thenation--2020-11-25--Free the Plowshares 7!

Free the Plowshares 7!

I first met Martha Hennessy a couple of years ago at a barbecue in Vermont , on one of those summer afternoons where the talk winds on and on as smoke from the grill floats lazily up to the heavens .
With her grey ponytail and long loose skirt , she fit right in to our post-back-to-the-land community .
Lifting her hem a little , she showed me the plastic electronic tag on her left ankle .
She was out on bail , awaiting trial for her part in the Plowshares 7 symbolic disarmament action at the largest nuclear submarine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Georgia , on April 4 , 2018 , the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King ’ s assassination .
The Plowshares 7 are Catholic pacifists and antinuclear activists , committed to Isaiah ’ s command to “ beat swords into plowshares , ” in the tradition begun by Daniel and Philip Berrigan at the General Electric facility in King of Prussia , Pa. , in 1980 ; there have been about a hundred similar actions since .
At Kings Bay , the seven cut through the security fence , poured their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seal , hammered on a metal display of a Tomahawk missile , and put up crime scene tape and a banner reading “ The ultimate logic of Trident is omnicide ” ( an adaptation of Dr. King ’ s “ The ultimate logic of racism is genocide ” ) .
In October 2019 , they were convicted of four federal crimes—conspiracy , destruction of government property , depredation of a naval installation , and trespassing—for which the maximum sentence is 20 years and six months in prison .
Martha and I stayed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be singled out from her fellows in this way , but it ’ s through our conversations that I ’ ve begun to understand what enables her to keep confronting a threat so overwhelming that most of us ignore it , and to risk her own body to challenge it .
For the Plowshares 7 , nuclear weapons are not just a sword of Damocles hanging over humanity .
They kill every day , by stealing resources from the poor , reinforcing white supremacy , contaminating the land .
Martha speaks about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ materialism , and militarism , pointing out that it was when he made the link between violence against Black people at home and the war in Vietnam that he became a real danger to the state .
A Walk in the Woods During a Season of Uncertainty Another Terror Attack in London , as Grief and Anger Build in the Wake of the Grenfell Tower Fire Martha wasn ’ t always a practicing Catholic ; she ’ s struggled deeply with what she calls the US Catholic Church ’ s complicity with empire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faith grew out of her opposition to war , and her experience of her grandmother Dorothy Day , the radical activist , mystic , and founder of the Catholic Worker movement .
She remembers sitting on Dorothy ’ s lap as a small child , listening to her heartbeat and her voice , and sees that now as her first intimation of God : “ It meant connectedness , and love , and warmth…knowing that I was part of this Mystical Body , where God is love and God is within each of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the kitchen and watched her brother leave for Vietnam ; he came back traumatized and damaged by Agent Orange .
In her 20s , she was arrested protesting nuclear power in Vermont .
Much later , in 2002 , she spoke at Dorothy ’ s induction to the National Women ’ s Hall of Fame ; afterward , Ruth Bader Ginsburg ran up to her , grabbed her hand , and vanished .
That day put her newly in touch with her grandmother ’ s legacy .
She began to volunteer at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Manhattan , and eventually found her way to the Plowshares movement .
When Martha speaks of the Mystical Body , or describes pouring blood on nuclear missiles as a sacrament , something in me stalls .
I can relate to those things only as metaphor .
But listening to her—not just her words , but the fierce thoughtfulness of her voice—I ’ ve come to understand her courage and commitments as indivisible , the expression of a belief in love or , to put it differently , the possibility of goodness , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what she intends .
Something like that seems to have happened to the judge at Martha ’ s sentencing on November 13 .
Sentencing for the Plowshares 7 was delayed by the pandemic and has been taking place by video link ; all the defendants are over 55 , and the oldest , Elizabeth McAlister , Philip Berrigan ’ s widow , is now 81 .
Martha was the sixth to appear , from the room at Maryhouse where Day lived and died .
Her lawyer , the judge and the prosecutor were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ga. A courtroom , even a virtual one , is a theater where narratives clash .
Judge Lisa Wood began with the necessary litany of formalities and addressed the defense ’ s arguments for a reduction in the recommended sentence : 18–24 months in prison and a restitution payment of $ 33,503.51 .
There were paragraph numbers , factor numbers , references to precedent .
The prosecutor brought in the sense of a crime with the list of tools used by the Plowshares 7 ( though not by Martha herself ) —power tools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , bolt cutters—and words like “ conspiracy ” and “ under cover of darkness.
” The judge agreed to reduce the burden of Martha ’ s three previous convictions–all misdemeanors for nonviolent protest—but rejected all other arguments for a “ downward departure ” in sentencing .
Religious Beliefs Are Struck Down as Defense for Nuclear Protest The testimony of Martha ’ s four witnesses changed the atmosphere , as if someone had opened a window and let the outdoors in .
Her friend and Vermont neighbor Elizabeth Blum spoke of their shared interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ textile arts—and her childhood in the 1950s , when she wasn ’ t allowed to drink milk contaminated with strontium 90 from nuclear tests in Nevada .
Et in Arcadia ego .
George Horton , who ’ s worked for Catholic Charities for 39 years , described meeting Martha at Maryhouse assiduously scrubbing a huge pot ; he explained that her work there is about relationship and friendship , not social services , so that she is irreplaceable .
Retired attorney Mary Yelenick helped to draft the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January 22—two days after President-elect Joe Biden ’ s inauguration .
She made a harrowing statement describing the effects of nuclear weapons on adults and children ’ s bodies , and pointed out that while adherence to the law provides stability , many things we now find abhorrent were once considered legal .
Sister Marilyn Gramas , Martha ’ s spiritual director , spoke almost maternally , describing how hard it was for Martha to decide to take part in this action .
All respectfully asked for mercy .
Martha quietly explained that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ love for humanity compelled her to act as she did ; she spoke of her remorse that we have built the bombs and her regret at having embarrassed the personnel on the base .
The judge listened carefully and , when they had finished , seemed almost reluctant to speak .
She sentenced Martha to 10 months in federal prison which , though it could be dangerous for a woman of 65 in these pandemic times , is far less than was expected .
It felt almost like victory .
All six of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received new prison terms , except McAlister , who was sentenced to time served .
Joe Biden claims to share their faith .
It would take but the stroke of a pen to pardon them and show that he also understands its moral implications .

