Weekend Open Thread
[guest post by Dana]
Let’s go!
First news item
Good news from Supreme Court:
The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that President Donald Trump violated federal law when he unilaterally imposed sweeping tariffs across the globe, a striking loss for the White House on an issue that has been central to the president’s foreign policy and economic agenda.
The Court’s ruling applies only to tariffs imposed under IEEPA.
The decision does NOT invalidate tariffs imposed under other statutes (e.g., Section 232 or Section 301). It holds only that IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) February 20, 2026
Trump took the news well:
CNN: Apparently the breakfast had been going well. Then Trump became enraged. He started ranting about the decision, not only calling it a disgrace, but started attacking the courts at one point saying: these f’ing courts pic.twitter.com/p7aR2LiXVV
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 20, 2026
Note:
Irony: If Trump had embraced and demanded Congress pass the bipartisan Russia sanctions legislation, he’d already have a Congressionally-blessed way to impose massive tariffs against many of the same countries he targeted, including China and India.
Second news item
Inside the White House pardon “process”:
More than a year in, the White House’s pardon process remains a puzzle for those trying to navigate, and in some cases profit, from it. The nearly dozen people who NOTUS spoke with — including sources both outside the Trump administration, like lawyers and lobbyists, and inside the White House — described an ever-changing situation. Many said it is predicated on who has access and who can create the most appealing stories for their clients.
“There is no process, there is no right way to do this,” another source involved in the pardon process said. “It’s chaos.”
. . .
Multiple people NOTUS spoke with have tied the White House’s efforts to tighten control over pardons to [“pardon czar” Alice Marie] Johnson’s decreased access. There’ve been concerns internally over the outside reaction to some of the pardons. Senior aides, including Wiles, have been concerned with how people are profiting off the process, according to two sources familiar with discussions on pardons.
Read the whole story.
Third news item
The UK is blocking President Trump from using its military air bases for a possible attack on
Iran — because the lefty government believes such strikes could violate international law and doesn’t want Britain implicated, according to a new report.
Trump has already hit back by slamming the UK prime minister’s plan to resolve a long-running dispute over a strategically crucial chain of islands in the Indian Ocean.
Fourth news item
There has been no Congressional appropriation of funds:
President Trump on Thursday announced the United States will contribute $10 billion to the “Board of Peace” he established as part of his 20-point peace plan for Gaza, although the funding source isn’t yet clear.
“I want to let you know that the United States is going to make a contribution of $10 billion to the Board of Peace,” Mr. Trump told representatives from roughly 50 countries on Thursday. “The president called that a “very small number when you look at that compared to the cost of war.”
. . .
The White House did not immediately respond to a request to share the funding source.
Trump has also maintained that he will control the board after he is no longer in office. He has already said that he will control the funds donating by member nations.
Anyone else see a BIG problem here??
Have a great weekend.
—Dana
Hello.
Dana (eb4ede) — 2/20/2026 @ 9:54 amFirst news item….
Two weeks ago a Senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee and ranking member of its Subcommittee on Courts, Hank Johnson, claimed that The Supreme Court is in the billionaire President’s back pocket.
LOL. He fits right in.
BuDuh (752772) — 2/20/2026 @ 10:03 amThe penguins of Heard Island rejoice!
Paul Montagu (2a47ce) — 2/20/2026 @ 10:09 amThis is all totally normal, Dana.
Why are you so biased against President Trump?
Dave (d29590) — 2/20/2026 @ 10:10 amHeh.
Dana (f02f70) — 2/20/2026 @ 10:11 amAccording to Senator Lindsey Graham Trump “green-lit” the bipartisan sanctions bill back in January, though no action has been taken at all. As far as I can tell, President Trump hasn’t publicly said any of the sort.
Rip Murdock (c34970) — 2/20/2026 @ 10:13 amA big shout-out to a real American and gold medal winner, Alysa Liu.
Take note, Ms. Gu.
Paul Montagu (2a47ce) — 2/20/2026 @ 10:16 amIncompetence is the silver lining of Trump’s cloud of malignancy.
He’s a small time punk, a jumped-up bellboy, with pretensions of being a “man of respect”, but with the whole world within his reach all he can grasp are the scraps that fall from rich men’s tables.
nk (6c45b4) — 2/20/2026 @ 10:22 amLabor Secretary’s Husband Barred From Department Over Sexual Assault Allegations
I mean, it is a requirement to be MAGA, be as big as a scumbag as possible.
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/20/2026 @ 10:28 amIs anyone else watching the orange baboon?
25th amendment time yet? Just checking in…
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/20/2026 @ 10:37 amThe Dow closed up 231, which is a sign that the USSC decision was mostly baked in.
Paul Montagu (2a47ce) — 2/20/2026 @ 1:12 pmBritish mother’s ICE detention sparked fury in liberal Washington State… but now the ugly details of her past have emerged
BuDuh (752772) — 2/20/2026 @ 1:28 pmScott Bessent completely lost it and had both an uncontrolled tantrum as well as an incoherent screech fest over the SCOTUS ruling.
He needs to calm down.
BuDuh (752772) — 2/20/2026 @ 2:03 pmThe Fix Is In: Lutnick Family To Make Killing On Tariff Demise
It’s a short piece. Read the whole thing.
nk (6c45b4) — 2/20/2026 @ 4:32 pm“The greatest nightmare for this administration is [ordinary people] paying attention.” — He made a fake ICE deportation tip line. Then a kindergarten teacher called.
Depressing.
nk (6c45b4) — 2/20/2026 @ 5:49 pmBessent saying Trump’s tariffs aren’t Trump’s tariffs. Sure, okay.
Paul Montagu (99937d) — 2/20/2026 @ 6:23 pmI have to say that of all of Trump’s spokesmodels, Scott Bessent makes a very good impression. Vocal timbre, elocution, posture, full head of hair, doubletalk like it’s gospel, the boy’s got it all.
nk (6c45b4) — 2/20/2026 @ 7:36 pmSupreme court tries to save republicans from disaster by ruling trump’s tariff are unconstitutional ;but its to late.
asset (bc417e) — 2/20/2026 @ 7:41 pmFlailing:
Rip Murdock (2b3175) — 2/20/2026 @ 8:17 pmAs whembly pointed out earlier today, the Kavanaugh dissent pointed out the obvious, that there are multiple tariff authorities the Administration can use to implement tariffs. However, these authorities have specific limitations and require agency determinations or congressional action, and are subject to litigation.
For example, Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 requires findings by the Department of Commerce that the importation threatens national security. These investigations can take months.
Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974 authorizes the President to impose tariffs or take certain other actions if the International Trade Commission finds that a surge in imports is causing or threatening serious injury to a U.S. domestic industry. Section 201 places several limitations on the magnitude and duration of remedial actions.
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 allows USTR to impose tariffs in response to actions by foreign countries that violate U.S. rights under international trade agreements or that burden or restrict U.S. commerce in “unjustifiable,” “unreasonable,” or “discriminatory” ways after an investigation.
Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 directs the President to take measures that may include a temporary import surcharge (tariff) when necessary to address “large and serious United States balance-of-payments deficits” or certain other situations that present “fundamental international payments problems.” This is the authority used to impose the new 10% worldwide tariffs. Up to now this authority has never been used.
Section 338 of the Trade Act of 1930206 directs the President to impose tariffs on articles produced by, or imported on the vessels of, foreign countries that discriminate against U.S. commerce in certain ways. Like the Section 122 tariffs, they have not been imposed before.
Rip Murdock (2b3175) — 2/20/2026 @ 8:55 pmNot to mention that Roy Cohn je ne sais quoi…
Dave (d29590) — 2/20/2026 @ 9:58 pmIf the Supremes were at all tempted to push the tariff slapdown back a week (to avoid an ugly State of the Union confrontation) it seems they resisted.
It will be interesting to see whether the justices our mad king derided as “fools and lapdogs” will show up to let him insult them in person on national TV.
Trump stopped just short of disinviting them entirely on Friday (the royalist faction of Alito, Thomas and “genius” Kavanaugh are of course welcome).
Alito has not attended a SotU since he visibly disagreed with Obama in 2010.
Dave (d29590) — 2/20/2026 @ 11:29 pmTrump won’t flout a Supreme Court ruling but his US Attorneys are doing it with disturbing frequency and dishonesty in the lower courts, noted here, where the judge noted that the US government underreported the number of violations in defiance of court orders.
I’ve brought up the Presumption of Regularity before but, with all the lies and the flouting, it’s going to keep coming up.
Paul Montagu (ad4a61) — 2/21/2026 @ 8:11 amBuduh,
You have one? I have one!
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/21/karen-newton-valid-visa-detained-ice
T
I notice also, Buduh, in yours that we are paying, as taxpayers, who are innocent of all fault, to detain your British woman for many months for crimes, like 4th degree assault, that would not normally carry such punishment . Another triumph for MAga.
Robert (830d5f) — 2/21/2026 @ 8:39 amSounds like a terrible marriage, Robert. Bill was probably relieved.
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 9:07 amMs. Newton’s tale is one of many reasons why tourism to the US is declining, and it’s all because of one cruel delusional guy.
Seems like international tourists won’t be thrilled by the proposed fascist requirement that they must submit five years of social media history.
Paul Montagu (ad4a61) — 2/21/2026 @ 9:20 amThe American public has been played by the tariffs. We are never going to get the money back. Not the taxpayers who paid more for products. Trump’s foolish and stubborn belief that, as Trump explained: We would all be broke if not for his tariffs, has come at a big loss. It will be interesting to see how he pressures Republicans at SOTU to back him on whatever scheme he will introduce to the public to work around the ruling against him. Unfortunately, even with all the Republican retirees in Congress finishing up their terms, not enough Republicans will push back against Trump.
Dana (5f4c23) — 2/21/2026 @ 9:43 amOne of my wargame designer buddies from Vancouver has been bringing his family to the World Boardgame Championships in MD and PA every summer for … decades (I first met him at the 1993 or 94 convention).
Typically had 16-24 players turn out for his game every year (it takes all week to play it…).
No more of that, thanks to our mad king’s indignities.
Dave (69719e) — 2/21/2026 @ 9:45 amDana, did you see Klink call DRJ a nazi on the other thread? DRJ speculated that his comment may have been released from moderation.
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 9:49 am@28
“Proposed” is the key word there, and it’s a word that has meaning.
And, Ms. Morgan from London should definitely fear being detained as a result of searches of social
media history. Oh wait…
Paul, I’m sure you have examples pertaining to visitors to the US. Let’s see them. I’ll wait…
In the meantime, maybe you can deride the UK for being so fascist.
lloyd (86fecd) — 2/21/2026 @ 9:51 amWhich tariff is causing the rise in California’s fuel and energy prices? What impact will the increased fuel prices have on shipping? Will those increased costs be passed on to the consumer?
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 9:51 amBuduh, Sincere question: do you feel events like what Paul described are good execution of public policy? Bad execution? Or an example of the inevitable adverse outcomes that will happen when policy is executed at scale?
If you do feel it’s bad or an adverse outcome do you think the administration should take steps to minimize such?
I’ll answer in advance of yours. I think it’s likely bad execution caused by the administration not caring about adverse outcomes. I would be willing to grant the federal government more grace in such if there were compelling evidence that our leaders acknowledged the issue and placed some emphasis at improving the execution of the policy. At this point there’s a reasonable case to be made that they don’t care about, if not want, such outcomes.
On my phone so please forgive me any typos / errors.
Time123 (0351ed) — 2/21/2026 @ 9:56 amBuduh, if you want moderation enforcement I’ve found that emailing Pat works pretty well or Dana works pretty well. I think it’s clear that enforcement is very hands off at the moment.
I also suspect that the amount of time Dana is willing to spend on moderation is measured in single digit minutes per month.
Time123 (0351ed) — 2/21/2026 @ 9:59 amI have found so many errors with what Paul posts, Time. I’ll just wait several days for the actual story to come out. Would you remind me next Wednesday to take a look at this topic? Thank you.
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:05 amNewname Oldname can confirm.
lloyd (86fecd) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:05 amI appreciate your assistance, Time.
Do you think DRJ should have been called a nazi on a comment that was released by the moderators?
I’ll go first.
I think she should have been spared that dreadful comment.
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:07 am@38, while I’m not 100% confident of the details of that conversation I’m very comfortable saying that DRJ should not have been called a Nazi. It’s possible I missed something, but it would be shocking if I missed something that justified that.
Time123 (0351ed) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:10 amUh I do not see that having happened.
Patterico (c48f8e) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:15 am@37, you’re still here so the line is somewhere between you and them.
Time123 (0351ed) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:16 amNone, yet I’m paying more for gas today than on Inauguration Day.
Paul Montagu (ad4a61) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:17 am@39 If Nazi was directed at someone other than DRJ, I guess it would’ve been ok?
It was directed at JVW awhile back, and Time123 and others sat on their hands.
lloyd (86fecd) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:17 amWhat about the notion that the Nazi comment was released by the moderators?
DRJ used to guest post here and she understands how this system works. When our chronological comment numbers change it is because either a comment is released and it sneaks into the chronology, or when a comment is removed and everything after it moves back one space. She pointed out that the earlier scenario happened.
I saw it as well.
Klink’s nazi comment was released, IMO. And even if it wasn’t, there has been enough talk about it that I would think something would be done. But I am merely a simple thorn around here.
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:17 amHello, Pat.
Here is DRJ explaining:
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:20 amDana contacted me about this. Now that there has been plenty of discussion about it, there is no choice but to leave up the comment in question so everyone can see what it does and does not say.
I do not read Klink’s comment as calling DRJ a Nazi and if I did I would take it down. I see she has speculated that this is what he meant. It does not appear to me that it does but let me ask Klink directly: did you intend to call DRJ a Nazi?
My reading was that DRJ said she agreed with some of Trump’s concerns but not with his authoritarian tactics. I would say that’s a pretty good statement of my own beliefs. I don’t think Klink thinks I am a Nazi. Rather than assuming things, let’s drop it until and unless Klink answers my question.
Patterico (c48f8e) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:22 amHaha Newname Trollname is indeed banned. Sorry if that makes some of you sad but he richly deserves it and anyone who behaves like him deserves and will get the same.
Patterico (c48f8e) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:25 amSpeculation: The Supreme Court majority may have done the Loser a favor. The blocking of tariffs, however temporary, will help the economy, by reducing inflation. Putting a brake on the Loser’s lawlessness — especially if that continues — may make businessmen and consumers readier to make long-term plans. And, of course, it will give an excuse for a sluggish economy he may need, soon.
Jim Miller (0099c6) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:35 amOk. Thank you Pat.
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:41 amThis Wikipedia article provides some interesting background on birthrght citizenship:
(Links omitted.)
Jim Miller (0099c6) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:43 amAs I continue to hammer the accomplices to MAGAs moronified implementation of the Nazi ethos. Not 1941 Nazis, we are in 1934 Nazi party territory.
And specifically with all of sane washing of all of this corruption and evil.
“All of this is sad, but at the end of the day, he’ll probably follow the law”–GAG, bullstiff.
Defense of evil is evil, and the more often and more loudly those that know better might act better. You lay down with dogs and all that.
Of course, there are the sockies whose job is to lie, so they know better, but don’t care. Like who in the 30s? Yup, the Bund, the American Nazi party.
Is that clear? “Well, Hitler did make the trains run on time” YES, BUT WHY?
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:49 amExcept the ink wasn’t on the SCOTUS decision wasn’t even dry before he was staring red-faced into a camera and promising to double-down on stupid and talking about how he can destroy the country:
Dave (69719e) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:51 amIf you want to talk about tech, logistics, or military procurement; I’m happy to weigh in.
But for today, all of those topics are at best tertiary, what tech in the support of evil. In regard to what…in the support of evil, isn’t the important part of the sentence, it’s the EVIL.
Like with BoobyJr, he thought the “snorting of the cocaine off of the TOILET seat was the cool thing.” Where the correct reading is, he thought “snorting of the COCAINE off of the toilet seat was the cool thing.”
When, daily, there are public crimes being committed, sane wash it, impeachable offenses, sane washing, cognitive flatlining, sane washing. It’s worse than the whatabout, because it requires much more self delusion.
Stop hanging out with the Bund, stop defending the Bund, stop wearing the uniform of the Bund, then it will be less likely that people point and yell—NAZI!!!
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:57 amRegarding Trump’s illegal Board of Peace…
There’s not a single mention of Gaza in the Board of Peace in their charter, even though Gaza was the purported reason for this board being. There are 28 members on Trump’s “board”, including the US. Assuming even half pays the $1 billion entry fee, that’s $14 billion in Trump’s kitty, not counting the $10 billion he’s trying to scam out of the US Treasury, all of which is under Trump’s sole control. Also, there’s no word on whether Trump will charge annual dues, but don’t be surprised if he does to keep the slush fund rolling.
By comparison, the entire UN annual budget is $3.5 billion, which is dwarfed by Trump’s latest hustle. BTW, going by Freedom House, only four member countries are Free nations while 13 are Not Free. The rest are Partly Free. This is scarcely better than Putin’s Dictators’ Club that he was trying to force Ukraine into. Shut it down.
Paul Montagu (ad4a61) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:58 amColonel Klink,
I generally agree that the MAGA movement reminds me of Germany in the 1930s in many ways, and that the folks supporting it should not do so.
But could I ask you to answer a very direct question?
In another thread, DRJ posted:
That lines up pretty well with my beliefs, although I doubt I would say I agree with Trump on “many” world and American problems he identifies. But certainly I agree with him on some of them. Those include the wildly lax immigration policy we followed under Biden; the danger of the Iran nuclear program; the concerns about Europe’s infringement of free speech; the illegitimate nature of the Maduro regime; and likely some others.
