"Biden's pardon of his son has just opened the door for Trump to pardon his friends and family (even himself) for any wrong doing they have done in the past, the present, and the future."
Trump kicked that door open all by himself already. Did you miss all the pardons he handed out the first time?
Just saying that the general public who has convinced themselves that Trump is somehow their hero, might just be pissed when the see Trump pardoning everyone who crosses his palm with silver - except now all they know is 'what about Hunter?'
Obviously the fact that Demento pardoned a whole rogue's gallery of crooks and other miscreants didn't appear to bother 49+% of the electorate this time around. And probably won't when it happens again. The Bidens will rapidly become irrelevant except to some talking heads and the usual suspects in the MSM.
The gloves need to come off. Not only should President Biden not give a rat's ass what anyone thinks about his pardoning his son, he should double down and say "And no matter what I said before, I ALWAYS intended to pardon Hunter. So get stuffed!" Then he should grant Kamala Harris a pardon and resign from office on January 17, making Kamala the first woman chief executive and 47th president of the United States (and thereby ruining all those kitschy "Trump47" souvenirs flooding the city). Then Kamala can grant Joe a pardon right back and begin the real work of preemptively smearing ketchup all over the White House walls before departing. I think I'm being sarcastic about all this, but the more I type, the less sure I'm not serious.
I had been okay with Hunters pardon, but the more I read, the better I felt about it. I'm now at the point where I would have been more upset if Joe hadn't pardoned Hunter. That would have been worse than leaving a beloved pet outdoors in life-threatening conditions.
I just upgraded to paid specifically because you gave a clear, full-throated defense of Biden's pardon. To counterbalance, I'll unsubscribe from someone who vehemently attacked it, so f*** Nate Silver.
Media pontificators gonna pontificate. You think for a New York minute Joe Biden agonized over his "legacy" before granting the pardon? Please. And as I said elsewhere in these here parts to all and sundry scrabbling for the moral high ground: on second thought Virginia, there is no Santa Claus. I'm sure Demento spent hours in contemplation and consulted with a religious figure before pardoning Kushner, Bannon, Flynn, Kerik, Milken and Stone among his other fellow miscreants. No doubt will take the same contemplative approach in pardoning the assholes who attacked the Capitol and its defenders. And he will certainly think of his "legacy" when doing so...and smile smugly. The same fake smile that always reminds me of an infant with gas pains.
“[The Atlantic articles] conclude that Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter hurts the Democrats politically by surrendering the moral high ground to Republicans, and that doing so hurts the Democrats politically…”
So, it’s “when they go low, we go high” all over again. We maintained the moral high ground and lost the election. Our moral purity will be the only consolation we can clutch over the next four years
Thanks for the deep dive into poor appointments. These examples remind us that our democratic experiment has seen some serious sh$t in the past, so maybe if we can survive the next four years of mishigas, we’ll all be ok — ??🙏🤞🫣
Gene, I have been reading your stuff since I was a little girl. Well, that might be pushing it since I am 75 now. but, still, You have been a presence in my life for ages and it is only now that I discover you're not only fun to read, but educational. I love the Trump's Cabinet piece you wrote today (Dec 3, 2024) on the embarrassing Cabinet (and other) selections of previous presidents. Poor personnel choices were not reserved for Trump alone. But, he overachieved with so many indicted/convicted/unqualified and National Security risks from the first admin and now the Second Coming Cabinet (and other) nominees.
Mark Asquino. In Rhode Island where I grew up, a "cabinet" is what everyone else calls a milk shake. Of course, in hoity-toity Massachusetts, it's also called a "Frappe." The R.I. name comes from the cylindrical metal cylinder used to mix the concoction. And this leads me to observe that Trump's "Cabinet" also consists of a bunch of metal cone heads.
The Hunter Biden pardon will be used as a rationale for future Trump pardons. It will be brought and bandied about as proof that Trump is justified. It’s just that the reality is it won’t modify Trump’s behavior one bit, save for persecuting Hunter Biden.
