Tristan Snell, who was on the team that successfully prosecuted Trump “University”, believes Trump should be held without out bond when he is formally charged next week due to his continued incitement to riot. I agree. I wish he could just be put under house arrest today. The more extremely violent hate speech and incitement to riot put on full display in his red state rallies, the more dangerous he becomes.
To anyone my age, who also served in Vietnam, there is a sound that still makes us look up and smile. The sweet sound of Huey helicopters meant help was on the way. The cavalry was coming to save the day, or at least give us a fighting chance. Sometimes the wait seemed like forever. Hope slipped away. Fear set in. Then that distinctive “whop, whop, whop” changed everything. Help was on the way. Yesterday’s headline that an indictment was (finally) filed brought me the same visceral sense of hope. The cavalry is coming.
Steven, you have again set it out so well, in such an organized way, how the cult will respond, how those not in the cult will respond. And as far as the cult goes, Pence thinks it's an outrage that a president (I capitalize it for respect for most presidents of the US) of the US would be indicted. Does Pence think that because a president shouldn't have to adhere to the laws that the rest of us adhere to? And this afternoon MTG said she will be in NYC protesting. Is that protesting because we all have free speech? Or is that creating a circus? Or is that doing something violent? Knowing how she tends to respond to things without knowing the facts (just look at her responses to Holocaust issues), I can't even imagine what her protest will look like. Does she, like Pence, think it is unfair for the former occupant of the WH is held to the same laws as the rest of us? It's an indictment, by grand jury, based on a lot of evidence and documents. She might question some witnesses, and Michael Cohen, for all heinous is a convicted felon who was disbarred and served time and does have an axe to grind. However, what did David Pecker say? He was in a position to know the intimate details of all of the hush money payments. And besides witnesses, there are documents. I'll say that again. DOCUMENTS. Witnesses can say things and people might doubt witnesses. People might think witnesses aren't credible. However, DOCUMENTS are facts written down on paper, a record of what happened. DOCUMENTS don't have an axe to grind. And even with all of the witnesses and DOCUMENTS, this is an indictment. The former occupant of the WH is still presumed innocent until proven guilty in Court by a jury of his peers. Now here is the problem for me. Where do they get a jury of his peers. I stand firm in my belief that there is no one like the former occupant of the WH. There are not 12 people who are like him in any way, who have committed the various crimes that he has committed over the year, who are in the position he has been in to have bought and lied his way out of his various criminal acts over his lifetime in business and in the presidency. How ridiculous is MTG going to look when she protests? And is she going to protest that we have a government of laws? Is she going to protest that the former occupant of the WH is being treated like every other American would be treated had every other American committed a rime. So, with your 15 points, I come down to this. I take all of the ridiculousness of the protestors out of the equation. I take all of the statements of those who say a former president shouldn't be indicted out of the equation. (and would Mike Pence please get off the fence, or stop jumping back and forth over the fence and decide which side he is on. would Mike Pence please remember the the former president of the US asked him to do something against the law. that the former president of the US nearly had him hung at the Capital for obeying the law and certifying the election). I am left with sad. This is a sad statement about our country that we have a former president who has broken the law, about 30 counts of it in this indictment alone. Then there is Georgia. Then there is the extremely slow moving DOJ and Jack Smith and his 2 investigations. Following the law and indicting when there is the evidence to do so and a grand jury decides that there is the evidence to do so, is part of the Constitution. And it is very sad that a former occupant of the WH, and who has a cult eager to make him again an occupant of the WH, did such criminal acts that indictments are just starting to flow, and jury trials will determine guilt or innocence. It is a true stain on our country. This is only the beginning. I am glad justice is being done. However, it is very sad that our country has this blotch on its record. Our goal is to let the process play out. And while that happens, let's focus really diligently on bringing dignity and honesty and respect and adherence to the law back to our country. We must again be the America that we were before all of this. We must be the America that the founding fathers envisioned. We must.