Like DRJ, my concern is that his solutions tend to be authoritarian, to put it kindly.
You followed her comment with this one:
DRJ, and some other folks here, read your comment as possibly calling her a Nazi. I did not read it that way, but perhaps I am wrong. (I actually do not understand many parts of that comment at all.)
So my direct question is this:
Did you mean to call DRJ a Nazi through that comment?
Again, I assume not, but given how many people have raised the question, I think it’s best for me to ask the question directly and I ask for a direct answer. Thanks.
Patterico (616f0d) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:03 amtldr; blah blah blah. (with all due respect)
With Trump, it’s a fool’s errand to ask “where does he get the authority to do X?”
The only relevant question is “Who’s going to stop him?”
He is on record that he considers there are no limits on what he is allowed to do. So-called conservatives voted him back into office after he said it.
Dave (69719e) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:07 amLike with tariffs, Dave, this “Board of Peace” will get struck down, then Trump will whine about it over the weekend and smear the judges as unpatriotic, and it’ll be worth the effort.
Paul Montagu (ad4a61) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:15 amWho would have standing to challenge the “Board of Peace” in the courts?
Rip Murdock (81072a) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:18 amI found it mind-boggling that the UN budget is that small.
Actually, $3.5B is the “normal” annual budget, and there is a slightly larger (and distinct) budget for peace-keeping. But the two combined are still less than Trump’s slush fund.
Dave (69719e) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:18 amAnd if it doesn’t legally exist anywhere, what court would have jurisdiction?
Dave (69719e) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:21 amFor a start, any nation ripped off by Trump’s scam.
Paul Montagu (ad4a61) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:27 am@49 Credit to BuDuh for sticking up for DRJ when others here had already let it slide.
lloyd (00cc57) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:31 amIf a government willingly gives money to the Board of Peace, how are they being “ripped off”?
Rip Murdock (81072a) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:39 amThis is sane washing of evil. Because we, and DRJ, knows that he has no policy, and has as of today, yet to provide a single solution to any problems. Pointing and complaining isn’t “identifying problems”.
This is the evil that has allowed MAGA to completely eradicate conservatism in America. The dems are the more serious and conservative party between the two. Reactionary words to the effect of “power to the people”, one difference between classic progressives and MAGA is the “people”. One deluded the proletariat that they could take away all merit and delegate at among the “people”. Today the prols are everyone not among the “people”–rich, famous, infamous, rapey, pervs, who are selling the prols are bill of goods, like a conman. AND, sane washing it is evil.
So, not a Nazi…yet, but Chamberlain in 1936, two years before the Munich Agreement, pretty darn close.
Generally, don’t be an accomplice of evil. It’s a bad look, minimally.
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:39 amWow.
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:42 amFraud.
Paul Montagu (ad4a61) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:48 am#52 Dave – I understand your argument, and think your prediction is one of the possible outcomes.
However, I think the chances that will happen are somewhat less, thanks to the Supreme Court decision.
And fortunately, because there is some truth in TACO, as we see, again and again.
Jim Miller (0099c6) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:52 am
Rip Murdock (81072a) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:54 amAlso, foreign governments cannot sue the US unless Congress waives the US’s sovereign immunity.
If they pay $1B for the opportunity to kiss Trump’s fat orange @ss, and he lets them kiss it, how is it fraud?
Dave (69719e) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:55 amWishful thinking.
Rip Murdock (81072a) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:56 amAnother probe from Putin:
From time to time, I have wondered why Putin is often so provocative. I have come to the tentative conclusion that he enjoys showing how weak, or even nonexistent, the Loser’s response will be.
Jim Miller (0099c6) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:58 amBillions of US taxpayer $$ given to the UN, funding anti-Semitism, pro-terrorist “humanitarian” workers, and a Human Rights Council chaired by Iran is not the sort of fraud folks here are worried about.
lloyd (00cc57) — 2/21/2026 @ 12:02 pmRip, Trump is representing the Office of the President in his Board of Peace scam. It’s not a side hustle that he’s doing as a private citizen. The American people have every right to question its legitimacy, including through the courts.
Paul Montagu (ad4a61) — 2/21/2026 @ 12:04 pmThe “Board of Peace” might be challenged for using funds not appropriated by Congress (where’s that $10B coming from?) but not by any foreign government.
Rip Murdock (81072a) — 2/21/2026 @ 12:09 pmI would not like to see Klink banned or even moderated.
It’s not my side of the commentariat here who should be embarrassed by his comments. I think it’s great that he serves as their surrogate.
lloyd (00cc57) — 2/21/2026 @ 12:12 pmYour initial post said nothing about the American people, you’re goal post moving.
Rip Murdock (81072a) — 2/21/2026 @ 12:12 pmSuppose someone were to express the view (which I’m not suggesting anybody has):
“I agree with Vladimir Putin regarding many of the world problems that he identifies. My concern is with some of his solutions, particularly his authoritarian impulses.”
…I think many of us would have a similar reaction to Klink’s.
Treating Putin – even in principle – as someone whose judgment on the problems of the world could have some merit, is (IMO) morally outrageous. Not that he ahould be ignored – the man is cunning and extremely dangerous after all – but he is irredeemably evil.
To me, for the same reasons, Donald Trump’s judgment on the problems of the world (to the extent it is even distinguishable from Putin’s, which too often it does not) deserves to be dismissed out of hand. Putin at least has the benefit of an adult psychology and some degree of intellect. And Trump almost certainly has more blood on his hands. The death toll triggered by Trump’s cutoff of food and medicine through USAid is currently projected – in the best-case scenario of no further cuts – to rival that of the Holocaust by 2030. The man bragged about committing sexual assault; he tried to steal an election that he lost by 7 million votes. From my perspective, it requires willful moral blindness to look at the guy and see nothing worse than a misguided politician.
Dave (69719e) — 2/21/2026 @ 12:50 pmKlink wasn’t personally attacking Trump. He was personally attacking DRJ.
And, if you don’t think the target was DRJ, he has attacked other commenters here (and JVW) in similar fashion and worse.
lloyd (00cc57) — 2/21/2026 @ 12:55 pmWell, that’s ridiculous. Your complaints about about Trump’s policies and solutions, and that does not differentiate you from DRJ (or me) at all. You need to be more charitable. Don’t alienate people who agree with you about what Trump is doing.
Patterico (ebca45) — 2/21/2026 @ 12:58 pmThe problem is the lack of etiquette to at least ask the person to list the “world problems.” This is a prime example of setting up a conversation based off of complete misrepresentation by simply not concerning yourself with the foundation of what the other person was saying. If you don’t understand, then ask.
To skip right to Nazi or, whatever your example ultimately concludes, is a total disservice to the point of having a conversation.
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:00 pmEveryone must choose the level of sanity and evil they are willing to support; my limit is Thomas Massey he’s 12% insane and not evil. Some here might support Marjorie Taylor Greene, she’s 95% insane, And some say she’s become self-aware enough to realize some of her thoughts were complete lunacy so now she’s only 90% insane.
Sane washing that a 90% crazy person is making sense ignores the fact that it’s still 90% insane
Sanity and evil live in the same ballpark, If at opposite sides. If you’re sane washing evil that is evil.
So, with every interaction that you were going to sane wash the crazy evil, you should either stipulate the evil or assume the audience is going to believe that you are supporting that which you were defending.
I’ll call them baby white nationalist authoritarians if that is helpful? Samey same, but if being polite to is more important than identifying them so be it.
In the south, Kentucky is the south apparently, We say, bless your heart. And take off your brown coat when you come in the house.
Colonel Klink (ret) (9dbd98) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:09 pmDidn’t he call you a rapist? Or something similarly vile?
There is a reason I was so taken aback by his treatment of DRJ. When I first started posting here I ended up in a food fight with DRJ because the interaction was not going my way. Patterico told me in no uncertain terms to knock it off. I reviewed my end of the interaction and I apologized to both DRJ and Patterico. Not only have I wanted to be a good guest and take the rules seriously, I didn’t not want to be a lesser person and always find the gutter part of the argument to focus on. Both Patterico and DRJ were gracious. Several times since I have had the opportunity to engage with DRJ and I think we now have fun while agreeing or disagreeing. I have independently reflected on my poor behavior and offered follow up apologies to her and she has made me feel as though that water has long since been under the bridge.
I now feel somewhat of a personal connection to her and I was absolutely floored when Klink went berserker on her. I am used to it from him. And maybe my past sin here allows it to be acceptable behavior from him. But to her?? Just too much to believe.
Just thought I would share.
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:11 pm@83
Yes. But, I get the sense personal attacks on certain folks here is going to be given a pass. So be it. I would think there’s no debate about personal attacks on DRJ and JVW, but it seems I’m wrong.
lloyd (00cc57) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:21 pmI am not upset with Klinks comment, even if he thinks I am a Nazi. That is his opinion. It reflects on him, not me. I was simply curious if he was talking to me.
I am rarely online anymore. Don’t make a mountain our of this molehill.
DRJ (46760c) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:26 pmWhy do you say that Buduh? Other than casual callousness?
More reasons we must really really focus on Hunter Biden’s misdeeds (from the NYT):
Robert (830d5f) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:30 pm“It reflects on him, not me.”
100%
lloyd (00cc57) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:30 pmAnd more about the bridge, this time from The Atlantic. All an illustration of how Maga does not discriminate – it looks out for all the billionaires, not just a few:
Robert (830d5f) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:31 pm+1
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:31 pm@86 “Hunter Biden’s misdeeds”
Anything to avoid saying they were illegal.
lloyd (00cc57) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:35 pmColonel Klink,
My comment was not defending Trump but I think we have to be honest that he appeals to a lot of people. Maybe it is his strongman image or his willingness to take on everyone. But I think it is mainly that he doesn’t shy away from hot-button issues that many people care about — something the Republican Party ignored for decades. If we want better leaders, they still need to deal with those issues.
DRJ (46760c) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:48 pmThe Republican Party’s inability to deal seriously with financial, legal, and cultural issues is the mountain I care about. That is what gave Trump the opportunity to take over the GOP.
DRJ (46760c) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:53 pmBe better
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad9485) — 2/21/2026 @ 1:57 pmOnce again, is that comment for me, Klink? If so, please explain. I am trying to engage with you. I am not your enemy.
DRJ (46760c) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:00 pmThis reminds me of commenters who refuse to call out the brazen looting Trump is doing with his Board of Peace scheme and the $10 billion he is taking from taxpayers to put toward this non-reviewed, non-governmental
Dana (8a2a3b) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:01 pmorganizationpersonal slush fund. Trump has still not specified whether Congress approved the $10 billion or where the money is specifically coming from. With the president announcing that he will control the monies as the head of the Board, what safeguards are there that it won’t become his personal piggy bank? And who’s going to stop him? We’ve heard nothing from Congress addressing these issues.@92 DRJ, I think there are a lot of republicans who really like Trumps authoritarianism, cruelty, and criminality. They seem to feel it’s just payback for the slights they feel.
Time123 (0351ed) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:02 pm@95 nor will we until there is political advantage ( or fund raising advantage ) for them in doing so.
Look at the investigation of Joe Biden. His pardon of Hunter was inexcusable and arguably an overt act. But congress let it go because they didn’t see a political advantage at that point.
Time123 (0351ed) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:04 pm@88 another example of the corruption of the Trump administration harming our country.
Time123 (0351ed) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:05 pmTime123,
I am curious. Do you know many Trump voters? Is that what they say?
I live in Texas. Many people here voted for him and I know many. That is not why they say they voted for him and they don’t seem to like that about him.
DRJ (46760c) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:09 pmBut it could be true for some which is why I mentioned his strongman features.
DRJ (46760c) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:10 pm@95 It reminds me of the commenters who apply a low bar standard of legal/illegal to Democrats, and a higher standard of right/wrong to Trump. My comment elicited precisely that response.
lloyd (00cc57) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:12 pmLotta of mini-modding and white-knighting going on in this comment section. Just email the mods if you have concerns instead of calling someone out in multiple comment sections and hoping a mod will notice.
nic (120c94) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:28 pmWhich issues were those?
When Trump was first nominated, the economy was quite healthy (unemployment below 5%), and the budget deficit (as a percentage of GDP) was lower than it has ever been since. The GOP takeover of the House in 2011 and the Senate in 2015 had a lot to do with that.
The trade deficit, in absolute terms and as a % of GDP, was smaller than it has ever been since (I don’t view this as a problem in any case, but it wasn’t worse 10 years ago.
The murder rate was about half the value it had peaked at in the 1990’s.
Compared to the utter chaos of the last 12 months, things in 2016 look pretty good to me.
Trump had no plan to solve any problem in 2016. He was completely clueless on policy. He just told everyone what they wanted to hear.
Remember how he was going to pay off the national debt in 8 years without raising taxes or reducing entitlements?
Remember how his health care plan would be much better than Obama’s and cost nothing?
Dave (69719e) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:30 pmDRJ, Quite a few. The desire for retribution is a common theme. When I had a few
Time123 (0351ed) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:31 pmMinutes I’ll dig up some articles that illustrate my point.
Why mention anything at all if this is so beneath you, nic? What specifically bothers you?
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:32 pm@101 Lloyd still waiting for an example or two of that….whenever you get a chance.
Time123 (0351ed) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:32 pmThe people you know are mentioned in the articles?
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:34 pm@Buduh@105 It seems to be significantly derailing comment sections a lot recently.
nic (120c94) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:40 pm@105 Because nic knows what the mods will do about it.
lloyd (295f1f) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:41 pmnic,
Don’t worry. I won’t be around much longer today. Life calls.
DRJ (46760c) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:47 pmDave,
The issues that bother voters where I live are:
1. Financial — we believe in living within our budgets and think government should, too.
2. Cultural — we are traditional (predominantly Christian but not totally and even the atheists, Jews and Hindus that live here are traditional) and believe government should not undermine our views. For instance, schools should educate, not worry about genders, abortions, or birth control because of federal interference.
3. Illegal immigration is a big issue but it costs locally and state-wide. I have always believed that it was Trump’s willingness to speak out on illegal immigration when the GOP did very little on that issue that made him a viable candidate.
DRJ (0d8c49) — 2/21/2026 @ 2:55 pmTime123,
No need to link articles. I believe you that you know Trump voters that want retribution. What is it they want Trump to do?
DRJ (0d8c49) — 2/21/2026 @ 3:01 pmThey “don’t seem to”? Do they ever criticize his grotesque selfishness, conspicuous amorality, extravagant mendacity, casual cruelty, self-serving corruption, disdain for law, or open admiration of despots?
Every Trump voter had to decide that such an extraordinary set of deep character faults, with virtually no redeeming virtues – not even intelligence or wisdom – is not only acceptable in a president, but better than a non-psychopath who holds some disfavored policy views. Everyone who chose Trump over his primary opponents must have done so in large measure because they like his particular brand of sociopathy.
Thoughtful conservatives such a Judge Luttig recognized that an amoral psychopath in the White House poses an extraordinary threat to the constitutional order – and to our standing in the world, as is now starkly clear.
On the other hand, the educated MAGA apologists are evidently not troubled when Trump pushes against and past the boundaries of the permissible, to say nothing of the decent and ethical. They’ll say things like “He’s not afraid to challenge traditional norms!” as if his indifference to ethics and rules and laws were an asset. Apparently, they think it is.
Among the MAGA rank and file, the cruelty of Trump’s mass-deportation policy has, in fact, been celebrated, even when it’s turned against people who have been here lawfully – though it has earned the condemnation of Joe Rogan and a couple of other former Trump-boosters.
Radegunda (119a1c) — 2/21/2026 @ 3:02 pm#102
+1
Appalled (2f3d80) — 2/21/2026 @ 3:05 pmClearly no point in my commenting here, is there?
Best wishes, Patrick.
DRJ (0d8c49) — 2/21/2026 @ 3:08 pm@115 I’d say something, but that would be seen as just more “white knighting” by nic and Appalled.
lloyd (295f1f) — 2/21/2026 @ 3:16 pmIt is beyond me that that nic and Appalled draw this as their line for inappropriate conversation on an open thread.
Haha
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 3:21 pmCalling anyone a “Nazi” (even Donald Trump or his supporters) is just a shortcut way of saying you have no argument beyond hyperbole. Trump isn’t a “Nazi”; his policies bear no resemblance to the policies of the Hitler regime.
He has used language reminiscent of the Nazi era such as calling his political opponents “vermin” during the 2024 campaign, but he hasn’t instituted policies supporting his rhetoric. His administration is still restrained by the courts and public opinion.
Rip Murdock (e4102f) — 2/21/2026 @ 3:29 pmI understand everyone’s concerns. I spent years commenting here about morality and Trump. It resonated here but clearly it doesn’t matter to most voters. So my focus changed to what is it that voters want that the GOP wasn’t giving them.
I don’t think we are a nation of hateful revenge-seekers. Some may be, or sometimes, but not overall. Americans are historically positive, forward-looking people. I believe that a leader with that attitude who is willing to address the financial, cultural, and immigration concerns (that I know matter in Texas) can put us back on a positive, winning path.
But I also think that if we can’t talk about these things candidly, they will never happen.
I wish everyone well.
DRJ (0d8c49) — 2/21/2026 @ 3:39 pmIt is an unhappy reality – which charlatans like Trump have done their best to confuse people about – that the only way for the government to live within its budget is to cut entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, and/or raise taxes. If every penny of non-defense discretionary spending (which includes many important functions) were eliminated, the federal government would still run deficits of more than $1T per year. Early in 2016, Trump swore he would never cut entitlements or raise taxes. So it’s unclear how anyone could have expected fiscal responsibility.
