It may have been the best possible day to lose the net. Some thoughts:
If you have Twitter access, check out The New York Times Pitchbot. He has been even more brilliant than usual.
If I were Joe Biden, I would call Barack Obama and say, "Barack, man, I love you, and it's going to be great working with you to elect Kamala. But first, I did want to say that you did a hell of a job holding Congress for us in your off-year elections and then cementing your legacy with your successor in 2016, so why don't you go %*&# a rolling donut?"
Interestingly, the Clintons had been for continuing with Biden, and endorsed Kamala about 2 seconds after Joe did. Meanwhile, Obama and Pelosi want to play kingmaker.
Nepo Baby Sulzberger and Joseph "All Journalism Is A" Kahn didn't get their wish, because they wanted to be able to keep attacking Biden.
OK, that's out of my system. Now let's elect the ticket of Harris and Whoever!
Feeling the same way. But it looks like the people whose names have been bandied about as a successor nominee are imitating the President’s example and acting selflessly to endorse Harris. That will deny the would be kingmakers their opportunity to host a mini primary or a contentious convention. Putting those grandees in their place will have to serve as sufficient retribution. With that, I too will hold my tongue and focus on the work ahead.
Now that Biden has dropped out, he’s free to do something now that SCOTUS has ruled on immunity for Presidential official actions, so why not go all out? Nothing to lose now and poke the GOP where it’ll hurt, to give the ratfuckers what they deserve…
It seems likely that pmurT will stage another coup attempt if he does not win legitimately. What could the President do to prepare for that eventuality, by way of defending the Constitution and the constitutional order? "Posse Comitatus" prevents the President from deploying the armed services to act on behalf of, or instead of, civilian police forces. It seems reasonable to wish that the President would be willing to push the boundaries of propriety to defend the Constitution.
I was with the First Cav in '69-'70 -- they could do the job. Or maybe Big Red One (First Infantry Division) or the Screaming Eagles (101st Airborne Div). Barry Goldwater said "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.” We could expect that the application of Presidential immunity in such a case would be entirely reasonable and justifiable. If not, of what use is the concept of Presidential immunity?
[Edit: I deleted a war story, which I wrote while fuming about the Jan 6 insurrection, and wishing to find the right words to dissuade Americans from launching another violent insurrection.]
We’ve all seen the pretzels the SC cretins makes of all their bought and paid for decisions. But give it a shot. Joe’s official duties may get a workout.
Got to clear it with Mom and Dad before we go do whatever.
Last I heard, the Supreme Court has no enforcement arm.
Push comes to shove, the President should see a clear duty to fulfill his oath of office, to uphold and defend the Constitution, from all enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC.
The Supreme Court wants us to regard them as capable of issuing holy writ. They want to be demigods, ultimate authority of the land. They are not infallible. They made a mistake with their immunity concept.
Exactly. Which is why Biden wishes, correctly, to stay in office full term. Biden will not hesitate in protecting the US state Constitution from MAGA instigated violence post election.
I was not trained in the law. But I have devoted considerable effort throughout my life to the pursuit of wisdom. My humble opinion is that this Court's opinion on presidential immunity is more authoritarian decree than reasoned argument. We have the impression that the President is expected to pause before taking certain courses of action, to consult with the Supreme Court as to whether or not they would offer immunity from prosecution. In effect, the President would ask the Supreme Court for permission to proceed. If that is anywhere near reasonably accurate, then it surely is not what our founding authors had in mind regarding the balance of powers between the three branches of government. The Supreme Court is not the boss of the President. Seems to me that for practical reasons, the President should have a clear sense of what is permissible and what is not -- what actions are covered by immunity, and what is not.
The dissenting Justices seemed to have a problem with the decision of the majority.
On January 6th, we know that the 45th President was watching the action on TV. We presume he was waiting and hoping that the violent insurrection would succeed. I believe that if Joe Biden were in a similar situation, he would have done everything in his power to quell the riot as soon as possible, thereby to avoid or minimize injury to humans and damage to property. It seems certain that if pmurt loses the election, he will attempt a coup again. [Edit: concluding paragraph completely rewritten.]
