The noise is indeed unbearable. It is a loud whoosh of raw sewage cresting, then crashing, pouring out of this White House onto our land. Large chunks of Project 2025 interspersed create the stench. This lends strong credence to our community’s correctly characterizing and then naming our foe as psychopathic neo-fascists. We did days of study to determine the correct nomenclature. I think now it is obvious to everyone. They are psychopathic neo-fascists. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/my-name-for-them?r=3m1bs
By everyone’s, I assume you mean us liberals? I just do not think those that voted for him will ever see the real truth. It is a cult. You have to be removed from the cult and get deprogrammed and as long as he is running his damn mouth, and he has his cult supporters and neo- facists around him, they are soaking it in. Doesn’t matter what the facts are.
It boggles my mind that Trump and those voting for him want to sweep the country of violent (and all illegal immigrants) and Trump turns around and pardons most of the violent January 6th rioters (especially the ones beating our police officers). I am scratching my head.
HOW do the families of the patriots who were KILLED defending the Capital, feel now about how the New powerful are exonerating those justly convicted criminals and reshaping Their Country ??????? :( just HEARTBREAKING
Thank you for this explanation. It's all disorienting. Biden's family and not others? What? This is a wake up call for Americans who believe in American Exceptionalism. There is nothing exceptional about America as an idea. There are though, exceptional Americans- millions of individual citizens, the capitol police, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Reverend Barber, immigrants who faced unbelievable circumstances to come here for a better life. Unfortunately, the wake up call illustrates that there are not just a few bad apples, but thousands in the political class all around this country. I just watched Bad Faith. I've watched every angle of January 6th, the hearings, the trials, the media clips-. ad nauseaum. I hope Americans who pay attention and think that an evil class in Hitler's Germany, Bolsanaro's Brazil, Putin's Russia can't take hold in America- can you see it now?
YES :( of course...and we had better wake up.....Freedom is no longer FREE and will have to be taken BACK....and with Project 2025's planning - this will NOT be easy
As a European (living in Europe but an enthusiastic follower of your podcast) I find the very concept of presidential pardons completely bizarre. But add pre-emptive pardons to that? I mean Jonathan Swift would have had a field day! I live in a country that has a constitutional monarchy, a rule of law that is very firmly beyond the reach of the Executive, and it is inconceivable that a pardon could be issued on any kind of whim or the need to pander to any constituency. To me there is a breach in the independence of the law here that just adds to my having a problem with your system - how is it that a President gets to nominate judges for the Supreme Court? - it was so predictable that it would lead to abuse at one time or another. No judge at any level should be appointed by any politician at any level, presidential or not. You extol your system as an example to the world (I'll be honest, it is a bit annoying to us all).
Obviously, our Founders were not prepared for the possibility that the Senate would confirm unqualified or partisan nominees to the Supreme Court. The Congress is supposed to be a co-equal branch of government, not a rubber stamp for the president. But the Founders didn’t anticipate the rise of political parties, either.
I realize you’re just starting up. However if you start to make some money please consider closed captions for those of us with crappy hearing! Thanks,😎Miss you at the Post! JR
There is closed captioning. If you don't see the icon at the bottom of the video, bring your mouse up over the bottom edge to make the stuff at the bottom visible. There is also an icon that looks like a lined page right next to the CC icon, which brings up a rolling transcript to the right of the video. Even easier to read is the "transcript" button next to the "share" button, underneath the title line below the video. That brings up a full width transcript below. (Please forgive my muddled explanation; I don't know the proper terms for these things.) I am happy to report that these are mostly accurate and readable, not like the common error-filled auto-generated closed captions.
Were you a big Rubin fan on the Post? I looked for her 1st thing every Monday, Tuesday & Thursday. Plus later on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday! Big, big loss. Still trying to get used to this. Still read the Post but some of my fandom is gone.😎
Yes, for years I always read her column, always sensible and cut through the noise. Then I cancelled my WaPo subscription after Bezos killed their Kamala Harris endorsement. So thrilled to get her back with The Contrarian.
Still enjoy the Post but not as much. Bezos has let me down! But, I still love reading Milbank, Bump, Ted Johnson, Karen Attiah, Danielle Allen, Colby King, Catherine Rampell and a bunch of others plus sports!
