Looking from afar, I think the appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate the Biden classified document issue is a good thing - regardless of whether the facts justify it and regardless of whether this delays things and keeps the news story rolling for a bit. We assume that Biden will be exonerated in the end. But most importantly, it completely takes the wind out of the GOP sails that there is an unfair treatment of Trump and that it is unheard of to investigate Presidents in this manner. And that is where the danger lies, if there seems to be credence to the claims of unfair treatment.
It is a total mess and should never have happened and totally self-inflicted and the timing is very unfortunate - but even given that, it is much better to have independent investigation.
Rob, I do hope that you and your wonderful Managing Editor are staying safe from the storms and flooding. As a native Californian, and one who has just returned home to Northern Sacramento Valley after 30 years away, the amount of rain has been amazing, but also reminiscent of the flooding in the mid-80's when we were watching to see if the levees would hold in Sacramento. All we can do is hunker down and then prepare to help our neighbors, to the extent we're able, after the storms subside.
I almost always agree with you, but I think in this case that appointing the special counsel was the correct thing to do. I would like to point out, though, the effectiveness of the constant right wing noise machine in this sense: When considering who his special counsel for Trump would be, Garland has to appease the howls from Fox et al, and make sure to pick someone who can't be connected with the Biden or Obama administrations. The reverse is the case with the Biden counsel: Choose someone appointed by Trump to appease the very same people.
I hope that justice is done and Biden is shown to have been careless, but not criminal, and Trump gets what he deserves. One concern I have is that this is overshadowing the very important and really completely shocking information coming out of the Proud Boys trial. This is what the country should be focused on--how close we came to a successful violent overthrow of an American election.
Say it ain't so, Joe! Just when it seemed the president really had it together, and just when it seemed the DOJ finally was ready to make its move on Mar a Lago, things got convoluted and scattered. Truly, the documents issue is a strange one for the general public; what are the ramifications and reach of each of them? We will never know because of their secret nature.
Also, another Ponzi schemer in public office! I have to say one thing about the Republicans. Their public image has reached absurdity. They are like characters in The Night Circus.
Thank you again, Robert, for making it all understandable and for making us better citizens.
Very interesting statistics 🤔 about the true % of Americans that the radical rednecks represents and the importance of why gerrymandering is a blight on true democracy 🤔
It's tweetable, "A strategy of many animals when threatened is to make themselves appear larger by ostentatious displays." What a great analogy. thanks for your work.
Much ‘adieu’ about nothing. Still quite a lot of inner angst among democrats who never liked Biden and feel compelled to spank. I think it’s premature to be writing his obituary. For all of the fast draw artists It is your own foot you are shooting. Think lemonade. Biden’s Folley since that is effectively what many friendlies are calling the unfortunate documents surfacing may be the mirror that reflects the stark and substantive differences between Biden and Trump. Both men stand before us clearly show casing to American voters the profound choices we have made and which man will take us where we need to go. What a perfect opportunity to lead and that leader is Joe Biden. Americans will look into this clear reflection and choose. I choose lemonade.
I posted some of this at LFAA. It also seems appropriate here. Hoping to add some perspective. Believe it or not, all news stories are not equal :)
All of this "whataboutism" will dim and fade as minor background chatter among the "Q crew. Biden is being open and forthright - following the rules as NARA requires. The documents thing is a nothing burger.
Soon there will be news eclipsing all this nonsense including the "theater" at the House of Representatives. Santos will be a joke of a memory. Jordan and company may be busted. And there is a real possibility that the GQP will lose their majority as a result.
Headline names coming soon: Jack Smith, Fanni Willis. And Letitia James may not be done. Patience will pay off. These three have "pit bull" reputations.
Trumps mental illness will lead to even more bizarre comments which will become even more damaging and self incriminating. Keep in mind that there are no "professional tenders" guarding "Don the Con". No daughter or son-in-law to protect him from himself. No credible legal team. No advisors who have the guts to influence this bag of BS. He is surrounded by third string wobbly kneed sycophants. It's a recipe for self destruction.
The continuing trials of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys will make many of the insurrectionists squirm. When it comes down to it, people will say anything to escape incarceration. Flinging blame will trend.
The Biden documents issue will take its rightful place with the "laptops" and pizza parlor non-existent basements. And Benghazi and email servers...
