What if Democrats played politics as dirty as Republicans?

 

By Hal Brown

I was thinking of writing about this last night but thought it was too simplistic an idea to write more than a few sentences. Then first thing this morning I was watching "Morning Joe" and they were discussing how President Biden talked about this story:

Biden mocks Tuberville for touting broadband funding he voted against 

and Joe referred to this story because it was about Alabama:

The United States Supreme Court for the present saved Democracy in rejecting the Independent State Legislature theory, but as this NPR story says, at least for the present time:

Supreme Court rejects Independent State Legislature theory, but leaves door ajar

This is also being discussed on MSNBC as I write this:

What could happen if the Supreme Court ruled the other way?

The panicked progressive pundits presume that this would result in it being almost impossible for a Democrat to win another presidential election in the foreseeable future.

This might be the case if it was based on assuming that all states where Democrats controlled the legislature didn't reverse the results in elections where the Republican candidate for president won.

Call it playing hardball or dirty, this could only happen if the Democrats played the game of politics by bending or outright suspending the rules of democracy. 

What if Democrats played ruthlessly and often without regards to ethics and truth, let alone simple decency and decorum, the way the Republicans (with rare exceptions) do?

A recent example of playing hardball comes from Massachusetts where their lesbian governor, Maura Healey, used state tourism dollars to put up pro-LGBTQ billboards in Florida and Texas (read article here):

Click above to enlarge image

Here in my home state of Oregon, where by coincidence Tina Kotek became the second openly lesbian governor (Maura Healey was the first) our state now allows terminally ill people to come here to take advantage of our death with dignity law (read article).

States where abortions are legal and which are adjacent to states where it isn't or is highly restricted are also moving family planning clinics close to their borders. See 

New Abortion Clinics Are Opening Near Borders and Airports to Stretch Access as Far as It Will Go - Time Magazine

Back to the Ballot Box

How would election night look if state legislators could change the outcome?

For those of you who watch MSNBC on election nights and marvel at how Steve Kornacki (above) explains the voting patterns with his famous "big board" imagine how he'd have to explain what the vote count meant adding in whether the state legislator might overturn the outcome.

If every state legislature was to engage in the practice of making sure that their state cast their Electoral College votes for one party or the other the results of all presidential election would be determined in advance. 

The only more-or-less fair elections in the country would end up being those for candidates running for local office with the most important for how the country is run aside from who represents the state in Congress would be for the state legislature. The states which controlled the most Electoral College votes would determine the outcome of every presidential election.

Former president's proof of preening narcissism

 

By Hal Brown

This is the Raw Story article that brought to mind an aspect of Trump's personality, of his psychopathology, that is probably the most benign. It is the obsession he has with how he looks, his vanity.

Click above to read

Excerpt:

Trump is famously vain, to the extent that he reportedly had his official presidential photographer carry a stool so that she could take photos from angles that made him look taller and slimmer.

Here's a reminder of how his vanity made the news when he represented the United States at the 100th anniversary of D-Day remembrance:

Vanity Fair:  “Trump remained in a dark mood during his weekend trip to France to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I… On Saturday morning, Trump skipped attending a rain-soaked ceremony at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery to honor the Battle of Belleau Wood. When his absence became a scandal, the White House said the decision had been made because Marine One reportedly could not fly in the rain, and Secret Service did not want Trump traveling by motorcade. One Republican briefed on the internal discussions said the real reason Trump did not want to go was because there would be no tent to stand under.”

Said the source: “He was worried his hair was going to get messed up in the rain. John Bolton and everyone was telling him this was a big mistake.”

I wrote the following on Daily Kos (here) on Mar. 10, 2020. Of the 1700 stories  posted there before I was banned it was my most read and most recommended.

...............

Therapists like me often refer to Trump using terms like malignant narcissism or sociopathic narcissism. Jennifer Senior introduces a non-clinical catchphrase that resonates with me:

Preening Narcissism

www.nytimes.com/..

Sometimes a writer manages to describe Trump in a way that manages to put his essence into the toxic bottle of a merely one paragraph. This is an example:

That news conference was, to me, the most frightening moment of the Trump presidency. His preening narcissism, his compulsive lying, his vindictiveness, his terror of germs and his terrifying inability to grasp basic science — all of it eclipsed his primary responsibilities to us as Americans, which was to provide urgent care, namely in the form of leadership.

