Category: abuse of power

Gun Violence vs Democracy

“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” are incompatible with a craven Supreme Court majority’s opening the doors to madness in 2008 by ruling in the Heller decision that the Second Amendment applies to individual gun ownership—in people’s homes. Many legal scholars question that interpretation of the Second Amendment, which ignores the reference to a … Continue reading Gun Violence vs Democracy →

GEORGIA SENATE VOTE ALERT!

If you live in Georgia or know anyone who does, including students who are registered to vote there but go to school elsewhere, please note that early voting is already under way in some counties, including DeKalb, and voting will occur THIS SATURDAY! https://twitter.com/victorshi2020/status/1595460409720721408?s=51&t=GlVeuLYVo1kzKoU8kLc-Jw https://twitter.com/linacantalupa/status/1595468585006399489?s=51&t=GlVeuLYVo1kzKoU8kLc-Jw Marc Elias, whose law firm is responsible for these election … Continue reading GEORGIA SENATE VOTE ALERT! →

Please Join Me…

Photo by Polina Kovaleva on Pexels.com President Biden said last night: “We the people must decide whether we will have fair and free elections and every vote counts. We the people must decide whether we’re going to sustain a republic, where reality’s accepted, the law is obeyed, and your vote is truly sacred. We the … Continue reading Please Join Me… →

The Republican House’s Key “Strategic Thinker” If They (Shudder) Win

Photo by samer daboul on Pexels.com Hope you’ll all bear with me for a few more obsessive blog posts between now and next Tuesday. In what are my clearer moments, I realize I’ve adopted an “I Alone Can Save Democracy” grandiosity. After November 8, I’ll return to covering a wider variety of topics—some of them, … Continue reading The Republican House’s Key “Strategic Thinker” If They (Shudder) Win →

Be Prepared, But Don’t Be Scared, Ignore the Polls…and Vote!

BE PREPARED I found this helpful guide on Twitter, posted by our valuable fellow blogger Tokyo Sand, who blogs at politicalcharge.org. The FBI also offers assistance via its 56 local field offices: https://www.fbi.gov/contact as well as tips.fbi.gov. https://twitter.com/dhstokyo/status/1584411737755111424?s=51&t=sY9YsroB87uwcfYBAtmofA NOTE: THE HOTLINE NUMBERS IN THE GRAPHIC ARE FOR COUNTY/STATE AND NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY OFFICES--NOT GOVERNMENTAL SERVICES--UNLIKE … Continue reading Be Prepared, But Don’t Be Scared, Ignore the Polls…and Vote! →

“Anything You Care About Depends Upon Democracy”

NOTE: If you click on the Deadline White House video below and the Katie Porter video farther down--and I hope you will--you'll remain on Twitter (I'm not sure why.) On my computer, I can just click out of Twitter to return to this post, but on my iPhone, I had to leave and click on … Continue reading “Anything You Care About Depends Upon Democracy” →

WE NEED TO “FIGHT HARDER”…

Though the only polls that count are those on Election Day, the media are blaring poll results that show increasing support for the Republicans based on the economy. Concerns about the loss of reproductive and potentially other freedoms--and about democracy itself--appear to be receding, engulfed by voters' erroneous beliefs that the Republicans are better stewards … Continue reading WE NEED TO “FIGHT HARDER”… →

OH, NO, DONALD…!?!??!

YOU DID ALL OF THIS... The FBI is seeking information about other Insurrectionists not yet apprehended. Capitol Violence Images are found at http://www.fbi.gov. ...AND THIS: BECAUSE OF THIS?!!?!!? Trump made the above comment, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson told the January 6 Committee, in December, 2020, when the Supreme Court Justices [he was sure … Continue reading OH, NO, DONALD…!?!??! →

A WORRIED OPTIMIST MAKES HER PLEA: WHY THESE MIDTERM ELECTIONS ARE DIFFERENT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvJSvBYcd_s As an optimist who worries a lot (a self-description I borrowed from the late, great Madeleine Albright), I am not happy about a few things occurring in this countdown to the critically important—likely democracy-at-stake—midterms. I am writing this post now because I believe that even if you’re apolitical and would rather be reading about … Continue reading A WORRIED OPTIMIST MAKES HER PLEA: WHY THESE MIDTERM ELECTIONS ARE DIFFERENT →