Yesterday, parked at the top of a bridge, was a truck, its lights flashing, with a huge trump flag flapping in the wind, big enough to be seen on the interstate below. A small beginning, but tramp, tramp, tramp ! The boys are coming. Only it won't be beneath a starry flag. donald's people really think they are saving the country from detested, liberal, stuck up educated snobs who have shoved Hunter Biden's laptop in their faces with no consequence. Senator Graham is back to his teary crying, begging these deluded people for money, more money, always umpteen more dollars to save a man who is, himself, responsible for the trouble with a capital T, that he is in. Republicans are spewing political recrimination for broken laws . They know better. It makes good press for the people at home in their GOP run states. V stands for votes, not victory for law.
Inside, between his stomach and throat, there is a churning like those of a mixer's beaters. But, at arraignment, he will strut. Those alligator eyes will portray a little fright but a lot of vitriol. More press, more media coverage, more pictures. He will wave, show thumbs up, and walk. It's trump here, DeSantis there, like they are the only presidential possibilities. Meanwhile, Biden stumbled again. Me,too. Slipper stuck, body didn't. Flew right into the arm of the couch. Ouch ! And not a word from the media !!! Followers are repeatedly told he can run for president from jail. He cares nothing that the sins of the father have ruled the lives of his children. donald trump is as much a stain on American history as a bottle of ink spilling on the original copy of our Constitution.
Justice will be mine, saith AG Bragg. What saith you AG Garland??
Next up : Fani Willis. The road leads next to you. No peace I find now keeps Georgia on my mind.
#12--trump never should have been allowed to run for office without showing at least several years of his taxes -he was a known cheat-why did New York let him get by with years of criminality? he was a KNOWN criminal -he will always be a criminal - the system seems to have no way to stop him from churning the waters causing mayhem.
I'm not one of those who are disappointed that this (relatively) minor case brought the first indictment. The story that started with Stormy Daniels has come full circle; and my guess is that the payoff is the least of the charges we will see when the indictment is unsealed. I'm hoping for a tsunami of indictments to follow.
Finally is right. Otherwise 7 years down the drain baby. To think that Alvin Bragg is actually going after even one criminal. Bravo. NYC is safe now folks. Now paying off a Porn Star is a slam dunk don’t cha think? I like Michael Cohen as the new John Dean. Slam dunk. I can’t imagine this is at all political. Oh no. Do ya think Joe and Hunter have much to worry about? Hillary, the DOJ and the FBI? No, no. Of course this is a one off. Thrilling for the Elite. No?
I feel -- just tired of it all! Silly me to think after the 2020 election I wouldn’t have to hear that voice or see that face!!! He will be constantly and overtly around! Please please just slink away! Again--silly me!! Will he and his ilk be loudly in my face for the rest of my life??? Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!
All of the above; maybe now since the Grand Jury and Alvin Bragg started the first domino, Fani Willis and the Grand Jury there and the Justice Department will continue the fall of the dominoes s. The man is very much dislike in NYC so no love lost there and most likely protestors will come from elsewhere. But I think when the indictment is made public and rational people read it, they will realize the so-called leader of their party is a criminal and lifelong one at that.
I agree with everything, and he is still presumed innocent until proven guilty. I believe the Dominion lawsuit will have more impact, because the judge in that case will possibly require Fox News to tell their viewers the truth, which many will see for the first time. Just like the tobacco lawsuits years ago, it changed the attitudes of most Americans about the dangers of smoking, although millions still smoke, but it would influence a great many of the deniers to see the light, and hopefully put an end to this insanity.
Thanks very much, Steven, for this insightful analysis! I agree with all that you have said here....and especially Item 12. If not for this, Trump would just be an anomaly on the fringe. We must find out why he and his message resonate so deeply with millions of Americans and make the necessary changes. Otherwise, he will just be the first of many that tap into that ugly dysfunction. We are already seeing his imitators and followers stepping up. I wish I knew what the cure was. Thanks again, Steven
Tristan Snell, who was on the team that successfully prosecuted Trump “University”, believes Trump should be held without out bond when he is formally charged next week due to his continued incitement to riot. I agree. I wish he could just be put under house arrest today. The more extremely violent hate speech and incitement to riot put on full display in his red state rallies, the more dangerous he becomes.
