"Don’t give up! Contest every race up and down the ballot!" While one signal of an anticipated loss in the House is the number of Democratic retirements, another signal is the quality of the Democratic candidates. For the most part, Democrats are running strong and interesting candidates, candidates whose victory will be a pleasure. They vary from moderate to progressive, are thoughtful, worth voting for, and worth giving money to.
Probably the most important is "how people are feeling in November." I wonder if we Americans will ever take this voting business seriously enough that we just get out there and vote, no matter how we feel.
I'm thinking more of what happened in 2016 where despite holding noses, more people stayed home than voted for either of the legacy party candidates and the GOP won the race to the bottom. Unfortunately, none of us knew then quite how low the bottom was.
One argument against the trend of the out of power party winning in the midterms is candidates extreme enough to win the primaries are too toxic for the general elections that are largely moderates and independents. However it does bother me that even moderate Republicans talk about hating President Biden. What a strong word hate is for such a decent person! So many times the two party system where the parties do not use democratic methods to choose their candidates has made our choice the lesser of two evils or as you've put it "can't stand the other guy" vote. We, the People, all of us this time.
Enough already! Merrick Garland has proven himself to be temperamentally unable to do the job of AG. If the Department of Justice is only going to investigate the low level people and not those in government who sought to overturn the election, it might as well be dismantled. Do anyone think that if things were different and a Dem president had acted like Trump and his henchmen that the DOJ would not be using every single tool at its disposal to prosecute such a case? Trump committed acts in plain sight that should be investigated. He was not a normal president. He has more in common with a mob boss/ crime family don than other presidents. tRump makes Watergate pale in comparison. His list of illegal acts is miles long.
Excuse me. Why would Garland and the DOJ take over a State of New York tax fraud case in full swing. Garland is doing HIS job, and doing it exceedingly well. WE are just frustrated with how slowly democracy must work. And, remember, we only have one chance to kill the king.
Hi, MaryPat. No one is suggesting Garland take over the NY state civil investigation of state tax fraud. But that investigation cannot result in criminal charges, nor can it punish Trump for federal tax fraud, even on a civil basis. So, there is plenty for Garland to do without stepping on anything that Letitia James is doing.
A second reason for Garland to act now is the statute of limitations. Depending on the facts, the federal government's ability to pursue Trump for criminal tax fraud is 3 - 6 years. So, the federal government is losing the ability to pursue Trump for every day that Garland fails to act. That seems irresponsible given the congressional testimony of Trump's longtime attorney, Michael Cohen.
Everyone is assuming that Garland is doing nothing. I believe he is following the threads and dotting all the eyes and will present an airtight no doubt about it indictments when appropriate. Think about this the released emails and text messages of Meadows and the involvement and comments of members of Congress has not really got anyone really upset and I doubt it has changed voter opinions.
Hi, Stephen. Even if Garland is doing something, it may be too little, too late. Last week, the NYTimes revealed that Garland has hired an experienced prosecutor to consider whether the DOJ should investigate Trump. (I included the cite in a newsletter.) More than a year after the insurrection, considering whether Trump should be investigated is a glacial pace.
Here is a summary of the NYTimes report, as published in Talking Points Memo:
"Windom has been tasked with determining if ex-President Donald Trump . . . ought to be investigated as part of the DOJ’s Jan. 6 probe . . . However, Windom’s reported involvement seems to be in a preliminary stage; he doesn’t have a team of prosecutors working for him yet, the Times reports".
So, I don't believe it is accurate to say that Garland is quietly following the threads to build an airtight case. If the Times report is correct, he is thinking about whether to investigate Trump. Here are the links to the Times and TPM articles:
The "can't stand the other guy vote" isn't a bad thing at all. I've voted in every election during my life, and I've had plenty of opportunities to avail myself of that opportunity. In fact, I have thought that the failure of that "can't stand the other guy" vote is the most astonishing part of the former president's election in 2016. I grew up in New York, and am a 4th generation New Yorker. The former president was a well known entity there, and about the best thing anyone had to say about him was that he was a big nasty joke. Estimations of his ability, character, and appropriateness went down from there. And he was elected. It's important not to forget the astonishment of Americans, and of people around the world. One part of how he was (somehow) presented as a viable potential president is the intense misogyny just beneath the surface of the US population. During the 2016 election, Clinton was referred to as Hillary, but the former president was referred to by his last name. It's a subliminal message-the man has the dignity of his last name, the woman, the lesser dignity of her first name. Another factor that played a part in the 2016 race was the, astonishing to a New Yorker, failure of the media to accurately outline the myriad serious deficiencies of the former president, and to present him as a viable candidate. Those two factors, and others, show what contributed to the failure of the "can't stand the other guy vote." In fact, Clinton was presented as "the other guy."
