Thanks Steve.I agree with Judge Lutting, the Rs no longer exist. It is all MAGA, all performance for DJT. To see out 250 th birthday as a democracy they need to be defeated. Playground taunts between Members degrades those halls.
Yesterday there was a meme on Threads and Facebook that said “ watching Trump is like looking at the second plane hitting the Twin Towers”. As if we have no control. Wrong. We have ultimate control We can stop this flight: we can land this plane. We can end the terror holding part of the population. It’s up to us. We did it on Tuesday in Ohio, we can do it again
About half of US Republicans could spurn Trump if he is convicted, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows
By Jason Lange - August 3, 2023
WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - About half of Republicans would not vote for Donald Trump if he were convicted of a felony, a sign of the severe risks his legal problems pose for his 2024 U.S. presidential bid, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Thursday.
[...] The two-day Reuters/Ipsos poll, which closed before Trump's late-afternoon court appearance, asked respondents if they would vote for Trump for president next year if he were "convicted of a felony crime by a jury." Among Republicans, 45% said they would not vote for him, more than the 35% who said they would. The rest said they didn't know.
Asked if they would vote for Trump if he were "currently serving time in prison," 52% of Republicans said they would not, compared to 28% who said they would.
And if this polling proves to be anywhere within ballpark accuracy, what this might mean is that a significant percentage of Republican voters -- maybe 4% - 8% i guestimate -- may not even fill out a ballot in protest, disgust, and/or apathy, allowing more Democrat candidates down-ballot to win in Nov 2024.
And of course this Reuters/Ipsos poll also suggests that even higher percentages of Independent voters (far more than the 45% / 52% of GOP voters if Trump is convicted / imprisoned) would not vote for Trump-- meaning landslide victory for Joe Biden.
Excellent piece. It is why I go out of my way to explain to all who will stand still long enough why they must vote out all Republicans at this point in time. We are not in a position where there are some "good republicans" to rely on. The party is defunct. The party is nazi. If there are any in the party who have any moral backbone, they are not using it.
It is up to us as Americans who want to live under the Constitution of the United States to use our voices to replace the nonsense on the news.
Steve is right. The choice is plain. America or bust.
I have only one word to say about al of this: Ohio. We haven’t yet seen the mobilization of women, like me, who are sick of hearing Trump whining like a dysfunctional 3 year old while continuing to act like Goebbels. We are sick of De Santis and his Evita style wife acting like South American style dictators. This Vivek guy, whoever he is, acts like he knows something, which is clearly untrue. Only Chris Christie is making any sense. And why did nobody tell trashmouth Trump to look in the mirror when he talked about Christie’s weight. Lordy, there is a major reality check coming. And some of us will have a great deal to do with pushing it forward. There are too many serious issues to listen to this bilge any longer.
Yes Kate, it was white suburban women who put trump in the WH in the first place. Power wrongly used I'd say. It was Black women who voted entirely democrat in that first Trump election. Women should remember to never squander their vote ever again. A Pussy Cat Riot is in order from here on out.
Steve, you are so right about us being sick and tired of Trump sucking all of the oxygen out of our lives! The constant bombardment of all things Trump has caused people to tune out, due to the stress and anxiety it causes. I haven't tuned out and can attest to mental and physical distress. We all can't stick our head in the sand and pretend that everything will be ok...our democracy is on the line!
Recently, I've come to realize that the only way we're going to escape the continued
Trump madness is to have him locked up, and away from all social media and press. Just defeating him, again, will not stop him or Trumpism. His MAGA cult members MUST be able to watch these Federal trials and hear the Republicans, that served with Trump, testify to his multiple criminal acts!
On a separate note, I highly recommend reading or listening to "Blowback", the new book by Miles Taylor- the high level government official who wrote the "Anonymous" NYT opinion piece, and worked very closely with John Kelly, and Kirstjen Nielsen, when they served as Secretary of Homeland Security.
I'm almost done listening to the Audible book, which is terrifically read by the author. He details the horrendous activities of President Trump. You won't be able to put it down!
For a taste, listen to this Lincoln Project podcast with Miles Taylor
You are correct Steve. Americans aren’t watching the Trump Show anymore. We want to see his trial in an open forum. We want him convicted and sent to prison along with his co-conspirators. People talk about it everyday. Shocked that he continues to evade Justice. Angry that he is given a microphone to spew his twisted and sick attacks on decent people who are doing their jobs. He is the Speaker of the House. We all know Kevin is just his mouthpiece. Since the day he took Office I have been warning the people who follow me on Instagram that he was a con. I try to do so through articles written by knowledgeable people, rather than by my opinion. I have been thanked many times for information that people are not aware of. I think we would all be better able to fight back if we stop sharing silly memes, and share facts. We must do whatever we can to make our fellow Americans aware of what is at stake. There are so many fights to fight. Global warming, the crisis that our military faces, unable to promote leaders, the drug crisis, homelessness and on and on. These problems are not being met with the Trump Show taking center stage. We need him to meet Justice and go to prison so we can move on and elect normal problem solvers to do the work that we elect them to do. Working together we can make this happen. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and speaking out for America.