But in Trump’s second term, he has imposed executive fiats proclaiming one-size-fits-all federal regulations on these subjects nationwide, “undermining” many peoples’ views. Nearly all education policy is (or was) determined at the state and local, not federal, levels, which seems to me probably the best way to accommodate people with different views in different communities.
I think the suggestion “the GOP did very little on that issue” is Trump disinformation. President G.W.Bush doubled the number of Border Patrol agents by the time he left office (and the legislation he signed into law ended up tripling the number eventually). Bush also tried – unsuccessfully – to increase legal immigration to meet our economy’s needs so that illegal immigration would be less prevalent.
Trump, after torpedoing a bipartisan attempt to fix the broken asylum system, has temporarily stopped the border surge by flagrantly violating the law. Trump is lazy and has no interest in doing more than issuing executive orders. The hard work of fixing the broken parts of the law will have to wait for more serious leadership.
Dave (c35fda) — 2/21/2026 @ 3:44 pmI wish you well too, DRJ.
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/21/2026 @ 3:44 pmNor are the political opposition to Trump “communists” or “socialists”, unless they identify themselves as such. As with the “Nazi” epithet, it a hyperbolic argument.
Rip Murdock (e4102f) — 2/21/2026 @ 3:51 pm@loyd@109 If your goal is to get something done about a comment, then emailing the mods is the best way to do it. If your goal is to create drama or feel self-righteous, then keep calling people out under the theory that the mods might notice.
@DRJ@110 I hope you don’t think my comment was about you. It wasn’t. I’m sorry you got caught up in other people’s stuff or are feeling discouraged.
nic (120c94) — 2/21/2026 @ 3:54 pmBS, about the goalpost-moving. Trump represents the American people.
Paul Montagu (ad4a61) — 2/21/2026 @ 4:10 pm@123 Bless your heart, nic.
lloyd (52d545) — 2/21/2026 @ 4:53 pmIn your response to my question about who would have standing to sue the US, your post said nothing about Trump and the American people:
Which I pointed out that foreign countries cannot sue the United States unless Congress waives our sovereign immunity. It was after that the American people was brought up.
Even then, outside of Congress, who would have standing among “the American people” to file a lawsuit? Certainly not taxpayers.
Rip Murdock (e4102f) — 2/21/2026 @ 5:08 pmDRJ – I think Walter Bagehot had an insight that still rings true even in America, though, I believe, to a lesser extent:
The Constitution asks a lot of voters, and we should not be surprised when many of us fall short. Or that many look for a strong leader to make decisions for them. That was much of the appeal of our seventh president, Andrew Jackson, for example. (His opponents called themselves “Whigs” because, in Britain, the Whigs were opposed to strong monarchs.) Here’s a famous cartoon illustrating that argument: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Andrew_the_First
(Yes, Walter Bagehot was not a particularly nice person — but he wasn’t a fool.)
Jim Miller (b2013d) — 2/21/2026 @ 5:08 pmSo what?
Rip Murdock (e4102f) — 2/21/2026 @ 5:09 pmExcellent links, Jim. I am grateful that you shared them. I hope the American people don’t want a king, even though our President does.
DRJ (5bd0dd) — 2/21/2026 @ 5:27 pmIt’s all part of the same deal, Rip. He has no legal authority.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/21/2026 @ 5:27 pmMisappropriation of public funds is really the government’s lookout. There are qui tam actions whereby private citizens can sue to recover public funds for a percentage of the recovery but they are limited as to the causes of action.
nk (6c45b4) — 2/21/2026 @ 5:35 pmJim,
FWIW (maybe nothing), I don’t think Americans have given up on our system. I think they have given up on our 30 year (+/-) history of political leaders. I think Trump is a worse version of Ross Perot, who Americans hoped would change government from a business in service to politics to public service.
DRJ (1088ac) — 2/21/2026 @ 6:13 pmBulspitt. That might’ve been true when you were talking about Bill Clinton or George W. Bush but that’s not who we’re talking about if you ignore reality and assume this Maga party is the same as the old Republican Party and contains a single conservative then again there’s a very stupid man in Washington DC that will sell you a bridge.
NOT calling out people that saw the fork in the road,where One choice waswas constitutional order and the American way, and the other only ends in authoritarianism, government endorsed and enforced Racism, and anarchy.
Labels exist for a reason, uniforms exist for a reason. If you’re wearing the uniform and you’re saying the words,don’t be shocked when people tell you what you really are.
Own your spit.
Colonel Klink (ret) (d69d74) — 2/21/2026 @ 6:20 pmAgain, so what? Only Congress has the ability to stop him, either through legislation or impeachment. I don’t see either happening.
Rip Murdock (4dcf2d) — 2/21/2026 @ 6:21 pmThe administration’s social media has a lot of specific references to Nazism and white nationalism. They haven’t hidden it.
Patterico (ebca45) — 2/21/2026 @ 6:31 pmBrutal:
Rip Murdock (4dcf2d) — 2/21/2026 @ 6:47 pmAs I pointed out, the administration hasn’t enacted any policies similar to the Nazi regime.
Rip Murdock (4dcf2d) — 2/21/2026 @ 6:50 pmHe’s a worse version of Ross Perot?
WTF are you smoking?
Colonel Klink (ret) (718944) — 2/21/2026 @ 6:53 pmIs anyone surprised at President Trump’s response-it’s par for the course.
Rip Murdock (4dcf2d) — 2/21/2026 @ 6:53 pmSure, and Gandhi was a worse version of Jesus
Colonel Klink (ret) (718944) — 2/21/2026 @ 6:54 pmYou might want to research what the Nazis did between 1933 and 1938
Colonel Klink (ret) (718944) — 2/21/2026 @ 6:59 pmDave: “Donald Trump’s judgment on the problems of the world … deserves to be dismissed out of hand. Putin at least has the benefit of an adult psychology and some degree of intellect.”
A confidence man is a swindler who defrauds a victim by first gaining their trust and then using trickery to obtain money or property. Donald Trump is and will always be a first-rate con man.
Can someone be an effective leader if they don’t have character, intelligence, or empathy? Can you trust that what they say is accurate? Can you trust that they’ve done their homework and are not operating out of self interest?
Sure, Trump makes proclamations about lots of things. He understood that immigration was a lightning rod that he could manipulate voters with. The same with DEI. The same with transsexuals and bathrooms. He knows how to push buttons and get reactions. He thrives on it. He is certainly savvy enough to understand how to work someone up while speaking their language…like any good con man.
Globalization has wrecked some towns. People who were unable to adapt and reinvent are angry and bitter about it. China’s rise has come at the expense of many blue-collar jobs. Trump understood that he could manipulate this anger. It’s not just that tariffs aren’t the answer, it’s that his whole understanding of the matter is deeply flawed. How do you give someone points for selling lies and garbage?
Does he get points for trying to make Zelenskyy grovel or misrepresenting who is responsible for the Ukraine war? Do we give him points for not being able to physically get to the Capitol on J6? How about dancing on Rob Reiner’s grave….or mocking John McCain’s service…..or trashing men of character like James Mattis or Mark Milley? Making fun of Carly Fiorina’s face? The list is endless.
Yes, he points at stuff and grunts. But what does he actually know and can he speak intelligently on it? Can we trust his facts, interpretation, and conclusions? Is Amy Coney Barrett really an embarrassment? Would a good leader disparage justices? We shouldn’t nod to Trump’s judgment because he hasn’t earned it. Trump isn’t normal politics and we shouldn’t normalize him….ever
AJ_Liberty (a9f087) — 2/21/2026 @ 7:10 pmDon’t “WTF” at DRJ, Klink!
If you are Klink, and not a troll who has appropriated his handle.
nk (6c45b4) — 2/21/2026 @ 7:18 pmUnlike in Germany between 1933 through 1938, there hasn’t been events here similar to the suspension of civil liberties after the a Reichstag type fire, establishment of concentration camps, authorized shootings of enemies of the state, ruling by decree, direct rule over states (ending federalism), book burnings, murder of rivals, Nuremberg Race Laws, etc.
What similarities did you have in mind?
Rip Murdock (4dcf2d) — 2/21/2026 @ 7:19 pmThe shielding of the Good and Pretti’s killers from justice has some scary analogs to the deaths of the first four victims of Dachau:
Hitler’s First Victims: The Quest for Justice
The attempt to deprive American children of citizenship on account of their parent(s) committing a civil infraction is motivated by Trump and Miller’s ideas of racial purity and racial hygiene, just like the Nuremberg Race Laws.
Hitler often remarked that Slavs would have to starve by the millions for greater good the German Volk, and Trump has accomplished the same with his cutoff of food and medical aid to millions who depended on it.
Trump is calling for federal takeover of state functions literally every day, talking about imposing voting restrictions by decree, “nationalizing elections”, etc.
He claims the power to tax and spend, launch wars and commit piracy and murder on the high seas on his own authority, and openly rejects any suggestion of lawful constraints on his power.
Dave (69719e) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:07 pmVote fraud in Georgia! The Georgia state board of elections found that elon musk, who was paying people to vote for trump, also had his organization pass out partially filled out ballots for trump which is Illegal. Budah, Lloyd and Robb are upset with my attempt at humor (showing the left does have a sense of humor) by asking if they were on the space alien files trump said he would release.
asset (3b5432) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:31 pm@99 I know many trump voters they are my customers. To many believe what trump says comes down from mount sinai and any thing negative is fake news made up by the media.
asset (3b5432) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:41 pmBack to Greenland!
I would have thought Greenland’s ports would be largely inaccessible during the winter months, due to ice…
Dave (c35fda) — 2/21/2026 @ 10:48 pmYeah Dave, the similarities to the past are uncanny.
Yours and lame Democrat attacks from the past, that is.
But, this time, it’s for realz.
Why are you always thumbing through the Left’s playbook for ideas?
lloyd (e45e42) — 2/21/2026 @ 11:43 pmI realize that hashing out exactly what it means to be a Nazi is entertaining to you all, but I think the point that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme is fair. We may not get Nuremburg laws and Death Camps. On the other hand we do get things like this, seen below. Either you’re ok with your government releasing women and children out into freezing temperatures to fend for themselves or you’re not. If that kind of gratuitous cruetly bothers you, then does it really matter whether it precisely fits the outline of fascism? It shares enough at the level of sociopathy to be condemned:
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/what-i-saw-minnesota-ice-war?utm_source=substack&publication_id=87281&post_id=188491898&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=false&r=20xn7&triedRedirect=true
Robert (830d5f) — 2/22/2026 @ 12:19 amAnother excerpt from the Bulwark article. I don’t know if there is an exact historical parallel for this. Does it matter?
Robert (830d5f) — 2/22/2026 @ 12:23 amI’ll WTF that every day and twice on Sunday.
One was a good man, who tried to take his success in a field and apply it to another.
The other was an evil man and who succeeded in taking his success and changing a different field into his original one.
One was a successful conman and rapist, and brought as many similar men with him to the presidency as could be find.
Just a worse version of Ross Perot?
He might be a less bad version of Hitler.
But if your trying to excuse all his actions, that probably doesn’t work as well.
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/22/2026 @ 12:53 amHere’s the Nazi takeover of Germany. Deconstructing the constitutional order, doesn’t happen overnight, sometimes it takes years
That’s just the first 15 of the top 100 Nazi policy implementations. You can go through the rest, but to argue that they haven’t done ANY of these things is just a lie. They are efforting a version of many of these. We’re only in 1933 Germany baby, we’ve got years to become the cesspool that Germany was. Go US.
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/22/2026 @ 1:15 amLet’s compare project 2025 with that.
Totally different in every possible way, huh?
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/22/2026 @ 1:23 am@149 Ellison like many including here have their own agenda. The evidence of the bush administration is not criminal negligence for 9-11 ;but as the neocons said in progress for a new american century (1998) they would need “a second pearl harbor” before the american people would allow them to invade Iraq. Bush and the neocons did not start the reichstag fire they just ignored the people on their way to burn it down. Ellison tries to make the facts fit his agenda which is pro-muslim. Just like the supporters of Israel who say jeffery epstein’s ties to Israeli intelligence. Anti-semitism!
asset (3b5432) — 2/22/2026 @ 3:25 am“Hitler did some good things.”
– Donald Trump, November 2018
John Kelly said he personally heard Trump praise Hitler “more than once.”
Knowing what you know about both men, whose word is more likely truthful?
Dave (69719e) — 2/22/2026 @ 6:29 amOn C-SPAN this AM: “John in Virginia, Republican…”
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:44 amAnd then he said he was John Barron, with a very familiar voice. There’re a lot of copycats out there, but the gish-galloping tone sounded authentic.
Here’s the genesis to what prompted Trump to “send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick”. It’s all quite stupid.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:49 amThe Pattern of Cruelty is still ongoing. U-Visa, Schmu-Visa.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:01 amWow. So much effort expended to justify calling DRJ a Nazi.
Impressive work, Klink and Dave. I can’t imagine the dedication this requires.
lloyd (cb8b2b) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:04 amNazis beat Canada in Olympic hockey in OT.
lloyd (cb8b2b) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:05 amTrump’s new global tariffs are also illegal, per Andy McCarthy.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:13 amWitkoff is a supine-to-Putin fool, as is his boss who’s allowing this.
“I don’t think the Ukrainians disagree with us, in our assessment”, he said. The only true part about Witkoff’s comment is “I don’t think”.
The GOP lapdogs won’t stand up to this, so it comes down to Europe and Canada helping Ukraine defend itself, because Putin’s maximalist demands have been unchanged from Day One, so the choice is either surrender or prevail.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:45 amNazis must suck if one state can take the other fifty into overtime.
Dave (69719e) — 2/22/2026 @ 10:09 am“per Andy McCarthy”
Uh oh, what will whembly do?
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 2/22/2026 @ 10:26 amThe California governor’s race livens up:
More:
Rip Murdock (108b48) — 2/22/2026 @ 10:43 amDemocrat billionaire developer Rick Caruso declined to run for governor or mayor of Los Angeles.
Rip Murdock (108b48) — 2/22/2026 @ 10:52 amI haven’t been following the race closely at all, but Steyer is the only one I’ve seen running ads (since I only turn on the TV to watch football, draw your own conclusions…). His ads hammer affordability and housing pretty heavily, and they seemed like they could be effective. But Steyer is trailing four others.
Dave (69719e) — 2/22/2026 @ 10:55 amNot all Germans were Nazis, just as not all Lloyds are Nazis.
It’s almost like you’re too smooth brained to understand that Jews, Gays, Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witness…were also German and your männer mit vereinten herzen conveniently de-naturalized them.
Sound familiar, no? Oh well.
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/22/2026 @ 11:00 am“It reflects on him, not me.”
lloyd (fb3be3) — 2/22/2026 @ 11:15 am@166 Like Nicholas Kristof was in Oregon, ChiCom spy associate Eric Swallwell is not eligible to run for California governor — though since he’s a Democrat there’s always a chance the law will be ignored.
lloyd (c91ecb) — 2/22/2026 @ 11:19 amSteyer is playing catch up to the other Democrat candidates as they have wide name recognition. Being a left-wing billionaire he can afford to flood the airwaves, but California voters have rejected super wealthy candidates (Al Checci, Jane Harmon) in the past. I’ve seen a few Villaraigosa (2.8% in the Emerson poll) and Mahan (3.4%) ads.
Rip Murdock (108b48) — 2/22/2026 @ 11:26 amColonel Klink,
Can you calm down, please?
We have Trump as our President. He has been elected twice. Many voters want him. Complaining isn’t going to change that. My point is to think about why this has happened.
Among my thoughts are that Trump voters like a strongman, or that they like his willingness to take on issues that both the GOP and Democrats ignore, or that he is a businessman (like Ross Perot) who they see as wanting to fundamentally change government.
You want to demonize Trump as a new Hitler and you and others focus on his moral character. That has been done for a decade now. What difference has it made?
DRJ (8ac529) — 2/22/2026 @ 11:41 amAnother incel rocket scientist
Please folks, find girlfriends.
lloyd (c91ecb) — 2/22/2026 @ 11:42 am.
Are you changing any minds with your comments? I think that was Patrick’s point.
It is more interesting to me to think about what makes voters believe in Trump and learn from that.
DRJ (8ac529) — 2/22/2026 @ 11:45 am👍
Rip Murdock (108b48) — 2/22/2026 @ 12:06 pmMy impression is that some commenters believe Trump voters are angry and only want revenge (like Trump sometimes talks about). They are willing to hurt themselves and the country to get even.
If that is what motivates ALL Trump voters, then I submit there is nothing that can be said or done to change things. Maybe some feel that way but I don’t think that is what motivates most American voters on either side.
DRJ (8ac529) — 2/22/2026 @ 12:07 pm
Rip Murdock (108b48) — 2/22/2026 @ 12:56 pmMore polling on MAGA support for military interventionism:
I find
……….70% of MAGA Republicans favor continued military aid if Russia refuses to negotiate………
hard to believe.
Rip Murdock (108b48) — 2/22/2026 @ 1:13 pmIf Trump voters are solely motivated by bitterness, anger and retribution then nothing will change their minds. It is like Germany but not because of Hitler or Trump, because of the people.
DRJ (68d942) — 2/22/2026 @ 1:23 pm#175
+1.
Appalled (60539b) — 2/22/2026 @ 1:48 pmWelcome aboard, Appalled! 👍
BuDuh (93b69d) — 2/22/2026 @ 1:51 pmMemo to Klink — Reducio ad Hitlerium is a thing. It’s not effective because most people on the right have heard all before, numerous times, without justification. Mostly (not DRJ), the only people paying attention are the ones who want to feel victimized
It’s not 1933. We aren’t Germany. The way we communicate and consume news and propaganda is very different. What we expect out of government is really quite different.
If you want examples of what we might face, I’d look at Hungary, Turkey, Venezuela and perhaps Israel.