Pam, thank you for a sharp-edged and sharp comment. I think the tendency to call women by their first names is also a kind of assumption of familiarity in this culture. Of course it's done to men, as well, but not a fraction as often. Poet, Emily Dickinson, is often referred to as "Emily" in formal criticism. Anybody ever seen William Faulkner called William, or T.S. Eliot "T.S. or Thomas"? After 30+ years as an English teacher, I can say I never have. As for the media, I wouldn't know where to begin. The slobbered after Trump, indiscriminately reporting his every move. The NYTimes was the absolute worst because they were so self-righteous about they journalistic integrity. It was their insistence on the false equivalence between Trump and Clinton that ended her up in the down position and Trump as the "lesser of two evils."
I'm very much afraid that Secretary Clinton's car was the last train out of Dodge for a long time. And you can't imagine how much I want to be wrong. Thank you again for your comment.
This morning, I listened to a BBC reporter, who had parked himself inside a bar in Nice (rough duty, I know), interview bar patrons regarding the election. Almost everyone interviewed had voted for Macron, including some people who admittedly liked at least some of Le Pen's policies. Except for one young woman who works for a member of Parliament, none of the interviewees admitted to liking Macron. They described him as arrogant, out of touch with the regular people, and responsible for rising prices. The big concern for the Macron (or anti-Le Pen) camp is the outcome of the upcoming legislative elections where the fear is that there is now enough right wing support for Mme Wacko to undermine Macron's effectiveness. II marvel that 40% percent of the voters supported a candidate who supports a ban on women wearing a hijab in public, but then I have to remind myself about our fellow citizens who supported and continue to support President Biden's predecessor. We need to pay very close attention to France's upcoming elections.
In the interest of accuracy it should be noted that the ignorant twit, Marjury Tailor Grene, suggested support for ‘Marshall Law’, not the correct martial law. I guess a mistake any poorly educated 6th grader might make. Where do all these gop morons come from?
Your comments about an investigation of the Secret Service deserve amplification. The esteem in which the Secret Service is held by the public is almost mythlike, but the reality is far different. Anyone interested in learning more about the how this agency has pursued its mission should read "Zero Fail" by Carol Leonnig. There has been scandal after scandal. The latest news, about agents receiving gifts from shady individuals and the possibility that Pence did not trust his personal detail, are just two in a long line of issues that have roiled the agency and its leadership.
Apr 26, 2022·edited Apr 26, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Could the interest of Finland and Sweden in joining NATO be the seeds of a deal to end the war in Ukraine? Putin would like nothing less than for those countries to join NATO. Would they be willing to hold off on applying if Putin stops the fighting in Ukraine? They could get arms to defend themselves while the annihilation of Ukraine ends, and Putin would avoid a nightmare on his border.
There's arguably a lot of truth in what the late Gore Vidal said about America having "one political party with two right wings!" But since the GOP Moron wing has decided to go batshit crazy and worship a fanatical narcissist in his insane quest to tear up the Constitution and overthrow the government, now is the time to hold your nose if you can't stand the other guy and vote democratic, demand that Biden replace Merrick Garland with someone who is willing to apply the law, and stand up for what's left of American Democracy. As Cathy Learoyd says, "We, the People, all of us this time." This is another Emergency like the 2020 Presidential election. Maybe then we can turn our collective attention to the overarching issue of Climate Change, if we still have a planet to hold elections on.
I don't recall Cathy Learoyd implying that Garland needs to be replaced, when using our Heather's Heard mantra, "We the People, All of Us This Time." As I said above: Why would Garland and the DOJ take over a State of New York tax fraud case in full swing. Garland is doing HIS job, and doing it exceedingly well. WE are just frustrated with how slowly democracy must work. And, remember, we only have one chance to kill the king.
Yes! Every Democratic candidate for Congress needs to run against Donald T___p. Every one—even in deep red districts, because they are going to be tarred as anti-Trump anyway. T ___p has lost support since 2020, and that will accelerate as he makes himself more visible and more obnoxious (is that possible?, I hear you ask) between now and November. Democrats need to put their opponents on the spot: Do you or do you not support the man who tried to destroy the Constitution and democracy? If we do that, Democratic majorities in both houses will grow.
