Tonight at 8 PM Eastern, I’ll join Joyce Vance, the author of the Civil Discourse newsletter, for a live conversation about the intersection of law and politics and the 2024 election.
Why is the DOJ silent on the violent rhetoric and stirring of hatred coming from Trump? They need to get ahead of it and make it clear that violence won’t be tolerated and explain what is unlawful (intimidating poll workers and voters, etc. ) and the penalties so we can minimize potential unrest when Trump loses. It might not get through to everyone but they should lay it out and try to help minimize the battle Trump is trying to create.
A second question is, is there any legitimate way to force his hand to stop lying? Why is it that freedom of speech allows this kind of disinformation and deception? And then why does the GOP complain when actual truth and fact is offered to dispel the falsehoods, but they offer no accountability for not calling out the lies?
It's not a crime to tell lies. If it was, can you imagine how many people would be in jail in the United States? I told my boss I was sick and couldn't come to work that day and he finds out I was lying and really just needed a mental health day, so he calls the cops and has me arrested for lying to him. That would be a very slippery slope. Freedom of speech means freedom of speech even if we don't like the things that are being said. Plus, many things that Trump says are usually 99.9% lies but there's usually a kernel of truth in there or it can be twisted into something that is so confusing you don't even know what the truth is anymore. That's how he can get millions of people to believe what he says even though they saw something entirely different with their own two eyes. (e g. his audience believes there were 50,000 people standing outside the arena waiting to get into his rally even though they walked right in and not a single soul was waiting outside, let alone 50,000. The audience will say Trump is telling the truth and everyone else is lying.) That's how free democratic societies actively participate in their own fascistic takeovers, like what happened in Germany.
PS The GOP is complicit in the fascist takeover. They know the truth, but they will not show dissent out of fear, self-preservation, or greed for power. If someone tells a lie long enough it eventually becomes the truth.
Merrick Garland is more worried about looking partisan by the people who are tearing apart our entire government from the inside. He stays silent as we watch the country turn into a fascist regime every single day. He waited too long to investigate and criminally charge Trump and the rest of the higher ups in the MAGA Party and wasted years jamming up our criminal courts filing useless trespassing misdemeanors against mindless peons. It's the equivalency of arresting every single street drug dealer and then pretending the kingpins don't even exist. Isn't it the primary goal of law enforcement to take down the heads of these organizations? Why is the MAGA Party any different?
He needs to read Dr. Timothy Snyder's books, starting with "On Tyranny". I wish there was a way to make him a sine qua non for legislators - - as a matter of fact, make everyone who works in gummint at Foggy Bottom sign up.
The GOP and MAGA already know it's illegal; they just don't care. They push democratic norms and laws to the absolute limit in order to gain power. Just a few years ago, or even a few months ago half the things they do would be absolutely unthinkable and unacceptable but now it's just another day. They continue to act extreme and do/say outrageous things to completely overwhelm society so they just give up fighting against it. They also don't feel any shame or guilt for the way they act and will continue to do anything and everything they can in order to take complete control over those they claim are "the enemy." They claim that engaging in violence and breaking the law is required in order to prevent fraud, stop immigrants from "invading" the country, or whatever other excuse of the day they come up with as a justification for their behavior. It'll only get worse and worse, never better unless large majorities of the country take long and sustained action to stop them. Unfortunately people are acting like Trump and MAGA is just joking around and won't actually follow through with what he says he wants to do.
This is what Bannon meant when he referred to “flooding the zone.” Throw so much shit at the windows that the window cleaners can’t keep up. Merrick Garland isn’t even trying. I’m wondering if Garland is, in fact, alive.
Can either of you two brilliant people tell us why Elon Musk is permitted to give so freaking much money to Trump's PACs and to the Trump campaign itself without violating the law against this behavior by federal contractors?
Thanks to our lovely Supreme Court ruling in favor of Citizens United, which means there is no limit to the monetary donations given to a Political Action Committee (PAC). He can't actually give that much money to the Trump/Vance campaign itself, but they get around that by donating to the PAC or Super PAC, which is essentially another branch of the politicians campaign. Once the conservative justices made that ruling it opened the floodgates for corruption in politics. It also prevented an equal playing field for anyone wanting to run for political office. Now if you're rich enough you can just fund your own campaign by "loaning" yourself money and drown out your opponent who is depending on grassroots donations. Add the unfair gerrymandering of local districts to the mix and you have a completely unbalanced race, especially in local and state congressional elections.
