Friday Talking Points -- The Keystone Koup
This isn't just the Keystone Kops, it's now a full-on Keystone Koup attempt. Before we get to any of it, however, we have to pause to wish Joseph Robinette Biden Junior a happy 78th birthday. Many happy returns, Joe!
Biden is now several steps closer to being sworn in as America's next president in less than nine weeks, as state after state certifies that Biden did indeed beat Donald Trump. Georgia did so today, and several other important states are slated to do so on Monday. By December 8th, all states will have done so and appointed their electors to the Electoral College.
Georgia officially going for Biden means, of course, that there is no viable route for Trump to get to the 270 votes needed to win the Electoral College. The head of the General Services Administration (Keystone Division) has so far refused to sign an "ascertainment" verifying Biden's win, however, and just issued her first post-election tweet. We are not making this up -- here is what Emily Murphy tweeted:
Dcccf Rex zzz. @#z@smaan anaNN
This, of course, prompted much hilarity online, with the best response being: "Dcccf Rex zzz come in. This is Covfefe. Do you copy?"
Democrats everywhere breathed a giant sigh of relief early in the week, as most of Donald Trump's legal team quit in embarrassment, and then Rudy Giuliani immediately announced he would now be in charge of Donald Trump's legal efforts to overthrow a presidential election. Previously, there might have been some small, tiny, infinitesimal chance that one or another of these cases might have changed something, but with Rudy in charge, that tiny speck of an iota of a smidgeon disappeared into the void. Indeed, it's impossible to comment on Rudy's antics without using the words "beclowned," or, alternatively, "clown car."
To top his previous appearance -- from a landscaping company's parking lot, next to a sex shop and a crematorium -- Rudy gave a 90-plus-minute press conference yesterday and quite literally started to melt down in front of the cameras. Rudy is now the mayor of Keystone, apparently. Trump's own official YouTube page streamed the presser live, complete with the following exchange (assumably from the people filming it for them):
"Can they hear us on the stream? I guess not."
"I don't think so..."
"You see fuckin' Rudy's hair dye dripping down his face?"
Yes, Rudy was literally melting down. But that wasn't even the craziest part. The truly nutso-cuckoo part was all of the wild-eyed tin-foil-hattery coming out of Rudy's mouth. Chris Krebs, former (more on that in a minute) director of the federal election Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, tweeted in response to Rudy's meltdown: "That press conference was the most dangerous 1hr 45 minutes of television in American history. And possibly the craziest."
There's really no "possibly" about it anymore... Rudy's driving Trump's crazy train right over the cliff, as the world watches in amazement.
Earlier in the week, Rudy had beclowned himself in his first courtroom appearance in three decades, where he admitted to a level of ignorance that stunned everyone in the courtroom, including the judge.
This is why, as we said, Democrats everywhere are incredibly relieved to hear that Rudy's in charge of things, because it absolutely guarantees the total failure of all of these pathetic efforts at conspiracy-mongering disguised as court cases. It'd be like putting Mr. Bean in charge of D-Day, to put it mildly.
But even though Rudy is leading his clown show, this really isn't funny at all. This is a naked attempt to steal an election, led by the president of the United States. Which is about as serious as it gets, really.
Consider the following:
Trump henchman Lindsey Graham tried to convince Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find some sneaky way to just throw out tens of thousands of votes, so that Trump could "win" Georgia.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has now overturned the only legal case Trump has so far won, which changed the rules for ballot observers so they could stand closer. This is a moot point, because the counting is over, but the highest state court handed Trump a loss anyway, making his post-election legal record a perfect zero.
Chris Krebs, the top election security officer, tweeted during the week, to rebut all the conspiracy theories out there: "59 election security experts all agree, 'in every case of which we are aware, these claims either have been unsubstantiated or are technically incoherent.'"