Trump is going to grant pardons based on his own metrics of loyalty and favors, and now his roaches will scurry to hide under a rock emblazoned "But Biden pardoned Hunter!"
The thing is, Trump was ABSOLUTELY going to grant those same pardons regardless.
But if Biden hadn't pardoned Hunter the people clutching pearls today would just be standing around helplessly tut-tutting that "This isn't right! This isn't f-aa-iii -r" While Hunter sits in prison and his father, who is a decent human being, would be racked with despair and guilt.
We do have a difference of opinion and facts and just about everything else, Trump and I. But this is his shot. I want him to have every idiot, crook and office seeker he wants and then see what he can do with them. Likely his deportations and his spending and tax cuts will hurt most of his voters. Let them see what they voted for. We will survive. I have means and resources and am living mostly on Social Security now. It will not be easy, but I think it will be worth it to show voters what they voted for.
But they don;t ever see. They vote in the same morons on party lines. You can kill puppies and be elected because the goal isn't a strong government - the goal is to be bullies who rub the 'other side's' face in the dirt. "We're winners" while the whole country loses because we don't have memories past last week and we no longer believe the press. The system has been worked by smart people who have whittled away the trust of the common man so he doesn't know what is right and what is hyperbole.
Gary, I also rely partially on Social Security, and my wife will become eligible the year that the Trust Fund runs out of money. I'm concerned that Il Douche and his minions will hasten the depletion of the Trust Fund and the day that recipients see a 20+% cut in their benefits.
Read Robert Reich and inequality media on Bluesky. The Republicans and billionaires are trying to put an end to social security. And yet the people who need SS most voted for them! Voters need a shouted message about this kind of thing. All the trans and other stuff is used as a distraction.
Until now, I thought a 20% reduction might be something to live with, especially if COLA increases before then reduce the impact. But now it seems that Congress may go along with the end of Social Secuity. The elections two years from now will be very important. We will see if Trump can make his wishes into policy and if they work or not. And then we will see if the facts ever get reported. (Tree in the forest falling.) When will these voters become alert?
I was not okay with the Biden pardon of Hunter. Today's question does not ask whether, based on my previous vote, I would be opposed to further pardons. That would have been interesting. Anyway, my new vote is based on in for a penny, in for a pound. If Biden and the Democratic Party have lost credibility when they say they support the rule of law, then the hell with it. Pardon everyone. It's not that the rules have changed. It's that we are playing Calvinball with the justice system. There are no rules left.
Just stopping to 🩷 “Calvinball”. I use this a lot and find my friends by their reactions. I do think that the squishy rule of pardon does not define the entire Biden presidency, however. So much good just being ignored. Sigh.
Well, it happens in foreign policy, too. We hold Israel to a higher standard. We hold Biden to a higher standard. It isn't fair. I don't know what to do about it. But of course you are right.
Joe Biden and the Democrats joining the game of Legal Calvinball is long overdue. If the other side plays Calvinball and you resist doing so, you may occupy the moral high ground, but you are also a legal chump.
"Biden's pardon of his son has just opened the door for Trump to pardon his friends and family (even himself) for any wrong doing they have done in the past, the present, and the future."
Trump kicked that door open all by himself already. Did you miss all the pardons he handed out the first time?
Just saying that the general public who has convinced themselves that Trump is somehow their hero, might just be pissed when the see Trump pardoning everyone who crosses his palm with silver - except now all they know is 'what about Hunter?'
"What about Hillary's e-mails" had run its course, so the GOP and Fox News needed to commission another limited series.
Obviously the fact that Demento pardoned a whole rogue's gallery of crooks and other miscreants didn't appear to bother 49+% of the electorate this time around. And probably won't when it happens again. The Bidens will rapidly become irrelevant except to some talking heads and the usual suspects in the MSM.