Today’s Edition once again proves size does matter. The data regarding the actual size of the MAGA dedicated Republicans confirmed a suspicion I have had for a long time. Add to this data of the gerrymandered congressional districts and the fact that Republicans have lost the last three presidential elections popular vote and you have to come to the conclusion that there are more of us than them and we need to act that way. Think about this another way. What are the Republicans doing from a legislative perspective that provides benefits to average everyday voters regardless of race, demographics or sexual orientation? There mantra is to tear down government institutions and government regulations resulting in no accountability for legislative Republicans. The questions we need to keep asking his “ what have Republicans delivered for the American people and do we really trust them to govern.?
As I’m sure you know, Robert, HCR has a different take on the appointment of the special counsel to investigate the maybe-classified documents found in Biden’s former office and home. I go with her on this one. For one thing, she notes that Joe, err, Kevin McCarthy said yesterday morning that a special prosecutor was not necessary and that Congress could investigate. That idea has now been headed off at the pass.
What’s that old saying…something about “it’s not the mountains that get in your way, it’s the grains of sand in your shoe”. My shoes are filled. After working so hard to stave off the red wave, these latest antics by the clown car House Republicans and Biden and Garland’s missteps have made even us diehard Democrats weary. The president of my local Democrat Club is in the same boat. So, yes, we shall continue, but how the hell can we dump out all this sand?
In this age of false equivalencies, I think Garland absolutely had to appoint a special counsel. Biden and his team were idiots not to have done top to bottom searches of Biden properties the day after the first whiff of purloined documents at Mar_a_Lago.
I understand that the Biden and Trump document cases are completely different. I also think Biden has done an incredible job and has a long list of accomplishments, several bipartisan. In 2024, Ds will have a LOT of great stuff to run on, and the Rs will have behaved ridiculously in '23 and '24. BUT, as someone who did lots of hiring in my professional life, I would never have considered an 82-year-old applicant for a six-year position, given that there are SO many strong candidates in waiting. The next two years will only accentuate that issue more. I personally think voters are ready for a post-Trump AND post-Biden landscape, and this unfortunate mishandle provides an opportunity to celebrate and honor Biden for his amazing contributions to our democracy and to encourage him to not run but rather focus on critical work these next two years, which includes making space for future leaders.
Following another track and issue arising from the Biden classified documents issues, you might want to read my Harold's Newsletter published on January 12, 2023 on reasons why Biden should announce that he will not be a candidate for re-election for a number of reasons: his age and age of 86 at the end of another 4-year term, the Biden classified documents matter, and the need to recruit able and younger Democratic candidates to run for the presidential nomination. See: haroldrberk.substack.com
"it is easy to fall victim to a cognitive bias that makes the MAGA faction appear larger than it actually is. In fact, there are way more of us than there are of them. But for gerrymandering and voter suppression, Democrats would hold a natural, permanent majority in the House."
The newsletter goes on to quote Wisconsin Republican official Robert Spindell, who wrote:
“We can be especially proud of the City of Milwaukee (80.2% Dem Vote) casting 37,000 less votes than cast in the 2018 election with the major reduction happening in the overwhelming Black and Hispanic areas.”
Spindell then goes on the describe two parts of the "multi-faceted plan" to suppress black and hispanic voters'':
- “Biting Black Radio Negative Commercials run last few weeks of the election cycle straight at Dem Candidates…
- A substantial & very effective Republican Coordinated Election Integrity program resulting with **lots of Republican paid Election Judges** & trained Observers & extremely significant continued Court Litigation.”
I added the "**" marks to highlight what jumped off the screen at me. "...Republican paid Election Judges"???? Who are these so-called judges? Who paid them? And how do we remove these corrupt judges? Shame is not enough!
Looking from afar, I think the appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate the Biden classified document issue is a good thing - regardless of whether the facts justify it and regardless of whether this delays things and keeps the news story rolling for a bit. We assume that Biden will be exonerated in the end. But most importantly, it completely takes the wind out of the GOP sails that there is an unfair treatment of Trump and that it is unheard of to investigate Presidents in this manner. And that is where the danger lies, if there seems to be credence to the claims of unfair treatment.