Jude, I identify with what you write, “There are so many fights to fight.” I’ve come to believe that is the tension below the trumpism reign of terror. We are a good people. We have been historically about moving our country forward for the good of all. We, the people, have been moved aside by decisions that put way too much power and money in the hands of a few. For the past, oh, 20 years it has been the mission of the Republican Party to stop moving our country forward for the good of all. It feels as if a volcano is ready to blow. I would have mentioned the woes you brought up but it seems we are, as a nation, at the place of beginning again. Voting must be easy and accessible to ALL citizens. Women must regain their autonomy or others will lose theirs. Public education must be rededicated to excellence with public monies returning to public schools, great increases in teacher pay, educating all children. We must solve the sickness of our police officers beating and killing the colored citizens of our nation. That is just not okay. We must keep working on our infrastructure. Thank you President Biden and Democratic Party legislators for that - wish it was more glamorous but as someone who has driven from the west to the Midwest many times our roads are a disgrace. There are other many pressing troubles, I know, and the very important issues Jude mentioned. We are hungry for solutions that raise all people up. We are ready, I hope, for just that. We are helped by the depravity of trump and the see, speak, hear no evil of Republicans about trump lies, and hugely by the DeSantis-like governments in red states, and maybe most importantly by the overturning of Roe v Wade. We, the people, have our chance to help our country come back from the brink in the 2024 election. We have the chance to make a noise so loud that there is no doubt what the people want and who is going to steer the boat until certain people realize what America is really about and join in good faith the experiment that is The United States of America. Thank you, Steve, for bringing us around the corner and directing us into our mission.
On The Bulwark podcast yesterday Charlie Sykes hosted Will Hurd, a republican running for President. He is less than 1% in the polls for the R party but what he had to say gave me some hope just like your essay today Steve. Hurd absolutely spoke against MAGA and the big lie and said he would continue to do so regardless of his place in the race. Sykes also played a couple of recent remarks by Chris Christie in interviews. Then I saw you speak about holes in the membrane of cowardice that will be filled with people speaking up. Wonderful essay today as you are correct about the exhausted banality of the ragged old Trump saga. I know I have been tuning out except for the times when some kind of progress is being made such as hearing the full Jack Smith indictment. Kudos to Eric Swalwell and to you too Steve for the continued punchback. For the first time I am hearing albeit small events revealing that as you said, courage is contagious. This is great news and to remember also that the virulent cancer that Trump and MAGA have become once upon a time started small as well. Looking forward to the growth of courage in these times. Thank you so much.
"Cowardice is...rooted in absence of love and a selfishness of spirit." Best definition of cowardice I've ever read. (I still have the passage from your 12/27/22 essay above my desk: "Heroism and cowardice will always exist. ... Without courage, there is no love because both are inexorably linked." I read it often, and meditate on its meaning.)
Such an interesting essay re: what happens to these Republicans...the ‘metamorphosis’ that occurs. I’ve seen it happen so quickly to Nancy Mace of South Carolina. For a split second, I thought she might be sensible. She’s not. This is not a case of psychiatry...it’s a case of biology. Because what we’re watching is a “swamp-ful” of INVERTEBRATES....people without ANY BACKBONES! Yes, there’s certainly psychology too, - but it’s so much easier to regard these people as the spineless idiots they are.
Steve is right. Trump is in a full existential free fall and it isn’t easy to watch or listen to. His narcissistic personality disorder makes him extremely dangerous . Thank God that he doesn’t have the nuclear codes anymore because he would start a nuclear war and destroy the whole fucking world before he takes the fall and those cold, heavy metal bars clang shut behind him for the rest of his miserable life.
Beyond the absolutely exquisite political points you make, your writing tastes like the most delicious literary dessert. I stopped to write this comment before I finished reading the article just to comment on your writing style. The precision with which you pen the words and phrases to express the thought that must be bubbling up from the depths of your mind is so beautiful. I totally appreciate the metaphors, the analogies, and everything that you use to bring the point forward.
Fascism, yes. This must be stopped.