The gloves need to come off. Not only should President Biden not give a rat's ass what anyone thinks about his pardoning his son, he should double down and say "And no matter what I said before, I ALWAYS intended to pardon Hunter. So get stuffed!" Then he should grant Kamala Harris a pardon and resign from office on January 17, making Kamala the first woman chief executive and 47th president of the United States (and thereby ruining all those kitschy "Trump47" souvenirs flooding the city). Then Kamala can grant Joe a pardon right back and begin the real work of preemptively smearing ketchup all over the White House walls before departing. I think I'm being sarcastic about all this, but the more I type, the less sure I'm not serious.
This is genius!
I had been okay with Hunters pardon, but the more I read, the better I felt about it. I'm now at the point where I would have been more upset if Joe hadn't pardoned Hunter. That would have been worse than leaving a beloved pet outdoors in life-threatening conditions.
Thanks for the history lesson, Gene. Most informative. And that tidbit about Mark Felt was worth the price of admission!
I just upgraded to paid specifically because you gave a clear, full-throated defense of Biden's pardon. To counterbalance, I'll unsubscribe from someone who vehemently attacked it, so f*** Nate Silver.
There is now a special place for you in wherever you'd like there to be.
This is a correct take.
....and the poker hand he rode in on.
Media pontificators gonna pontificate. You think for a New York minute Joe Biden agonized over his "legacy" before granting the pardon? Please. And as I said elsewhere in these here parts to all and sundry scrabbling for the moral high ground: on second thought Virginia, there is no Santa Claus. I'm sure Demento spent hours in contemplation and consulted with a religious figure before pardoning Kushner, Bannon, Flynn, Kerik, Milken and Stone among his other fellow miscreants. No doubt will take the same contemplative approach in pardoning the assholes who attacked the Capitol and its defenders. And he will certainly think of his "legacy" when doing so...and smile smugly. The same fake smile that always reminds me of an infant with gas pains.
“[The Atlantic articles] conclude that Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter hurts the Democrats politically by surrendering the moral high ground to Republicans, and that doing so hurts the Democrats politically…”
So, it’s “when they go low, we go high” all over again. We maintained the moral high ground and lost the election. Our moral purity will be the only consolation we can clutch over the next four years
Moral purity and six bucks will get you a Grande Latte at Starbucks.
not where I live, at least after tax.
Just wanted to say how much I love Monica Hesse's writing. Her columns and her fiction. I think she's amazeballs.
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s outrage over this pardon was delightful.
Yeah, the Gazpacho at work again.
Thanks for the deep dive into poor appointments. These examples remind us that our democratic experiment has seen some serious sh$t in the past, so maybe if we can survive the next four years of mishigas, we’ll all be ok — ??🙏🤞🫣
Gene, I have been reading your stuff since I was a little girl. Well, that might be pushing it since I am 75 now. but, still, You have been a presence in my life for ages and it is only now that I discover you're not only fun to read, but educational. I love the Trump's Cabinet piece you wrote today (Dec 3, 2024) on the embarrassing Cabinet (and other) selections of previous presidents. Poor personnel choices were not reserved for Trump alone. But, he overachieved with so many indicted/convicted/unqualified and National Security risks from the first admin and now the Second Coming Cabinet (and other) nominees.
Mark Asquino. In Rhode Island where I grew up, a "cabinet" is what everyone else calls a milk shake. Of course, in hoity-toity Massachusetts, it's also called a "Frappe." The R.I. name comes from the cylindrical metal cylinder used to mix the concoction. And this leads me to observe that Trump's "Cabinet" also consists of a bunch of metal cone heads.
The Hunter Biden pardon will be used as a rationale for future Trump pardons. It will be brought and bandied about as proof that Trump is justified. It’s just that the reality is it won’t modify Trump’s behavior one bit, save for persecuting Hunter Biden.
