E. J. Dionne My hometown went Republican for the first time in 100 years - what next?

Fall River, MA - Working class, Catholic, union, mill town

E. J. Dionne My hometown went Republican for the first time in 100 years - what next?

 

Judge Chutkan grants DOJ motion to dismiss Trump indictment

 

The principle that the President is a servant, not someone above the law yielded today to electoral reality.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued an ORDER of dismissal on motion by Special Prosecutor Jack Smith.

With Donald Trump soon to retake the White House the Prosecutor saw the death of the prosecution of Trump for inciting the January , 2021 assault on the United States Capitol obstructing the lawful transfer of power.

In one of U.S.democracy's darkest hours its voters have returned the lawless, crooked racist to the nation's highest post.

Robert Reich The special counsel Jack Smith just made a hell of a mistake

(1) The special counsel Jack Smith just made a hell of a mistake

By Robert Reich (former Secretary of Labor)

Today, the rule of law was thrown out the window — not by Trump but by special counsel Jack Smith.

Smith asked a federal judge to dismiss the indictment charging Trump with plotting to subvert the 2020 election.

Smith made a similar filing to an appeals court in Atlanta, thereby ending Smith’s attempt to reverse the dismissal of the federal case accusing Trump of illegally holding on to classified documents after he left office.

Both filings were a grave mistake.

What happened to the rule of law? What became of the principle that no person is above the law, not even a former president? What happened to accountability?

Smith says he had no choice, given the Justice Department’s policy that it’s unconstitutional to pursue prosecutions against sitting presidents.

But he did have a choice. He could have asked the courts to put the cases on hold until Trump is no longer president.

That’s essentially what Judge Juan Merchan did Friday with regard to sentencing Trump on his May conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Not Going Back | Editors - Commonweal Magazine

Not Going Back | Commonweal Magazine Editorial November 21, 2024

***Trump’s second term presents unique risks. He’s already tapped an internet-poisoned billionaire loaded with conflicts of interest to reform government spending; a Christian nationalist to lead the Department of Defense; and a conspiracy theorist to helm Health and Human Services. His administration is likely to further enable Israel’s destruction of Gaza and could facilitate its annexation of the West Bank; it may also draw us into a war with Iran. Trump will work to make his tax cuts permanent, worsening the deficit and opening the door for Republicans to slash social services. 

He plans to restart and expand a policy of cruelty at the border, and may once again try to scrap Obamacare. Finally, he will attempt to shore up a radical conservative majority on the Supreme Court, whose malign influence on our political system could be felt for decades to come. Unfortunately, thanks to congressional losses, Democrats will have little power to check Trump. The task of mitigating harm will mainly be left to the remnants of the old Republican establishment, most of which has proven all too willing to accommodate Trump in the past.

Meanwhile, the long-term task for the Democrats is clear. They must build a coalition behind clear, popular, and effective solutions to the economic problems afflicting young, working- and middle-class Americans. 

This platform should emphasize universal programs like Medicare for All, free or low-cost college, national rent control, universal pre-K, child tax credits, and minimum-wage increases. Democrats should also develop—and campaign on—more policies to fight corruption and break the stranglehold wealth has on our political system. They should recruit candidates who share these goals but come from outside elite circles. (Not all Democratic politicians need to be lawyers.) Finally, they should resist the efforts of nonprofits and single-issue groups to impose litmus tests on candidates and push policies unappealing to most voters.

A Party of Institutions In An Era of Distrust - TPM – Talking Points Memo

A Party of Institutions In An Era of Distrust - TPM – Talking Points Memo

By Josh Marshall

"A key reason that many people are Democrats today is that they’re attached to a cluster of ideas like the rule of law, respect for and the employment of science and expertise, a free press and the protection of the range of institutions that guard civic life, quality of life and more. On the other side, say we have adherents of a revanchist, authoritarian politics which seeks break all those things and rule from the wreckage that destruction leaves in its path. So Democrats constantly find themselves defending institutions, or “the establishment,” or simply the status quo. Yet we live in an age of pervasive public distrust — distrust of institutions, leaders, expertise. And not all of this distrust is misplaced. Many institutions, professions, and power centers have failed to live up to their sides of the social contract.

In short, Democrats are by and large institutionalists in an age of mistrust. And that is challenging place to be."

Pete Hegseth: The Short Course - by Timothy Snyder

 

1.  Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, has no qualifications for the job.  He has never run a large organization and has no national security expertise.

2.  Hegseth has zero notion of which other countries might threaten America or how.  In his books this is simply not a subject, beyond a few clichés.

3.  Hegseth does not believe in alliances.  For him, “NATO is a great example of dumb globalism.”

4. Hegseth wants a political army that bans women from combat roles, is purged of "cowardly generals," and is anti-woke. 

5.  Hegseth never notes that the politicized Russian army meets all of his standards perfectly, but is is ineffective and commits war crimes. 

