But we have to start now to replace all the Trumps, McConnells, Bidens, K.Harris', Pelosis and Schumders with decent legislators that are not corrupted by big money in 2022 and 2024.

"We"? *laughs*

You really should get your own stick, use your own teeth, and stop grifting here for a free lunch. :)

Yeah, I always kinda knew that. :)

You're right, EM.

It's more extensive and pervasive than many here may wish to admit.

Except you and me, of course, EM. ;)

But seriously, EM, we have discussed this a time or two previously:

[77] Kick wrote:

EM
74

It's actually worse than that, Kick.

Yes, ma'am... and we're back to our "low bar" and "promise of America" conversation of awhile back regarding our long history in the United States of rogues, carpetbaggers, scalawags, and opportunists that are scattered across our history. It is a sad fact that many of "we the people" throughout history have been all too eager to accept this rot out of fear, ignorance, gullibility, or for whatever reasons... and so I suspect it shall remain ever thus.

If there is a "promise of America," it's probably this: We don't exactly always deliver on our promises, but we do have our beautiful moments.

There will surely be something rotting in America when Trump, one way or another, leaves office and, it won't be easy to wash away. Come to think of it, it will require a Herculean effort of the sort that cleaned the Augean stables.

It's definitely a stench that's going to linger, and I expect Trump's name will go down in history at the top of the lists of American A**holes and at the bottom of the lists that rank presidents. What the turncoat Benedict Donald has done makes even Nixon look good. Sad to say.

[Sunday, August 19th, 2018 at 18:48]

http://www.chrisweigant.com/2018/08/17/ftp496/#comment-124884

*
And here we are now.

The "right-wing propaganda echo chamber" that is often spoken of here is merely the tip of an iceberg which has been ever growing, below the surface since America's beginnings.

I could not agree with you and me more.

Hopefully, there is a way to claw it all back.

Education... no BS... no malarkey. Heh.

If a president Biden and the exceptional team he is building can't begin to do that, then I believe there really is no hope for America or for its promise.

I'm not a sentimental type guy, but I agree that Biden is the right man for this moment. He cares about his country and people and is a straight shooter, but still just a human like all of us. He also has the experience and knowledge and "street smarts" to how to bang some heads together in DC to bring about what needs accomplishing. :)

There is an old joke about a person that comes across another person using a stick to try to fish a jacket out of a cesspool.

Have you heard the one about the moron trying to use another guy's stick to try to fish his own cesspool out of his backside?

It does seem a bit ridiculous for those swimming in the cesspool to get righteous because someone else in the cesspool splashed them with sewage.

It seems infinitely more ridiculous that an admittedly uneducated and unqualified rube would go anywhere near the cesspool. You, Don Harris, are the definition and living epitome of that guy. I have the evidence too... because I've read your bio.

Fishing the jacket out of the cesspool is not going to save our lunch.

We here in Weigantia understand completely that you're living in shit and longing for a way out... but with all due respect, politics just ain't in your wheelhouse.

If you really cared about our country and political process you would take on the cause of the current feces flinging instead of pretending that fishing the jacket out of the cesspool will save our lunch.

I'd tell you to shove your cause up yours, but it's quite obviously been wedged up in there for years. I cannot fathom why you'd keep whining to use another man's stick to locate it. Why don't you use your own teeth? :)

The "right-wing propaganda echo chamber" that is often spoken of here is merely the tip of an iceberg which has been ever growing, below the surface since America's beginnings.

We call it and lump it all into Trumpism, today. The scariest part of it, for me, is how insidiously the tentacles of what we refer to as Trumpism reach into all aspects of American society, including through the ranks and leadership arms of law enforcement and the military.

Hopefully, there is a way to claw it all back.

If a president Biden and the exceptional team he is building can't begin to do that, then I believe there really is no hope for America or for its promise.

You're right about the "Big Lie," of course, EM. Another problem we have is that we're dealing with multiple "Big Lies" flying freely out of the mouth of the Orange Blowhole. The "Big Lie" about the election follows on the heels of the "Big Lie" about SARS-CoV-2 being a hoax.