Appalled (60539b) — 2/22/2026 @ 1:59 pmTrouble in Mexico, the backlash after a cartel kingpin was killed by the Mexican military.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/22/2026 @ 2:12 pmto add further to the conversation about what exactly is going on in the U.S. right now around immigration detention and its similarities and differences to the past:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/opinion/concentration-camp-andrea-pitzer.html
Robert (830d5f) — 2/22/2026 @ 2:50 pmA further quotation from the NYT article, about what is a concentration camp:
Robert (830d5f) — 2/22/2026 @ 2:51 pmThe Trump-Musk-Rubio holocaust is about to get much worse:
A recent peer-reviewed study found that in an optimistic scenario (no further cuts), the death toll would be “only” 9.4 million deaths (2.5 million of them among children under age 5) by 2030. Under a more pessimistic scenario where cuts continue, which now appears planned, 22.6 million deaths are expected (5.4 million among children under 5).
Dave (c35fda) — 2/22/2026 @ 6:06 pmI’ll take the Trump/Nazi comparisons more seriously when I see his SD and SS marching down the street in their Ralph Lauren-designed uniforms (remember, buy American!).
FYI, this is sarcasm. 😏
Rip Murdock (4fd614) — 2/22/2026 @ 6:33 pmThe first casualty of Leftism is the English language.
lloyd (a6aaad) — 2/22/2026 @ 6:39 pmImmigration and the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll:
Rip Murdock (4fd614) — 2/22/2026 @ 6:40 pm“Proud Boys, stand back and stand by!”
Dave (c35fda) — 2/22/2026 @ 6:50 pm– President Donald J. Trump, September 29, 2020
Foreign policy and the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll
Rip Murdock (4fd614) — 2/22/2026 @ 6:52 pmIrrelevant, as the PB aren’t part of the government, nor were they dressed in Ralph Lauren.
Rip Murdock (4fd614) — 2/22/2026 @ 6:55 pm$1.5 million for DEI in Serbia
lloyd (a6aaad) — 2/22/2026 @ 6:56 pm$70,000 “DEI musical” in Ireland
$47,000 “transgender opera” in Colombia
$32,000 for a “transgender comic book” in Peru
etc
etc
Politics and the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll:
Rip Murdock (4fd614) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:05 pmKashyap Pramod Patel in 2023…
Today, just a hypocrite.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:05 pmWoo hoo!
Most of that stuff is debunked Musk nonsense. All of it is fiscally irrelevant. And none of it is a reason to let black people in Africa starve and die of AIDS.
With that said, promoting inclusion and respect for people with different backgrounds seems like a defensible investment in a placed scarred by centuries of ethnic/religious violence like Serbia.
I realize the MAGA approach is “just kill or marginalize anyone who doesn’t look/think like you”, so I don’t expect you to see the wisdom of it.
Dave (c35fda) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:05 pmHow does this impact or promote US national interests?
Rip Murdock (4fd614) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:10 pmLeaving no stone unturned, Kash Patel searches for NancyGuthrie………..
Rip Murdock (4fd614) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:14 pmPffft.
It’s “debunked” — then, ok it happened and yeah it’s good that it happened. Make up your mind. Selling USAID as saving people’s lives and then supporting this nonsense is just the usual fraud. But, you like the fraud part.
lloyd (a6aaad) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:21 pmRIP actor Tom Noonan (74):
Rip Murdock (4fd614) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:29 pmThe security and stability of Europe has been viewed as a US national interest since at least 1941. Serbia borders five of our NATO treaty partners, and a sixth state which is on track to join in the future.
We have sent troops into combat zones in the region to prevent revanchist Serbs from brutalizing their Bosnian and Croat neighbors.
Any use of “soft power” to pacify remaining conflicts in that part of the world could be a less costly than using military force after they turn violent.
Promoting good government principles – including tolerance and respect for ethnic and religious minorities – could foster better relations with Serbia in the future, filling in a “hole” in the alliance and realigning a country which has historically been close to Russia.
Dave (c35fda) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:40 pm189, Dave- –
Let’s fund a new non-profit to replace the USAID money.
Called the “EHOF” (“Endless Hands Out Fund”).
Bleeding hearts wanting to know why the US won’t spend John and Mary’s taxes on foreign country health clinics can help!
UN officials and employees forfeit 2 years of their bloated pensions; Uganda cut its military budget by $100m, Ca. contribute $1 billion from its useless “bullet train” funds, since no one is going to ride it anyway, at least till after 2030, the EU another billion, Germany reactivates its nuclear plants and instead of billions to Putin for gas, send that to replace EHOF. Harvard can contribute $1 billion from its $50 B endowment. Anything more needed? OK: then California’s endlessly pontificating but shy to sacrifice university professors and instructors forfeit 3 years of their pensions to contribute to EHOF.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (afdf89) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:45 pmWhat I actually wrote:
Go look up the word “most”, lloyd.
Dave (c35fda) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:50 pmBy making friends and influencing people, obviously. We’ve now chosen to ensure millions die, that we were saving.
I wonder if maybe there will be a few million more people hating America, so any international assistance we may ever need, ahem article 5.
But nah, fluck em, that money can now go to donny dummies bank accounts, like the piece bored, or the accounts they’re putting the money in Qatar since then regulators would then be able to regulate it.
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:50 pmNot any more.
Rip Murdock (4fd614) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:51 pmNot our problem anymore.
Rip Murdock (4fd614) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:51 pm(trying to figure out what’s tripping the filter, for the third time…)
The SA and SS weren’t part of the government, either.
Fred Perry has been designing shirts since 1952. He became a naturalized US citizen in 1939. He traces his roots back to solid Anglo-Saxon stock.
Ralph Lauren (born Ralph Lifshitz) started his company in 1967. His parents were immigrants from a sh*thole country in eastern Europe.
For obvious reasons, Ralph Lauren is not an appropriate sartorial choice for Legacy Americans who support Donald Trump and are willing to crack heads for him when he loses elections.
Dave (c35fda) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:53 pmthree versions of the same post in moderation – can’t figure out what’s tripping the filter 🙁
Dave (c35fda) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:56 pmIn my opinion, moral arguments should not be abandoned based on their perceived effectiveness.
People argued that slavery was evil for centuries before it was finally eliminated. The moral arguments of slavery’s opponents made little difference at first. Until eventually they did.
People like Ronald Reagan (rightly) demonized Soviet communism for decades. They were met with arguments identical to yours, that we should set aside moral indignation and learn to live with that evil. Happily, Reagan did not abandon his principles.
People fought against Roe v. Wade on moral grounds for decades. Very few seemed to accommodate themselves with it when their initial opposition appeared fruitless. After fifty years of acrimonious struggle, they too, finally prevailed.
Dave (69719e) — 2/22/2026 @ 7:59 pmTrump might live for another fifty years I guess.
lloyd (a6aaad) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:04 pm@161 Our olympic hockey team are members of the white rose anti-nazis. They lived for a time in germany too.
asset (480d1c) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:07 pmOK.
Then what if we decide to conquer them after we take Greenland, Canada and Denmark?
They’re a weak country, so anything they purport to own is ours for the taking, by right.
It is the official policy of Department of War that respect for diversity and inclusion is a subversive and toxic “mind virus” that directly undermines a country’s military strength (which can only be based on unity and conformity).
In that case, if they are foolish enough to allow us to sponsor DEI programs inside their borders, it will save the lives of our soldiers and the cost of our military equipment.
According to Hegseth, DEI is Kryptonite against all who would resist us, and we should use it accordingly.
Dave (69719e) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:12 pm@175 I will save you the time I know why ignorant southern white trash ex-democrats vote for trump he like they are populists NOT conservatives and they both hate the same people. The establishment and the media. As a NON-ignorant southern white trash democrat myself I understand these people. I got to trow in i’m part native american (war hoop!)
asset (480d1c) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:19 pm@178 see my comment @216.
asset (480d1c) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:21 pmMy moderation-delayed response to Rip on Ralph Lauren is back here…
Dave (69719e) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:23 pm@185 in war you take all the reinforcements you can get. America/russia/england/china in world war II. We fight to win. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
asset (480d1c) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:25 pm@189 What is to stop us from bringing trumpsters to justice for this murder once we take power and get rid of the donor’s influence?
asset (480d1c) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:29 pm@212 “until they eventually did.” At harpers ferry, virginia and cemetery ridge, pennsylvania. Finished it for you. Prevailed. Only partially and not for long.
asset (480d1c) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:41 pmWe’re still in the NATO alliance, Rip.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/22/2026 @ 8:52 pmDave,
I agree morality is important. My point is that it hasn’t changed anyone’s mind. Maybe it is time to try to understand why.
DRJ (ba7830) — 2/22/2026 @ 9:23 pmAnother debunking of “white genocide” in South Africa, this time from 60 Minutes.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/22/2026 @ 9:26 pmWould you agree that it should have changed peoples’ minds?
That no one, of any political stripe, who brags about committing sexual assault should sit in the Oval Office?
That no one, of any political stripe, who tries to steal an election by fraud and violence should be entrusted with the opportunity to do so again?
That no one, of any political stripe, who praises dictators and derides American veterans and war casualties as “suckers and losers” should be Commander in Chief?
If none of these misdeeds are sufficient to disqualify someone from the presidency, in your opinion, can you share an example of one that you believe would be?
Dave (69719e) — 2/22/2026 @ 11:47 pmThose battles were fought because enough people were persuaded that the spread of slavery should be checked, and they created an effective political party to pursue that goal and convince others.
(The evil and stupidity of the slave interest helped too, of course, by choosing to destroy the country rather than accept the result of a fair election.)
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 12:28 amGavin Newsom was recently interviewed on CNN about his book and political ambitions.
Dana Bash pointed out that prices in CA are 11% above the national average. Newsom (unsurprisingly) gave what sounded like a well-rehearsed answer, describing various policy initiatives to lower prices and increase wages.
My first reaction was “Wow, only 11%?”
It would be Kamala-level politically tone-deaf to say this, but in 2024, GDP per capita in California was about $105K. That’s 4th among the 50 states, and 22% higher than the country as a whole. If we produce 22% more than the national average, and pay 11% more than the national average, that seems pretty good.
Per capita GDP may not be the best measure of earnings, though (it has the advantage of being easy to find).
A better measure is disposable personal income, which also reflects taxation. Disposable income is income after taxes.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes this.
In 2023, the median Disposable Personal Income for California was $127.5K, and for the US as a whole $109.1K. So California is 16% above the national level in after-tax income.
We could have expected that including taxes would make CA look worse, but even so, the 11% price differential still doesn’t look so bad. It is a well-pronounced and expected trend that price levels are lower in poorer states. Why should it be a scandal that prices are higher in states where people have more money to spend?
Newsom likely understands at least some of this, but he can’t just say “Dude, we’re rich!”
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 1:30 am@225 I answered why in my post 216. You conservatives for some reason want trumpsters to believe in conservatism instead of populism why?
asset (480d1c) — 2/23/2026 @ 3:38 am@227 median income. If musk or bezos walks into a homeless shelter on average their all millionaires. 1% of the population own 50% of the wealth and the top 10% own 90% of the wealth. Also the top 10% does 50% of the consumer spending. Affordability is the politics for 2026. Young people can’t afford to buy a new car let alone a new house. Its the economy stupid as it was in 1992 and is today!
asset (480d1c) — 2/23/2026 @ 3:46 amDRJ: “I agree morality is important. My point is that it hasn’t changed anyone’s mind. Maybe it is time to try to understand why.”
We’ve had 10 years of understanding why. It’s hyperpartisanship. It’s rational ignorance. It’s severe confirmation bias. For low-information voters, politics is like cheering for a sports team. They know Trump fights and is disruptive of the establishment. Now whether he will break things that will have long-term consequence (NATO, tariffs, using the military domestically, politicizing DOJ, etc.), they don’t think about it….it’s not rational. They don’t understand.
For higher-information voters, they believe that there’s a difference between policy and performance……and that the performance hiccups are eclipsed by the incremental gains in policy: less DEI in government, less free trade dumping of imports, less forever wars, less one-sided alliances, less immigrant camps and immigrants, and less government spending on things that don’t benefit Americans. Things that look awful….the treatment of Zelenskyy at the White House….are disregarded as failed performance….underpinning the more important point of wasting money in Europe.
The problem is that character underpins everything. The President’s conduct signals to his supporters what is acceptable. Most low-engagement voters simply follow the cues of Trump. If Trump fans division, they polarize. If Trump appeals to emotions such as sadness or anger, their passions are aroused. The key is you don’t rationalize this or excuse it.
The only thing we can do is defeat Trumpism at the ballot box. Do we imagine that engaging with lloyd or whembly is accomplishing anything….after sooo many years? Until something major breaks which impacts the stability of their lives…Trumpism is their middle finger…and they will continue to wave it proudly…..
AJ_Liberty (e7b73f) — 2/23/2026 @ 4:34 amThis is the part where folks here insist that if only Trump weren’t a character disaster, they’d be all in on conservatives and conservative policies. The comment history is there for anyone to peruse in the archives. Whether it’s Cruz or DeSantis or Youngkin, or whoever didn’t have any character issues of note, the story was always the same. Opposition to conservative policies, and vilifying any candidate and any commenter here who supports them, is the common denominator. Calling a respected commenter a Nazi and most here refusing to denounce it categorically is not nothing. Nobody buys this BS anymore.
lloyd (9ccfb0) — 2/23/2026 @ 6:19 amWhich of the three, the Loser, the Unqualified (Hegseth), or the Crackpot (RFK, Jr.) will do the most damage?
If I had to bet, I would bet on the Crackpot. Humans, it seems to me, find it harder to cope with attacks from micro-parasites than macro-parasites, for example, Putin. Even now, when many, if not most, in advanced nations believe in germ theories. And even, since the 1930s, though we have been able to photograph the smallest micro-parasites, viruses.
And so we are more vulnerable to Crackpot, and others like him.
Jim Miller (57f101) — 2/23/2026 @ 7:10 am@65
This is, absolutely bereft of any logic.
whembly (328273) — 2/23/2026 @ 7:26 amToo funny not to share:
Jim Miller (57f101) — 2/23/2026 @ 7:29 amhttps://x.com/InsideLucysHead/status/2025525599221985330
@92
100%.
We in the respective political parties ought to be more engaged during the grassroots/primary phase of the process, so that we, as voters, have more say in adulterating the kinds of politicians we’d want to represent us.
Trump winning should be that wakeup call.
I have my doubts, but time will only tell.
whembly (328273) — 2/23/2026 @ 7:31 am@165
I actually agree with McCarthy here.
What will you do know that I don’t fit in your preconceived notions?
whembly (328273) — 2/23/2026 @ 7:40 amRogue autosharpie judge orders cover-up of Trump crimes to continue
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 7:41 amThe Republican Party Has a Nazi Problem
How did the GOP become a haven for slogans and ideas straight out of the Third Reich?
By Tom Nichols
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/23/2026 @ 7:59 amEveryone’s moral compass is different. I care about the things you list but the only qualifications to be president are “natural-born citizen of the United States, at least 35 years old, and a resident within the United States for at least 14 years.”
That’s it. (You could add the impeachment criteria that factors in moral turpitude but we have learned that is flexible.)
I trust the Founders. They could have made more rules. They studied and understood human nature based on the Greek, Renaissance, and British scholars and their experiences. I believe they had superior intellects and went to great lengths to design and understand our system of government.
DRJ (1c1055) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:04 amLet’s keep quoting Tom Nichols leftist remarks and pretend we haven’t quoted his leftist remarks over and over again for the past 10 years. This time it will make a difference.
Klink,
have you apologized to DRJ for calling her a Nazi?
NJRob (fec857) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:08 amFWIW I suspect the Founders worried more about someone being disqualified from office because of their views than someone with questionable values becoming President. They knew there are people of bad character. They knew people crave power. We won’t always pick the best person or even have a good choice. But that is the challenge of our Republic.
DRJ (1c1055) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:10 amKlink has a Nazi name problem.
lloyd (24d291) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:10 amI don’t want an apology, Rob. That is his opinion. I don’t subscribe to Nazi ideology or views. His opinion doesn’t change that.
DRJ (1c1055) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:12 am@230
You started out really well…but, you seem to lose the plot at the last paragraph and I think you’re still missing DRJ’s point.
Succinctly, for most Trump voters, Trumpism is the symptom of the overall disease.
The “disease”, was the old guard GOP framework of esoteric conservatives and Corporate influences who, rightly or wrongly, failed.
DRJ I think has the right of it when she says:
THIS IS IT.
Trump’s political timing was fortunate (or unfortunate depending on perspective) in that the GOP voting constituencies flipped a bit, where GOP voters go new voters that were heavily-working-class.
And remembered the Bush and Obama years.
In the Bush years, GOP voters really understood that Bush’s “turn the cheeks” politics was ceding the cultural grounds.
In the Obama years, GOP voters really saw how divisive the Obama years were, and were dismay’ed that none of the GOP political class were willing to “get dirty”.
That, was how Trump got is foot in the door, imo.
Throw in the Democrat aligned media to give Trump favorable coverage during the 2015 primary that sucked all the political oxygen…which Democrats/HRC encouraged. (*cue* Ghostbusters Democrat’s choosing their destructor Trumpian Stay Puff Marshmallow man).
If you want a political figure analogue that represent this? Look no further than Missouri’s (my home state) Josh Hawley. He’s cultivated an image that’s very similar to Ron DeSantis. Where both’s political public persona is that of a wet noodle…they’re absolutely killers in the right-wing sphere in cultural politics. Hawley, however, is very much a “working class” politician, in which he enjoy massive blue collar union/non-union support in Missouri.
Very similar to Trump’s support.
