Archives for February 2021

Trump Vows To Appeal Supreme Court Decision On Taxes

February 23, 2021 By John DeProspo 3 Comments

Reprint from moronmajority.com

The United States Supreme Court issued a devasting decision yesterday when it refused to block the release of Trump’s tax returns to the Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance.

In what has become a reflex action whenever Trump is on the losing end of a court case, he vowed to appeal the ruling, saying it allows for the “greatest political Witch Hunt in the history of our country” to continue.

In a lengthy written response to the decision, Trump attacked the Court for letting “this ‘fishing expedition’ happen” in the first place.

No one around the former-occupant-of-the-White-House had the nerve to inform him that the Supreme Court is the highest court in the land; that it is known as the court of last resort for a reason.

It is quite possible Donald Trump believes the World Court, headquartered in the Hague, has jurisdiction over the U.S. Supreme Court but, if he had paid attention in his high school history class, he’d know the court, also known as the International Court of Justice, settles disputes involving sovereign states in accordance with international law.

Or is it possible Trump has fallen into a Louis XIV mindset … “L’etat, c’est moi”?

Photo | abc.net.au

*moronmajority.com is a satirical site … seriously!

What? Trump Will Talk About The Future Of The Republican Party At CPAC?

February 21, 2021 By John DeProspo 5 Comments

According to a source, Donald Trump will be “talking about the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement” at this week’s CPAC conference in Orlando, Florida. It seems the former-occupant-of-the-White-House will be taking time off from his usual weekend of golf to address what some have called “the largest and most influential gathering of conservatives in the world.”

It should be a neat trick, considering how the Republican Party is, well, … dead!

The Republican Party, as we knew it, entered its death throes five years ago when it decided to hitch its fortunes to a narcissistic, two-bit con man. It ceased being a major political party when it passed up the chance (twice!) to rid itself of an incompetent, criminal buffoon through impeachment.

What we have today is the Party of Trump or, as Prince might have put it, “the party formerly known as the GOP.” If there is any doubt, just look at some recent surveys showing Trump’s strength among Republicans. In a Suffolk University/ USA TODAY poll, by a whopping margin of 46%-27%, Republican voters say they would abandon the GOP and join the Trump party if he decided to create one. Their loyalty is obviously to the man, not to a 167-year-old political organization.

Cindy McCain said the other day that the Republican Party is still up for grabs, predicting that her moderate wing of the GOP could mount a comeback.

“Our side, it’s swung way to the right. It’ll come back. It’ll come back” said McCain.

Sorry, Cindy, but I don’t think so. If there ever was a civil war among Republicans, that war is over.

Moderates like McCain, along with others such as Romney, Collins and Murkowski might want to remain blind to the fact that their beloved party is now the Party of Trump but, when you have an establishment group like CPAC rolling out the red carpet for a man who fomented a violent uprising against the Capitol, who still insists the 2020 election was stolen from him … and CPAC will no doubt cater to Trump’s fantasies … you know the GOP of old is kaput.

If anything, today’s Republican Party, if you still want to call it that, is the party of Green, Boebert, Jordon, Gaetz and the like.

Unlike McCain, I predict old-time conservatives will eventually face the facts (and their consciences), see their party has been irretrievably hijacked by Trump and his band of “wacko birds”, leave the party to declare as independents, or perhaps start a third party.

The Party of Trump seems to be here to stay for the foreseeable future (too late, Mitch … it’s a long way down from that tightrope!).

Photo | cnn.com

Trump Defense Lawyers Celebrate Victory They Had Nothing To Do With

February 15, 2021 By John DeProspo 6 Comments

In true Trumpian fashion, Trump’s defense lawyers are taking credit for something they had no hand in … the Senate’s acquittal of their client on impeachment charges.

“We’re going to Disney World,” Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen joked to reporters following the trial. He was later photographed fist-bumping a colleague.

The whole world knows (as I guess so did Trump’s lawyers) that the fix was in and that their presence at the impeachment trial was nothing more than legal window-dressing. They could not lose no matter what baseless, whacked-out, bogus defense they came up with.

There was no way 17 Republican senators were going to join 50 of their Democratic colleagues to reach the two-thirds vote needed to convict Trump.

Trump’s defense lawyers did not have to be articulate, competent or prepared. It didn’t matter. They just needed to show up.

Because the Senate’s verdict was a forgone conclusion, House impeachment managers were wise not to bring in witnesses. Why further delay the inevitable? The case they presented against Trump, even without witness testimony, was open and shut. Just ask Mitch McConnell!

