The Commentariat -- February 14, 2021
Happy Valentine's Day from a Real President & First Lady. Thanks to RAS for the link: ~~
President Biden: "#ValentinesDay is a big. Jill's favorite day. For real."
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 12, 2021
Q: "What inspired you to do this?"@FLOTUS: "I just wanted some joy. With the pandemic, just everybody's feeling a little down. So, it's just a little joy. A little hope. That's all." pic.twitter.com/JW0S1cclNO
Kelly Mena & Jason Hoffman of CNN: "President Joe Biden weighed in late Saturday night on ... Donald Trump's acquittal in his second impeachment trial.... 'This sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile. That it must always be defended. That we must be ever vigilant. That violence and extremism has no place in America. And that each of us has a duty and responsibility as Americans, and especially as leaders, to defend the truth and to defeat the lies,' Biden said in a statement.... 'While the final vote did not lead to a conviction, the substance of the charge is not in dispute. Even those opposed to the conviction, like Senate Minority Leader McConnell, believe Donald Trump was guilty of a "disgraceful dereliction of duty" and "practically and morally responsible for provoking" the violence unleashed on the Capitol." President Biden's full statement is here.
Scott Wong of the Hill: "After the Senate voted to acquit former President Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Saturday ruled out censuring the former president -- an idea that several Republicans had floated in recent days. 'Censure is a slap in the face of the Constitution. It lets everybody off the hook...,' Pelosi told reporters following the Senate impeachment trial at the Capitol. 'Oh, these cowardly senators who couldn't face up to what the president did and what was at stake for our country are now going to have a chance to give a little slap on the wrist?' Pelosi said while slapping her own wrist. 'We censure people for using stationery for the wrong purpose,' said Pelosi, referring to an episode that led Democrats to censure former Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) in 2010. 'We don't censure people for inciting insurrection that kills people in the Capitol.'... Pelosi also took a couple jabs at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)...."
Mitch Has Cake; Eats It, Too. Carl Hulse & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Senator Mitch McConnell said he believed that Donald J. Trump was undeniably guilty of a 'disgraceful dereliction of duty' on Jan. 6, when he incited and then failed to do anything to halt a deadly assault on the Capitol. 'There's no question -- none-- that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,' Mr. McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and minority leader, declared Saturday afternoon in an anti-Trump diatribe so scathing that it could have been delivered by any of the nine House prosecutors seeking a conviction. But minutes before he spoke, when it came time for the most powerful Republican in Washington to hold Mr. Trump to account on the charge of causing the riot, Mr. McConnell said his hands were tied. It could not be done, he argued. He voted to acquit. 'We have no power to convict and disqualify a former officeholder who is now a private citizen,' Mr. McConnell, who said he reached that conclusion after 'intense reflection,' said as he delivered a lawyerly explanation on the limits of Senate power." This is an update of an item by Fandos linked earlier. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Former Sen. Claire McCaskill [D-Mo.] explained on MSNBC that the soliloquy was Mitch's bid to get his donor base back. To convict or not to convict evidently was not the question.
Here's a statement from Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who voted to convict Donald Trump.
43 Profiles in Cowardice. Amy Gardner, et al., of the Washington Post: "Senate Republicans voted against convicting Donald Trump Saturday for inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol Jan. 6, bringing a swift end to the former president's second impeachment trial after Democrats abandoned plans to call witnesses in the face of GOP opposition. Seven Republicans joined Democrats in a 57-43 vote in favor of conviction, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict Trump in the Senate. Sens. Richard Burr (N.C.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitt Romney (Utah), Ben Sasse (Neb.) and Patrick Toomey (Pa.) were the Republicans who voted with Democrats. The decision in the end to forego witnesses set the stage for Trump's acquittal without a full accounting of the former president's actions as the riots unfolded, endangering the lives of lawmakers and former vice president Mike Pence. The result underscored Trump's continued grip on most Republicans...." ~~~
~~~ Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Under the watch of National Guard troops still patrolling the historic building, a bipartisan majority voted to find Mr. Trump 'guilty' of the House's single charge of 'incitement of insurrection.' They included seven Republicans, more members of a president's party than have ever returned an adverse verdict in an impeachment trial.... Party leaders and even the president's most loyal supporters in the Senate did not defend his actions -- a monthslong campaign, seeded with election lies, to overturn his decisive loss to Mr. Biden that culminated when Mr. Trump told thousands of his supporters to 'fight like hell' and they did. Instead, in the face of a meticulous case brought by nine House prosecutors, they found safe harbor in technical arguments that the trial itself was not valid because Mr. Trump was no longer in office." The story has been updated.
