Colgate 64
Colgate 64's JournalI can't wait
I'm anxiously awaiting the onslaught of questioning Trump's fitness for office from the mainstream media. It strikes me that, in all fairness (which we all know characterizes the 4th Estate) now that President Biden has succumbed to the unrelenting negative coverage and pressure from the press to step down because of questions on his fitness to continue serving, that the Press will undoubtedly turn its piercing critical gaze to Trump, asking the same of him.
After all, Trump is certainly no Spring chicken. He's 78, only 3 years "younger" than Biden. His verbal gaffes and difficulty even enunciating simple words like "origin" are legendary. as is his tendency to trail off without completing a thought. We only see the medical records on him that HE chooses to disclose and those, like the report on his injuries from Pennsylvania authored by former doctor Ronnie Jackson are at best suspect. I'll bet the Press is going to jump on that. Certainly we will now see Prime Time hosts asking rhetorical questions about whether Trump is still "fit to lead". While hey will not be able to analyze his performance in press conferences (since he doesn't do any) I'm positive they will make a point of highlighting that fact. I'm positive that, any day now, we will have an exhaustive dissection of Trump's coronation speech at the National Convention. And I'm sure there's no question the media will carefully dissect and analyze the content of his campaign rally diatribes, pointing out all the indicators from his performance there that Trump seems too old for the job.
Perhaps this newfound strict scrutiny from the media it will be so massive and unrelenting that Trump will be forced to withdraw, for the good of his party and we will have to choose between two brand new candidates for the Presidential election of 2024. I can't wait
(sarcasm emoji omitted)
Irritated watching MSNBC turn on Biden
MSNBC is moving more and more into full time emphasis regarding how more and more Democratic legislators are coming out in favor of Biden "stepping down" (or whatever the euphemism of the day is). I finally gave up and turned the TV off after watching Ezra Klein on Ari Melber's show today. Klein was busy patting himself on the back for having been one of the first to suggest back in February that Biden would be a weak candidate. Then attempting a little clean up he opined that it really wouldn't be so bad for Joe because Joe could certainly be justly proud of his mandate (never mind that he was being forced aside by his own party). This had the same sincerity of parents telling a child who got a Participation Medal that it is really just the same as the First Place. That's when I hit the remote in order not to throw it at the screen.
This both-sideism "We just adore Joe - but he's got to go now" is beginning to be the coin of the real with virtually every MSNBC host, the same hosts who up, to very recently were strident Biden supporters. They are seem to be responding to shifting political winds or more likely corporate pressure by openly suggesting that the President now needs to go.
A great late American pundit Ambrose "Bitter" Bierce once defined "friendship" as "a ship for 2 people in fair weather but for only 1 in foul". He might as well have been talking about political loyalties of the media in America today.
The Democratic circular firing squad
is looking particularly energetic right now. Unnamed sources are choking the media reporting tales like "it's not IF but WHEN" and "it's almost at the end", referring to President Biden's reelection campaign.
I wonder if the good folks so eager to turn on one of the most successful Presidents in many, many years have given serious thought to who will be our party's candidate if President Biden yields to their pressure and ends his candidacy? Are we mere mortals expected to just accept that the mantel automatically belongs to Kamala? If not her, then who will be the standard bearer of our party in 102 days? Names don't seem to spring readily to mind, much less assuring any type of consensus by us, the actual rank and file Democrats.
Have the Democratic decision makers given any thought to the possible reaction of millions of rank and file Democrats who fervently support President Biden if he is unceremoniously forced out in favor of someone more to the taste pf those powerful decision makers? It's certainly far from an impossibility that many of these people might choose to merely decline to cast their vote for President while executing the remainder of their ballot. And what about the critical "undecided" or "swing" voters we keep hearing are so vital in statistically tied election polls. Do they suppose that these folks will be persuaded to vote Democratic in the face of a never before seen ousting of a candidate?
Our party has always had the penchant for dangerous introspection that can easily turn into a circular firing squad. As popular saying is, "Democrats fall in love" while Republicans "fall in line". IMO, it's time now for us to be a little more like the Republicans and to now fall in line behind our highly qualified and highly successful President who was elected our candidate in a formal primary process. We need to be , giving him our full, unbridled support as he continues to campaign for reelection. The circular firing squad should return their rifles to the armory for another occasion at some other time.
Did everyone see how Joe Biden said he'd pardon Menendez
along with the Democratic National Committee expressing outrage for the miscarriage of justice in Menendez's conviction, joined by a chorus of the Democratic-leaning media clamoring about the weaponization of the Justice Department by persecuting Menendez? Democratic members of the House suggesting a Special Counsel should be appointed to look into this partisan outrage?
Yeah. neither did I.
Hell of a way to celebrate 4th of July
Trying to celebrate our Independence Day but can't get out of my head the image of what the Founders would have thought of the latest outrage by the
'Supreme Court'. Could they even have envisioned such a day, even in their wildest and most pessimistic imaginations? Doubtful.