Trump says Harris' hay fever is "a very messy & dangerous situation”, but won't release his medical records. Not to worry about his dementia, incontinence, & depravity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji2Z1B2MdMw
Ah yes, first it starts with a cold. Harris has a runny nose followed by a sneezing fit. The next thing you know we're in the middle of World War III, the national debt has quadrupled, and President Xi is throwing slumber parties with Putin and Kim Jong Un in Abraham Lincoln's bedroom at the White House.
1. Are Democrats, and the Courts, adequately prepared to fight, argue, hear and rule on all the lawsuits that Republicans are currently preparing for the purpose of overturning an election win by Harris/Walz?
2. When can we hope to know a final result of the election, given all of the legal wrangling that is bound to happen?
I’d like a frank answer why Trump was allowed to do so many unethical things as president. His unchecked behavior opened the floodgates for a baseless society to run rampant with a new found belief that their display racism and hatred was now acceptable. Now we have to fight like hell to get back to a kind of decorum that we used to deem normal.
I also want to understand why the justice system takes so long to prosecute a man that if he were poor or a person of color, or especially a black man, he would have been in jail many times over for all he’s done.
One last thing, is it possible to actually send a former president to prison? It hasn’t been done and because it’ll set a new precedent, I fear the justice system is reluctant to do it.
If an average American citizen did any of the stuff Trump is getting away with, we would be in prison and the guards would throw away the 🔑 key!💩💩💩💩💩🤬🤬🤬 It's high time that celebrities and the wealthy get the same treatment!!!
Oh, and last thing— why isn’t white collar crime prosecuted at the rate of drug possession and traffic violations? It definitely happens more often than both of those. We all know it.
I have another question regarding the Kavanaugh article you just wrote. Since the investigation was done under direction of the Trump administration, it already seems flawed. What legal paths exist to oust a wrongly elected or placed Supreme Court judge from a lifelong position? Are there not any ways to get rid of a corrupt judge? If so, why has it been made so difficult? (i.e. Clarence Thomas)
There is little mention in public discourse about former President Trump’s impeachment or the crimes he committed. Rather, there is more talk about polls, swing states, and political differences. While anyone else would be incarcerated and completely out of public view, the former president enjoys moving around, hurdling insults before large crowds, and even threatening to eliminate opposing government officials and politicians if he is elected. In plain terms, please explain why all of this possible while anyone else would be in jail.
The key issue seems to be what I proposed yesterday evening: what are the various states doing to assure that state boards of electors do not create a condition where they proclaim voting problems, reasons to toss our votes, and the need for Congress to determine who wins the next election RATHER THAN WE THE PEOPLE.
Similar to what's been written: why, for instance, has North Carolinian William Jacob Parsons been arrested for threatening FEMA, yet a presidential candidate can evade the same charge after threatening to use the U.S. military against Americans he deems radical? I get that this comes off as a "suggestion" rather than the threat associated with Parsons, but this is straight out of Trump's playbook: walking the fine line of judicial wrongdoing and battling it out in court. How does the DOJ handle these "boy who cried wolf" scenarios that, once ignored, have the potential for a Jan 6 replay? Thank you; I will tune in tonight.
Can you direct me to a summarized version of Project 2025? I am still encountering people who say they’ve never heard of it and I want to share it with them, but not the full 900 pages. Thank you!
Joyce was kind enough to offer me free access to the site, but it requires my tapping a device which I don't have. It is almost 7 PM out here already anyway, but I cannot accept her offer - unless there is an alternative way to key in next time. I do have an interesting story about the Rob Roberson execution outcome that Abe of DPA went through the other night. Is his case one of the items you had on the table?
Will you record this conversation so we can access at another time?
There will be a transcript! We would post the video but it's not possible due to Joyce's obligations as a TV commentator.
Great, where/how will we find it?
I am fine with reading the text. Thanks.
How will we access the transcript?
Please repost the video
I hope so. It starts at 3am where I am 😵💫
Where I am too. Not watching anything on my phone at 3 am or any other time. So app meetings are beyond me.
Me too!
I WOULD APPRECIATE GETTING A TRANSCRIPT.