Taking Stockholm Syndrome to a New Low. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "As his marauders sacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 in their bloody attempt to overturn the election, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy called the then-president and pleaded for Trump to call off the attack. Trump refused, essentially telling McCarthy he got what he deserved. Trump was, in effect, content to let members of Congress die.... Trump's lawyers, in their slashing, largely fictitious defense, claimed that Trump was 'horrified' by the violence, hadn't known that Vice President Mike Pence was in danger and took 'immediate steps' to counter the rioting. But [Rep. Jaime] Herrera Beutler [R-Wash.] revealed such claims to be a lie.... On Saturday afternoon, senators agreed that Herrera Beutler's statement would be entered into the trial record as evidence. Even knowing this, most Republican senators, as long expected, voted to acquit Trump, a craven surrender to the political imperative not to cross the demagogue.... [Forty-three] Republicans, some of whom, like McConnell, feebly denounced Trump's conduct even as they acquitted him, now have the cowardly distinction of licking the boots of the man who left them to die."
A Very Trump Closing. Daniel Dale & Tara Subramaniam of CNN: "... Donald Trump's impeachment defense was dishonest from start to finish. Prior to Trump's Senate acquittal on Saturday on a charge that he incited the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen delivered a closing argument that was replete with false and misleading claims. This followed a Friday session in which van der Veen delivered other false and misleading claims. Which followed a Monday written filing in which van der Veen and his colleagues delivered still more false and misleading claims. Here is a fact check of some of the things van der Veen said on Saturday, plus a fact check of a false claim made by a Democratic impeachment manager during Saturday's closing arguments." It's quite a list.
Here are the final final arguments. Both Rep. Raskin's & Rep. Neguse's closing arguments are tearjerkers:
Peter Baker & Sabrina Tavernise of the New York Times: "Though Mr. Trump escaped conviction, the Senate impeachment trial has served at least one purpose: It stitched together the most comprehensive and chilling account to date of last month's deadly assault on the Capitol, ensuring that the former president's name will be inextricably associated with a violent attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power, the first in American history. In the new details it revealed and the methodical, minute-by-minute assembly of known facts it presented, the trial proved revelatory for many Americans -- and even for some who lived through the events."
Moving On. From the Guardian's live updates @ 12:43 pm ET: "Senate minority whip John Thune, a Republican of South Dakota, told the Washington Post that he believes the chamber has reached an agreement to admit Jaime Herrera Beutler's statement into the official record and then move on without calling witnesses, allowing for a swift end to the trial." @ 12:52 pm ET: "Senator Patrick Leahy, who is presiding over the trial, resumed the proceedings by recognizing Bruce Castor, one of Donald Trump's lawyers. Castor said he believed that congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler's testimony, if she were called as a witness, would be consistent with her statement from last month. Lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin then read Beutler's statement aloud, and it was added to the official trial record." @ 12:55 pm ET: "With Jaime Herrera Beutler's statement added to the official record, the Senate has now agreed that no witnesses will be called in the impeachment trial. The trial has now moved on to closing arguments from the impeachment managers and Donald Trump's defense lawyers. The trial is expected to conclude with a final vote on acquittal later today." The House managers then deliverrf their closing arguments. (Also linked yesterday.)
The New York Times' live analysis is here, and the reporters' comments are much more timely as to what's going on than are its "live updates." The morning got off to a wild start. The Times page includes video of the proceedings, but you can pause the video or turn off the sound if it's intrusive. (Also linked yesterday.)
