September 17, 2022

Trump of Dark Triad now boxed in by legal jeopardy

 A serious look at Trump's legal situation with a dollop of snark...

by Hal Brown, 

 banned from Daily Kos now post exclusively on this blog. 

Reading this article in Salon...

They have him surrounded: Trump now faces legal troubles in three states, plus D.C.

No one can promise Trump won't get away. But he's sweating — and he wakes up every day faced with huge legal bills

By LUCIAN K. TRUSCOTT IV


 

... it occurred to me that I wrote about Trump being in the center of another shape, a hexagon. My story was about the triangle of The Dark Triad. I made two illustrations, also using DonkeyHotey caricatures, to illustrate a Daily Kos story I wrote about this. Some 1,300 people read this story and there were 118 comments. I have to admit that since being banned on Kos I miss knowing this many people read and like what I write.



The caricatures of Trump of him I put in the Dark Triad shows his smug narcissism (top)  and his screaming psychopathology and Machiavellianism (bottom). The caricature I put in the black box illustration for this story suggests that he is starting to feel desperation.

 Of course we don't know if he really experiences a healthy response for someone in the position he's in. He's not psychology healthy so it is debatable whether he can experience what we'd consider to be a normal reaction to stress. I have my doubts he feels what we'd call normal feelings in any circumstance that goes against his deeply held belief that he is invulnerable. 

In addition to skating through incidents like the Access Hollywood bus recording (more about that later) which would have derailed the prospects of any candidate he has had more lives than a proverbial cat and he even survived Covid. No wonder he thinks he's super-human.

Now things are different, even if he continues to deny it.

Not only is Trump boxed in on four sides with legal jeopardy in three states and D.C. but there are two other things going on which a normal person would worry about. One is the January 6th Committee and the other is the Department of Justice investigation. That makes six sides, a hexagon of troubles pressing in on him. Nobody knows which trouble will crush him. There's another DonkeyHotey caricature for this.

The subtitle to Truscott's article says Trump is sweating as he wakes up every day faced with high legal bills. In fact because of his narcissism and megalomania he may feel that the prospect of his going to prison is about as likely as the entitled assaulter of women getting a lap dance from Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. If he tried "getting away with it" with AOC he wouldn't be walking upright for a week.

Just an aside: 

Trump actually does sweat. For example:


Sweating in 83 degree heat, despite the snarky Twitter speculation described in the article above, is probably normal for someone wearing a suit, and who knows, maybe a man girdle (I speculated about this here). 



Waking up sweating isn't normal. It generally means you are psychically ill or anxious. I think it is actually possible that there are moments Trump feels fleeting pangs of anxiety over what outside observers consider to be a plight because of legal actions in four jurisdictions plus the Department of Justice and what may be revealed in the Jan. 6th Committee hearings. 

I think that if anything makes Trump actually experience anxiety it isn't the possibility of prison, it's losing money. Truscott makes this important point here:

Truscott concludes as follows:

If the DOJ follows the methods it has used in previous investigations, it's likely to start small, which means that a lot of little Trumpies had better start jockeying to hire the best lawyers they can find now, rather than later.

As for Trump himself, well, your guess is as good as mine. But right now, he's looking a lot like Custer at Little Bighorn – surrounded on all sides with no way out. He's been there before when he faced two impeachments, but many of the people who defended him then, including his former White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, have already testified before grand juries investigating Trump and cannot be counted on to have his back this time.

I don't know about you, but if I were waking up every morning and writing checks to lawyers — even super PAC checks — I wouldn't be a happy camper. At this point, I'm thinking that maybe what they call a global plea deal made by Trump, to wrap up  all his federal and state criminal investigations in return for not running for president, might be his best bet. Right now it looks like if he doesn't make such a deal, he might lose his golf, his money and his freedom. 


Trump may or may not run for president. If he runs he could win the primary. As frightening as it is to even consider, he could win a second term. None of these are sure things.

And then there's this:

"One thing, however, is certain. Trump is facing huge legal bills and he will have more and more trouble convincing donors to money up money to help fund a loser fighting a losing cause." Them Hartmann



There may yet be another shoe yet to drop. It may be a big one. It may be a heavy boot. Thom Hartmann address it in this article: 

When Trump is finally revealed as an agent of foreign governments will America wake up?