A WISE AND IMPORTANT TWITTER THREAD…

I, too, believe it is urgent that we who are the majority participate as never before—we must not be discouraged by reports suggesting our votes won't count! In Italy, the new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, is an admirer of Mussolini who heads a neo-fascist party. Her ascent is the result of an election with an … Continue reading A WISE AND IMPORTANT TWITTER THREAD… →

SOME GOOD NEWS…

Photo by Jill Wellington on Pexels.com Some very positive events are occurring. I'm posting below the intro and conclusion from Robert Hubbell's Today's Edition newsletter, published September 22--an issue he titled: "A Good Day." ___________________         A half-dozen major stories broke on Wednesday. Together, they reinforce the rule of law and confirm the renewed strength … Continue reading SOME GOOD NEWS… →

“Abortion Is Actually Going to Save Democracy”

Photo by Emma Guliani on Pexels.com "Abortion is actually going to save Democracy." Those were the words of Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood, announcing that her organization is donating more than $50 million to help elect pro-choice candidates in November. How far-fetched is Johnson’s assessment? Not nearly as far as it was before … Continue reading “Abortion Is Actually Going to Save Democracy” →

Who Could Take Down the Felon-in-Waiting? Librarians!

From an Occupied Democrats Facebook posting Stephen Colbert's wise and witty observation warms my heart. If the National Archives and Records Administration's informing the Justice Department about all those missing super-secret documents leads to the indictment and conviction of the former guy for violating the Espionage Act, among others, we'll be seeing Karma raised to … Continue reading Who Could Take Down the Felon-in-Waiting? Librarians! →

HE MADE IT ALL HAPPEN! A Post-(Eighth)January 6th Hearing Acrostic

H ere, for the world to see, is theE vidence that removes all doubt: The M AGA-LOW-man-baby satA nd watched his worst-laid plan againstD emocracy sputter and wither while heE njoyed chaos by the cruel/clueless. I t’s not enough to say “He did nothingT o stop them”—he did A ll he could to pump them … Continue reading HE MADE IT ALL HAPPEN! A Post-(Eighth)January 6th Hearing Acrostic →

What’s the Matter in Kansas? Abortion Law Trickery Likely to Spread

Photo by Kelly on Pexels.com I noted in my post “How to Be a Part of the Solution” that an organization I work with, PostCardsToVoters, is seeking to inform Kansas voters about the intricacies of a proposed state constitutional amendment on abortion. Significantly, this amendment would reverse the state Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling that the … Continue reading What’s the Matter in Kansas? Abortion Law Trickery Likely to Spread →

This Radical Supreme Court Majority Is Killing US: A Call to Action

I've been working on this post on and off for weeks, trying to decide if advocating for court reform sounds too pie-in-the-sky. Since the overturn of Roe, which for the first time ever removed a Constitutionally protected right from Americans—with promises of more such decimation of established rights to follow—I’ve been eager to complete it. This week, the radical court majority’s beyond the beyond rulings moved my thinking from “too pie-in-the-sky” to “Do or die.”

“Something Is Not Right Around the Court…”: Reblogging a 2020 Post

At the hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump's ultra-conservative nominee to replace the late liberal giant Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (Dem, RI) gave a remarkably clear and extremely important tutorial on the forces that are really moving the Supreme Court's decision-making in ways large and small...I hope you will view this video, which succinctly captures so much about why our government is failing to meet the needs of the American people.

This Stalwart Republican’s Words, “Chiseled in Stone,” May Help Save Our Democracy

When retired Appellate Court Judge J. Michael Luttig began his slow, laborious statement as a witness at the January 6 Committee hearings, I worried he’d lose half the viewing/listening audience. I could picture the outwardly composed committee members passing frantic messages back and forth, trying to figure out how to handle this important witness. Judge … Continue reading This Stalwart Republican’s Words, “Chiseled in Stone,” May Help Save Our Democracy →

We Will Hear About “The Unthinkable” in Just Two Days

If anyone reading this post has not been planning to watch the January 6 Committee hearings--or listen to them--I urge you to do so. If you’re not available, tape the sessions for later viewing. Even if you’ve turned off politics, it’s imperative that you inform yourself now—for the good of us all.