No, post 2020 and 2024 elections, how does Trump maintain his support?
I honestly think, its a mix of the perceived “witch hunt” Trump faced in 2020 and MOSTLY the abject Democrat failures of the Biden Administration and status quo in the Democratic party.
whembly (328273) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:15 am@237
As much as I really want to see it, I think this is the right call.
Unless Congress forces it, ala Epstein files.
whembly (328273) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:17 am@243 I go back to William F Buckley’s quote about preferring to be ruled by the first 200 names in the Boston phone book than the faculty of Harvard. That used to define conservatism. It’s now anathema in Nevertrump circles.
The need to call one’s opponents Nazis is emblematic of a need to discredit their opinions, and not even listen. It’s not a large leap from that to discrediting the vote of 74 million for the same reason. Don’t think that they don’t know exactly what they’re doing.
lloyd (24d291) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:20 amBullsht and anti-NeverTrump bigotry.
The candidate gradient was always this to this NeverTrumper.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:21 amTrump: Never.
Cruz: Holding my nose, but yes.
DeSantis: Hesitantly yes.
Youngkin: Strong yes.
@238
lol!
That Tom Nichols.
whembly (328273) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:27 amYou can’t “defeat Trumpism at the ballot box” unless you understand its appeal, AJ.
DRJ (06307b) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:33 amYou seem to think it is due to ignorant voters. I disagree but, if you are right, nothing can be done.
DRJ (06307b) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:36 amI understand your points, AJ, and let me add that you articulate them very eloquently. You may be right but my gut says there is more going on here.
People on all sides care about these issues. There are exceptions but they aren’t cheering for teams or waving middle fingers when they vote. They believe they are casting life-changing votes, whether they are voting for Trump or his opponents.
DRJ (06307b) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:46 amEarlier in the thread, referring to “voters where I live”, you said:
Traditionally, at least to the extent I remember (I’ll be 63 this year), sexual assault, serial adultery, frequent public use of crude profanity, disrespect for veterans, P.O.W.’s and war casualties, appearances in pornographic movies (Trump has been in three of them), dalliances and marriage with pornographic actresses, and in general what you refer to as “moral turpitude” were considered absolutely disqualifying, weren’t they? Especially among more conservative, values-oriented voters?
Gary Hart, in 1987, “the clear front-runner” for Democratic presidential nomination (according to Time magazine that year), was forced to withdraw after being found to have had an extramarital affair. It was the end of his political career.
In November 2000, five days before the election, the report of George W. Bush’s drunk-driving arrest a quarter-century before nearly cost him the election. Bush had been comfortably ahead in the polls after strong debate performances, and wound up losing the popular vote.
(Sincere) belief in god, affiliation with a church and respect for Judeo-Christian morality has been necessary even for the more socially-liberal Democrats. This “conservative” president makes a mockery of Christianity.
So I guess we could summarize by saying “traditionalism isn’t what it used to be”…
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:50 amDave, I thought we were talking about our system and why voters support Trump. That is what I am talking about. This is not a discussion about who we personally support, is it?
DRJ (ab47ec) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:55 amFrom talking to the people I know, I believe Rich Lowery got a lot right in this article. https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/10/the-only-middle-finger-available/
Time123 (ed8658) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:56 amBFD. If push comes to shove over the next three years, I seriously doubt that the US would fulfill its treaty obligations under Article V. Article V is not an automatic commitment to defend Europe:
And
The Trump Administration could simply decide that US involvement is not “necessary” and refuse to participate in any collective defense of Europe. In addition, the US has given up command of three joint commands from US leadership to European leadership, which may or may not be a good idea. And any continued threats to seize Greenland will break NATO.
Constitutionally, the Administration can unilaterally withdraw from NATO by claiming continued membership is not in the foreign policy interests of the US. Short of impeachment, there is very little Congress would be able to do to enforce a commitment to NATO.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/23/2026 @ 9:06 amGloomy:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/23/2026 @ 9:22 amYou wrote, far above, in response to Klink:
I responded:
I went on to point out that the country was in quite good shape in 2016, thanks in large part to Republicans in Congress, and that Trump has created far more problems than he has solved. You only responded to the question about issues though:
This seems to address both “why voters support Trump” and your own personal preferences (otherwise why use “we” instead of “they”).
You refer to “we” being “traditional”, “predominantly Christian” and unhappy about government “undermin[ing] our views”.
But you then went on to reject any application of moral judgment on political candidates:
That struck me as wholly inconsistent with the previous statement.
And as such, relevant to the question of why voters support Trump.
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 9:39 amI don’t see the inconsistency you see, Dave. I shared my view of the issues that attract voters to Trump in my region. That doesn’t mean all voters share those concerns. I am sure there are also many reasons why voters reject Trump, including morality.
My comments are not intended to judge anyone (or to share my personal opinion of Trump). My point is to ask what makes Trump appeal to voters.
I submit the conflict you see arises from this: “But you then went on to reject any application of moral judgment on political candidates …” That is not my standard, that is the Constitutional standard. Like all voters, I choose based on many factors.
My questions are aimed at understanding the “many factors” that lead voters to vote for Trump. IMO one of the many factors that lead voters not to vote for Trump is morality, so your concerns relate more to why people vote against him.
DRJ (ab47ec) — 2/23/2026 @ 9:58 amI acknowledge you believe voters who think the USA has financial, immigration, and cultural problems are mistaken. I am not going to debate statistics or perceptions with you because I know it will waste our time.
I doubt you will convince someone who has lost a job or who has suffered because of cultural or immigration problems that things are fine. Those voters don’t impact national elections until there are a lot of them. I suspect there are a lot of them.
DRJ (ab47ec) — 2/23/2026 @ 10:06 amThank you, Time123. It seems unlikely to me that Trump voters are all motivated by that, anymore than all Democratic voters vote because they are woke.
DRJ (5ab1df) — 2/23/2026 @ 10:19 amRepublicans don’t only need better candidates. They need candidates that address the problems Trump voters care about and worry about.
That won’t happen until we know what those voters care about and worry about, and I think winning two presidential elections shows Trump won because he addresses the issues they care about. We need to learn from that.
DRJ (5ab1df) — 2/23/2026 @ 10:27 amlloyd, I accept your Southern analysis. I know a few like that but not all Southern Trump voters are that way. Maybe not even most, right?
DRJ (5ab1df) — 2/23/2026 @ 10:31 amObviously it’s a coalition with every member motivated by multiple things to various degrees. I didn’t mean to imply that was the universal answer for all. But it seems to do a good job describing a lot of what I see and hear. I also like it because it comes from a Trump supporter and long term republican. So it’s Rich explaining his team to outsiders, not outsiders labeling / describing.
Time123 (ed8658) — 2/23/2026 @ 10:44 am(whembly) DRJ I think has the right of it when she says: “The Republican Party’s inability to deal seriously with financial, legal, and cultural issues is the mountain I care about. That is what gave Trump the opportunity to take over the GOP.”
The GOP lost its mind during the Obama Presidency. Propaganda and rhetoric soared to 11 which bred both anxiety and irrational impatience. My counter is: was it the GOP that didn’t deliver or was it our democratic system that did not deliver to unreasonable expectations? Obamacare passed because Democrats had the 60 votes to pass it. The idea that Obamacare was not repealed…root and branch…might have more to do with the GOP not having 60 votes than it does with the establishment not being responsive.
The GOP became the party that was hyper-partisan while simultaneously complaining about not having the votes. In comes Trump who has completely bypassed Congress and does everything by fiat to the cackling joy of those who are results oriented. Trump rejects the notion of having to overcome the filibuster’s 60 votes by straining any and all Constitutional limits on the Executive. Again, the GOP is impatient with actual democracy and finding compromises. How can you compromise with representatives that Trump (and whembly) actually characterizes as evil…who through hook or crook, he would love to punish with the justice system? Now both sides suffer dysfunction. Democrat over-reach has contributed to Trump’s fascist backlash. There’s no excuse for Biden to have allowed the immigration mess to get to the point it had. None. But the answer isn’t authoritarianism.
Sure, there is no explicit character requirement on the President, but has there generally been an implicit one? Do we want to give awesome power to scoundrels and habitual liars? This is new and think part of Dave’s point. J6 should have spelled the end to Trump. His continued rejection of the 2020 election results should have made his re-election impossible. The problem remains the people. We either want better or not. Any mask is now off of Trump. There’s no excuse for not knowing better.
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:00 amI really doubt that is the explanation Rich Lowery gives behind the scenes but it may be.
Politicians and political consultants crystallize the issues down to one simple narrative:
It’s the economy, stupid.
Change we can believe in.
Make America great again.
It enables them to argue they know the problems and have the answers. Some slogans resonate more than others, but it is magic for that candidate when it happens.
I don’t think one issue explains every election unless we are at war.
DRJ (713543) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:03 amI agree with this. I think he was trying to articulate a common theme motivating a large number of Trump supporters.
Time123 (ed8658) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:04 amThe character requirement for me to vote for you is: Don’t be evil.
But it’s obvious both the level of evil, and the embrace of that evil by people that are countering their support for evil by saying.
“But I was really mad at that black guy, because, uh, he did what he said he would, and I disagreed with that on a policy level, so it’s OK that I support evil because I just want “stuff” done, doing it legally, with a non-evil person is hard, so yeah, I voted for evil, over and over again, but I’m not evil.”
How you justify your support for evil is up to you. But just don’t act like isn’t evil.
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:09 amSays the guy supporting human trafficking, infanticide,and transing children.
NJRob (fec857) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:14 am@265
Maybe.
The Dems lost their fvcking minds over any percieved slight against the LightBringer. The Dems/Obama administration fomented racial divisions.
I’m smacked dabbed in the middle of the GenX generation. Now, when we were growing up, racial issues wasn’t “solved”. But, the issues weren’t pervasive like it was in the 60s and prior. It wasn’t until Obama that race reignited as a wedge issue. And for that, I’ll never forgive Obama/Democrats for leaning into that.
Mix in a compliant media with the rise of social media and this is what happens.
The old guard GOPers were unwilling to TRY to deliver.
And spend years lying (and still) that Obamacare is a net positive to American politics. GOP saw a resurgences afterwards.
See the TEA PARTY.
More complicated than that. It’s welfare politics. Once something is given, it’s neigh impossible to rescind. Furthermore, GOP had a chance in 2017 (I think), to dismantle much of Obamacare, only to be deep-sixed by John McCain in a snit against Trump/GOP voters.
Were you even politically aware during the Bush/Obama years?
I think you’ve forgetting how toxic things were then.
Bypassed what exactly?
You upset about a POTUS using EO as some workaround to stubborn Congressional actions? I’m trying to under these lines of thoughts.
Again.
DACA says what?
GOP isn’t the party looking to pack the courts, nor make DC/PR a state, nor engage in defacto Open Border Policies all in efforts to help them in future elections.
Hold on.
I’m right there with you with Trump vindictiveness as he uses his DOJ to go after his political opponents.
But, right now, I don’t have much sympathy from your angst over this, because I don’t recall you ever expressing reservations when it was the Biden administrations (and blue states) engages the same sort of lawfare.
Indeed, my point exactly.
Precedences gets set by these actions.
What goes around, comes around.
FAFO.
I reject this description.
The answer isn’t to let the Biden immigration mess stand. You vigorously enforce it.
Not even implicit ones.
The name of the game is to get the most EC votes. That’s it.
Hoo boy… might wanna read some American Presidential history.
Allow me to retort: There’s no excuse to voting for Democrats after seeing the Biden Administration.
Whatever faults that the Trump Administration my bear… and, believe me, there are legions.
It pales in comparison to Democrats, and especially what we saw during the Biden administration.
whembly (328273) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:22 am@268
Would you like to share with the class this “evil” you keep bringing up?
whembly (328273) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:23 amThat isn’t really an accurate statement of my view.
The US certainly has all those problems, and many others. And it always has.
Trump has convinced people they are worse off than they were in the past. Whether that is actually true is a factual question. In aggregate, they aren’t. The opposite is true.
Not fine. Normal.
There has been a relentless 10+ year campaign to mislead the wealthiest, most prosperous people in the world into believing how horribly they are suffering.
Unemployment has been at near historic lows since Trump crawled out of his sewer in 2015.
The foreign-born share of the US population in 2015 was between 13 and 14% – the same as it was from 1860 to 1920.
In the 50 years between 1966 and 2016, the world’s real GDP per capita grew at an average rate of 1.7%/year. But America’s (who started waaaaaayyyyy ahead…) grew by 1.8%/year. So much for being “ripped off” by global trade.
It is said – with some truth – that successful businesses don’t satisfy an existing market demand for their product, they create the demand.
Donald Trump has essentially invented the problems he promises to solve; invented in the sense of turning the normal processes that have made us the wealthiest country in the world (migration to service industries, reduced employment in manufacturing due to productivity gains and technology, international trade, importation of unskilled labor) into (he claims) sinister global conspiracies.
If Trump were a man of intelligence and vision, there is certainly room for improvement in nearly any area you can name. But his policies are based on ignorance and lies. Tariffs are making everyone worse off. He’s alienating the countries who buy our products and sell us the parts that go into them. His tax cuts and refusal to address entitlement spending will have us facing insolvency within a decade. Given sufficient time, a prostrate Duma, and enough voters willing to swallow his nonsense, he will succeed in killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
If we want the best results, should we base our policies on the true state of the world, or the warped fantasies spun by a con man?
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:45 amOooh, classless and mean-spirited and mentally deranged.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:52 amOur president, so proud.
Regions vary, Dave. America may be fine/normal in the aggregate but it doesn’t feel that way everywhere. If you get enough regional exceptions to what you see as the normal aggregate, my guess is you get Trump.
All it might take for each voter or region is one little thing that tips the scales from normal to not normal.
DRJ (a1f51f) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:52 amFor instance, I think Laken Riley changed minds about immigration in the South.
DRJ (d7a273) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:55 amLaken Riley was not one little thing. She was a lost life that did not have to be lost. But the story was one story that I think changed some minds.
DRJ (d7a273) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:57 amIt occurs to me that voters may be angry at government, the elites, the status quo, whatever, as Lowery suggests. But that doesn’t mean they are angry at the same things.
Trump could be tapping into anger but it is still important to understand the underlying issues, if we can.
DRJ (1c1055) — 2/23/2026 @ 12:15 pmDrj, I’m glad you’re commenting here again. I enjoy reading your comments even when I disagree with them.
Nate (8a8fbd) — 2/23/2026 @ 12:15 pmI think J D Vance is satisfied with being the next angry man. Marco Rubio is more nuanced.
DRJ (1c1055) — 2/23/2026 @ 12:17 pmChanged some minds into voting for a man who boasted publicly about committing sexual assault?
And was found responsible for doing so (and slandering the victim) by a jury?
I’m afraid that doesn’t make sense to me.
“Inconsistent” seems like an understatement, but I guess I’ll stick with it.
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 12:17 pmHow kind, Nate! I am at a turning point in my personal life. This is a brief but very welcome diversion.
DRJ (1c1055) — 2/23/2026 @ 12:18 pmAs I said, Dave, no point for us to discuss it.
DRJ (1c1055) — 2/23/2026 @ 12:19 pmDRJ, I don’t think I wrote a comment on that. Maybe this is directed at someone else?
lloyd (095e42) — 2/23/2026 @ 12:34 pmWould you say the primary cause of sexual violence against women like Laken Riley is illegal immigration, or evil men who believe “you can do anything”?
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 12:57 pmI apologize, lloyd. It was asset at 216.
DRJ (1c1055) — 2/23/2026 @ 1:09 pmI don’t know, Dave. I would guess the latter but the former is more avoidable if the border is secured.
DRJ (1c1055) — 2/23/2026 @ 1:10 pmI think I know how Laken Rileys family would answer that question.
DRJ (1c1055) — 2/23/2026 @ 1:12 pmI don’t know why I put your name with assets comment, lloyd. You are very different.
DRJ (54bb7e) — 2/23/2026 @ 1:24 pmThud:
More:
Paragraph breaks added.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/23/2026 @ 1:37 pmScrewed:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/23/2026 @ 1:50 pmFake news:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/23/2026 @ 1:54 pm255, Rip, – –
This NATO issue is one of the more important topics raised here. Paul and Dave assume that the NATO alliance is beyond question. But the NATO alliance was based in shared effort. Shared concern. Maybe not so much anymore.
Many might resent the idea of fighting for NATO countries that have consistently refused to pay to defend themselves, while buying billons in Russian gas, and fining US companies like X.
The Germans for example: even with its new spending, it stands at 50% readiness at best. It just broke into the 2% of GDP range last year–10 years after its pledge. The Brits are suprisingly hollowed out–not enough stuff to endure a fight for more than a week or so, despite high quality troops.
Will the US want to absorb the lion’s share of defending Europe? Will it even want to get involved with countrys that seem diffident about their own defense?
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/germany-wants-to-double-its-defense-spending-where-should-the-money-go/#:~:text=For%20years%2C%20Germany's%20defense%20capabilities,given%20new%20NATO%20force%20commitments.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpd4lp6w378o
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e) — 2/23/2026 @ 1:56 pmThe irony is that while the Trump Administration wants Europe to defend itself, it doesn’t want Europe to buy its weapons from European companies:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/23/2026 @ 2:32 pmAn operation this hush-hush would only be discussed on the Secretary of War’s sooper-seekret Signal chat.
Better check The Atlantic…
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 2:32 pmFirst, where were they supposed to get natural gas? Most of Europe has little supply, massive demand, and Europe made the bargain that buying cheap gas from the little dbag around the corner was the only logistical solution. Even trying to curb it over the last 10 years has been difficult as electrical generation
A) To date, only the United States has required Nato countries to spend billions of dollars and hundreds of lives when we needed assistance.
