Very cool of TPM to find out how Trump did in the golf contest. Since he only wins by cheating, because he's not very good, and since cheating is not allowed in a real golf contest not held at one ofr his resorts, of course he comes in low. I'm surprised he was that high on the list.
"Democracy itself can’t regularly be on the ballot. The democratic consensus must be deeper and broader than that for the rule of law to survive."
If that's true, then the rule of law in the U.S. is doomed. The voters who gave Trump the presidency once, tried to give it to him a second time, and may still succeed in that effort have abandoned the "democratic consensus." Even assuming that his supporters comprise 30-40% of American adults, that percentage is much too high to reflect any enduring respect for the rule of law. Unless public attitudes change fundamentally, the next ten years may well see the end of American democracy for many decades to come.
The RNC is an organized crime syndicate operated and funded by Libertarian Fascists and Russian Oligarchs who want to see this democracy fail. Every last Repug in office is beholden to them—every last Repug is an installed puppet for Libertarian fascism. Jack Smith can’t face them down by himself. WTF are all those “intelligence” agencies meant to protect and uphold the Constitution? These fascists have published their intent to destroy our democracy. We need to round THEM ALL UP for treason; seize their assets, nationalize Big Oil, IT, Media—and put them on a prison ship to await trial. They are traitors. They intend to violently overthrow this democracy and to install the Shock Doctrine.
On the NYT article. I thought it did a good job of pointing out the hypocrisy of the Right on antisemitism. But then it said this about Pro-Palestinians: "particularly its opposition to the idea of a Jewish homeland on disputed territory, amounts to prejudice against Jews."
Uh, that isn't "disputed territory." It is territory agreed to in multiple treaties, which ultra Reactionary Zionists are breaking with regularity and treaties keep chipping away at. This is anti-INVASION opposition. Just like the opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Within the last couple of months the "settlers" just DECLARED that 2000 acres of the West Bank were now Israel's.
Just think: If we just declared that a long strip of Mexican territory belonged to the US, trump could build his wall there, and not have to worry about pesky eminent domain issues.
Yes, the area in question was the ancestral Jewish homeland, and I am glad that after the horrors of the Holocaust that Jews were able to establish a place for themselves. But it is also a Palestinian homeland. People are actually saying that no, they only arrived with the Muslim invasions of the 7th century. WTF? The Muslim invasions converted the locals, it didn't make them spring up from the otherwise empty ground.
Another encroachment that bothers me is the ADLs decision to simply declare certain phrases as antisemitic. I agree that the examples incorporated into that new statute are antisemitic and have long been so. But to decide that certain other slogans are antisemitic without even ASKING what the people using them mean by them is really going too far, even if for the ADL "the context has changed." If what the chanters mean is opposition to Likud's pronouncement of 1977 that ""Between the sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty" --still alive today--that has really nothing to do with antisemitism. It has to do with some people ignoring the rights and history of some other people. You can't just decide by fiat that something is offensive to the point of hate. If being anti-Netanyahu is antisemitic, a whole lot of Israelis are antisemitic.
This is all part of the continuing degradation of American capacity to distinguish and its increasing reliance on overgeneralizations about all groups based on just some exemplars. Those overgeneralization are the very mechanism of any prejudice. Yes, some, perhaps more than some students were being stupid and/or antisemitic. But not over 2000 of them. I saw earlier today a picture of a woman snarling with the caption she was snarling something hateful. OK, you know who she is: arrest or expel her if the caption is true. But don't hold the picture up up as probative of the beliefs of those not in the picture.
Yes, there has been a rise of antisemitism. And also a rise of racism against African Americans and Muslims and Chinese, and against anyone who doesn't believe that LGBTQ people have a place in society. There is a rise in HATE all over America and much of it is actively fostered by the guy riding down the escalator and his rabid supporters.