Perhaps the President could pose the question to the Supreme Court prior to the possible riot, to sort out what would be allowed under the aegis of Presidential immunity, and what would not. Should the President be enjoined from violating the Posse Comitatus act, while working to defend the Constitution against violent insurrectionists? Should the President be restricted to using only civilian law enforcement personnel? Should there be any restrictions or encumbrances against the President's ability to defend the Constitution?
Especially if Judge Merchan flings him into jail for his serial contempts, a fitting and ignoble end to America's darkest reign this century. The magas will have to go back to living out their violence fantasies at the WWF.
Retired (conservative) Judge J. Michael Luttig was critical of the Supreme Court's decision. This morning I have been unable to find the quote I'm looking for. My impression is that he said the opinion lacked sufficient reasoning about law and precedent, and that the majority opinion was effectively crafted out of "whole cloth". For all I know, maybe the high Court has done that frequently over the centuries. It would be nice for us mere mortals to have some rational way to think about it, to see the worth of it, and to not regard it as the Court making $#!7 up.
I know deciding to leave this race had to hurt, but Biden did what he felt was best for the country in the face of ever-increasing odds against him (however unfairly those odds were being stacked by the press and the Republicans). Nothing so became Biden's campaign as the leaving of it, in perhaps the most heroic way possible, cementing Biden's reputation as a true patriot and lover of this country.
A leader taken out by friendly fire is no noble act, even though the opposition has engaged in the most egregious bullschittery ever committed since our inception.
My internet went down Friday. Nothing worked, TV, IPad, iPhone, and I felt alone. I guess my phone would have made a call but I just went to bed, wondering what was happening. Very eerie since it was not my choice to “disconnect.”
Yes, I did miss your comments when the news first hit — at least, when I first heard it. I was disappointed. It seems unfair that Biden waited so long to be president, then did such a fabulous job and accomplished so much, and he gets rewarded by the leaders of his party telling him that he shouldn’t go for a second term. I knew, even then, that I would work for whoever was running, and I really like the idea of Kamala. Also, I got emails from Dan Rather, Joyce Vance, and Simon Rosenberg, and after reading them and going out for a couple margaritas, I am feeling a lot better. I am in the process of writing 25 postcards a week to complete 200 by October to send to Pennsylvania. I’m glad to hear how the news has helped put life back in the campaign. And I am really glad to have you back on line.
One would think after all the political body blows that repubs have pounded us with, we would be defeated. But not so, we are like the helium balloons that keep popping up.
Both of those shameless opportunists can go....well, I can't think of a polite way to express how I feel about either Manchin or Williamson, but they are indeed derps.
Glad you got your internet back Tom. I too, am happy Joe endorsed Kamala, but I'm still devastated that he quit, the team was unbeatable. We now have 30 days for Kamala and Joe to select our next Vice President before the Convention.
I voted for Kamala in the 2020 primary, Joe was my second choice. So, Yes I'll support Kamala all the way, but those damned youngsters had better vote.
A flawed Democratic Party is a million times preferable to an evil Republican Party. Hop on board, it’s going to be a blast off. And to any fool wanting to throw a monkey wrench into the operation, get out of the way.
Starting to feel hopeful. Youth against the old felon. Next comes the test for my demographic, old and raised in a time when racism was just the right thing. Suspect quite a few of us are going to have to do some soul searching to go for the ride all the way. Sometimes our "liberal veneer" needs a calling out. I'm ready and up for new administration while Joe kicks ass all up and down ticket.
What do you think of Blinken for VP? His foreign relations skills might be really a great compliment for Harris on the domestic side.
My vote is for a solid Democratic governor as VP. If you held a gun to my head and said Choose now! I would go with Cooper of North Carolina. He's also a former prosecutor and Attorney General (where he was a Harris ally when she was CA AG). He's Southern from the one state we could win. He's also a good reminder to people like me that we're all one country like it or not. And he successfully governed with a MAGA legislature.
Checked Cooper out. Good call. Rethinking Blinkin. She needs a strong unifier and with below the federal level chops given issues that get most attention by Americans who don't care or follow the bigger picture, e.g., international or macroeconomics and fiscal policy. Thanks.
I'm still keen on Mark Kelly for reasons I cited previously. He's simultaneously an Everyman and a wide ranging achiever: highly decorated jet pilot, astronaut, blue electee in a red state, member of key Senate committees, the antidote to Vance.