When does it ends? Everyday we read stories about the Mark Meadows emails and text messages and the involvement of many members of Congress some of whom are running for re-election to office. We read about Jim Jordan threatening the board of Tesla with Congressional hearings if they don’t approve the deal, a group of Republicans are organizing to impeach a Biden Administration member and Majorie Taylor Greene made a joke of her 14th Amendment hearing about her convenient loss of memory. Did I mention the Disney debacle and what is going on in Florida and let’s add Texas. The Republicans at every turn are pushing the envelope and the law without any viable Democratic response or action. They have clearly demonstrated in the January 6th attack they would do anything to gain power including breaking the law and threatening those who did not go along. They have unequivocally proven they are dangerous and threat to our Democratic values. Why have the American voters not visibly reacted and pushed back? It’s not all of social media’s fault. Why have the voting public not shown the outrage and the concern to the threat we are seeing everyday? I guess they don’t care which I have a hard time accepting. The threat Democrats really have in the midterms is doing nothing meaningful now and I hope it’s not too late. When will it end?
I wish the piling on with regard to Garland could take a break. The New York tax fraud case is right where it belongs in New York not with DOJ. Moreover, James case as it moves along may give some spine to the New York DA to re-invigorate his criminal case. Also, Unitil we have more facts on pence and secret service maybe we need to let it go until Raskin ( for whom I have great respect ) has more to add that makes clear the SS was bent.
"Don’t give up! Contest every race up and down the ballot!" While one signal of an anticipated loss in the House is the number of Democratic retirements, another signal is the quality of the Democratic candidates. For the most part, Democrats are running strong and interesting candidates, candidates whose victory will be a pleasure. They vary from moderate to progressive, are thoughtful, worth voting for, and worth giving money to.
It’s about turnout and the quality of local candidates and the economy and how people are feeling in November. Everything else is just noise.
Probably the most important is "how people are feeling in November." I wonder if we Americans will ever take this voting business seriously enough that we just get out there and vote, no matter how we feel.
That's an important point because no one can afford a "plague on both their houses" situation where a plurality of the electorate simply stays home.
The turnout in France was relatively low. More people stayed home than voted for Le Pen.
I'm thinking more of what happened in 2016 where despite holding noses, more people stayed home than voted for either of the legacy party candidates and the GOP won the race to the bottom. Unfortunately, none of us knew then quite how low the bottom was.
❤
One argument against the trend of the out of power party winning in the midterms is candidates extreme enough to win the primaries are too toxic for the general elections that are largely moderates and independents. However it does bother me that even moderate Republicans talk about hating President Biden. What a strong word hate is for such a decent person! So many times the two party system where the parties do not use democratic methods to choose their candidates has made our choice the lesser of two evils or as you've put it "can't stand the other guy" vote. We, the People, all of us this time.
Then let’s attack them on hate—that hate is such an inappropriate (that’s too weak a word) way to conduct an election in a democracy.
Enough already! Merrick Garland has proven himself to be temperamentally unable to do the job of AG. If the Department of Justice is only going to investigate the low level people and not those in government who sought to overturn the election, it might as well be dismantled. Do anyone think that if things were different and a Dem president had acted like Trump and his henchmen that the DOJ would not be using every single tool at its disposal to prosecute such a case? Trump committed acts in plain sight that should be investigated. He was not a normal president. He has more in common with a mob boss/ crime family don than other presidents. tRump makes Watergate pale in comparison. His list of illegal acts is miles long.
Excuse me. Why would Garland and the DOJ take over a State of New York tax fraud case in full swing. Garland is doing HIS job, and doing it exceedingly well. WE are just frustrated with how slowly democracy must work. And, remember, we only have one chance to kill the king.
Hi, MaryPat. No one is suggesting Garland take over the NY state civil investigation of state tax fraud. But that investigation cannot result in criminal charges, nor can it punish Trump for federal tax fraud, even on a civil basis. So, there is plenty for Garland to do without stepping on anything that Letitia James is doing.
A second reason for Garland to act now is the statute of limitations. Depending on the facts, the federal government's ability to pursue Trump for criminal tax fraud is 3 - 6 years. So, the federal government is losing the ability to pursue Trump for every day that Garland fails to act. That seems irresponsible given the congressional testimony of Trump's longtime attorney, Michael Cohen.
Everyone is assuming that Garland is doing nothing. I believe he is following the threads and dotting all the eyes and will present an airtight no doubt about it indictments when appropriate. Think about this the released emails and text messages of Meadows and the involvement and comments of members of Congress has not really got anyone really upset and I doubt it has changed voter opinions.
