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The Republican Party, in all its iterations, has worked diligently for decades to destroy democracy. It began when Nixon was pardoned rather than prosecuted. Reading through Thom’s excellent recounting of the many violations of Constitutional law, we witness the partisan influences of one political party that has progressively reshaped our institutional landscape.

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The “new-New-Left,” as you put it, is a threat only to the old Left who still roam the halls of Congress. The Squad is representative of America’s youth, and the democracy they hope to regain. Too much pragmatism is what put us into this 19th century dystopia in the first place.

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Sorry. Bailed out of hashtag hell.

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I'm sorry, but I have to tell you, I barely understand what you say, thanks for the effort. I feel like Chauncey Gardener in "Being There:" "I just like to watch." :):)

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The future belongs to those who are willing to fight the problems of the future. The middle is status quo. The safest space. Nothing terribly conservative and nothing that will rock the boat.

The boat needs rocking, and a healthy fire in the belly is necessary in order to attack the obvious deficiencies and find answers to very significant challenges going forward.

I understand your reasoning, Robert. But it has no teeth. It simply isn’t moving us forward.

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It doesn’t matter what they need to hear. They’re not interested in listening, analyzing, or reversing any part of their belief systems. I think that collective IQ has been correctly assessed.

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I didn’t know the St Petersburg troll farm used ChatGPT.

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Jimmy Hightower used to hold to it that getting Democrats lined up was like "loading frogs in a wheelbarrow." "Omne Vetus Novum Est Iterum." I would be very interested in the Atlantic take on the situation, but they are pay-blocked, and I just looked at my credit card statement, damn. All those hash-tags, I don't really know what they are. Why the hell is somebody who doesn't hate America spelling it Amerika? (my bullying spell-checker tried to correct to the c - hah! caught you!) The spelling does make me suspicious of where you are coming from.

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I really hope the six bought and paid for read the friends of the court briefs submitted by the 25 historians, the 6 historians (this group includes Dr. Timothy Snyder and Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat both of whom have SubStack newsletters), BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE J. MICHAEL LUTTIG, and BRIEF OF CAPITOL POLICE OFFICERS PRESENT AT THE U.S. CAPITOL ON JANUARY 6, 2021, AS AMICI CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENTS.

They are all ironclad for disqualification. Trashes the falsehood that Congress determines if tRump is qualified under Section 3. Trashes the falsehood that Section 3 is not self enforcing. Trashes the falsehood that tRump had 1st Amendment protection. Trashes the falsehood that it wasn’t insurrection.

Any decision or opinion from any of the six in favor of tRump, no matter how they write it, will be a blatant misinterpretation of the Constitution and far worse and much more obviously political than Bush v. Gore.

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Correct.

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Bingo! You've finally figured out that Trump and the GOP are trolls for Putin.... Gullible Party Of Putin... GPOP

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Yeah, so is anyone who questions NATO and our involvement in Ukraine or anything else in favor of peace and humanity: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pelosi-urges-fbi-probe-gaza-ceasefire-protests-us-suggests-russia-links-2024-01-28/

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True to form and on time. Putin's spokeman on the Hartmann report chimes in with his daily.

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Missed the Mueller Report and prosecutions?

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I remember this decision in 2000.

I was 49 yo and furious, by this obviously crooked dealing. It was a totally biased and “ Blind to Justice” ruling of the alleged ‘ Justices’ and Bush’s legal team .

My view of the Court since that time , has been always apprehensive.

If people appointed by the real fake president, and the Republicans who have established themselves as the ‘highest bidders’ have continually been accepted with all of their insolent refusals to recuse( Clarence Thomas , again) . As Justice??

Clearly not true.

Unfortunately the victimhood that Trump cloaks himself in is a joke.

Democrats have truly been brutalized by this corrupt system . The response has been subdued by inevitability of the system of “ bought and paid for” by Republicans, but it should not be accepted any more . Being the party of “reasonable “, has not served us well. I’m not looking for the absolute ignorant audacity of Gov Abbotts responses to orders he doesn’t like and plans to ignore.

But I do think it’s past time to come up with something akin to audacity in Democrats.

We need to stop these destructive people.

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Very parallel experience. Suddenly the drumbeat of "StatesRightsStatesRights" was, well, no, who ever thought Florida's Supreme Court might have the last word on Florida's vote count? As a retired Public Defender, Thomas's "insolent" (good word) refusal to recuse is nauseating.

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What a question. A Supreme court with six right wing justices, three appointed by Trump.

