Nov 16, 2022·edited Nov 16, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
As I've said a number of times, I agree with John Adams who said the worst evil to befall the Constitution would a two-party system. The winner-take-all "rules" of both houses of Congress that the party with 51% of the members gets 100% of the committee chairs and the Speaker and Majority Leader gets to have total say on what legislation will be presented and voted on is anti-democratic and stalemates the Congress too much of the time. Why not base the committee chairs on the ratio of the party member so the party with 51% of the membership gets 51% of the chairs using a process like what professional sports teams use for the player draft. I'd also get rid of the center aisle and seat members so party members intermingle. It is much harder to oppose the person sitting next to you than someone sitting across the table/aisle. Thar's one of the management techniques I used in the corporate world - sitting next to the person that was most likely to oppose me. Let's bring democracy into the Congress. Maybe start using ranked choice voting to pick the leadership... And, yes, fix the filabuster to having to have a majority to keep the fillabuster going rather than a majority to stop it. We, the People, all of us this time with a true representative democracy in both Houses of Congress.
The fact that Trumski-dumbski went to the lengths of an actual official filing of candidacy papers with the FEC before his announcement tonight is proof of just how terrified he is, because doing so now means he is limited in funds that can be raised and must now report expenditures, and cannot coordinate with his buddies and their PACs, all of which he has been doing the past 18 months. He's so scared that this limitation on his ability to scam money from the morons is OK. "Look at me! I'm a for-real candidate! You can't go after me now! Witch hunt! Partisan political witch hunt!"
Which is just more of "I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down!" Except he's 76 in bad health and can't walk ten feet, so his huffing and puffing won't even be noticeable.
And it won't stop the indictments, arrests and arraignments, not to mention the high bail amounts and the requirement he hand over his passport and shut down Trump Force One because otherwise he's a flight risk.
I haven't seen much commentary on what strikes me as a notable number of women being elected this past week. Their faces were everywhere! Like almost equal in numbers - sometimes on both sides of a race. It seemed notable to me. Times, they are a-changing!
The lame duck session should raise the debt limit first and foremost. I'd suggest doing it through January 2025. All the other worthwhile legislative efforts pale when considered in the light of a US default. The crazy wing of the Repubs will crash the car into the guardrails before they'll pull over and think about international consequences. Want to see middle America suffer? Just wait until the Fed has to pay a high risk premium on new debt - much being issued to meet obligations incurred under Trump.
Thanks for the promised detailing of DeSantis abominations and the linking to Froomkin's article. I've printed both your letter and Froomkin's. Please keep up the scrutiny of DeSantis. I believe there is no way that Trump will end up the Republican nominee. I think we have to begin now to do everything we can to defeat DeSantis especially in Florida. I have a digital subscription to the Naples Daily News and will be reading it daily for opportunities to write letters to the editor. . If I can keep his misdeeds publicized on a continuous basis maybe it will hurt him even in heavily Republican Collier County. Your help is greatly appreciated.
If I had Sen. Warnock’s ear, I’d whisper very loudly into it that the slogan for the last weeks of the campaign should be, “Don’t embarrass Georgia.” I wish that Sen. Warnock had told Walker during their debate that he (Walker) is just not qualified to be a senator, but there’s still time to make that point. (Another possible theme: “You wouldn’t put Raphael Warnock out on the field—don’t put Herschel Walker in the Senate.”)
On another subject, as I’m sure most readers know by now, it seems that the missile that fell in Poland yesterday was fired by Ukrainian forces trying to bring down a Russian missile. Good that Joe Biden did not try to make hay out of it before getting actual facts.
I don’t understand the last paragraph under “Trumps legal jeopardy.” How can Trump fire Garland? Why do you say Garland’s days are numbered? Yes, the House will be somewhat radicalized but perhaps some will realize that Garland might be the one to get Trump removed from their lives.
