A few things happened in the last 24 hours that I haven’t written about.
First: I am appalled at Judge Cannon’s dismissal of the Jack Smith documents case against Trump. We know Smith will appeal. Maybe he will even request the removal of Judge Cannon, some have suggested he can. Her decision to dismiss the case was based not on them merits of the case, but on what she considered an “improper” appointment of special counsel Jack Smith. This type of ruling is apparently becoming popular with conservative justices, but is rare. The Washington Post points points to the idea that Supreme Court Justice Thomas had inflence on her decision:
“Legal scholars pointed out that Cannon was following a legal road map that was laid out by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who argued in a concurring opinion in the recent immunity decision that Smith was improperly appointed. No other justice joined Thomas in that opinion.”
That Trump continues to get his way only reinforces that individuals have to take action in any way we can. Get out the vote, donate, do everything you can to stop the election of Trump. We can see how he and the GOP have manipulated the courts and will do so even more. Imagine who else he will appoint to the high court if he is President?
Which brings me to his choice of Vice President yesterday. A lot has been written about JD Vance in the last twelve hours since he was picked, I’m not sure what I can add. I found the choice to be an incredibly arrogant one in that Trump really doesn’t care what moderate Republicans think anymore. Vance is a younger version of Trump, and in the choice of Vance , Trump made no effort to appeal to women, Blacks, Latinos, any minority. Vance is a misogynistic, opportunistic Russian apologist. Vance has suggested in past comments that the feminist movement (or as he calls it the “sexual revolution” which is in itself an offensive mischaracterization of them movement) is responsible for the destruction of the family, that women should stay married to abusers for the sake of the children.
“This is one of the great tricks that I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace, which is the idea that like, ‘well, OK, these marriages were fundamentally, you know, they were maybe even violent, but certainly they were unhappy. And so getting rid of them and making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear, that’s going to make people happier in the long term.”
The above from Jessica Valenti’s Substack (which I highly recommend), where today she goes deep into Vance’s stand on abortion.
This is a blatent slap in the face to women who believe in equal rights. It’s all out there for us to read and listen to, but they don’t care. Did I leave anything out about Vance? He’s inexperienced. He’s a good friend of Don Jr.’s. Vance’s rise in politics will ensure that the Trump brand/MAGA continues to control the GOP. Moderates might consider starting a new party.
But because having Vance on the ticket will potentially push moderates away, it might help the Democrats. Who knows. I cannot believe that a large portion of this country supports such hate as we’ve have seen from those two. Where did we go wrong in educating our population on the importance of helping others in the world, of peace, thoughtfulness? Have people forgotten World War II? I worry that self-absorption has consumed us. I’d like to blame Ronald Reagan for starting it.
A video is currently cirulating showing RFK, Jr. on the phone with Trump right after he was shot. The video was posted on social media by RFK’s people and then removed, but it’s out there. The conversation (it’s more Trump talking) shows how normal he sounds after having been shot, going on and on about the evils of vacinations, and saying that the sound of the bullet was like a “giant mosquito.” I now believe that Trump was very much performing last night at the RNC when he seemed changed. He hasn’t changed. Second, in this video, he tells RFK that “we’re going to win.” “WE’RE?”
I will draw the RNC this evening, stay tuned for a late post tonight.
Thanks for being here. I hope you have a good Tuesday!
Liza, I'm one of those people who needs to keep a bit of distance on the political scene -- I get the gist but can't stare at it. I'm too prone to spiraling and losing sleep. I SO appreciate following you, peeking from behind you, as it were. Thank you for your unflinching courage, your willingness to help me (and likely others) to titrate the whole ghastly scene. Keep on keeping on, please. And thanks.
I feel sick about it. Like darkness is coalescing. Not that it wasn't already. I know good people have to stand up against it, and I do, and will, but are there enough of us? I didn't understand people who don't want to know about the news, and I get it now. It's a lot to carry. We have to rest, not quit. The story isn't over yet.