The Frankish Reich

So ... they waited until she was 18. She made a decision she regrets. That's on you, not the docs.

You mean the movie where "the enemy" was pretty obviously Iran (maybe Afghanistan) but the film makers steadfastly refused to name the country? It was referred to only as "the enemy." In other words, the wokeiest move of 2022 films. That doesn't count?

It sounds random and not selected by Aldean. I don't know if the producers of the video knew about that history. I'm guessing that you'll find something racist went on in every southern courthouse that has been standing more than 60 years or so. Not everything about our small southern towns is worthy of praise.

Just not of the same order of magnitude as contriving a phony legal theory to send the certified electoral states back to the states so they could say, geez, I dunno, maybe our election was flawed, so maybe we'll just appoint a different slate of electors after all. Not even close. Was Trump precluded from assuming office? Kicked out of office? He was impeached twice, the process ran its course, he wasn't removed or even deemed ineligible for the presidency again.

You mean the one in which Obama urged his VP, Biden, not to certify the results of the electoral college? The one in which Obama's former national security advisor, by that time back in his good graces, suggested that Obama declare martial law to force some kind of do-over?

Yeah, some things can't be explained away by "damn spellcheck!" Exactly. The virtues of small town America? Yeah, it's real nice if it's a resort town full of nice urban liberals in their second homes. 95% of American small towns are downright depressing.

The history of contested elections shows something we used to celebrate in America - an unbroken record of the peaceful transition of power. No president ever tried to stay on in office after his term ended and the results of the election showed that he was not reelected. Nor did any aggrieved loser try to use his party's influence in Congress to obtain a different result. - Nixon had the best ever case for fraud changing the results of an election (JFK's sketchy win in Illinois). He conceded and lived to fight another day. - Gore had a strong case that he was the duly elected president. And subsequent analysis shows that depending on how you counted Florida ballots, by some rules he won, by others Bush won. But the Supreme Court said "let the recounting stop" and he conceded. - Yes, certain Democrats questioned the Ohio vote in 2004, saying Kerry should have won. He conceded. - Yes, Hillary supporters said Russia (or Russians) interfered in the election through social media, etc., and that Trump benefited (and either colluded with them or at least welcomed that interference). She conceded. Trump has never conceded. He still insists, against all evidence (or lack thereof) that he did win. And he used every trick, legal or not, in the book to remain in office against the will of the people, even inventing some new tricks. Once again, he is unique. In a very bad way.

I have no idea whether this is a genetic XX or XY. All I know is that female bodybuilders of this type are obviously incredibly juiced up on steroids anyway. So ... who cares?

Biden Campaign in a panic over flight of 80 year old Jews. Story below.

I only mention this because I actually SAW THIS ON TV when getting ready for work this morning: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/irs-whistleblower-says-he-felt-handcuffed-during-hunter-biden-investigation/ On CBS. How much more mainstream can you get? Cue up the Fake Outrage Machine. There it is, an interview with the IRS whistleblower right in front of me on network news!

Right. And the contrast is with Ohio, where their fake electors (apparently actually listening to a lawyer, imagine that) put in a bunch of disclaimers, asserting that they are putting themselves forth as electors in the event that the "official" slate is rejected. Michigan? No such thing. They asserted in official filings that they are the duly elected electors of the State of Michigan.

Paul Ryan, who is pretty close to Jack Kemp 2.0, is now derided as a "RINO." That's where the Republican Party has gone.

I'm not saying "is constitutionally eligible to assume the presidency." I am saying that as a practical matter a man who refused to relinquish power despite having no accepted argument as to why he wasn't required to relinquish power should not ever be elected president again.

Again, remains to be determined. I am saying something very basic. It doesn't apply to DeSantis, Haley, Scott, Pence ... anyone else, including Biden. There is ONE guy in American history who tried to hold onto the Presidency despite being voted out of office, who tried to use all means - including extra-legal means - to extend his presidency when he had no right to do so. It is simply not comparable to any of the other shenanigans engaged in by politicians of all stripes. He is unique, and uniquely unsuited to ever hold that office again.

