96 Comments

Robert—Your final two paragraphs today are two of your best ever—clear and inspiring. I’m saving them because they speak the individual and collective hopes of Americans over 200 + years of time. Those hopes may have been dimmed or threatened in recent times, but it’s past time for us to resurrect them in our own hearts to replace the cynical anxiety so many of us have felt during the past 6 years. Now we must vote to regain the heart and soul of our nation.

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Robert, thank you.

Remarkably well put!

As a Clinical Psychologist, I can tell you that the focus on carpools to soccer practice trumps you know who, regularly.

"It is the America of 320 million people, 99.9% of whom want nothing more than to make a better life for themselves and their families—even if they are angry over politics. They still get up in the morning and go to their jobs, drop their kids off at school and take them to soccer practice. They are not bivouacking in make-believe military exercises with misguided and impotent men looking for a way to release their anger."

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That last sentence gives my heart ease.

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Thank you Robert for an upbeat and refreshing post! The reminder in your Concluding Thoughts was a balm to the soul and a reminder that most of us are just trying to live the best we can day to day. The trolls are an insignificant minority, they are just loud and obnoxious.

Trolls infiltrated Dan Rather’s newsletter yesterday with som particularly vile comments. I posted a link to this newsletter there in the hope it will help people cope and remind us these folks are the minority.

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Thank you, Sharon. I read one troll on Steady who posted many times.

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Yeah- he was pretty awful. I and many others reported him and I hope he gets banned.

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I'm chagrined to ask how you report this kind of thing.

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There are three little dots on the bottom right of a post. If you click this you will see an option to report. (If you click on these three dots on your own post you will see the option to edit)

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Thanks, Sharon. Now you know that I'm reading with blinders on...ugh on me!

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You are not alone! (The only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask.). 😸

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Thanks for that.

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Yes, he was pretty awful and I stopped reading after the first post I read. They never contribute anything new or hopeful.

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I think this is one way we can make use of the internet/social media's providing space for "vile comments" - to seed those same places with positive material their followers wouldn't ordinarily see. I've been doing that lately and every so often I get a "like" or positive comment from someone who wouldn't otherwise have connected with me. "Hatred cannot drive out hatred; only love can do that." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King

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As several other commenters have noted, today's Concluding Thoughts were excellent and hopeful. They also raise the question "why would any reasonable person pay attention to Twitter?" since most of the content is spurious and many/most of the Tweeters are twits. As is true of the failed insurrectionist, if those of us who know better ignore it, Twitter will die from lack of attention and go away. The former president will do the same once he is locked up.

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I left Twitter when they didn't apply their rules to tfg.

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That is music to my ears! Thanks.

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Aug 11, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

The moral decay being lived out by DJT, seemingly every single month, is being carried forward by certain GOP pols like McCarthy, Jordan, and RonJohn. I hope and pray that there are registered members of the GOP who can't stand it. That they vote Dem this year just to hold back the red tide of moral and financial corruption even while fully intending to return to the GOPs ranks down the road.

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"They are not bivouacking in make-believe military exercises with misguided and impotent men looking for a way to release their anger." I am saving this sentence.

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Aug 11, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

I am saving it, too, Joanne. . . right next to yesterday's "Don't let the performative outrage of cowards and traitors distract you." I actually called Senator Rubio's office yesterday and urged him not to be among such. But I guess he already is with his latest fear-mongering that the more adequately funded IRS will be targeting for audit "hard working families" at their dinner tables. Oh, dear. . . Be afraid. . .Be very afraid.

However, a former Commissioner of the IRS stated on the PBS NewsHour last night that this scenariao is not going to happen. Those making $400,000+ might be concerned though.

I found myself calling Marco for the second time yesterday and telling him the good news!

Sure he was relieved to hear this. Now to relieve him of his seat. Val Demmings can do this.

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Like button doesn't work, but "like"

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When the heart button doesn’t turn red, refresh your page and it should then show it’s red. If not, just click on it again, and it should turn red. You may have to scroll to find it.

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How do you refresh your page? Thanks.

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That's a good one, too. Rubio is a lost cause.

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Yes, indeed, a lost cause, Joanne. Turns out "Little Marco" is even smaller than we had thought!

And then there is Rick Scott - definitely tall but "small," too. In 2022. In the meantime, the third part of the Florida "trifecta" is our autoratic governor, Ron DeSantis. Hoping Charlie Crist can take care of that problem.

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I love this sentence.

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Yes, and I learned a new word !

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Aug 11, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

One of your subscribers offered this tasty bit the other day: why did it take 10 beefy men to carry Ivana's coffin when she was cremated and then buried at Trump's golf course? Could it be that there is something more interesting than her ashes in there?