Jennifer Rubin: It is such a joy to see you commenting live, rather than reading your column (though your column was great).. You and Norm Eisen are so sensible and wise. I'm very grateful for this site.
Let's stay focused on Trump's pardons which as far as I'm concerned are a lot more dangerous than Biden's pardons. Yes he could have gone further but that is yesterday's news and we don't have time to waste focusing on it.
What we know today is there are criminals being released back into our country based on a pardon not time served. Feel emancipated to do whatever they want or what he wants them to do.
What is now clear is that America now has several levels of law: 1. Black people can get arrested for just showing up. 2. Poor people can get fined for not paying their fines. 3. The majority of working Americans are subjected to all the laws, as well as to whatever their employers decide they must do. Rich, white men, can get lawyers who will get them out of most things. Big business can do what they want, before they needed lawyers to drag cases out for years, now they can just give Trump some money. Then, there are Trump loyalist and most other big donor Republicans for whom no laws apply. They can do whatever they want and there is no one there to stop them. In huge, extreme cases, it might take a donation to two or three of your favorite Supreme Court Justices.
I would simply like to point out that those who are banning non-paid subscribers, think of what that does to the free flow of information.
If too many are less informed as a result...
Donations might be better than paid subscriptions in many cases.
Guess what information is super cheap?
Right-wing stuff and even WSJ.
And we wonder why all of the right-wing nonsense has taken hold of the masses.
The path of least resistance.
One solution might be to make access free after a certain number of hours and let those of us news junkies pay for immediate access or in some cases if you want to comment you need to be a paid subscriber. There are so many people I want to follow and read, but I can't subscribe to them all.
Every Trump pardon is questionable. It wasn't too many years ago, that giving a pardon to someone was based on something more than "he supported me." Now, Trump has lowered the standard to "I don't care how violent or why the person is in jail, if he supported me, I am pardoning him." What an insult to all of the police officers trying to defend the Capitol on January 6, 2021. I don't care what the protesters excuse was or what Trump's reasoning was, it was wrong on January 6, 2021, it was more wrong yesterday, and its even worse today. The only good thing about today is there are 1460 days left in Trump's administration.
As to Biden's pardons, I would have pardoned every single person involved in any Federal prosecution of Trump for election interference and his theft of classified documents as well as all January 6th congressional committee members, any witnesses, any lawyers or staff associated with this committee, and anyone who even spoke against Trump or his minions. I would have pardoned my family, too, simply because Trump is a bully, can't be trusted, and has too many jerks like Musk, Miller and Patel providing him advice.
The pardon of J6 participants appears to a repeat of latinamerican paramilitary who many were violent criminals giving the green light to torture and kill political opponents in return for their freedoms.
Re: Jen Rubin's interview of authoritarian expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat, is there any way that Jen can make Lawrence Odonnell/ Rachel Maddow aware of this interview; esp. the part about the would-be autocrat integrating right wing militia members - many of whom he just pardoned and so have unlimited fealty to him - into the regular military functionings. (The key to doing this is the Defense Secretary. If Hegseth, a person with a white nationalist tattoo on his chest, is allowed to become Secretary of Defense, this autocratic move WILL BE DONE!!!) We have very little time left to sway the votes of any Senate Republicans on Hegseth's nomination; but making Ben-Ghiat's interview widely disseminated may be something that could help turn the tide. Please do what you can do! I've called my senators (CA), representative and Rep Eric Swawell and told their office staff about the interview and asked if they could watch it and spread the word and have told friends via email. Thank you for this INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT interview!!!
This is the second Contrarian interview I've seen now. 1st was HCR and Jen. I came here to say that I watch a lot of interviews (mostly with HCR) and you folks are damn good! I never feel like I'm listening to the interview-er more than the interview-ee! Keep it up!
Ok. So now he has his own private, pardon-protected, radicalized militia. They know that the department of justice won't prosecute them. They know the FBI won't investigate them. They have access to unlimited guns. Wonder how this is going to turn out. You think he's going to leave in four years? Please. This was a big deal.
A friend posted this yesterday - Our country is now a Kakistocracy - look it up. So I did.
A kakistocracy is a government run by the worst, least qualified or most unscrupulous citizens. It is true and totally sad for us.
It's what 49.8% of Americans deserve. Unfortunately, the rest of us are aboard the same Titanic.