It is a total mess and should never have happened and totally self-inflicted and the timing is very unfortunate - but even given that, it is much better to have independent investigation.
Rob, I do hope that you and your wonderful Managing Editor are staying safe from the storms and flooding. As a native Californian, and one who has just returned home to Northern Sacramento Valley after 30 years away, the amount of rain has been amazing, but also reminiscent of the flooding in the mid-80's when we were watching to see if the levees would hold in Sacramento. All we can do is hunker down and then prepare to help our neighbors, to the extent we're able, after the storms subside.
I almost always agree with you, but I think in this case that appointing the special counsel was the correct thing to do. I would like to point out, though, the effectiveness of the constant right wing noise machine in this sense: When considering who his special counsel for Trump would be, Garland has to appease the howls from Fox et al, and make sure to pick someone who can't be connected with the Biden or Obama administrations. The reverse is the case with the Biden counsel: Choose someone appointed by Trump to appease the very same people.
I hope that justice is done and Biden is shown to have been careless, but not criminal, and Trump gets what he deserves. One concern I have is that this is overshadowing the very important and really completely shocking information coming out of the Proud Boys trial. This is what the country should be focused on--how close we came to a successful violent overthrow of an American election.
Say it ain't so, Joe! Just when it seemed the president really had it together, and just when it seemed the DOJ finally was ready to make its move on Mar a Lago, things got convoluted and scattered. Truly, the documents issue is a strange one for the general public; what are the ramifications and reach of each of them? We will never know because of their secret nature.
Also, another Ponzi schemer in public office! I have to say one thing about the Republicans. Their public image has reached absurdity. They are like characters in The Night Circus.
Thank you again, Robert, for making it all understandable and for making us better citizens.
Very interesting statistics 🤔 about the true % of Americans that the radical rednecks represents and the importance of why gerrymandering is a blight on true democracy 🤔
That's for the no jive Joe link too
It's tweetable, "A strategy of many animals when threatened is to make themselves appear larger by ostentatious displays." What a great analogy. thanks for your work.
Much ‘adieu’ about nothing. Still quite a lot of inner angst among democrats who never liked Biden and feel compelled to spank. I think it’s premature to be writing his obituary. For all of the fast draw artists It is your own foot you are shooting. Think lemonade. Biden’s Folley since that is effectively what many friendlies are calling the unfortunate documents surfacing may be the mirror that reflects the stark and substantive differences between Biden and Trump. Both men stand before us clearly show casing to American voters the profound choices we have made and which man will take us where we need to go. What a perfect opportunity to lead and that leader is Joe Biden. Americans will look into this clear reflection and choose. I choose lemonade.
I posted some of this at LFAA. It also seems appropriate here. Hoping to add some perspective. Believe it or not, all news stories are not equal :)
All of this "whataboutism" will dim and fade as minor background chatter among the "Q crew. Biden is being open and forthright - following the rules as NARA requires. The documents thing is a nothing burger.
Soon there will be news eclipsing all this nonsense including the "theater" at the House of Representatives. Santos will be a joke of a memory. Jordan and company may be busted. And there is a real possibility that the GQP will lose their majority as a result.
Headline names coming soon: Jack Smith, Fanni Willis. And Letitia James may not be done. Patience will pay off. These three have "pit bull" reputations.
Trumps mental illness will lead to even more bizarre comments which will become even more damaging and self incriminating. Keep in mind that there are no "professional tenders" guarding "Don the Con". No daughter or son-in-law to protect him from himself. No credible legal team. No advisors who have the guts to influence this bag of BS. He is surrounded by third string wobbly kneed sycophants. It's a recipe for self destruction.
The continuing trials of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys will make many of the insurrectionists squirm. When it comes down to it, people will say anything to escape incarceration. Flinging blame will trend.
The Biden documents issue will take its rightful place with the "laptops" and pizza parlor non-existent basements. And Benghazi and email servers...
Today’s Edition once again proves size does matter. The data regarding the actual size of the MAGA dedicated Republicans confirmed a suspicion I have had for a long time. Add to this data of the gerrymandered congressional districts and the fact that Republicans have lost the last three presidential elections popular vote and you have to come to the conclusion that there are more of us than them and we need to act that way. Think about this another way. What are the Republicans doing from a legislative perspective that provides benefits to average everyday voters regardless of race, demographics or sexual orientation? There mantra is to tear down government institutions and government regulations resulting in no accountability for legislative Republicans. The questions we need to keep asking his “ what have Republicans delivered for the American people and do we really trust them to govern.?
