Biden’s speech was far more powerful and consequential than he will be given credit for in the short term since we are now a society that cares little for substance and much for shallow style. But in the long run it will be remembered as a pivotal speech.
It is probably the last speech of its kind by a president of his kind. Certainly Trump is incapable of any speech not focused solely on himself and it is unclear whether we will ever have another president who puts country over himself.
It is also a speech which lays out a clear warning of the profound changes sweeping over our country and the world. The old order is over and the new world order of oligarchs and AI are taking over. As Biden clearly stated, the oligarchs, in partnership with the dictator wanna Trump, are preparing to replace democracy and rule of law with an autocracy. The Supreme Court has paved the way and AI will make this much easier by swamping all forms of media with disinformation, thereby short circuiting the democratic process. Meanwhile, AI will also help impoverish the middle class that until now has kept the oligarchs in check politically.
It is likely that the next two years will set the course. If the Democrats and middle class do not find a way to stop this it will be extremely difficult to reverse. Whatever you think of Biden he has used his last public address to this nation -not to tout his accomplishments-but to correctly and forcefully warn us of the dangers we face. We would do well to heed his call.
Trump and his thugs and henchmen appear right now to be unstoppable. But I've been alive long enough to know that whatever goes up must come down. The thing I keep thinking of is that essentially the entire Republican party, and the entire infrastructure around the Republican party, are now merely appendages of Trump Inc. So if—and I do mean IF—we and the country survive the next four-or-however-many-years until old man Trump exits stage left, we're likely to be left with one of our two major political parties that is essentially a cult without a leader. There are plenty of MAGA phonies out there who will fight tooth and nail to try to take over the throne, but none of them inspire the kind of loyalty that Trump does. It's hard to see how such a party will ever recover.
At what point do we say pretty confidently that Trump is a Russian asset? I guess people have been joking about it for a while but everything he does helps Russia. Even his cabinet picks and, now, his meddling in committee seating. If it’s true, is there even a red line for Republican members of Congress or are they just all in for their own careers?
My mind keeps returning to two movie moments. The first is that wonderful scene in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade when Jones and his Nazi nemesis are confronted with the choice of chalices. The Nazi goes first and ends up a pile of windblown dust. The ancient knight charged with protecting the chalice notes, “He chose foolishly”.
The other is in Michael Douglas’s portrayal of Andrew Shepherd in The Americab President. Speaking of his Republican opponent in the upcoming presidential election, Douglas says “Whatever your problem is, Bob Rumsen has no interest in solving it. He is interested in two things, and two things only - making your afraid of it and telling you who to blame for it.” Donald Trump’s campaigns in a nutshell.
Those who elected Donald Trump the second time around chose foolishly, largely based on those two factors, The only remaining question is how long it will take enough of them to realize that. Our best hope for this is in time for the 2026 midterms.
Can Bill Kristol and his friends strongly suggest to Rep. Michael Turner that maybe it's time for him to switch his party affiliation to the Democrats?
Agree. And bring along the few other Rs who still care about the country. Deny the Orange Snake his 2 seat majority. For heaven's sake, Rs, you actually can have power IF you decide to put the country over the Snake.
Bullseye on Turner. Another frightening piece of evidence of Republican subservience. Loved David Frum's summary: "knew too much, too patriotic, had to go."
The language of purge is interesting, as every great authoritarian movement begins with a purge of internally suspect people. Germany, Russia, China, and Iraq all went that route.
The open question is whether Trump is as cutthroat as those authoritarians were, and will order the summary executions that he's long called for and calls the mark of a true leader. There is no question Miller, Hegseth, and Bondi will rush to comply, and no question SCOTUS' ruling has emboldened him to act quickly and with force.
Conservatives dismantled every electoral and legal guardrail, allegedly in the quest to overturn Roe. Now they have handed absolute power to Trump, who is not shy about doing harm to those who he feels slight him.
Most Trump apologists would swear that they are devoted to "restoring the constitutional republic" - while they're cheerleading for an imperial presidency unrestrained by law, led by a psychopath who openly admires ruthless dictators and clearly wants to be like them.
Bondi has the veneer of competence and professionalism that give better cover for her Trumpy pursuits whereas Gaetz would have a bright spotlight on him based on his inexperience, character and past antics.
If I was a Senator, I doubt that I would have many, if any questions for these people. My opening would be along the line of, you appear to be absolutely unqualfied for this position. Convince me that you are qualified.