So Trump fired him, by tweet (of course):
The recent statement by Chris Krebs on the security of the 2020 Election was highly inaccurate, in that there were massive improprieties and fraud -- including dead people voting, Poll Watchers not allowed into polling locations, "glitches" in the voting machines which changed votes from Trump to Biden, late voting, and many more. Therefore, effective immediately, Chris Krebs has been terminated as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
None of what Trump claimed is true, of course. In fact, Team Trump still has yet to produce any evidence of widespread fraud to anyone. One look at what they've claimed in court showed how pathetic their attempts to date have been:
Let's say for the sake of argument, though, that every allegation of dead people voting being made by the Trump campaign in Pennsylvania and Georgia is accurate, including [two specific allegations that have already been proven false].
In total, the campaign would have proved that 0.00004 percent of votes in Pennsylvania and 0.00008 percent of ballots in Georgia were cast illegally. This would neither be fraud significant enough to overturn the results nor fraud robust enough to suggest any systemic effort to throw the race.
And yet, that's all they're even arguing in court. Because this widespread fraud they love to claim is everywhere just does not exist outside of their own warped imagination.
Even Fox News is now pointing this out. After Rudy's meltdown presser, a Fox reporter summed it up thusly: "That was certainly a colorful news conference from Rudy Giuliani, but it was light on facts. So much of what he said was simply not true, or has already been thrown out in court." Even Tucker Carlson isn't buying it anymore. Carlson invited Sidney Powell, one of Trump's top lawyers, to appear on his show to present all her evidence, and here's what happened, according to Carlson:
What [Sidney] Powell was describing would amount to the single greatest crime in American history. Millions of votes stolen in a day. Democracy destroyed. The end of our centuries-old system of self-government, not a small thing.... We took Sidney Powell seriously, we have no intention of fighting her, we've always respected her work. We simply wanted to see the details. How could you not want to see them?
So we invited Sidney Powell on this show. We would have given her the whole hour. We would have given her the entire week, actually, and listened quietly the whole time. But she never sent us any evidence despite a lot of requests, polite requests, not a page. When we kept pressing she got angry and told us to stop contacting her. When we checked with others around the Trump campaign, people in positions of authority, they told us Powell has never given them any evidence either, nor did she provide any today at the press conference.... She never demonstrated that a single actual vote was moved illegitimately by software from one candidate to another.
If Trump has lost Tucker Carlson, things must be going pretty badly for him, obviously.
Because they know they're not going to win in the vote count, Trump is now exploring other ways to steal the election. Today, he is hosting all the top Michigan GOP legislators in an effort to talk them into overturning the will of the people and just handing the state to Trump instead. This would be illegal and unconstitutional, but Trump does not care about such trifles.
Mitt Romney released a statement in response that didn't exactly mince words:
Having failed to make even a plausible case of widespread fraud or conspiracy before any court of law, the President has now resorted to overt pressure on state and local officials to subvert the will of the people and overturn the election. It is difficult to imagine a worse, more undemocratic act by a sitting American President.
White House spokesliar Kayleigh McEnany tried some Oscar-worthy spin today, trying to explain that this meeting could not possibly have anything to do with the election: "This is not an advocacy meeting. There will be no one from the campaign there. [President Donald Trump] routinely meets with lawmakers from all across the country." Nothin' to see here... just a routine meeting, folks. How stupid does she really think we are?
Pretty stupid, it seems. She also claimed that Trump "was never given an orderly transition of power," which is also just not true. Here's none other than Donald Trump himself, from his inauguration speech: "Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent."
Oh, and one more piece of criminal stupidity to add to the pile: Trump's new top coronavirus advisor tweeted, in response to the governor of Michigan (who has already been the target of a kidnapping/murder scheme) instituting more coronavirus restrictions: "The only way this stops is if people rise up. You get what you accept. #FreedomMatters #StepUp." He later claimed he was shocked -- shocked! -- that anyone would read "rise up" as an incitement to violence.
Speaking of violence, Trump has reportedly asked his military leaders if lobbing a few missiles at Iran's nuclear facilities would be possible. They (thankfully) talked him out of such a move... for now, at least.
At least in that instance, Trump showed interest in doing something (even something catastrophic) that's part of the job of president. It's really the only such instance since the election. He might even skip an upcoming G-20 summit meeting (the White House "will not say whether Trump will participate," less than two days from the start of the virtual summit).
