Just remember next time you see or refer to Ted to call him my his preferred pronoun. Dear Kiss my Ass. Hey, Kiss my Ass! This should be his name in Morning Shots from now on.
Reposting some comments I just put on a JVL thread:
Trumpy intellectuals say they want to trim back the "administrative state" in order to restore democratic accountability -- which is fine as far is it goes. The promoters of Schedule F will say it's about letting a "duly elected president" enact his own agenda as the Constitution allows.
But when Donald Trump is the hero of that project -- and when Trump loyalists applaud playing hardball to prevent a Democratic president from enacting his agenda -- one has to suspect that something other than democratic accountability is at its heart. It looks more like: "A president who will do what I want should not be limited in any way -- or held accountable for illegal acts."
Trump himself clearly has an expansive view of presidential powers & immunities, and obviously believes that federal employees owe personal allegiance to him. His elite defenders aren't bothered by it. Instead, they've attacked those who insist that the president is not supposed to be a monarch.
Among hard-core Trumpites are people who suggest that democracy itself is problematic in that it allows the wrong kinds of people to gain power. And unlike much of America, they don't identify Trump as the wrong kind of person. Also in MAGA-land one can find a belief that the Constitution is defective insofar as it's informed by Enlightenment liberalism and doesn't give religion a dominant place in public life, and it allows cultural changes they dislike.
So if you delve into the world of those saying “We must restore and defend the American constitutional order," you may come upon a fantasy of repealing essential features of the Constitution and putting in place a different kind of governance.
Anyone who doesn't think that returning Trump to power and electing his Pets - that is every single 2020 election denier and Trump's enablers - is the equivalent of 1930s Germany is deliberately blind. I'm waiting for the black and brown uniforms to be handed out to each and every single Trump Pet. Bannon in his Tucker interview has already laid out what will happen if the Rs take Congress in a few months. Those Rs who will still vote for Trump despite decrying everything that's happened and Ds who are sticking their heads in the sand because of whatever will be just as complicit in Trump's crimes. They might remember that the war crimes trials after WW2 were actually harsher on people like them than on the higher ups.
The last three Democratic administrations plus Biden's 1.5 yrs: 55 million new jobs
The last three Republican administrations: 1 million new jobs
Why don't Democrats make sure every American hears this statistic at least 10 times? Would cut off at the knees the Republican rhetoric that the Democrats want to create a socialist hellhole.
It is striking that Magadom has singled out the women who testified for their harshest criticism. Where are their prolonged and focused attacks on Pottinger, Barr, and Cipollone, for example?
By now, the only conclusion you can draw from people supporting Trump 2024 is they actively want an authoritarian state. No amount of rationalization described in Tim’s book explains it. This applies to the junior messiahs, trolls, true believers, all of them.
“Their agenda is bringing America to its knees, and I am willing to do whatever it takes,” says Majewski, who’s seeking a House seat in a district around Toledo that has been redrawn to make Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) beatable. “If I have to kick down doors, that’s just what patriots do.”
That last quote sounds like a MAGA translation of an SS ad in the '30s. To see what this guy's idea of a "patriot" really is, just watch the Josh Haw-haw video and listen to the 65 second exerpt from the podcast with Charlie and (I think) Tim.
Can't be repeated too often that the integrity and courage of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are a stark contrast with the cravenness and dishonor exhibited by most of today's GOP. Both of them understand the imperative of guarding the basic rules of the system -- and standing up for truth and law -- even when it doesn't yield the policies you prefer.
Charlie, you are frequently dismissive of Dem's ability to capitalize on political opportunity, so I thought it was worth pointing out this from the MO Democrats, which I think is brilliant:
"Maybe this is how MAGA ends. Not with a bang, but with humiliation."
Actually, this is the best way to end MAGA. Trump supporters have said over & over how Trump fights. Actually, he mostly lets others do the fighting for him. He needs the ultimate humiliation: orange jumpsuit after conviction for election interference crimes upheld 8 -1 (Ginni's hubby is hopeless) by SCOTUS.