B) Dummy want’s the EU to adopt a 5% target for defense, and many of them are on a plan to hit it; especially the Nordics, Baltics, and Poland. Most of those spend more than we do on defense %/GDP. We spend the same as…Denmark.
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/23/2026 @ 2:38 pm@295
Not Russia.
That’s why I’ve never thought EU was serious about “stopping” Russian aggression in Ukraine.
We can literally destroy Russian’s economy, and thus their ability to conduct military operations if the EU stops buying their oil products, and EU/US pressure/sanctions enough countries from purchasing oil from Russia.
whembly (328273) — 2/23/2026 @ 2:45 pmNever with Trump in office, because he’s in the tank for a Russian terrorist who wants to bust up the alliance.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/23/2026 @ 2:46 pmTo me, it’s better to mend it, don’t end it, and all the nations are increasing their defense spending and are mostly weaned off Putin’s oil and gas, but that’s not where Trump is or ever was.
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:45 am
Great comment, Dave. I especially like this:
Spot on. I agree with you that Trump’s talent was making Americans think they were worse off than they actually were, and providing convenient scapegoats for them to blame.
Yes, immigration enforcement was rather lax, both at the border, and in the interior. Trump took that issue and put it on steroids. He made illegal immigrants seem worse than they actually were. He implied they were, in general, rapists and criminals. That’s not true. I’m all for immigration enforcement, but not the way Trump is doing it.
Trump appealed to Americans basest instincts. Illegal immigrants are “poisoning our blood”, etc. Once their basest instincts were aroused, reason went out the window.
Yes, for some Americans, there were pre-existing issues of concern they wanted addressed. Trump exacerbated these issues, and convinced Americans there were easy solutions.
For other Americans, these issues hadn’t been a concern until Trump came along. He instilled in them and fomented these issues of concern.
(If Iago whispers in Othello’s ears long enough, Othello will begin to have a problem.)
Many people who hadn’t paid much attention to politics previously got all excited by Trump. Why? Because he made politics understandable to them. He presented a comic book version of politics, where he was the superhero, and the others were villains. He called names and put out juvenile tweets. Just look at Trump’s tweets, even today, and ask yourself what kind of audience he is writing for.
Americans may not understand economics, or the counterintuitive benefits of free trade, but they do understand schoolyard taunts. Plus, as erstwhile commenter DCSCA said, Trump was entertaining. The Romans understood this. Hence the bread and circuses.
A lot of well-meaning Americans fell for, and continue to fall for, Trump. I actually voted for him in 2016, but it was a hard decision. (I was one of those people who was influenced by Comey re-opening the FBI investigation of Hillary.)
norcal (48899c) — 2/23/2026 @ 3:20 pmI just submitted a very long comment, and it simply disappeared. What gives?
norcal (48899c) — 2/23/2026 @ 3:21 pmAccording to this relatively recent and quite detailed British report, in 2021 Russian pipelines supplied 24% of Europe’s natural gas while it currently supplies 9%. These figures include gas shipped from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, so not all of it is Russian origin.
The EU now bans import of fuels refined from Russian crude oil. Nearly all Russian oil purchases are being made by China, India and Turkey according to this article, which says painful cuts in production may be required soon.
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 3:25 pmI see a long comment posted at 3:20 Pacific time, replying to mine.
Sometimes it does just eat comments, with no moderation or other indication of what happened.
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 3:28 pmSarah Isgur surprises (me at least) with an interesting piece at The Atlantic. (She is one of the editors at The Dispatch too).
Read the whole thing. She thinks the real point is to rouse the Duma from its stupor.
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 3:47 pmI think these are the current numbers for EU gas imports:
DRJ (d2c8d8) — 2/23/2026 @ 3:58 pmThe source for that is the official German news provider Deutsche Welle. The use of the term “unhealthy” reliance is, I think, due to a desire to increase renewable energy instead of switching reliance to another country.
DRJ (d2c8d8) — 2/23/2026 @ 4:00 pmReuters agrees with the 57% number, and climbing.
DRJ (d2c8d8) — 2/23/2026 @ 4:10 pmThe EU ban on Russian gas does not take effect until 2027 so the EU is actually importing record amounts from both the US and Russia, and some from Australia.
DRJ (d2c8d8) — 2/23/2026 @ 4:13 pmTrump Opens Mouth, Lies
Dave (69719e) — 2/23/2026 @ 5:08 pmWe could do the same if President Trump publicly endorsed S. 1241 and promised to sign it, which would a much easier task than jawboning Europe and other nations to abandon Russian gas and oil.
However, the President has declined to do so, and the Republican leadership in the Senate refuses to bring it absent an endorsement by Trump.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/23/2026 @ 5:57 pmThe EU operates through consensus, and as long as Hungary and Slovakia object to sanctions (as well as aid to Ukraine) not much will get done.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/23/2026 @ 6:03 pmAre comments not posting again? Right now it’s 6:05 PM. The last comment I see is from DRJ at 4:13 PM.
norcal (48899c) — 2/23/2026 @ 6:05 pmPeople believe what makes sense to them, Dave. People that have suffered because of illegal immigration don’t all think Trump really won the election, but they probably do think he would have made a difference. That doesn’t make them stupid or ignorant. Not unlike how some think Europe is desperate for energy when, in fact, they are almost swimming in gas/LNG from several willing suppliers.
DRJ (3125a3) — 2/23/2026 @ 6:07 pm@DRJ@311 I think it’s very powerful to look at people who are not satisfied with how thing are going and say to them “I hear you. I have the answers. I will solve your problem.” and give them what seems like an understandable way to resolve their issues (even though none of them can be solved by Trump’s simple methods). “I hear you.” is a powerful statement.
nic (120c94) — 2/23/2026 @ 6:44 pm@285 No worries, DRJ. I thought as much.
lloyd (1ddc43) — 2/23/2026 @ 6:55 pmTrump knows he didn’t win, and yet he tells crass lies to exploit grieving families for political advantage.
There’s no reason to suppose Trump wouldn’t have attacked and raped Ms. Riley himself, if he’d had the opportunity. He told us he would. (Out of respect for the victim, I won’t repeat his disgusting graphic boast here)
Dave (c35fda) — 2/23/2026 @ 7:02 pmLaken Riley was murdered, Dave. That sucks, doesn’t it — only because you can’t pair it up with a dumb Trump reference.
lloyd (49c939) — 2/23/2026 @ 7:39 pmShe was murdered during an attempted sexual assault, just like the one Trump was so proud of committing.
And Trump knows that he could have shot Ms. Riley on Fifth Avenue and you’d have his back on Election Day. That’s the high regard in which he holds his voters.
Dave (f020d9) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:37 pm“sexual assault”
You even downgrade the crime to fit your hyperbole.
lloyd (24f360) — 2/23/2026 @ 8:59 pmGFY, lloyd.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Laken_Riley
Dave (f020d9) — 2/23/2026 @ 9:28 pmDave, bless your heart.
Your own link.
Glad you’re finally saying her name. You’ve probably learned much more about Laken Riley than you ever wanted. Thank me later.
lloyd (24f360) — 2/23/2026 @ 9:56 pmSo to divert the discussion from Trump’s blatant, cynical lies, you’re going to insist that “aggravated assault with intent to rape” is not “an attempted sexual assault”?
Get a grip man.
Dave (f020d9) — 2/23/2026 @ 10:09 pmYes, someone needs to get a grip.
Too bad Laken Riley didn’t survive long enough to collect a civil judgment.
lloyd (24f360) — 2/23/2026 @ 10:20 pmUsing antidotal examples to prove policy is a double edged sword and can be used by my side too!
asset (7b1269) — 2/23/2026 @ 11:19 pmGiven Trump’s established Pattern of Defiance, judges need to step up and cite Trump officials for contempt, such as here.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 5:33 amMore Pattern of Defiance…
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 6:07 amBondi’s not the only one acting as Trump’s defense counsel. There’s also Ms. Cannon. I hope the 11th Circuit does the right thing.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 6:19 am–Donald J. Trump, traitor, 2/22/2022
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 6:27 am@325
I don’t think you or this author actually read Judge Cannon’s ruling.
Jack Smith is not a legit Special Counsel, but he kept operating as such after her ruling and even AFTER he dropped that appeal after Trump’s election victory.
So, legally, it’s all illegitimate.
Frankly, I don’t think Trump cares about releasing volII, other than not wanting to give any credence to Jack Smith. However, there are 2 other co-defendant involved too.
As much as I want to see the gooey details and see what inane legal justification Jack Smith was willing to advance, and for implicit presidential powers get tested in courts… you simply cannot have a disqualified prosecutor continue working as if he’s not disqualified to release as much information publicly.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 7:15 amUm, bullsht. All of it. Every single thing Cannon has done from the get-go has been to Trump’s benefit.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 7:22 amThe folks who defend Boasberg and Chutkan are all up in arms about Cannon. Hilarious.
lloyd (95acfd) — 2/24/2026 @ 7:27 amThis is a pretty contested point. Of all the times this question has been adjudicated Cannon’s is the only one that found this way.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 7:32 amThe last time we talked about this you weren’t able to identify any additional information the government should have collected before proceeding with the indictment in the classified documents case.
Has that changed? If not why do do you call the justification ‘inane’?
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 7:34 am@328
You are effectively arguing that President Trump could tap Mike Davis, someone who has not been confirmed by the Senate, to be Special Counsel to go after anyone.
That is the outcome you and this author is advocating.
No.
This idea is ridiculous and frankly toxic.
Jack Smith’s document case is the fruit from the poisoned tree. Everything is invalidated and if the Biden DOJ/Smith were willing to exceed Constitutional requirements, what else were they were willing to exceed? It’s not look they wouldn’t… look what they had to do in that Fischer case. They took a completely unrelated statute for J6, just so that they can goose their “felony” conviction counts for naked political purposes.
Judge Cannon even GAVE Jack Smith the opportunity to address this concern, by making it clear that he could moving his office under the FL DA to “cure” this defect, but Jack Smith refused.
So, Paul. Stuff it. Jack Smith’s only job was for Biden’s and Democrat’s benefit, and Judge Cannon rightly called them out.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 7:38 am@330
And?
The 11th Circuit refused to issue a Mandamus (to reverse Cannon) for that.
What does that tell you?
Fact of the matter, at least with respect to the documents case, Jack Smith was an illegitimate prosecutor.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 7:40 am@331
No. The last time we discussed was that I said they shouldn’t have indicted Trump and that Trump and his staff was working with Biden officials.
Raiding a former President’s house was inane… stupid.
Any concerns of classified documents ought to been handled discreetly and with cooperation between the two parties, if the goal was to ensure that classified information are either secured, or moved to a more appropriate place.
Instead, the BIDEN DOJ wanted a spectacle and generate criminal liability for the former president.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 7:45 amIs it that Richman?
Yes…yes, it is indeed THAT Richman.
The chutzpah of this choad.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 8:00 amHappy Independence Day to Estonia!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Declaration_of_Independence
(Incidentally, from what little I know about their tax system, I think the US could learn something from Estonia: https://taxfoundation.org/location/estonia/
We certainly need to have some of our congress critters investigating it.)
Jim Miller (ceb344) — 2/24/2026 @ 8:36 amThere were negotiations between the National Archives and Trump’s representatives which resulted in some classified materials being returned to the Archives, but there were still boxes of documents with classified markings that were not turned over pursuant to a grand jury subpoena.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/24/2026 @ 8:50 amAny criminal liability was generated by the former president when he failed to comply with the grand jury subpoena.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/24/2026 @ 8:52 amYes, to be intellectually consistent about it. Mike Davis would still have to make a case to support an indictment, which means he would be confident that he could convince a jury beyond reasonable doubt.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 9:04 amIf either judge contradicted eight prior rulings, then you’d have a point, which you don’t.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 9:05 amThat boat sailed after 17 months of stonewalling, then defying a subpoena, and then obstructing the FBI.
Paul Montagu (106825) — 2/24/2026 @ 9:07 amA legally authorized uncontested search wasn’t “raiding”. Once again you’re engaging in gross hyperbole.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 9:08 amCompletely agree, and the government tried to do this. But Trump refused to operate in good faith.
I’ll ask again. What additional information do you feel the government needed to acquire before proceeding with the indictment? If there isn’t an answer I don’t see how you can argue that the shouldn’t have indicted.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 9:39 amWhat led to yesterday’s 800+ point Dow decline:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/24/2026 @ 9:46 amA special council doesn’t really have any powers beyond what an AUSA has. They have to deliver a report to the AG, but that’s about it. They’re usually appointed to give some separation between the DOJ and the investigation. Prior to his investigation of Trump Smith was known as an accomplished, non-partisan, by the books prosecutor. Can you find anything he did prior to taking the SC position that you feel shows inappropriate bias?
Also, given who Trump has been appointing as ASUA and acting AUSA it doesn’t look like he has any fear of Toxicity.
The alternative would have been to have Markenzy Lapointe run the investigation as the AUSA for the district. Maybe you feel he would be less political?
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 9:51 amAllahpundit remarked yesterday that Trump’s new tariffs, in addition to being illegal, are pointless.
They only last 150 days, unless Congress extends them. That would be a couple months before the election, and there will be enough sane Republicans in the House, and maybe the Senate too, to stop that. Most primaries will be over by then too. But the reminder of the 18+ month tariff fiasco – and Trump’s meltdown when he doesn’t get his way – will be a gift to the Democrats.
As a means of extorting other countries into concessions, tariffs with a 150 day expiration date are entirely useless. They’ll just hold off on negotiating until the tariffs expire.
The one wildcard is – what if Trump just defies the law, like he did the TikTok statute, and keeps the tariffs in place without the required authorization? Again, not a great look right before the election, I guess, assuming the election is allowed to go forward…
Dave (f74959) — 2/24/2026 @ 9:51 amI disagree, it was generated when he refused to work in good faith the national archives to return government property / classified documents.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 9:52 amExactly what Bill Barr did when he sent John Durham on his fruitless fishing expedition.
Dave (f74959) — 2/24/2026 @ 9:53 amWhat crime was committed at that stage? The National Archives needed to go to the Justice Department to enforce the law. The Archives doesn’t have legal authority to enforce the law.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/24/2026 @ 9:57 amA warning on Iran:
President Trump said in a Truth Social post that the above is “fake news” and that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says any military action against Iran will be “easily won’.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:07 am“Raiding a former President’s house was inane”
Is whembly paid by the hyperbole?
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:11 am@339
While not being confirmed by Senate, but arguably more powerful than any US DA.
Really?
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:17 am@342
This is rich coming from you.
lol.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:20 amRIP actor Robert Carradine (71), son of John Carradine and brother to actors Keith and David Carradine, former Disney executive Christopher Carradine, as well as half-brother to David, Bruce and Michael Bowen.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:28 amWhembly, the AUSA has the same powers as the SC. The difference is just in how they’re managed.
Time123 (c0eae1) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:28 am@356
You guys keep missing the point.
An AUSA was formally nominated by the POTUS and CONFIRMED by the Senate.
Jack Smith was NOT nominated by the POTUS to be AUSA and CONFRIMED by the Senate.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:36 am@352
At the same rate you guys get paid for ‘INSURRECTION’ claims around j6. 👍👍👍
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:39 am@349
Incorrect.
John Durham was nominated and on February 16, 2018, his nomination was confirmed by voice vote of the Senate.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:42 am@350
The crime alledged was over the Presidential Records Acts, which to my knowledge were civil in nature.
However, I think Smith was charging obstruction too, which is obviously a felony.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:55 amI was responding to this.
The debate about if they need confirmation centers on if they are an inferior or superior officer. It’s a question of legality based on how independently they can work where the courts have usually found them to be an inferior officer. AFAIK Cannon is the only court to have found otherwise.
The fact remains that Trump took government property in the form of classified materials, knew that he wasn’t supposed to have it, refused to give it back, and attempted to hide what he had through fraud and deception. They showed him tremendous grace in trying to work with him to negotiate the return of government property but ultimately concluded it was futile and carried too much risk of the material being lost or viewed by hostile interests.
Jack Smith’s investigation was properly based and run appropriately. You yourself haven’t identified any additional information they should have collected prior to issuing the indictment, nor have you identified any actions he took in this investigation that you claim were inappropriate / motivated by partisan goals.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:56 amThe main charge was Willful Retention of National Defense Information Under the Espionage Act (18 U.S.C. § 793(e))
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:57 amThere are no civil or criminal penalties for defying NARA. All they can do is ask nicely (which they did) and rely on the good faith of the ex-president to comply with the Presidential Records Act. But a line was crossed when they found a couple hundred classified documents in the fifteen boxes Trump returned.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:58 amGiven that a private citizen was illegally retaining classified materials and likely held more, it became a potential crime, and they had no choice but to refer the matter to the FBI.
That is also gross hyperbole, and a smear.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 11:00 amAs I’ve been saying, it’s better to focus on the actions then the labels. So not “Insurrection” but “Many hundreds of Trump supporters violently assaulting the police to take physical control of the Capital building in order to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after Trump lost the election.”
Saves all that pesky debate over terms and arguments about how they were used in past. Can also be addressed factually.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 11:00 am@361
His whole investigation was inappropriate because his role was unconstitutional.
For someone who regularly complains about the rule of law perpetuated by the Trump Part Duex administration, you are strangely willful in ignoring unconstitutional behaviors by the now unconstitutional Jack Smith’s role.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 11:26 am@362
That’s the supersceding indictment.
That needs to be tested in court about whether former presidents having such info, (if true).
What’s ironic here, is that out of all of the Trump cases, this documents case is probably the “strongest”, but also the most complicated as it deals with a former President with many untested premise. There was ZERO chance that Smith had time to navigate this case to it’s fruition before the election. EVERYONE who knows anything about these sort of cases would know that this would’ve been a multi-year case.