Trump is utterly ignoring the worst wave of the pandemic, as well. America could see a whopping 200,000 new cases today alone, and the daily death count is likely to top 2,000 again either today or some time next week. People are dying out there in droves, and Trump not only doesn't care, he is still blocking Joe Biden (who does care) from speaking to any of the official government pandemic response team. Which, according to one report from CNN, is nothing short of sour grapes:
[President] Trump told an ally that he knows he lost, but that he is delaying the transition process and is aggressively trying to sow doubt about the election results in order to get back at Democrats for questioning the legitimacy of his own election in 2016, especially with the Russia investigation.
In other words, we've got a petulant Keystone President in charge of a clown-car Keystone Koup. January 20th can't get here fast enough, folks.
Before we get to the Democrats, we have to say that we really wish we could give an award to the secretary of state of Georgia, but since he is a Republican, he just doesn't qualify. Even so, he deserves acclaim from Democrats for standing up for the truth. If he hadn't said anything, we would never have known about Lindsey Graham trying to strongarm him into tossing out tens of thousands of ballots, just for starters.
But what really earned him our praise was when Brad Raffensperger pointed out something that few people had realized about the vote count in Georgia -- that Trump had essentially shot himself in the foot:
Democrat Joe Biden won the state by 14,000 votes. Trump has refused to concede the election to Biden and has made unfounded accusations of voter fraud.
Raffensperger, a Republican, ordered a recount. But he also told Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB that the president hurt his own cause by discouraging mail-in voting, which he portrayed as a "scam."
Raffensperger told the station that 24,000 Republican voters who voted absentee in the primary did not vote in the general election.
"Those 24,000 people did not vote in the fall," Raffensperger said. "They did not vote absentee because they were told by the president, 'Don't vote absentee. It's not secure.' But then they did not come out and vote in person."
"He actually depressed, suppressed his own voting base," he added.
As Raffensperger pointed out, Trump could easily have won the state by 10,000 votes if those people had indeed voted for Trump. But Trump told them not to, so they didn't.
That kind of honesty in the Republican Party right now is rare as hen's teeth, sad to say. Which is why it deserves some plaudits.
Democrats, as a whole, had kind of a quiet week. Barack Obama's new book is out, so he's been popping up all over television. Joe Biden (happy birthday again, Joe!) is quietly and competently putting together his White House team, although he hasn't announced any top-level or cabinet nominations yet. So far, Biden has taken the tack of letting Trump's tantrum burn itself out, but sooner or later he's probably going to have to directly challenge the Trump administration in court if he ever wants the official transition process to begin. Biden's patience appears to be running out, so we'll have to see how this goes next week.
But we've decided to give the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award to Nancy Pelosi, who was confirmed by her party to be the incoming speaker once again. She has not explicitly said so, but she has been hinting for a long time (since about this time, two years ago) that this will be her last stint as speaker. The Democrats' House leaders are all of an advanced age (to put it politely), so everyone knows that some fresh young blood is going to be necessary to move the party into the future. But for the next two years, at least, Nancy Pelosi will get to work with a Democratic president once again.
Of course, the Senate is still up in the air, so it remains to be seen how effective this will be. But whether the Senate stays Republican or flips, Nancy Pelosi will continue to be one of the strongest speakers the House has seen in the last 50 years or so. And that's worth celebrating all on its own.
[Congratulate Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on her official contact page, to let her know you appreciate her efforts.]
California Governor Gavin Newsom really stepped in it this week. He got caught at a birthday party gathering right after "throwing an emergency brake" on California's reopening. The state, like many such states (even those with Republican governors), is reinstituting pandemic restrictions to combat the third wave.
Which means getting together with a dozen friends to schmooze at a birthday party is exactly the wrong thing to do, at exactly the wrong time. But this story goes from bad to worse...
Worse: it was at a hoity-toity elite restaurant.
Worst: the birthday party was for a lobbyist.
The "optics" (as political folks say) were terrible. The complete lack of leadership was (dare we say it) downright Trumpian. And that's about the worst insult we can think of.
For not immediately realizing what a monumentally stupid idea this was, California's Gavin Newsom gets this week's Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week. Next time, maybe take 10 seconds to think about what the public might say, Gavin? Just a suggestion....
