The ultimate example of how the Republican Party has lost its way
By Thom Hartmann A...
The New York Times just published a truly shocking article detailing conversations between Donald Trump and Mike Pence.Essentially, Trump asked Pence to ignore the electoral college votes from a few swing states and thus declare Trump president for the next four years.
Pence did not say, "But Mr. President, that would not reflect the will of the voters, which is the American way."
Pence did not say, "But Mr. President, that would make a mockery of the democratic republican form of government that America has been promoting around the world for over two centuries."
Pence did not say, "But Mr. President, that would be a direct violation of the law and the Constitution, and spit in the faces of all the Americans who have fought and died to defend it all these years.c
Instead, The New York Times notes, "Vice President Mike Pence told President Trump on Tuesday that he did not believe he had the power to block congressional certification of Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s victory in the presidential election..."
It's sort of like saying, "I'd be happy to steal that guy's briefcase, but I can't do it right now because he's not in a dark alley."
If ever there was an example of how completely the Republican Party has lost its way, this is it.
Forty years ago, with the Reagan Revolution, the Republican Party abandoned all principles and decided to purely embrace money and power.
Rightwing billionaires and wealthy corporations set up think tanks, both federally and in every single state, to promote the idea that the government should be subordinate to great wealth and economic power.
They set up organizations and systems like the American Legislative Exchange Counsel (ALEC) to bring corporate lobbyists together with mostly Republican legislators to pass the wish lists of their corporate donors into law.
Because there aren't enough voters whose main issue is cutting taxes on billionaires and deregulating industry while poisoning Americans, they had to reach out to other groups to build a governing coalition.
So, Republicans invited into their party white racists, gun nuts, misogynistic antiabortion freaks, fundamentalist hustlers claiming to speak on behalf of Jesus, and gay bashers. It was enough to give them four decades of power.
But, increasingly, the gig is up. Americans have figured out that the Republican party stands for corporate polluters, bankster ripoff artists, and billionaires who are absolutely unwilling to pay their fair share of the cost of a functioning and healthy society.
But, nonetheless, they persist. The Times noted, "Mr. Pence also indicated to the president that he would keep studying the issue up until the final hours before the joint session..."
Right and wrong are no longer considerations for the GOP. Even legality and constitutionality are not their focus. Instead, it's all about money and power. Not doing what's right, but doing what's possible.
The rot of Reaganism has finally spread throughout the entire party, which now stands like a dead tree in the forest, filled with parasites and temporary shelter seekers.
-Thom
Originally posted at Medium.com.
Comments
#2
I saw the storming of the White House as well.
I've seen grown ups act as kids, but never in numbers this large.
I hope that the White House has AI that has taken 3D pictures of their facial features.
To my knowledge trespassing is punishable by jailing.
Breaking windows to get inside the White House. Is that not breaking and entering?
Killing someone okay? Sure..
Yet they all walk away.. Just like tramp did. And they are accountable for nothing.
You had better be ready for next time.
I doubt this will be the last time they show up; this nicely..
#3
These treasonist bastards are not simply "thugs" and "rioters" as they are now being described by members of Congress, who just reconvened. They are terrorists. And they should be charged and tried as such, each and every one, including those political leaders who egged them on, especially including Trump and his inner circle of goons.
Can you imagine the response if the "rioters" were predominately black or brown or Muslim? But if their skin happens to be white and they are "Christian" (haha) and they are waving the Stars and Stripes (and the Stars and Bars, the flag of traitors), well then, they're just good ol' American protesters cum rioters who got a little frisky while exercising their right to petition the government for a redress of grievances, never mind the siege on the Capitol, trespassing, vandalism, and death in the sacred halls of democracy. Shit happens.
#4
Andy Borowitz: "Nation Impressed That Supporters Could Correctly Identify Capitol Building"
#5
All wrapped up in the he said she said and under the tyrany of the urgency, totally missing the move to invoke the 25th ammendment where Pence becomes the president and pardons Trump.