ANYONE can see that.
However, if the point was to weaking Trump’s re-election chances…would you have done any differently?
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 11:31 am@364
Bless your heart.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 11:32 am“Arguably” is doing all the heavy lifting. The AG is tasked with giving a Special Counsel specific directives and a specific scope of investigation. This wasn’t an issue pre-2022.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:06 pm@369
Pre-2022 the SCO came from an existing AUSA, or other Senate confirmed positions.
Jack Smith was never confirmed.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:08 pmInsurrection: “a violent uprising against an authority or government”.
–Oxford
Yep, that’s what happened, therefore not hyperbole.
Raid: “a rapid surprise attack on an enemy by troops, aircraft, or other armed forces.”
–Oxford
No, the FBI search wasn’t a “raid”, as it wasn’t a “surprise” (the FBI gave the Secret Service notice), it wasn’t an “attack” and the FBI isn’t the “enemy”.
Words mean things, whembly.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:13 pmYou don’t get have your own personal or pet definitions to suit your right-wing political agenda.
@371
Going “Akchually…” is not a good look Paul.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:16 pmFalse. Archibald Cox and Mueller were private citizens out of government.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:18 pmAnd we’re getting back to trying to reason with the unreasoning. Pathetic, whembly.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:19 pmI disagree with Cannon that the SC is a superior officer. Not sure if I’m right but SC as an inferior office makes more sense and is more consistent with the precedent. Further, if this is found to be incorrect it’s hardly a flagrant violation of existing law and practice.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:21 pmMore bullsht.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:22 pmTrump was a private citizen and therefore had no right to possess national defense materials under the Espionage Act. They were never his personal property.
You’re trying to give this guy special treatment, trying to put his acts above law.
If I wanted to impact the election I wouldn’t have brought these charges at all. I would have attempted to create an espionage case where China was getting access to the documents by bribing one of his employees.
Smith didn’t do that because he was doing good faith prosecution of a clear violation of the law.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:24 pmThere’s audio of Trump saying he hadn’t declassified material he was presenting to journalists and that he knew he wasn’t allowed to have it. That’s pretty compelling that he never declassified it implicitly.
Also, his status would only have impacted the prosecution, not the investigation.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:27 pmLooks like whembly isn’t welcome in Paul’s echo chamber. But Klink is.
lloyd (19c239) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:28 pm@373
Bro, Archibald Cox was before the modern DOJ SCO regulations.
Mueller was challenged as well, but DC courts…lol.
Again, the idea that any President can tap some schmo attorney on the streets, so long as they passed the DC bar, and empower that person with the full might as of a AUSA is constitutionally infirm.
Judge Cannon’s ruling is still standing. Jack Smith’s SCO nomination is unconstitutional, and it’s the correct ruling.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:28 pmPaul, Here are the current requirements for a Special Counsel https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-VI/part-600. They’re supposed to come from outside the government.
An individual named as Special Counsel shall be a lawyer with a reputation for integrity and impartial decisionmaking, and with appropriate experience to ensure both that the investigation will be conducted ably, expeditiously and thoroughly, and that investigative and prosecutorial decisions will be supported by an informed understanding of the criminal law and Department of Justice policies. The Special Counsel shall be selected from outside the United States Government. Special Counsels shall agree that their responsibilities as Special Counsel shall take first precedence in their professional lives, and that it may be necessary to devote their full time to the investigation, depending on its complexity and the stage of the investigation.
The purpose is to put in someone independent from the department due to potential conflict of interest. Hasn’t mattered in the case of Trump because his supporters don’t give a fig about the history or previous affiliations of anyone that investigates Trump.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:33 pm@376
No Paul, it’s you being a petulant, whiney baby about this.
We afford former Presidents far more latitude on these kinds of things than private citizens. Especially over stuff generated during their tenure.
Both Bushes were famous for continually receiving Presidential Daily Briefings (PDF) post Presidency.
No Paul, you people are simply EXACTLY what you accuse Trump to be… that of a vindictive partisans.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:36 pmI think you’re confusing Assistant US Attorney with US Attorney.
AUSA aren’t confirm and the Trump administration has been doing what you’re describing.
USA are in charge of a district and have oversite and policy authority that a Special Counsel does not.
If you think SC = US Attorney you’re very wrong on the facts. USA have far more power.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:38 pmYes, and Trump was afforded this latitude and then abused the grace he was given.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:39 pm*aren’t senate confirmed
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:40 pm@381
That you haven’t taken the time to understand my premise is disappointing to say the least Time.
That…is a DOJ regulation. You know, from the Department of Justice that lives in the Article 2 branch of the US Constitution.
The special counsel, that has powers that of an AUSA.
Do you know what you need to be an AUSA? To be confirmed by the Senate.
John Durham and Robert Hur were AUSAs when they were tapped to be SCO. In fact, the prevailing understanding that any active Senate confirmed positions could theoretically be tapped to be SCO in a current administration.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:45 pmThing is, Cannon should’ve recused herself. She owes her cushy lifetime job to the defendant.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:47 pm@383
1) You’re right, I mean the US Prosecutors. (not AUSA)
2) SCO has full might of US Attorney. The only thing that is different, is that SCO has pre-defined objectives, and in theory it ends once it’s completed.
US Attorney has jurisdictions over their district and operates under the guiding policies that is set by their superiors in their role.
SO, no, please stop playing this game that SCO isn’t the same as US Attorney.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:48 pm376, Paul, —
And Biden had no right to hang on to the docs in HIS garage and separate office in PA either. But, oddly, Archives never hounded HIM. Jack Smith somehow never bothred to indict HIM. After Trump’s home was raised, Biden was allowed to leisurely search thru the document caches in his garage and office,”find” the documents he had absconded with, and return them.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:49 pm@387
No other judges has done so in similar situations.
Hey, I’m all for requiring judges to recuse more.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:51 pmHarc, Garland didn’t ask Smith to be Special Counsel for Biden or Pence, he asked Hur to do it, and then he conducted a full unhindered investigation and then wrote a report, which went on to Congress.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:53 pmThe difference between Biden and Trump is that Biden cooperated and Trump was too much of a toddler to do so.
@384
The fact that you say this with a straight face is laughable.
New FBI memos suggest Biden knew about 2022 Mar-a-Lago search despite denials
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:57 pmWhat “similar situations”? There isn’t one.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 12:58 pmPlease tell me all the federal judges who were appointed by a president who later became the defendant in that same judge’s criminal trial.
Those are DOJ regulations, not statutory law, which an AG has the authority to waive.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 1:00 pmThat’s funny and ironic, lloyd.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 1:11 pmBad faith lloyd, always “elevating” a conversation.
@393
I thought you meant ANY case a POTUS (or former) faces a judges they put in the seat.
Honestly, I wish judges considers recusal more.
But I don’t think you made the convincing arguments that recusal was warranted.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 1:13 pmBeing a smearing asshole isn’t a good look on you, whembly. Go outside and breathe, or something.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 1:13 pm@397
I’m enjoying warm sandy beaches homie.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 1:23 pmWhembly,
USA (U.S. Attorney)
The chief federal prosecutor for a judicial district with full authority to bring federal charges, supervise all federal prosecutions in that district, set enforcement priorities, and represent the United States in court there. These are Senate confirm.
AUSA (Assistant U.S. Attorney)
A federal prosecutor who can investigate, charge, negotiate, and try federal cases — but only under the authority and supervision of the U.S. Attorney and DOJ leadership. These are not senate confirmed.
SC (Special Counsel)
A temporary prosecutor appointed for a specific matter, with the authority to investigate and bring federal charges within the defined scope of their appointment, operating with a degree of independence but still subject to oversight by the Attorney General.
In practice the SC is equivalent to a AUSA working on an important and sensitive matter but instead of being supervised by the US Attorney for the district they’re supervised the AG.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 1:33 pmThis is completely incorrect. AUSA aren’t senate confirmed.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 1:36 pmYes, because they didn’t know he had them and he returned them. They tried like heck to get Trump to return what he wasn’t supposed to have but he refused.
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 1:37 pmI think I understand your premise. It appears to be that Smith was selected in violation of the constitution to be a partisan attack dog who went after Trump on baseless allegations of wrong doing.
How far off am I?
Time123 (8fcbef) — 2/24/2026 @ 1:51 pmThose were courtesies extended by their presidential successors. Bill Clinton and Obama had that discretion and original classification authority to provide or not provide PDBs to the Bushes.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 2:18 pmMore Greenland hospital ship comedy:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/24/2026 @ 3:03 pmSource for post 404.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/24/2026 @ 3:04 pmWhy would anyone entertain a premise that has, literally, nothing to do with reality?
If you recognize reality, start talking about the real world, not MAGA fantasy world,
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/24/2026 @ 4:32 pm@402
Explain why I think Smith’s appointment was in violation of the constitution.
The “partisan attack dog” part is really irrelevant.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 6:36 pm@406
I don’t even believe you are even capable of understanding the premise.
Good try tho.
whembly (328273) — 2/24/2026 @ 6:38 pm401, Time, – –
I know you wish that it was true that Biden somehow didn’t know what was stashed in his garage and his office in PA. The special counsel guy found otherwise. “”Our investigation uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen,” the report said.” Even w/o that finding, Biden is charged with knowledge of what he took. The “Ooops I didn’t realize I had the stolen money I put in my garage” is not for serious people. His wife didn’t put them there. As Paul has noted, “Trump was a private citizen and therefore had no right to possess national defense materials under the Espionage Act. They were never his personal property.” (376)
Biden got the benefit of the special counsel’s decency (not available to republicans), that he was a bumbling old guy, with no idea what week it was, and maybe no idea of the year either. A finding immediately denounced by Biden insiders and media, who assured us that Hur was mean, and Biden was sharp as a tack.
The bottom line for anyone with a sense of fairness is that Archives ignored what Biden had or never bothered to find out, but worked overtime to pin Trump with the intention of making a referral. Smith, political zealot, seized on that like (as I have said) Ramsay Bolton’s hound.
The country is going to regret this partisan gunslinging long into the future.
.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-special-counsel-report-handling-classified-documents/
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (bc8284) — 2/24/2026 @ 7:01 pm391, Paul–
I only respond that Biden “cooperated” after seeing Trump raided–I’d cooperate too after that. But if I were Jack Smith on the GOP side, I’d have indicted Biden for having that stuff in the first place–for 4+ years. (But my comments keep being placed in moderation/limbo so you may not see this anyway).
Best.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (bc8284) — 2/24/2026 @ 7:06 pmIt was never in Smith’s scope, which was laid out by the AG.
Paul Montagu (5694d1) — 2/24/2026 @ 7:18 pmGarland could’ve either expanded Smith’s scope or picked a new Special Counsel and he went with the latter. Either way, it was good that a Special Counsel looked into Biden and Pence.
411, Paul, agree it was good that all of them got a wake up call: these docs don’t belong to you!
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (bc8284) — 2/24/2026 @ 8:58 pmIf Biden knew about the search in advance, as you allege, and knew he had classified docs in his own possession, as you allege, why did Biden’s lawyers only sweep Biden’s archives for those classified docs after the Mar-a-Lago search?
Under your “Biden knew everything about everything” conspiracy theory, Biden and/or his aides would have surely covered his own ass before busting Trump’s.
Dave (f020d9) — 2/24/2026 @ 10:20 pm413, No, No Dave:
Biden did not know Trump was going to be raised in advance. He learned about it afterward and knew that he had classified docs in his garage, the ones he “willfully retained,” (that’s not my “allegation, it was Hur’s finding). He then acted at last to return them. The ones he had possessed for many years without being hounded by Archives, the ones he was found to have willfully retained, the ones he should have been indicted for keeping. His “cooperation” after seeing Trump raided, after realizing that he too was exposed to a raid, was not the unconcerned care of a man who knew he had taken nothing. It was the tardy admission of guilt by a man that knew what he had stashed away.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (dee8c4) — 2/25/2026 @ 6:04 amIt’s honestly hard to say given that I think you’re badly misunderstanding US Attorney/ Asst. US Attorney/ Special Counsel.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 6:21 amBiden did not know Trump was going to be raised in advance. He learned about it afterward and knew that he had classified docs in his garage, the ones he “willfully retained,” (that’s not my “allegation, it was Hur’s finding)
You’re misstating Hur’s findings in a deceptive way. While Hur did find some evidence his ultimate conclusion was that there were alternative explanations for that evidence and that the Jury would likely not find the evidence sufficient to overcome reasonable doubt. His poor memory was part of that, but not all of that. One part that was explicitly stated was that his willful return of the material and good faith cooperation with the Special Counsel investigation was likely to persuade the Jury that his retention wasn’t willful. This is a key difference with Trump’s behavior.
You keep wanting to make Trump out as the innocent victim here, as if he was behaving normally and being subjected to investigative attack. That’s not the case. What seems consistent with the facts is that Trump accidentally took government property, incompetently worked with the National Archive, and when it was discovered that he had important government property intentionally tried to keep his possession of it secret so that he could keep the materials. He had the ability to avoid this at multiple points. The government spent months working with him before ultimately deciding that the risk of an unknown amount of classified documents being compromised was too great.
https://www.justice.gov/storage/report-from-special-counsel-robert-k-hur-february-2024.pdf
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 6:40 am@415
I’ve corrected the acronym issue.
Again, please explain why I think Smith’s appointment was in violation of the constitution.
Let me know if you cannot and I’ll try again.
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 6:53 ambest I can tell is that you believe the SC to be a superior officer.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 6:54 am@418 best I can tell is that you believe the SC to be a superior officer.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 6:54 am
You got it.
SC = USA.
SC has the same subpoena power as USA.
SC prosecutes cases in courts, just like USA.
USA are nominated, confirmed by Senate as directed by the Constitution, The Judiciary Act of 1789 and more specifically 28 U.S.C. § 541.
SC are wholly Executive Branch, DOJ regulation. (spun up when Independent Counsel statute expired).
See what I mean?
If you want more, check out Andy McCarthy on Why Jack Smith Appointment Was Unconstitutional:
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 7:30 amSo you think an AUSA doesn’t do those things?
I see your problem there. You thought you knew a thing. I shall correct you. You did not.
All of those things you stated, an AUSA does too. I guess the question would be, “do you know anything about anything, even how to give it a goog?”
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/25/2026 @ 8:04 amIn fact, the USA would be less likely than either of the others to do the things you claim.
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/25/2026 @ 8:06 am@420 Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/25/2026 @ 8:04 am
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 8:13 am@421 Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/25/2026 @ 8:06 am
Gibbering gib tries to gibber like he knows gibs.
Do you need some help with the goog? Do ya?
Again, tell us exactly what duties of an AUSA are, and a USA. Please, give us the details. Exactly what YOU BELIEVE their roles and responsibilities. Just give it a little effort, you might learn something. Probably not…
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/25/2026 @ 8:30 am@423 Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/25/2026 @ 8:30 am
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 8:55 amSorry. I don’t debate the clinically insane.
Whembly, I honestly don’t think you understand that difference between a US Attorney and an Assistant US Attorney. A USA are not
An AUSA has the same powers as a US Attorney for subpoena, and both typically derive their authority from a Grand Jury.
With respect to authorizing investigations and prosecutions the USA has the power to do that. Neither an AUSA or a SC has that power. The AUSA works at the direction of the USA and the SC’s investigation / prosecution power come for the instruction they’re given by the AG who oversees their case. The SC is given a great degree of independence, but there’s nothing stopping a US Attorney from managing an AUSA in the same way. The authority to create a special counsel is derived from the AG’s delegation authority and they have the same powers as an Assistant US Attorney and the role explicitly codifies that the investigation will be run with that degree of independence.
Had Garland wanted to do he could have appointed Smith as an AUSA, tasked him with the same case, and Smith would have been able to do exactly what he did in the documents case. Garland could also have had the USA for the southern district of Florida do it.
It’s possible that the courts will find that the delegation Authority doesn’t cover a SC. But I don’t think they will. And even if they do I don’t think this is transgression on par with prosecuting someone for their speech, searching a persons home without a warrant, or holding people without access to legal counsel etc.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 8:57 amSo, I’m back to I think your constitutional objection is based on a misunderstanding of what the powers of SC are and how they compare to a USA/AUSA.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 8:59 amHow the mighty have fallen:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/25/2026 @ 9:16 am@426
The fundamental problem, is that SC are NOT an article I position.
It’s precisely WHY Durham and Hur “worked” as SC because they were USA. It’s just that the AG directed them from the typical USA priorities to the specific SC investigation as directed by the AG.
Tapping Smith to be SC is a constitutional problem, because there’s no statutory basis for that position and that Smith was not in a Senate confirmed position (whereas Durham/Hur was).
Do you see that now?
I mean, your position (and it seems Paul’s and Klink’s), is that it would be just fine if Bondi taps Mike Davis or Sidney Powell or Rudy Guiliani or whatever anti-Democrat firebrand as SC to investigate Obama and HRC over the Russian Collusion Hoax (or some other things), in order to circumvent nominations that faces confirmation challenges?
You are effectively saying that this would be okay.
You shouldn’t want that.
Furthermore, you keep ignoring this point: Judge Cannon pretty much tried to get Jack Smith and AG Garland to ‘cure’ this defect, by simply moving the SC to be under the sitting FL USA, which even McCarthy pointed out:
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 9:18 amWhere’s the beef?
Video at link.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/25/2026 @ 9:26 amJudge Cannon is an unqualified imp. She, and you, are inventing scenarios out of whole cloth…or are lying about your confusion, and hers.
So, either your unwilling to admit you don’t know what your talking about, or you do. Either way, you are wrong and lying. And so is/was she.