An Alternative Replacement Theory…

From a 2019 series of tweets Did you know that "they" are paying their life savings to smugglers, traveling long distances under dangerous and horrific conditions, risking deportation when they reach the US—all because they are so desperate to cast a fraudulent vote? This is the newest Republican 100% false scare tactic to persuade Americans … Continue reading An Alternative Replacement Theory… →

Whoa! What’s Going On Here?

Remember the notorious Access Hollywood video that surfaced in 2016, in which the former President and current Republican party cult leader joked about grabbing women inappropriately? Many of us naively thought that would automatically disqualify him. Alas! We’ve learned of any number of alleged sexual improprieties by the former guy. As of 2020, 26 women … Continue reading Whoa! What’s Going On Here? →

What a “Weird Moment” We’re In…

Photo by Duanu00e9 Viljoen on Pexels.com (Excerpts below from historian Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American newsletter, May 2, 2022) “Tonight, news broke of a leaked draft of what appears to be Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s majority decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision establishing access to abortion as a … Continue reading What a “Weird Moment” We’re In… →

A Great American’s Final Warning to Us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtDgkjdJpuI Madeleine Korbel Albright, our nation’s first woman Secretary of State, knew authoritarianism up close and so very personal. Born in Czechoslovakia, she arrived in the US—on the ship SS America—with her diplomat father and family when she was eleven years old. At that young age, she’d already survived the Nazis' blitz of London and … Continue reading A Great American’s Final Warning to Us →

“Free Speech Under Attack”: The House Spotlights Book Banning and Academic Censorship

Tomorrow (April 7), my favorite legislator will swing into action to breathe new life into the First Amendment. Former Constitutional Law Professor and Constitution devotee Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who chairs the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, will begin hearings to expose and investigate the nationwide attempts to throttle free speech in schools and public libraries.

The Transfer of Power: Abe Lincoln and January 6th

Photo by Ramaz Bluashvili on Pexels.com I am listening to Rep. Jamie Raskin reading the audio version of his wrenching and beautiful memoir, Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and American Democracy. Raskin (D.-MD) is a former Constitutional law professor who headed the House team that sought to persuade the Senate to convict Donald Trump after his second … Continue reading The Transfer of Power: Abe Lincoln and January 6th →

Bill-Barr One Mo’ Time…I Seek Refuge in Rhyme

Bill Barr Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org We’ve all had a lovely reprieveFrom Bill-Barr’s penchant to deceiveBut he’s back with a hook:It’s his new “tell-all” bookWith li(n)es he assumes we’ll believe. Let me state that I will not payOne cent for this Bill-Barr display;I can learn what I needFrom reviews that I readOf the Truth he’ll … Continue reading Bill-Barr One Mo’ Time…I Seek Refuge in Rhyme →

AG Garland and That Pesky Matter…

Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.com This post was originally a rather formal "Open Letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland." I began by praising him for the extraordinary courage and skill he showed in prosecuting the horrific 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and said I'd heard a number of his former colleagues attest to his intellect, … Continue reading AG Garland and That Pesky Matter… →

I Choose Hope for America

President Obama presents Congressman John Lewis with Presidential Medal of Freedom. Image commons.wikimedia.org It feels as though the Doomsday Clock for American democracy and stability took a swing in the wrong direction these past few days. Two greed-driven Democrats whose campaign coffers have been swelling with special interest money even though they’re not up for … Continue reading I Choose Hope for America →

WHAT Did They Say About Judicial Activism?

Remember when we used to hear about the “judicial activism” by a left-leaning court? Sounds kinda quaint now that the 6-3 Republican majority on the Supreme Court (with no less than three Trump appointees, thanks to Mitch McConnell) has gone even further toward nullification of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and protecting the dark money that undermines the legislative process...

Can Fannie Lou Hamer Save Our Democracy?

Marc Elias of Democracy Docket, whom I’ve written about before, is one of the most deeply committed individuals at the forefront of our battle to combat voter suppression. He was constantly in the courtroom during the post-2020 election challenges, beating back all the phony claims, and he’s fighting the good fight once again. In the May 25th issue of Democracy Docket, he describes a precedent set by civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer in the 1960s that could be employed today against anyone who is elected to office where voting discrimination has occurred.