This article appears in the December 14/21, 2020 issue.
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I first met Martha Hennessy a couple of years ago at a barbecue in Vermont, on one of those summer afternoons where the talk winds on and on as smoke from the grill floats lazily up to the heavens. With her grey ponytail and long loose skirt, she fit right in to our post-back-to-the-land community. Lifting her hem a little, she showed me the plastic electronic tag on her left ankle. She was out on bail, awaiting trial for her part in the Plowshares 7 symbolic disarmament action at the largest nuclear submarine base in the world, Kings Bay in Georgia, on April 4, 2018, the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination.
The Plowshares 7 are Catholic pacifists and antinuclear activists, committed to Isaiah’s command to “beat swords into plowshares,” in the tradition begun by Daniel and Philip Berrigan at the General Electric facility in King of Prussia, Pa., in 1980; there have been about a hundred similar actions since. At Kings Bay, the seven cut through the security fence, poured their own blood on the base’s official seal, hammered on a metal display of a Tomahawk missile, and put up crime scene tape and a banner reading “The ultimate logic of Trident is omnicide” (an adaptation of Dr. King’s “The ultimate logic of racism is genocide”). In October 2019, they were convicted of four federal crimes—conspiracy, destruction of government property, depredation of a naval installation, and trespassing—for which the maximum sentence is 20 years and six months in prison.
Martha and I stayed in touch. She would not want to be singled out from her fellows in this way, but it’s through our conversations that I’ve begun to understand what enables her to keep confronting a threat so overwhelming that most of us ignore it, and to risk her own body to challenge it.
For the Plowshares 7, nuclear weapons are not just a sword of Damocles hanging over humanity. They kill every day, by stealing resources from the poor, reinforcing white supremacy, contaminating the land. Martha speaks about the connection Dr. King drew between racism, materialism, and militarism, pointing out that it was when he made the link between violence against Black people at home and the war in Vietnam that he became a real danger to the state. More From Maria Margaronis A Walk in the Woods During a Season of Uncertainty November 4, 2020 Britain’s Brexit Crack-Up January 23, 2019 Another Terror Attack in London, as Grief and Anger Build in the Wake of the Grenfell Tower Fire June 19, 2017
Martha wasn’t always a practicing Catholic; she’s struggled deeply with what she calls the US Catholic Church’s complicity with empire and its attitude to women. Her faith grew out of her opposition to war, and her experience of her grandmother Dorothy Day, the radical activist, mystic, and founder of the Catholic Worker movement. She remembers sitting on Dorothy’s lap as a small child, listening to her heartbeat and her voice, and sees that now as her first intimation of God: “It meant connectedness, and love, and warmth…knowing that I was part of this Mystical Body, where God is love and God is within each of us.” Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung
At 14, she stood in the kitchen and watched her brother leave for Vietnam; he came back traumatized and damaged by Agent Orange. In her 20s, she was arrested protesting nuclear power in Vermont. Much later, in 2002, she spoke at Dorothy’s induction to the National Women’s Hall of Fame; afterward, Ruth Bader Ginsburg ran up to her, grabbed her hand, and vanished. That day put her newly in touch with her grandmother’s legacy. She began to volunteer at Maryhouse, the Catholic Worker hospitality shelter in Manhattan, and eventually found her way to the Plowshares movement.
When Martha speaks of the Mystical Body, or describes pouring blood on nuclear missiles as a sacrament, something in me stalls. I can relate to those things only as metaphor. But listening to her—not just her words, but the fierce thoughtfulness of her voice—I’ve come to understand her courage and commitments as indivisible, the expression of a belief in love or, to put it differently, the possibility of goodness, which may not be so different from what she intends. Current Issue View our current issue
Something like that seems to have happened to the judge at Martha’s sentencing on November 13. Sentencing for the Plowshares 7 was delayed by the pandemic and has been taking place by video link; all the defendants are over 55, and the oldest, Elizabeth McAlister, Philip Berrigan’s widow, is now 81. Martha was the sixth to appear, from the room at Maryhouse where Day lived and died. Her lawyer, the judge and the prosecutor were all at separate locations in Brunswick, Ga.
A courtroom, even a virtual one, is a theater where narratives clash. Judge Lisa Wood began with the necessary litany of formalities and addressed the defense’s arguments for a reduction in the recommended sentence: 18–24 months in prison and a restitution payment of $33,503.51. There were paragraph numbers, factor numbers, references to precedent. The prosecutor brought in the sense of a crime with the list of tools used by the Plowshares 7 (though not by Martha herself)—power tools, pry tools, blood, hammers, bolt cutters—and words like “conspiracy” and “under cover of darkness.” The judge agreed to reduce the burden of Martha’s three previous convictions–all misdemeanors for nonviolent protest—but rejected all other arguments for a “downward departure” in sentencing. Related Article Religious Beliefs Are Struck Down as Defense for Nuclear Protest Sam Husseini
The testimony of Martha’s four witnesses changed the atmosphere, as if someone had opened a window and let the outdoors in. Her friend and Vermont neighbor Elizabeth Blum spoke of their shared interest in organic gardening, birding, and textile arts—and her childhood in the 1950s, when she wasn’t allowed to drink milk contaminated with strontium 90 from nuclear tests in Nevada. Et in Arcadia ego. George Horton, who’s worked for Catholic Charities for 39 years, described meeting Martha at Maryhouse assiduously scrubbing a huge pot; he explained that her work there is about relationship and friendship, not social services, so that she is irreplaceable.
Retired attorney Mary Yelenick helped to draft the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that comes into force on January 22—two days after President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. She made a harrowing statement describing the effects of nuclear weapons on adults and children’s bodies, and pointed out that while adherence to the law provides stability, many things we now find abhorrent were once considered legal. Sister Marilyn Gramas, Martha’s spiritual director, spoke almost maternally, describing how hard it was for Martha to decide to take part in this action. All respectfully asked for mercy. Martha quietly explained that her faith, social responsibility, and love for humanity compelled her to act as she did; she spoke of her remorse that we have built the bombs and her regret at having embarrassed the personnel on the base.
The judge listened carefully and, when they had finished, seemed almost reluctant to speak. She sentenced Martha to 10 months in federal prison which, though it could be dangerous for a woman of 65 in these pandemic times, is far less than was expected. It felt almost like victory.
All six of the Plowshares 7 sentenced so far have received new prison terms, except McAlister, who was sentenced to time served. Joe Biden claims to share their faith. It would take but the stroke of a pen to pardon them and show that he also understands its moral implications.


thenation--2020-11-25--Trump’s Election Lies Failed, but the Damage Is Done

Hopefully , by the time you read this , Donald Trump ’ s presidency will be in its end stage .
But there will have been no graceful concession , no admission of defeat from a man so pathologically insecure that he would rather take down the country than be a loser .
Instead , his failed coup d ’ état will have led , undoubtedly , to a scorched-earth lame-duck session .
Never much interested in governing anyway , Trump will run down the clock between golf games giving pardons to his allies , stoking red-meat conspiracy theories for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders from the desk of Stephen Miller .
Come Inauguration Day , it will finally all be over but the tweets—and the speeches , rallies , and deranged exhortations to his supporters .
And that ’ s the problem .
Trumpism will survive and probably thrive long after this president leaves—or is dragged out of—the White House , because Trump will ensure it does .
As of this writing , two weeks after losing to former vice president Joe Biden by more than 5 million votes , Trump is still tweeting that mail-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and falsely insisting , “ I WON THE ELECTION !
” From the sidelines , he is cheering on street violence by MAGA thugs and branding political opponents as un-American .
Despite being dropped by two law firms , a mounting pile of lost lawsuits , and the inadvisable appointment of a head attorney recently duped by the fictional character Borat , Trump is pushing forward in his effort to weaponize the courts against democracy .
He couldn ’ t pull off this con game without help from his Republican boosters .
Bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outgoing attorney general had during an election , with a memo urging federal lawyers to look into Trump ’ s groundless accusations of “ vote tabulation irregularities.
” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo smugly asserted that “ there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration , ” and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell backed Trump ’ s bad-faith legal strategy by dismissing the idea that the “ president should immediately , cheerfully accept preliminary election results.
” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , a Republican , publicly noted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trash legal absentee ballots—a violation of both federal and state laws .
As Senate Judiciary chairman , Graham announced just a week prior that he plans to investigate “ all credible allegations of voting irregularities and misconduct.
” The Trauma of Trump ’ s Presidency Will Haunt Us American History Is Getting Whitewashed , Again This is all insincere political theater to keep a cantankerous old man happy , an earnest antidemocratic heist to overturn the majority ’ s will against a Trump reelection , or a short-term effort to ensure Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that will decide control of the Senate , depending on which source you believe .
In any case , the level of cynicism behind this ongoing performance art is off the charts .
Trump aides have reportedly said the president knows it ’ s over , according to The New York Times , but is weighing “ how far he can push his case against his defeat ” in order to “ keep his millions of supporters energized and engaged ” for whatever vanity project he takes on next .
“ What is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little bit of time ?
No one seriously thinks the results will change , ” one Republican official told The Washington Post .
Democratic Senator Chris Coons informed CNN that Trump-fearing Republicans , all of whom are well aware the president has no path to electoral victory , have asked that he “ please convey my well wishes to the president-elect , but I can ’ t say that publicly yet.
” Even if , by the time you read this , Trump has been forced to abort his coup and redirect his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can hope for from this president—his electoral stonewalling and the Republicans ’ enabling will have already had a dangerous impact on democracy .
His repeated insistence that the election was rigged , a claim he also made in 2016 but suddenly abandoned upon winning , is meant to convince his base their votes mean nothing , which must mean the system is rigged against them , too .
And Trump ’ s campaign is working .
After this year ’ s presidential contest , 70 percent of Republican voters surveyed said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 35 percent before the election , and 82 percent said Biden did not legitimately win .
Democracy maintains domestic peace by “ the mere fact that the political forces expect to take turns , ” political scientist Adam Przeworski has noted .
When people believe their votes literally don ’ t count , they become more likely to resort to violence .
Trump ’ s supporters , already steeped in white grievance , are predictably receptive to the idea that “ illegal voters ” have even succeeded in stealing their democracy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ political gains from real voter suppression—in the form of voter ID laws , gerrymandered districts , closures of polling sites , and purges of voter rolls—Republicans are now signaling that a Democratic win is itself evidence of fraud .
Trump and the GOP used birtherism to delegitimize the first Black president in US history .
Now Republicans are casting Black and brown citizens as illegitimate voters to invalidate the Biden presidency .
The potential for violence here isn ’ t just theoretical .
As ballots were being tabulated in Arizona , Nevada , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote-counting centers , and gun-toting election denialists have gathered at Georgia ’ s Capitol as the recount proceeds .
After thousands of Trumpists , including plenty of white supremacists , marched in Washington , D.C. , to protest nonexistent vote theft , members of the Proud Boys allegedly rioted against counterprotesters , and “ other Trump supporters ripped multiple Black Lives Matters signs off a building before trampling on them , ” according to the Times .
An Alabama police captain announced via social media that Biden voters deserve “ a bullet in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an Arkansas police chief urged his followers to “ throw water on [ Biden voters ] at restaurants .
Push them off sidewalks .
Never let them forget they are traitors and have no right to live in this Republic after what they have done.
” ( Both officers resigned after outcries . )
Claiming the election had been “ fraudulently stolen from us , ” a Trump supporter in the New York City borough of Staten Island advocated online for the “ extermination of anyone that claims to be a democrat.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for years , and it will continue to ravage the political and cultural landscape as it burns .
Once out of office , Trump will use every bullhorn at his disposal to spread misinformation and foment violence .
His tweets will push debunked election fraud lies , and he ’ ll portray himself as a martyr slain by a corrupt and unfair electoral system .
His rallies will continue—he ’ s already begun dangling a 2024 run—to keep his fragile ego from shattering and to scare off other GOP contenders .
If he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rumored , it will ensure that viewers believe he is the one and only source of political truth .
You get the picture : Trump will keep denigrating democracy to elevate himself .
Yet again , this president ’ s selfish gains will be America ’ s loss .