[Contact California Governor Gavin Newsom on his official state contact page, to let him know what you think of his actions.]
Volume 597 (11/20/20)
Quick program note: there will be no Friday Talking Points column next week, because it will be the day after Thanksgiving.
As for this week, we are largely punting our talking points section. What's wrong out there is so patently obvious that we just don't think Democrats need any advice this time around to let the public know.
Instead, we're going to run the beginning and the ending of a recent column by Michael Gerson, who used to be George W. Bush's head speechwriter. A man who knows something about the creation of talking points, in other words.
The following column was far more scathing (and far better written) on one particular subject than we could ever hope to be, which is why we're running it in lieu of our talking points this week. Remember when Republicans could summon up a believable sense of moral outrage? It wasn't that long ago, really.
President Trump will be remembered for many things. For the audacity of his mendacity. For his ready recourse to prejudice. For his savant's ability to rile and ride social resentment. For his welcoming of right-wing crackpots into the Republican coalition. For his elevation of self-love into a populist cause. For his brutal but bumbling use of force against protesters. For his routinization of self-dealing and political corruption. For his utter lack of public spirit and graciousness, even to the very end. And, to be fair, for the remarkable achievement of winning more than 73 million votes without an appealing message, without significant achievements and without a discernible agenda for the future.
But though Trump will be remembered for all these things, he will be judged for one thing above all: When the pandemic came and hundreds of thousands of Americans died, he didn't give a damn.
How do we know this? It is not easy to read a man's heart. But it is easier to detect that organ's absence. Trump is not only refusing to provide leadership during a rapidly mounting health crisis; he is also sabotaging the ability of the incoming Biden administration to cooperate with leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and other government agencies. By disrupting the presidential transition during an unfolding COVID-19 disaster, Trump is engaging in American history's most deadly sulk.
. . .
In this cramped and selfish view of the world, every COVID-19 victim who is highlighted by the media is perceived by the president as an attack on himself. And the public expression of sympathy on his own part would be self-sabotage, an admission of failure. So when Trump recovered from the disease, he did not say, as former New Jersey governor Chris Christie did in a similar situation, "I should have worn a mask." Instead, Trump pronounced himself "immune," held dangerous, largely mask-less political rallies and used his own rapid recovery to play down the seriousness of the disease.
Recovery from COVID did not change Trump's perspective, and neither has electoral loss. The president is apparently too busy moping, golfing, fuming and lying to assume leadership during a spiraling health challenge. He has roused only enough interest to take personal credit for a prospective vaccine. Once again, Trump does not seem to regard COVID-19 as a threat to the country requiring responsible action. He sees the pandemic as an attack on his person, to be downplayed or denied. This is egotism, turned cruel and deadly.
The country will not be delivered by appealing to Trump's better angels, who fled in disgust long ago. It might help if elected Republicans stopped ignoring and enabling Trump's lethal tantrum. But the hours until noon, Jan. 20, still move too slowly.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
If, in the midst of all of the Trumpian nonsense, Democrats can't persuade the majority of voters in Georgia that it is in all of their best interests to ensure that Democrats control the senate or all of the reasons they voted for Biden will be less than moot points.
Before we get to any of it, however, we have to pause to wish Joseph Robinette Biden Junior a happy 78th birthday. Many happy returns, Joe!
I almost forgot about that!
A very happy birthday to you, Senator Biden!
I read that he has settled on a pick for treasury ... hmmmm ... I wonder who it could be ... that's one of the toughest jobs around.
The GOP is in a bind in those GA runoffs. They can't argue that they need those seats to prevent a total Dem take-over without admitting that the orange one has lost. Meanwhile, it looks like he has no intention of dropping his fraud claims which will just make his voters less likely to want to vote. Dems just need to turn out their voters.
Kelly Leoffler says that she's more conservative than Attila the Hun. I'm not sure how "conservative" he was, but he doesn't seem like what those suburbanites are looking for.
Fox buffoon Geraldo Rivera wants to name the vaccine after Fat Donny as some sort of consolation prize. He apparently wants to further depress the number of people willing to be vaccinated. It's bad enough that the death cult believes it's a hoax that they don't need to be vaccinated against. He seems to want normal people to reject it as well.
