12 Comments
Oct 26, 2023Liked by David Kurtz

Thank you, David or opening up and allowing "reality based cynicism". We wouldn't

get that with MSM.

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As Trump continues in his efforts at stochastic terrorism, ("So we have to be careful, you gotta get out there and you got to watch those voters,") to act upon enforcing his gag orders becomes even more critical.

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“...the mere fact that this is happening and it involves a former president – and the current presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party! – is not just unprecedented, it’s astounding.”

At least as astounding (or worse) is the mass media still being in denial far more often than not that the referenced person was completely unfit for office in 2016 and, remarkably, even more so after being in the same office; that his unfitness results in huge part from his personality flaws -- actually, his personality is all flaws; that he’s growing more unhinged by the day, suffering from cognitive decline and/or showing signs of early stage dementia; he’s opposed to democratic norms, and not just in regard to his delusional claims about election fraud; and he’s now a documented security risk.

I mean, to even passively support and enable this person as the media do...

Note: by mass media, I of course don’t include TPM. It’s the remedy for the mainstream political press; likewise Bolts.

As for this week’s gag order: a mystery to me is whether the person referred to is a court clerk or actually Justice Engoron’s law secretary/ court attorney. If it’s the latter, I can understand a crazy person making idiotic, ignorant, stupid remarks about them. If it’s the former, it’s also incredibly stupid in that a court clerk’s job in metro NYC NYS Supreme Court is completely clerical.

As for the sanctions, the defendant at issue is apparently cash poor. I have no doubt his Trump Organization sala4y is minimal, if he even gets one. All his day to day expenses are paid by the businesses -- homes, cars, etc., etc., etc. Of course the public record doesn’t support that but a) that’s how business owners roll and b) he could not have gotten the NYS Starr exemption a couple of years ago if he personally was wealthy. (I presume that’s how he got the Starr exemption. It’s not unlikely he just provided the state with completely faked numbers.)

Besides, he’s not paying any fines til he’s forced to. Court orders mean nothing to him.

As for Johnson, not much to learn if one’s goal, by and by, is to do as little as possible and that about anything they’d do in the House on behalf of supporters of TFG would be DOA in the Senate, so, you know, not much procedural knowledge is required for performative nonsense.

Damn, that’s a lot of reality-based cynicism there...

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Sigh

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Aloha🌺: The whole nation is suffering Massive PTSD from this 🍊maniac’s actions. He has to go down!! Mahalo so much for reporting truth.

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I feel every word you wrote.

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A few weeks ago, following the defenestration of our Kev, a consensus emerged that whoever the GOPers elected as their succeeding Speaker, he/she would be worse than McCarthy...the question of how much worse was answered by the election of Mike Johnson, a MAGA extremist's extremist. He's the far-right's reification of religio-political excesses and election-denial shithousery, someone dealing well below the radar that circumstances rapidly elevated to the top job in Congress with virtually no prior heads-up...oy vey.

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I was hoping even this election and climate change denier might take a more responsible view for the sake of our country and humanity...and take a realistic approach to gun regulation while he’s at it; instead I fear with his inexperience, he will soon be the next puppet. 😞

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You're still wishing for a Republican equipped with a brain and a moral compass. None of them possess that equipment any longer.

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" is not just unprecedented, it’s astounding."

The only thing astounding that I see is that any sane person should still be astounded. There have been many of of pointing out for decades that this was what Republicans were becoming - and then for almost the last ten years that this is what they have become. It's way past time to stop being astounded and start doing something about it

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I'd really like the judges fining trump, in whatever amount, to specify that the fine must be paid from his personal accounts. At the very least it would create a paper trail for seeing whether he is misusing campaign or legal fee funds.

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Johnson, Gaetz, Boebert, Trump: what brave new bedfellows are these?

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