Hi, Stephen. Even if Garland is doing something, it may be too little, too late. Last week, the NYTimes revealed that Garland has hired an experienced prosecutor to consider whether the DOJ should investigate Trump. (I included the cite in a newsletter.) More than a year after the insurrection, considering whether Trump should be investigated is a glacial pace.
Here is a summary of the NYTimes report, as published in Talking Points Memo:
"Windom has been tasked with determining if ex-President Donald Trump . . . ought to be investigated as part of the DOJ’s Jan. 6 probe . . . However, Windom’s reported involvement seems to be in a preliminary stage; he doesn’t have a team of prosecutors working for him yet, the Times reports".
So, I don't believe it is accurate to say that Garland is quietly following the threads to build an airtight case. If the Times report is correct, he is thinking about whether to investigate Trump. Here are the links to the Times and TPM articles:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/us/politics/alex-jones-jan-6-interview.html
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/doj-justice-department-signal-expansion-capitol-insurrection-investigation-merrick-garland-prosecutor-thomas-windom
Thank you for making it clear beyond any chance of misunderstanding. It really is unbelievable.
Yes! Garland is doing a SUPERB job. Enough of this undercutting by his possessive former law professor Tribe.
I'm guessing that the recently released emails are intended to spur AG Garland into action.
Not.
The "can't stand the other guy vote" isn't a bad thing at all. I've voted in every election during my life, and I've had plenty of opportunities to avail myself of that opportunity. In fact, I have thought that the failure of that "can't stand the other guy" vote is the most astonishing part of the former president's election in 2016. I grew up in New York, and am a 4th generation New Yorker. The former president was a well known entity there, and about the best thing anyone had to say about him was that he was a big nasty joke. Estimations of his ability, character, and appropriateness went down from there. And he was elected. It's important not to forget the astonishment of Americans, and of people around the world. One part of how he was (somehow) presented as a viable potential president is the intense misogyny just beneath the surface of the US population. During the 2016 election, Clinton was referred to as Hillary, but the former president was referred to by his last name. It's a subliminal message-the man has the dignity of his last name, the woman, the lesser dignity of her first name. Another factor that played a part in the 2016 race was the, astonishing to a New Yorker, failure of the media to accurately outline the myriad serious deficiencies of the former president, and to present him as a viable candidate. Those two factors, and others, show what contributed to the failure of the "can't stand the other guy vote." In fact, Clinton was presented as "the other guy."
Pam, thank you for a sharp-edged and sharp comment. I think the tendency to call women by their first names is also a kind of assumption of familiarity in this culture. Of course it's done to men, as well, but not a fraction as often. Poet, Emily Dickinson, is often referred to as "Emily" in formal criticism. Anybody ever seen William Faulkner called William, or T.S. Eliot "T.S. or Thomas"? After 30+ years as an English teacher, I can say I never have. As for the media, I wouldn't know where to begin. The slobbered after Trump, indiscriminately reporting his every move. The NYTimes was the absolute worst because they were so self-righteous about they journalistic integrity. It was their insistence on the false equivalence between Trump and Clinton that ended her up in the down position and Trump as the "lesser of two evils."
I'm very much afraid that Secretary Clinton's car was the last train out of Dodge for a long time. And you can't imagine how much I want to be wrong. Thank you again for your comment.
This morning, I listened to a BBC reporter, who had parked himself inside a bar in Nice (rough duty, I know), interview bar patrons regarding the election. Almost everyone interviewed had voted for Macron, including some people who admittedly liked at least some of Le Pen's policies. Except for one young woman who works for a member of Parliament, none of the interviewees admitted to liking Macron. They described him as arrogant, out of touch with the regular people, and responsible for rising prices. The big concern for the Macron (or anti-Le Pen) camp is the outcome of the upcoming legislative elections where the fear is that there is now enough right wing support for Mme Wacko to undermine Macron's effectiveness. II marvel that 40% percent of the voters supported a candidate who supports a ban on women wearing a hijab in public, but then I have to remind myself about our fellow citizens who supported and continue to support President Biden's predecessor. We need to pay very close attention to France's upcoming elections.
❤
In the interest of accuracy it should be noted that the ignorant twit, Marjury Tailor Grene, suggested support for ‘Marshall Law’, not the correct martial law. I guess a mistake any poorly educated 6th grader might make. Where do all these gop morons come from?
Google Forsyth County, GA. It is not pretty.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-came-of-age-in-this-infamously-racist-georgia-county
Aren’t we exceptional?
Thanks for posting that despicable link.
"Despicable" is an appropriate word, Neil...you're welcome.
