Lazy Caturday Reads: These Are Dark Days
Posted: April 13, 2019 Filed under: morning reads, U.S. Politics 57 Comments
Good Morning!!
These are dark days in the United States of America, as our Congressional representative leave town for their 2-week spring recess. Cover-Up General Barr deliberately waited for this. while the Capital is deserted, he’ll reportedly release his heavily redacted version of the Mueller report just when it will be more difficult for Democrats to respond to his treachery.
Have we finally reached the breaking point? Are we at last in a constitutional crisis? I think so. David Rothkopf posted an important thread on Twitter yesterday. I’m going to post the whole thing.
Colors of Thought’ by Anna Wach
Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo: In the Dark Times: Understanding a Critical Four Weeks of History.
Over the last three weeks a series of events have taken place which may seem individual but need to be viewed in a joined context. Together they’ve put us in a much different, darker place as a country. I think many of us sense this intuitively. I see it in public reactions. I see it in your emails but more as an attitude. But what it is needs to be sketched out explicitly and seen for what it is.
Back on March 24, Attorney General Barr released his initial letter, the clear purpose of which was to hide the findings of the Mueller probe and issue a unilateral exoneration of the President. President Trump picked up the ball and ran with it. More than Trump’s personal lawyers or the White House Counsel’s Office, Barr was operating as Trump’s personal lawyer and advocate. Wednesday he went up to Capitol Hill and intentionally validated the conspiracy theories about Deep State “spying” on the President’s 2016 presidential campaign. He then caveated and quibbled and danced around the wording to provide some veil of plausible deniability. But his intention was clear. He also explained that he is on his own going to review whether laws were broken (whether the President’s campaign was “spied” on) during the election. There was already an Inspector General’s probe into just this question. Another is underway. Barr provided no rationale for launching this new probe, apparently under his direct control, other than his belief that something may have been amiss and his desire to do so.
Also on Wednesday, Secretary Mnuchin replied to House Ways and Means Chairman Neal refusing to provide the President’s tax returns to Neal’s Committee. It was no secret that the quest for the President’s tax returns would generate a court fight. But Mnuchin’s letter was telling. He invoked a series general areas of concern but no specific legal argument in a way that suggested very little concern for or interest in the actual law and statute. The truth is the law in this case is really pretty clear and dispositive. In constitutional terms, the Congress’s standing and need is equally clear. But in Mnuchin’s letter and other comments from administration officials and actions over the last week, the White House has made pretty clear they don’t care about that. The House just isn’t going to get Trump’s tax returns, period. Either it’s none of Congress’ business or the question was “litigated” in 2016: the bottom line, it’s not going to happen.
The big picture here is that President Trump now has lieutenants in place who will much more freely bend the powers of the state to defend his personal interests. Some of this is simply the shake-out of the 2018 election. Congress was supine for two years and either ignored presidential law-breaking or oversight or actively worked to cover for the President. Now you have a House focused on oversight. So we’re seeing more specifically and concretely how the President and his advisors see him as above the law and how they mean to protect him from the law.
Please read the rest at TPM.
By Oxana Zaika
Charles Pierce on Trump’s promise to pardon border patrol officials who break the law for him: The American Republic Is Crumbling, Piece by Piece. Soon There Won’t Be Anything Left.
Quoted from CNN:
During President Donald Trump’s visit to the border at Calexico, California, a week ago, where he told border agents to block asylum seekers from entering the US contrary to US law, the President also told the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, Kevin McAleenan, that if he were sent to jail as a result of blocking those migrants from entering the US, the President would grant him a pardon, senior administration officials tell CNN. Two officials briefed on the exchange say the President told McAleenan, since named the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, that he “would pardon him if he ever went to jail for denying US entry to migrants,” as one of the officials paraphrased.
Pierce:
Not to be too much of an old fud or anything but, if the president* said this, no matter whether McAleenan stuffed his socks in his ears so he wouldn’t hear the offer or not, he committed an impeachable offense. In fact, he committed two of them. The first one was ordering a member of the Executive branch to commit a crime. The second was promising that the employee would be pardoned if he did. And this is just something that happened to come to light on an average Friday in April. Things are breaking, one after another, and pretty soon, there won’t be anything left. The government is losing the ability to defend itself against this guy.
Russia chimes in to gloat about how the U.S. has lost its leadership position in the world.
Newsweek, via MSN: Russia: World No Longer Trusts U.S., Others Stepping In.