Jonathon Swan’s article exposes all the extreme right orgs working so hard gather money to destroy our democracy. It won’t matter if it’s Trump or DeSantis or most any other Republican. They want that money and power and will do whatever Donny would do in 2025 because any R candidate will be held to task by those orgs and destroy whoever/whatever they’re told to - including purging our current government employees and replacing with sycophants. Trump couldn’t quite do that entirely, but did do where he could - including just getting rid of our scientists by making them all move across country, if they wanted to keep their jobs. Look at what DeSantis is doing in Florida.
Trump is a major problem - but these orgs and who funds them are the highest danger.
Why isn’t someone putting a video for Netflix of what Swan has uncovered about the Rs in 2025?
Remember BossTweed and Tammany Hall? Trumpist plan to destroy the federal civil service would put us right back there. A tidal wave of graft and corruption.
Unfortunately and frighteningly, much of America is part of Team Crazy. Team Crazy is now a core part of their identity, facts and truth be damned; leaving the team would mean losing something essential in their lives, no matter how sick and delusional that is. Even Trump supporters who don’t want him to run in 2024 due to his decreasing viability as a candidate refuse to acknowledge his wrongdoing, or that they themselves played a part in the Mango Monster’s malfeasance. The cognitive dissonance must have reached a full crescendo by now for these people.
And here's their rallying cry, led by Maestro Bannon: "The system is broken! Let's tear it down and replace it with something truly vile and far more broken!" Utter madness.
I think the question that isn't really being examined is what happens if Trump is not reelected president and I think that to very likely be the case. So, no Trump.
So where does that lead the current reactionary mass of MAGA republicans? Charlie cites all of the replacement staffers ready to do battle with the current government structure. They presumably don't get hired. Where do they go?
I don't tend to think that Trumpism just vaporizes . CPAC likes Orban? Wow! My question is what happens as two party democracy continues to fray, not just at the edges. Climate crisis, abortion, and inflation are all very immediate in the minds of the voter. A big bunch of Americans can't support their families anymore. The old American dream seems to be more of a nightmare. We could stand a lot more true patriots like Cheney than we can stand anymore partisans who profit from power.
They Keep Telling Us Who They Are
Just remember next time you see or refer to Ted to call him my his preferred pronoun. Dear Kiss my Ass. Hey, Kiss my Ass! This should be his name in Morning Shots from now on.
Reposting some comments I just put on a JVL thread:
Trumpy intellectuals say they want to trim back the "administrative state" in order to restore democratic accountability -- which is fine as far is it goes. The promoters of Schedule F will say it's about letting a "duly elected president" enact his own agenda as the Constitution allows.
But when Donald Trump is the hero of that project -- and when Trump loyalists applaud playing hardball to prevent a Democratic president from enacting his agenda -- one has to suspect that something other than democratic accountability is at its heart. It looks more like: "A president who will do what I want should not be limited in any way -- or held accountable for illegal acts."
Trump himself clearly has an expansive view of presidential powers & immunities, and obviously believes that federal employees owe personal allegiance to him. His elite defenders aren't bothered by it. Instead, they've attacked those who insist that the president is not supposed to be a monarch.
Among hard-core Trumpites are people who suggest that democracy itself is problematic in that it allows the wrong kinds of people to gain power. And unlike much of America, they don't identify Trump as the wrong kind of person. Also in MAGA-land one can find a belief that the Constitution is defective insofar as it's informed by Enlightenment liberalism and doesn't give religion a dominant place in public life, and it allows cultural changes they dislike.
So if you delve into the world of those saying “We must restore and defend the American constitutional order," you may come upon a fantasy of repealing essential features of the Constitution and putting in place a different kind of governance.
Anyone who doesn't think that returning Trump to power and electing his Pets - that is every single 2020 election denier and Trump's enablers - is the equivalent of 1930s Germany is deliberately blind. I'm waiting for the black and brown uniforms to be handed out to each and every single Trump Pet. Bannon in his Tucker interview has already laid out what will happen if the Rs take Congress in a few months. Those Rs who will still vote for Trump despite decrying everything that's happened and Ds who are sticking their heads in the sand because of whatever will be just as complicit in Trump's crimes. They might remember that the war crimes trials after WW2 were actually harsher on people like them than on the higher ups.
