Thank you for your steady, solemn, serious acknowledgment of what we have been through, are going through, and are likely to go through… before we get to the other side. (I hope we will get to the other side.) I so appreciate your ability to honor our trauma while reminding us that all is not lost. A delicate balance.
Of course, you bring to us your experience and expertise in the law along with gathering trusted other sources and synthesizing those perspectives, as well. And offer this space for us to “talk amongst ourselves.”
Each is an essential ingredient. But it’s your gift of finding the sweet spot of truth with hope grounded in facts that is so precious in these perilous times.
This moment would not be possible without Merrick Garland as our Attorney General. I have said from the outset it was essential to re-establish a DOJ that was depoliticized. With two terrible AGs in Sessions and Barr the agency had been seriously compromised. Garland has restored the DOJ. Trump looks as cornered as he is because Garland is a brand that he has not come up against. He understands domestic terrorism first -hand successfully prosecuting McVeigh for the Oklahoma City bombing. When he takes a case to the Supreme Court it is as a judge who served on the DC Circuit with John Roberts and was chief Judge until shortly before being made AG. How he handled the document theft by Trump shows he knows how to tie Trump up in knots of inconsistency highlighting the man's inability to tell the truth. The republicans odn't know how to deal with someone like Garland. He will not be cowed . He is a man who knows who he is and will act without fear of the consequences and he will do because it is the right thing to do not the political thing to do.
Building on Robert’s astute and evenhanded balanced perspective, I would note, in light of A.G. Garland’s exemplary appearance this past Thursday, I am starting to believe that Republicans who have latched themselves to Trump will have so much to answer for in the coming weeks that no amount of backpedaling likely will save enough of them to retake either the House or the Senate this November.
Before you vote me off the island for being a cockeyed optimist, please, again, heed the words of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, who once wrote, “Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.” As I posted recently, I simply would add that only in retrospect is the true value of persistence in the face of difficulty revealed.
Aug 14, 2022·edited Aug 14, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Actually this has been a week of almost overwhelming hope. That Attorney General Garland is now ready to stand up and take hold of his destiny and put the rule of law back up on its pedestal next to Lady Liberty is fabulous. Second, that the Democrats and President Biden have done an outstanding job in getting significant ground-breaking legislation to President Biden's desk for signature is an amazing accomplishment with such a narrow Senate margin. Third, we are finally on the path of taking real action to save the Planet. Ad astra per aspera - To the Stars through difficulties!
I highly recommend watching the HBO series on John Adams. I'm loving how they are depicting the relationship of John and Abigail. And, the history of the American Revolution and the Continental Congress through the writing of the Constitution is highly relevant to our times as we confront this constitutional crisis. I have no doubt we will have a stronger nation for our efforts today. We, the People, all of us this time!
I grew up in Whittier, California, hometown of the 37th president. The city was giddy when our homeboy was elected 1968. I had a Milhous cousin in my 5th grade class who went to the inauguration. Things cooled for Tricky Dick in our Quaker town as the Vietnam war went on and on and on, but re-elect him, we did (or rather my parents did). The Society of Friends never forgave him for the bombing of Cambodia. I was coming of age, politically and otherwise in ‘73-‘74 when the Watergate hearings played out on the living room TV. This was a pivotal moment for me. I was with a friend at her family’s vacation beach house in Newport Beach when we all watched Nixon’s resignation speech. A week later, my family was vacationing in San Clemente, just up the beach from the Western White House, the Nixons’ home in exile. My brother and I walked down the Cotton’s Point, a surf break in front of the WWH (my brother surfed). We cheekily waved to security cameras, and in no time, who we suspected were Secret Service appeared above the bluff above us.
We were just two kids from Whittier still trying to digest that the man we had admired just 6 years before had betrayed the trust we gave him as POTUS. We were not anomalies. The entire country was attempting to fathom this deceit.
I bring this up because nearly 50 years ago, I witnessed members of his party stand up to a rogue president, explicitly telling him to resign before a very real bi-partisan impeachment would be confirmed. The courage exhibited by these senators was admirable, but I still registered as a Democrat when I turned 18 2 years later, the first in my longtime family of moderate GOP-ers. What I am seeing today, with the Watergate scandal as a very relevant backdrop, are elected representatives who have chosen to disown the oath they swore to uphold upon taking office in order to pledge allegiance to a man who exhibits more negative/appalling/horrible traits, attitudes, morals than I even care to detail (you know them all too well).