This article appears in the December 14/21, 2020 issue.
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Hopefully, by the time you read this, Donald Trump’s presidency will be in its end stage. But there will have been no graceful concession, no admission of defeat from a man so pathologically insecure that he would rather take down the country than be a loser. Instead, his failed coup d’état will have led, undoubtedly, to a scorched-earth lame-duck session.
Never much interested in governing anyway, Trump will run down the clock between golf games giving pardons to his allies, stoking red-meat conspiracy theories for his base, and issuing unconstitutional executive orders from the desk of Stephen Miller. Come Inauguration Day, it will finally all be over but the tweets—and the speeches, rallies, and deranged exhortations to his supporters. And that’s the problem.
Trumpism will survive and probably thrive long after this president leaves—or is dragged out of—the White House, because Trump will ensure it does. As of this writing, two weeks after losing to former vice president Joe Biden by more than 5 million votes, Trump is still tweeting that mail-in voting is “a sick joke” and falsely insisting, “I WON THE ELECTION!” From the sidelines, he is cheering on street violence by MAGA thugs and branding political opponents as un-American. Despite being dropped by two law firms, a mounting pile of lost lawsuits, and the inadvisable appointment of a head attorney recently duped by the fictional character Borat, Trump is pushing forward in his effort to weaponize the courts against democracy.
He couldn’t pull off this con game without help from his Republican boosters. Bill Barr poked his partisan nose where no outgoing attorney general had during an election, with a memo urging federal lawyers to look into Trump’s groundless accusations of “vote tabulation irregularities.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo smugly asserted that “there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell backed Trump’s bad-faith legal strategy by dismissing the idea that the “president should immediately, cheerfully accept preliminary election results.” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, publicly noted that Senator Lindsey Graham has pressured him to trash legal absentee ballots—a violation of both federal and state laws. As Senate Judiciary chairman, Graham announced just a week prior that he plans to investigate “all credible allegations of voting irregularities and misconduct.” More From Kali Holloway Inside the Cynical Campaign to Claim That Affirmative Action Hurts Asian Americans August 9, 2023 It’s Not Just Corporate Pride Boycotts—Right-Wingers Are Escalating Their Anti-LGBTQ Campaign June 23, 2023 Affirmative Action Is in the Supreme Court’s Crosshairs June 22, 2023
This is all insincere political theater to keep a cantankerous old man happy, an earnest antidemocratic heist to overturn the majority’s will against a Trump reelection, or a short-term effort to ensure Trump’s base turns out for Georgia runoffs that will decide control of the Senate, depending on which source you believe. In any case, the level of cynicism behind this ongoing performance art is off the charts. Trump aides have reportedly said the president knows it’s over, according to The New York Times, but is weighing “how far he can push his case against his defeat” in order to “keep his millions of supporters energized and engaged” for whatever vanity project he takes on next. “What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time? No one seriously thinks the results will change,” one Republican official told The Washington Post. Democratic Senator Chris Coons informed CNN that Trump-fearing Republicans, all of whom are well aware the president has no path to electoral victory, have asked that he “please convey my well wishes to the president-elect, but I can’t say that publicly yet.” Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann
Even if, by the time you read this, Trump has been forced to abort his coup and redirect his nihilistic pettiness into other norm-destroying tactics—the best we can hope for from this president—his electoral stonewalling and the Republicans’ enabling will have already had a dangerous impact on democracy. His repeated insistence that the election was rigged, a claim he also made in 2016 but suddenly abandoned upon winning, is meant to convince his base their votes mean nothing, which must mean the system is rigged against them, too. And Trump’s campaign is working. After this year’s presidential contest, 70 percent of Republican voters surveyed said it was not free and fair, up from 35 percent before the election, and 82 percent said Biden did not legitimately win.
Democracy maintains domestic peace by “the mere fact that the political forces expect to take turns,” political scientist Adam Przeworski has noted. When people believe their votes literally don’t count, they become more likely to resort to violence. Trump’s supporters, already steeped in white grievance, are predictably receptive to the idea that “illegal voters” have even succeeded in stealing their democracy. Apparently not satisfied with all their ill-gotten political gains from real voter suppression—in the form of voter ID laws, gerrymandered districts, closures of polling sites, and purges of voter rolls—Republicans are now signaling that a Democratic win is itself evidence of fraud. Trump and the GOP used birtherism to delegitimize the first Black president in US history. Now Republicans are casting Black and brown citizens as illegitimate voters to invalidate the Biden presidency.
The potential for violence here isn’t just theoretical. As ballots were being tabulated in Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, armed Trump supporters swarmed vote-counting centers, and gun-toting election denialists have gathered at Georgia’s Capitol as the recount proceeds. After thousands of Trumpists, including plenty of white supremacists, marched in Washington, D.C., to protest nonexistent vote theft, members of the Proud Boys allegedly rioted against counterprotesters, and “other Trump supporters ripped multiple Black Lives Matters signs off a building before trampling on them,” according to the Times. An Alabama police captain announced via social media that Biden voters deserve “a bullet in their skull for treason,” and an Arkansas police chief urged his followers to “throw water on [Biden voters] at restaurants. Push them off sidewalks. Never let them forget they are traitors and have no right to live in this Republic after what they have done.” (Both officers resigned after outcries.) Claiming the election had been “fraudulently stolen from us,” a Trump supporter in the New York City borough of Staten Island advocated online for the “extermination of anyone that claims to be a democrat.”
This is the fire Republicans have fanned for years, and it will continue to ravage the political and cultural landscape as it burns. Once out of office, Trump will use every bullhorn at his disposal to spread misinformation and foment violence. His tweets will push debunked election fraud lies, and he’ll portray himself as a martyr slain by a corrupt and unfair electoral system. His rallies will continue—he’s already begun dangling a 2024 run—to keep his fragile ego from shattering and to scare off other GOP contenders. If he launches a conservative digital outlet, as rumored, it will ensure that viewers believe he is the one and only source of political truth. You get the picture: Trump will keep denigrating democracy to elevate himself. Yet again, this president’s selfish gains will be America’s loss.