Russia’s top diplomat has argued that the world is losing faith in the United States as a global leader and that the international community has sought a more diverse approach to global decisionmaking.
By Sandra Bierman
At an annual address to Moscow’s diplomatic academy, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hailed on Friday a new geopolitical era marked by “multipolarity,” stating that “the emergence of new centers of power to maintain stability in the world requires the search for a balance of interests and compromises.” He said there is a shift in the center of global economic power to East from West, where a “liberal order” marked by globalization was “losing its attractiveness and is no more viewed as a perfect model for all.”
“Unfortunately, our Western partners led by the United States do not want to agree on common approaches to solving problems,” Lavrov continued, accusing Washington and its allies of trying “to preserve their centuries-old domination in world affairs despite objective trends in forming a polycentric world order.” He argued these efforts were “contrary to the fact that now, purely economically and financially, the United States can no longer—single-handedly or with its closest allies—resolve all issues in the global economy and world affairs.”
Jennifer Rubin: Mnuchin’s act of abject lawlessness.
The announcement that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin would not provide six years of President Trump’s tax returns by the deadline given by the House Ways and Means Committee chairman was just the latest in a long series of egregious attacks on the rule of law. Perhaps it felt more egregious than some because the law at issue is so clear (the Treasury Department “shall” provide them) and the administration’s conduct is so indefensible.
by Dee Nickerson
The Post reports:
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said his department would not meet the Wednesday deadline set by congressional Democrats to turn over copies of President Trump’s tax returns, escalating a clash between the White House and Congress.
Mnuchin said he was consulting with the Justice Department as to the constitutional questions raised by the Democrats’ request and appeared deeply skeptical of the lawmakers’ intentions. He did not flatly reject the notion that he might ultimately comply, but his letter to the House Ways and Means Committee suggested that Mnuchin would not hold himself to any timeline.
Even jaded legal experts versed in the Trump administration’s lawlessness were taken aback by this brazen defiance of the law.
“When Democrats first made their request Trump stated that he ‘wasn’t inclined’ to turn over his returns as if he had a choice,” recalls former prosecutor Mimi Rocah. “That seemed like a preposterous statement because the law seems very clear. But it now appears that the Treasury Department is taking that same lawless position playing defense for a President that is terrified for the public and Congress to see his tax returns.” She adds, “The law is written in a mandatory way so that politics won’t influence the process. But unfortunately that’s exactly what’s happened.”
I’ll end with another Twitter thread, this time from Phillip Reines:
Our nation is in serious trouble. We must demand that our representatives act decisively to check Trump’s march toward tyranny.
(I know my chosen images are in stark contrast to the darkness of this post, but I’m leaving them up anyway.)
One more thing: HAPPY BIRTHDAY JJ!!!!!
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
mablue2
Mama Lopez
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Why is everyone waiting for the 2020 election? Action must be taken now!
And we here at Skydancicng and Widdershins are way ahead of Rothkopf. That’s exactly what we were talking about just last week. (He reads this blog!) The Dump is a bully, he’ll do whatever he can get away with, and he’ll do it until the brute force of police stops him.
But Congress keeps trying everything except calling the cops on him and his droogs.
I just thought his thread was a good summary of recent horrors.
Yes, I saw that thread yesterday and almost posted it here! This article from today’s WaPo implies the Dems are still tip-toeing around. They should not be giving the frauds more time.
I’m in no way saying it shouldn’t be repeated. Constantly! Just giving you and the rest of us credit 😉
Yeah, this morning it’s a flashing Supercard, Sonic, and renal insufficiency ad, as well as a pull down from the top. I know my old IPad doesn’t like them.
I was trying to post under Jonelle and comments about ads. It didn’t go there.
We are paying to be ad free. I don’t know what the heck going on, but Dak will call them on Mon. Right now she’s working at breakneck speed to get her grades done by tomorrow.
It’s odd too, because they don’t show up the second time I come to your site.
Are you signed in to WordPress?
Yeah, if I weren’t it wouldn’t let me post. When I came back this time the Amazon pull shade was back. Right now, I can’t what I’m posting.
“See” what I’m posting.
It does that to me too … I’m still grading like a fiend. I can’t believe how many students stuck with me this term. I’m overwhelmed,
That’s crazy!
I am having difficulty posting on this site!
What is happening to you?
Ron was saying that earlier too!
Dakinikat is trying to finish up her course, but she says she will call WordPress on Monday about trouble posting and ads showing up.