Then I sit in wait for them to provide me with the opportunity to make them look stupid, or just a flat-out tool, which I am pretty sure they will give me.
Perhaps the most poignant summary I’ve seen recently was encapsulated in Malinowski’s thoughts on the situation in Gaza. “Biden believed in our values but not in our power; whereas Trump believes in our power, but not in our values.” I think that applies more broadly - far beyond Gaza. Those actively trying to dismantle our democracy already have the measure of Trump. I’ve been watching the sorry spectacle of the confirmation hearings. In proving their fealty to the felon-in-chief, his enablers who are certain to be confirmed by a spineless majority show the same disturbing lack of moral compass. How long will it take our allies to realize that in a purely transactional world we (the U.S.) are not the good guys? Representatives of some countries have already made the pilgrimage to Trump’s throne to perform the kowtow. We’ll see how far that gets them.
I've thought for a while now that one of the few positive lessons from the first Trump term is that US presidents should be a little less timid. (Think of Obama's "lead from the back" nonsense that did nothing.)
To be clear, that doesn't mean: be stupid, act impulsively, ignore coalitions, or anything like that. It means just what it says.
Less timid - agreed - but be smart. Poor choice of words from Obama. I hope he meant we're not going to fight your battles for you or tell you what to do.
That quote jumped right out at me, too. It sums up the difference between the two men and tfg has now surrounded himself with lackeys who will aid and abet him.
Barr, Bolton, Haley, Turner, et al, loyal republicans all. Yet they didn't publicly exhibit the fealty that is required to remain in Trumps good graces. Yes, It Has Begun. And there will be blood.
Yes, much more accurate term for what is being demanded. Let's not mince words, as The Purge begins. Wasn't this the name of a pretty dystopic and frightening movie a few years back?
https://open.substack.com/pub/johnadamsingram/p/peoples-march-live?r=1dgcz&utm_medium=ios
Biden’s speech was far more powerful and consequential than he will be given credit for in the short term since we are now a society that cares little for substance and much for shallow style. But in the long run it will be remembered as a pivotal speech.
It is probably the last speech of its kind by a president of his kind. Certainly Trump is incapable of any speech not focused solely on himself and it is unclear whether we will ever have another president who puts country over himself.
It is also a speech which lays out a clear warning of the profound changes sweeping over our country and the world. The old order is over and the new world order of oligarchs and AI are taking over. As Biden clearly stated, the oligarchs, in partnership with the dictator wanna Trump, are preparing to replace democracy and rule of law with an autocracy. The Supreme Court has paved the way and AI will make this much easier by swamping all forms of media with disinformation, thereby short circuiting the democratic process. Meanwhile, AI will also help impoverish the middle class that until now has kept the oligarchs in check politically.
It is likely that the next two years will set the course. If the Democrats and middle class do not find a way to stop this it will be extremely difficult to reverse. Whatever you think of Biden he has used his last public address to this nation -not to tout his accomplishments-but to correctly and forcefully warn us of the dangers we face. We would do well to heed his call.
Trump and his thugs and henchmen appear right now to be unstoppable. But I've been alive long enough to know that whatever goes up must come down. The thing I keep thinking of is that essentially the entire Republican party, and the entire infrastructure around the Republican party, are now merely appendages of Trump Inc. So if—and I do mean IF—we and the country survive the next four-or-however-many-years until old man Trump exits stage left, we're likely to be left with one of our two major political parties that is essentially a cult without a leader. There are plenty of MAGA phonies out there who will fight tooth and nail to try to take over the throne, but none of them inspire the kind of loyalty that Trump does. It's hard to see how such a party will ever recover.
At what point do we say pretty confidently that Trump is a Russian asset? I guess people have been joking about it for a while but everything he does helps Russia. Even his cabinet picks and, now, his meddling in committee seating. If it’s true, is there even a red line for Republican members of Congress or are they just all in for their own careers?
And the beat goes on.
My mind keeps returning to two movie moments. The first is that wonderful scene in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade when Jones and his Nazi nemesis are confronted with the choice of chalices. The Nazi goes first and ends up a pile of windblown dust. The ancient knight charged with protecting the chalice notes, “He chose foolishly”.
The other is in Michael Douglas’s portrayal of Andrew Shepherd in The Americab President. Speaking of his Republican opponent in the upcoming presidential election, Douglas says “Whatever your problem is, Bob Rumsen has no interest in solving it. He is interested in two things, and two things only - making your afraid of it and telling you who to blame for it.” Donald Trump’s campaigns in a nutshell.