TS Eliot comes to mind this am:
“After the torchlight red on sweaty faces
After the frosty silence in the gardens
After the agony in stony places
The shouting and the crying
Prison and palace and reverberation
Of thunder of spring over distant mountains
He who was living is now dead
We who were living are now dying
With a little patience.”
Prison and palace and reverberation indeed. And maybe dying a little less today.
To anyone my age, who also served in Vietnam, there is a sound that still makes us look up and smile. The sweet sound of Huey helicopters meant help was on the way. The cavalry was coming to save the day, or at least give us a fighting chance. Sometimes the wait seemed like forever. Hope slipped away. Fear set in. Then that distinctive “whop, whop, whop” changed everything. Help was on the way. Yesterday’s headline that an indictment was (finally) filed brought me the same visceral sense of hope. The cavalry is coming.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat:
The essence of authoritarianism is getting away with crime. That's why this indictment is so important
Steven, you have again set it out so well, in such an organized way, how the cult will respond, how those not in the cult will respond. And as far as the cult goes, Pence thinks it's an outrage that a president (I capitalize it for respect for most presidents of the US) of the US would be indicted. Does Pence think that because a president shouldn't have to adhere to the laws that the rest of us adhere to? And this afternoon MTG said she will be in NYC protesting. Is that protesting because we all have free speech? Or is that creating a circus? Or is that doing something violent? Knowing how she tends to respond to things without knowing the facts (just look at her responses to Holocaust issues), I can't even imagine what her protest will look like. Does she, like Pence, think it is unfair for the former occupant of the WH is held to the same laws as the rest of us? It's an indictment, by grand jury, based on a lot of evidence and documents. She might question some witnesses, and Michael Cohen, for all heinous is a convicted felon who was disbarred and served time and does have an axe to grind. However, what did David Pecker say? He was in a position to know the intimate details of all of the hush money payments. And besides witnesses, there are documents. I'll say that again. DOCUMENTS. Witnesses can say things and people might doubt witnesses. People might think witnesses aren't credible. However, DOCUMENTS are facts written down on paper, a record of what happened. DOCUMENTS don't have an axe to grind. And even with all of the witnesses and DOCUMENTS, this is an indictment. The former occupant of the WH is still presumed innocent until proven guilty in Court by a jury of his peers. Now here is the problem for me. Where do they get a jury of his peers. I stand firm in my belief that there is no one like the former occupant of the WH. There are not 12 people who are like him in any way, who have committed the various crimes that he has committed over the year, who are in the position he has been in to have bought and lied his way out of his various criminal acts over his lifetime in business and in the presidency. How ridiculous is MTG going to look when she protests? And is she going to protest that we have a government of laws? Is she going to protest that the former occupant of the WH is being treated like every other American would be treated had every other American committed a rime. So, with your 15 points, I come down to this. I take all of the ridiculousness of the protestors out of the equation. I take all of the statements of those who say a former president shouldn't be indicted out of the equation. (and would Mike Pence please get off the fence, or stop jumping back and forth over the fence and decide which side he is on. would Mike Pence please remember the the former president of the US asked him to do something against the law. that the former president of the US nearly had him hung at the Capital for obeying the law and certifying the election). I am left with sad. This is a sad statement about our country that we have a former president who has broken the law, about 30 counts of it in this indictment alone. Then there is Georgia. Then there is the extremely slow moving DOJ and Jack Smith and his 2 investigations. Following the law and indicting when there is the evidence to do so and a grand jury decides that there is the evidence to do so, is part of the Constitution. And it is very sad that a former occupant of the WH, and who has a cult eager to make him again an occupant of the WH, did such criminal acts that indictments are just starting to flow, and jury trials will determine guilt or innocence. It is a true stain on our country. This is only the beginning. I am glad justice is being done. However, it is very sad that our country has this blotch on its record. Our goal is to let the process play out. And while that happens, let's focus really diligently on bringing dignity and honesty and respect and adherence to the law back to our country. We must again be the America that we were before all of this. We must be the America that the founding fathers envisioned. We must.
The day is finally here. Justice will be served. Thank you America, and Mr. Beschloss for your patience.