It's just one "Big Lie" after another here in America and ignorant and/or gullible people lined up around every block in America ready to spread the lies because it validates their political worldview. #Sad

And, if the Big Lie is not countered, then I fear your country will not move forward - on anything, let alone shutting the coronavirus down - and too many of your fellow citizens will be rightly worried about being killed by others of your fellow citizens ...

Donald Trump cons the gullible masses who spew back his lies on cue and insist against all evidence to the contrary that it's not serious. Happened right here on this very forum. You can't fix terminal stupid, EM; it won't listen to anything that doesn't fit it's effed up political worldview.

When Fox News a.k.a. "Earth 2" gets the memo from the higher ups and actually begins disseminating facts to their gullible viewers, the sheeple become outraged and move to OANN where they can live happily on "Earth 3"... the bubble inside the bubble... where ignorance is bliss.

The only thing Biden and his administration can do about" all of this is work everyday to make life better for all of you and go about doing that with respect for everyone.

Within one week the right-wing propaganda echo chamber will be whining about Biden's inability to clean up the lingering stench from Aisle Trump, and they'll be back in business demonizing the "other" and inventing new propaganda bullshit. It's hysterical... in the psychological sense.

In another unsurprising move, Fat Donny is apparently refusing to pay Giuliani.

I'm going to guess that's because he's desperately trying to separate himself from Rudy's actions on January 6 wherein there is irrefutable proof of a conspiracy of insurrection because Rudy left a message on Senator Mike Lee's phone (believing it to be the phone of newly sworn in Senator Tommy Tuberville):

Senator Tuberville? Or I should say Coach Tuberville. This is Rudy Giuliani, the president's lawyer. I'm calling you because I want to discuss with you how they're trying to rush this hearing and how we need you, our Republican friends, to try to just slow it down so we can get these legislatures to get more information to you. And I know they're reconvening at 8 tonight, but it … the only strategy we can follow is to object to numerous states and raise issues so that we get ourselves into tomorrow—ideally until the end of tomorrow.

I know McConnell is doing everything he can to rush it, which is kind of a kick in the head because it's one thing to oppose us, it's another thing not to give us a fair opportunity to contest it. And he wants to try to get it down to only three states that we contest. But there are 10 states that we contest, not three. So if you could object to every state and, along with a congressman, get a hearing for every state, I know we would delay you a lot, but it would give us the opportunity to get the legislators who are very, very close to pulling their vote, particularly after what McConnell did today. It angered them, because they have written letters asking that you guys adjourn and send them back the questionable ones and they'll fix them up.

So, this phone number, I'm available on all night, and it would be an honor to talk to you. Thank you.

Trying to separate himself from the conspiracy won't work, though, because Trump himself had called Mike Lee's phone, under the assumption he was phoning Tommy Tuberville.

The effort by the White House to get Tuberville to delay certification of the votes provides insight into the President's thinking and priorities as a mob of his supporters lay siege to the iconic building. As the President worked to convince Tuberville to delay the process, he and other top White House officials did little to check in on Vice President Mike Pence while he and members of his family were inside the breached Capitol, a source close to the vice president told CNN.

Trump first called the personal cell phone of Lee, a Utah Republican, shortly after 2 p.m. ET. At that time the senators had been evacuated from the Senate floor and were in a temporary holding room, as a pro-Trump mob began breaching the Capitol.

Lee picked up the phone and Trump identified himself, and it became clear he was looking for Tuberville and had been given the wrong number. Lee, keeping the President on hold, went to find his colleague and handed Tuberville his phone, telling him the President was on the line and had been trying to reach him.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/politics/mike-lee-tommy-tuberville-trump-misdialed-capitol-riot/index.html

Sending a mob who understood beforehand that they were there to "storm the capitol" to "stop the steal" in a conspiracy to delay the work of Congress to perform their jobs as mandated by law. Illegal in multiple ways.

Rudy had better hope he still gets his pardon.