The last three Democratic administrations plus Biden's 1.5 yrs: 55 million new jobs
The last three Republican administrations: 1 million new jobs
Why don't Democrats make sure every American hears this statistic at least 10 times? Would cut off at the knees the Republican rhetoric that the Democrats want to create a socialist hellhole.
It is striking that Magadom has singled out the women who testified for their harshest criticism. Where are their prolonged and focused attacks on Pottinger, Barr, and Cipollone, for example?
By now, the only conclusion you can draw from people supporting Trump 2024 is they actively want an authoritarian state. No amount of rationalization described in Tim’s book explains it. This applies to the junior messiahs, trolls, true believers, all of them.
“Their agenda is bringing America to its knees, and I am willing to do whatever it takes,” says Majewski, who’s seeking a House seat in a district around Toledo that has been redrawn to make Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) beatable. “If I have to kick down doors, that’s just what patriots do.”
That last quote sounds like a MAGA translation of an SS ad in the '30s. To see what this guy's idea of a "patriot" really is, just watch the Josh Haw-haw video and listen to the 65 second exerpt from the podcast with Charlie and (I think) Tim.
Is Steve ready to go medieval? If so, maybe the judge can put him stocks in the middle of Black Lives Matter street for a couple of months... .
Can't be repeated too often that the integrity and courage of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are a stark contrast with the cravenness and dishonor exhibited by most of today's GOP. Both of them understand the imperative of guarding the basic rules of the system -- and standing up for truth and law -- even when it doesn't yield the policies you prefer.
Charlie, you are frequently dismissive of Dem's ability to capitalize on political opportunity, so I thought it was worth pointing out this from the MO Democrats, which I think is brilliant:
https://www.businessinsider.com/josh-hawley-5k-missouri-democrats-january-6-running-from-capitol-2022-7?r=US&IR=T
"Maybe this is how MAGA ends. Not with a bang, but with humiliation."
Actually, this is the best way to end MAGA. Trump supporters have said over & over how Trump fights. Actually, he mostly lets others do the fighting for him. He needs the ultimate humiliation: orange jumpsuit after conviction for election interference crimes upheld 8 -1 (Ginni's hubby is hopeless) by SCOTUS.
The plot continues to sicken.
Jonathon Swan’s article exposes all the extreme right orgs working so hard gather money to destroy our democracy. It won’t matter if it’s Trump or DeSantis or most any other Republican. They want that money and power and will do whatever Donny would do in 2025 because any R candidate will be held to task by those orgs and destroy whoever/whatever they’re told to - including purging our current government employees and replacing with sycophants. Trump couldn’t quite do that entirely, but did do where he could - including just getting rid of our scientists by making them all move across country, if they wanted to keep their jobs. Look at what DeSantis is doing in Florida.
Trump is a major problem - but these orgs and who funds them are the highest danger.
Why isn’t someone putting a video for Netflix of what Swan has uncovered about the Rs in 2025?
Remember BossTweed and Tammany Hall? Trumpist plan to destroy the federal civil service would put us right back there. A tidal wave of graft and corruption.
Unfortunately and frighteningly, much of America is part of Team Crazy. Team Crazy is now a core part of their identity, facts and truth be damned; leaving the team would mean losing something essential in their lives, no matter how sick and delusional that is. Even Trump supporters who don’t want him to run in 2024 due to his decreasing viability as a candidate refuse to acknowledge his wrongdoing, or that they themselves played a part in the Mango Monster’s malfeasance. The cognitive dissonance must have reached a full crescendo by now for these people.
And here's their rallying cry, led by Maestro Bannon: "The system is broken! Let's tear it down and replace it with something truly vile and far more broken!" Utter madness.
I think the question that isn't really being examined is what happens if Trump is not reelected president and I think that to very likely be the case. So, no Trump.
So where does that lead the current reactionary mass of MAGA republicans? Charlie cites all of the replacement staffers ready to do battle with the current government structure. They presumably don't get hired. Where do they go?
I don't tend to think that Trumpism just vaporizes . CPAC likes Orban? Wow! My question is what happens as two party democracy continues to fray, not just at the edges. Climate crisis, abortion, and inflation are all very immediate in the minds of the voter. A big bunch of Americans can't support their families anymore. The old American dream seems to be more of a nightmare. We could stand a lot more true patriots like Cheney than we can stand anymore partisans who profit from power.