The NYT article linked to regarding GOP anti-Semitism has a healthy chunk of bothsidesism in its writeup, which of course is the Grey Lady's MO these days. On the one hand, decades of pummeling George Soros as the avatar of "the international Jewish conspiracy"...on the other hand, pro-Hamas stoodints and pointy-headed perfessers lauding terrorism...ho-hum.
I have a question regarding the Georgia/Fani Willis case: would it be possible to circumvent this delay by having Fani Willis hand off the prosecution to someone else in her office? I suppose she might be reluctant to do that, and maybe it would not help because doubtless Trump would still appeal (saying she was pulling strings from behind or whatever) and a corrupt Appeals court might go with that, but I feel like whatever can be done to try to get the trial moving should be tried. In the same vein, is it possible for Jack Smith to ask an appeals court to switch the case to another judge? I feel like that option was discussed a while back…Even if such options fail it seems to me they have merit in terms of pointing out the corruption of the courts, which would lay the basis for attempts to reform (e.g., by expanding the Supreme Court) if Biden is reelected and has a Democratic Congress
Man, Harwood’s “ought” is straining worse than the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it was hit by that freighter.
To keep it simple: “ought” is BS when the owners of the corporate media neither care what happens to democracy in the US. They are not at risk. (Yes, I know: other nations. Our media are so in sync with the wannabe authoritarians, which is to say the GOP, that any risk is minimal. Not to mention the implosion of said media make them even less of a danger to the wannabes.)
But yeah, sure, should be the primary framing in election reporting (instead of focusing on polls, too many of which, as polls, are crap). But that’s not this reality.
And to be clear, of course TPM is not included in that corporate media.
Sorry if I incited anyone to start the weekend drinking too early.
Very cool of TPM to find out how Trump did in the golf contest. Since he only wins by cheating, because he's not very good, and since cheating is not allowed in a real golf contest not held at one ofr his resorts, of course he comes in low. I'm surprised he was that high on the list.
FreedomWorks shut down because the Tea Party became the T-party.
"Democracy itself can’t regularly be on the ballot. The democratic consensus must be deeper and broader than that for the rule of law to survive."
If that's true, then the rule of law in the U.S. is doomed. The voters who gave Trump the presidency once, tried to give it to him a second time, and may still succeed in that effort have abandoned the "democratic consensus." Even assuming that his supporters comprise 30-40% of American adults, that percentage is much too high to reflect any enduring respect for the rule of law. Unless public attitudes change fundamentally, the next ten years may well see the end of American democracy for many decades to come.
🎶Say it again, Sam . . . 🎶
The RNC is an organized crime syndicate operated and funded by Libertarian Fascists and Russian Oligarchs who want to see this democracy fail. Every last Repug in office is beholden to them—every last Repug is an installed puppet for Libertarian fascism. Jack Smith can’t face them down by himself. WTF are all those “intelligence” agencies meant to protect and uphold the Constitution? These fascists have published their intent to destroy our democracy. We need to round THEM ALL UP for treason; seize their assets, nationalize Big Oil, IT, Media—and put them on a prison ship to await trial. They are traitors. They intend to violently overthrow this democracy and to install the Shock Doctrine.
On the NYT article. I thought it did a good job of pointing out the hypocrisy of the Right on antisemitism. But then it said this about Pro-Palestinians: "particularly its opposition to the idea of a Jewish homeland on disputed territory, amounts to prejudice against Jews."
Uh, that isn't "disputed territory." It is territory agreed to in multiple treaties, which ultra Reactionary Zionists are breaking with regularity and treaties keep chipping away at. This is anti-INVASION opposition. Just like the opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Within the last couple of months the "settlers" just DECLARED that 2000 acres of the West Bank were now Israel's.
Just think: If we just declared that a long strip of Mexican territory belonged to the US, trump could build his wall there, and not have to worry about pesky eminent domain issues.