A final bit of snark 

(with apologies to real snark hunters):

Trump may think he's a real cowboy. In truth he's as real a cowboy as the Marlboro Man was. If he tries to park his imaginary stallion here this is what will happen:

This is a sign at The Wild Hare Saloon outside of Canby, Oregon . There actually may be a few cowboys who eat there especially when the rodeo is in Canby.

Real cowboys in other countries that have cowboys would get it though in Brazil it might have to be translated.

Vaqueiro apenas estacionamento, todos os outros serão castrados

It means that phony cowboys (like Trump) will be emasculated, quite literally




at No comments:
Labels: , ,

September 16, 2022

Martha's Vineyard and the Venezuelan migrants


Ron DeSantis is a manifestation of evil.

The most recent news about this is on the bottom of the page. Please scroll down to make comments.



It's not only Donald Trump who thinks laws don't apply to him. DeSantis seem to think it's okay for him to kidnap people and fly them over state lines.  Hello! That's a federal offense.

This story of manifest evil and cruelty has been in the news. However, it is also an inspirational story about a community of good people coming together to help people who were not only used as political pawns but by my way of thinking (and some lawyers and others too) victims of kidnapping.

See: 

Ron DeSantis may have kidnapped migrants, Gavin Newsom writes to DOJ

Excerpt:


In response, Newsom wrote a letter to United States Attorney General Merrick Garland, calling on the Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into the incident. In his letter, Newsom called DeSantis’ actions not just “morally reprehensible” but also maybe illegal.

Newsom cites allegations that the migrants may have been falsely promised “expedited access to work authorization.” If the migrants were lured onto the planes under false pretenses, Newsom believes the political stunt would amount to state-sanctioned kidnapping.

 Here's what the local paper and its readers had to say:


Here's a related article with addresses exactly what I thought. Why can   you move people over state lines against their will regardless of citizenship and it not be kidnapping? It should be both against state and federal law. :


I tried to find the reason for this:  She (West Tisbury town administrator Jennifer Rand)  also said food may be an issue because the Red Cross on Martha’s Vineyard is “not participating” at this time. This is the reason as reported in The NY Post: In a prepared statement Thursday, the Red Cross said it’s “been in contact with local emergency management, and while we have not yet been asked to provide any local support, we stand ready to do that.”

(The Red Cross story is addressed on Twitter here):


Here's a random sample of the over 200 comments to the main article. They represent both the haters and those who have compassion:

    • Thats why we need to secure our borders. The Democrats want open borders so they can get these immigrants to vote democratic so the Dem’s can can gain control to control all of us, its called socialism . MV is a sanctuary city, YOUR current leaders voted for that. So its o.k. that Texas is bothered with it, but when its in YOUR backyard, different story. Vote REPUBLICAN to get our country back!!

      • I see a lot of hateful and selfish comments. I take it none of you are “Christians”. I’ve never claimed to be, I just see a lot of hate from people with no care at all about other human beings, not even the children. It would be good to know none of you are speaking any of this ignorant vitriol in a house of worship.
        If you lived in a country where you are told repeatedly that the US is a safe place while there are dangerous cartels mass murdering innocent people and burying them in mass graves, sometimes you need to take that chance. It’s not like they’re watching Tucker Carlson every night telling them about how great Russia is, or they would choose Russia. There are many brave people who are coming here to save themselves and their children.
        OUR/YOUR church groups, missionaries, etc, go to these places and encourage them to come to the US. Why would they endanger themselves to make such an arduous trip? American’s think sitting in the drive through at Dunkin Donuts for 5 min is an inconvenience.
        If Abbott wasn’t hooked on the theater of it all, he could help. Suffering is a joke to him. He cares as little for the kids of Uvalde as these migrants. DeSantis and Abbott are trafficking humans and it’s cruel. There needs to be a humane solution, not political stunts on the backs of these people. DeSantis and Abbott need to be arrested for trafficking in humans.

        • Amen. You know why the South lost the Civil War? Because their racism and bigotry drove the slaves to join the Union Army. They fought for their freedom (though they never should have had to do so). Unfortunately, we allowed the Confederacy to go home intact, and white supremacy has once again reared its ugly head and was emboldened by Trump. This desperate maneuver by DeSantis and Abbott, occurring right before midterms, is VERY telling…

      • Your citizens voted to be a sanctuary city. Now you need to deal with it. It is not fair that border states have to absorb the enormous amount of illegals coming through Biden’s open border.