Thanks for acknowledging that, Fred WI. Here in a blue area of blue MA I see a fair amount of unacknowledged ("polite"?) sexism and racism in my age cohort. (I'm a 73YO white woman), and at least half the people I know pretty well are 60 and up.)
I would like to see Pete Buttigieg as VP on the ticket so he could demolish JDV’s lack of integrity, intention to abandon Ukraine, and time working for the extremely evil mr. Thiel.
I'd like that too, but it's going to be hard as hell to elkect the first black woman president. One fight at a time, and I'll be there for that next one.
I've been a Kamala fan since she first ran for Senate. I lived in Hermosa Beach in those days. I will defer to the DNC etc. on matters of policies and candidates. Full stop.
I really hope the country is ready for its first woman President. She would have been my first choice for the position.
Cheers. One of the most energizing aspects of this moment in history is seeing the Democrats actually all pulling in the same direction. I think we'll keep it up, I really do.
It may have been the best possible day to lose the net. Some thoughts:
If you have Twitter access, check out The New York Times Pitchbot. He has been even more brilliant than usual.
If I were Joe Biden, I would call Barack Obama and say, "Barack, man, I love you, and it's going to be great working with you to elect Kamala. But first, I did want to say that you did a hell of a job holding Congress for us in your off-year elections and then cementing your legacy with your successor in 2016, so why don't you go %*&# a rolling donut?"
Interestingly, the Clintons had been for continuing with Biden, and endorsed Kamala about 2 seconds after Joe did. Meanwhile, Obama and Pelosi want to play kingmaker.
Nepo Baby Sulzberger and Joseph "All Journalism Is A" Kahn didn't get their wish, because they wanted to be able to keep attacking Biden.
OK, that's out of my system. Now let's elect the ticket of Harris and Whoever!
Yes to all.
Feeling the same way. But it looks like the people whose names have been bandied about as a successor nominee are imitating the President’s example and acting selflessly to endorse Harris. That will deny the would be kingmakers their opportunity to host a mini primary or a contentious convention. Putting those grandees in their place will have to serve as sufficient retribution. With that, I too will hold my tongue and focus on the work ahead.
Michael, but but but, what if George Clooney wants someone other Harris? He hasn’t decided yet on who that might be
Now that Biden has dropped out, he’s free to do something now that SCOTUS has ruled on immunity for Presidential official actions, so why not go all out? Nothing to lose now and poke the GOP where it’ll hurt, to give the ratfuckers what they deserve…
Oooo do I like that thought 💥
Same here. Looking for inspiration.
It seems likely that pmurT will stage another coup attempt if he does not win legitimately. What could the President do to prepare for that eventuality, by way of defending the Constitution and the constitutional order? "Posse Comitatus" prevents the President from deploying the armed services to act on behalf of, or instead of, civilian police forces. It seems reasonable to wish that the President would be willing to push the boundaries of propriety to defend the Constitution.
I was with the First Cav in '69-'70 -- they could do the job. Or maybe Big Red One (First Infantry Division) or the Screaming Eagles (101st Airborne Div). Barry Goldwater said "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.” We could expect that the application of Presidential immunity in such a case would be entirely reasonable and justifiable. If not, of what use is the concept of Presidential immunity?
If it happens again, there need to be bodies on the field. Theirs.
[Edit: I deleted a war story, which I wrote while fuming about the Jan 6 insurrection, and wishing to find the right words to dissuade Americans from launching another violent insurrection.]
I could go with "Puff."
This morning I thought maybe the vision of Puff would be a bit too much for the tender sensibilities of some of the civilized folks here.
We’ve all seen the pretzels the SC cretins makes of all their bought and paid for decisions. But give it a shot. Joe’s official duties may get a workout.
Oh, but they have to approve every action, and we know how that will go.
Got to clear it with Mom and Dad before we go do whatever.
Last I heard, the Supreme Court has no enforcement arm.
Push comes to shove, the President should see a clear duty to fulfill his oath of office, to uphold and defend the Constitution, from all enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC.
The Supreme Court wants us to regard them as capable of issuing holy writ. They want to be demigods, ultimate authority of the land. They are not infallible. They made a mistake with their immunity concept.