6.  Hegseth never notes that the Ukrainian army, which does have women in combat, and is not politicized in the way he would like, has overperformed. 

7.  Hegseth has almost nothing to say about the most significant armed conflict of our time and has not visited Ukraine or learned anything about it.

8.  Hegseth’s misogynist gender politics are consistent with his polygamy and the accusations of rape. 

9.  Hegseth's enemies are all internal: the Left, Muslins, and immigrants.  He repeatedly claims that the Left wishes to annihilate everyone else, which is a call to violence. 

10.  Hegseth, a Christian Reconstructionist, believes that Americans should be governed not by law or by the Constitution but by God -- as interpreted of course by Hegseth and his friends.

11.  Hegseth calls for a "holy war" and a "crusade" against Americans who think differently than he does because "God wills it."  Trump is the pretext: Hegseth wants "to make crusade great again."

12.  Hegseth, according to his books, could be counted upon to ignore threats to America from abroad, and to use a purged and politicized military against “enemies within.”  This is consistent with Trump's avowed intention to build a kind of dictatorship on the ruins of a dysfunctional government.

13.  Hegseth thus represents a policy of regime change.  Trump’s nomination of Hegseth is best understood as part of a decapitation strike against the republic. A Christian Reconstructionist war on Americans led from the Department of Defense is likely to break the United States.

Share

For positive solutions see On Freedom

On resistance see On Tyranny

PS: I wrote a much longer post on this subject, hewing to a thought that I had about the usefulness of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale as a lens to see dangers of Christian Reconstructionism for the American republic. 

I think, though, that Hegseth's anti-qualifications for the position of secretary of defense are so blatant that they deserve a separate and clear presentation. 

As before, I rely upon and draw quotations from his books The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free (2024); Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation (2023, with David Goodwin); and American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free (2020).

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By Timothy Snyder · Thousands of paid subscribers

Opening the future by understanding the past.

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236 Restacks

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Pete Hegseth: The Short Course

13 Steps to National Destruction

Timothy Snyder

Nov 24, 2024  Hegseth has zero notion of which other countries might threaten America or how.  In his books this is simply not a subject, beyond a few clichés.

3.  Hegseth does not believe in alliances.  For him, “NATO is a great example of dumb globalism.”

4. Hegseth wants a political army that bans women from combat roles, is purged of "cowardly generals," and is anti-woke. 

5.  Hegseth never notes that the politicized Russian army meets all of his standards perfectly, but is is ineffective and commits war crimes. 

6.  Hegseth never notes that the Ukrainian army, which does have women in combat, and is not politicized in the way he would like, has overperformed. 

7.  Hegseth has almost nothing to say about the most significant armed conflict of our time and has not visited Ukraine or learned anything about it.

8.  Hegseth’s misogynist gender politics are consistent with his polygamy and the accusations of rape. 

9.  Hegseth's enemies are all internal: the Left, Muslins, and immigrants.  He repeatedly claims that the Left wishes to annihilate everyone else, which is a call to violence. 

10.  Hegseth, a Christian Reconstructionist, believes that Americans should be governed not by law or by the Constitution but by God -- as interpreted of course by Hegseth and his friends.

11.  Hegseth calls for a "holy war" and a "crusade" against Americans who think differently than he does because "God wills it."  Trump is the pretext: Hegseth wants "to make crusade great again."

12.  Hegseth, according to his books, could be counted upon to ignore threats to America from abroad, and to use a purged and politicized military against “enemies within.”  This is consistent with Trump's avowed intention to build a kind of dictatorship on the ruins of a dysfunctional government.

13.  Hegseth thus represents a policy of regime change.  Trump’s nomination of Hegseth is best understood as part of a decapitation strike against the republic. A Christian Reconstructionist war on Americans led from the Department of Defense is likely to break the United States.

Share

For positive solutions see On Freedom

On resistance see On Tyranny

PS: I wrote a much longer post on this subject, hewing to a thought that I had about the usefulness of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale as a lens to see dangers of Christian Reconstructionism for the American republic. 

I think, though, that Hegseth's anti-qualifications for the position of secretary of defense are so blatant that they deserve a separate and clear presentation. 

As before, I rely upon and draw quotations from his books The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free (2024); Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation (2023, with David Goodwin); and American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free (2020).

Subscribe to Thinking about...

By Timothy Snyder · Thousands of paid subscribers

Opening the future by understanding the past.

1,299 Likes

·

236 Restacks

1.  Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, has no qualifications for the job.  He has never run a large organization and has no national security expertise.

2.  Hegseth has zero notion of which other countries might threaten America or how.  In his books this is simply not a subject, beyond a few clichés.