I was idealistic in 1976 when I first registered to vote, and hopeful, with the belief that our country, though flawed because of one man’s maniacal quest for power, would reset itself and once again be all that I learned about in my 11th grade civics class (that’s where I learned I was really a Democrat) - a democracy where all people are equal.
I am still hopeful, though far more cautiously so than my 18 year old self, and less so than my 58 year old self in 2016. To put it bluntly, the Republican Party disgusts me.
Wow, an exceptionally important piece even by Robert's high standards, fortifying and bucking us up for the coming chapters with likely big shifts. Very possible that Garland has intercepts of improper Trump interactions with other countries (doesn't want to use the intercepts, but the Trump files can be used as court evidence). Just one example, perhaps Trump received oligarch laundered loans through Deutsche Bank. Trump claimed he was exonerated of all Russia investigations, but in fact Mueller was prohibited from getting into these matters at all. Or more recently, the Saudi gift of $2 billion to Jared is unusual. Many others. Hope Garland can present this in the next two months; it's encouraging he is using a Grand Jury.
The measure of how deeply in trouble TFG is will be the degree to which some of his defenders and promoters simply go silent. Let's not underestimate the ability of the Grahams, Rubios, Cruzs, and Hawleys to suddenly go quiet and then for personal gain, toss their loyalty to TFG aside. They want the big job and when the big dog looks weakened, they will flip.
None of the MAGAs are truly fans of the con man. They only stick with him as a political expediency. That may change...
Thank you Robert. I agree, holding Trump accountable will be a deeply traumatic, but necessary. We just have to hunker down and hope for the best but prepare for the worst. I think part of my reflexive pessimism comes from the fact that there have been numerous times when we thought Trump was done (Charlottesville, 1st impeachment, Jan 6) for him to wiggle out of it, so I’d be lying if I don’t feel a sense of Groundhog Day, but we have to hope things will be different this time. The fact that conservative media is having a harder time defending him now is a good sign, as well as the numerous Trumpworld reporters (Maggie Haberman, Josh Dawsey, Robert Costa etc.) reporting discontent among Trump allies. I am also seeing a decline in the “this will be good for Trump” takes. While it may (and there is some evidence in polling that it has) cause a rally-around-the-flag effect among his base, I find it hard to believe this will benefit him in the long run.
A good and welcomed Edition tonight and thanks for taking the time putting this together. I am sure a lot of readers are overwhelmed by the sheer volume and tone of the news about what is happening around us and sometimes feel it is spiraling out of control and we are helpless to do anything about it. The voting public is getting tired of the volume and never ending corruption of the Trump administration and his constant denial and lies about what is happening. It’s a broken record and the tune is getting old and his defenders are getting tired defending him all the time . Many Republican primary winners were endorsed by Trump and some have pledged allegiance to him and as today that association has become very toxic. My feeling is in the next 60 days more revelations will come to light about existing investigation and indictments and the Democrats will have a great mid term elections . There is no doubt that the Democrats have demonstrated they know how to govern and get things done for everyone. We should be excited and motivated because the momentum is on our side. We need to get involved in any way possible and support our local candidates and feel confident we can win the Senate and House. As Jesse Jackson once said “ if your mind can conceive it and your heart can believe it then we can achieve it. “ We need to believe so we can achieve.
Thank you for your comforting words. They bring calm to an insane week.
But with all the talk about the papers at Maralago, here’s a little tidbit that, while featured prominently enough in the New York Times, seems to have slipped under mainstream media radar for the most part. No doubt this will be talked about once the 1/6 hearings begin again. In some ways, I find it more frightening than trump’s having removed secret documents
Thank you, Robert, for the reassurance and reminder to focus on “keeping our eyes”on the rule of law and the Constitution. We are so fortunate to have Merrick Garland as our head of the DOJ !! I have deep respect for his patience and deliberation about Trump. He is the cat that is going to get the mouse big time but it will be done with deep diligence, systematically caging the mouse!!!! Hooray for that and for Merrick Garland!!!!!
I didn't comment on the weekend edition, but I read most. I will add my gratitude for your most thoughtful response. I would/will seriously lose all hope if Trump is not held accountable. I think he will be -- and rough, yes, but completely necessary. One of my family members is in law enforcement that's vulnerable to the outrageous and dangerous behavior of Trump and many Republicans. They need to be held accountable as well.
Thank you for your steady, solemn, serious acknowledgment of what we have been through, are going through, and are likely to go through… before we get to the other side. (I hope we will get to the other side.) I so appreciate your ability to honor our trauma while reminding us that all is not lost. A delicate balance.