thenation--2020-11-25--Donald Trump Is the Ultimate Super-Spreader

It didn ’ t have to be this way .
As the United States gets slammed by yet another wave of Covid-19—the country now has more than 12 million cases , and over a quarter-million people have died—it is important to remember that what we are experiencing now is almost entirely by choice .
We ’ ve known for months how to limit the spread of the disease , but a vocal minority of Americans have chosen not to do it .
And they have chosen this path of most resistance thanks largely to one obnoxious person who has used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Donald Trump .
From the very first wave of the virus , Trump and his entourage of quacks and enablers have failed the most basic tests of governance and leadership .
He acted too slowly to stop the spread of the virus or give hospitals the resources they needed .
He didn ’ t come up with a plan for mass testing or contact tracing .
Instead of using the powers of the federal government to coordinate a national response and save lives , he hid behind governors and left states to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of anything approaching an actual plan , all he has given the country is performative messaging .
And that messaging has been a disaster .
Trump is the single largest driver of coronavirus misinformation worldwide .
He called it a hoax ( it wasn ’ t ) ; he said it would magically go away ( it didn ’ t ) ; he told people to inject bleach ( don ’ t ) ; he mocked people for wearing masks ( wear a mask ) ; he said only older people die from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ none of that is true ) .
Even after he got Covid-19 and recovered—thanks to the socialized medicine taxpayers provided him—he refused to embrace basic science and reason ; instead he ripped off his mask , parading about the White House balcony like some orange Übermensch .
He ended his failed reelection campaign by barnstorming around the country holding superspreader events that are thought to have caused 30,000 infections and 700 deaths .
And now ?
Now he hides out in the White House , nursing his bruised ego with Big Macs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coup—tweeting , filing lawsuits , refusing to allow a smooth transition to the Biden administration—all the while allowing the virus to run amok .
This is the real Trump surge : a surge not of mythical lost ballots but of flagrant , fast-replicating disease .
Trump is a walking biological weapon .
And yet , somehow , even all of this—the bleach , the rallies , the unconscionable disregard for life—fails to capture the full scope of the harm he ’ s done to this country .
Trump ’ s anti-science sociopathy has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actors .
His messaging , his attitude , his culture-war-mongering have filtered down throughout our country , to our national shame .
We ’ re in a race to the bottom , and Republicans aren ’ t the only ones playing .
Governors , including Democratic ones , reopened bars , restaurants , and gyms .
That was unnecessary and dangerous , but it ’ s not surprising that without any support from the federal government in terms of messaging ( or stimulus to keep local economies going ) , many states prioritized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe .
Meanwhile , it ’ s hard to persuade people to limit themselves to essential travel when everyone else seems to be going about their business as usual .
When deranged hordes go to death-cult rallies and football games , it ’ s hard to prevent regular folks from going to visit their grandmothers .
And when Trump administration officials are out there drinking coronavirus Jell-O shots out of each other ’ s belly buttons—and only the Black guy Herman Cain dies—it ’ s no wonder some people think it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grab a drink .
Unfortunately , Covid-19 doesn ’ t kill only those who taunted it .
A good leader would have tried to persuade people to protect themselves from the virus .
A great leader would have inspired the nation to make sacrifices for others .
Instead , we have Trump , and he has led us into this hell of sickness and death .
Even after he ’ s removed from the White House ( and he will be removed on January 20 ) , Trump will continue to use the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the well against public health .
There will be a vaccine for the coronavirus eventually , but there is no cure for what Trump has done to our society , no inoculation from the disinformation he spreads , and no way to bring back the lives he ’ s already cost us .
The coronavirus is a pathogen .
Trump is the plague .

This article appears in the December 14/21, 2020 issue.
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It didn’t have to be this way. As the United States gets slammed by yet another wave of Covid-19—the country now has more than 12 million cases, and over a quarter-million people have died—it is important to remember that what we are experiencing now is almost entirely by choice. We’ve known for months how to limit the spread of the disease, but a vocal minority of Americans have chosen not to do it. And they have chosen this path of most resistance thanks largely to one obnoxious person who has used his bully pulpit to frustrate public health: Donald Trump.
From the very first wave of the virus, Trump and his entourage of quacks and enablers have failed the most basic tests of governance and leadership. He acted too slowly to stop the spread of the virus or give hospitals the resources they needed. He didn’t come up with a plan for mass testing or contact tracing. Instead of using the powers of the federal government to coordinate a national response and save lives, he hid behind governors and left states to fend for themselves.
In the absence of anything approaching an actual plan, all he has given the country is performative messaging. And that messaging has been a disaster. Trump is the single largest driver of coronavirus misinformation worldwide. He called it a hoax (it wasn’t); he said it would magically go away (it didn’t); he told people to inject bleach (don’t); he mocked people for wearing masks (wear a mask); he said only older people die from the virus and children are immune (none of that is true). Even after he got Covid-19 and recovered—thanks to the socialized medicine taxpayers provided him—he refused to embrace basic science and reason; instead he ripped off his mask, parading about the White House balcony like some orange Übermensch. He ended his failed reelection campaign by barnstorming around the country holding superspreader events that are thought to have caused 30,000 infections and 700 deaths.
And now? Now he hides out in the White House, nursing his bruised ego with Big Macs and revenge fantasies. He stokes his clown coup—tweeting, filing lawsuits, refusing to allow a smooth transition to the Biden administration—all the while allowing the virus to run amok. This is the real Trump surge: a surge not of mythical lost ballots but of flagrant, fast-replicating disease. Trump is a walking biological weapon.
And yet, somehow, even all of this—the bleach, the rallies, the unconscionable disregard for life—fails to capture the full scope of the harm he’s done to this country. Trump’s anti-science sociopathy has been embraced by so many other political actors. His messaging, his attitude, his culture-war-mongering have filtered down throughout our country, to our national shame. Current Issue View our current issue
We’re in a race to the bottom, and Republicans aren’t the only ones playing. Governors, including Democratic ones, reopened bars, restaurants, and gyms. That was unnecessary and dangerous, but it’s not surprising that without any support from the federal government in terms of messaging (or stimulus to keep local economies going), many states prioritized getting back to normal over keeping people safe. Meanwhile, it’s hard to persuade people to limit themselves to essential travel when everyone else seems to be going about their business as usual. When deranged hordes go to death-cult rallies and football games, it’s hard to prevent regular folks from going to visit their grandmothers. And when Trump administration officials are out there drinking coronavirus Jell-O shots out of each other’s belly buttons—and only the Black guy Herman Cain dies—it’s no wonder some people think it’s OK to go inside a bar to grab a drink.
Unfortunately, Covid-19 doesn’t kill only those who taunted it.
A good leader would have tried to persuade people to protect themselves from the virus. A great leader would have inspired the nation to make sacrifices for others. Instead, we have Trump, and he has led us into this hell of sickness and death.
Even after he’s removed from the White House (and he will be removed on January 20), Trump will continue to use the media—Twitter, Fox News, Newsmax—to poison the well against public health. There will be a vaccine for the coronavirus eventually, but there is no cure for what Trump has done to our society, no inoculation from the disinformation he spreads, and no way to bring back the lives he’s already cost us.
The coronavirus is a pathogen. Trump is the plague.


thenation--2020-11-24--Sanction Trump’s Election Lawyers—Now!

Sanction Trump’s Election Lawyers—Now!