Trump is going to grant pardons based on his own metrics of loyalty and favors, and now his roaches will scurry to hide under a rock emblazoned "But Biden pardoned Hunter!"
The thing is, Trump was ABSOLUTELY going to grant those same pardons regardless.
But if Biden hadn't pardoned Hunter the people clutching pearls today would just be standing around helplessly tut-tutting that "This isn't right! This isn't f-aa-iii -r" While Hunter sits in prison and his father, who is a decent human being, would be racked with despair and guilt.
We do have a difference of opinion and facts and just about everything else, Trump and I. But this is his shot. I want him to have every idiot, crook and office seeker he wants and then see what he can do with them. Likely his deportations and his spending and tax cuts will hurt most of his voters. Let them see what they voted for. We will survive. I have means and resources and am living mostly on Social Security now. It will not be easy, but I think it will be worth it to show voters what they voted for.
But they don;t ever see. They vote in the same morons on party lines. You can kill puppies and be elected because the goal isn't a strong government - the goal is to be bullies who rub the 'other side's' face in the dirt. "We're winners" while the whole country loses because we don't have memories past last week and we no longer believe the press. The system has been worked by smart people who have whittled away the trust of the common man so he doesn't know what is right and what is hyperbole.
Gary, I also rely partially on Social Security, and my wife will become eligible the year that the Trust Fund runs out of money. I'm concerned that Il Douche and his minions will hasten the depletion of the Trust Fund and the day that recipients see a 20+% cut in their benefits.
Read Robert Reich and inequality media on Bluesky. The Republicans and billionaires are trying to put an end to social security. And yet the people who need SS most voted for them! Voters need a shouted message about this kind of thing. All the trans and other stuff is used as a distraction.
Until now, I thought a 20% reduction might be something to live with, especially if COLA increases before then reduce the impact. But now it seems that Congress may go along with the end of Social Secuity. The elections two years from now will be very important. We will see if Trump can make his wishes into policy and if they work or not. And then we will see if the facts ever get reported. (Tree in the forest falling.) When will these voters become alert?
New term: "Do not say woke, just be a lert."
Like the theory Gary, but a whole bunch of us who believe in truth, justice and the American way will also suffer --- and not just sympathetically.
I was not okay with the Biden pardon of Hunter. Today's question does not ask whether, based on my previous vote, I would be opposed to further pardons. That would have been interesting. Anyway, my new vote is based on in for a penny, in for a pound. If Biden and the Democratic Party have lost credibility when they say they support the rule of law, then the hell with it. Pardon everyone. It's not that the rules have changed. It's that we are playing Calvinball with the justice system. There are no rules left.
Just stopping to 🩷 “Calvinball”. I use this a lot and find my friends by their reactions. I do think that the squishy rule of pardon does not define the entire Biden presidency, however. So much good just being ignored. Sigh.
Calvinball (which I just looked up) greatly resembles the card game played by Hawkeye and Trapper John or Hunnicutt on M*A*S*H.
I’d forgotten that they played anything besides poker. Thank you!
I believe it was played with a poker deck and checkers on a chessboard, with rules made up as they went along.
Well, it happens in foreign policy, too. We hold Israel to a higher standard. We hold Biden to a higher standard. It isn't fair. I don't know what to do about it. But of course you are right.
We do?
Yup. Notice all the countries that imprison and kill their own people. We do not care.
We hold Israel to a higher standard?
Joe Biden and the Democrats joining the game of Legal Calvinball is long overdue. If the other side plays Calvinball and you resist doing so, you may occupy the moral high ground, but you are also a legal chump.
As I said. No rules. Might makes right.
Maybe we need to change the leadership - no one should be a 'lifetime member' of the elite on either side.
I don't know if you left this out because she apologized for saying so, but one of the marks against Hegseth is the fact that his own mom thinks he's an asshole: https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/30/politics/pete-hegseth-mother-email-new-york-times/index.html