#6
What we saw at the Capitol was the personification of Trump's legacy. It will be in all the history books along with those god-awful pictures. Sadly those idiots will think they are famous in a good way.
Can't say I was surprised, since they already kicked in the door and pepper sprayed the police at the Capitol in Salem, Oregon recently. Oh and don't forget the kidnappers in Michigan. Remember the "Trump train" complete with pepper-spray and paint balls earlier?
Colbert just asked why the chicken-shit objectors in Congress didn't stick around and hang with their peeps as they marauded. Good point. Where was Senator Hawley? Hiding in the basement, no doubt.
Jack Dorsey finally told Donald to shutup....for 12 hours. It's a start.
Republicans don't do nuance and that's why they don't get the what leads to disaster, but they learn when it lands on their doorstep. How sad this lesson was.
On a brighter note, we have to tip our hat and send good vibes to Stacey Abrams, her team, and all those activists and donors. President-elect Biden too. He was calm, but firm today. I like his style more and more. He said he has no fear concerning the inauguration or his person.
#7
At this time, 3:41 am EST, Thursday, January 7, 2021, the good news is Donald John Trump and Michael Richard Pence are officially the losers of the 2020 general election.
The even better news is Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. and Kamala Devi Harris are our new President and Vice President of the United States of America, beginning at 12:01 pm, Wednesday, January 20, 2021.
Now put Trump the Crazy in a straightjacket and drag his dumb ass off to the loony bin so he doesn't try to blow up the world in the next 14 days.
#8
Of course the lying piece of shit, Donald Trump used these stupid bigot, shitheaad saps to do his dirty work when he incited them to insurrection promising them that he would walk down to the Capitol Building with them. But of course this despicable pile of cowardly, treasonous shit ran back and hid out in the Whitehouse while the shithead garbage that he inflamed with his endless stream of stupid lies, so consumed in their insane bigotry, marched down to the Capitol Building and proved once and all what treasonous Neo-confederate slime they really are.
The picture of the guy carrying the Confederate flag inside the Capitol Building says it all about who these people really all. This is their idea of revenge for America electing a black president.
Any lowlife shithead scumbag can pick up an American flag and wrap themselves in it and pretend that they are some kind of patriot. But they are nothing more than stupid clowns being exploited by the most despicable pile of shit that ever stunk up any political office, let alone the presidency.
Hopefully, these traitors can be identified through their cell phone GPS, rounded up and held accountable.
#9
As empires fall, sadly these things happen. Storming the capitol in D.C. or state capitols has now become the norm. Take Michigan as an example.
Consider the parallels of these events to the August 1987 coup attempt against Gorbachev and the 1993 coup atttempt in Russia with the partial destruction of the parliament building by the Russian army. If you think these things can't happen in the U.S., think again.
Congress has to realize that the country is in a full blown existential crisis and the parallels of similar late empire periods elsewhere should be frightening rather than ignored. We are at risk, as McConnell stated, of a "death spiral of democracy." Rather than engaging in partisan blaming as McConnell did in later parts of his speech, we need to see real responses to a decades-long running crisis of decline.
Disintegration of empires can happen very quickly with abrupt consequences for its population. Wrapping all potential ideas in the U.S. constitution as though it is a religious text with sacred duties, will not stop the decline. We need real and concrete actions by elected leaders to address the challenges this nation faces.
#10
Lot's of discussion over the stupidity of a bunch of Trump supporters acting like Antifa and BLM demonstrators yesterday.
Were they stupid and way out of line? Hell yes, and they put a stain on themselves and their leaders but I find it a bit hypocritical for anyone on the left to condemn their actions with such faux outrage. Especially you Thom who lives in a city that has been under siege by the left for the better part of two years.
Stupid people do stupid things but let's get it all in perspective. Let us all hope a couple of weeks down the line, life can and will return to some semblance of normal.