But, while we are so distracted with T-rump’s fascism and legal troubles, why aren’t we more concerned with who is behind Fox News, and the other right-wing networks that continue to push his lies and continue to keep half of America hypnotized within the trance of an alternate reality?
Without them, there would be no T-rump, our nation would not be on the verge of succumbing to a fascist clown and his posse. He is nothing but a puppet, but who are the puppeteers and how do we protect ourselves from that? From them? We all know he is not a brilliant strategist! He is as dumb as they come. He is reactive, he is infantile. Where will the next T-rump come from? This is really terrifying when you stop to think about it. There is some evil conniving going on behind the scenes, and yes, I’m beginning to sound like a conspiracy theorist, which I am not. But it’s impossible that T-rump alone concocted all of this. Literally impossible. When did it all begin? Was it the death of the Fair Doctrine?
We must not let this continue, we must stop it. We must. We simply must. And it is not a matter of one election.
On top of that, many anomalies within our legal system, within our government system that have come to light because of him, many rules and norms that have been broken, need to be codified and corrected. It should not be that easy to ignore Congress. It should not be that easy to stay as president with an acting cabinet for years.
We must stop gerrymandering. We must protect the right to vote, we must protect women’s right to bodily autonomy, we must, we must.
All before the fascist cabal is able to take over because of electoral malfunctions, apathy, and voter ignorance.
The average person doesn’t even know what gerrymandering is. There is no civil education or government education in schools. The average person doesn’t even know how the Senate works. We have got to figure this out now.
Thank you again for your beautiful writing. I just love reading your articles. It’s a pleasure to read them, even though it scares the heck out of me to think about all of this.
Thanks Steve.I agree with Judge Lutting, the Rs no longer exist. It is all MAGA, all performance for DJT. To see out 250 th birthday as a democracy they need to be defeated. Playground taunts between Members degrades those halls.
Yesterday there was a meme on Threads and Facebook that said “ watching Trump is like looking at the second plane hitting the Twin Towers”. As if we have no control. Wrong. We have ultimate control We can stop this flight: we can land this plane. We can end the terror holding part of the population. It’s up to us. We did it on Tuesday in Ohio, we can do it again
Yes we can, Liz.
I am heartened by this recent poll from Reuters a week ago:
https://www.reuters.com/legal/about-half-us-republicans-could-spurn-trump-if-he-is-convicted-reutersipsos-poll-2023-08-03/
About half of US Republicans could spurn Trump if he is convicted, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows
By Jason Lange - August 3, 2023
WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - About half of Republicans would not vote for Donald Trump if he were convicted of a felony, a sign of the severe risks his legal problems pose for his 2024 U.S. presidential bid, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Thursday.
[...] The two-day Reuters/Ipsos poll, which closed before Trump's late-afternoon court appearance, asked respondents if they would vote for Trump for president next year if he were "convicted of a felony crime by a jury." Among Republicans, 45% said they would not vote for him, more than the 35% who said they would. The rest said they didn't know.
Asked if they would vote for Trump if he were "currently serving time in prison," 52% of Republicans said they would not, compared to 28% who said they would.
[...]
And if this polling proves to be anywhere within ballpark accuracy, what this might mean is that a significant percentage of Republican voters -- maybe 4% - 8% i guestimate -- may not even fill out a ballot in protest, disgust, and/or apathy, allowing more Democrat candidates down-ballot to win in Nov 2024.
And of course this Reuters/Ipsos poll also suggests that even higher percentages of Independent voters (far more than the 45% / 52% of GOP voters if Trump is convicted / imprisoned) would not vote for Trump-- meaning landslide victory for Joe Biden.
Spectacular and accurate metaphor, Liz. Thank you
Yes! Ohio showing the way! If everyone doubles their effort now, we can turn the traitors back!
Excellent piece. It is why I go out of my way to explain to all who will stand still long enough why they must vote out all Republicans at this point in time. We are not in a position where there are some "good republicans" to rely on. The party is defunct. The party is nazi. If there are any in the party who have any moral backbone, they are not using it.
It is up to us as Americans who want to live under the Constitution of the United States to use our voices to replace the nonsense on the news.
Steve is right. The choice is plain. America or bust.
This a powerful piece of writing. Talk about standing in the breach.
I have only one word to say about al of this: Ohio. We haven’t yet seen the mobilization of women, like me, who are sick of hearing Trump whining like a dysfunctional 3 year old while continuing to act like Goebbels. We are sick of De Santis and his Evita style wife acting like South American style dictators. This Vivek guy, whoever he is, acts like he knows something, which is clearly untrue. Only Chris Christie is making any sense. And why did nobody tell trashmouth Trump to look in the mirror when he talked about Christie’s weight. Lordy, there is a major reality check coming. And some of us will have a great deal to do with pushing it forward. There are too many serious issues to listen to this bilge any longer.