Last week , the Trump campaign dropped its final lawsuit contesting the results of the presidential election in Michigan .
Lawyers representing Trump had alleged “ irregularities ” among millions of mail-in ballots received in Wayne County , Mich. , which contains the city of Detroit .
The lawsuit had no chance of success .
The legal pleadings contained no evidence of the massive voter fraud alleged by the Trump campaign , nor did it lay out a path to uncover any such evidence .
The entire lawsuit was merely designed to delay certification of Michigan ’ s election results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Wayne County Board of Canvassers initially deadlocked on the question of whether to certify the results , when the two Republicans on the committee openly refused to count the votes of people living in predominately Black precincts .
But , after an intense public backlash , the Republicans reversed course and certified the results .
That didn ’ t stop the Trump campaign from declaring victory and saying the quiet part out loud : It had dropped the lawsuit because it had succeeded in its goal of delaying certification of the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be leading this coup d ’ imbécile , spoke for the campaign even though he did not personally represent it in the Michigan case .
He said the goal of Trump ’ s lawsuit had been “ to prevent the Wayne County election from being certified prematurely before residents can be sure that all legal votes were counted and all illegal votes were not counted.
” This statement is effectively an acknowledgment of a violation of legal ethics that is sanctionable under Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s legal arguments in court were not designed to achieve victory but only to delay the completion of the process entrusted to the Board of Canvassers .
Having achieved that mere delay , by a matter of hours ( and not an actual injunction ) , the legal team withdrew its lawsuit and claimed “ victory.
” It shows that the lawsuit was a ploy and not a valid legal argument .
Lawyers are not supposed to bring lawsuits that are merely designed to cause a delay in the normal operation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bring lawsuits that are frivolous and have no legal rationale .
The Federal Rules anticipate the possibility of an attorney doing exactly what Giuliani has admitted the Trump campaign is doing and authorize judges to punish attorneys who do it .
Rule 11 ( b ) ( 1 ) makes transparently clear that the conduct of the lawyer ’ s representing the Trump campaign is sanctionable : In addition , I could easily make the case that the campaign ’ s Michigan filing violates Rule 11 ( b ) 2 and 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applies only to the named attorneys in a case .
A lawyer can get up at a press conference and say all kinds of stuff without being brought up on sanctions .
But once a lawyer signs their name on an official pleading , they become officers of that court with an ethical duty to respect the legal process .
In the Michigan case , Mark F. Hearne , who apparently goes by the nickname “ Thor , ” is the named attorney representing the Trump campaign .
He should be sanctioned under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stayed on the sidelines , merely shouting invectives from the Just for Men aisle or whatever landscaping storefront he plans to hold his next press conference from , he could have escaped Rule 11 sanctions .
But , after the law firm Porter Wright withdrew from a frivolous Pennsylvania lawsuit , Giuliani stepped in as a named attorney for Trump .
Giuliani inserted himself into the federal case Donald J. Trump for President , Inc. v. Boockvar .
In that suit , the Trump campaign asked the court to throw away around 700,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave no cogent legal reason for such an extraordinary ruling .
Giuliani ’ s unhinged performance in court will be taught in future trial advocacy clinics as a case study in failure .
Over the weekend , US District Judge Matthew Brann dismissed the case with a blistering opinion .
The judge wrote : Again , this is a point-and-click violation of Rule 11 .
U.C .
Hastings Law professor James Wagstaffe has written that Rule 11 creates a duty for lawyers to certify that their lawsuits are factually and legally meritorious .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The Trump campaign has failed to assert any facts that support their contention that there was massive voter fraud during the election , nor has it come up with any meritorious legal theory that justifies the summary dismissal of hundreds of thousands of votes .
No court , to my knowledge , has ever simply thrown away 100,000 votes after an election , much less the 700,000 that Giuliani and Trump have been asking for .
Trump ’ s attorneys are making frivolous legal arguments , unsupported by facts , and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ named attorneys in the Pennsylvania case is Marc Scaringi .
After news outlets finally called the election for Joe Biden on November 7 , Scaringi went on his own radio show and said , “ At the end of the day , in my view , the litigation will not work.… It will not reverse this election.
” Yet he continued to represent Trump in his frivolous lawsuit .
All of Trump ’ s lawyers know or should know they are bringing frivolous lawsuits with no chance of success .
As of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican-aligned institutions or private actors , have brought 36 lawsuits challenging the standing of the election .
At least 25 have been dismissed by the court or settled or withdrawn .
Trump ’ s lawyers are wasting the court ’ s time and using the mere existence of frivolous , unwinnable lawsuits to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election .
Trump Is Blowing Up the Georgia GOP—and It Couldn ’ t Happen at a Better Time None of this is okay .
We don ’ t just have to throw up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scaringi , Hearne , and Rudolph freaking Giuliani to grow a conscience and stop flooding the zone with legal inanity .
Rule 11 is there , specifically , to put a stop to these kinds of shenanigans .
Courts can impose Rule 11 sanctions on their own initiative , or opposing counsel ( in this case , the Biden team or lawyers for the Democratic National Committee ) could file a motion asking the court to impose sanctions .
Why haven ’ t they ?
I ’ m sure the judges don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Biden team doesn ’ t want to give these frivolous lawsuits any additional coverage , but something has to be done to stop the madness .
Trump attorneys must be punished , or else they will keep wasting the court ’ s and the country ’ s time .
As usual , only Black people seem to be willing to fight these Trump goons where they are .
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund is representing a group of Black voters claiming that the Trump campaign ’ s efforts to overturn the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act .
They ask the court to stop the campaign from engaging in this behavior .
I ’ m sick of everybody else treating Trump and his bad-faith sycophants as if they are babies throwing a series of tantrums .
Stop infantilizing them .
Stop treating them like misbehaving children who need a time-out .
These are grown adults who need to be punished for their violations of laws and codes of ethical conduct .
Rule 11 is there to stop the frivolous litigation brought by the Trump legal team .
Use it @

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Last week, the Trump campaign dropped its final lawsuit contesting the results of the presidential election in Michigan. Lawyers representing Trump had alleged “irregularities” among millions of mail-in ballots received in Wayne County, Mich., which contains the city of Detroit.
The lawsuit had no chance of success. The legal pleadings contained no evidence of the massive voter fraud alleged by the Trump campaign, nor did it lay out a path to uncover any such evidence. The entire lawsuit was merely designed to delay certification of Michigan’s election results.
It didn’t work. The Wayne County Board of Canvassers initially deadlocked on the question of whether to certify the results, when the two Republicans on the committee openly refused to count the votes of people living in predominately Black precincts. But, after an intense public backlash, the Republicans reversed course and certified the results.
That didn’t stop the Trump campaign from declaring victory and saying the quiet part out loud: It had dropped the lawsuit because it had succeeded in its goal of delaying certification of the election results. Rudolph Giuliani, who appears to be leading this coup d’imbécile, spoke for the campaign even though he did not personally represent it in the Michigan case. He said the goal of Trump’s lawsuit had been “to prevent the Wayne County election from being certified prematurely before residents can be sure that all legal votes were counted and all illegal votes were not counted.” Current Issue View our current issue
This statement is effectively an acknowledgment of a violation of legal ethics that is sanctionable under Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. It is an admission that the team’s legal arguments in court were not designed to achieve victory but only to delay the completion of the process entrusted to the Board of Canvassers. Having achieved that mere delay, by a matter of hours (and not an actual injunction), the legal team withdrew its lawsuit and claimed “victory.” It shows that the lawsuit was a ploy and not a valid legal argument.
Lawyers are not supposed to bring lawsuits that are merely designed to cause a delay in the normal operation of law. They’re not supposed to bring lawsuits that are frivolous and have no legal rationale. The Federal Rules anticipate the possibility of an attorney doing exactly what Giuliani has admitted the Trump campaign is doing and authorize judges to punish attorneys who do it.
Rule 11(b)(1) makes transparently clear that the conduct of the lawyer’s representing the Trump campaign is sanctionable:
In addition, I could easily make the case that the campaign’s Michigan filing violates Rule 11(b) 2 and 3 and 4 as well.
(2) the claims, defenses, and other legal contentions are warranted by existing law or by a nonfrivolous argument for extending, modifying, or reversing existing law or for establishing new law; (3) the factual contentions have evidentiary support or, if specifically so identified, will likely have evidentiary support after a reasonable opportunity for further investigation or discovery; and (4) the denials of factual contentions are warranted on the evidence or, if specifically so identified, are reasonably based on belief or a lack of information.
Rule 11 applies only to the named attorneys in a case. A lawyer can get up at a press conference and say all kinds of stuff without being brought up on sanctions. But once a lawyer signs their name on an official pleading, they become officers of that court with an ethical duty to respect the legal process.
In the Michigan case, Mark F. Hearne, who apparently goes by the nickname “Thor,” is the named attorney representing the Trump campaign. He should be sanctioned under the Federal Rules.
If Giuliani had stayed on the sidelines, merely shouting invectives from the Just for Men aisle or whatever landscaping storefront he plans to hold his next press conference from, he could have escaped Rule 11 sanctions. But, after the law firm Porter Wright withdrew from a frivolous Pennsylvania lawsuit, Giuliani stepped in as a named attorney for Trump.
Giuliani inserted himself into the federal case Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. v. Boockvar. In that suit, the Trump campaign asked the court to throw away around 700,000 mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania. The campaign gave no cogent legal reason for such an extraordinary ruling. Giuliani’s unhinged performance in court will be taught in future trial advocacy clinics as a case study in failure.
Over the weekend, US District Judge Matthew Brann dismissed the case with a blistering opinion. The judge wrote:
One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption, such that this Court would have no option but to regrettably grant the proposed injunctive relief despite the impact it would have on such a large group of citizens. That has not happened. Instead, this Court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations, unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence.
Again, this is a point-and-click violation of Rule 11. U.C. Hastings Law professor James Wagstaffe has written that Rule 11 creates a duty for lawyers to certify that their lawsuits are factually and legally meritorious. “Wishful thinking doesn’t count.”
The Trump campaign has failed to assert any facts that support their contention that there was massive voter fraud during the election, nor has it come up with any meritorious legal theory that justifies the summary dismissal of hundreds of thousands of votes. No court, to my knowledge, has ever simply thrown away 100,000 votes after an election, much less the 700,000 that Giuliani and Trump have been asking for.
Trump’s attorneys are making frivolous legal arguments, unsupported by facts, and they know it. One of the other named attorneys in the Pennsylvania case is Marc Scaringi. After news outlets finally called the election for Joe Biden on November 7, Scaringi went on his own radio show and said, “At the end of the day, in my view, the litigation will not work.… It will not reverse this election.” Yet he continued to represent Trump in his frivolous lawsuit.
All of Trump’s lawyers know or should know they are bringing frivolous lawsuits with no chance of success. As of this writing, they, along with other Republican-aligned institutions or private actors, have brought 36 lawsuits challenging the standing of the election. At least 25 have been dismissed by the court or settled or withdrawn. Trump’s lawyers are wasting the court’s time and using the mere existence of frivolous, unwinnable lawsuits to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election. After the Election Trump Is Blowing Up the Georgia GOP—and It Couldn’t Happen at a Better Time Joan Walsh Democrats No Longer Have a Coalition Musa al-Gharbi
None of this is okay. We don’t just have to throw up our hands and wait for people like Scaringi, Hearne, and Rudolph freaking Giuliani to grow a conscience and stop flooding the zone with legal inanity. Rule 11 is there, specifically, to put a stop to these kinds of shenanigans.
Courts can impose Rule 11 sanctions on their own initiative, or opposing counsel (in this case, the Biden team or lawyers for the Democratic National Committee) could file a motion asking the court to impose sanctions.
Why haven’t they? I’m sure the judges don’t want to appear partisan, and the Biden team doesn’t want to give these frivolous lawsuits any additional coverage, but something has to be done to stop the madness. Trump attorneys must be punished, or else they will keep wasting the court’s and the country’s time.
As usual, only Black people seem to be willing to fight these Trump goons where they are. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund is representing a group of Black voters claiming that the Trump campaign’s efforts to overturn the election are a violation of the Voting Rights Act. They ask the court to stop the campaign from engaging in this behavior.
I’m sick of everybody else treating Trump and his bad-faith sycophants as if they are babies throwing a series of tantrums. Stop infantilizing them. Stop treating them like misbehaving children who need a time-out. These are grown adults who need to be punished for their violations of laws and codes of ethical conduct.
Rule 11 is there to stop the frivolous litigation brought by the Trump legal team. Use it.