Yes, the area in question was the ancestral Jewish homeland, and I am glad that after the horrors of the Holocaust that Jews were able to establish a place for themselves. But it is also a Palestinian homeland. People are actually saying that no, they only arrived with the Muslim invasions of the 7th century. WTF? The Muslim invasions converted the locals, it didn't make them spring up from the otherwise empty ground.
Another encroachment that bothers me is the ADLs decision to simply declare certain phrases as antisemitic. I agree that the examples incorporated into that new statute are antisemitic and have long been so. But to decide that certain other slogans are antisemitic without even ASKING what the people using them mean by them is really going too far, even if for the ADL "the context has changed." If what the chanters mean is opposition to Likud's pronouncement of 1977 that ""Between the sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty" --still alive today--that has really nothing to do with antisemitism. It has to do with some people ignoring the rights and history of some other people. You can't just decide by fiat that something is offensive to the point of hate. If being anti-Netanyahu is antisemitic, a whole lot of Israelis are antisemitic.
This is all part of the continuing degradation of American capacity to distinguish and its increasing reliance on overgeneralizations about all groups based on just some exemplars. Those overgeneralization are the very mechanism of any prejudice. Yes, some, perhaps more than some students were being stupid and/or antisemitic. But not over 2000 of them. I saw earlier today a picture of a woman snarling with the caption she was snarling something hateful. OK, you know who she is: arrest or expel her if the caption is true. But don't hold the picture up up as probative of the beliefs of those not in the picture.
Yes, there has been a rise of antisemitism. And also a rise of racism against African Americans and Muslims and Chinese, and against anyone who doesn't believe that LGBTQ people have a place in society. There is a rise in HATE all over America and much of it is actively fostered by the guy riding down the escalator and his rabid supporters.
Thank you David for your
opening remarks on the rule
of law, the courts and
democracy. Money, political
influence and outside
influences have changed the
shape of our judicial system.
The 5th circuit is a good
example as is SCOTUS, to
say nothing about Cannon.
Most of us have our ideals
about what the proper judicial
system should be and that no
one is above or below the
law. Sadly, we're finding out,
in many instances, this
doesn't seem to be the facts
of the case. So it will be left
up to the people, again, to
save democracy in our
country, or not.
MTG - stick a fork in this MAGAite and see what oozes
out.
Another very Stormy day in NY.
You can add Kazmerak’s district here in TexBanistan
The NYT article linked to regarding GOP anti-Semitism has a healthy chunk of bothsidesism in its writeup, which of course is the Grey Lady's MO these days. On the one hand, decades of pummeling George Soros as the avatar of "the international Jewish conspiracy"...on the other hand, pro-Hamas stoodints and pointy-headed perfessers lauding terrorism...ho-hum.
I have a question regarding the Georgia/Fani Willis case: would it be possible to circumvent this delay by having Fani Willis hand off the prosecution to someone else in her office? I suppose she might be reluctant to do that, and maybe it would not help because doubtless Trump would still appeal (saying she was pulling strings from behind or whatever) and a corrupt Appeals court might go with that, but I feel like whatever can be done to try to get the trial moving should be tried. In the same vein, is it possible for Jack Smith to ask an appeals court to switch the case to another judge? I feel like that option was discussed a while back…Even if such options fail it seems to me they have merit in terms of pointing out the corruption of the courts, which would lay the basis for attempts to reform (e.g., by expanding the Supreme Court) if Biden is reelected and has a Democratic Congress
Man, Harwood’s “ought” is straining worse than the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it was hit by that freighter.
To keep it simple: “ought” is BS when the owners of the corporate media neither care what happens to democracy in the US. They are not at risk. (Yes, I know: other nations. Our media are so in sync with the wannabe authoritarians, which is to say the GOP, that any risk is minimal. Not to mention the implosion of said media make them even less of a danger to the wannabes.)
But yeah, sure, should be the primary framing in election reporting (instead of focusing on polls, too many of which, as polls, are crap). But that’s not this reality.
And to be clear, of course TPM is not included in that corporate media.
Sorry if I incited anyone to start the weekend drinking too early.