Can America be repaired?
By Thom Hartmann A...
So, our president committed a felony yesterday, right out in the open, encouraging Republican voters in North Carolina to vote twice. That's a felony, and encouraging people to commit a felony is a felony.Typically he commits his crimes in somewhat less visible fashion, but this is a man clearly comfortable with committing crimes.
Trump has spent much of his life committing crimes.
He committed a massive tax fraud when he and his brother Robert stole their father's estate. He violated campaign finance laws by paying off the women he was having sex with. He tried to threaten and then bribe foreign officials to get election help.
He has thousands of Americans small businesses who claim that he broke contracts, stole from them, and otherwise behaved like a criminal. He was even busted by the feds for being a racist, refusing to rent properties to African-Americans. E. Jean Carol and dozens of other women accused him of rape and other forms of sexual assault.
We have a mobster in the White House who has no respect for the rule of law.
The United States has never before had a criminal in the White House. We don't know how to deal with it.
Not only is Donald Trump a criminal, but he's also a liar. He has lied over 20,000 times just while he was president. He lied to become president. And now he's telling lies and committing crimes to get reelected president.
The immune system of our democratic republic, when it comes to a criminal President, is impeachment. But Mitch McConnell is also a criminal. He conspires with foreign oligarchs to influence elections, covers up evidence of crimes and foreign collusion by Trump and his cronies, and he and his wife have engaged in shady financial dealings for decades.
At the moment, our only solution for these crimes, because Attorney General Bill Barr is willing to continue covering up for Trump's crimes, is the election in November.
But after that election, Congress needs to consider the previously unthinkable. The Founders dealt with what would happen if a president was corrupt, but they didn't consider what would happen if both the president and the Senate majority leader were corrupt.
After our long national nightmare of the Trump presidency is over, we have a lot of work to do to heal our democracy from the poison that Trump and his criminal buddies have poured all over it.
And, given how deeply embedded Trump's criminal co-conspirators are at all levels of government now, it's going to be a hell of a big job.
-Thom
Comments
#2
And his "University" was a scam. Or is it better characterized as fake?
Polrization has always helped extremists. Hitler was democratically elected by a relative majority thanks to his racist and divisive (we and the others) language. At least Germans learned from their mistake. Why should we not learn from theirs?
#3
Recent demonstration in Germany brought out the old. Qanon is the new right wing way of thinking. Qanon. Makes about as much sense as Trump or Whatabutt. Vote!
#4
"Trump's reign is going to exceed the 225 criminals and lawbreakers in the Ronalkd Reagan administration. That's right; 225 of them either quit, were fired, arrested, indicted or convicted of either breaking the law or violating the ethics code. Edwin Meese, attorney general and leading law enforcement officer, alone, was investigated by four separated prosecutors." George Carlin. Are you listening William Barr? These are people who were elected with the help of the "moral majority." Organized religion and organized crime working together to make America great again. "There have been 317 criminal indictments under three Republican presidents and only three indictments under three recent Democratic presidents." Courtesy of Politifacts, December 29, 2019
The FCC, not an appointed body, and answerable only to the president, decided on its own that radio and television were the only two oparts of American life not protetcted by free speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution., (This might explain why Trump tells so many lies while being recorded.)
#5
Unfortunately, an election victory that can't be reliably recounted is not going to be enough, any more than defeat without the possibility of recount is going to be acceptable. Whether ballots are lost in the mail, or votes are switched in rigged computers, or hacked on their way to tabulating centers, or registered voters are disqualified by one of a vast array of tricks, the result is the same: vote tallies will get "certified" that can't be effectively challenged because no full and verifiable recount is possible.
As far as I can see, the only viable way out of this impasse is to do the unprecedented: gather ballot affidavits from every voter willing to stand behind their vote and challenge every vote tally that does not reach that benchmark. Doing this would be a lot of work, even if only voters in acknowledged battleground States were canvassed; but not being ready and able to provide adjudicable evidence of errors in certified vote tallies would mean the losers were simply too lazy to do what it will take to win.
It doesn't really matter that "we shouldn't have to attest our votes in order to have them counted." Yes, it's unfair and burdensome to have to sign and notarize ballot affidavits. But so what? A stolen election is even more unfair, and nobly conceding in the face of bogus results is what got us into the crisis we are now facing.
#6
There will be no easy way through or after the election. Breathe in! Breathe out!
Educate every young person on how politics affects everything they do every day of their life and the lives of those they love.
