As someone who spent most of my life in Africa, and later in the old Eastern Bloc and USSR, this lawfare against a political candidate and the exuberance attending the banning of candidates from the ballot is damn depressing to me, especially since there is no criminal conviction, only speculation. It’s almost if people think because they will it hard enough, it will become fact.
Partisan operatives choosing who can and cannot be on a ballet are no different from what Kenneth Kaunda (president for in Zambia), Hastings Banda (president for life in Malawi), Robert Mugabe (president for life in Zimbabwe), Samora Machel (president for life in Mozambique), Mobutu Sese Seku (president for life in Zaire), and all the Titos, Ceaușescus, Lenins, Stalins, Castros, Pol Pots and Maos did who allowed no meaningful political choice. Do we really want that? Do we really want new rules for those who might benefit from them today but will chafe under them tomorrow, and when power at some point will only come from the barrel of a gun? When people are dehumanized for not having “correct” political views, and I see a lot of it lately, and active steps are taken to suppress their chosen, they will make choices, but not at the ballot boxes.
I never thought I would see it here, and I am ashamed that it has come to this. We are so foolish to let this happen here.
No, we just want the plain language of the 14th Amendment upheld, even if some on the sidelines think it's just unfair to hold Dirty Donnie to an objective legal standard. No doubt you mean well, but defending the right of a fascist insurrectionist to get another shot because from just the right angle and the right light holding him to account for his crimes resembles some malfeasance elsewhere in the world seems to me to be just giving an armed robber a timeout to reload after missing the first time.
I know what a fascist insurrectionist is. Fidel Castro comes to mind. I also know what fascists are: they bind the government to big business for total control. "Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.”
Can you give me a few examples of “Dirty Donnie” exercising that kind of power, because as far as I know, he has respected every court order thrown his way, which is far more than can be said about the Biden regime, who directly defied a Supreme Court ruling against his student debt forgiveness.
Also, having lived under several socialist regimes with fascistic tendencies, you could expect a knock on your door for even innocuous insults against the regime.
Your arguments strike me as formulaic, unoriginal, and, sorry, ignorant.
Many dictators in undemocratic countries used violence to steal elections. Those dictators are what Trump reminds you of if you are familiar with the history of undemocratic countries such as the USSR.
I lived in the Soviet Union, and nothing about the elections in this country have any resemblance to those in the USSR. Moreover, the only thing that concerns me about US elections are the lax checks on who is entitled to vote and, in some places, the lack of an auditable paper trail.
Your vitriolic attack on me doesn't make up for your lack of knowledge or your support for using violence to steal elections. Just because the facts don't back up you doesn't mean you are right.
Speaking of preemptive surrenders to a twisted theocracy: why haven't the US bishops condemned out of hand Michael Flynn (who's clearly a heretic bent on his own Christofascist church) and 45 (who lives and breathes Southern Baptist hypocrisy), never mind Bannon? I'm an xRC (Irish) Buddhist, just asking: if the hierarchy wants to distinguish itself from past fascist/totalitarian dalliances---eg the papal concordats with Mussolini and Hitler---and, perhaps throw a few [miilion?] Hispanic votes (practicing Catholic) Biden's way, why not? Oh, right...it's all about abortion. As you were.
Thank you, Stephen. We should all abandon the doom & gloom shitposting, and focus on we can do to defeat the orange despot instead: vote, volunteer, campaign and donate (if one can afford it).
Also, remember: Trump and his minions are also freaking the fuck out, because they are facing prison time if they don't win. We must not let the fear take over.
I’m afraid we’re about to see SCOTUS Judges ignoring the plain language of the Constitution and tying themselves in rhetorical knots trying to achieve a certain political outcome -- the very definition of “activist” Judges that they’ve spent decades criticizing.
“Look, I was alive and watching lots of HGTV in 2020, so I clearly recall that we built a solid pro-democracy majority that decisively rejected Trump by seven million votes nationally and 74 votes in the Electoral College. There was plenty of democracy in 2020!” Amen!
These people who think this is a unilateral decision by Ms. Bellows are mistaken to the highest degree. There was a hearing and evidence in favor of disqualification was presented in a bipartisan way. One of the pieces of evidence presented was the January 6 report. I did not read it but I watched those hearings. And anyone who watched those or read the report cannot in any good conscience deny that [PAB] is Insurrectionist #1. The mental gymnastics required for this denial make Simone Biles’s physical gymnastics look like [PAB] dancing to YMCA.
“We are witnessing, in real-time, the attempted theft of an election and the disenfranchisement of the American voter"
- protecting America from itself isn't "theft". This is how the 14th Amendment should be used, and I'm surprised at A) how few states have considered it, and B) how even fewer have decided to use it (I think only one atm, since CO's SoS will allow Trump on the ballot).
Not entirely correct, Trump is back on the ballot in CO, but:
“Colorado's Secretary of State Jena Griswold said Trump will be included as a candidate on the state's primary ballot unless the U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear the case or upholds the state supreme court's ruling.”
He will only be on the ballot if SCOTUS orders it, which, since the CO SC ruling, has been the case.
It's a good thing that FDR and most Americans of 1941 weren't like Susan Collins and the other concern trolls, or we never would have gotten into WWII over fears of offending Japan.
As someone who spent most of my life in Africa, and later in the old Eastern Bloc and USSR, this lawfare against a political candidate and the exuberance attending the banning of candidates from the ballot is damn depressing to me, especially since there is no criminal conviction, only speculation. It’s almost if people think because they will it hard enough, it will become fact.