Of course, you bring to us your experience and expertise in the law along with gathering trusted other sources and synthesizing those perspectives, as well. And offer this space for us to “talk amongst ourselves.”
Each is an essential ingredient. But it’s your gift of finding the sweet spot of truth with hope grounded in facts that is so precious in these perilous times.
My deepest gratitude. Thank you.
And so we press on.
This moment would not be possible without Merrick Garland as our Attorney General. I have said from the outset it was essential to re-establish a DOJ that was depoliticized. With two terrible AGs in Sessions and Barr the agency had been seriously compromised. Garland has restored the DOJ. Trump looks as cornered as he is because Garland is a brand that he has not come up against. He understands domestic terrorism first -hand successfully prosecuting McVeigh for the Oklahoma City bombing. When he takes a case to the Supreme Court it is as a judge who served on the DC Circuit with John Roberts and was chief Judge until shortly before being made AG. How he handled the document theft by Trump shows he knows how to tie Trump up in knots of inconsistency highlighting the man's inability to tell the truth. The republicans odn't know how to deal with someone like Garland. He will not be cowed . He is a man who knows who he is and will act without fear of the consequences and he will do because it is the right thing to do not the political thing to do.
Building on Robert’s astute and evenhanded balanced perspective, I would note, in light of A.G. Garland’s exemplary appearance this past Thursday, I am starting to believe that Republicans who have latched themselves to Trump will have so much to answer for in the coming weeks that no amount of backpedaling likely will save enough of them to retake either the House or the Senate this November.
Before you vote me off the island for being a cockeyed optimist, please, again, heed the words of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, who once wrote, “Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.” As I posted recently, I simply would add that only in retrospect is the true value of persistence in the face of difficulty revealed.
Actually this has been a week of almost overwhelming hope. That Attorney General Garland is now ready to stand up and take hold of his destiny and put the rule of law back up on its pedestal next to Lady Liberty is fabulous. Second, that the Democrats and President Biden have done an outstanding job in getting significant ground-breaking legislation to President Biden's desk for signature is an amazing accomplishment with such a narrow Senate margin. Third, we are finally on the path of taking real action to save the Planet. Ad astra per aspera - To the Stars through difficulties!
I highly recommend watching the HBO series on John Adams. I'm loving how they are depicting the relationship of John and Abigail. And, the history of the American Revolution and the Continental Congress through the writing of the Constitution is highly relevant to our times as we confront this constitutional crisis. I have no doubt we will have a stronger nation for our efforts today. We, the People, all of us this time!
I grew up in Whittier, California, hometown of the 37th president. The city was giddy when our homeboy was elected 1968. I had a Milhous cousin in my 5th grade class who went to the inauguration. Things cooled for Tricky Dick in our Quaker town as the Vietnam war went on and on and on, but re-elect him, we did (or rather my parents did). The Society of Friends never forgave him for the bombing of Cambodia. I was coming of age, politically and otherwise in ‘73-‘74 when the Watergate hearings played out on the living room TV. This was a pivotal moment for me. I was with a friend at her family’s vacation beach house in Newport Beach when we all watched Nixon’s resignation speech. A week later, my family was vacationing in San Clemente, just up the beach from the Western White House, the Nixons’ home in exile. My brother and I walked down the Cotton’s Point, a surf break in front of the WWH (my brother surfed). We cheekily waved to security cameras, and in no time, who we suspected were Secret Service appeared above the bluff above us.
We were just two kids from Whittier still trying to digest that the man we had admired just 6 years before had betrayed the trust we gave him as POTUS. We were not anomalies. The entire country was attempting to fathom this deceit.
I bring this up because nearly 50 years ago, I witnessed members of his party stand up to a rogue president, explicitly telling him to resign before a very real bi-partisan impeachment would be confirmed. The courage exhibited by these senators was admirable, but I still registered as a Democrat when I turned 18 2 years later, the first in my longtime family of moderate GOP-ers. What I am seeing today, with the Watergate scandal as a very relevant backdrop, are elected representatives who have chosen to disown the oath they swore to uphold upon taking office in order to pledge allegiance to a man who exhibits more negative/appalling/horrible traits, attitudes, morals than I even care to detail (you know them all too well).
I was idealistic in 1976 when I first registered to vote, and hopeful, with the belief that our country, though flawed because of one man’s maniacal quest for power, would reset itself and once again be all that I learned about in my 11th grade civics class (that’s where I learned I was really a Democrat) - a democracy where all people are equal.
