In
today’s Senate hearing, it seemed somebody’s girdle was a bit too tight, and it wasn’t the
woman asking the questions.
Enraged
at the uppity woman’s tone in questioning Trump’s Attorney
General and de-facto personal defense lawyer William Barr, Lindsey "Huckleberry”
Graham clutched his pearls and jumped to Barr's defense saying, "Listen, you've slandered this
man."
Democratic Senator
Mazie Hirono of Hawaii responded, "I do not think that I'm slandering
anyone. Mr. Chairman, I am done. Thank you very much."
"You
have slandered this man from top to bottom," Graham squealed. "So if
you want more of this, you're not going to get it. If you want to ask him
questions, you can."
So what outrageous lie and affront to decency snapped Lindsey's garter?
After
Barr weaseled out of answering her questions, Senator Hirono mentioned the
unspeakable truth:
"Mr.
Barr, now the American people know that you are no different from
Rudy Giuliani or Kellyanne Conway or any of the other people who sacrificed
their once decent reputation for the grifter and liar who sits in the
Oval Office... You lied to Congress... But now we know more about
your deep involvement and trying to cover up for Donald Trump. Being
attorney general of the United States is a sacred trust. You have
betrayed that trust. America deserves better. You should
resign."
Indeed,
authoritarian tyrants leave a long trail of "people who sacrificed
their once decent reputation".
Former
FBI Director James Comey has been there, and has seen into the moral abyss now
defiling the White House. In his recent New York Times piece he explains "How Trump
Co-opts Leaders Like Bill Barr".
It
starts with your sitting silent while he lies, both in public and private,
making you complicit by your silence. In meetings with him, his assertions
about what “everyone thinks” and what is “obviously true” wash over you,
unchallenged, as they did at our private dinner on Jan. 27, 2017, because he’s
the president and he rarely stops talking. As a result, Mr. Trump pulls all of
those present into a silent circle of assent.
...From
the private circle of assent, it moves to public displays of personal fealty at
places like cabinet meetings. While the entire world is watching, you do what
everyone else around the table does — you talk about how amazing the leader is
and what an honor it is to be associated with him.
...Next
comes Mr. Trump attacking institutions and values you hold dear — things you
have always said must be protected and which you criticized past leaders for
not supporting strongly enough. Yet you are silent. Because, after all, what
are you supposed to say? He’s the president of the United States.
...Of
course, to stay, you must be seen as on his team, so you make further
compromises. You use his language, praise his leadership, tout his commitment
to values.
And
then you are lost. He has eaten your soul.
History corroborates Comey, and shows how authoritarian leaders have long exploited passive followers. This is the same way "good Germans" became obedient Nazis. This is how the "Party of Values" drank the koolade to become the Party of Trump, and how "good Christians" praise a pathological liar and racist criminal "sent by Jesus".
Barr
has lied to congress. He and the Big MAGAt are both criminals and should be
impeached and convicted. The entire Republican Party is guilty of covering up
for criminals, violating their oaths of office, and betraying our Constitution.
They are eating our nation’s soul.
Posts
15 comments:
For anything said in that hearing to be slander, it has to be demonstrably false. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to watch the hearing yet... but surely Mr. Graham took his time as the chair of the committee to go point by point with the slanderous claims and prove they were falsehoods. Surely. Right?
"The entire Republican Party is guilty of covering up for criminals, violating their oaths of office, and betraying our Constitution." - DD
Surely not the entire Republican Party. Just the corrupt ones afraid of Trump airing their dirty laundry. It just seems to be a large number of them. Thank you "conservatives" more concerned with the "Conservative Movement" rather than "Conservative Values" for providing our President with the base that enboldens him.
Excellent job Dave. The last two to three paragraphs sum it up perfectly. They have taken the soul of this Nation, for sure. Will we ever get it back and how long will it take? If one only knew.
TB3,
Perhaps I am exaggerating a bit by including the "entire Republican Party".
Elected or appointed individuals who stand with Dems for impeachment, and charges of obstruction of justice, and charges of violating campaign finance laws can be excused. I would include any Republican who challenges his fitness for office and renounces support for his presidency and his administration.
Shall we start a list when they appear?
Tim,
Hope for the nation's soul begins with our efforts towards:
!. Burying white nationalism, racism, and bigotry in the past.
2. Establishing public healthcare, expanding public education, along with promoting other Constitutional provisions for the general welfare.
3. Ending corporate person-hood in elections and government.
4. Reducing corporatism through Constitutional taxation of wealth and Constitutional regulation of commerce.
5. Restoring labor rights and collective bargaining, while instituting fair regular minimum wage increases.
6. Restoring democracy by fair elections and expanded guaranteed voter rights for citizens, allowing consent of the governed to the people of a democratic representative republic.
7. Ending permanent war.
That should keep us busy for a while.
"Surely not the entire Republican Party. Just the corrupt ones afraid of Trump airing their dirty laundry. It just seems to be a large number of them." ~~ TB3
I belive it is a large number of them. The cover they're providing for the dictator-to-be Trump would indicate it's the entire party.
Another way to look at this is to ask which Republicans have spoken out against the obscene and obstructionist Trump, and particularly after yesterday's hearing, his "personal attorney".
From my perspective there have been none.
"...surely Mr. Graham took his time as the chair of the committee to go point by point with the slanderous claims and prove they were falsehoods. Surely. Right?" ~~ TB3
LOL Yes, of course. ;-)
Senator Graham was also very articulate when he responded to a question afterwards about getting Robert Mueller into committee for a similar hearing.