I wonder if Trump’s lawyers ever bothered to read the reviews of their “lawyering?” Because of their bumbling, buffoonish efforts, “My Cousin Vinny” trended on Twitter.

Of course, that is an insult to Vincent LaGuardia Gambini who won his case after winning over an impartial, some might even say hostile, jury!

Photo | Alex Brandon/AP/inquirer.com

Maybe What Democrats Need Is A Mitch McConnell?

February 14, 2021 By John DeProspo 6 Comments

I can’t stand the guy. Yet, I’m in awe of his genius … his evil genius. Machiavelli has nothing on old Mitch McConnell.

There he was yesterday accusing Donald Trump of being guilty as sin just moments after voting to acquit him of what Liz Cheney called the greatest “betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”

In a devastating takedown rivaling the closing arguments made by the House impeachment managers, McConnell tore into Trump for his “disgraceful dereliction of duty” saying, “There is no question — none — that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.”

So how could McConnell not vote to convict Trump?

Here is where the evil mastermind’s cleverness comes in. Mitch voted to acquit Trump because he didn’t believe the Senate had the power to convict a president out of office. Of course, we all know that scenario came about only because McConnell refused to hold the Senate impeachment trial while Trump was still in office. Sheer brilliance!

McConnell knew that the only way his Republican colleagues could vote against convicting Trump was on technical grounds, no matter how phony, as the facts of the January 6 Capitol riot were never really in dispute. So, McConnell provided the cover … and 42 of his fellow Republican comrades, voting to give Trump a pass, wrapped themselves in the warm blanket of Mitch’s duplicity.

But McConnell’s speech after the Senate’s acquittal vote showed even more of his shrewdness.

It has been reported that McConnell wants Trump gone and out of the way. But he could not let his fellow Republicans do the job for fear of angering Trump’s loyal base.

“President Trump is still liable for everything he did while in office,” McConnell said. “He didn’t get away with anything yet. We have a criminal justice system in this country.”

There you have it. Let someone else (state attorneys general, the Justice Dept) do the dirty work!

While Trump might be the most corrupt president in U.S. history, can there be any doubt Mitch McConnell is among the more cunning, devious political leaders ever to hold public office?

Photo | AP Photo/Susan Walsh/dcist.com

No, Republicans Are Not Afraid Of Trump … They’re Scared Of His Lynch Mob

February 8, 2021 By John DeProspo 5 Comments

Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in the Senate starts tomorrow. The prevailing sentiment is that the Republican senators will vote to acquit Trump because of what the vindictive man-who-once-occupied-the-White-House might do to their political careers if they go against him.

I’m thinking it’s much more basic than that. What Republican senators are most afraid of is for their own personal safety. They do not want to stir up that hornet’s nest otherwise known as the MAGA mob.

Trump’s supporters, many of whom have said they would defend Trump to the death, are not shy about threatening the safety of any Republican who turns on their hero or doesn’t acquiesce to his wishes.

If you remember, many in the Trump-inspired horde that stormed the Capitol on January 6 were looking for Mike Pence. More specifically, they were looking to hang Mike Pence! And what was the otherwise bootlicking VP’s offense? He refused Trump’s request to break the law by trying to stop the Electoral College vote count.

Speaking about his Republican colleagues the day of the impeachment vote in the House, Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) said, “The majority of them are paralyzed with fear. I had a lot of conversations with my Republican colleagues last night, and a couple of them broke down in tears — saying that they are afraid for their lives if they vote for this impeachment.”

So, because of Trump’s goon squad, we are no longer a nation regulated by laws, and the Constitution, but one governed by mob rule?

Some have suggested the Senate should take its vote through a secret ballot.

Robert Reich tweeted recently, “February vote in Senate on whether to convict Trump should be a secret ballot in order to (1) protect safety of senators, and (2) allow them to vote their consciences. Same protections as jurors in most trials. Senate Dems could do this with 51 votes.”

Yes, that might work, Bob, but it’s not going to happen.

While Senate rules provide for a secret ballot, if 20 Republicans vote against such a move, it’s a no-go. In other words, if only one-fifth of the chamber wants the vote to be public, it will be public. End of story.

Also, what are the chances that such a vote would remain private? Slim is the first word that comes to mind.

As Philip Bump writes in the Washington Post, “But it is also almost certain that a number of senators who think Trump deserves to be found guilty will instead vote to acquit out of fear of political — or physical — repercussions. There’s no secret ballot that can change that.”

I agree with Mr. Bump, but I’m betting the physical overshadows the political.