Exactly. Which is why Biden wishes, correctly, to stay in office full term. Biden will not hesitate in protecting the US state Constitution from MAGA instigated violence post election.
Maybe you could inform them of that
Maybe they follow TCinLA!
I was not trained in the law. But I have devoted considerable effort throughout my life to the pursuit of wisdom. My humble opinion is that this Court's opinion on presidential immunity is more authoritarian decree than reasoned argument. We have the impression that the President is expected to pause before taking certain courses of action, to consult with the Supreme Court as to whether or not they would offer immunity from prosecution. In effect, the President would ask the Supreme Court for permission to proceed. If that is anywhere near reasonably accurate, then it surely is not what our founding authors had in mind regarding the balance of powers between the three branches of government. The Supreme Court is not the boss of the President. Seems to me that for practical reasons, the President should have a clear sense of what is permissible and what is not -- what actions are covered by immunity, and what is not.
The dissenting Justices seemed to have a problem with the decision of the majority.
On January 6th, we know that the 45th President was watching the action on TV. We presume he was waiting and hoping that the violent insurrection would succeed. I believe that if Joe Biden were in a similar situation, he would have done everything in his power to quell the riot as soon as possible, thereby to avoid or minimize injury to humans and damage to property. It seems certain that if pmurt loses the election, he will attempt a coup again. [Edit: concluding paragraph completely rewritten.]
Perhaps the President could pose the question to the Supreme Court prior to the possible riot, to sort out what would be allowed under the aegis of Presidential immunity, and what would not. Should the President be enjoined from violating the Posse Comitatus act, while working to defend the Constitution against violent insurrectionists? Should the President be restricted to using only civilian law enforcement personnel? Should there be any restrictions or encumbrances against the President's ability to defend the Constitution?
Convicted Felon Trump will have a much more difficult time inciting a riot from the position of civilian than he did when was pretending to be Prez
Especially if Judge Merchan flings him into jail for his serial contempts, a fitting and ignoble end to America's darkest reign this century. The magas will have to go back to living out their violence fantasies at the WWF.
The minority thought the majority was “pretzeling” the logic it seems. But then money and privilege make colors bleed and shapes morph.
Retired (conservative) Judge J. Michael Luttig was critical of the Supreme Court's decision. This morning I have been unable to find the quote I'm looking for. My impression is that he said the opinion lacked sufficient reasoning about law and precedent, and that the majority opinion was effectively crafted out of "whole cloth". For all I know, maybe the high Court has done that frequently over the centuries. It would be nice for us mere mortals to have some rational way to think about it, to see the worth of it, and to not regard it as the Court making $#!7 up.
I know deciding to leave this race had to hurt, but Biden did what he felt was best for the country in the face of ever-increasing odds against him (however unfairly those odds were being stacked by the press and the Republicans). Nothing so became Biden's campaign as the leaving of it, in perhaps the most heroic way possible, cementing Biden's reputation as a true patriot and lover of this country.
A leader taken out by friendly fire is no noble act, even though the opposition has engaged in the most egregious bullschittery ever committed since our inception.
Your silence was deafening today, it’s good to hear all is well. Kamala Harris will make a great president, and yes we all have work to do.
Yeah, I kept looking to see what another fine mess we were in and TC’s assessment…
My internet went down Friday. Nothing worked, TV, IPad, iPhone, and I felt alone. I guess my phone would have made a call but I just went to bed, wondering what was happening. Very eerie since it was not my choice to “disconnect.”
Yes, I did miss your comments when the news first hit — at least, when I first heard it. I was disappointed. It seems unfair that Biden waited so long to be president, then did such a fabulous job and accomplished so much, and he gets rewarded by the leaders of his party telling him that he shouldn’t go for a second term. I knew, even then, that I would work for whoever was running, and I really like the idea of Kamala. Also, I got emails from Dan Rather, Joyce Vance, and Simon Rosenberg, and after reading them and going out for a couple margaritas, I am feeling a lot better. I am in the process of writing 25 postcards a week to complete 200 by October to send to Pennsylvania. I’m glad to hear how the news has helped put life back in the campaign. And I am really glad to have you back on line.