While you quoted the Washington Post and NY Times headlines on Trump’s”big” announcement, you missed the best one. At the very bottom of the front page of the NY Post, it read: FLORIDA MAN MAKES ANNOUNCEMENT (See page 26)
I live in Florida. I have for most of my life. I love this state. I am saddened by the turn that it has taken with its politics. That said, living through the likes of Jeb Bush, Republican version Charlie Crist, and Rick Scott, I can sadly say the worst of them all is Ron DeSantis (or as I refer to him, Ron DeSatan). I do not know much about David Faris, but his opinion piece (see link) has many valid points. It is my belief that well before 2024, DeSantis will be revealed as the Fascist wannabe dictator that he is. I certainly hope that even the most die-hard MAGA sycophants that are willing to rip their lips from Trump's rump will not turn to DeSantis as their king. I know moderates of all kinds will not and those of us that are farther to the left will do everything we can to see that he gets nowhere near 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
I think something happen during the midterms that is starting to manifest itself across the country. The media before the elections were almost unanimous in predicting a “ red wave” based on historical history and polls that were in some cases flooded by Republicans. Very few journalists took the time to go into the field and actually interview voters themselves. They were lazy. The American public once again had reasons not to believe or trust the media because they got the election wrong on multiple levels. The media took another major creditably hit. Fast forward to the Trump announcement and as Robert mentioned the media is finally defining Trump for what he really is. Trump got a pass in 2016 from the media and partially in 2020 and because of the undeniable overwhelming evidence and potential criminal prosecutions awaiting him are finally telling it like it is. This is important because it’s the Independent and conservative moderate Republicans whose votes are required to re-elect Trump and based on the message Trump delivered last night his show is on reruns.
I missed yesterday so noting here, director Nahid Persson, Iran, documentary 'My Stolen Revolution' on Netflix (at least here) tells an intimate portrait of four women who survived the prison system after the revolution.
Persson directs very personal films from Sweden and also re-entering Iran.
Thank you for the Dan Froomkin article pointing out the awfulness of DeSantis. I live in Florida - the guy is creepy. He is Trump all dressed up with a Harvard degree and can put complete sentences together. Please share the article with anyone you know who is relieved that there is an alternative candidate to DJT. At least now lots of folks are onto Trump. I hope it won’t take another 6 years to get the truth about DeSantis.
I recommend listening to Pod Save America and subscribing to Dan Pfeiffer’s newsletter The Message Box. More good stuff!
Nov 16, 2022·edited Nov 16, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
You all have probably noticed that Substack has replaced the heart icon beneath comments with a number. I guess they acknowledged complaints about the heart icon not responding reliably. Let's hope the number will work better.
Well, I must walk that back. Apparently the heart button is here, along with numbers. That was not the case a few minutes ago. Sigh.
As I've said a number of times, I agree with John Adams who said the worst evil to befall the Constitution would a two-party system. The winner-take-all "rules" of both houses of Congress that the party with 51% of the members gets 100% of the committee chairs and the Speaker and Majority Leader gets to have total say on what legislation will be presented and voted on is anti-democratic and stalemates the Congress too much of the time. Why not base the committee chairs on the ratio of the party member so the party with 51% of the membership gets 51% of the chairs using a process like what professional sports teams use for the player draft. I'd also get rid of the center aisle and seat members so party members intermingle. It is much harder to oppose the person sitting next to you than someone sitting across the table/aisle. Thar's one of the management techniques I used in the corporate world - sitting next to the person that was most likely to oppose me. Let's bring democracy into the Congress. Maybe start using ranked choice voting to pick the leadership... And, yes, fix the filabuster to having to have a majority to keep the fillabuster going rather than a majority to stop it. We, the People, all of us this time with a true representative democracy in both Houses of Congress.
The fact that Trumski-dumbski went to the lengths of an actual official filing of candidacy papers with the FEC before his announcement tonight is proof of just how terrified he is, because doing so now means he is limited in funds that can be raised and must now report expenditures, and cannot coordinate with his buddies and their PACs, all of which he has been doing the past 18 months. He's so scared that this limitation on his ability to scam money from the morons is OK. "Look at me! I'm a for-real candidate! You can't go after me now! Witch hunt! Partisan political witch hunt!"
Which is just more of "I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down!" Except he's 76 in bad health and can't walk ten feet, so his huffing and puffing won't even be noticeable.
And it won't stop the indictments, arrests and arraignments, not to mention the high bail amounts and the requirement he hand over his passport and shut down Trump Force One because otherwise he's a flight risk.
I haven't seen much commentary on what strikes me as a notable number of women being elected this past week. Their faces were everywhere! Like almost equal in numbers - sometimes on both sides of a race. It seemed notable to me. Times, they are a-changing!
The NYT has has been continually bland about criticizing Republican antics and unsupportive of Biden.
The lame duck session should raise the debt limit first and foremost. I'd suggest doing it through January 2025. All the other worthwhile legislative efforts pale when considered in the light of a US default. The crazy wing of the Repubs will crash the car into the guardrails before they'll pull over and think about international consequences. Want to see middle America suffer? Just wait until the Fed has to pay a high risk premium on new debt - much being issued to meet obligations incurred under Trump.