#11
This is what the world thinks of us. From Bloomberg. The Korea Times has some of the best pictures. This is forever Trumps legacy. He forgot to circle the date. I like the Washington Post Headline. Twitter deleted 3 Trump Twits and closed his account for 12 hours. They need to put him in his Crib and keep him there. The good part is Ossoff and Warnock won and the Democratic Party can start cleaning up the mess that the Republican Party has left. 302 more hours for Trump to do more damage on his scorched earth path of destruction. A few weeks ago I joked that he might burn the White House down. Now I am believing it. Republican politicians that participated in this should be impeached also. What an Honor! The Rats are jumping ship. But it will be on thier Resume forever. I hope that arrests continue.
#12
SILENCE TRUMP
take every form of communication away from Trump, for the sake of our National Security.
Republicans -Too stupid to serve, too dumb to run
lock them ALL up!!!
#13
Look at the pictures of the BLM protest, with the armed, and in Milatary gear - on of these Trooper garding the Lincoln monument??? Also, the pics of them attacking the BLM protesters, so Trump can have his "movie" monment with the upside down Bible????
Where was the protection on the 6th? The Trumper republicans in Congress who ran for thier lives, should get a clue that Trump did not care if THEY lived or died.
I seen the "police" hold out their hands, and push them away. It looked too orchestrated, if not choreographed!
#14
Facebook has banned him Through the end of his Administration. Should be forever. He will never stop.
#15
Observations
Less than 1 in 10 of the seditionists were wearing masks
Didn’t see any people of color
Capital police didn’t fight back although their lives were probably "in danger"
Few arrested (didn’t see), little gas used, no LEO (Law Enforcemant Officers) violence
Need more questions about those who mixed the “Kool aid” and all who have swallowed it.
If reasonable people don’t hold ALL those accountable for sedition, insurrection and collusion (including LEOs) this will continue and worsen.
The law and order crowd only respects strong enforcement, otherwise they will be easily lead by those seeking political, social and economic power i.e. fascists!
#16
Being too stupid to wear masks will cost many of them long jail sentences and high lawyer fees. They all ready have a lot of names and are seeking more. Trump really burned them. Felons will lose their gun rights.
#17
One option people and state leaders have is to take legal action against white supremacist groups. Here is one from Los Angeles Times:
Beulah Mae Donald; Sued Klan, Won - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
And here is from history.com:
The 1981 Lynching that Bankrupted an Alabama KKK - HISTORY
After the win, it bankrupted the Alabama KKK.
#18
Many times, the overuse of certain words is a subconscious tell (and a plea for help).
For example, stupidly minimizing Trump's stupid attempted coup and his stupid followers' treasonous and stupid insurrection by comparing stupid apples to stupid oranges is, well, just plain stupid (and, stupidly, more than "a bit hypocritical").
While appreciated, the stupid problem with cuz's "faux" brand of positive thinking and commentary, as expressed in previous posts, is that all the self-righteous cajoling is largely not rooted in facts or reality.
In character, the entire post #10 drips with the stupid disinformation and propaganda disseminated by the stupid people trapped in the stupid right-wing bubble of stupid fake news. I'm not calling cuz stupid; but if the stupid shoe fits, wear it.
Ignorance is not necessarily stupidity, but willful ignorance certainly is.
#19
Thom, et al.
On January 1, 2021, I became 77 years old. For most of my early life, I had but a passing interest in politics. That dramatically changed with the murder of President John Kennedy on November 22, 1963! A few weeks later, I saw Life Magazine’s detailed color pictures of the Zapruder film showing the President’s head and brains being blown BACKWARD after being shot in the face, and NOT indicating that he was shot from behind – as later declared fact by the Dulles dominated Warren Commission Report. Thus began my personal search to find out who, why, and how my government was intentionally lying to all of us then, and forward to this very day.
Initially, since there was no Internet for the first three decades, my search was slow and labor intensive. However, with the advent of the Internet, my searches became much more productive. I attempted to find answers relating to politicians, other governments, the CIA, the Mafia, bankers, etc., and was about to give up on finding a satisfying answer until, about a dozen years ago, I found and read an article titled, Beware The Psychopath, My Son.