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/25/2026 @ 9:39 am@429
A) horrible way of handling this question.
B) she’s not wrong.
C) as politician, never deny what voters are feeling in the pocket books.
D) a lot of US owned livestock ranchers are going out of business because of beef imports from south america.
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 9:39 am1). 28 U.S. Code § 510 – Delegation of authority
The Attorney General may from time to time make such provisions as he considers appropriate authorizing the performance by any other officer, employee, or agency of the Department of Justice of any function of the Attorney General.https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/510
2). 28 U.S. Code § 515 – Authority for legal proceedings; commission, oath, and salary for special attorneys
(a)The Attorney General or any other officer of the Department of Justice, or any attorney specially appointed by the Attorney General under law, may, when specifically directed by the Attorney General, conduct any kind of legal proceeding, civil or criminal, including grand jury proceedings and proceedings before committing magistrate judges, which United States attorneys are authorized by law to conduct, whether or not he is a resident of the district in which the proceeding is brought.
510 says that AG can authorize people to do what he wants them to do.
515 says that an Attorney appointed under law (such as 510 above) can conduct legal proceedings.
Do you understand the difference between what a US Attorney does and an Assistant US Attorney does?
Also, you may not be aware of this but the Trump administration has been doing exactly that type of thing when career DOJ lawyers refuse to proceed to bogus political prosecutions. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/pirro-enlists-dance-photographer-lawyer-in-lawmaker-video-case
I don’t think it’s fine to have unqualified jokes like Halligan and Haba pursing baseless political prosecutions, but if they’re action as AUSA it’s legal. It’s not legal to have them acting as USA without senate approval. But again, this is about their competence more then anything. If the Trump administration weren’t such a clown show they’d be able to manage this.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 9:40 am@430
More entertaining gibberish.
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 9:40 am@427, Rip, thank you for sharing the good news about Summers.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 9:42 am@432
As McCarthy, a former USA, argued:
You missed “which United States attorneys are authorized by law to conduct”
I do. I got my acronym mixed up. Give me some grace on that, or this conversation is over.
Absolutely. These shenanigans has to stop.
If Senate Democrats don’t confirm the pick, then the courts is SOL, until Senate Democrats and the WH hammers out a compromise pick.
Correct. Smith was neither a AUSA/USA when he was selected.
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 9:48 amI think McCarthy is wrong, and perhaps lying, when he claims that Garland made smith the equivalent of a US Attorney. That’s why i keep asking you if you know the difference. It’s not just a silly nomenclature thing. The difference is material.
To you other point. Here is the law.
28 U.S.C. § 509 — Vests all DOJ functions in the Attorney General
28 U.S.C. § 510 — Allows the AG to delegate DOJ functions
28 U.S.C. § 515 — Authorizes the AG to appoint special attorneys to conduct legal proceedings on behalf of the United States
28 U.S.C. § 533 — Authorizes the AG to appoint officials to detect and prosecute crimes
510 is the law that allows the AG to delegate their powers, such as investigating a suspected crime and bringing appropriate prosecutions.
515 specifically says that an Attorney that is appointed by law (such as 510) can act as an lawyer for the US in these matters.
You’re free to disagree and maybe a court will tell us you’re right and I’m wrong. But my position has been supported by courts in the past (more so then Cannon’s) and far from a ridiculous argument. It seems silly to me to pretend that Garland was engaged in blatant unconstitutional lawlessness given the existing law a precedent.
While all of this is interesting it doesn’t change the following
Smith was a highly qualified Lawyer with no history of partisanship.
Trump was in possession of government property.
Trump knew he lacked the authority to have this property (there’s an audio recoding of him saying so).
The government attempted to retrieve it’s property for months via negotiation
Trump engaged in deception to prevent the government from recovering it’s property.
After all of this only then did the government proceed with a criminal prosecution.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 11:28 amThe SC is supposed to come from outside the government so per that regulation he shouldn’t have been.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Smith_(lawyer)
He was a AUSA in 1999 for the Eastern District of NY (inferior position)
In 2010 he was the Chief of the DOJ Public integrity division (inferior position) where his department unsuccessfully prosecuted John Edwards.
In 2015, Smith became an assistant U.S. attorney in the Middle District of Tennessee (Inferior Position), at Nashville. He became the acting U.S. attorney in March 2017 upon the resignation of David Rivera, and resigned effective September 2017 after the nomination of Donald Q. Cochran
Point being, he was / is a highly qualified career prosecutor with no history of partisanship.
2nd point, there are a number of important positions (such as Chief of the Public Integrity Department) that are inferior positions and do not require senate approval.
I would argue that as Chief of that department he had far more power then he did as Special Counsel.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 11:50 amUnder DoJ regulations, none of those appointments would be allowed:
Dave (f74959) — 2/25/2026 @ 11:58 am@438
If the AG says so, it’s allowed.
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 12:29 pm@436
You mean the Andy McCarthy at NR? Former AUSA Andy McCarthy or prosecuted many high profile cases, such as the blind Sheik?
A McCarthy who’s currently raging against Trump’s current administration whom you can’t sincerely label him as a MAGA guy?
I know there’s a lot of “McCarthys” out there… just making sure you know whom you’re talking about.
Ok.
I see.
You just don’t want to be wrong.
Fine.
Have a good day sir.
Don’t know why I think we can have a good faith debate.
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 12:39 pmWikipedia (citing the Watergate-era Nader v. Cox): “An agency regulation promulgated within the authority granted by statute has the force and effect of law, is binding upon the body that issues it, and can not be arbitrarily revoked.”
If a court finds that the AG did not play by the rules, they can provide relief to those affected.
Dave (f74959) — 2/25/2026 @ 12:48 pmSorry, the case was Nader v. Bork (Cox was involved, through his firing)
Dave (f74959) — 2/25/2026 @ 12:49 pmUntrue, they are making money hand over fist because of beef shortages caused by shrinking herds, production constraints, and high demand. Very little beef is imported from South America, most beef imported into the US is from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Mexico. And if that were true, why did President Trump lift his 40% tariff on Brazilian beef and sign an Executive Order expanding Argentinian beef imports?
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/25/2026 @ 12:50 pmDave, I think the argument would be that the AG has the authority to determine if those subjective criteria are met.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 12:50 pmDave, I think the argument would be that the AG has the authority to determine if those subjective criteria are met.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 12:50 pm@440, So you’re going to ignore the rest of the comment where i explained exactly where my reasoning was coming from with specific reference to the relevant law and an illustration of the difference between an inferior and superior officer and why the SC is an inferior officer?
I guess you’re right that we can’t have a good faith discussion.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 12:53 pm@446
You stated that you believed McCarthy was wrong and maybe lying to hand wave those points.
Why should I continue along with a debate like.
Shall I just respond: “I think Time123 is wrong, and perhaps lying.”
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:00 pmI did not vote for this.
Trump’s Emerging Case for More Iran Strikes
Nope. Fan of going to war with Iran.
Sustained air power to beat up the regime? Sure.
But you just know neocons and others will advocate for boots on the grounds, ala Iraq.
No sir. I didn’t vote for boots on the ground.
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:07 pmThat was wrt to the SC not being a superior officer. Do you feel they are an inferior or superior officer?
Because it seems clear to me that they are an inferior officer and that Mcarthy is misleading his readers by repeatedly comparing them to a USA and not an AUSA.
Time123 (d83d20) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:08 pm@443
Beef’s more expensive, yes.
But the overhead costs to raise beef has skyrocketed.
Not a fan of Trump lifting his tariff on Brazilian beef nor that EO expanding Argentinian beef.
I think that’s the Rubio effect.
Vance, I suspect would’ve kept the two in place. But, Rubio has gone on the deep end of the ‘Donroe Doctrine’, in which as a practical matter, you’d want industries in South/Central America to be successful, as a successful nation mitigates crises in those regions.
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:11 pmSource?
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:14 pmGiuliani has been disbarred twice.
Powell pled guilty to six election-interference counts and only avoided disbarment because the Texas State Bar failed to label the exhibits correctly in their filing against her.
I’m not a fancy-pants lawyer, but I thought courts generally hold that it isn’t kosher to interpret the law in a way that makes parts of it meaningless.
Dave (f74959) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:30 pm@449
Now I know you don’t read the links I’ve provided. I’ve answered it here, and McCarthy directly addressed that question.
Because, you’d see that even if you take the position that it’s an inferior officer… McCarthy states that it’s unconstitutional because that position must be created by congressional act via statute. There is no congressional act creating the Special Counsel position.
…and to repeat myself:
Did Jack Smith satisfy this requirement?
(a) nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate
No. He did not.
Did Jack Smith satisfy this requirement?
(b) appointed to a position that “shall be established by law” — which is to say, by a congressional statute.
No. He did not.
…and pay attention to this next part:
In short, the defense and friend-of-the-court argued that AG Garland has purported to vest in Smith “the full power and independent authority to exercise all investigative and prosecutorial functions of any United States Attorney” (quoting from §600.6 of the special-counsel regulations). Yet, U.S. attorneys are permitted to wield these powers only because they are officers of the United States. Smith is not.
Judge Cannon gave every opportunity for Jack Smith to ‘cure’ this defect, and the easiest, least impactful would be to reassign the Trump documents prosecution to a qualified officer of the United States, in which Smith could continue his prosecutions whilst under direct authority of an officer of the United States, such as the FL United States Attorney at the time.
Instead of curing this defect, Smith chose to fight this (with Garland’s support) because he wanted to maintain the fiction that he’s “independent” and/or he didn’t want another United States Attorney having executive decisions over his cases. Either way, not a good look by SC Jack Smith.
I firmly believe Judge Cannon made the right call.
I do NOT want Trump to tap Mike Davis as SC to go after his political enemies. It would start a disturbing tit-for-tat trend that only adds toxicity into what is already a nightmarish political quagmire.
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:32 pmYou may have a point with those two specificity. But I don’t think the Administration that wanted to make Matt Gaetz AG wouldn’t give it a try.
Time123 (d83d20) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:34 pmThe beef tariffs and executive order had nothing to do with the Donroe Doctrine. The reason for the Brazilian tariffs was to pressure the Brazilian government to free Jair Bolsonaro and the Argentine import EO was to help Javier Milei and an attempt to lower beef prices. However, even with the quadrupling of Argentine imports, it is too little to affect prices. In total, only 8-10% of beef consumed in the US comes from imports.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:41 pm@455
Oh I absolutely believe Bondi would try it, and I’d still reject it.
Does that mean you’re thinking I’m on to something…or nah?
whembly (328273) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:47 pmIn 2024-25, Argentina ranked seventh and Brazil eighth among countries exporting beef to the US. While Canada (42.6% of imported beef), Mexico (28.5%), and Australia (19.3%) exported beef valued in the billions, Argentina (1.3%) exported beef valued at $77.1 million and Brazil (1.2%) $72 million. Minor players.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:49 pmHere is the law, copied from a previous comment.
28 U.S.C. § 509 — Vests all DOJ functions in the Attorney General
28 U.S.C. § 510 — Allows the AG to delegate DOJ functions
28 U.S.C. § 515 — Authorizes the AG to appoint special attorneys to conduct legal proceedings on behalf of the United States
28 U.S.C. § 533 — Authorizes the AG to appoint officials to detect and prosecute crimes
510 is the law that allows the AG to delegate their powers, such as investigating a suspected crime and bringing appropriate prosecutions.
515 specifically says that an Attorney that is appointed by law (such as 510) can act as an lawyer for the US in these matters.
The SC regulation provides details about how that delegation is used in the case of a SC. Also, your quote from the statute was incomplete and left out an important limitation. In the case of Smith this limitation is part of what justifies their treatment as an inferior officer.
He’s had a number of people go after his political enemies.
While all of this is interesting it doesn’t change the following
Smith was a highly qualified Lawyer with no history of partisanship.
Trump was in possession of government property in the form of classified and national defense information.
Trump knew he lacked the authority to have this property (there’s an audio recoding of him saying so, among other pieces of evidence).
The government attempted to retrieve it’s property for months via negotiation
Trump engaged in deception to prevent the government from recovering it’s property.
After all of this only then did the government proceed with a criminal prosecution.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:51 pmYou’re oddly unaware that what you’re saying you don’t want has been happening for a while under Trump.
Time123 (c31b73) — 2/25/2026 @ 1:57 pm-baseless investigations for mortgage fraud and perjury carried out by hack after career lawyers refused to pursue them, attempts to indict members of congress for their speech etc.
And firing US Attorneys (selected by district courts according to existing law) after his nominees either fail to get confirmed or run out of time (120 days) in office; for example.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/25/2026 @ 2:54 pmYup
Time123 (fe9ef6) — 2/25/2026 @ 4:35 pmDOA:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/26/2026 @ 9:35 amHe doesn’t want to nuke current filibuster practice.
I’m actually with Thune here, be let’s be honest. Once Democrats takes control of Senate and has House and Presidency, they’re going to nuke the current filibuster practice.
I applaud Thune from shying away from being like Reid/McConnell.
whembly (2773cf) — 2/26/2026 @ 9:48 am@460
You seem to be oddly unaware that you’re making my arguments for me.
whembly (2773cf) — 2/26/2026 @ 9:50 amIf that’s true, the Republicans should do it first so they can enact the SAVE Act and any other Trump priorities.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/26/2026 @ 9:51 am@465, Then I explained it poorly.
You’re saying “If this is right then X will happen.” I’m saying X has already happened and the interpretation of the law you think is right, even if it’s right, isn’t a barrier to X and providing you examples of that.
Time123 (6c33b7) — 2/26/2026 @ 9:58 am@465
Still irrelevant to the question of: Was Jack Smith’s appointment unconstitutional?
That answer is still “yes”.
whembly (2773cf) — 2/26/2026 @ 10:38 am@466
As we can see. They won’t.
They’ll wait until it actually happens.
whembly (2773cf) — 2/26/2026 @ 10:39 amI understand why you think that, but as I’ve explained above I think that’s wrong. So far you haven’t really engaged with any of my explanations about why I think your position is wrong. And again, even if he was appointed incorrectly it doesn’t change what Trump did.
Time123 (6c33b7) — 2/26/2026 @ 10:58 amEarly voting is ending tomorrow in the Texas Republican primary, with election day next Tuesday:
Brutal:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/26/2026 @ 11:58 amHow fascist, for this president to invent a phony “national emergency” to take over and nationalize our elections.
The beauty of our electoral system is its decentralization, where there are 3,143 counties that each administer their own elections. Our founding fathers had this right.
Paul Montagu (3c1803) — 2/26/2026 @ 1:30 pmAnother Republican primary to watch is the 23rd House District, where the incumbent, Tony Gonzales, is in a nasty reelection fight after explicit text messages were released between him and a staffer in his local Uvalde district office. The aide later committed suicide by self-immolation. Before the release of the texts, Gonzales said in November that the rumors were “completely untruthful.”
He is being challenged in the primary by Brandon Herrera, a gun rights activist and YouTuber, who nearly defeated Gonzales in a 2024 primary runoff, losing by 400 votes. A number of the Texas congressional delegation have urged Gonzales drop out of the race; other members of Congress have urged him to resign immediately.
Gonzales has been endorsed by President Trump, but Herrera is backed by the House Freedom Caucus.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/26/2026 @ 2:02 pmOn the edge:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/26/2026 @ 2:56 pm293, Rip — maybe the idea is to have, except for tanks, a standard manufacturing type and size etc versus multiple european ones, and NATO countries all trying for a piec eof the pie that produces a jumbled end product.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e) — 2/26/2026 @ 3:15 pm295 Klink–they can use nuclear or coal and stop buying gas from the Arch criminal they want us to defend them against.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e) — 2/26/2026 @ 3:17 pmOr to stifle the Europeans from developing an independent military.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/26/2026 @ 3:49 pmThis classless sick fck president.
Paul Montagu (3c1803) — 2/26/2026 @ 6:23 pmMy guess is that Trump supporters will shrug at this, and then mention the imaginary horrors of a hypothetical Harris administration.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-seeking-executive-power-over-elections-is-urged-to-declare-emergency/ar-AA1X8Gyk?ocid=BingNewsSerp
norcal (d5d095) — 2/26/2026 @ 6:35 pmTrump’s next tariff fight: Keeping the money
Read the whole thing. But of course this was going to happen.
Colonel Klink (ret) (ad80ee) — 2/26/2026 @ 8:02 pm477, Rip
“Or to stifle the Europeans from developing an independent military.”
I had not appreciated your sense of humor.
There comes a time when pretense has to be abandoned, and facts faced. If the idea is coddling euro sensibilities, and pretending that they really have the capacity to be a real military force, those who prefer platitudes can do so. If facts are desired, then let’s be real.
The EU failed to develop any military since 1989. They barely had one before that, except for Germany.
They didn’t develop one after 2014.
France withdrew from NATO’s command structure in 1966, cementing its reputation as a prickly, vain and unreliable ally.
The EU promised a “Rapid Reaction Force.” From the 1950’s onward. It never appeared. 10 years after the Russian invasion of 2014 and 3 years after the UKE, they’re still talking about it. https://www.politico.eu/article/andrius-kubilius-european-military-force-replace-us-troops/
The Germans let the Bundeswehr disintegrate, with less than 300 tanks now compared to 2000 in the old War.
When the Serbs began slaughtering muslims in the 90’s the Eu couldn’t even handle that on their own.
Now they buy Putin’s gas, while claiming to want to oppose him.
Little has changed. But Putin has been on the move. Its time for an adult solution for whatever defense can be provided for. Not to smoke whatever Dave smokes and “hope” things will work out.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (7039bd) — 2/26/2026 @ 8:47 pmYadda yadda yadda, your same old talking points.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/27/2026 @ 8:56 am