As I’m sure you know, Robert, HCR has a different take on the appointment of the special counsel to investigate the maybe-classified documents found in Biden’s former office and home. I go with her on this one. For one thing, she notes that Joe, err, Kevin McCarthy said yesterday morning that a special prosecutor was not necessary and that Congress could investigate. That idea has now been headed off at the pass.
What’s that old saying…something about “it’s not the mountains that get in your way, it’s the grains of sand in your shoe”. My shoes are filled. After working so hard to stave off the red wave, these latest antics by the clown car House Republicans and Biden and Garland’s missteps have made even us diehard Democrats weary. The president of my local Democrat Club is in the same boat. So, yes, we shall continue, but how the hell can we dump out all this sand?
In this age of false equivalencies, I think Garland absolutely had to appoint a special counsel. Biden and his team were idiots not to have done top to bottom searches of Biden properties the day after the first whiff of purloined documents at Mar_a_Lago.
I understand that the Biden and Trump document cases are completely different. I also think Biden has done an incredible job and has a long list of accomplishments, several bipartisan. In 2024, Ds will have a LOT of great stuff to run on, and the Rs will have behaved ridiculously in '23 and '24. BUT, as someone who did lots of hiring in my professional life, I would never have considered an 82-year-old applicant for a six-year position, given that there are SO many strong candidates in waiting. The next two years will only accentuate that issue more. I personally think voters are ready for a post-Trump AND post-Biden landscape, and this unfortunate mishandle provides an opportunity to celebrate and honor Biden for his amazing contributions to our democracy and to encourage him to not run but rather focus on critical work these next two years, which includes making space for future leaders.
From the cesspool of Santos,
To the missteps of Biden,
The Press and GOP wonder,
What else could be hidin'.
The pendulum swing
To the GOP Right,
Provides our whole Nation.
Another messy food fight.
With McCarthy in charge
Of what comes to the Floor,
This next two years
Will be hardly a snore.
But in there we hang,
We who believe in the Middle,
These pendulum swings
Are surely to settle.
But 'til they do,
We've reason for concern,
Just how much of the parchment,
Our Constitution will burn.
Following another track and issue arising from the Biden classified documents issues, you might want to read my Harold's Newsletter published on January 12, 2023 on reasons why Biden should announce that he will not be a candidate for re-election for a number of reasons: his age and age of 86 at the end of another 4-year term, the Biden classified documents matter, and the need to recruit able and younger Democratic candidates to run for the presidential nomination. See: haroldrberk.substack.com
"it is easy to fall victim to a cognitive bias that makes the MAGA faction appear larger than it actually is. In fact, there are way more of us than there are of them. But for gerrymandering and voter suppression, Democrats would hold a natural, permanent majority in the House."
Following your train of thought, Robert, here is today's headline from Charlie Sykes' Bulwark+: "Suppressing the Black Vote. And Bragging About It." (https://morningshots.thebulwark.com/p/suppressing-the-black-vote-and-bragging?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=87272&post_id=96333195&isFreemail=false&utm_medium=email)
The newsletter goes on to quote Wisconsin Republican official Robert Spindell, who wrote:
“We can be especially proud of the City of Milwaukee (80.2% Dem Vote) casting 37,000 less votes than cast in the 2018 election with the major reduction happening in the overwhelming Black and Hispanic areas.”
Spindell then goes on the describe two parts of the "multi-faceted plan" to suppress black and hispanic voters'':
- “Biting Black Radio Negative Commercials run last few weeks of the election cycle straight at Dem Candidates…
- A substantial & very effective Republican Coordinated Election Integrity program resulting with **lots of Republican paid Election Judges** & trained Observers & extremely significant continued Court Litigation.”
I added the "**" marks to highlight what jumped off the screen at me. "...Republican paid Election Judges"???? Who are these so-called judges? Who paid them? And how do we remove these corrupt judges? Shame is not enough!
https://morningshots.thebulwark.com/p/suppressing-the-black-vote-and-bragging?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=87272&post_id=96333195&isFreemail=false&utm_medium=email