Budding crime writers, take note! : >

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Ivana was cremated after the service but the 10 beefy men were probably honorary. Her being buried at the golf course in Bedminster is odd. She had more husbands after the Donald and he has had 2 more wives. My ex husband’s golf course would be the last place I would want to be buried but those folks are Kardashian weird.

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I read there were tax advantages to him for her burial there. Money, as usual. Fancy caskets are heavy even empty. Don’t people bury just the urn of remains if they don’t scatter the ashes? No tax advantage for scattering ashes or keeping the urn on the mantelpiece.

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Yes, I have read about this, too. I would not be at all surprised. Appalled, but not surprised.

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Yay for the Hubbell substack newsletter leading with the accomplishments of Joe Biden. I will be sharing on my FB page.

Lawrence O'Donnell interviews Ron Klain about the Inflation Reduction Act. It is a BF Deal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRTbPaNbI2c&list=PLDIVi-vBsOEygID4uPKD-GL39WY-tEDyp&index=6

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Aug 11, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Hi Robert,

Nicely organized and presented observations of where we are now. Thanks. There is so much happening on various fronts these days, it is good to pull it all together and point out that for the majority of Americans things are getting better. The threat of a fall Covid surge causes me a lot of concern and I always cringe when I see Biden in close proximity to others without wearing a mask following his multi-day Covid bout, but these folks are pols and unfortunately, that is how they behave. As we get closer to the mid-term election date I believe the various law enforcement organizations seeking to hold Trump accountable will escalate the pace of their work and reach a decision to charge him or not. Maybe as a few analysts have suggested to avoid another ego bruising setback, Trump will choose not to enter the 2024 election and instead try to make a quiet arrangement with DeSantis or another power hungry POTUS aspirant to trade a Trump endorsement and his election support with rallies for a post-election pardon that would sweep away Trump’s federal legal problems and allow him to claim his innocence and promote his fiction of government over-reach and harassment. Nixon and Ford showed that plan worked well to allow Nixon many years to rehabilitate his terribly tarnished public reputation as an elder statesman before his death. To avoid any chance of being labeled a two time loser possibly in either the 2024 primary or the general election, Trump may choose this direction. His wisest advisors should encourage this plan for him. I guess we’ll watch him - his real goal of staying prominent in the daily news cycle - and see what happens. If someone produced this melodrama as a prime time political reality television show, many critics would judge it to be too unbelievable.

JPD

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Great assessment. TFG does not really want the big job again. Because it is a job! And it restricts his behavior. And you nailed it. He just wants to be the center of attention. The attention his parents deprived him of.

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Yes and I’d suggest he likes raking in the $’s from his “minions,” (sorry, couldn’t come up with a better descriptive word) while saying he’s going to run. Once announced, money is more “regulated.”

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I have given the prosecute/not prosecute and pardon/not pardon much debate room in my head. No conclusions, although I lean toward the rule of law argument, especially as I watch TFG rile up his supporters similar to the lead-up to January 6. Hard to believe that anyone would still believe him or stand up for him after seeing testimony at the hearings, especially from former supporters who felt lied to and tricked by him, and who are going to prison because of him.

That said, these are different times than they were when Ford pardoned Nixon. Despite the strife over Viet Nam, most Americans still believed in our government, and the elected officials who ran it. Ford was perceived as a good man who truly felt he was doing what was right and best for the country. One could hardly make that argument now.

Whatever choices are made will be badly received by at least half of our citizens. Fox and other media will fan the flames. This is where I move toward thinking that we can only do what is right and honorable, that prosecution will, or may, prevent another presidential candidate/president/past president or any government official from betraying their oath and betraying our Constitution.

Of course, that didn't happen over the Mueller report, two well-presented impeachment hearings, and now the January 6 committee hearings, but I still think the Democrats did the right thing bringing those charges.

I can only hope that Democrats will tell their constituents about the remarkable achievements of the Biden administration and how these policies will help all of us, including the 99.9% out there. We all must keep that information out in the public's eyes and consciousness. We must dispel every assertion that the Democratic/Biden policies represent a Socialist agenda.

I worry about the local and state officials who seem to have no scruples about calling an election for their preferred candidate rather than the one who gets the most votes. That really scares me. So does the thought of a civil war. I cannot understand how we are so ill-informed and so easily persuadable. Does anyone really believe that our government officials, teachers, librarians, spend all their time having sex with children? Who would believe such a thing? Or that there could be any legitimate reason to ignore the popular vote of millions of voters? Or that subversives are switching votes in massive voter fraud scams involving dead people?

This does make me think that eliminating the Electoral College would be a positive change. At least, it could remove any appearance of interference after the election, meaning legislators or electors wouldn't be involved, so wouldn't have an opportunity to change regulations around the already-cast popular vote.

I heard Doris Kearns Goodwin on Morning Joe this morning. She is as positive as our esteemed Robert Hubbell. They both keep me feeling energized and hopeful.

Carpe diem, everyone.