Yesterday, parked at the top of a bridge, was a truck, its lights flashing, with a huge trump flag flapping in the wind, big enough to be seen on the interstate below. A small beginning, but tramp, tramp, tramp ! The boys are coming. Only it won't be beneath a starry flag. donald's people really think they are saving the country from detested, liberal, stuck up educated snobs who have shoved Hunter Biden's laptop in their faces with no consequence. Senator Graham is back to his teary crying, begging these deluded people for money, more money, always umpteen more dollars to save a man who is, himself, responsible for the trouble with a capital T, that he is in. Republicans are spewing political recrimination for broken laws . They know better. It makes good press for the people at home in their GOP run states. V stands for votes, not victory for law.
Inside, between his stomach and throat, there is a churning like those of a mixer's beaters. But, at arraignment, he will strut. Those alligator eyes will portray a little fright but a lot of vitriol. More press, more media coverage, more pictures. He will wave, show thumbs up, and walk. It's trump here, DeSantis there, like they are the only presidential possibilities. Meanwhile, Biden stumbled again. Me,too. Slipper stuck, body didn't. Flew right into the arm of the couch. Ouch ! And not a word from the media !!! Followers are repeatedly told he can run for president from jail. He cares nothing that the sins of the father have ruled the lives of his children. donald trump is as much a stain on American history as a bottle of ink spilling on the original copy of our Constitution.
Justice will be mine, saith AG Bragg. What saith you AG Garland??
Next up : Fani Willis. The road leads next to you. No peace I find now keeps Georgia on my mind.
#12--trump never should have been allowed to run for office without showing at least several years of his taxes -he was a known cheat-why did New York let him get by with years of criminality? he was a KNOWN criminal -he will always be a criminal - the system seems to have no way to stop him from churning the waters causing mayhem.
Do not expect the MAGA people to ever ever ever come to their senses. They are fueled by the twin evils --RACISM and MISOGYNY.
I'm not one of those who are disappointed that this (relatively) minor case brought the first indictment. The story that started with Stormy Daniels has come full circle; and my guess is that the payoff is the least of the charges we will see when the indictment is unsealed. I'm hoping for a tsunami of indictments to follow.
Finally is right. Otherwise 7 years down the drain baby. To think that Alvin Bragg is actually going after even one criminal. Bravo. NYC is safe now folks. Now paying off a Porn Star is a slam dunk don’t cha think? I like Michael Cohen as the new John Dean. Slam dunk. I can’t imagine this is at all political. Oh no. Do ya think Joe and Hunter have much to worry about? Hillary, the DOJ and the FBI? No, no. Of course this is a one off. Thrilling for the Elite. No?
I feel -- just tired of it all! Silly me to think after the 2020 election I wouldn’t have to hear that voice or see that face!!! He will be constantly and overtly around! Please please just slink away! Again--silly me!! Will he and his ilk be loudly in my face for the rest of my life??? Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!
All of the above; maybe now since the Grand Jury and Alvin Bragg started the first domino, Fani Willis and the Grand Jury there and the Justice Department will continue the fall of the dominoes s. The man is very much dislike in NYC so no love lost there and most likely protestors will come from elsewhere. But I think when the indictment is made public and rational people read it, they will realize the so-called leader of their party is a criminal and lifelong one at that.
I agree with everything, and he is still presumed innocent until proven guilty. I believe the Dominion lawsuit will have more impact, because the judge in that case will possibly require Fox News to tell their viewers the truth, which many will see for the first time. Just like the tobacco lawsuits years ago, it changed the attitudes of most Americans about the dangers of smoking, although millions still smoke, but it would influence a great many of the deniers to see the light, and hopefully put an end to this insanity.
Let it be so!
Thanks very much, Steven, for this insightful analysis! I agree with all that you have said here....and especially Item 12. If not for this, Trump would just be an anomaly on the fringe. We must find out why he and his message resonate so deeply with millions of Americans and make the necessary changes. Otherwise, he will just be the first of many that tap into that ugly dysfunction. We are already seeing his imitators and followers stepping up. I wish I knew what the cure was. Thanks again, Steven