Could she have meant the law as espoused by Chief Justice John Marshall? She wouldn’t like that at all.
LOL, Jon!
The gazpacho
Sorry I couldn’t help myself
Did you mean Perjury Traitor Green?
https://youtu.be/kxYDtW0QWoc
That absolutely works. Kimmel nailed it. Very funny. I should check out Colbert, too.
Sometimes you just need to laugh 😹 and hope the wheels of justice are turning
Central Casting
Your comments about an investigation of the Secret Service deserve amplification. The esteem in which the Secret Service is held by the public is almost mythlike, but the reality is far different. Anyone interested in learning more about the how this agency has pursued its mission should read "Zero Fail" by Carol Leonnig. There has been scandal after scandal. The latest news, about agents receiving gifts from shady individuals and the possibility that Pence did not trust his personal detail, are just two in a long line of issues that have roiled the agency and its leadership.
Could the interest of Finland and Sweden in joining NATO be the seeds of a deal to end the war in Ukraine? Putin would like nothing less than for those countries to join NATO. Would they be willing to hold off on applying if Putin stops the fighting in Ukraine? They could get arms to defend themselves while the annihilation of Ukraine ends, and Putin would avoid a nightmare on his border.
Stan
Hope it’s been a grand birthday! So fun being privy to the family festivities via your Managing Editor’s charming video blog! Happy birthday!
Yes, Robert, quite a birthday brunch bash — well deserved!
❤
Happy birthday!!
There's arguably a lot of truth in what the late Gore Vidal said about America having "one political party with two right wings!" But since the GOP Moron wing has decided to go batshit crazy and worship a fanatical narcissist in his insane quest to tear up the Constitution and overthrow the government, now is the time to hold your nose if you can't stand the other guy and vote democratic, demand that Biden replace Merrick Garland with someone who is willing to apply the law, and stand up for what's left of American Democracy. As Cathy Learoyd says, "We, the People, all of us this time." This is another Emergency like the 2020 Presidential election. Maybe then we can turn our collective attention to the overarching issue of Climate Change, if we still have a planet to hold elections on.
I don't recall Cathy Learoyd implying that Garland needs to be replaced, when using our Heather's Heard mantra, "We the People, All of Us This Time." As I said above: Why would Garland and the DOJ take over a State of New York tax fraud case in full swing. Garland is doing HIS job, and doing it exceedingly well. WE are just frustrated with how slowly democracy must work. And, remember, we only have one chance to kill the king.
Yes! Every Democratic candidate for Congress needs to run against Donald T___p. Every one—even in deep red districts, because they are going to be tarred as anti-Trump anyway. T ___p has lost support since 2020, and that will accelerate as he makes himself more visible and more obnoxious (is that possible?, I hear you ask) between now and November. Democrats need to put their opponents on the spot: Do you or do you not support the man who tried to destroy the Constitution and democracy? If we do that, Democratic majorities in both houses will grow.
When does it ends? Everyday we read stories about the Mark Meadows emails and text messages and the involvement of many members of Congress some of whom are running for re-election to office. We read about Jim Jordan threatening the board of Tesla with Congressional hearings if they don’t approve the deal, a group of Republicans are organizing to impeach a Biden Administration member and Majorie Taylor Greene made a joke of her 14th Amendment hearing about her convenient loss of memory. Did I mention the Disney debacle and what is going on in Florida and let’s add Texas. The Republicans at every turn are pushing the envelope and the law without any viable Democratic response or action. They have clearly demonstrated in the January 6th attack they would do anything to gain power including breaking the law and threatening those who did not go along. They have unequivocally proven they are dangerous and threat to our Democratic values. Why have the American voters not visibly reacted and pushed back? It’s not all of social media’s fault. Why have the voting public not shown the outrage and the concern to the threat we are seeing everyday? I guess they don’t care which I have a hard time accepting. The threat Democrats really have in the midterms is doing nothing meaningful now and I hope it’s not too late. When will it end?
I wish the piling on with regard to Garland could take a break. The New York tax fraud case is right where it belongs in New York not with DOJ. Moreover, James case as it moves along may give some spine to the New York DA to re-invigorate his criminal case. Also, Unitil we have more facts on pence and secret service maybe we need to let it go until Raskin ( for whom I have great respect ) has more to add that makes clear the SS was bent.
“Can’t-stand-the-other-guy” exemplifies Obama’s reminder that democracy can be messy.
Robert, You and your wife are a great team, and a good at all informational Tidbits that I forget sometimes. Thanks for keeping us informed!!!!