Jennifer Senior, NY Times OpEd “The President is Unfit for This Crisis. Period.”

She concludes: 

This observation jibes with the conversation I had with Nicholas Christakis, author of “Blueprint” and an epidemiologist at Yale, last Friday...

“I’m in the deeply ironic position at the moment of strongly discouraging social connection, despite the fact that it’s the central focus of my book — and my life’s work,” he says. “But it’s going to take us working together in this unnatural way — one that goes so against our evolutionary past — to confront this epidemic.”

and adds:

What’s so frightening — so hideous — is that our president is least equipped to do just that. This crisis has unhelmed and unmasked him. He’s incapable of leading. When it comes to Trump, truth, decency and self-possession have been in quarantine from the start.

After reading this I have nothing else to add. ..... Update: The last sentence above is from what I wrote in Daily Kos. I just found this article: Trump preening and sweeping away all guardrails that have protected US democracy: Biden (March, 2020) Biden may have beaten Jennifer Senor to using the word "preening" referring to Trump, but he didn't say he was a preening narcissist. As far as I can tell Senor deserves credit for this. Excerpt: “Donald Trump isn't interested in doing that work. Instead, he's preening and sweeping away all the guardrails that have long protected our democracy, guardrails that have helped make possible this nation's path to a more perfect union...." Looking up just the words Trump and preening you'll also find these articles: Foreign Leaders Look At Donald Trump And See ‘Preening, Clueless Clown’ Says Pulitzer-Winning ‘WaPo’ Columnist AP FACT CHECK: (2017) The record behind Trump's Cabinet preening Trump's psychopathology seems to know no bounds. From his being a dangerous demagogic psychopath to the following: Click above to read "Aides said he talked about Ivanka Trump's breasts, her backside, and what it might be like to have sex with her, remarks that once led (former Chief of Staff) John Kelly to remind the president that Ivanka was his daughter," Taylor writes.

Trump confession tape leads to errie laughter in Yorba Linda

 

Photo of Nixon from Wiki Commons and of Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum from PresidentsUSA.net. I wanted to share the illustration with the photo that comes up on Wikimedia Commons if you search for "Nixon laughing".

Next blog is about Trump's preening narcissism.

Below are a few of the articles in the news today:

By Hal Brown

If you haven't heard the tape yet it is on Twitter here:

It was a major scoop for CNN to obtain this tape. You can watch the Anderson Cooper broadcast where the entire tape was played here. The discussion on the show about what the tape means for Trump is included in this.

Ironically Trump says "this totally wins my case" when, in fact this tape may totally lose his case.

Lest there's a rare reader who doesn't make the connection in my illustration:

February, 2021 was the 50th anniversary of the first use of the White House taping system installed by Richard Nixon. You can read about this here.

Knowing who Alexander Butterfield  was could score you a point in a trivia game. If you could identify him just by his photo you would deserve 10 points.

This is from Wikipedia (my emphasis):

Butterfield was questioned by Senate Watergate Committee staff Scott Armstrong, G. Eugene Boyce, Marianne Brazer, and Donald Sanders (deputy minority counsel) on Friday, July 13, 1973, in a background interview prior to his public testimony before the full committee. Butterfield was brought before the committee because he was Haldeman's top deputy and was the only person other than Haldeman who knew as much about the president's day-to-day behavior.

The critical line of questioning was conducted by Donald Sanders. Armstrong had given a copy of Buzhardt's report to Butterfield; now Sanders asked if the quotations in it might have come from notes. Butterfield said no, that the quotations were too detailed. In addition, Butterfield said that neither staff nor the president kept notes of one-on-one private meetings with Nixon. 

When asked where the quotations might have come from, Butterfield said he did not know. Then Sanders asked if there was any validity to John Dean's hypothesis that the White House had taped conversations in the Oval Office. Butterfield replied, "I was wondering if someone would ask that. There is tape in the Oval Office." Butterfield then told the investigators that, while he had hoped that no one would ask about the taping system, he had previously decided he would disclose its existence if asked a direct question. Butterfield then testified extensively about when the taping system was installed and how it worked, telling the staff members, "Everything was taped... as long as the President was in attendance. There was not so much as a hint that something should not be taped." Butterfield later said that he assumed the committee knew about the taping system, since they had already interviewed Haldeman and Higby.