Thanks for the promised detailing of DeSantis abominations and the linking to Froomkin's article. I've printed both your letter and Froomkin's. Please keep up the scrutiny of DeSantis. I believe there is no way that Trump will end up the Republican nominee. I think we have to begin now to do everything we can to defeat DeSantis especially in Florida. I have a digital subscription to the Naples Daily News and will be reading it daily for opportunities to write letters to the editor. . If I can keep his misdeeds publicized on a continuous basis maybe it will hurt him even in heavily Republican Collier County. Your help is greatly appreciated.
If I had Sen. Warnock’s ear, I’d whisper very loudly into it that the slogan for the last weeks of the campaign should be, “Don’t embarrass Georgia.” I wish that Sen. Warnock had told Walker during their debate that he (Walker) is just not qualified to be a senator, but there’s still time to make that point. (Another possible theme: “You wouldn’t put Raphael Warnock out on the field—don’t put Herschel Walker in the Senate.”)
On another subject, as I’m sure most readers know by now, it seems that the missile that fell in Poland yesterday was fired by Ukrainian forces trying to bring down a Russian missile. Good that Joe Biden did not try to make hay out of it before getting actual facts.
I don’t understand the last paragraph under “Trumps legal jeopardy.” How can Trump fire Garland? Why do you say Garland’s days are numbered? Yes, the House will be somewhat radicalized but perhaps some will realize that Garland might be the one to get Trump removed from their lives.
While you quoted the Washington Post and NY Times headlines on Trump’s”big” announcement, you missed the best one. At the very bottom of the front page of the NY Post, it read: FLORIDA MAN MAKES ANNOUNCEMENT (See page 26)
I live in Florida. I have for most of my life. I love this state. I am saddened by the turn that it has taken with its politics. That said, living through the likes of Jeb Bush, Republican version Charlie Crist, and Rick Scott, I can sadly say the worst of them all is Ron DeSantis (or as I refer to him, Ron DeSatan). I do not know much about David Faris, but his opinion piece (see link) has many valid points. It is my belief that well before 2024, DeSantis will be revealed as the Fascist wannabe dictator that he is. I certainly hope that even the most die-hard MAGA sycophants that are willing to rip their lips from Trump's rump will not turn to DeSantis as their king. I know moderates of all kinds will not and those of us that are farther to the left will do everything we can to see that he gets nowhere near 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ron-desantis-is-not-the-answer-for-republicans/ar-AA14blBb?cvid=2c4c4920f1cd4b5eb488b9fac419f777
I think something happen during the midterms that is starting to manifest itself across the country. The media before the elections were almost unanimous in predicting a “ red wave” based on historical history and polls that were in some cases flooded by Republicans. Very few journalists took the time to go into the field and actually interview voters themselves. They were lazy. The American public once again had reasons not to believe or trust the media because they got the election wrong on multiple levels. The media took another major creditably hit. Fast forward to the Trump announcement and as Robert mentioned the media is finally defining Trump for what he really is. Trump got a pass in 2016 from the media and partially in 2020 and because of the undeniable overwhelming evidence and potential criminal prosecutions awaiting him are finally telling it like it is. This is important because it’s the Independent and conservative moderate Republicans whose votes are required to re-elect Trump and based on the message Trump delivered last night his show is on reruns.
I missed yesterday so noting here, director Nahid Persson, Iran, documentary 'My Stolen Revolution' on Netflix (at least here) tells an intimate portrait of four women who survived the prison system after the revolution.
Persson directs very personal films from Sweden and also re-entering Iran.
Robert- I love this line! "Two years out, polls are worse than meaningless. Like entropy, they are a measure of our ignorance."
I want this to go viral!
Thank you for the Dan Froomkin article pointing out the awfulness of DeSantis. I live in Florida - the guy is creepy. He is Trump all dressed up with a Harvard degree and can put complete sentences together. Please share the article with anyone you know who is relieved that there is an alternative candidate to DJT. At least now lots of folks are onto Trump. I hope it won’t take another 6 years to get the truth about DeSantis.
I recommend listening to Pod Save America and subscribing to Dan Pfeiffer’s newsletter The Message Box. More good stuff!
What do you recommend for watching/listening news that's not breathless "sky is falling," or false equivalency? Something like Robert Hubble live :-)
You all have probably noticed that Substack has replaced the heart icon beneath comments with a number. I guess they acknowledged complaints about the heart icon not responding reliably. Let's hope the number will work better.
Well, I must walk that back. Apparently the heart button is here, along with numbers. That was not the case a few minutes ago. Sigh.