Our Dickensian Moment…

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” I was struck by how appropriate Dickens’ famous opening words are to our current American crisis. Dickens, however, was speaking of A Tale of Two Cities. Our situation can, sadly, be described as “A Tale of Two Countries.”

OOPS–The Dark Money Folks Learn Conservatives Hate Dark Money Too!

“Unfortunately, we’ve found that [inhibiting billionaires from buying elections] is a winning message, for both the general public and also conservatives. It was most persuasive, convincing, riled them up the most.” New Yorker writer Jane Mayer acquired a leaked tape about a meeting of right-wing groups intent on killing HR.1.

Georgia’s Voter Suppression Law Is Only the Beginning

When President Biden stressed in his first formal press conference that our times are being marked by the battle between autocracy and democracy, he wasn't just speaking about other countries. He was stressing what's happening right here, in the US. Right now! I am reblogging this post from TokyoSand at politicalcharge.org because it contains both the sense of urgency and some valuable resources for anyone who wants to learn more and/or donate to the pro-democracy Georgia organizations who are at the forefront of the battle.

WOULD YOU–WILL YOU–SUPPORT “THE DEMOCRACY PLEDGE”?

“Voters’ voices are loud, but for corporate America, consumers’ voices are louder. So, folks, let’s let them hear our voice.” The speaker is Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor and cofounder of a new effort called “The Democracy Pledge.” He's describing this campaign on a podcast.

SAVING OUR DEMOCRACY, PART 4 (and the last on this subject for now)

In truth, I hadn’t planned a fourth segment. But when I turned to Friday’s New York Times editorial page, this headline called to me: “Save Democracy: Kill the Filibuster.” So even though the filibuster has been discussed in the first three parts of this series, how could I ignore this piece? It sorta felt this was the right place to rest the series—at least for now. (And a four-part series has a kind of nice symmetry to me.)

SAVING OUR DEMOCRACY, PART 2

A friend who’s not all that interested in politics asked me the other day why, if President Biden ran on bipartisanship, everything he’s proposing is now being rejected by the Republicans. I responded that the American Rescue Plan, which will soon pass the Senate and be signed into law, has nationwide bipartisan support: 75% of the public support it, including 60% of Republicans. But the Republicans in both chambers have not been willing to legislate for some time. Thomas L. Friedman, a New York Times opinion columnist who I find generally hews toward the middle politically, minced no words in a recent essay titled: ”What Trump, San Francisco and the Deer in My Backyard Have in Common.” The subtitle was “Democracy depends on understanding the connection.” (emphases mine throughout)

SAVING OUR DEMOCRACY, PART 1

NOTE: While we are becoming accustomed to the idea of a "normal" president doing presidential work, we must not be complacent. The battle to return the Trumpian Republican Party to power is in full swing--in both the national and state legislatures. As historian Heather Cox Richardson points out below, this is not--must not be--a partisan issue. I am printing Richardson's recent column below. I began to emphasize the passages I felt were most important by using the bold font--but found I was bolding just about every paragraph.

Keeping Our Eyes Where We Don’t Want Them To Be…

When I saw my gastro Monday morning, I told him how much better I was feeling. And the light bulb had gone off. My GI system almost instantaneously expressed its enormous gratitude and relief when Joe Biden replaced Donald Trump in the Oval Office “You’re not the only one of my patients who’ve said that,” the good doctor informed me. All this prelude is to tell you how much I want to forget about Donald Trump. I embrace his absence with my head, heart, and gut. Good riddance and all that! But I strongly suspect that we must keep that weather eye open.

“The Enemy Is Within” (An Acrostic for Nancy Pelosi)

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, reacting to elected members who are threatening their fellow Representatives, said that "The Enemy Is Within." This acrostic is an homage to Pelosi, her colleagues and staffers--some across the aisle--who are laboring under the terrible circumstances her comment laments.

President Obama Places the Capitol Police Actions in Context

Former President Barack Obama’s denunciation of the Capitol riot and Trump’s incitement, aided by Republican elected officials, gained a great deal of press. You can read it here. But there was less coverage of one of his tweets that I felt was extremely important.