      • I couldn’t say it better! You are on point! This country is taking a very scary direction. I’m glad I won’t be here to see the devastation caused by socialism.

    • You didn’t read the article, but you read the headline so you saw this bit: “via Texas.” And instead of connecting the dots — Texas is one of the southern border states sending bus loads of immigrants from the border to Eastern US cities and just dropping them there — you immediately assume some kind of Vineyard cabal invited them here?

    • Isn’t this what you voted for?
      And how did you expect the towns on the boarder to handle the same issues?

      If they’re a sanctuary city, they asked for this.

      • There is so much irony in hearing someone gloat about illegal immigrants being flown to sanctuary cities after voting for a criminal president twice.

    • I wouldn’t be surprised if haters (who may claim to be loving, tolerant, and possess empathy) and who live in Martha’s Vineyard won’t give some a place to stay.

      MV isn’t very diverse and more and more migrants there will bring cultural enrichment and diversity.

    • That’s what open borders mean & it was a matter of time…posted signs “welcomed” illegals & now you got them…in the end, no place is above sharing the ramifications of law abuse, acceptance of law breakers & still expect to be unaffected! Share the pain!!!

  2. Awesome!! Luckily we don’t have a housing problem and can accommodate as many as needed. Any MS 13 members? Come on in, there’s plenty of space at the Obama’s or maybe John Kerry’s house. Either way our community has been supportive of people of unknown origins or intentions to our country. Any Mid East terrorist’s on board? We welcome all!

    • Ditto to what you wrote John Axel.
      Very well stated!
      The people that are indignant that (illegal) immigrants are brought to their states and/or towns make me laugh. Somehow they don’t seem to mind that Texas, Arizona, Alabama etc. are flooded with illegal immigrants. 2 million have crossed our southern border in the past 12 months. Somehow that doesn’t bother them? .
      alone.

      • Both parties have done nothing with immigration for decades bc they CAN’T!! Their biggest donors need the worker. They should be setting up work and housing near the factories and farm areas in high need while waiting for their asylum hearings.

This is how Rupert Murdoch's NY Post covered the story:


They got a quote:

But former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News that “I doubt they’ll embrace” the migrants on Martha’s Vineyard. “You know, these are all sanctuary cities until they’re in their sanctuary,” he said Wednesday night on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

Of course this being the NY Post they include the following

Online responses to the reports about the migrant arrivals included outrage from readers, including one who said, “Any blame lays at the feet of President Biden.”

“Thousands of people pour into the country daily and the federal government refuses to set any policy whatsoever other than the door is wide open,” wrote Fred from Edgartown.

“What’s most amazing is that we have a serious humanitarian issue and the current administration has no idea what to do (anybody seen or heard from the border czar? Still no root causes). Blaming over run governors of border states who never claimed to be sanctuary havens is ignoring the problem.”

On MSNBC a Telemundo reporter who interviewed many of the migrants said that some of them were thankful to Gov. DeSantis for sending them to Martha's Vineyard. Also most of them were telling her they weren't illegal immigrants but came to the border seeking legal entry to the country. (Click to enlarge image)



There's an ugly history behind this week's Martha's Vineyard atrocity — even if Trump thinks it was all his idea

Excerpt:

Since DeSantis didn't have any refugees readily available to expel this week, he used his forced deportation money to charter a couple of jets and coerce migrants who were in Texas — halfway across the country — to board them, claiming they were being sent to Boston with promises of resources and support. Instead the migrants were dropped off on Martha's Vineyard, a famous summer resort with a year-round population of around 15,000. No one there knew they were coming, and they were essentially dumped at the island's tiny airport like cargo. 

This was the top HuffPost article:




This is the most recent news. The migrants are being moved to a Cape Cod military base where there are far better services for them. This is from Rep. Dylan Fernandez on Twitter.



This is a premature conclusion and condemnation. The eyes of the nation are on these particular migrants and just the fact that they will be housed and cared for at a military base on Cape Cod does not mean they will be mistreated. President Biden is not Gov. DeSantis or Gov. Abbott. 