The Supremes have now made their agenda crystal clear - destroy the modern administrative state and, not coincidentally allocate to themselves alone the right to determine if a Federal Statute is applicable as written. Elevate the office of the presidency to that of a quasi-monarch, a supposedly elected individual who is no longer subject to the law of the land, so long as he was acting in an "official capacity", also to be solely determined by - you guessed it - the Supreme Court.
End all the liberal delusions of equality under the law. Womens' reproductive rights and freedom? Gone. Medical care for transgender teens? Gone. Gay marriage? Hanging by a thread, unlikely to survive this court. Transracial marriages? Once Clarence is off the court, look for that to disappear. Abortion? National ban is fine.IVF? Fugeddaboutit.
And the parade of horribles goes on and on and on. And that's the scorecard as of today, July 4, 2024. I don't even dare to imagine what July 4, 2025 will look like unless this stain on the Presidency is denied the White House in the coming election. Looking at the national polls I am reminded of H.L. Mencken's famous quote: "Nobody ever went broke overestimating the stupidity of the American public". And I'm deathly afraid he was right.
There's really not a lot to celebrate today. We have to commit ourselves to work our butts off to deny the lying egotistical con man his ascent to the White House throne. Otherwise, I'm not sure we will even have another Independence Day.
For the first time in American history
a President has been held to have blanket immunity for any actions he takes which can be considered "official". He is immune from criminal process or prosecution for these actions, regardless of his intent when carrying them out. For future abuses of his office the only remedy left is the very questionable one of impeachment which, as we have seen never happens. This sham court has given the President a gift that previously only kings or despots enjoyed. He is now free to command the Department of Justice to persecute political rivals and/or enemies, command the Internal Revenue Service to do the same to any American who incurs his royal displeasure, order Border Patrol agents to shoot immigrants on sight, and a huge multiplicity of horrible actions limited only by your imagination.
No need now to argue that we are close to losing our democracy. The Supreme Court has now done the job for us. And it's all perfectly "legal".
The American public is being bamboozled - again
After seeing the latest news today on MSNBC exposing the Right Wing campaign to inoculate the viewing public with the idea that President Biden's mental acuity is slipping I find myself extremely alarmed at the intensity and breadth of the Rethuglican misinformation campaign now in full swing.
As MSNBC reports, while there has always been an undercurrent on Fox and RW echo chambers challenging the President's mental fitness it has now gone full mainstream, beginning with a front page article in today's Wall Street Journal openly stating this proposition. MSNBC also identified the Sinclair Broadcasting Group 's undercover tactic of force feeding local stations with scripted talking points saying "Biden is losing it." I don't think the reach of these local stations on a generally disinterested public can be overstated.
I, like all the readers on DU find these gutter tactic reprehensible, cowardly and, to quote Hillary "deplorable". But I have to admit that it works. And one of the reasons it's working is, (IMO) due to the fact that President Biden does not presently make himself and his accomplishments visible enough to the public. I completely understand how busy he is, and how many demands there are on his attention. But the 2024 election is going to be a pivotal point in this nation's history and, I firmly believe now requires an "all hands on deck" mentality beginning now until November 5. The undecided voters may well be the margin of victory in the coming election and we can't chance losing them for lack of trying. As with so many things with Trump, the President is, for the first time in many years being openly accused of being at best senile and at worse, something far more serious. I believe the only remedy for this is for people to see and hear the President as often sd is practically possible.
Biden's normally quiet style of speaking does not help him. It can easily give a false impression of hesitancy, or even some lack of cognition. He needs for people to see him as he was in his State of the Union address. He needs to be seen repeating over and over and over the impressive victories his administration has won for the American people, victories which I'm afraid are too often going by the wayside or worse, claimed by his political enemies. I firmly believe that, when people get more opportunities to see and hear the President as he really is there will be no doubt about voting for him. But we Democrats have often been remiss in trumpeting our accomplishments, preferring a more subtle approach. However, this election is not the time for subtlety. This is old-fashioned, brass knuckle politics, the way it hasn't been in almost a century. If we, starting with the President don't go all in on this campaign, starting now I fear we will have no one but ourselves to blame if a few thousand votes in swing states cause President Biden to lose.
Beyond disgusted
As I lawyer in practice 33 years I am beyond thoroughly disgusted with the trial of little Kyle and the horrendous verdict. It seems that Trump's theory of being able to shoot someone on 5th avenue without consequences is now the state of the law to all RW wingers. I can't wait to see the Aubrey verdict - they'll probably give Shotgun Bob the Medal of Freedom.
Yee Haw - "When do we get to use our guns?". Now, Jethro. Now.
Profile Information
Member since: Tue Jun 17, 2008, 02:38 PMNumber of posts: 14,788