The New York Times' live updates of the impeachment trial Saturday are here: "Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, informed colleagues Saturday morning that it was a 'close call,' but he would vote to acquit ... Donald J. Trump on the charge of 'incitement of insurrection' for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to three people familiar with the matter. His decision, revealed in an email to colleagues hours before a vote on the verdict, put to rest weeks of uncertainty and public silence about how Mr. McConnell would judge the former president, and confirmed that it was all but certain that the Senate would acquit Mr. Trump." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates of Saturday's proceedings are here: "Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Saturday said Democrats would like to subpoena as a witness Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), who tweeted late Friday details of a conversation House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had with Trump while the Jan. 6 attack was ongoing.... Responding angrily, Trump attorney Michael van der Veen said if Democrats were to call one witness, he would call 100." MB: The vote to call witnesses was 55-45 in favor. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The Guardian's live updates of Saturday's proceedings are here: "Four Senate Republicans have voted along with the Democrats, giving them more than enough votes to call witnesses: Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney and Ben Sasse. Lindsay Graham changed his vote from no to yes after it was clear the motion would pass." MB: So no way to know when this trial will end. At this point (11 am ET), the Senate still needs to hold a vote on a resolution that lays out the rules for calling witnesses. So we still don't know for sure, for sure that there will be witnesses. We do know fairly certainly that the defense won't be calling 100 witnesses, because 100 is not going to be the resolution's threshold. (Also linked yesterday.)
Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times provide an up-to-date timeline of what Donald Trump was doing as the siege of the Capitol played out.
A Jan. 6 Commission? Dan Balz of the Washington Post: "The Senate vote left multiple questions still to be answered.... Chief among them: Exactly what did Trump know as the attacks were unfolding, and why he didn't he do anything to protect Vice President Mike Pence or order immediate reinforcements to the beleaguered law enforcement officers at the Capitol?... One vehicle for fact finding that could lead to protecting the Capitol ... is the kind of commission that Tom Kean, the former Republican governor of New Jersey, and Lee Hamilton, the former Democratic House member from Indiana, headed after 9/11 and now are advocating to investigate the Jan. 6 events. On Friday, Kean and Hamilton sent a letter to President Biden and to the bipartisan leaders in the House and Senate urging the establishment of a commission that would be both independent and bipartisan.... House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) already has raised the idea of creating such a commission, as have some other members of Congress. Kean and Hamilton said that each had received a call from the speaker on Friday...."
** Christiaan Triebert, et al., of the New York Times: "At least six people who had provided security for Roger Stone entered the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 attack, according to a New York Times investigation. Videos show the group guarding Mr. Stone, a longtime friend of ... Donald J. Trump, on the day of the attack or the day before. All six of them are associated with the Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government militia that is known to provide security for right-wing personalities and protesters at public events." MB: This is another of my toljaso moments, as I said a while back it wasn't silly to explore Stone's roll as the link between Trump & the insurrectionsts. This would be a really good time for the FBI to get search warrants to storm Stone's homes & offices looking for evidence of his involvement in the siege and his communications with Trump about it. Stone's connections to the Proud Boys are also suspect.
Danny Hakim & Richard Fausset of the New York Times: "In an interview about her newly announced criminal investigation into election interference in Georgia, [Fani] Willis, the [new] district attorney of Fulton County, made it clear that the scope of her inquiry would encompass the pressure campaign on state officials by ... Donald J. Trump as well as the activities of his allies.... She and her office have indicated that the investigation will include Senator Lindsey Graham's phone call to [state attorney general Brad] Raffensperger in November about mail-in ballots; the abrupt removal last month of Byung J. Pak, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, who earned Mr. Trump's enmity for not advancing his debunked assertions about election fraud; and the false claims that Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, made before state legislative committees." (Also linked yesterday.)