CNN reports: 

The migrants sent to Martha’s Vineyard are voluntarily being taken to a military base for shelter and support

Excerpt:

The help that awaits the migrants on Cape Cod


Joint Base Cape Cod – already an emergency shelter designated by the state emergency management agency – is set up to provide “a safe temporary accommodation appropriate for the needs of families and individuals,” the governor’s office said in a release.

The migrants “will be housed in dormitory-style spaces at JBCC, with separate spaces accommodating both individuals and families,” and families will not be separated, the release reads.

They will have access to services including legal, health care, food, hygiene kits, and crisis counseling, according to Baker’s office. 

Baker, a Republican, lauded a temporary shelter that the Martha’s Vineyard community set up for the migrants in “a moment of urgent need.” 

“We are grateful to the providers, volunteers and local officials that stepped up on Martha’s Vineyard over the past few days to provide immediate services to these individuals,” Baker said in a news release.

As a former resident of Cape Cod I know that the state is always prepared for weather emergencies such as hurricanes and I feel confident that these migrants will be as well-cared for as any residents who might need shelter during an emergency.

Excerpt:

And yet, as DeSantis' failed attempt at leveling up the troll shows, Republican politicians are still clinging to the idea that there's a vein of liberal hypocrisy to be tapped on this front. What's little discussed, however, is where this idea came from. The notion that white liberals want diversity for others, but not themselves, has become an article of faith on the mainstream right only recently, after being heavily hyped by folks like Tucker Carlson of Fox News. Where it came from originally, however, is from fringe white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups, and from the white supremacist forum Stormfront in particular. 

at No comments:

September 15, 2022

Are there enough pillows to assure Trump a soft landing

 

Reminder: If you are new to my blog, hopefully having liked the 1,700 stories I posted on Daily Kos before being banned for life for this story and followed me here, I'd appreciate it if you could share this website with your friends. Also, don't forget that the archive for this bog is in the right column.

Are there enough pillows to assure Trump a soft landing?

Can Mr. Pillow provide Trump with enough pillows to assure he has a soft landing what with all the news going out about the legal peril he's in growing exponentially?
As we read articles like this...

'Most worried Trumpworld has ever been' -- and they're waiting for 'another shoe to drop': MSNBC's Lemire

... even trying to avoid the trap of wishful thinking and setting myself up for heartbreaking disappointment it does't appear that Trump is in more jeopardy of losing a major chunk of his support. I wondered if even the deepest pile of pillows suppled by Mr. Pillows, whose cell-phone was just confiscated by FBI agents while he was in the drive-through line at a Hardee's restaurant in Mankato, Minnesota, will give him his usual cushy landing.

We read articles by attorneys like this

There Is More Than Enough Evidence to Indict Trump

and this:

The malignant narcissist who fancies himself as invulnerable probably is in deep denial that he could end up like his pal Steve The Aggrieved Bannon doing what would be the most famous  perp walk in history.

The last time Trump was figurative and literally on his back was in the Vince McMahan and Stone Cold Steve Austin wrestling nonsense. Who could forget this?

 
Donald Trump, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon spent months promoting The Battle of the Billionaires.


If you can stand it, watch the videos in this article and ask yourself how in Holy Hell did this man become president.

The article actually provided me with the only photo I could find of Trump on his back to put together this illustration for the headline.

By Hal Brown


Quotable Quote for Today is From Salon and is related to President Biden's better poll ratings. The better the Biden and the Democrats do the worse it is for Trump and his prospects of staying both relevant and holding sway over a significant percentage of the GOP leadership and Republicans who are tiring of his ever more unhinged schtick. The Revelations in the news coming from the new Peter Baker and Susan Glaser book, The Divider, may also hurt him. 

While the story about how the Cabinet considered invoking the 25th Amendment not long after Trump was elected and how John Kelly referred to the book "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump" to better understand how to deal with him won't make headline news but they continue to the drip-drip-drip of bad news coming out about him



From Brian Karen in Salon

It is hard to understand a political party that cheers against American success, but that, in a nutshell, is today's Republican Party. "God, we need Trump back," I heard from a Trump minion Tuesday. I hear that every day, of course, from the handful of Trumplicans who still exist outside mental institutions and the Deep South.