The conclusion is foregone, especially when the fascist court has ignored law and precedent like Voting Rights and Roe.

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It looks like the Supreme Court of the United States is poised to take away states rights with regards to voting and the Constitution and to allow a criminal insurrectionist to run for public office anytime that person wants. If that's the case it's a terrible decision. It's another Bush versus Gorge decision that's going to run the country into the ground and into a religious dictatorship.

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I remember how I was in rigid stance, waiting for Gore and the Democratic Party to strongly contest this insult to American jurisprudence, an insult that was purely plain to publicly see; I sat down, collapsed, completely dispirited, when I saw Gore and Democratic company concede without even a reactive whimper. Democrats, true to form, posturing sanctimonious, chin-high virtue in their victimhood, stepped aside, and afterwards said incongruently little about this feral attack on legal integrity. Their postured offering for excuse was, of course, the hallowed passing of the baton, even when political malfeasance and mendacity were clompingly afoot. Republicans have never and will not ever take that abstract, bumpus highroad; if the Democratic Party continues to do so--even when almost nobody at this stage of the game can claim ken to that pious crap, they will hand America over again, this time to assured fascism. Recommend sending knives to all Democratic reps, and remind them they are in the knife fight of our lives. Not to the old fossils, though, they don't know how to fight this fight, or have $ reasons to posture pure and sit it out.

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Germany and Italian went full throat fascist, because the people didn't fight back, the fighters were isolated and lacked public support, like the students of the White Rose Societ.

Democrats don't fight, they whine and parade with signs, and their weakness is epitomized by Michaelle Obama "When they go low we go high" The rationalization of a loser. (Apologies to the fans of the Obama's, The man had four years and did nothingto advance the civil and legal rights of minorities, except to instruct, at Biden's urging, the DOJ not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act.

I am open to other examples.

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Spain, El Caudillo Francisco Franco. Not much different than another litany of them, Trujillo. Peron. Somoza etc.

Fidel Castro although supposedly communist, had more in common with Franco than Lenin.

Franco put communists, monarchists, republicans, socialists, Protestants, Masons, etc in concentration camps.

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Yep, I know that, Thanks Daniel. I thought about including Franco.

I don't believe that Castro was a commie from the gitgo, he was forced into his relationship with the USSR because the American mafia and their Batista allies in Miami, immediately sanctioned and embargoed Cuba.

By the way, in my years in Panama, i would attend embassy and rep parties., not the official ones but the ones held by employees.

On one roof top party, always almost roof tips in the evening when it was cool, while talking with this Swedish gal from the Swedish embassy, a Panamanian joined the conversation.

He was employed in the free port of Colon. Colon is a city and port on the Atlantic side, Panama city is on the Pacific side.

He told us that he was Cuban and his job was to fulfill orders from Havana, see that they are properly packed and shipped in a container.

The Cuban elite, wanted for nothing, because of the free port, and a lot of sanctioned goods, and medicines got to Havana through the free port including auto parts.

Cuban streets are full of "classic cars" but only on the outside, lift the hood, check he suspension the drive chain, and you find parts machined in Cuba and parts manufactured in Japan.. A Mitsubishi Engine in a 1955 Chevy.

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Agreed, sadly. I started my efforts to ensure that a vote count is transparent, verifiable and verified as a result of this court disaster. Would we have had the disasterous Iraq/Afghanistan wars if the court had decided on the merits? Would we be seeing the results of climate change in real time? Would women and others be losing their rights? Would environmental protections be rolled back? It's such a tragedy that we are in this mess, and that the Democrats haven't done more to protect our elections. They tried at the federal level but failed due to Manchin. But at the state level, like my state New York, they keep repeating the mantra "our elections are the best ever and safe and you can believe in them", which would only be true if they made the needed reforms to election law.

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I wonder how SCOTUS will decide THIS election.

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The court will grant Trump's appeal. He will not be kept off of the ballot, mainly because he has not been convicted of "insurrection" per se. Not that the white-wing court needs a legal excuse, but that is one and will be paramount in their decision. Those who want to put forth their feelings, thoughts and opinions on January 6, 2021, have never litigated a case and have no clue as to how brutal the courtroom is...let alone a corrupt and biased one. Trump remains on the ballot and, just to exhibit my supreme confidence in this regard, I will never write another column, I will drink muddy water and sleep in a hollow log, I will eat shit and bark at the moon if his appeal is denied.

Consider that a public pronouncement.