Agree 100% Jane. Thank you for sharing your clear thinking and writing. It is giving me hope with which to start the day
Well said. Never underestimate the power of the female vote.
Yes Kate, it was white suburban women who put trump in the WH in the first place. Power wrongly used I'd say. It was Black women who voted entirely democrat in that first Trump election. Women should remember to never squander their vote ever again. A Pussy Cat Riot is in order from here on out.
Steve, you are so right about us being sick and tired of Trump sucking all of the oxygen out of our lives! The constant bombardment of all things Trump has caused people to tune out, due to the stress and anxiety it causes. I haven't tuned out and can attest to mental and physical distress. We all can't stick our head in the sand and pretend that everything will be ok...our democracy is on the line!
Recently, I've come to realize that the only way we're going to escape the continued
Trump madness is to have him locked up, and away from all social media and press. Just defeating him, again, will not stop him or Trumpism. His MAGA cult members MUST be able to watch these Federal trials and hear the Republicans, that served with Trump, testify to his multiple criminal acts!
On a separate note, I highly recommend reading or listening to "Blowback", the new book by Miles Taylor- the high level government official who wrote the "Anonymous" NYT opinion piece, and worked very closely with John Kelly, and Kirstjen Nielsen, when they served as Secretary of Homeland Security.
I'm almost done listening to the Audible book, which is terrifically read by the author. He details the horrendous activities of President Trump. You won't be able to put it down!
For a taste, listen to this Lincoln Project podcast with Miles Taylor
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lincoln-project/id1551582052?i=1000621943811
...kissing Trump’s ring! How they’re able to look in the mirror I’ll never know!
You are correct Steve. Americans aren’t watching the Trump Show anymore. We want to see his trial in an open forum. We want him convicted and sent to prison along with his co-conspirators. People talk about it everyday. Shocked that he continues to evade Justice. Angry that he is given a microphone to spew his twisted and sick attacks on decent people who are doing their jobs. He is the Speaker of the House. We all know Kevin is just his mouthpiece. Since the day he took Office I have been warning the people who follow me on Instagram that he was a con. I try to do so through articles written by knowledgeable people, rather than by my opinion. I have been thanked many times for information that people are not aware of. I think we would all be better able to fight back if we stop sharing silly memes, and share facts. We must do whatever we can to make our fellow Americans aware of what is at stake. There are so many fights to fight. Global warming, the crisis that our military faces, unable to promote leaders, the drug crisis, homelessness and on and on. These problems are not being met with the Trump Show taking center stage. We need him to meet Justice and go to prison so we can move on and elect normal problem solvers to do the work that we elect them to do. Working together we can make this happen. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and speaking out for America.
Jude, I identify with what you write, “There are so many fights to fight.” I’ve come to believe that is the tension below the trumpism reign of terror. We are a good people. We have been historically about moving our country forward for the good of all. We, the people, have been moved aside by decisions that put way too much power and money in the hands of a few. For the past, oh, 20 years it has been the mission of the Republican Party to stop moving our country forward for the good of all. It feels as if a volcano is ready to blow. I would have mentioned the woes you brought up but it seems we are, as a nation, at the place of beginning again. Voting must be easy and accessible to ALL citizens. Women must regain their autonomy or others will lose theirs. Public education must be rededicated to excellence with public monies returning to public schools, great increases in teacher pay, educating all children. We must solve the sickness of our police officers beating and killing the colored citizens of our nation. That is just not okay. We must keep working on our infrastructure. Thank you President Biden and Democratic Party legislators for that - wish it was more glamorous but as someone who has driven from the west to the Midwest many times our roads are a disgrace. There are other many pressing troubles, I know, and the very important issues Jude mentioned. We are hungry for solutions that raise all people up. We are ready, I hope, for just that. We are helped by the depravity of trump and the see, speak, hear no evil of Republicans about trump lies, and hugely by the DeSantis-like governments in red states, and maybe most importantly by the overturning of Roe v Wade. We, the people, have our chance to help our country come back from the brink in the 2024 election. We have the chance to make a noise so loud that there is no doubt what the people want and who is going to steer the boat until certain people realize what America is really about and join in good faith the experiment that is The United States of America. Thank you, Steve, for bringing us around the corner and directing us into our mission.
Well put Libby!
This gives me hope.