3.  Hegseth does not believe in alliances.  For him, “NATO is a great example of dumb globalism.”

4. Hegseth wants a political army that bans women from combat roles, is purged of "cowardly generals," and is anti-woke. 

5.  Hegseth never notes that the politicized Russian army meets all of his standards perfectly, but is is ineffective and commits war crimes. 

6.  Hegseth never notes that the Ukrainian army, which does have women in combat, and is not politicized in the way he would like, has overperformed. 

7.  Hegseth has almost nothing to say about the most significant armed conflict of our time and has not visited Ukraine or learned anything about it.

8.  Hegseth’s misogynist gender politics are consistent with his polygamy and the accusations of rape. 

9.  Hegseth's enemies are all internal: the Left, Muslins, and immigrants.  He repeatedly claims that the Left wishes to annihilate everyone else, which is a call to violence. 

10.  Hegseth, a Christian Reconstructionist, believes that Americans should be governed not by law or by the Constitution but by God -- as interpreted of course by Hegseth and his friends.

11.  Hegseth calls for a "holy war" and a "crusade" against Americans who think differently than he does because "God wills it."  Trump is the pretext: Hegseth wants "to make crusade great again."

12.  Hegseth, according to his books, could be counted upon to ignore threats to America from abroad, and to use a purged and politicized military against “enemies within.”  This is consistent with Trump's avowed intention to build a kind of dictatorship on the ruins of a dysfunctional government.

13.  Hegseth thus represents a policy of regime change.  Trump’s nomination of Hegseth is best understood as part of a decapitation strike against the republic. A Christian Reconstructionist war on Americans led from the Department of Defense is likely to break the United States.

Share

For positive solutions see On Freedom

On resistance see On Tyranny

PS: I wrote a much longer post on this subject, hewing to a thought that I had about the usefulness of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale as a lens to see dangers of Christian Reconstructionism for the American republic. 

I think, though, that Hegseth's anti-qualifications for the position of secretary of defense are so blatant that they deserve a separate and clear presentation. 

As before, I rely upon and draw quotations from his books The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free (2024); Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation (2023, with David Goodwin); and American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free (2020).

Subscribe to Thinking about...

By Timothy Snyder · Thousands of paid subscribers

Opening the future by understanding the past.

1,299 Likes

·

236 Restacks

1.  Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, has no qualifications for the job.  He has never run a large organization and has no national security expertise.

2.  Hegseth has zero notion of which other countries might threaten America or how.  In his books this is simply not a subject, beyond a few clichés.

3.  Hegseth does not believe in alliances.  For him, “NATO is a great example of dumb globalism.”

4. Hegseth wants a political army that bans women from combat roles, is purged of "cowardly generals," and is anti-woke. 

5.  Hegseth never notes that the politicized Russian army meets all of his standards perfectly, but is is ineffective and commits war crimes. 

6.  Hegseth never notes that the Ukrainian army, which does have women in combat, and is not politicized in the way he would like, has overperformed. 

7.  Hegseth has almost nothing to say about the most significant armed conflict of our time and has not visited Ukraine or learned anything about it.

8.  Hegseth’s misogynist gender politics are consistent with his polygamy and the accusations of rape. 

9.  Hegseth's enemies are all internal: the Left, Muslins, and immigrants.  He repeatedly claims that the Left wishes to annihilate everyone else, which is a call to violence. 

10.  Hegseth, a Christian Reconstructionist, believes that Americans should be governed not by law or by the Constitution but by God -- as interpreted of course by Hegseth and his friends.

11.  Hegseth calls for a "holy war" and a "crusade" against Americans who think differently than he does because "God wills it."  Trump is the pretext: Hegseth wants "to make crusade great again."

12.  Hegseth, according to his books, could be counted upon to ignore threats to America from abroad, and to use a purged and politicized military against “enemies within.”  This is consistent with Trump's avowed intention to build a kind of dictatorship on the ruins of a dysfunctional government.

13.  Hegseth thus represents a policy of regime change.  Trump’s nomination of Hegseth is best understood as part of a decapitation strike against the republic. A Christian Reconstructionist war on Americans led from the Department of Defense is likely to break the United States.

Share

For positive solutions see On Freedom

On resistance see On Tyranny

PS: I wrote a much longer post on this subject, hewing to a thought that I had about the usefulness of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale as a lens to see dangers of Christian Reconstructionism for the American republic. 

I think, though, that Hegseth's anti-qualifications for the position of secretary of defense are so blatant that they deserve a separate and clear presentation. 

As before, I rely upon and draw quotations from his books The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free (2024); Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation (2023, with David Goodwin); and American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free (2020).

Subscribe to Thinking about...

By Timothy Snyder · Thousands of paid subscribers

Opening the future by understanding the past.

1,299 Likes

·

236 Restacks