Why is the DOJ silent on the violent rhetoric and stirring of hatred coming from Trump? They need to get ahead of it and make it clear that violence won’t be tolerated and explain what is unlawful (intimidating poll workers and voters, etc. ) and the penalties so we can minimize potential unrest when Trump loses. It might not get through to everyone but they should lay it out and try to help minimize the battle Trump is trying to create.
A second question is, is there any legitimate way to force his hand to stop lying? Why is it that freedom of speech allows this kind of disinformation and deception? And then why does the GOP complain when actual truth and fact is offered to dispel the falsehoods, but they offer no accountability for not calling out the lies?
It's not a crime to tell lies. If it was, can you imagine how many people would be in jail in the United States? I told my boss I was sick and couldn't come to work that day and he finds out I was lying and really just needed a mental health day, so he calls the cops and has me arrested for lying to him. That would be a very slippery slope. Freedom of speech means freedom of speech even if we don't like the things that are being said. Plus, many things that Trump says are usually 99.9% lies but there's usually a kernel of truth in there or it can be twisted into something that is so confusing you don't even know what the truth is anymore. That's how he can get millions of people to believe what he says even though they saw something entirely different with their own two eyes. (e g. his audience believes there were 50,000 people standing outside the arena waiting to get into his rally even though they walked right in and not a single soul was waiting outside, let alone 50,000. The audience will say Trump is telling the truth and everyone else is lying.) That's how free democratic societies actively participate in their own fascistic takeovers, like what happened in Germany.
PS The GOP is complicit in the fascist takeover. They know the truth, but they will not show dissent out of fear, self-preservation, or greed for power. If someone tells a lie long enough it eventually becomes the truth.
Merrick Garland is more worried about looking partisan by the people who are tearing apart our entire government from the inside. He stays silent as we watch the country turn into a fascist regime every single day. He waited too long to investigate and criminally charge Trump and the rest of the higher ups in the MAGA Party and wasted years jamming up our criminal courts filing useless trespassing misdemeanors against mindless peons. It's the equivalency of arresting every single street drug dealer and then pretending the kingpins don't even exist. Isn't it the primary goal of law enforcement to take down the heads of these organizations? Why is the MAGA Party any different?
He needs to read Dr. Timothy Snyder's books, starting with "On Tyranny". I wish there was a way to make him a sine qua non for legislators - - as a matter of fact, make everyone who works in gummint at Foggy Bottom sign up.
The GOP and MAGA already know it's illegal; they just don't care. They push democratic norms and laws to the absolute limit in order to gain power. Just a few years ago, or even a few months ago half the things they do would be absolutely unthinkable and unacceptable but now it's just another day. They continue to act extreme and do/say outrageous things to completely overwhelm society so they just give up fighting against it. They also don't feel any shame or guilt for the way they act and will continue to do anything and everything they can in order to take complete control over those they claim are "the enemy." They claim that engaging in violence and breaking the law is required in order to prevent fraud, stop immigrants from "invading" the country, or whatever other excuse of the day they come up with as a justification for their behavior. It'll only get worse and worse, never better unless large majorities of the country take long and sustained action to stop them. Unfortunately people are acting like Trump and MAGA is just joking around and won't actually follow through with what he says he wants to do.
This is what Bannon meant when he referred to “flooding the zone.” Throw so much shit at the windows that the window cleaners can’t keep up. Merrick Garland isn’t even trying. I’m wondering if Garland is, in fact, alive.
Can either of you two brilliant people tell us why Elon Musk is permitted to give so freaking much money to Trump's PACs and to the Trump campaign itself without violating the law against this behavior by federal contractors?
Citizen’s United.
Good question 🤔
Thanks to our lovely Supreme Court ruling in favor of Citizens United, which means there is no limit to the monetary donations given to a Political Action Committee (PAC). He can't actually give that much money to the Trump/Vance campaign itself, but they get around that by donating to the PAC or Super PAC, which is essentially another branch of the politicians campaign. Once the conservative justices made that ruling it opened the floodgates for corruption in politics. It also prevented an equal playing field for anyone wanting to run for political office. Now if you're rich enough you can just fund your own campaign by "loaning" yourself money and drown out your opponent who is depending on grassroots donations. Add the unfair gerrymandering of local districts to the mix and you have a completely unbalanced race, especially in local and state congressional elections.