That Emily Murphy tweet is beyond belief. Why is she trying to flirt with Short Fingers? She's definitely not his type. He wouldn't sexually assault her.
Chris, this is a nice opening essay. I especially enjoyed 'that tiny speck of an iota of a smidgeon disappeared into the void.'
I am a bit disappointed that there are no FTPs this week, nor next. (I completely understand your desire to celebrate Thanksgiving though) Democrats must stake out their territory early and often for the coming standoff with a (probably) Republican-majority Senate. Time's awastin'!
Having been enlightened by Rudy Giuliani's performance as Trump's personal attorney for the past 2 years, I hope someone (journalist, FBI?) will re-examine his tenure as head of the Justice Department's Southern District of New York (1983 - 89, according to Wikipedia.) No doubt, there are many investigations into Trump that were spiked during that period.
Click on this link for a cheap laugh!
http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/rwg/html/bio.html
It's no surprise that New York City wishes Rudy Giuliani had never been associated with them.
John Censornati [3]: Astute observation.
I hope that
a) carpetbagging Democrats will STAY AWAY, providing only 'dark money'
b) the two Democratic candidates highlight that the two Republicans are filthy rich and out of touch with the voters of one of the poorest states in the nation and
c) Stacey Abrams' Fair Fight organization will again mobilize GA Democrats to show up at the polls on 5 January.
No surprise that Republicans are already in dishonest-mudslinging mode in GA.
'Republicans are taking to the airwaves and social media to frame the pastor as a radical and tool of the "extremist" left. Using sound bites from his past sermons, they’re making the case to Georgia voters that the Democrat is anti-police and anti-military. TV ads play up his criticisms of police officers and try to connect him to polarizing figures like Fidel Castro, who visited Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church in 1995 while Warnock was a youth pastor there. Taking several pages out of the 2008 playbook, they’ve also tried to tie him to Jeremiah Wright, the former senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Chicago, whom Republicans used to try to sink Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.'
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/19/raphael-warnock-georgia-republicans-438027
The grassroots activists have righteously screamed "Defund the Police". Many sympathetic people have informed themselves of the systemic injustices and have analyzed the complex yet entirely-reasonable proposals to address the problem. I don't need to explain to anyone what a horrible slogan that is, though, and how it is such a gift to Republicans.
NOW is the moment for progressives to repackage their message.
"Pro-life", "Death Tax", etc. are perfect examples of rebranding to lull the dimwitted into voting against their own interests. It's past time for the Democratic intelligentsia to descend from their ivory tower and either think like a rural voter -or- pay for the P.R. experts to do so.
The left-wing blogs and media are crowing about Tucker Carlson and Sidney Powell. I can't decide whether that's hysterical or tragic.
Tucker Carlson should NEVER be cited for anything other than fascist, racist buffoonery.
Has everyone already forgotten Carlson's "dog ate my homework" escapade of a few weeks ago? NO ONE should be bestowing him 'journalistic integrity'.
'Carlson went on the air Wednesday night to announce the loss of the documents, which he said would be "damning" to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign.
He told viewers his team received the documents from a source recently and that they were related to the Biden family. He did not give other details.'
https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/ups-says-it-found-the-lost-cache-of-documents-that-tucker-carlson-claimed-would-damage-joe-bidens-campaign/articleshow/78938843.cms
@liz,
A very happy birthday to you, Senator Biden!
don't you mean, President-Elect Biden?
just askin'
JL
How gawdam lucky we are. We have managed to rid ourselves of a childish egomaniacal asshole president, in exchange for a venal over-the-hill mediocrity of a president.
I cannot deny, that definitely constitutes progress, but you'd think among 330,000,000 Americans, we might be expected to do better than that!
Well, Joshua, he'll always be Senator Biden to me. :)
Maybe by the time his second term rolls around I'll get used to calling him president!
I wonder if Krebs might have a case for wrongful termination considering the given reasons for his firing were all lies. Or is that another thing the government is immune to?
Is it just me?