We know Joe. We are just getting acquainted with Kamala. I listened to her book, and I believe she will be exactly who she says she has grown to be.
Here's what I have noticed about AG Kamala Harris, the second you mention the word WORK she lights-up and comes to attention. So let's all take a deep breathe when the time comes, and get to work with her and Joe. Put the us back in USA and show it some LOVE.
#7
Roh, roh,
One of Americas greatest Presidents tells it like it is,
Ronald Reagan Lays Down The Law at Berkeley
Voter Fraud Ring Caught Rigging Elections for Democrats in Texas
https://neonnettle.com/news/5336-voter-fraud-ring-caught-rigging-elections-for-democrats-in-texas
#8
When we think of Trump in the future I hope it will not be kindly. It would be wealthy people like him that start wars in hopes of making more money and send the average American to fight, lose their lives and affect civilization for the future. The good old "Industrial War Machine" at work to make heros that Trump despises because they were the losers and he was the winner. It will be shameful to make him a winner for the sins of the wealthy to enjoy the spoils. It was stressed by his father that serving the country in the military was a no-no in his book and that he would not support anything at all like it. His older brother Fred chose another avenue to be his own person and Fred Senior and his wife all but disowned him at his death. Fred Jr's family also paid the price and was left nothing in the end. It was stolen from them by you know who and siblings.
#9
There are two problems. Problem one reflects the issues of the current occupant and needs addressing.
Problem two is that long term we have to stop the process of elected royalty. Perhaps a president was a progressive idea in 1787, but it risks a slide to authoritarianism in the U.S. and in many other countries today.
By 1848 one country, Switzerland, had figured out that electing presidents as kings was not a good idea. The Swiss had first-hand experience with the presidential system in France and desired to do something else. The country instituted a Federal Council of seven members. The president of the Council serves one year only.
Other countries have a parliamentary system where the PM has much less power than the American presidency.
The risk of authoritarianism will continue beyond the current administration. Systems that cannot change will end up collapsing.
#10
For Whatabutt https://www.yahoo.com/gma/barr-gives-false-recounting-texas-170800947.html
And check your sources before posting. You should be embarrassed. Neon Nettle:
#11
He is desperate to postpone being sued for another four years.
Hopefully, he will be able to brag that he is the first ex-President to serve time in prison (after a long-due and fair trial).
#12
The Russians are coming!
#13
Now with Michael Cohen's book out. You have to ask. How many people, that were close to Trump, have to write books on what an A**hole he is before Trumpsters get the idea that he is an A^^hole and should not be POTUS. Or how many prominent Republicans have to switch and vote for Biden. https://lincolnproject.us/
#14
Darn, and it is not all that long since I blocked a whole swathe of them. Either it's a different lot or they've found a way around.
#15
HI THOM,
I JUST WATCHED AN INTERVIEW OF IVANA TRUMP (DONALD'S FIRST WIFE) WITH ABC NEWS BACK IN 2018. SHE (IVANA TRUMP) IS SAYING THAT DONALD TRUMP DIDN'T WANT HIS FIRST CHILD (SON) TO BE CALLED "DON JR" BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT HIM (SON) TO BE A LOSER. HIS ACTUAL RESPONSE WAS "WHAT IF HE IS LOSER?" (ACCORDING TO IVANA) (FIRST WIFE TO DONALD TRUMP)
IF HE CALLS HIS OWN CHILD A LOSER, HE CAN CALL ANYBODY LOSER AND EXERCISE HIS FREEDOM OF SPEECH. AND WE ALL KNOW HE WILL SAY: "IT'S FAKE NEWS." "SHE IS LOW-LIFE. SHE IS TOTAL LOSER. TOTALLY."
SHE (IVANA TRUMP) WROTE A BOOK CALLED "RAISING TRUMP."
#16
The actions of djt and the Republican senate are real. They build walls. Not a $252 Billion wall at the Mexican boarder, although they are pretending to progress with that, but they did build a wall between the US and it’s allies that costed US a future. A wall between the Senate and the people, that costed US our democracy. A wall around our welfare that costed US lives. A wall between their responsibilities and their constituency that costed US our security. A wall between brothers that costed US our dignity. A wall around our unity that costed US our strength. A wall around our system that costed US our rights and particularly threatens our right to vote because they know we are mounting against them.
#17
nope, wrong again whadda...
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No pardons this time. No Ford to pardon Nixon, no Trump to pardon himself. We citizens have been deprived of justice before and refuse to accept it again. All of the crooks, back to the wall and nail them.
Another good post, Thom.