The noise is indeed unbearable. It is a loud whoosh of raw sewage cresting, then crashing, pouring out of this White House onto our land. Large chunks of Project 2025 interspersed create the stench. This lends strong credence to our community’s correctly characterizing and then naming our foe as psychopathic neo-fascists. We did days of study to determine the correct nomenclature. I think now it is obvious to everyone. They are psychopathic neo-fascists. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/my-name-for-them?r=3m1bs
By everyone’s, I assume you mean us liberals? I just do not think those that voted for him will ever see the real truth. It is a cult. You have to be removed from the cult and get deprogrammed and as long as he is running his damn mouth, and he has his cult supporters and neo- facists around him, they are soaking it in. Doesn’t matter what the facts are.
The problem is mass psychosis. Wil discuss that tomorrow.
It boggles my mind that Trump and those voting for him want to sweep the country of violent (and all illegal immigrants) and Trump turns around and pardons most of the violent January 6th rioters (especially the ones beating our police officers). I am scratching my head.
HOW do the families of the patriots who were KILLED defending the Capital, feel now about how the New powerful are exonerating those justly convicted criminals and reshaping Their Country ??????? :( just HEARTBREAKING
And immigrants, especially undocumented ones, commit far fewer crimes per capita than native-born people.
Thank you for this explanation. It's all disorienting. Biden's family and not others? What? This is a wake up call for Americans who believe in American Exceptionalism. There is nothing exceptional about America as an idea. There are though, exceptional Americans- millions of individual citizens, the capitol police, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Reverend Barber, immigrants who faced unbelievable circumstances to come here for a better life. Unfortunately, the wake up call illustrates that there are not just a few bad apples, but thousands in the political class all around this country. I just watched Bad Faith. I've watched every angle of January 6th, the hearings, the trials, the media clips-. ad nauseaum. I hope Americans who pay attention and think that an evil class in Hitler's Germany, Bolsanaro's Brazil, Putin's Russia can't take hold in America- can you see it now?
YES :( of course...and we had better wake up.....Freedom is no longer FREE and will have to be taken BACK....and with Project 2025's planning - this will NOT be easy
As a European (living in Europe but an enthusiastic follower of your podcast) I find the very concept of presidential pardons completely bizarre. But add pre-emptive pardons to that? I mean Jonathan Swift would have had a field day! I live in a country that has a constitutional monarchy, a rule of law that is very firmly beyond the reach of the Executive, and it is inconceivable that a pardon could be issued on any kind of whim or the need to pander to any constituency. To me there is a breach in the independence of the law here that just adds to my having a problem with your system - how is it that a President gets to nominate judges for the Supreme Court? - it was so predictable that it would lead to abuse at one time or another. No judge at any level should be appointed by any politician at any level, presidential or not. You extol your system as an example to the world (I'll be honest, it is a bit annoying to us all).
Obviously, our Founders were not prepared for the possibility that the Senate would confirm unqualified or partisan nominees to the Supreme Court. The Congress is supposed to be a co-equal branch of government, not a rubber stamp for the president. But the Founders didn’t anticipate the rise of political parties, either.
No doubt. The unknown unknowns!!
I realize you’re just starting up. However if you start to make some money please consider closed captions for those of us with crappy hearing! Thanks,😎Miss you at the Post! JR
There is closed captioning. If you don't see the icon at the bottom of the video, bring your mouse up over the bottom edge to make the stuff at the bottom visible. There is also an icon that looks like a lined page right next to the CC icon, which brings up a rolling transcript to the right of the video. Even easier to read is the "transcript" button next to the "share" button, underneath the title line below the video. That brings up a full width transcript below. (Please forgive my muddled explanation; I don't know the proper terms for these things.) I am happy to report that these are mostly accurate and readable, not like the common error-filled auto-generated closed captions.
Were you a big Rubin fan on the Post? I looked for her 1st thing every Monday, Tuesday & Thursday. Plus later on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday! Big, big loss. Still trying to get used to this. Still read the Post but some of my fandom is gone.😎
Yes, for years I always read her column, always sensible and cut through the noise. Then I cancelled my WaPo subscription after Bezos killed their Kamala Harris endorsement. So thrilled to get her back with The Contrarian.
Still enjoy the Post but not as much. Bezos has let me down! But, I still love reading Milbank, Bump, Ted Johnson, Karen Attiah, Danielle Allen, Colby King, Catherine Rampell and a bunch of others plus sports!