McCarthy & other Trump sycophants are gutless! They have sold their souls to the devil while “kissing
On The Bulwark podcast yesterday Charlie Sykes hosted Will Hurd, a republican running for President. He is less than 1% in the polls for the R party but what he had to say gave me some hope just like your essay today Steve. Hurd absolutely spoke against MAGA and the big lie and said he would continue to do so regardless of his place in the race. Sykes also played a couple of recent remarks by Chris Christie in interviews. Then I saw you speak about holes in the membrane of cowardice that will be filled with people speaking up. Wonderful essay today as you are correct about the exhausted banality of the ragged old Trump saga. I know I have been tuning out except for the times when some kind of progress is being made such as hearing the full Jack Smith indictment. Kudos to Eric Swalwell and to you too Steve for the continued punchback. For the first time I am hearing albeit small events revealing that as you said, courage is contagious. This is great news and to remember also that the virulent cancer that Trump and MAGA have become once upon a time started small as well. Looking forward to the growth of courage in these times. Thank you so much.
Beautifully expressed, Diane!
Thank you kd!
My favorite response when hearing someone being called a p%$&y is that he can't be one, because he has neither depth nor warmth.
A eunuch full-stop.
Ha Ha! Excellent, Andrea.
As a male i could add a few more delightful adjectives, but might be driven off these threads if i mentioned them.
LOL!
Outstanding Piece of Writing Mr. Steve!
"Cowardice is...rooted in absence of love and a selfishness of spirit." Best definition of cowardice I've ever read. (I still have the passage from your 12/27/22 essay above my desk: "Heroism and cowardice will always exist. ... Without courage, there is no love because both are inexorably linked." I read it often, and meditate on its meaning.)
Such an interesting essay re: what happens to these Republicans...the ‘metamorphosis’ that occurs. I’ve seen it happen so quickly to Nancy Mace of South Carolina. For a split second, I thought she might be sensible. She’s not. This is not a case of psychiatry...it’s a case of biology. Because what we’re watching is a “swamp-ful” of INVERTEBRATES....people without ANY BACKBONES! Yes, there’s certainly psychology too, - but it’s so much easier to regard these people as the spineless idiots they are.
Mace was sensible, and smart. What she's allowing herself to do is purely for ego's sake.
Steve is right. Trump is in a full existential free fall and it isn’t easy to watch or listen to. His narcissistic personality disorder makes him extremely dangerous . Thank God that he doesn’t have the nuclear codes anymore because he would start a nuclear war and destroy the whole fucking world before he takes the fall and those cold, heavy metal bars clang shut behind him for the rest of his miserable life.
Yes, he would destroy the world. That is who he is: a malignant narcissistic.
Beyond the absolutely exquisite political points you make, your writing tastes like the most delicious literary dessert. I stopped to write this comment before I finished reading the article just to comment on your writing style. The precision with which you pen the words and phrases to express the thought that must be bubbling up from the depths of your mind is so beautiful. I totally appreciate the metaphors, the analogies, and everything that you use to bring the point forward.
Fascism, yes. This must be stopped.
But, while we are so distracted with T-rump’s fascism and legal troubles, why aren’t we more concerned with who is behind Fox News, and the other right-wing networks that continue to push his lies and continue to keep half of America hypnotized within the trance of an alternate reality?
Without them, there would be no T-rump, our nation would not be on the verge of succumbing to a fascist clown and his posse. He is nothing but a puppet, but who are the puppeteers and how do we protect ourselves from that? From them? We all know he is not a brilliant strategist! He is as dumb as they come. He is reactive, he is infantile. Where will the next T-rump come from? This is really terrifying when you stop to think about it. There is some evil conniving going on behind the scenes, and yes, I’m beginning to sound like a conspiracy theorist, which I am not. But it’s impossible that T-rump alone concocted all of this. Literally impossible. When did it all begin? Was it the death of the Fair Doctrine?
We must not let this continue, we must stop it. We must. We simply must. And it is not a matter of one election.
On top of that, many anomalies within our legal system, within our government system that have come to light because of him, many rules and norms that have been broken, need to be codified and corrected. It should not be that easy to ignore Congress. It should not be that easy to stay as president with an acting cabinet for years.
We must stop gerrymandering. We must protect the right to vote, we must protect women’s right to bodily autonomy, we must, we must.
All before the fascist cabal is able to take over because of electoral malfunctions, apathy, and voter ignorance.
The average person doesn’t even know what gerrymandering is. There is no civil education or government education in schools. The average person doesn’t even know how the Senate works. We have got to figure this out now.
Thank you again for your beautiful writing. I just love reading your articles. It’s a pleasure to read them, even though it scares the heck out of me to think about all of this.
Thanks so much for the kind words. I agree with all that you've said.
Steve
Yes to all of the above. Thank you for expressing it all!