I quite like the idea of making a mountain out of a mountain. Seems reasonable enough - this seems to have no downsides, it's not like Trump can cry "the DOJ is weaponized against me" any louder than he is.
While i agree with you on this Brian, the thought of the dems in the senate leading a kushner investigation is so far-fetched. they don't have the stones for the kind of hardball you are proposing.
Brian please explain to me why your friends in the media laughed at “Russia if you are listening” when the rest of us were alarmed and appalled. And why they are all in on investigating Hunter but are silent over the Kushner deal? Or why they shrugged when Jim Jordan et al ignored subpoenas? They were beyond skeptical of the 1/6 hearings until they happened and then were shocked, shocked they were as good and informative as they were. Why is that?
As for Trump’s bromance with Bibi, it also had to do with throwing red meat to all those “Christian” voters who love him and Israel because the rapture blah blah blah. You don’t hear much about that.
Instead of being angry at McConnell in 2016, you blame the Dems for not releasing the statement when all the media would have done is tsked tsked, accusing them of misusing the office of the president to favor their candidate and then THAT would have been the story rather than the actual foreign interference. Even after everything that happened in 2016 the politicos were still skeptical of interference, which is why Barr was able to play them like a fiddle.
I don’t want Biden to pull a “do me a favor.” It’s not righteous, it makes us no better than the GOP and it just makes voters more cynical, playing into the “they are all the same” mentality. If they were to do such a thing--to “fight” the way you think they should--what happens when they get pilloried for it? Will you defend them for trying? Most likely no, you will criticize them for “botching” it because that’s how it will be portrayed in the media regardless.
Can’t agree more with the sentiment that the Senate is feckless. Dems (including most in the house) still play by the old rules of decorum and tradition, which are now a sad joke to Rs. Just look at Durbin’s unwillingness to do anything about Thomas’s corruption or the Chief’s refusal to come before the committee. And we really expect them to start investigations about Trump inc? The only way to stop the madness is at the ballot box.
An excellent and rational column. I'm not sure most people comprehend the duplicitous, if ignorant behavior on Trump's part. It's all really hard to take in. I mean, this used to be America ...
As much as we all want more daylight on Trump and family’s nefariousness, a Senate investigation would create another government investigation which TBH, is tiresome and frustrating for the American public. We all know what he’s done and what he’s doing, having watched the world’s most idiotic crook crimeing right in front of us. Those of us who live in the tri-state area watched him do it for years before his Apprentice fans put him in a job for which he was completely unsuited. Most people’s jobs require expertise, cooperation and the right temperament for the work. Washington self-funds its completely dysfunctional work model to the disadvantage of all citizens, except the few very rich who have monetary power to buy outcomes.
With respect I think this is dangerously wrong. People's memories are short, and people are capable of acclimating to all manner of outrage. Keeping Trump's aberrance in proper perspective is difficult and requires a lot of drumbeating. Republicans have won multiple significant races in the past decade by demagoguing issues and then turning up the volume right before the election.
Democrats, MG and generally anyone doing anything is not going to happen. I'm sure a lot of voters are feeling a drawn out fatigue with the hopelessness of electing Democrats to not act with the power they just had. Listening to Marc Elias of Democracy docket increases that fatigue, and fear of how the American oligarch, and repubs are working on demolishing our democracy and they might succeed.
As Brian notes, fPOTUS can be returned to office. This despite being even more unfit than he was before taking office, may be suffering from dementia, and most importantly, at the least can be presumed to be a security. Being the American president, he’d be a global security risk.
Which gets to the my bete noire: Given that the only thing Republican voters really, really, want above everything else is lower taxes which any Republican POTUS would deliver, Congress permitting, as it were.
So that begs the question: what kind person doesn’t care about that and would still vote for fPOTUS. IMO, it’s a sickness and, of course yet worse, because of his electability.
I wish I had faith that Dick Durbin and others were willing to use their powers in this way (which it’s important to reemphasize would be very legitimately deployed to explore these ties for substantive reasons, irrespective of whatever political impact they might have).
Why would it be in the interests of any foreign country (except Russia) to cater to Trump at this point? But especially Israel. But thanks for clarifying why he made that remark about Bibi. I had no idea what that was about. What a baby.
I quite like the idea of making a mountain out of a mountain. Seems reasonable enough - this seems to have no downsides, it's not like Trump can cry "the DOJ is weaponized against me" any louder than he is.