MEANWHILE ~~~
Ashley Parker & Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "Deputy White House press secretary TJ Ducklo resigned Saturday amid fallout from a contentious phone call last month in which he berated and threatened a female reporter who was working on a story about a potential conflict of interest stemming from his personal life.... White House press secretary Jen Psaki had announced Friday that Ducklo would be suspended for a week without pay, but by Saturday, both senior White House advisers and Ducklo said they had reassessed the incident, leading to his resignation that night. 'We are committed to striving every day to meet the standard set by the President in treating others with dignity and respect, with civility and with a value for others through our words and our actions,' Psaki said in a statement, explaining why the White House accepted Ducklo's resignation.... The White House turnabout, which took just over 24 hours and came amid public outcry, was the result of discussions Saturday between [among!] top administration officials.... While [Ducklo] wasn't forced to resign, one person close to the situation said that 'we would not have accepted any other outcome.'" ~~~
~~~ The New York Times story is here. The AP's story is here.
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here: "British government scientists are increasingly finding the coronavirus variant first detected in Britain to be linked to a higher risk of death than other versions of the virus, a devastating trend that highlights the serious risks and considerable uncertainties of this new phase of the pandemic. The scientists said last month that there was a 'realistic possibility' that the variant was not only more contagious than others, but also more lethal. Now, they say in a new document that it is 'likely' that the variant is linked to an increased risk of hospitalization and death."
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Reader Comments (15)
@RAS: From yesterday, yes, roll the House managers’ case, with a McConnell chaser.
Thanks RAS: Some people are why people are cool.
Will precede the Sunday Sermon with a Valentine's Day Love to All.
This one's not a love letter:
"Grifters have always been with us. 2016 was just the first time we made one president.
John R. Brinkley, who pretended to be a doctor in the 1920’s and 1930’s, made millions using the new technology of radio to sell patent medicines to the easily duped. Most memorably, he also performed hundreds of surgeries in his Kansas clinic, transplanting goat testicles into men who suffered from “sexual weakness.” Over the years his constant radio presence made his name familiar enough that when he decided to run for Kansas governor, he nearly won (Wikipedia.com).
Now our former president, who rode 21st century media into the nation’s highest office, is on trial in the Senate for fomenting insurrection. Few Republican Senators are likely to convict him, but convicted or not, Trump has already done very well for himself. Not only did he erase the lines between public service and private profit by turning the entire country into a mammoth Trump foundation that served his private interests (crew.org), but in the wake of his election loss, Trump-associated PACs collected more than $330 million (washingtonpost.com).
Trump’s hundreds of lies (huffingtonpost.com) about the election had a high price. Eventually drawing thousands to the Capitol to “stop the steal” they have already cost five lives and taxpayers over $500 million (washingtonpost.com).
As usual, others will be left holding the bag: Those facing fines or jail time for their actions on January 6 (More than two hundred have already been arrested and charged with crimes.); America’s taxpayers; and the many Republicans who are tied so tightly to Trump they can’t let go.
“Trump up” originally meant “to concoct with intent to deceive” (merriam-webster.com).
Whether we’re talking bogus goat gland cures or lies grafted onto the body politic, that meaning of “Trump up” fits to a “T.”
I expect the first trump rally will be on March 4th. Gotta get
those donations rolling in and the trumpers riled up.
How to deal, mentally, with 4 more years of B.S.???
Watching Joe and Jill with their dogs and coffee strolling along the White House grounds on a cold winter day made me weep. This IS what a presidency should look like–-this IS what constitutes love and hope on all those heartfelt signs on the lawn and this IS what we have been lacking for so long. It's a little sign, I suppose, but a significant one given our winter of discontent.
The acquittal was not surprising but it left a hollow feeling that lingers reminding us that we live on the brink of the madness of others. Ken's comments spell out so well the depth of what we encounter and need to address.
A word about Wiley Coyote: Shrewd Mitch maneuver –-make it impossible to impeach while Fatty is still in office, then use that to excuse his vote at the same time he's agreeing with the House's assessment. That's better than even bogus goat glands any day!
Grammar police: McCarthy should have said to DiJiT "To whom the f___ do you think you're talking?"
Two knuckle raps with the ruler, and eraser clapping later.
So where does the impeachment and the acquittal leave those House and Senate R's who had the courage to either impeach or convict?
One of them, Jaime Beutler, who represents a SW Washington District is predictably in dutch with her party, major newspapers are already fretting over Murkowski's fate in Alaska and I see Cassidy of Louisiana has already been censured by his state's party.
