOP as the RDF. Raging Dunpster FIre 🔥 🔥
YOU CAN'T WRING YOUR HANDS AND ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES AT THE SAME TIME.
Patricia Schroeder '64, Former United States Representative
✍️📣💲📲👕🛒
Kathy, I just love that quote and use it all the time. Thanks for the info on who coined it.
I agree - I was going to post the same thing you did! :-)
I am not worried about President Biden's "performance" at the debate. He will appear calm and confident. Trump will provide multiple soundbites that will be ammunition for endless ads, Youtube and TikTok posts. His ignorance and mental messiness will be on full display.
Some of us are old enough to remember Nixon's sweaty upper lip. It helped move the needle. Imagine what Trump's clown show will do. If nothing else it might discourage some big donors from putting away their checkbooks.
And...I think there is a small possibility that Trump will walk off the stage mid-debate. The time restrictions enforced by turning off the mics could make him crazy. He also may look like a buffoon silently waving his arms around in frustration. He is not used to being controlled.
I think Biden will look like the seasoned mature professional adult he is. The other guy has nothing to offer other than lies that are easily disproved and deranged ranting.
If only the media would provide real-time fact checking...but I know that with Trump, who spits out lies like a machine gun spits out bullets, any attempt at trying to keep up would be difficult at best.
I’m tired of waiting for the media. They seem wedded to fear and negativity.
They do indeed. And it is most disheartening. But the media moguls don't care as long as they can chase the almighty dollar.
Robert Reich's headline this morning was depressing enough, but his weekend cartoon caption contest had a picture of Biden and Trump as sleeping boxers in a ring and Reich subscribers were invited to think up funny gags for the dialogue balloon above the referee's head. Over 1,000 people submitted gags, most on the order of a "shouldn't have scheduled the debate when old people needed a nap." I and a handful of other readers complained about the false equivalency in this light-hearted portrayal. But the wave of people who wanted to make fun of the President by repeating the "Sleepy Joe" image of the Trump camp was decidedly depressing.
This week we have to actively counter the vision that the debate is about two personalities or about two old men. It's about two radically different visions of who we are as American and what we will become in the next four years. Trump has told us what he will do. Biden has shown us how he will lead and get things done. The choice could not be clearer. I don't worry about Biden. I worry about Democrats and Independents who will treat the debate as just another TV show where we count who lands the most zingers.
I don’t often read the “caption contest” from Reich so I missed this. That’s horrific, Reich should be ashamed of himself.
It was more than a bit depressing. I admire Reich, but this was a misstep that brought out a more depressing vision of what a large segment of Democrats and Independents seem to think, at least some influential ones who have the time and energy to post on RR's site. (I check out the weekend caption contest in part because I freelanced as a gag writer for cartoonist for several years, back in the '80s. I was trying to help pay for my addiction to teaching English writing and literature at small colleges. Didn't make a lot of money to be sure, but I've always admired the craft of the gag and the art of the cartoon.)
“This week we have to actively counter the vision that the debate is about two personalities or about two old men. It's about two radically different visions . . .”
Not just for the next four years. Climate change is now. Climate catastrophe is our certain future if Trump and Republicans are elected.
But it *is* about two personalities! One is the personality of a thug, bully, compulsive liar, and ignoramus. The other is the personality of a reasonable, ethical, talented, and decent man.
Robert, I start every day with you and Heather Cox Richardson to keep me sane. PLEASE publicize her Letters from an American of June 23, 2024 (this morning). The facts are compelling for the Biden side and we have to amplify them 1000 percent. There are too many for me to cite, but GREAT facts about reductions in crime, reduced inflation, lack of support for Trump among CEOs, and on and on. You and Heather are the BEST!
I especially liked reading about the lack of support for trump among CEOs.
We are burning and there is no fire station to save us from climate and the promises of the GOP.
This is a tangential point, but can we please retire the phrase "runs the country" to describe the function of the president of the United States? The president doesn't even "run" two of the three branches of the federal government, let alone state and local government, the private sector (for-profit and nonprofit), or the numberless institutions, large and small, that make up the complex fabric of life in a large, modern, still to a considerable (if arguably shrinking) degree free society. Xi Jinping can be plausibly said to "run" China. Trump no doubt aspires to "run" the United States. But Joe Biden--as we can all be thankful--does not "run the country."
I like your point, as picky as it is. I agree. Perhaps "guides" as opposed to "runs"?
He is, however, responsible for enforcing the laws of the nation, overseeing our defense, etc. I am looking for the right verb...