Partisan operatives choosing who can and cannot be on a ballet are no different from what Kenneth Kaunda (president for in Zambia), Hastings Banda (president for life in Malawi), Robert Mugabe (president for life in Zimbabwe), Samora Machel (president for life in Mozambique), Mobutu Sese Seku (president for life in Zaire), and all the Titos, Ceaușescus, Lenins, Stalins, Castros, Pol Pots and Maos did who allowed no meaningful political choice. Do we really want that? Do we really want new rules for those who might benefit from them today but will chafe under them tomorrow, and when power at some point will only come from the barrel of a gun? When people are dehumanized for not having “correct” political views, and I see a lot of it lately, and active steps are taken to suppress their chosen, they will make choices, but not at the ballot boxes.
I never thought I would see it here, and I am ashamed that it has come to this. We are so foolish to let this happen here.
No, we just want the plain language of the 14th Amendment upheld, even if some on the sidelines think it's just unfair to hold Dirty Donnie to an objective legal standard. No doubt you mean well, but defending the right of a fascist insurrectionist to get another shot because from just the right angle and the right light holding him to account for his crimes resembles some malfeasance elsewhere in the world seems to me to be just giving an armed robber a timeout to reload after missing the first time.
I know what a fascist insurrectionist is. Fidel Castro comes to mind. I also know what fascists are: they bind the government to big business for total control. "Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.”
Can you give me a few examples of “Dirty Donnie” exercising that kind of power, because as far as I know, he has respected every court order thrown his way, which is far more than can be said about the Biden regime, who directly defied a Supreme Court ruling against his student debt forgiveness.
Also, having lived under several socialist regimes with fascistic tendencies, you could expect a knock on your door for even innocuous insults against the regime.
Your arguments strike me as formulaic, unoriginal, and, sorry, ignorant.
Many dictators in undemocratic countries used violence to steal elections. Those dictators are what Trump reminds you of if you are familiar with the history of undemocratic countries such as the USSR.
I lived in the Soviet Union, and nothing about the elections in this country have any resemblance to those in the USSR. Moreover, the only thing that concerns me about US elections are the lax checks on who is entitled to vote and, in some places, the lack of an auditable paper trail.
Your lack of knowledge about history and electoral democracy does not make your feelings valid.
In other words, you go ad-hominem because you have no valid counter argument. It’s what you people do.
Your vitriolic attack on me doesn't make up for your lack of knowledge or your support for using violence to steal elections. Just because the facts don't back up you doesn't mean you are right.
I think you are silly, but harmless.
Many fistings up!
Speaking of preemptive surrenders to a twisted theocracy: why haven't the US bishops condemned out of hand Michael Flynn (who's clearly a heretic bent on his own Christofascist church) and 45 (who lives and breathes Southern Baptist hypocrisy), never mind Bannon? I'm an xRC (Irish) Buddhist, just asking: if the hierarchy wants to distinguish itself from past fascist/totalitarian dalliances---eg the papal concordats with Mussolini and Hitler---and, perhaps throw a few [miilion?] Hispanic votes (practicing Catholic) Biden's way, why not? Oh, right...it's all about abortion. As you were.
Its the hard Fight, but the Just Fight
Thank you, Stephen. We should all abandon the doom & gloom shitposting, and focus on we can do to defeat the orange despot instead: vote, volunteer, campaign and donate (if one can afford it).
Also, remember: Trump and his minions are also freaking the fuck out, because they are facing prison time if they don't win. We must not let the fear take over.
I’m afraid we’re about to see SCOTUS Judges ignoring the plain language of the Constitution and tying themselves in rhetorical knots trying to achieve a certain political outcome -- the very definition of “activist” Judges that they’ve spent decades criticizing.
“Look, I was alive and watching lots of HGTV in 2020, so I clearly recall that we built a solid pro-democracy majority that decisively rejected Trump by seven million votes nationally and 74 votes in the Electoral College. There was plenty of democracy in 2020!” Amen!
Thank you, sick of everyone tiptoeing around these terrorists!
These people who think this is a unilateral decision by Ms. Bellows are mistaken to the highest degree. There was a hearing and evidence in favor of disqualification was presented in a bipartisan way. One of the pieces of evidence presented was the January 6 report. I did not read it but I watched those hearings. And anyone who watched those or read the report cannot in any good conscience deny that [PAB] is Insurrectionist #1. The mental gymnastics required for this denial make Simone Biles’s physical gymnastics look like [PAB] dancing to YMCA.
1. Susan Collins is the all time champion concern troll.
2. Chump is trying to pre-rig, because he fears the real possibility of conviction for all his crimes.
3. I can’t listen to people saying using the 14th amendment is bad for democracy. You know what’s bad for democracy? Chump.
“We are witnessing, in real-time, the attempted theft of an election and the disenfranchisement of the American voter"
- protecting America from itself isn't "theft". This is how the 14th Amendment should be used, and I'm surprised at A) how few states have considered it, and B) how even fewer have decided to use it (I think only one atm, since CO's SoS will allow Trump on the ballot).
Not entirely correct, Trump is back on the ballot in CO, but:
“Colorado's Secretary of State Jena Griswold said Trump will be included as a candidate on the state's primary ballot unless the U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear the case or upholds the state supreme court's ruling.”
He will only be on the ballot if SCOTUS orders it, which, since the CO SC ruling, has been the case.
It's a good thing that FDR and most Americans of 1941 weren't like Susan Collins and the other concern trolls, or we never would have gotten into WWII over fears of offending Japan.
You got a good smile too !!! 😁
That is disappointing from the Nation .. wtf
I hope we can get New York too, then that's real progress, I figure 5 states 1 big one would do the trick
This is similar to the first lesson in Timothy Snyder's "On Tyranny"
When authoritarianism is prowling around "Do not obey in advance."
Excellent piece Stephen! Thank you.