AMERICA: WHAT DO WE DO NOW? (Part 2)

An incredibly brave Not-Soon-Enough-President Biden boldly denounced both Trump-the-inciter and the “domestic terrorists” (good for him for using the term) who ransacked the Capitol last Wednesday. It’s worth noting that Biden has stated that he’d decided he had to run for President after Charlottesville, when Trump referred to the white supremacists as some of the “good people on both sides.” Even before he selected Kamala Harris as his running mate, they had both framed this election against Trump as the “battle for the soul of the nation.” And though the election is over, that battle is not.

AMERICA: WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

I thought I was done with Trump. I hoped never to write about the man again. But what he and his supporters are threatening to do to our democracy today is beyond the beyond. How do we respond? And, my thoughtful readers from other countries whose lives are intertwined with ours, I welcome your perspectives too. We clearly need all the help we can get.

Why Does the Justice Department Say a Sitting President Can’t Be Indicted? The Original Rationale’s Kinda Mind-Blowing…

I missed this story the first time around in 2019, but I think it’s worth covering now as Donald Trump fades into the sunset (a little wishful thinking on my part) and we review how we got to where we are—and where we may need to change our procedures. This need for reexamination covers many areas, but the Justice Department’s a big one.... It appears that Trump might owe a debt of gratitude to Spiro Agnew. Spiro who? Spiro Agnew, Richard Nixon’s Vice President at the time of the Watergate scandal. But this policy is unrelated to Watergate—or even to the President directly. That’s what makes it so very odd.

RAGE…DISGUST…COMPASSION…SADNESS…HOPE?

Last night, I finished reading Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own. The author, Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., is a Distinguished Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University. ... Though Glaude speaks of Baldwin’s rage, and his own rage, the rage that came to mind when I started this piece is mine.

“Something Is Not Right Around the Court…”

At the hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump's ultra-conservative nominee to replace the late liberal giant Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (Dem, RI) gave a remarkably clear and extremely important tutorial on the forces that are really moving the Supreme Court's decision-making in ways large and small...I hope you will view this video, which succinctly captures so much about why our government is failing to meet the needs of the American people.

“BATTLE for the SOUL of the NATION”

I am including this video of the speech Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden delivered at Gettysburg in its entirety because I think it gives a good overview of the man and his values. I hope you’ll spend the full 22 minutes to watch it....I am as eager that it be seen and heard by folks outside the US as by American voters because I know the world needs reassurance that most of us in the US have not gone crazy.

THE TRUMPIAN AUDIT…WITH SOME POST-DEBATE COMMENTS

NOTE: I composed the acrostic below before last night’s debacle. I thought about not posting it because it seems almost quaint today. However, as I mull over Trump’s performance in the debate, I wonder whether the recent disclosures of his mounting financial problems—and the evidence many of us have long suspected that his alleged empire and fabulous wealth are in fact a house of cards—contributed to his unhinged performance.

Think Trump’s Not Moving Toward Total Autocracy? This International Analyst Knows the Signs Too Well…

Michael McFaul, former Special Assistant to President Obama and Sr. Dir. for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the NSC, and former US Ambassador to Russia, has some trenchant observations about the meaning behind the show at last week's Republican National Convention.

Fighting Our “What If Trump Won’t Leave?” Paranoia

I had promised myself—and you—that I would stop talking about the gross elephant trampling through our Constitution (with apologies to real elephants, wonderful creatures that they are!).

My way of dealing with my strong feelings about Trump has been to make him tiny and powerless in my mind—even as I recognize his increasingly dangerous actions and expect them to continue to heighten as Election Day nears.

But then I read an article in The Boston Globe with the scary title “A bipartisan group secretly gathered to game out a contested Trump-Biden election. It wasn’t pretty.”

Barr’s Army: The Slender Legal Reed for Overtaking American Cities

Portland, Oregon Mayor Ted Wheeler and other elected officials have been telling Washington in no uncertain terms: “Take your troops out of Portland.”

Wheeler has called the unidentified federal individuals dressed in camouflage and driving unmarked vans President Trump’s “personal army.” You’ve no doubt heard that there have already been casualties in this foray.

But it would be more appropriate to call them “Barr’s army.” Our quite-recent history includes Attorney General Barr’s giving the orders for the attack on nonviolent protesters outside of the White House to facilitate Trump’s photo op holding a Bible.