Has anyone noticed that the "anti-maskers" are also mostly pro-life, so while they scream your violating MY rights they don't seem to realize that the pro-life stance of NO abortion EVER tramples on the rights of others?
Ahhh, the joy of the fuqing gen "me" generation. Frigging ESPer's....
@gt,
expecting critical thinking out of the american public? what universe have you been living in?
I wish to go on the record to say that if Biden picks Warren for treasury secretary, then I am done with him.
If he picked Liz Warren, the governor of MA would replace her with Scott Brown. My money is on Janet Yellen.
Now that Kelly Leoffler has the plague, GA looks just a little bit better.
Are we still on for an evening of reggae?
Although, there are a couple of anniversaries that should be highlighted ...
@liz,
you mean other than the JFK assassination?
here's reggae in yer tub
Yes, Joshua, most definitely yes, other than that. That which I have finally, FINALLY, hopefully gotten out of my system. So, thanks for reminding me about it. I had actually not even thought about it today. Seriously! Not until I just read your comment.
It's so hard to believe but I really didn't even think about it today. Now I know it's outta my system. It's been a long time coming ...
The anniversaries I am talking about are all about the music! :)
Made it through another season of Veep.
I thought it would be interesting to watch the series again during the lame-duckery phase to fill a bit excess boob-tubery-time.
Season 5, Episode 4, (2016).
It's eerily not unlike this moment in time 4 years ago on the show, along with foreign meddling, staff meltdowns over presidential tweeting and missing uncounted ballots.
The writers of the show presaged the Trumpian era uncannily.
When you watch it again, with the benefit of hindsight, it somehow enriches the experience.
LL&P
Hey, everyone, it's time for another CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party!
Take it away, JFC!
(I'll be back, gotta grab some dinner first)
Luxury
Give It To Me
Get Up Stand Up
I was riding in a rickety tour van in 1982, fast down a bumpy dirt road hugging the side of a cliff in beautiful Saint Lucia when this came on the radio and I heard my first reggae tune ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKJLbv5khLg
Queen's A Night at the Opera celebrated 45 years yesterday. So, this one's for Kick,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaZpZQG2z10
just cause,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF0lrzsnqLw
It's so hard to believe that it's been 50 years since Jose Feliciano released Feliz Navidad. He has released an anniversary verstion featuring several artists, including Tommy Shaw and Lawrence Gowan of Styx. And, he'll be live streaming a Christmas concert from his home in Conneticut on Dec 20th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMtuVP8Mj4o
"You know, Jose Feliciano, you got no complaints."
What movie is that from?
This Wednesday night there will be another live performance on stage at the Empire Theatre - Classic Albums Live will perform the Beatles' Let It Be, note for note, cut for cut.
As per usual, there will be in-person physical-distanced seating tickets on sale and donations will be accepted for the live stream online!
https://theempiretheatre.com/live/classic-albums-live-let-it-be/
fargo, of course.
ya, y'know it's the radisson so it's pretty good...
Secretary of State Tony Blinken. It has a very nice ring to it.
Still hoping Senator Kerry could be SecDef.
Winken, Blinken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe--
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked of the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
~eugene field
Oh, it's going to be so much fun!
Especially considering that Biden is secretary of state material. Heh. Not to worry, though, they'll be on the same page. :)
Say, maybe Biden will get to be president of the G20, just because.
If not win a Nobel peace prize. Hehehehehehehe.
[46] That would cause Trump's nogging to implode if finding out the NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been nominated for an Emmy for his CV19 pressers (only in America can you get an entertainment award for sobering public health announcements) hasn't already...
Siblings, behold... This is how democracies deal with upper-echelon corruption within the government. * I've had cause to run up against the 'Bettencourt wall' in the past, she's probably, if not, the richest woman on the planet, an unabashed right-wing political tinkerer, and a complete Michael Hunt.