This is amazing.
Happy Birthday JJ! I hope you can spend it happily with your family, your memories and your roller derby team!!!!
Roll on Jugz!!!!
Happy Birthday JJ! We love you!
Happy, peaceful birthday to you, JJ
Moving this up …
WTF with Russia? They helped do this to us!!!
They got more than they bargained for was that it? Sheesh, that’s nerve!!!
Kat, you don’t seriously expect the Russians (or Dump, or Repubs, or any of our current transnational crime syndicates masquerading as governments) to act like fair and honorable people who speak the truth, do you?
They’re just doing what they’ve always done. Trying to damage everybody else by any means available. Sometimes they use words for that.
Yep, Putin sounds just like an abuser. “We did that to you but it’s all your fault.”
Lol. The puppetmaster blaming the puppet.
well, hey you!!!
Hey! ❤
Hiya Mona! How are you holding up?
Hi NW! I’m alright. Totally demoralized by politics…but alright. “It’s the end of the world, and I feel fine.”
Beautiful paintings as always …. I’m hugging my cats but they also got their cheristan today for fleas so now they’re hiding!!
I like them. We need something to tell us the world is not completely filled with cruelty and fraud.
Exactly
Mona! So good to see you again!! I’ve missed you 🙂
Hey there, quixote. I’ve missed you too!
Hi Mona!
Hiya BB! Hugs
Hugs back to you!
This piece is excellent. Please read.
https://twitter.com/AlexHortonTX/status/1117062277029605377
I’ve never been able to read Vonnegut after my introduction to his work. I think it was the short story collection with Monkeyhouse in the title.
One story was about how the solution for an awkward man with no women was to be surrounded by nubile young things. (Call that a “Barr summary.” I’m sure there was more to it than that, but it was 40 years ago.)
Another one in the same collection was about how the solution for a woman who wasn’t sufficiently appreciative of men was for (I think it was) the protagonist to rape her. Fairly mildly, if I remember right.
I’ve barely been able to hear his name mentioned ever since. I understand he’s a great writer.
I haven’t read him in years, but Slaughterhouse Five is definitely his masterpiece (IMHO).
I dimly remember trying to read him way back in high school because he was popular among some writer types, but I didn’t like his style and his attitude about women.
The article is about PTSD, as is Slaughterhouse Five. It is also beautifully written and made a real impression on me. It’s not really about Vonnegut, just about the author’s recognition of his own experiences in Vonnegut’s horrific WWII experiences in Dresden.
I see that I made a mistake posting it, sorry.
No, you didn’t make a mistake. The article is very worthwhile and I actually had already read it before I saw your post. We just got off on a Vonnegut tangent.
No mistake at all, BB. I’ve never been able to stand the thought of him and vented. Maybe I should take a peek at this piece, though.
OK, thanks. Vonnegut was a cranky depressive, and a terrible parent, but he did support women artists and feminist causes. His entire life was shaped by his wartime experiences as a POW in Dresden who was then forced to pick up bodies after the bombing.
A very happy birthday, JJ. ❤
I love the kitty paintings juxtaposed against the horror of our politics.
Wonderful work, BB. I’m going to have to dig deep. So many crimes, yet Media types like CNN’s John King and his wife, Dana Bash, keep on rolling their eyes, shaking their heads and chuckling. Oh Gee, nothing is normal. That Trump is such a card.
Happy Birthday, dear JJ.
I think King and Bash are divorced, but you’re right, the beltway blasé over this is insufferable.
I didn’t even know they were a couple. I can’t watch King. He talks too fast for me to understand what he’s saying.
Astute topic below, which echoes my thoughts daily. What do you do with an unshameable person like Trump?
Trump and the Annihilation of Shame
He lacks the moral development to feel shame. All he hears are that people he despises are angry with him. He gets off on firing people, and he gets off getting people mad at him (unless they’re Putin or Kim). He takes that as a sign he’s doing the bullying cruel things he believes are his prerequisites as a boss.
“Follow the money – see where it leads
It’s to shrunken men stuffed up with greed”
I was just thinking of how troubled I always was when trump used the Stones’ song, Sympathy for the Devil, at his disgusting campaign performances. It is a well-devised song, full of nuance, irony, double-entendre, and history, but all that was lost on trump and his acolytes. The more I thiought about it then and think about it now, it is clearer to me that he meant it at face value, there is no irony, no ambiguity- he is the Devil.
He is the personification of evil.