The only derps spoiling the party are Manchin and Marianne Williamson who are contemplating throwing their hats in. Now I will laugh.
Now we need to work our butts off and leave any analysis or divisions until after Nov. 5!
Lol. Manchin, Williamson, and RFK Jr. -- the Dingbat Trio?
Don’t laugh yet, spoilers can be dangerous, as we have learned.
The more challenging the times, the more crucial laughter becomes.
Laughing through tears?
Well, "I laughed so hard I cried" is a thing, so maybe it works in reverse?
One would think after all the political body blows that repubs have pounded us with, we would be defeated. But not so, we are like the helium balloons that keep popping up.
Both of those shameless opportunists can go....well, I can't think of a polite way to express how I feel about either Manchin or Williamson, but they are indeed derps.
Ladies of the Night.
Too nice, opportunists with radar, damn, one runs out of adjectives …
Glad you got your internet back Tom. I too, am happy Joe endorsed Kamala, but I'm still devastated that he quit, the team was unbeatable. We now have 30 days for Kamala and Joe to select our next Vice President before the Convention.
I voted for Kamala in the 2020 primary, Joe was my second choice. So, Yes I'll support Kamala all the way, but those damned youngsters had better vote.
I wondered where you went. Its almost like it didn’t happen if TC doesn’t comment on it.
My thought too
A flawed Democratic Party is a million times preferable to an evil Republican Party. Hop on board, it’s going to be a blast off. And to any fool wanting to throw a monkey wrench into the operation, get out of the way.
I'm gonna sleep a bit easier tonight.
Gracious. Joe too. 😁
Starting to feel hopeful. Youth against the old felon. Next comes the test for my demographic, old and raised in a time when racism was just the right thing. Suspect quite a few of us are going to have to do some soul searching to go for the ride all the way. Sometimes our "liberal veneer" needs a calling out. I'm ready and up for new administration while Joe kicks ass all up and down ticket.
What do you think of Blinken for VP? His foreign relations skills might be really a great compliment for Harris on the domestic side.
My vote is for a solid Democratic governor as VP. If you held a gun to my head and said Choose now! I would go with Cooper of North Carolina. He's also a former prosecutor and Attorney General (where he was a Harris ally when she was CA AG). He's Southern from the one state we could win. He's also a good reminder to people like me that we're all one country like it or not. And he successfully governed with a MAGA legislature.
Cooper or Shapiro. We need to shore up a swing state. I like the idea of a governor and the additional executive experience.
Checked Cooper out. Good call. Rethinking Blinkin. She needs a strong unifier and with below the federal level chops given issues that get most attention by Americans who don't care or follow the bigger picture, e.g., international or macroeconomics and fiscal policy. Thanks.
I'm still keen on Mark Kelly for reasons I cited previously. He's simultaneously an Everyman and a wide ranging achiever: highly decorated jet pilot, astronaut, blue electee in a red state, member of key Senate committees, the antidote to Vance.
A gpood argumenmt, but strategically speaking, we can't afford to take a senator from a purple state; we need them in office.
Thanks for acknowledging that, Fred WI. Here in a blue area of blue MA I see a fair amount of unacknowledged ("polite"?) sexism and racism in my age cohort. (I'm a 73YO white woman), and at least half the people I know pretty well are 60 and up.)
Good for you. Let’s pull together to defeat Pouty Potty Mouth and Bushy Beard. Yes we can.😊
I would like to see Pete Buttigieg as VP on the ticket so he could demolish JDV’s lack of integrity, intention to abandon Ukraine, and time working for the extremely evil mr. Thiel.
I'd like that too, but it's going to be hard as hell to elkect the first black woman president. One fight at a time, and I'll be there for that next one.
Oh, the misogynist and racist hordes would unite with the “religious” arses in a nanosecond. Indeed, one fight at a time
I've been a Kamala fan since she first ran for Senate. I lived in Hermosa Beach in those days. I will defer to the DNC etc. on matters of policies and candidates. Full stop.
I really hope the country is ready for its first woman President. She would have been my first choice for the position.
Good to hear.
Glad your ‘net came back!
Cheers. One of the most energizing aspects of this moment in history is seeing the Democrats actually all pulling in the same direction. I think we'll keep it up, I really do.