thenation--2020-11-24--Time for Democrats to Drain the Real Swamp

Even in defeat , President Trump ’ s villainies command the spotlight .
Speculation is rife over whether the Biden administration or the various state and local criminal investigations in New York will lead to prosecutions of Trump himself on everything from campaign finance violations ( the alleged bribes to his mistresses to keep silent about Trump ’ s dalliances with them in 2016 ) to tax fraud to obstruction of justice .
President-elect Joe Biden has stated that “ ” this is the time to heal , ” suggesting that he ’ ll leave the pursuit of Trump to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heal , one critical remedy is to rebuild trust in government and pride in public service .
And that will require putting the spotlight on how the Trump administration systematically traduced our government .
Trump has run what essentially has been a shameless kleptocracy ; without question it is one of the most corrupt administrations in history .
His own self-enrichment is notorious .
He staffed regulatory agencies and departments with lobbyists and executives from special interests that they were tasked to regulate : a coal industry lobbyist to protect air and water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department , a Raytheon lobbyist at the Defense Department and so on .
Several of the grifters became notorious for personal despoliations—such as Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson ’ s $ 31,000 dining room set or ousted Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt ’ s $ 43,000 soundproof phone booth .
Last year , ProPublica reported that 281 former lobbyists had been recruited into the Trump administration—one lobbyist for every 14 non-civil-service job openings , and four times more than Obama had hired during his first six years in office .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s column here .

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week we cross-post an excerpt from Katrina vanden Heuvel’s column at the WashingtonPost.com. Read the full text of Katrina’s column here.
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Even in defeat, President Trump’s villainies command the spotlight. Speculation is rife over whether the Biden administration or the various state and local criminal investigations in New York will lead to prosecutions of Trump himself on everything from campaign finance violations (the alleged bribes to his mistresses to keep silent about Trump’s dalliances with them in 2016) to tax fraud to obstruction of justice. President-elect Joe Biden has stated that “”this is the time to heal,” suggesting that he’ll leave the pursuit of Trump to others. But for the country to heal, one critical remedy is to rebuild trust in government and pride in public service. And that will require putting the spotlight on how the Trump administration systematically traduced our government.
Trump has run what essentially has been a shameless kleptocracy; without question it is one of the most corrupt administrations in history. His own self-enrichment is notorious. He staffed regulatory agencies and departments with lobbyists and executives from special interests that they were tasked to regulate: a coal industry lobbyist to protect air and water, an oil lobbyist at the Interior Department, a Raytheon lobbyist at the Defense Department and so on.
Several of the grifters became notorious for personal despoliations—such as Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson’s $31,000 dining room set or ousted Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s $43,000 soundproof phone booth. Last year, ProPublica reported that 281 former lobbyists had been recruited into the Trump administration—one lobbyist for every 14 non-civil-service job openings, and four times more than Obama had hired during his first six years in office.
Read the full text of Katrina’s column here.


thenation--2020-11-24--Rudy Giuliani Went to Court and Made a Compelling Argument—for His Own Disbarment

Federal Judge Matthew Brann dismissed Donald Trump ’ s over-the-top challenge to Pennsylvania ’ s election results with a withering rebuke to arguments made by the leader of defeated president ’ s legal team : “ This claim , like Frankenstein ’ s Monster , has been haphazardly stitched together.
” Then the judge , a former Republican Party operative whose biography identifies him as a member of the conservative Federalist Society , let rip .
Describing former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani ’ s proposal to disenfranchise 7 million Pennsylvania voters as “ unhinged , ” the judge for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ District of Pennsylvania wrote : This court has been unable to find any case in which a plaintiff has sought such a drastic remedy in the contest of an election , in terms of the sheer volume of votes asked to be invalidated .
One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome , a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption , such that this Court would have no option but to regrettably grant the proposed injunctive relief despite the impact it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens .
Judge Brand concluded , “ In this case , the Trump campaign has not pled a cognizable theory.
” That was a damning assessment of a legal strategy that literally made no sense—except as a deliberate abuse of the courts to discredit the election that Giuliani ’ s client lost .
“ In his ruling , Brann delivered a repudiation of both the Trump campaign ’ s unsupported claims of widespread voter fraud and the lawyer who presented them in court : Giuliani , ” observed a review of the ruling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : If Trump really thought there was a case to be made for his allegations , he would immediately fire Giuliani .
But at this point Trump is fighting on primarily to discredit free and fair elections , maintaining the pattern of antidemocratic behavior that has characterized his presidency .
While attention in recent days has focused on battleground-state fights over recounts and the certification of results for Democrat Joe Biden—most recently , on Monday , in Michigan—the real story of Trump ’ s failed post-election strategy has been written in the courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of legal challenges mounted by Giuliani and his team have been rejected on their merits—and with judges calling out the absurdity and irresponsibility of the attempted arguments .
Giuliani ’ s advocacy on behalf of Trump has been one long exercise in malpractice with malicious intent .
And US Representative Bill Pascrell , a New Jersey Democrat who serves on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee , has had enough .
In letters to legal bar authorities in Arizona , Michigan , Nevada , New York , and Pennsylvania , the congressman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 22 other lawyers representing Trump ’ s attempt to overturn election results .
“ We live together in extraordinary and increasingly dangerous national circumstances .
At present , our sitting President has refused to accept the outcome of our national election and is attacking the integrity of our electoral system to keep himself in power , ” writes Pascrell .
“ The pattern of behavior by these individuals to effectuate Mr. Trump ’ s sinister arson is a danger not just to our legal system but is also unprecedented in our national life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have clearly violated the Rules of Professional Conduct they swore to uphold and should face the severest sanction your body can mete out : revocation of their law licensures.
” Pascrell ’ s letter to the State of New York Grievance Committee for the Second , Eleventh & Thirteenth Judicial Districts spells out concerns : Recounting the New York Rules of Professional Conduct for licensed attorneys , the congressman highlights concerns about possible violations of Rule of Professional Conduct 3.1 , which requires that “ [ a ] lawyer shall not bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or controvert an issue therein , unless there is a basis in law and fact for doing so that is not frivolous , ” and Rule 8.4 ( c ) , which posits that it is professional misconduct for a lawyer “ to engage in conduct involving dishonesty , fraud , deceit , or misrepresentation.
” Pascrell ’ s complaint is an appropriate one , as there must be a response to the clear abuse of the courts and of the democratic process .
He explains : As of today , President-elect Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( by 10,457 votes , or 0.31 percent ) , Georgia ( 13,554 votes , or 0.27 percent ) , Michigan ( by 154,187 votes , or 2.79 percent ) , Nevada ( by 33,596 votes , or 2.39 percent ) , and Pennsylvania ( 81,487 , or 1.18 percent ) by margins virtually [ certain not ] to be reversed by any recounts .
Despite the difficult circumstances of this pandemic , these states ’ administration of their elections were strong and there is no evidence of systematic malfeasance or fraud in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Giuliani has participated in the filing a series of absurd lawsuits seeking to overturn the will of the voters in these states and has caused irreversible damage to public trust in the fair administration of our elections .