Those who elected Donald Trump the second time around chose foolishly, largely based on those two factors, The only remaining question is how long it will take enough of them to realize that. Our best hope for this is in time for the 2026 midterms.
Can Bill Kristol and his friends strongly suggest to Rep. Michael Turner that maybe it's time for him to switch his party affiliation to the Democrats?
Agree. And bring along the few other Rs who still care about the country. Deny the Orange Snake his 2 seat majority. For heaven's sake, Rs, you actually can have power IF you decide to put the country over the Snake.
Mike Turner is a standup guy, which folks on either side of the aisle know. What a depressing turn of events. Dominoes starting to fall so quickly.
?? I'm confused ... 2nd line ...
> In the United States, loyalty to a party leader or even a president doesn’t preclude loyalty to the law and the Constitution
Do you mean preempt?
Bullseye on Turner. Another frightening piece of evidence of Republican subservience. Loved David Frum's summary: "knew too much, too patriotic, had to go."
The language of purge is interesting, as every great authoritarian movement begins with a purge of internally suspect people. Germany, Russia, China, and Iraq all went that route.
The open question is whether Trump is as cutthroat as those authoritarians were, and will order the summary executions that he's long called for and calls the mark of a true leader. There is no question Miller, Hegseth, and Bondi will rush to comply, and no question SCOTUS' ruling has emboldened him to act quickly and with force.
Conservatives dismantled every electoral and legal guardrail, allegedly in the quest to overturn Roe. Now they have handed absolute power to Trump, who is not shy about doing harm to those who he feels slight him.
Most Trump apologists would swear that they are devoted to "restoring the constitutional republic" - while they're cheerleading for an imperial presidency unrestrained by law, led by a psychopath who openly admires ruthless dictators and clearly wants to be like them.
I'm not sure Bondi is any better than Gaetz. 🤔
Bondi has the veneer of competence and professionalism that give better cover for her Trumpy pursuits whereas Gaetz would have a bright spotlight on him based on his inexperience, character and past antics.
I'm with you. I was hoping for Gaetz in order to maximum Trumpist incompetence, chaos and disaster.
In short, Bondi : Gaetz
as Vance : Trump
Smart blond women should be pissed at her being AG.
If I was a smart bond woman I would be 😀
Hakeem Jeffries definitely needs to make sure congressman Turner knows he would be welcome to join the democratic caucus as an independent.
WRT these hearings:
If I was a Senator, I doubt that I would have many, if any questions for these people. My opening would be along the line of, you appear to be absolutely unqualfied for this position. Convince me that you are qualified.
Then I sit in wait for them to provide me with the opportunity to make them look stupid, or just a flat-out tool, which I am pretty sure they will give me.
Perhaps the most poignant summary I’ve seen recently was encapsulated in Malinowski’s thoughts on the situation in Gaza. “Biden believed in our values but not in our power; whereas Trump believes in our power, but not in our values.” I think that applies more broadly - far beyond Gaza. Those actively trying to dismantle our democracy already have the measure of Trump. I’ve been watching the sorry spectacle of the confirmation hearings. In proving their fealty to the felon-in-chief, his enablers who are certain to be confirmed by a spineless majority show the same disturbing lack of moral compass. How long will it take our allies to realize that in a purely transactional world we (the U.S.) are not the good guys? Representatives of some countries have already made the pilgrimage to Trump’s throne to perform the kowtow. We’ll see how far that gets them.
It's interesting you should mention that.
I've thought for a while now that one of the few positive lessons from the first Trump term is that US presidents should be a little less timid. (Think of Obama's "lead from the back" nonsense that did nothing.)
To be clear, that doesn't mean: be stupid, act impulsively, ignore coalitions, or anything like that. It means just what it says.
Less timid - agreed - but be smart. Poor choice of words from Obama. I hope he meant we're not going to fight your battles for you or tell you what to do.
That quote jumped right out at me, too. It sums up the difference between the two men and tfg has now surrounded himself with lackeys who will aid and abet him.
Barr, Bolton, Haley, Turner, et al, loyal republicans all. Yet they didn't publicly exhibit the fealty that is required to remain in Trumps good graces. Yes, It Has Begun. And there will be blood.
Trump doesn't demand loyalty, he demands fealty.
Yes, much more accurate term for what is being demanded. Let's not mince words, as The Purge begins. Wasn't this the name of a pretty dystopic and frightening movie a few years back?