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Okay, then, has Trump given aid and comfort to insurrectionists? What constitutes this: being convicted of having given aid and comfort to insurrectionists?

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You tell me, it's your system.

"Aid and comfort to enemies" is a slippery slope, mate. Why? Because 'enemies" (especially in this matter) is, sans partisanism, subjective. Which is why the argument was not proffered.

I call balls and strikes, sister.

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You substitute " enemies" for "insurrectionists." I humbly submit response to "Angie" above re: "insurrectionists."

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You might be interested in this order Jan 4, 2021 from Prs. Trump's selected "acting" Sect. of Defense, anticipatorily hamstringing the National Guard from response to KNOWN impending invasion https://twitter.com/lukebroadwater/status/1354836817925832705?lang=en Maybe you missed the part where Trump was informed, during the gathering on the Mall, that there were a lot of people hanging around outside of the viewing area because they were armed and couldn't get thru the metal detectors, and he said, take down the security detectors! Let them in! These are my people! Then there's the delay while he gloats watching the carnage and vandalism on TV, when a string of family and staff are begging him to call off the dogs, (knowing he is the one who can call it off) and it finally takes many "takes" for him to give the stand-down order to his barbarian horde, because he really doesn't want to. (this is after he sikked them on to kill Mike Pence along the way...) And when he finally gives the order, his troops obey and go home. These are all known, documented and testified under oath events. Colorado held a 6-day evidentiary hearing with Trump's defense given full opportunity to be heard, (AKA "due process") which resulted in a finding of fact that Trump committed "insurrection."

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Right for all the wrong reasons.

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Chiming in late, per usual, I think you nailed the main point, so don't sign up for "Naked and Afraid" just yet.

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Born naked.

Born afraid.

I now wear clothes (most times).

No fear. Jettisoned long ago when I realized the purpose of my life on this earth is to prepare to leave it.

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You do get that's a TV show, right? Yuck, but somebody watched "Honey BooBoo" and we expect what level of civilization in America?

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The supreme court acts in accord with its majority despite the law. I too will be willing to be surprised in the present majority in following the law rather than their open political desires. The fact is the role of the supreme court in these matters is no role. State officers determine candidacy legal rights and the ONLY appeal is the senate as a court to vote on pardon. Nothing else matters even the supreme court.

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In aftermath of arguments coverage, I note that 6-day evidentiary hearing and fact-finding of lower court seems to have been blown-off, which to me flies in the face of what "appellate" is supposed to mean. It's not, fundamentally, supposed to be about re-interpreting, or speculating, or dissing-off, the fact-finding based on due process (which there was in Colorado). So the great champions of "States Rights" are absolutely selecting the rights of States to oppress fertile females, but not so much to manage Constitutional elections.

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If oral "arguments" are any indication, this will be far, far worse than Bush v Gore. The 3 Democratic nominees seemed unwilling to drag their feet, let alone jam on the brakes. I fear a unanimous, "It's OK for trump to run / hold office," and without the veil of a, "Don't you dare ever use this as precedent," disclaimer. Little hope for a scathing dissent like Stevens'.

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Quite gobsmacked at the extend of that rotten and corrupt Gop and scotus. And America is still giving lessons to other countries about "free and fair elections"! Ha ha ha... And America is still mixing with other countries systems and decisions. How presomptuous, shameful and ridiculous. There is no hope and no future with those republicans. It remains the wild wide west. A bunch of disgraced bullies who care only for their own selves. Pew!

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It looks like the Supreme Court of the United States is pleased to take away states rights with regard to voting and the Constitution and, to allow Criminal insurrectionists to run for office anytime that person wants. If that's the case it's a terrible decision. It's another Bush versus Gore decision that's going to run the country into the ground and right into the hands of a religious dictatorship.

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Doesn't the Koch Network have a few levers with this Court? They supported Haley, and this may be their chance to get "the Donald" out of the way. She may be more controllable and have a better chance to win the election. Either way, they win with this case to see who is the Putin Puppet.

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The Trump attorney claimed the OBVIOUS insurrection was merely "a riot". Then why did they pick that day to riot? Why did Trump direct them to go to the Capitol and "fight like hell!"?

I noticed the Justices did not intervene when he spoke (unitil he needed "rescuing").

Trump planned the insurrection.

Trump planned the day of the insurrection.

Trump incited the insurrection.

Trump engaged in it by directing them, KNOWING they were ARMED. And then he did NOTHING to stop the violence for nearly THREE HOURS while watching it on TV.

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