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Federal Judge Matthew Brann dismissed Donald Trump’s over-the-top challenge to Pennsylvania’s election results with a withering rebuke to arguments made by the leader of defeated president’s legal team: “This claim, like Frankenstein’s Monster, has been haphazardly stitched together.” Then the judge, a former Republican Party operative whose biography identifies him as a member of the conservative Federalist Society, let rip.
Describing former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani’s proposal to disenfranchise 7 million Pennsylvania voters as “unhinged,” the judge for the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania wrote:
This court has been unable to find any case in which a plaintiff has sought such a drastic remedy in the contest of an election, in terms of the sheer volume of votes asked to be invalidated. One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption, such that this Court would have no option but to regrettably grant the proposed injunctive relief despite the impact it would have on such a large group of citizens.
That has not happened. Instead, this court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations, unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by the evidence.
Judge Brand concluded, “In this case, the Trump campaign has not pled a cognizable theory.”
That was a damning assessment of a legal strategy that literally made no sense—except as a deliberate abuse of the courts to discredit the election that Giuliani’s client lost. “In his ruling, Brann delivered a repudiation of both the Trump campaign’s unsupported claims of widespread voter fraud and the lawyer who presented them in court: Giuliani,” observed a review of the ruling by The Philadelphia Inquirer, which continued:
If Trump really thought there was a case to be made for his allegations, he would immediately fire Giuliani. But at this point Trump is fighting on primarily to discredit free and fair elections, maintaining the pattern of antidemocratic behavior that has characterized his presidency. While attention in recent days has focused on battleground-state fights over recounts and the certification of results for Democrat Joe Biden—most recently, on Monday, in Michigan—the real story of Trump’s failed post-election strategy has been written in the courts. In state after state, dozens of legal challenges mounted by Giuliani and his team have been rejected on their merits—and with judges calling out the absurdity and irresponsibility of the attempted arguments. Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung
Giuliani’s advocacy on behalf of Trump has been one long exercise in malpractice with malicious intent. And US Representative Bill Pascrell, a New Jersey Democrat who serves on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, has had enough. In letters to legal bar authorities in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania, the congressman has sought the disbarment of Giuliani and 22 other lawyers representing Trump’s attempt to overturn election results. “We live together in extraordinary and increasingly dangerous national circumstances. At present, our sitting President has refused to accept the outcome of our national election and is attacking the integrity of our electoral system to keep himself in power,” writes Pascrell. “The pattern of behavior by these individuals to effectuate Mr. Trump’s sinister arson is a danger not just to our legal system but is also unprecedented in our national life. In carrying out that perversion, they have clearly violated the Rules of Professional Conduct they swore to uphold and should face the severest sanction your body can mete out: revocation of their law licensures.”
Pascrell’s letter to the State of New York Grievance Committee for the Second, Eleventh & Thirteenth Judicial Districts spells out concerns:
In his capacity as a public spokesman and attorney representing the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, Mr. Giuliani has participated in frivolous lawsuits and used our nation’s courts to assault public confidence in the United States electoral system, violating the New York Rules of Professional Conduct. Therefore, I request your office commence an immediate investigation of his actions and consider sanctions for his conduct up to and including revocation of Mr. Giuliani’s licenses to practice law in your jurisdiction.
Recounting the New York Rules of Professional Conduct for licensed attorneys, the congressman highlights concerns about possible violations of Rule of Professional Conduct 3.1, which requires that “[a] lawyer shall not bring or defend a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein, unless there is a basis in law and fact for doing so that is not frivolous,” and Rule 8.4(c), which posits that it is professional misconduct for a lawyer “to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.”
Pascrell’s complaint is an appropriate one, as there must be a response to the clear abuse of the courts and of the democratic process. He explains:
As of today, President-elect Joe Biden has won the states of Arizona (by 10,457 votes, or 0.31 percent), Georgia (13,554 votes, or 0.27 percent), Michigan (by 154,187 votes, or 2.79 percent), Nevada (by 33,596 votes, or 2.39 percent), and Pennsylvania (81,487, or 1.18 percent) by margins virtually [certain not] to be reversed by any recounts. Despite the difficult circumstances of this pandemic, these states’ administration of their elections were strong and there is no evidence of systematic malfeasance or fraud in any of them. Nevertheless, Mr. Giuliani has participated in the filing a series of absurd lawsuits seeking to overturn the will of the voters in these states and has caused irreversible damage to public trust in the fair administration of our elections.
N