Bill, I don't think Daniel's point is "picky". Biden was being blamed for the price of oil and eggs as we were trying to work our way out of the pandemic. Too many people think he controls every aspect of this country and that's why the MAGA GOP will do anything within their means to avoid giving Biden any kind of a "win".
I couldn't agree more that too many people think a president can flip a switch and make magic happen - like with inflation, etc.
My quibble was with the semantics. No big deal. Daniel does make an important point.
I was just listening to a piece about the state of the UK economy. It is a very big mess. Labour is expected to win the next election and the fear is that the public will expect them to correct quickly the damage done by the conservatives "trickle down/funnel up to the rich" policies. It will take several years of sensible leadership.
Just like what happened when Obama was elected. And he predicted all the complaints, and met them head on.
What strength of character to hold one's temper when you are blamed for everything that goes wrong in everyone's life.
Thank you, Cheryl--that was an unstated part of my point. As Robert himself has pointed out, many Americans hold Biden responsible not just for inflation but for the reversal of Roe v Wade-- as if presidents determine the constitutionality of our laws, along with their other responsibilities. I don't think we should be helping to foster such illusions.
President Biden was terrific in the SOTU speech in January. The fact that he is preparing makes me feel good about him having a breakout session. The key for me is the moderators managing the debate and controlling Trump. I hope they are preparing as well for the debacle. Trump is nervous or his team is because they have stepped up their negative rhetoric. What will happen is President Biden won’t be the person Trump tells people he is and Trump won’t be the person his fans think he is. Facts will matter in this debate and facts are on President Biden’s side. Now all we need is to have the media be truthful and unbiased.
Biden is preparing like a seasoned pro while Trump is “refooting” and threatening to take his shirt off. In terms of the election, I will never underestimate him or his supporters. In regards to the debate, though? Good luck with that, MAGA.
I'm still not sure that Trump will even bother to show up or that if he does and the moderators cut off his mic that he won't have a tantrum/meltdown as Bill suggests. I think it may depend on how hard the moderators try to hold Trump's feet to the fire and make him answer the questions.
The thing to tell young voters is this:
The GOP has plans for you. Ask about them. Don’t let other people run your life. Vote Blue.
(The GOP will control your reproductive rights, what you can read, your right to vote, limit access to healthcare and a secure retirement, what your kids will learn in school, being safe from people with machine guns,… what else?)
Thursday’s debate won’t have a live audience.
But all week, I’m chanting:
Trounce Trump. Trounce Trump. Trounce Trump…
Buy a Biden Tee and go shopping for Debate snacks.
🛒👕🍿
BeantownStrong.org
DemsMakeLifeBetter.org
Trounce Trump. Trounce Trump. Trounce Trump…
PS. 51 grocery runs. Zero negative comments.
Robert- can you please explain to me why mainstream media is fawning over the orange guy? What might it be and you are the only one that give a cogent opinion 🙏🏻
This election is a referendum that will determine if the billionaire overlords of the United States have been able to use an aging, corrupt, slightly deranged, TV performer to manipulate the masses into giving up their freedom, money, and “inalienable rights.” (That's my comment for the day. I will place it in several comment sections.)
The use of social media and email for communication has contributed greatly to the ability for people to organize large peaceful demonstrations and non violent civil disobedience actions to gain the attention of the news media and therefore large numbers of the American population. A few examples of this would be the 2017 Women's March (enacted globally), the protests after the murder of George Floyd and the uprising of campus students in defense of the people in Gaza.
I would love to listen to young voters and their concerns related to our devastating climate chaos, but why do I have to search it out to find it? Why have there been no organized protests by young people for the last number of years? They had Greta Thunberg to spur them on for years- but it's essentially been crickets when one views the magnitude of this problem.
I fear it is young voters social media algorithms that prevent such organizing, which should be on a global scale. Such communication was very successful against Netanyahu's war, but I see that as being propelled, at least in part, to have been a referendum against Biden.
Even March For Our Lives achieved some notoriety across the country, but not to the level it should have. I feel that powers that direct energies to the fossil fuel industry and the preservation of conscienceless gun "rights" take great effort in preventing protest organization, and I have to wonder why young people have not risen up to that yet, in order to protect the planet that they will have to live in.
\FT6 has a weekly Florida phone banking program Thursdays from 2-4 Below is the link.
40,000 phone numbers and they need volunteers. .
https://www.mobilize.us/ft6/event/632594/