LOL
"History corroborates Comey, and shows how authoritarian leaders have long exploited passive followers. This is the same way 'good Germans' became obedient Nazis. This is how the 'Party of Values' drank the koolade to become the Party of Trump, and how 'good Christians' praise a pathological liar and racist criminal 'sent by Jesus'." ~~ Dave Dubya
As I've mentioned on a couple of occasions, I always questioned how a civilized and educated people like the German republic could ever be overtaken by an authoritarian hate-monger like Adolf Hitler. It took until late in life to have that answered for me...
It doesn't take everybody -- only a sizable portion.
Now my question is, is there a way to abort the madness before it becomes all-encompassing and totally consuming of all of society's norms and its constitutional guardrails?
The Constitution is still standing, but for how long without its oath-holders' support?
"Now my question is, is there a way to abort the madness before it becomes all-encompassing and totally consuming of all of society's norms and its constitutional guardrails?"
Unless it becomes a priority to defeat the Republican authoritarians, we will be doomed.
Impeaching Trump AND voting him out so he can be charged for his crimes would be a good start.
But the only path away from the Big MAGAt's "total exoneration" requires actually impeaching him, and voting for the Democrat to defeat him...
Somehow principles and politics seem to get in the way of our only Constitutional remedies.
If that's how it's going down, we may as well enjoy the freak show and take the express ride to neo-fascism.
I will resist this of course, but the older I get, the less I care. Since I never had kids, I haven't condemned any offspring or grandchildren to the New Trump Order of MAGAt Nation.
Dave, busy we will be. Hopefully Props 2 and 3 will be a good start to restoring voting rights.
Tim,
Yes, the more democracy, the better. The enemies of democracy are powerful, and are still winning their war on may fronts.
"Hopefully Props 2 and 3 will be a good start to restoring voting rights." ~~ U.P. Tim
Tim, are these the two proposals subtitled "Voters not Politicians" and "Promote the Vote"?
Your state has been so gerrymandered by the corrupt and anti-democratic Republicans that the voting districts look like a bowl of spaghetti.
Another front in which we fight:
"Mester and his colleagues believe their plight is intrinsically linked to Boeing’s attempts to stifle unionization of the workforce in its important South Carolina operations – a workplace that has become an important battleground for both America’s labor movement and the aircraft giant. ~~ The Guardian, 'It's because we were union members: Boeing fires worker who organized', by Michael Sanato, May 3, 2019
Republicans and corpo-America, both enemies of democracy.
JG,
Yes, Democracy won a few much needed victories in Michigan in 2018.
But the Right's war on democracy still seized the legislature:
Dem candidates received a total of 2,092,164 votes in the 2018 midterm. Republicans received 1,917,150 votes — an advantage of about 175,000 for Democratic candidates.
Still, Republicans will hold a 58-52 majority in the State House during the next term.
In the State Senate, a preliminary count found Democrats received 2,062,494 votes while Republicans received 1,945,209 — an advantage of about 117,300 for Dems. Still, the GOP will hold a 22-16 majority next term.
The victories were for the governor and the ballot proposals.
All Three Statewide Ballot Proposals Win Voter Approval
Michigan Voters have passed all three of ballot measures placed before them. Proposal 1 legalizes recreational marijuana, Proposal 2 is the “Voters Not Politicians” measure that will implement plans to end gerrymandering. And, the “Promote the Vote” Proposal 3 aims to increase voter access and limit voter suppression.
Proposal 1: A lot of work still needs to be done before the system to legally sell marijuana is fully in place. A state licensing system for businesses wishing to sell product will need to be fully developed and implemented. Ultimately, those who are at least 21-years of age will be able to buy and possess marijuana and marijuana-infused edibles. For those who so choose, the law will allow for growing up to 12-plants for personal consumption. Several current criminal laws regarding marijuana will be reduced to civil infractions. In addition to the 6% sales tax in Michigan, there will be a 10% retail tax for marijuana.
Proposal 2: Every 10-years, legislative district lines are re-drawn based on census count and changes in population. Deciding how those lines are drawn has fallen to the controlling party in the state legislature. The “Voters Not Politicians” ballot measure takes that responsibility out of the hands of elected lawmakers and puts it in the hands of a citizens committee. The Secretary of State will be charged with creating a 13-person committee, consisting of randomly-selected, registered voters. There will be two Democrats, two Republicans and five appointees who do not affiliate with either major party. Together, they’ll be responsible for redistricting in a manner that best reflects the state’s diverse population without providing either major party a distinct voting advantage.
Proposal 3: The manner in which Michigan residents vote will have more options, moving forward. That was the idea behind the “Promote the Vote” ballot proposal pushed, primarily, by the American Civil Liberties Union. It amends the state constitution and enacts a number of changes. Qualified individuals will be automatically registered to vote when applying for or renewing a driver’s license or State identification. It allows residents to register and obtain a ballot within the two-week period before an election, up to and including election day. There will be no-reason absentee voting. And, straight-ticket voting will be restored as an option.
Dave and Tim, best of luck with those proposals in defense of democracy.
As the right continues to exert its power to facilitate the expansion of fascism in America, democracy's only hope is to resist...and to resist some more.
Keep up your good work in Michigan.
I believe what you wrote was actually very logical.
However, what about this? suppose you were to write a killer headline?
I mean, I don't want to tell you how to run your website, however what if you
added a headline that makes people want more?
I mean "Sacrifice Of Souls" is kinda plain. You ought to glance at Yahoo's front
page and note how they create article headlines to get viewers to
click. You might try adding a video or a related picture or two to
grab readers excited about what you've got to say.
Just my opinion, it could make your blog a little livelier.
Anonymous,
Thanks for the tip. This post has attracted more spam than any other.
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