I am still hopeful, though far more cautiously so than my 18 year old self, and less so than my 58 year old self in 2016. To put it bluntly, the Republican Party disgusts me.
Wonderful analysis as usual Robert - still read you first thing every morning,
Your friend in Deep Red Southern Georgia - still holding out hope for sanity. - Fred
Wow, an exceptionally important piece even by Robert's high standards, fortifying and bucking us up for the coming chapters with likely big shifts. Very possible that Garland has intercepts of improper Trump interactions with other countries (doesn't want to use the intercepts, but the Trump files can be used as court evidence). Just one example, perhaps Trump received oligarch laundered loans through Deutsche Bank. Trump claimed he was exonerated of all Russia investigations, but in fact Mueller was prohibited from getting into these matters at all. Or more recently, the Saudi gift of $2 billion to Jared is unusual. Many others. Hope Garland can present this in the next two months; it's encouraging he is using a Grand Jury.
The measure of how deeply in trouble TFG is will be the degree to which some of his defenders and promoters simply go silent. Let's not underestimate the ability of the Grahams, Rubios, Cruzs, and Hawleys to suddenly go quiet and then for personal gain, toss their loyalty to TFG aside. They want the big job and when the big dog looks weakened, they will flip.
None of the MAGAs are truly fans of the con man. They only stick with him as a political expediency. That may change...
Thank you Robert. I agree, holding Trump accountable will be a deeply traumatic, but necessary. We just have to hunker down and hope for the best but prepare for the worst. I think part of my reflexive pessimism comes from the fact that there have been numerous times when we thought Trump was done (Charlottesville, 1st impeachment, Jan 6) for him to wiggle out of it, so I’d be lying if I don’t feel a sense of Groundhog Day, but we have to hope things will be different this time. The fact that conservative media is having a harder time defending him now is a good sign, as well as the numerous Trumpworld reporters (Maggie Haberman, Josh Dawsey, Robert Costa etc.) reporting discontent among Trump allies. I am also seeing a decline in the “this will be good for Trump” takes. While it may (and there is some evidence in polling that it has) cause a rally-around-the-flag effect among his base, I find it hard to believe this will benefit him in the long run.
A good and welcomed Edition tonight and thanks for taking the time putting this together. I am sure a lot of readers are overwhelmed by the sheer volume and tone of the news about what is happening around us and sometimes feel it is spiraling out of control and we are helpless to do anything about it. The voting public is getting tired of the volume and never ending corruption of the Trump administration and his constant denial and lies about what is happening. It’s a broken record and the tune is getting old and his defenders are getting tired defending him all the time . Many Republican primary winners were endorsed by Trump and some have pledged allegiance to him and as today that association has become very toxic. My feeling is in the next 60 days more revelations will come to light about existing investigation and indictments and the Democrats will have a great mid term elections . There is no doubt that the Democrats have demonstrated they know how to govern and get things done for everyone. We should be excited and motivated because the momentum is on our side. We need to get involved in any way possible and support our local candidates and feel confident we can win the Senate and House. As Jesse Jackson once said “ if your mind can conceive it and your heart can believe it then we can achieve it. “ We need to believe so we can achieve.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🙏🏽❤️❤️❤️🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for your comforting words. They bring calm to an insane week.
But with all the talk about the papers at Maralago, here’s a little tidbit that, while featured prominently enough in the New York Times, seems to have slipped under mainstream media radar for the most part. No doubt this will be talked about once the 1/6 hearings begin again. In some ways, I find it more frightening than trump’s having removed secret documents
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/11/us/politics/secret-service-texts-jan-6.html
Thank you - I do want to suggest that NOT holding Trump accountable would be more traumatic!
Thank you, Robert, for the reassurance and reminder to focus on “keeping our eyes”on the rule of law and the Constitution. We are so fortunate to have Merrick Garland as our head of the DOJ !! I have deep respect for his patience and deliberation about Trump. He is the cat that is going to get the mouse big time but it will be done with deep diligence, systematically caging the mouse!!!! Hooray for that and for Merrick Garland!!!!!
Nina from Maine
Thank you again.
News reports are overwhelming.
You give me clarity.
I didn't comment on the weekend edition, but I read most. I will add my gratitude for your most thoughtful response. I would/will seriously lose all hope if Trump is not held accountable. I think he will be -- and rough, yes, but completely necessary. One of my family members is in law enforcement that's vulnerable to the outrageous and dangerous behavior of Trump and many Republicans. They need to be held accountable as well.