After reading that article, I came to the forehead slapping realization that for all of those years I was expecting to find my answers among groups of people and all the while it was the commonality of the mental composition – of specific powerful men WITHIN those groups! It was the key which almost instantly answered so many more questions than I had ever even begun to consider. It answered political questions, Climate Crisis questions, economic questions, legal questions, historical questions, sociological questions, racial questions, religion questions, media questions, sexism, rationalizations for wars and so much more!
I have spent the last decade confirming and expanding on my “discoveries” and last year I began what has become a three webpage explanation for all to read, absorb and then hopefully help usher through Congress a very specific bill into US Federal law. So now, I would sincerely appreciate any feedback, criticism, questions, support and/or – at least pass this short introduction along to someone who may find it of interest.
--
Note: The above mentioned article, upon which all of my studies are based, is the critical first link on the first webpage listed below. That link begins with, “Research studies have shown …”.
www.rushtopower.net/action.html
www.rushtopower.net/reset.html
Respectfully,
Terry Sneller aka, Tarry Faster
terry@rushtopower.net
#20
Being a member of other forms both political and non-political in nature, I have a pretty good idea as to how they are normally run.
Over the last three or more weeks I believe this is only my fourth or fifth post on this board and I am being attacked by what appears to be a forum bully. Going back in this forum's history, his or her past attacks on others support my beliefs.
Internet forum bullies usually attack those that for some reason they fear. Customary forum rules normally discourage posters from correcting other poster's grammar, editing their posts, and most importantly, forbidding personal attacks as that all help prevent the petty bickering that clutters up the flow of a well run forum. In this case that has yet to happen so I must conclude that Deepspace falls into one of three categories.
He or she is the moderator, thinks they are the moderator or have intimidated the moderator into allowing bad behavior on their part.
Whichever it might be, I will choose to ignore offending comments and let those posters continue to make fools of themselves.
Enough said on this topic and to the rest of you here, let us all move on and strive for a year full of big wins.
#21
Sorry, but when people spread false information, I call them out.
#22
I have been saying for years on this site that the right wing media is brainwashing the weak minded Republicans that should be Democrats. They are not wealthy enough to be Republicans. The Republicans Party only supports the 1% and that is all that they care about. This is a classic case, unfortunately she lost her life for Donald Trump.
Yesterday and today, Trump followers are driving around my small town in Colorado with the big pickups and large Trump flags on the back. It is not over by any means.
Post #10, thing will return to normal in a Democratic Administration. They have to clean up the mess every time.
#23
Hey Cuz, at least ANTIFA & BLM were protesting a reality, whatever their faults, not a total LIE.
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Now Trump's anti-democratic, banana-Republican rabble-rousers have stormed the castle. Putin won. America lost.
Tell us again, all you fckng flag-waving traitors, what is your biggest bitch against Democrats, that "evil socialism" will somehow destroy America? Look around you -- at all the shocking, sad images being broadcast around the world today -- YOU are the goddamn fools wrecking our country, violating the core principles of our constitution, which once upon a time made us the greatest and most respected democracy in history.
No more -- you worthless pieces of shit have completely shredded our already tattered reputation (after four years of Trump) with your inexcusable idiocy. Your fascist ideology and servile, cowardly fealty to a ranting lunatic, who can't accept that his power has been resoundingly stripped away by a clear majority in a free and fair election, are an embarrassment to decent folks everywhere. All the blatant, easily-disproved lies you've stupidly accepted as truth have driven you to revolt against the rest of us -- the good citizens much more worthy of freedom and liberty than your sorry-ass selves.
With the treasonous intent of overthrowing our government, you have established yourselves beyond doubt as despicable, deplorable traitors through and through. You have no right to carry our flag. You are an abomination, an insult against all that is right and good about America. What a joke -- you are most definitely not the patriots you claim to be. Go away. Rot in hell. FCK YOU!