I don't think it'll be worth the paper it's written on. Is a POTUS allowed to participate in a conspiracy and then just pardon away his co-conspirators? I don't think that's a concept that's "going to fly" in American jurisprudence. I guess we'll see. I would wager without hesitation that it'll be challenged in court... about time, too. :)

Well, I think Republicans like Liz Cheney must be very clear about the fact that Trump and many of their colleagues in Congress have been lying about election fraud. She and others need to keep repeating, day after day after day that the election was not stolen from Trump and his supporters and that Biden is the legitimately elected POTUS.

I think this is the only way to counter the Big Lie.

And, if the Big Lie is not countered, then I fear your country will not move forward - on anything, let alone shutting the coronavirus down - and too many of your fellow citizens will be rightly worried about being killed by others of your fellow citizens ...

The only thing Biden and his administration can do about all of this is work everyday to make life better for all of you and go about doing that with respect for everyone.

I meant that he'll be fighting extradition back here from wherever he flees to.

As much as I hate to defend Cheney, she did call for the orange one to put up or shut up back in November.

America is governed by the rule of law. The President and his lawyers have made claims of criminality and widespread fraud, which they allege could impact election results. If they have genuine evidence of this, they are obligated to present it immediately in court and to the American people.

If the President cannot prove these claims or demonstrate that they would change the election result, he should fulfill his oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States by respecting the sanctity of our electoral process.

thank you much. and for the record it's little HM. most jews name after dead relatives.

@dan,

not even a mention of andy johnson? he was a worse human being AND a worse president than donald could ever hope to be, as well as being one vote from conviction in the senate. andy ushered in nearly a hundred years of jim crow. what has donald accomplished that covid-19 hasn't done for him?

JL

He thinks he can only get Traitor Totchos in Portland.

Heh. :)

It is almost to bad they didn't do this yesterday, we could have had Trumpo Tuesday, a day in which we celebrate the simple things with impeach margaritas, twitter tacos, and nacho presidents.

Heh. I like this theme, GT.

https://aseasyasapplepie.com/frozen-mango-margarita/

How about mango margaritas next week for the Bye Don Inauguration after the orange man goes? ;)

I agree it's at least arguable whether Jackson and/or Buchanan were worse presidents than Trump, in personality or in performing the office.

But I would suggest the current president really is #1 as el-primo absolute wallowing-in-hell worst president in US history. We might say it's because he combines the worst of Jackson and Buchanan in one man.

Buchanan was ineffective, and torn between his political affection and dependence on the South and his instinctive patriotism to preserve the Union. Stuck, he was paralyzed and did nothing to forestall or intimidate the secessionists. But - he was not personally corrupt, he did the work his office demanded, and he was a very intelligent and God-fearing man who would have been horrified to be accused of lying.

Jackson, of course, has lost points in modern historians' eyes due to his self-aggrandizement, his self-centered view of the presidency as a seat of power, and his racist policies of white supremacy over Indians and African-Americans, both slave and free. But again, we find that Jackson did his homework, never lied, was anything but corrupt in selling his office for cash, and cracked the whip on secession in a way not seen afterwards until Lincoln activated the troops (as Buchanan had not dared to do).

In short, every American president before this one has focused on his office as a matter of public service, not private gain; has regarded his honor as a man of his word as a given for any gentleman of worth; and has tried to direct his considerable ego in the cause of improving the United States, knowing that the result will reflect on his historical record.

All presidents are flawed, and some even tolerated corruption while being themselves honest, and some even broke some legal or constitutional norms or barriers in the course of their duties to preserve the nation. But none were soulless grifters who never made the slightest effort to understand their job, or the American history that informed their job; none were congenital liars who saw truth as a cash transaction, only told when the benefit outweighs the loss; none regarded their office as an efficient way to increase their net worth.

Trump is, technically speaking now, about 100 to 1000 times worse than any of the other presidents.

Hysterical? Great.

Hysterical in the psychological sense, EM. She has been in Congress all of three days, and she's a far-right conspiracy lunatic of QAnon followers who believe that Trump is the savior of the world and working with Bob Mueller secretly indicting world leaders who are demonic pedophiles who eat babies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XTZbYtwZJQ

Right-wingnut hysteria.

Buchanan was a worse president. Jackson was a worse human being. Even in the race to the bottom, Trump is a stinky #2.

He thinks he can only get Traitor Totchos in Portland.