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One of the DOJ investigators for the Mueller report explained why Trump was not singled out: The special investigation was ordered to determine if Russia was involved in the election of 2016. They found ample evidence and acted accordingly. The purpose of the investigation was not Trump, only that he was implicated but without direct evidence of his involvement. I know that is splitting hairs, but DJT was not the purpose of the investigation. Instead it was rooting out Russia. Then there were Barr's redactions...

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Aug 11, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

You and Joyce Vance share some common thoughts today! Yes, we need to take a deep breath and learn how to talk to people who don't necessarily agree with us. While I will be the first to admit that some are beyond talking to, not all are. I have actively avoided this in the past, but will try harder in future. Thanks for the reminder!

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Aug 11, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Good balanced upbeat report!

The message needs to get beyond Trump and on what good things the Democrats are doing and will do.

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founding
Aug 11, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Robert, I join other commenters this morning thanking you for the perspective you provide in the concluding paragraphs of today’s newsletter. I live and work “inside the Beltway” where the urgency of political maneuvering and real policy making and implementation not only make headlines but occupy much of the focused attention of at least some of us. However, I have had the opportunity to visit large cities and small towns in the Midwest and South in recent months, to attend family celebrations and other extended family gatherings; while my evidence is anecdotal, it is clear and convincing to me that most Americans are still going about their daily lives of working and supporting their families and others in the community as best they can. In short, the world really does continue to spin on its axis, especially in America, in spite of the efforts of some others who think they will benefit by bearing false witness. Thanks again for reminding us to keep our wits about us - and to vote!

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Dear sir: your last paragraph is uplifting, but IMO, almost too promising. I would love to embrace that soaring rhetoric, but in the face of our machine gun epidemic, and the continuing blather of “war is fun” right-wing commentators, I’m not completely sure that regaining our democratic principles will be quite so painless. But, thank you for that gleaming hope this morning.

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Remember this: before January 6th, Trump summoned his supporters to Washington. How many showed up? 3,000? out of 320 million? We need to keep perspective.

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Mr. Hubbell, in your newsletter today you used the phrase "Christian nationalists," when I think you meant to say "white Christian Nationalists."

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Yes, the terminology and threat are still evolving. I struggled over that phrase--both whether to include it and what it should be. But Christians have allowed their theology to be hijacked by neo Nazis and QAnnon believers. Until they take back their identity as Christians by forcefully and continuously condemning the white nationalist movement, they have allowed their identities to be hijacked.

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While it is tempting to include "white" I have heard more than one black pastor crying fire and brimstone about what it really means to be Christian and American. I don't think it's quite as clear cut as we might think when the Christian "stuff" gets mixed in.

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I understand you comment. I also can scream Christian and American, but not to the exclusion of others. And Jesus urged people to feed the hungry, heal the sick support the poor, and show mercy, but the "Christian Right" opposes such efforts. I haven't seen non-white right-wing Republicans who want scream "We want American for "us," and we want "them" minimized. Few African-Americans want to return to pre-1860 laws.

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Yes and I think your comment points out how complex this whole issue is. And perhaps the extreme conservative Christian movement has a range of beliefs, with a subset of nationalists that are (mostly) white. Here is one video I found of a black Atlanta pastor campaigning for T***p.

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Aug 11, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Though Trump's disqualification would obviously be a boon to the nation and democracy, I wonder how disqualification under Section 2071 squares with Powell v. McCormack, 395 U.S. 486 (1969). There, the House of Representatives tried to exclude duly elected Adam Clayton Powell from his seat for alleged malfeasance. The Court held that Powell's disqualification violated Art. I, § 2, cl. 2, which sets forth the qualifications for House membership of age, citizenship, and residence. Having met these, Powell could not be disqualified on other grounds.

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That is the argument made by the author of the NYTimes piece I linked to two days ago. The language of the Qualifications Clause for Representatives and the clause relating to president are slightly different; the latter speaks of "eligibility," the former does not. I am still researching this topic, but note that the Constitution contains both qualifications and disqualifications (14th Amendment). Tribe's point is that there is a difference between the two. The difficulty for Tribe is that the disqualifications are contained in a constitutional amendment.

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I LOVED your Concluding Thoughts today - They gave me such a sense of hope, and made me particularly proud to share your newsletter on Twitter and FB today.

And just to add to the good vibes, look what I stumbled upon on Twitter: Jessica Tarlov, Fox news contributor, whom I never heard of but who apparently is their liberal commentator, saying "When you look at how many Republicans are dashing without information to defend Trump.. you can see that this is a piece of the puzzle of why Republicans cannot be given control again of the government… " Say what?? https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1557781029460516866

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Wow!

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Yes ! And read today that Doocy on Fox and Faux Friends this morn called BS on GOP faux Trump Raid outrage.

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Wow!!! Now that I have to see!!!

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