It shouldn't surprise anyone with any sense that Trump is spinning this like a whirling dervrish on (paranoia inducing) meth. This is his Truth Social post:

The Deranged Special Prosecutor, Jack Smith, working in conjunction with the DOJ & FBI, illegally leaked and “spun” a tape and transcript of me which is actually an exoneration, rather than what they would have you believe. This continuing Witch Hunt is another ELECTION INTERFERENCE Scam. They are cheaters and thugs!

This all-caps rant followed about six hours later: "

COULD SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN TO THE DERANGED, TRUMP HATING JACK SMITH, HIS FAMILY, AND HIS FRIENDS, THAT AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, I COME UNDER THE PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT, AS AFFIRMED BY THE CLINTON SOCKS CASE, NOT BY THIS PSYCHOS’ FANTASY OF THE NEVER USED BEFORE ESPIONAGE ACT OF 1917. “SMITH” SHOULD BE LOOKING AT CROOKED JOE BIDDEN AND ALL OF THE CRIMES THAT HE HAS PERPETRATED ON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, INCLUDING THE MILLIONS & MILLIONS OF DOLLARS HE EXTORTED FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES!"

As if anyone needed anymore proof that Trump lives as an insane Superman in his delusional Bizaro World this should put the case to rest, that is unless he meant to write that the tape is actually an execution or exsanguination (if he knows the meaning of the later word) instead of an exoneration.

Related:

Political analysts wonder if classified documents recording was leaked from inside Trump's camp

BELOW:

Trump lying his ass off and serving it to members of his cult.

Update: 

“This is so bad for Trump”: Legal experts say leaked audio “even more damning” than indictment

"A picture is worth a thousand words. This audio could be worth a thousand days behind bars," ex-prosecutor says

Igor Derysh

I like the illustration Salon used.

Another article from Salon:

"Cataclysmic evidence against him": Espionage Act expert explains how Trump faces "historic" trouble

Quote from interview with expert. Michael Nacht, the Schneider Chair Emeritus and Professor at The Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley. Nacht served as a high-ranking defense policy official in both the Clinton and Obama administrations. He is a recipient of the Department of Defense (DOD) Distinguished Service Medal, the DOD's highest civilian honor..... "Trump has a type of charisma and set of beliefs that are appealing to lots of voters. Trump knows this about his power, he said as much with his observation that he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue, and he wouldn't be punished for it. It's Hitlerian. Such a person comes along once in a great while. Trump's power is shown by all the millions of Americans who continue to support him even to this day given all the horrible things he has done. Trump compiled all these secret documents in cardboard boxes, put them on shelves on stage, and put them in a bathroom and bathtub. Trump realized that this is unprecedented and that's what attracted him to do it. It is a type of pathological behavior that demands explanations by psychiatrists and other mental health experts." 

If you don't see the (preferred) Disquis comment section is is on the bottom of this page.

There's a great white shark in the water, but how bad is his bite?

 

Surreal as it is to rational people there are those who view Trump as a messianic figure.

By Hal Brown

Asked what it would take for Trump not to be the Republican nominee Michael Steele (below lower right on MSNBC) chuckled and said "what, an act of God."

NBC published:

Democrats warn party: The threat of Trump winning in 2024 is 'very real'

New NBC News polling shows President Joe Biden with a relatively narrow 49% to 45 % lead over Donald Trump — which is within the survey’s margin of error.

In the article Faiz Shakir, who ran Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, comments stood out to me, especially the lines I put in bold and in the second sentence below a big but:

(he) said the familiarity factor means it’s easier for Biden to remind voters of the reasons they rejected Trump three years ago than it is to build a new argument against DeSantis or another lesser-known candidate.

But, he said, Trump’s political agility should not be overlooked.

Shakir pointed specifically to Trump’s maneuvering on abortion rights after the GOP’s disappointing results in the 2022 midterm elections. Trump once said women should be punished for having abortions and appointed three of the Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn federal abortion protections. But now, Trump says Republicans should ensure abortion prohibitions include exemptions in cases of rape, incest or threat to the life of the pregnant person.

“Trump is so amoral that he’s able to reinvent himself on issue after issue and deceive enough people to feel like they might give him a second look, at least in some critical battleground states,” he said. “A lot of it hinges on, are there outside events that kind of prevent him from doing the reinvention?”

