Trump's Lethal Danger to Our Democracy Must Be the Primer of All Political Discussions Now.

With the SCOTUS saying any "official act" by the Prez has the shield of immunity [a ridiculous argument!], plus the history of the Don to overturn the legitimate election of 2020, and his many utterances of fascist ideas, why is anyone surprised to hear his latest:

    

Mr. Trump said last Friday to a gathering of Christian conservatives: “I love you. You got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not going to have to vote.” He was given an opportunity to take this back but he didn't.

He and Vance are not trying to appeal to anyone outside MAGA now. They won't acknowledge their defeat either. Repubs have positioned many election officials in battleground states who are election deniers and may not certify the results of this election! I've never voted for a Republican but I also never thought that if one got elected our democracy could end, not until Trump.

For me it's rather simple. Before we even debate policies, or any other topic, Trump is disqualified as a candidate for the highest office just on the premise that he doesn't abide by democracy's rules. You can't have debates with an autocrat or appeal to institutions for protection after he gets to power.

Imagine!

From the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.... a showcase of a most beautiful song (by John Lennon) that wouldn't be a highlight in most countries, including the US: "Imagine there's no heaven...no hell below us...imagine all the people living for today...nothing to kill for...and no religion too"

Trump Can't Play the Victim Card When He's Been Encouraging Political Violence All Along.

 

Let's NOT forget HOW we got to this point, while condemning the assassination attempt.

Political violence as an acceptable means has been repeatedly endorsed by Trump and many of his cohorts and supporters. Let's see if prez Biden says he loves the shooter, that there are "good people on both sides." Or whether the president can order to take Trump out..... Of course, this will be an "official act" as per SCOTUS. He can also pardon anyone, and can free the "hostages" ....those who may be arrested in taking Trump out.

 

Obviously, I am NOT serious about any official or unofficial act that uses violence to achieve a political goal. But those on the fascist right who have been using dehumanizing language and threats for revenge, and hunt Dems, and, and... must be held accountable. We, on the progressive side, would strike anyone off any list of potential leaders if they bragged about shooting someone on Fifth Avenue and be proud that they'd not lose any support... Tsk.

 

Actually I want Trump to be alive to experience another humiliating defeat [if the Dems get their act together and choose another prez candidate] in this election. I'm looking forward to enjoying watching Trump face justice in the months after the election. I'm enjoying how Trump's lawyer and buddy, Giuliani is going down.

The Supreme Court's Conservatives are Unhinged Opening the Door to Authoritarianism

 You better vote for whomever Dem runs against Trump, because Trump would have no limits on his "official acts." The 5 con majority on SCOTUS, (even Barrett couldn't support this) decided that evidence of corruption or illegality were part of an "official act" such evidence cannot be used to prosecute a president. In what country you may ask.....

 

 

The Democrats Cannot Be Like the Other Party... They Must Be Smarter in Order to Save Our Democracy.

I'm tired of the arrogance of anyone who thinks of themselves as more important than the values they represent, especially when they can do the right thing and exit the stage before the events overtake them and their legacy is destroyed. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Joe Biden, Sonya Sotomayor come to my mind today.

Well, if they were listening to me... First, the Dem players who can force Biden out have to agree he should go. However, the timing and the how could play out indirectly. After polls show Biden's appeal with the persuadable voters is abysmal (which is the case now), the would-be successors pledge support for Biden as they have done after his terrible show.  But in private, they'd tell him otherwise. No one wants to appear as a backstabber publicly. Why? Because it may make JB less likely to bow out, and they'd also want to be in prime position for the 2028 election--if it happens! So, Biden will decide "on his own" sometime this month (July) to pass the torch to a new gen of Dems after having saved our democracy! The convention can pick the nominee, preferably by ranked choice ballot.

It's a ridiculous argument some Dems are making now that Biden rebounded... that it was just a bad night for him... that he's raised tens of millions $ after the "debate". That money came from people who will vote for Biden and the party's candidates. But, BUT, this is not how the election will be decided. It's a small minority of voters (the vast majority of voters are already committed and won't change) who do not think Biden deserves another term. When it mattered (June debate) he couldn't deliver. When Obama lost his first debate nobody was questioning his cognitive ability or his age! Joe had only one task: to convince the voters he could be president, now and in the future. Optics matter more than citing some numbers and esoteric policies (he fumbled those too). Bernie Sanders is one year older than Biden but have you seen him recently? He's feisty and a very clear communicator. All of us we'd be talking about different topics today had Bernie faced Trump in the debate!

 

In the best case scenario the few voters who are up for grabs and don't like both candidates may not vote for Drumpf but they can also stay home, which would be bad for Dems. TURNOUT is the key in this election as it was in 2020...   Oh, and Biden took those 3-4 must-win states by a few thousands of votes! He cannot afford to lose any votes this year! Not showing up because they don't like Biden will also mean all Dems down ballot will suffer. Control of Congress is at stake too in addition to a myriad of other state and local races.

 

If they were still listening.... Biden can perform another great act: convince Justice Sotomayor (age 70 and not in good health) to retire now! The Dems can replace her before they lose the Senate--as this is likely given the map this year for them. If the Repubs win the Senate, the Dems can forget about getting anyone to the SCOTUS. In an ingenious twist, Biden nominates Kamala Harris to the SCOTUS.   This would be a masterful move imho.