Yep, he is saying that. Even his defenders should admit that. (And this is coming from someone who does not think the video should be canceled.)

Not even close to a valid comparison. Biden announces student loan forgiveness. Courts say not so fast. So they hold off. Supreme Court shoots it down. Biden administration complies but says it is considering a different legal basis for a new loan forgiveness. That's government as usual. It is actually what the Trump Admin did with the so-called "Muslim ban." It was enjoined, they redid it, it was enjoined, then the Supreme Court said it was o.k. as redone. In the 2020 election case, the courts (including the Supreme Court) had shot down every single legal theory regarding claimed election fraud but the Trump administration continued to proceed by using intimidation and every cynical parliamentary tactic to undo the results.

I agree. So simple question. Agree or Disagree: Trump's endorsement of a clearly invalid legal theory that could have kept him in the presidency means that he should never hold that office again. Poke a Trumpie hard enough and he bleeds Q Anon.

Trump did have some of the Republican old guard Big Law firms helping him out at the start. Obviously they weren't comfortable with the crazy ass course things were taking; they also bailed, leaving him with the likes of Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell. https://www.jonesday.com/en/news/2020/11/jones-day-statement-regarding-election-litigation So why did Trump - with the backing of John Eastman's memos - insist that he did? I've been mainlining Clorox for three years now and I'm still feeling great. Don't knock it till you try it.

I must use the old gypsy curse: "May you live out the rest of your days in Niagara Falls, NY."

🍺 Look at Trump's choice of legal counsel over the years. He ran (by his estimation, and by his obvious accumulation of wealth) a remarkably successful privately held business. Did he use the usual lawyers you'd expect someone like that to use? The Harvard/Yale/Stanford big law attorneys at the top of the profession. No. He used Michael Cohen, a graduate of what is usually thought to be the worst accredited law school in America. Because those big law types actually have some scruples, or at least are afraid of losing their reputation/law license by engaging in the kind of crap Trump wanted (demanded) them to do on a daily basis. Michael Cohen? Not so much. Eastman is interesting because he is intelligent, but he also became so involved with right-wing politics that he found himself bending the law and constitution beyond recognition to aid Trump's selfish agenda.

Correction: Trump pretended he believed it. Or to be more accurate, couldn't care less whether it was a defensible legal theory or not. It was a legal theory that supported him, that supported him remaining president. That's his view of the law throughout his entire career. If a lawyer tells him "you can't do that," he fires that lawyer and hires a scummier one who will concoct a theory that says he can.

Boebert is in a much lighter weight class, but my money is on her and her sidearm.

"All we are demanding of Vice President Pence is that this afternoon at 1:00 he let the legislatures of the states look into this ..." Trump endorsed the Eastman plan. The mob-turned-riot was a pressure tactic to obstruct the functioning of congress and to put the squeeze on Pence to accede to this plan "to let the legislatures of the states look into this ..." Which would be the functional equivalent of letting the legislatures of those states certify "fake electors" (the term the Michigan Republicans themselves used!)

Read the Eastman memos, or the wiki summary of them (which is very good). Who was on the stage with Trump on that rally on The Mall on the morning of January 6? Could it be ... John Eastman??

Storm the Capitol. Force the ceremonial "counting of the electoral votes" to adjourn out of safety concerns. Keep the pressure on Mike Pence to refuse to certify critical electoral votes. Send the competing (real vs. fake electors) slates back to those states where Republican legislatures/governors could certify the fake slates. Remain in office as the "duly reelected President of the United States." It's not like it's a secret: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastman_memos Trump wasn't ever expecting the "low class" mob to somehow overthrow the Congress. It was a tactic. A delay and pressure tactic. And again: it almost worked. Only Mike Pence (who did take the advice of his legal counsel that he lacked authority to do what Trump told him to do; note that the implication here may be that IF he'd been told he had that authority he probably would have been willing to use it, despite the lack of evidence of voter fraud, so he's no golden boy himself) stood in the way. And the mob was clear on what it wanted to do with Pence if he didn't capitulate .. "Hang Mike Pence."