thenation--2020-11-24--The GOP: Grotesque, Outrageous Putschists

It is now been three weeks since an election that Trump lost by more than 6 million popular votes and 74 Electoral College votes .
And though the General Services Administration finally began the transition process on Monday evening , the president himself has still not conceded , and the series of lawsuits intended to retroactively disenfranchise millions of voters continues .
Because of Trump ’ s gracelessness in defeat and his attempts to undermine the will of the people , Joe Biden has lost more than two weeks as he prepares to become president .
During that period , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process , he wasn ’ t receiving intelligence briefings , couldn ’ t coordinate strategies between his team and Trump ’ s regarding the pandemic and the distribution of vaccines , couldn ’ t get government e-mail addresses and office space for his staff , and couldn ’ t even get his cabinet nominees background-checked by the FBI—meaning that their confirmation process will likely be delayed .
While these shenanigans played out , Trump ’ s henchmen have engaged in a twin strategy of guerrilla warfare : On the one hand , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to environmental and health care regulations , to participation in multinational agreements such as the Open Skies treaty , to foreign policy , and to personnel in key scientific , defense , and intelligence agencies as possible ; on the other hand , they are lighting the fuses on economic grenades intended to detonate early in a Biden presidency , and to increase the likelihood of a double-dip recession .
Trump ’ s actions don ’ t surprise me .
It ’ s been clear for five years that he ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t believe in the bedrock principles of democracy , and that he is , at heart , a saboteur : a wrecker of people , of institutions , and , ultimately , of countries .
It ’ s been clear since the spring , when Biden emerged as the Democratic Party ’ s candidate and when the polls began settling solidly against Trump , that No .
45 would not accept an election result in which he wasn ’ t the winner .
And it ’ s been clear since November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believing he ’ s the rightful victor and has locked himself into a fantasy bubble in which he is now , and always will be , supremely powerful .
The GOP Is in a State of Terminal Decay Trump and the GOP Intensify Their Assault on Democracy All of this is infinitely depressing—and also as entirely predictable as Trump ’ s playing golf instead of talking with world leaders about how to coordinate a response to the Covid-19 surge .
But what amazes me , at this point , is the number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue down this foul path—which will probably end in the wreckage of the entire Trumpian project but could lead to Trump ’ s somehow staying in power , a destination so entirely void of democratic presence and so destructive of two and a half centuries of the American political and societal experiment that it would come to be seen as one of the great calamities of the human story .
And , no , that ’ s not hyperbole .
This isn ’ t a game , and Trump ’ s actions aren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They are at this point unabashedly authoritarian , and contemptuous not just of the institutions that make democracy possible but also of the nearly 80 million Americans who cast their votes for Biden .
Trump is attempting to reduce all of those Americans to subjects rather than citizens , to expendable ballast to be thrown overboard in order to keep his horrific version of the ship of state afloat .
Erstwhile Trump allies such as former New Jersey governor Chris Christie can see where this all leads , which is why Christie took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the efforts to overturn the will of the people .
Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey finally found the balls to join a handful of his GOP Senate colleagues in congratulating “ President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris , ” after the latest Pennsylvania court ruling rejecting Trump ’ s efforts to throw out hundreds of thousands of votes from that state .
It ’ s been a long while coming , but better late than never for these politicians to distance themselves from Trump ’ s ongoing coup efforts .
But where are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including the entire leadership , who haven ’ t acknowledged Biden ’ s win ?
Toomey ’ s statement was a good one , but where are other Republican voices from Pennsylvania who should be forcefully pushing back against Trump ’ s attempt to disenfranchise most voters in that state ’ s urban hubs ?
Where were the Republican politicians in Michigan who didn ’ t publicly push back against Trump ’ s and the RNC ’ s efforts to endlessly delay certification of that state ’ s votes ; and who didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somehow disappear Detroit ’ s voters—under the immaculate logic that if we simply discounted the people who didn ’ t vote for Trump , then Trump would have been the clear winner in Michigan ?
Ultimately , that strategy failed , when one of the two GOP members on the state ’ s board of canvassers voted with his Democratic colleagues to certify the Michigan result for Biden on Monday .
But the very fact that that decision was a nail-biter , despite Biden ’ s having won the state by roughly 150,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parts of the GOP are now willing to go to sabotage the popular vote .
Where are the Wisconsin Republicans who ought to be pushing back against the slew of conspiracy theories and nuisance challenges to thousands of ballots , all designed to slow this week ’ s recount of votes in that state to such a crawl that it ’ s not completed in time for the certification deadline ?
Where were the Georgia Republicans , who could have raised voices against Trump ’ s insistence on yet another recount—paid for by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certified Biden ’ s victory ?
These men and women of the Republican Party , who wrap themselves in the flag at every opportunity , who call themselves patriots and their opponents enemies of the people—they have become the Benedict Arnolds of our age .
It is an extraordinary metamorphosis .
These intriguers and sycophants have in essence spent the weeks since the election plotting to erase Lincoln ’ s immortal Gettysburg Address : his solemn pledge to those who died fighting so that “ government of the people , by the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perish from the earth.
” And they are guilty , through their silence in the face of Trump ’ s extraordinary actions and words , of seeking to extinguish Lady Liberty ’ s torch .
They have , in short , been auditioning for the role of pallbearers at democracy ’ s funeral .
Trump ’ s strategy is putsch politics .
Christie has belatedly recognized it for what it is .
But , shamefully , much of the GOP seems content to continue playing a game of follow-the-fascist , as Trump enacts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last , twisted weeks of his presidency .

It is now been three weeks since an election that Trump lost by more than 6 million popular votes and 74 Electoral College votes. And though the General Services Administration finally began the transition process on Monday evening, the president himself has still not conceded, and the series of lawsuits intended to retroactively disenfranchise millions of voters continues.
Because of Trump’s gracelessness in defeat and his attempts to undermine the will of the people, Joe Biden has lost more than two weeks as he prepares to become president. During that period, with the GSA holding up the transition process, he wasn’t receiving intelligence briefings, couldn’t coordinate strategies between his team and Trump’s regarding the pandemic and the distribution of vaccines, couldn’t get government e-mail addresses and office space for his staff, and couldn’t even get his cabinet nominees background-checked by the FBI—meaning that their confirmation process will likely be delayed.
While these shenanigans played out, Trump’s henchmen have engaged in a twin strategy of guerrilla warfare: On the one hand, they are locking in place as many changes to environmental and health care regulations, to participation in multinational agreements such as the Open Skies treaty, to foreign policy, and to personnel in key scientific, defense, and intelligence agencies as possible; on the other hand, they are lighting the fuses on economic grenades intended to detonate early in a Biden presidency, and to increase the likelihood of a double-dip recession.
Trump’s actions don’t surprise me. It’s been clear for five years that he’s a megalomaniac and a narcissist, that he doesn’t believe in the bedrock principles of democracy, and that he is, at heart, a saboteur: a wrecker of people, of institutions, and, ultimately, of countries. It’s been clear since the spring, when Biden emerged as the Democratic Party’s candidate and when the polls began settling solidly against Trump, that No. 45 would not accept an election result in which he wasn’t the winner. And it’s been clear since November 3 that Trump has talked himself into believing he’s the rightful victor and has locked himself into a fantasy bubble in which he is now, and always will be, supremely powerful. More Signal:Noise The GOP Is in a State of Terminal Decay Sasha Abramsky Trump and the GOP Intensify Their Assault on Democracy Sasha Abramsky
All of this is infinitely depressing—and also as entirely predictable as Trump’s playing golf instead of talking with world leaders about how to coordinate a response to the Covid-19 surge. But what amazes me, at this point, is the number of Good Americans who have been willing to continue down this foul path—which will probably end in the wreckage of the entire Trumpian project but could lead to Trump’s somehow staying in power, a destination so entirely void of democratic presence and so destructive of two and a half centuries of the American political and societal experiment that it would come to be seen as one of the great calamities of the human story. Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung
And, no, that’s not hyperbole. This isn’t a game, and Trump’s actions aren’t simply truculent or petty. They are at this point unabashedly authoritarian, and contemptuous not just of the institutions that make democracy possible but also of the nearly 80 million Americans who cast their votes for Biden. Trump is attempting to reduce all of those Americans to subjects rather than citizens, to expendable ballast to be thrown overboard in order to keep his horrific version of the ship of state afloat.
Erstwhile Trump allies such as former New Jersey governor Chris Christie can see where this all leads, which is why Christie took to the airwaves this weekend to denounce the efforts to overturn the will of the people. Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey finally found the balls to join a handful of his GOP Senate colleagues in congratulating “President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris,” after the latest Pennsylvania court ruling rejecting Trump’s efforts to throw out hundreds of thousands of votes from that state. It’s been a long while coming, but better late than never for these politicians to distance themselves from Trump’s ongoing coup efforts. Current Issue View our current issue
But where are the nearly four dozen Republican senators, including the entire leadership, who haven’t acknowledged Biden’s win? Toomey’s statement was a good one, but where are other Republican voices from Pennsylvania who should be forcefully pushing back against Trump’s attempt to disenfranchise most voters in that state’s urban hubs?
Where were the Republican politicians in Michigan who didn’t publicly push back against Trump’s and the RNC’s efforts to endlessly delay certification of that state’s votes; and who didn’t disavow the outrageous attempts to somehow disappear Detroit’s voters—under the immaculate logic that if we simply discounted the people who didn’t vote for Trump, then Trump would have been the clear winner in Michigan? Ultimately, that strategy failed, when one of the two GOP members on the state’s board of canvassers voted with his Democratic colleagues to certify the Michigan result for Biden on Monday. But the very fact that that decision was a nail-biter, despite Biden’s having won the state by roughly 150,000 votes, shows the lengths that large parts of the GOP are now willing to go to sabotage the popular vote.
Where are the Wisconsin Republicans who ought to be pushing back against the slew of conspiracy theories and nuisance challenges to thousands of ballots, all designed to slow this week’s recount of votes in that state to such a crawl that it’s not completed in time for the certification deadline?
Where were the Georgia Republicans, who could have raised voices against Trump’s insistence on yet another recount—paid for by Georgia taxpayers—in a state that had already certified Biden’s victory?
These men and women of the Republican Party, who wrap themselves in the flag at every opportunity, who call themselves patriots and their opponents enemies of the people—they have become the Benedict Arnolds of our age. It is an extraordinary metamorphosis. These intriguers and sycophants have in essence spent the weeks since the election plotting to erase Lincoln’s immortal Gettysburg Address: his solemn pledge to those who died fighting so that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” And they are guilty, through their silence in the face of Trump’s extraordinary actions and words, of seeking to extinguish Lady Liberty’s torch. They have, in short, been auditioning for the role of pallbearers at democracy’s funeral.
Trump’s strategy is putsch politics. Christie has belatedly recognized it for what it is. But, shamefully, much of the GOP seems content to continue playing a game of follow-the-fascist, as Trump enacts his own version of Götterdämmerung in these last, twisted weeks of his presidency.