But I think it's a bit early to tell if their stance will end their careers for these (wildly speculative?) reasons:
It will depend on how many Republicans remain in the Pretender's pocket after a year of so and on how many Republicans have looked or will be looking for a new home after the 1/6 outrage. Don't think that date's events expanded either the Pretender's base or the Party itself. Shrunk both, I'd guess.
And, depending on the candidate slates as they come together in 2022 and on the election rules in the various states, Democrats may be more willing to support them, in the primaries if allowed, and certainly in the generals.
In that sense by turning against a shrinking party, these brave folks may have actually expanded their support.
As Trump declares that "the MAGA Movement is just beginning" I have this mental picture of farmer Donald, milking stool and cash bag in hand, walking out to the herd while the Trump family anthem plays in the background: "My God How the Money Rolls In!"
If the timing were different, I'd claim NPR must have read my earlier post.
https://www.npr.org/2021/02/14/967723558/after-speaking-out-on-impeachment-herrera-beutler-heads-toward-clash-with-her-pa
For Ken: Meant to address your comments from this week regarding our discussions about rituals. I was struck by these words of yours:
"In my personal Covid times, one day's pattern is so likely to duplicate its predecessor that my life itself seems a ritual, one I sometimes fear has become somewhat empty."
I understand. But–-since you and I are both of a certain age, both retired, let me try to persuade you to feel differently about that "emptiness." the following is from Henry Green's "Doting";
"...D'you sometimes believe that nothing in the whole wide world matters?"
"Oh, Ann, but surely simply everything has supreme importance, if it happens."
Sorry for the intrusion–-I suppose I just want you to fill full and not so empty at times.
PD,
Thanks for the bucking up.
Worried later that by my remarks I was tipping into whining's unbecoming territory.
Probably should have said it more shortly, but since I believe rituals often substitute for effective action and since Covid times have limited our options for action even more, the tendency to fill the empty spaces with ritualistic behavior has grown.
Or maybe that's just me....
Yesterday's acquital, with its farcical ending (Moscow Mitch--) has left such a sour taste in my mouth. I actually knew it was truly a long shot to expect the monsters in the QOP to actually choose the truth, but as PD discusses, we are probably wired to hope as long as it isn't entirely hope-LESS. It feels like the eternal Lucy's football where these "people" are concerned. Someone this morning was talking of irony. It is not irony when Mitch set it up to use as his default. It is wicked. He is wicked. He is a sadistic monster. But then we knew that...
Doesn't feel like the season of love, does it? (But the Bidens are certainly a symbol of hope for some of humanity...)
I know that conservatives' words are hollow, but if Republicans actually believe that a former President cannot be impeached then they should have withheld their votes. By participating in the proceeding they set the precident that former Presidents can be impeached and undercut their entire argument. The correct thing for them to do was to refuse to vote on the grounds that the impeachment was unconstitutional. Therefore the vote should have been 57 votes to convict and 43(minus the number of Republicans making an argument that the trial was invalid) not to convict. If 15 Republicans made arguments that Trump could not be convicted because he was no longer in office and refused to vote that would have been enough to actually meet the 2/3rds threshold for conviction. Too bad the Republicans are as bad at the law and Constitution as they are at everything else.
"Fifty Democrats weighed the evidence and voted to convict. They are heroes because they have consistently opposed Trumpism. Their vote yesterday was part of that heroism. Yet they are being all but ignored while the press fawns over the fake prodigal sons on the other side. Each and every one of these GOP-portunists was provided numerous chances to denounce Trump before it came to this monstrous moment — and they chose to stand with him until it was nearly too late.
As long as the media worship prodigal sons and privilege their return to reality over those who were always sensible, the Republican party will continue to set the agenda. It’s a cynical game that this country could never afford, and certainly can’t now."
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/14/boris-johnson-uk-us-relationship-469019
The Pretender thought he and Boris were like peas in the "populist" pod, but he was wrong about that, too.
Similar as their paths to power might have been in some ways, and as badly as the nationalist Brexit trade "deal" seems to be going, unlike the Pretender Mr. Johnson is a politician with a brain.