Trump should take pause, the people involved in this scandal have 'real money' and social stature to face allegations in court, and will probably lose regardless. However, the French usually take this kind of political window licking more seriously than most democracies as their regulations regarding political financing of campaigns are jealously (if not over-zealously) monitored.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/french-ex-president-sarkozy-s-trial-for-corruption-suspended/ar-BB1bgT6A?ocid=msedgdhp
*An Investigative judge is essentially a lead prosecutor in the French system, they gather information, place it before the court, the two or more parties involved are then tasked to prove or disprove their side of the matter at hand. A magistrate oversees the proceedings and settles disputes between parties and then submits it to the jury relatively unfettered by unsubstantiated claims by either side. A jury is empanelled without voir dire of the case at hand, as jurors are randomly picked from a pool, they weigh the evidence and submit their findings to the Magistrate who can then either reject, modify or even disregard their findings. The 'inquisitorial system' sounds archaic because of it's filtering of minutia and its dumbing-down of information for easy consumption by the hoi polloi, but it makes for smoother running justice. Whereas in the 'adversary system' allows latitude for all manner of reasonable doubt to eke into the minds of juries that really has no business in a court of fact and truth (see OJ Simpson murder case for the only example needed to prove my point)
LL&P
Hmmm ... Senator Kerry for special envoy on the Climate file. Interesting. I wonder now if Hagel might get SecDef, again.
I know echo chambers are where debates go to die, but I think this topic is worth exploring, if for no other reason that the long-term viability of the Democrat party may hinge on this one reality (perceived or otherwise).
Like most, I bat an eye at people of colour who vote Republican, it seems discordant because we associate the GOP with revisionist social imperatives like keeping a boot on the necks of all peoples not white. If this past election has shown us anything it is, Black Americans can't be considered a monolithic and decided voter-base anymore.
There's growing sentiment in communities of colour that the Democratic party has taken their support for granted and still nothing has been achieved to lessen the disparity between white America and themselves across the board.
Trump, being the huckster that he is, somehow stumbled onto this and even in his backhanded smarmy-racist way managed to dislodge a surprisingly alarming amount of traditionally reliable votes to his cause. Sure, Trump sold a bill of goods to them like he did everyone else whose ability to delineate between a political con-job and a real platform of governmental priority.
To my mind, in this regard, black and Hispanic men might just be ahead of the political thinking curve in the US that breaks with the rigidity of the 'one party for life' thinking that's so prevalent in US society.
Pragmatism is central to liberal thinking in the same way rigidity and blinkered thinking is to conservative ideology. In almost every contingency I would say pragmatism leads to a measured response, but not in this instance, it's an Achilles heel for the Democrats as they watch traditional voting blocks become less and less inclined towards their party out of an overall ennui of their social grievances.
From the Beast... https://www.thedailybeast.com/more-black-men-went-with-trump-this-time-i-asked-a-few-of-them-why?ref=scroll
I suspect that the man focused in the article hasn't taken into account the Republican's have, for decades, actively disenfranchised people colour at the polling stations, been determined to block any bill that in any way improves their lot in society, fund communities of colour equitably with those primarily white and just generally refuse to accept them as equals in society. In many ways, Obama's eight years in office re-energised the racist right-wing and made the lives of people of colour a bit harder by focusing on race while Moscow Mitch publically stalemated the first black American president for the singular reason of his hue.
Sadly, I don't see Biden being able to change this reality even if he wanted to unless the Georgia run-off delivers the senate to the Democrats. The racist doorstop will kick in again and spoil another Democratic presidency.
LL&P
MI Board of Canvassers just votes 3-0 (with 1 abstention) to certify results of election.
Woo hoo!
-CW
Seems "Dcccf Rex zzz" has capitulated to reality and acquiesced her Trumpian order for giving no quarter.
Sadly, we won't get see her squirm in front of house lawmakers this week.
LL&P
Elizabeth Miller
33
Queen's A Night at the Opera celebrated 45 years yesterday. So, this one's for Kick,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaZpZQG2z10
Thanks, EM! Ranks right up there as one of the best albums ever recorded.
Interesting thing about that music video is the spectacle of John Deacon sitting there playing a grand piano when it's quite obviously an electronic piano on the recording. Grand pianos do not make that metallic sound. :)
nypoet22
42
Heh. That's exactly what I was thinking when I heard the news!
I deduce that "Sleepy Joe" is Nod... so who is Winkin? ;)