Now that we have had Impeach Wednesday, equally fitting since it is hump day and perhaps we have gotten over the hump finally.I hope the dems sharpen their power pencils and start putting the repubs on the spot by openly stating that " we really aren't trying to remove trump, we are trying to prevent trump from happening again, he has done X,Y, and Z ( the list is long, even for this one charge...)and should not be allowed to hold office, surley the repubs would agree just as if the shoe were on the other foot, and we were told to step up".

Missing from todays hearing was that kind of unified messaging, I really wish that they had some more of that ( a few did try it) same unified attack messaging that the repubs seem to have a knack for.

The real thing I am going to be interested in seeing is how long they can keep trump away from the likes of GAB or 4CHAN. Now that he has been impeached it is only a matter of time before he reaches for a microphone, any microphone, even if it is one only for the white right.

Hopefully he doesn't get his hands on the mic until after the 20th.

This is today's Republican Party. Hysterical. :)

Extradition to where, Iraq?

Heh. He's billions in debt and a counterintelligence risk.

New York will sever their contracts with the Trump Organization:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/13/business/trump-new-york-city-contracts/index.html

Multiple businesses are halting donations to GOP members of the "Coup Caucus":

3M
Amazon
American Airlines
American Express
Airbnb
AT&T
Best Buy
BlackRock
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Boston Scientific
BP
Charles Schwab
Citigroup
Cisco
Coca-Cola
ConocoPhillips
Comcast
Commerce Bank
Dell
Deloitte
Dow
Ernst & Young
Facebook
Ford
General Electric
Goldman Sachs
Google
Hilton
JPMorgan Chase
Kroger
Leidos
Marathon Petroleum
Marriot International
Mastercard
Microsoft
Morgan Stanley
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Smithfield Foods
Target
UPS
Verizon
Visa
Walmart

Compliments of The Lincoln Project. I am sure the list has grown larger still.

Donald Trump, Jr. is whining like a little itch about "cancel culture." Whatever. What does Traitor Tot have against capitalism? Speaking of "cancel culture," it seems to me that Junior and his daddy and their ilk were attempting to cancel an entire election.

What do these Traitor Trumps have against capitalism? :)

My son will turn 3 the day after bidens inauguration.

Happy Birthday, little JL. :)

It seems appropriate that the most orange president in history is a double impeachee. :)

Then he'll just love it when he finds out that his impeachment was the most bipartisan impeachment in the history of the United States. Which means he's the impeached president who had the most members of his own party vote to impeach him. Heh.

I think Senator Romney's statement on the floor of the US senate beats Cheney's written statement. At least, Romney said that the best way to treat the American people with respect is to tell them the truth about how fair and secure the election was. Hell, even Senator Graham went further than Liz Cheney.

Or, did I miss the part where she said that the 2020 presidential election was the most secure and fair election ever and that president-elect Biden won the presidency fair and square and that there is no credible evidence of massive vote fraud and that Trump lost fair and square by more than six million votes and that anyone who says anything to the contrary including that the election was stolen is continuing to lie to the American people?

Rep. Cheney didn't say any of that in her statement, did she?

Extradition to where, Iraq?

. . . not to mention busy with bankruptcy and fighting extradition.

I'm not counting on him. That would be foolish. Fat Donny is a score-settler at any cost. Mitch is not. He's simply trying to decide what's best for Mitch.

It is astonishing that Cheney (the daughter of a blood-thirsty war criminal) stepped up while all those manly-man snowflakes in the House GOP caucus claim to be afraid that the death cult will kill them if they vote to impeach.

Meanwhile, the Dems seemed unwilling to allow the terrorists to cow them. It's enough to make you think that the Republicans want the terrorists to win.

I am a little confused by reading that something is both probably helping his case and probably hurting his case even more. I start trying to do the help/hurt math and lose touch with the argument. Well, was it a good thing, or not?

And finally, I had to chuckle when you said that "Fourteen Days in January" was obviously a reference to the Cuban Missle Crisis. Not to me. The minute you mentioned this upcoming piece's title the other day, I thought, ah so clever: a reference to a classic book and movie about an attempted coup d'etat in the USA: Seven Days in May.