Trumpism
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Theda Skocpol on Looming Illiberalism
In an inteverview in the Atlantic: Skocpol: {Trump]’s not necessary for an authoritarian movement to use the GOP to lock in minority rule. The movement to manipulate election access and counting is so far along. I think it’s too late, and we’re vulnerable to it because of how we administer local elections. What’s happened involves
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The FBI on a Slippery Slope
As a follow-up to yesterday's post, from The Shovel We are certainly no fans of Donald Trump–let’s make that clear from the outset. But yesterday’s raid by the FBI on the home of a former president sets a dangerous precedent. A precedent which now means that anyone who evades taxes, attempts to undermine an election,
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Gotti Residence Searched by FBI for Evidence of Crimes–and in Civil Case Takes 5th
Would we have seen any less of a defense of John Gotti if Republicans had elected him rather than Trump? Here's what they'd say: John Gotti is a Catholic and a good family man. He's not a politician, but a successful businessman who understands how to get things done. Sure, he's not perfect, but he's all
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Stop Saying that Republicans Are the Party of Law and Order
Order maybe; Law, not so much. Too many in the punditry are talking about conservative Republicans as if they're hypocrites because they endorse the lawlessness of J6 or because they're now calling to defund the FBI. The GOP has not been a party that respects the rule of law for a long, long time–at least
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Alex Jones Trial: Is Trump Watching?
When Jones tried to argue that he believed he was telling the truth, [Judge] Gamble clarified the difference between an alternative reality media world and a court of law. In the law, she told him, truth was actually a real thing. “You believe everything you say is true, but it isn’t,” she pointedly told him.
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So Much Crime, so Little Time
In all the fuss about J6, I wonder if congress or anybody will ever get to the bottom of Trump's relationship with Russia. I suspect that his treasonous relationship with Russia will only come to light once his sedition here has been proved. Since I'm feeling more confident about the latter, it's just a question
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The Difference between Republicans & Democrats
Today’s Republican Party … is an insurgent outlier. It has become ideologically extreme; contemptuous of the inherited social and economic policy regime; scornful of compromise; unpersuaded by conventional understanding of facts, evidence, and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition, all but declaring war on the government. The Democratic Party, while no
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I was Wrong about Trump–and Some Thoughts about Cassidy Hutchinson
On January 7, 2020, I wrote a post entitled "Trump the Coward". Here's an excerpt: If I knew anybody who was part of the riot yesterday, the first thing I'd ask him is why wasn't Trump with you when you made your assault? He said that he would parade with you the capitol, but instead
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Constitutional Jump Ball
If it wasn't clear already, it is now. January 6 was a coup attempt, and it had a good chance of working had Mike Pence been the wimp that Trump always thought he was. Pence is reported to have thought of himself as on a mission from God, and maybe this was it: to stand