What mitigates against Trump actually winning the presidency is that there aren't enough voters who are gullible, warped, bigoted, delusional, or smitten by Trump's amazing (and inexplicable to us) star power to propel him into a second term.

If you can stand to spend 12 minutes watch this video of him speaking at a fundraiser for Jan. 6th defendants from his Bedminster club. He again claimed that “BLM” and “Antifa” were responsible for violence during the riots and of course insisted he won the election.

This 12 minute rant is a reprise of his greatest hits, his lies about winning the election and his grievances. 

It also demonstrates what I call the door hinge question: how loose do the hinges have to become until the door that is Trump and his mental instability have to become for the door to fall completely off and end up so far out there that only those who are as unmoored from reality as he is, those Jim Jones or Heaven's Gate level cult members, won't see he has floated into oblivion.

If you don't see the (preferred) Disquis comment section below click here and scroll down.

Bonus: Message to the Republican Party, if you're gonna get Trump you're gonna need a bigger boat.

 

Too soon to tell if Russian revolt was a nothing burger, an everything burger, or something in between

 

Photo of his delicious everything burger by author who is always seeking restaurants and pubs with mouthwatering burgers like the one above.

By Hal Brown

This is a follow-up to yesterday's blog where I took off my shrink's hat and delved into an area where if I actually had degree in foreign policy it would be from Trump University. I titled that blog "Is the Wagner group waging an armed mutiny, a civil war in the making, uprising, a coup, the bringing of the self-destruction of Russia, or a a spurious threat, basically a nothing-burger" which really isn't worth reading today if you missed it.

I was struck by how the media jumped all over the missing Titanic sub with near constant coverage of four rich men and the unfortunate son (who didn't really want to go) facing death. I compared this to how the Baby Jessica in the well story and the Thai soccer team trapped in the cave stories captured worldwide attention.

This Russia story was both riveting and of major international significance. It received well-deserved extensive media coverage... except on Fox News online.

This morning pundits who actually have expertise in the subject are trying to explain what this all means. The chyron under the stories about this on MSNBC reads "Aftermath of Armed Revolt Inside Russia."

On that channel John Brennan, former CIA director, and retired admiral James Stavidis, and former ambassadors to Russia Michael McFaul and Jane Harmon, among others are explaining what this all may mean for the fate of Putin and Ukraine.

As someone whose expertise lies elsewhere I am ill equipped to pontificate on this, or predict what it may portend. I am fascinated by way two characters, both ruthless warlords who could be in a novel or TV series can hold sway over the outcome of a war. Game of Thrones, which I never watched has been mentioned, with a pundit saying that the
moral of this story is that if you try to kill the king you'd best succeed, or else.

Addendum:

So you don't have to look at Fox News online, this is what they think is important today:

Even Breitbart leads with the Russia story:

Here's the MSNBC website...

and The Washington Post, The New York Times, and CNN:

Adendum: By chance this was the ad that was on HUFFPOST when I looked at it (ON LOWER RIGHT)

I just had to do a little photo-manipulation:

Updates: It is worth noting a few points David Ignatius made in his Washington Post column (subscription): 

Putin looked into the abyss Saturday — and blinked

"This was a real coup, until it wasn’t."

• President Vladimir Putin looked into the abyss Saturday and blinked. After vowing revenge for what he called an “armed mutiny,” he settled for a compromise.
• The speed with which Putin backed down suggests that his sense of vulnerability might be higher even than analysts believed. Putin might have saved his regime Saturday, but this day will be remembered as part of the unraveling of Russia as a great power — which will be Putin’s true legacy.
• This was a real coup, until it wasn’t...
• Only madmen jump into the abyss in situations like this, and neither Putin nor Prigozhin is crazy. This was like a game of chicken where both cars swerve in the end, or a duel where both fighters shoot in the air, to fight another day.  

• It was a close shave, not a decapitation.

• What comes next, surely, is more trouble for Putin in Ukraine. Prigozhin told the truth flat out in the days before his march on Moscow. Ukraine didn’t threaten Russia, and Russia’s invasion was unnecessary — a mistake of epic proportions. Even Putin, the ice man, can’t freeze the burning truth of his Ukraine disaster.

MSNBC is covering the Russia story exclusively. I did what I hardly ever do and tuned into Fox News to see what they were broadcasting. They are covering a variety of other news:

If you don't see Disquis (the preferred comment feature) below, click here and scroll down.