Thanks, I’m so old I hope I can figure it out!😃
Jennifer Rubin: It is such a joy to see you commenting live, rather than reading your column (though your column was great).. You and Norm Eisen are so sensible and wise. I'm very grateful for this site.
Let's stay focused on Trump's pardons which as far as I'm concerned are a lot more dangerous than Biden's pardons. Yes he could have gone further but that is yesterday's news and we don't have time to waste focusing on it.
What we know today is there are criminals being released back into our country based on a pardon not time served. Feel emancipated to do whatever they want or what he wants them to do.
What is now clear is that America now has several levels of law: 1. Black people can get arrested for just showing up. 2. Poor people can get fined for not paying their fines. 3. The majority of working Americans are subjected to all the laws, as well as to whatever their employers decide they must do. Rich, white men, can get lawyers who will get them out of most things. Big business can do what they want, before they needed lawyers to drag cases out for years, now they can just give Trump some money. Then, there are Trump loyalist and most other big donor Republicans for whom no laws apply. They can do whatever they want and there is no one there to stop them. In huge, extreme cases, it might take a donation to two or three of your favorite Supreme Court Justices.
You summed it up perfectly!
tRump didn't touch the bible, musk throws a stiff-arm salute complete with scowl and half the population thinks that is just dandy.
God help us.
https://jackcompere.medium.com/green-shoots-007d666d9f2c
I would simply like to point out that those who are banning non-paid subscribers, think of what that does to the free flow of information.
If too many are less informed as a result...
Donations might be better than paid subscriptions in many cases.
Guess what information is super cheap?
Right-wing stuff and even WSJ.
And we wonder why all of the right-wing nonsense has taken hold of the masses.
The path of least resistance.
One solution might be to make access free after a certain number of hours and let those of us news junkies pay for immediate access or in some cases if you want to comment you need to be a paid subscriber. There are so many people I want to follow and read, but I can't subscribe to them all.
Every Trump pardon is questionable. It wasn't too many years ago, that giving a pardon to someone was based on something more than "he supported me." Now, Trump has lowered the standard to "I don't care how violent or why the person is in jail, if he supported me, I am pardoning him." What an insult to all of the police officers trying to defend the Capitol on January 6, 2021. I don't care what the protesters excuse was or what Trump's reasoning was, it was wrong on January 6, 2021, it was more wrong yesterday, and its even worse today. The only good thing about today is there are 1460 days left in Trump's administration.
As to Biden's pardons, I would have pardoned every single person involved in any Federal prosecution of Trump for election interference and his theft of classified documents as well as all January 6th congressional committee members, any witnesses, any lawyers or staff associated with this committee, and anyone who even spoke against Trump or his minions. I would have pardoned my family, too, simply because Trump is a bully, can't be trusted, and has too many jerks like Musk, Miller and Patel providing him advice.
The pardon of J6 participants appears to a repeat of latinamerican paramilitary who many were violent criminals giving the green light to torture and kill political opponents in return for their freedoms.
Re: Jen Rubin's interview of authoritarian expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat, is there any way that Jen can make Lawrence Odonnell/ Rachel Maddow aware of this interview; esp. the part about the would-be autocrat integrating right wing militia members - many of whom he just pardoned and so have unlimited fealty to him - into the regular military functionings. (The key to doing this is the Defense Secretary. If Hegseth, a person with a white nationalist tattoo on his chest, is allowed to become Secretary of Defense, this autocratic move WILL BE DONE!!!) We have very little time left to sway the votes of any Senate Republicans on Hegseth's nomination; but making Ben-Ghiat's interview widely disseminated may be something that could help turn the tide. Please do what you can do! I've called my senators (CA), representative and Rep Eric Swawell and told their office staff about the interview and asked if they could watch it and spread the word and have told friends via email. Thank you for this INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT interview!!!
This is the second Contrarian interview I've seen now. 1st was HCR and Jen. I came here to say that I watch a lot of interviews (mostly with HCR) and you folks are damn good! I never feel like I'm listening to the interview-er more than the interview-ee! Keep it up!
Ok. So now he has his own private, pardon-protected, radicalized militia. They know that the department of justice won't prosecute them. They know the FBI won't investigate them. They have access to unlimited guns. Wonder how this is going to turn out. You think he's going to leave in four years? Please. This was a big deal.