Trump says Harris' hay fever is "a very messy & dangerous situation”, but won't release his medical records. Not to worry about his dementia, incontinence, & depravity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji2Z1B2MdMw
Trump's top general calls Trump "a fascist to the core...the most dangerous person to this country” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJy155VKcN8. Meidas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hWHj5KwGlw Bulwark
Ah yes, first it starts with a cold. Harris has a runny nose followed by a sneezing fit. The next thing you know we're in the middle of World War III, the national debt has quadrupled, and President Xi is throwing slumber parties with Putin and Kim Jong Un in Abraham Lincoln's bedroom at the White House.
For your conversation with Joyce Vance:
1. Are Democrats, and the Courts, adequately prepared to fight, argue, hear and rule on all the lawsuits that Republicans are currently preparing for the purpose of overturning an election win by Harris/Walz?
2. When can we hope to know a final result of the election, given all of the legal wrangling that is bound to happen?
I’d like a frank answer why Trump was allowed to do so many unethical things as president. His unchecked behavior opened the floodgates for a baseless society to run rampant with a new found belief that their display racism and hatred was now acceptable. Now we have to fight like hell to get back to a kind of decorum that we used to deem normal.
I also want to understand why the justice system takes so long to prosecute a man that if he were poor or a person of color, or especially a black man, he would have been in jail many times over for all he’s done.
One last thing, is it possible to actually send a former president to prison? It hasn’t been done and because it’ll set a new precedent, I fear the justice system is reluctant to do it.
If an average American citizen did any of the stuff Trump is getting away with, we would be in prison and the guards would throw away the 🔑 key!💩💩💩💩💩🤬🤬🤬 It's high time that celebrities and the wealthy get the same treatment!!!
Oh, and last thing— why isn’t white collar crime prosecuted at the rate of drug possession and traffic violations? It definitely happens more often than both of those. We all know it.
Thought convicted felons were not able to vote.
He has not been sentenced. Every state has its own laws.
I have another question regarding the Kavanaugh article you just wrote. Since the investigation was done under direction of the Trump administration, it already seems flawed. What legal paths exist to oust a wrongly elected or placed Supreme Court judge from a lifelong position? Are there not any ways to get rid of a corrupt judge? If so, why has it been made so difficult? (i.e. Clarence Thomas)
There is little mention in public discourse about former President Trump’s impeachment or the crimes he committed. Rather, there is more talk about polls, swing states, and political differences. While anyone else would be incarcerated and completely out of public view, the former president enjoys moving around, hurdling insults before large crowds, and even threatening to eliminate opposing government officials and politicians if he is elected. In plain terms, please explain why all of this possible while anyone else would be in jail.
Thank you
👏👏👏💯💯💯💯
The key issue seems to be what I proposed yesterday evening: what are the various states doing to assure that state boards of electors do not create a condition where they proclaim voting problems, reasons to toss our votes, and the need for Congress to determine who wins the next election RATHER THAN WE THE PEOPLE.
Similar to what's been written: why, for instance, has North Carolinian William Jacob Parsons been arrested for threatening FEMA, yet a presidential candidate can evade the same charge after threatening to use the U.S. military against Americans he deems radical? I get that this comes off as a "suggestion" rather than the threat associated with Parsons, but this is straight out of Trump's playbook: walking the fine line of judicial wrongdoing and battling it out in court. How does the DOJ handle these "boy who cried wolf" scenarios that, once ignored, have the potential for a Jan 6 replay? Thank you; I will tune in tonight.
What happens if Trump wins? What happens if he does not?
Can you direct me to a summarized version of Project 2025? I am still encountering people who say they’ve never heard of it and I want to share it with them, but not the full 900 pages. Thank you!
Check YouTube for Molly Jong Fast did numerous videos citing sections of project 2025. Also David Pepper writes a fictionalization of numerous chapters on his Substack and there is a podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trumps-project-2025-up-close-and-personal/id1764130544?i=1000673227690
Thank you!
couldn't figure out how to get on. It is 8 pm now here, so I know you are in the arms of Orpheus.
Joyce was kind enough to offer me free access to the site, but it requires my tapping a device which I don't have. It is almost 7 PM out here already anyway, but I cannot accept her offer - unless there is an alternative way to key in next time. I do have an interesting story about the Rob Roberson execution outcome that Abe of DPA went through the other night. Is his case one of the items you had on the table?
I accepted your invitation but found I have to download the app. Is there another way to access the discussion going on right now? Thank you!