While i agree with you on this Brian, the thought of the dems in the senate leading a kushner investigation is so far-fetched. they don't have the stones for the kind of hardball you are proposing.
That's why we're here!
I hope you are incorrect about the Kushner maneuver receiving further attention.
Brian please explain to me why your friends in the media laughed at “Russia if you are listening” when the rest of us were alarmed and appalled. And why they are all in on investigating Hunter but are silent over the Kushner deal? Or why they shrugged when Jim Jordan et al ignored subpoenas? They were beyond skeptical of the 1/6 hearings until they happened and then were shocked, shocked they were as good and informative as they were. Why is that?
As for Trump’s bromance with Bibi, it also had to do with throwing red meat to all those “Christian” voters who love him and Israel because the rapture blah blah blah. You don’t hear much about that.
Instead of being angry at McConnell in 2016, you blame the Dems for not releasing the statement when all the media would have done is tsked tsked, accusing them of misusing the office of the president to favor their candidate and then THAT would have been the story rather than the actual foreign interference. Even after everything that happened in 2016 the politicos were still skeptical of interference, which is why Barr was able to play them like a fiddle.
I don’t want Biden to pull a “do me a favor.” It’s not righteous, it makes us no better than the GOP and it just makes voters more cynical, playing into the “they are all the same” mentality. If they were to do such a thing--to “fight” the way you think they should--what happens when they get pilloried for it? Will you defend them for trying? Most likely no, you will criticize them for “botching” it because that’s how it will be portrayed in the media regardless.
Can’t agree more with the sentiment that the Senate is feckless. Dems (including most in the house) still play by the old rules of decorum and tradition, which are now a sad joke to Rs. Just look at Durbin’s unwillingness to do anything about Thomas’s corruption or the Chief’s refusal to come before the committee. And we really expect them to start investigations about Trump inc? The only way to stop the madness is at the ballot box.
Maybe he read the Israeli polls and now considers Netanyahu a "loser."
An excellent and rational column. I'm not sure most people comprehend the duplicitous, if ignorant behavior on Trump's part. It's all really hard to take in. I mean, this used to be America ...
I appreciate the sentiment, but the senate is too worried about comity to do anything sadly.
As much as we all want more daylight on Trump and family’s nefariousness, a Senate investigation would create another government investigation which TBH, is tiresome and frustrating for the American public. We all know what he’s done and what he’s doing, having watched the world’s most idiotic crook crimeing right in front of us. Those of us who live in the tri-state area watched him do it for years before his Apprentice fans put him in a job for which he was completely unsuited. Most people’s jobs require expertise, cooperation and the right temperament for the work. Washington self-funds its completely dysfunctional work model to the disadvantage of all citizens, except the few very rich who have monetary power to buy outcomes.
With respect I think this is dangerously wrong. People's memories are short, and people are capable of acclimating to all manner of outrage. Keeping Trump's aberrance in proper perspective is difficult and requires a lot of drumbeating. Republicans have won multiple significant races in the past decade by demagoguing issues and then turning up the volume right before the election.
Democrats, MG and generally anyone doing anything is not going to happen. I'm sure a lot of voters are feeling a drawn out fatigue with the hopelessness of electing Democrats to not act with the power they just had. Listening to Marc Elias of Democracy docket increases that fatigue, and fear of how the American oligarch, and repubs are working on demolishing our democracy and they might succeed.
As Brian notes, fPOTUS can be returned to office. This despite being even more unfit than he was before taking office, may be suffering from dementia, and most importantly, at the least can be presumed to be a security. Being the American president, he’d be a global security risk.
Which gets to the my bete noire: Given that the only thing Republican voters really, really, want above everything else is lower taxes which any Republican POTUS would deliver, Congress permitting, as it were.
So that begs the question: what kind person doesn’t care about that and would still vote for fPOTUS. IMO, it’s a sickness and, of course yet worse, because of his electability.
I wish I had faith that Dick Durbin and others were willing to use their powers in this way (which it’s important to reemphasize would be very legitimately deployed to explore these ties for substantive reasons, irrespective of whatever political impact they might have).
Why would it be in the interests of any foreign country (except Russia) to cater to Trump at this point? But especially Israel. But thanks for clarifying why he made that remark about Bibi. I had no idea what that was about. What a baby.
Good analysis