We don't need Trump anywhere — except behind bars. And there is a world of difference between Biden and Trump on the stump. Biden is a politician with a wealth of experience in serving the country. He is adept at public speaking and knows how to reach people empathically.  When Biden says, as he did on Tuesday, that he really believes the best is yet to come for the United States — stressing each word as he says it — it's easy to see why his supporters are so optimistic. You believe he means it.


The news gets even worse for Trump.

From The Washington Post about the charges Trump and Co. face in Georgia.:




No decision will be made for months on whether there will be indictments — and, most notably, if Trump himself will face charges. At least 17 people have been notified they are targets of the criminal investigation, meaning they could eventually face charges. And more targets will be added to the list soon, Willis said in an interview Tuesday in her Atlanta office.

For those who don't subscribe here's a summary:



Previously, Willis suggested that the elector's scandal, the pressuring of officials and threats against election officials could be prosecuted using Georgia's conspiracy and anti-racketeering or RICO laws. 

“The RICO statute allows you to tell jurors the full story” of a complex conspiracy, Willis explained. “It’s a great statute for prosecutors."

The question Trump ought to be asking himself is whether any of his cohorts in crime want to do time in a place like this to prove their unwavering loyalty to him.
Georgia State Prison, located in unincorporated Tattnall County outside of Reidsville, is the main maximum security facility in Georgia. 


Phillips State Prison

 Gwinnett County



My comment to above article:
It has not been a good news day for Trump and it could get worse:

Excerpt:

Washington Post reporter Carol Leonnig and former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal explained that it was almost certain based on the information that was included in the Justice Department court filings that they most likely had an inside source. 

Speaking to MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace on Thursday, Leonnig said it might be the reason that folks reportedly said Trump was "unhappy and displeased" while he was at his Virginia golf course this week. 

"While there are a lot of conspiracy theories floating around about why he was there, his mood is pretty obvious," Leonnig explained. "He is on multiple fronts under investigation. And he knows, based on all the subpoenas flying around, and some were returned, including Mark Meadows, the request by DOJ for texts, all these things flying around have given the Department of Justice a lot of information. He must know by now as well, Nicole, that somebody in his inner circle, somebody close to him, close to him at Mar-a-Lago, close to him in his White House has been cooperating with the Department of Justice to make clear that there was a high degree of certainty that they would find classified records. Still at Mar-a-Lago after Donald Trump's lawyers insisted they had done a diligent search and none were to be found."

Trump, being a malignant narcissist and having the judgment of a gnat can't help but making it worse for himself. I am sure that if his new $3 million lawyer was advising him, and he was heeding this advice he wouldn't be saying things like this from "Trump threatens DOJ against indictments: 'You'd have problems the likes of which you have ever seen before'"

On Thursday, in an interview with right-wing talk radio host Hugh Hewitt, former President Donald Trump appeared to issue a vague threat to the Justice Department against indicting him.

Trump said that "I would have no prohibition against running," when he asked whether he would still run for office with an indictment.

"I think, if it happened, you'd have problems in this country the likes of which, perhaps, you have ever seen before," said Trump. "I don't think the people of the United States would stand for it."

When Hewitt asked Trump to elaborate, he said, "Big problems."

The stories have been breaking fast, furious, and fabulous all day. As you can see I find RawStory the best place to follow such news since they are the progressive website that keeps up with all the other media which publishes such articles. Check this one out:


Excerpt:

The whole situation, argued Brennan, is similar to the behavior Trump exhibited during the Russia investigation — and in that case, as well, seasoned prosecutors who investigated the matter concluded that the former president and his allies had likely committed obstruction.

"You are talking about the investigation into Russian interference in the election and Bill Barr's blatant mischaracterization what the Mueller Report found, the Mueller Report found although there was collusion, there wasn't the evidence that he was able to uncover for criminal conspiracy," said Brenna. "I would think criminal conspiracy here in terms of trying to avoid any type of understanding that these documents were in Mar-a-Lago is something that I think Donald Trump and others are vulnerable to potential future indictment."

Today's saga continues


 


at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Hitler was the quintessential fearmonger of the 20th Century, Trump is the consumate 21st Century fearmonger. By Hal Brown, MSW

Above image from Perchance AI At a Wisconsin rally yesterday, after saying he'd eliminate the Dept. of Education, Trump also described a...