Psychologists tell us that 33% of the population is inclined toward Authoritarianism. Stats back this up: Hitler came to power with 33% approval. Huey Long & Joe McCarthy had 30-35% approval. Jane said: Authoritarians have always exerted power beyond their numbers because of their nature. Advantage #1: Authoritarians fall in line. Non-authoritarians (particularly liberals) are …
So much happened, here’s a roundup. It looks like we have about two more weeks of depositions, and then we’ll love into the public hearing portion of the proceedings. Tomorrow the House will vote on procedures and regulations going forward. The proposed rules for the Judiciary Committee are here. I found this one interesting: It …
Today the first White House official testifies in the impeachment probe. Colonel Alexander Vindman’s statement is here. Vindman served multiple tours as Infantry officer, was wounded in Iraq, and awarded a purple heart. Since 2008 Vindman has been a foreign area officer specializing in Eurasia. Since July 2018, he served at the National Security Council. …
Nancy Pelosi sent this letter to her colleagues: Rep. Kevin McCarthy replied with this tweet: Dear Rep. McCarthy: Did you miss the federal court ruling last week stating that the House’s impeachment investigation was legal and legitimate even without a formal vote by lawmakers? The judge also held that the White House is “openly stonewalling” Congress. If …
. . . This includes Republican Senators. Once the walls were closing in on Nixon, he resigned. This National Review article by Rich Lowry explains why Trump won’t (reprinted in The Oklahoman) I agree with Lowry’s analysis and believe he offers insight into the Trump-Fox-GOP mindset. He says: The “worst interpretation” of the “current facts” …
. . . so expect things to get worse before they get better. The worst thing Democrats can do right now is escalate the situation. Democracy is under attack. The goal is to save democracy. Schiff, therefore, handled the situation correctly. Fox reported that some Republican members asked to be arrested “to help with the …
[Click here to read on the NBC News website] On Tuesday, Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, gave what House Democrats described as “disturbing” testimony about President Donald Trump’s Ukraine dealings. The testimony was not open to the public, but news outlets obtained and subsequently published Taylor’s 15-page opening statement. Taylor’s statement makes clear that Trump did indeed …
I took notes while reading Bill Taylor’s statement to Congress. Michael Fisher wanted me to Tweet my notes. I cannot resist a cute kitty. So here they are: May 28: Pompeo asked Taylor to lead the embassy in Ukraine. June: Taylor arrived in Kiev to find a “weird combination of encouraging, confusing, and ultimately alarming …
Bill Taylor’s devastating written statement to Congress. Read More »
This morning, Russell Vought, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced that it was “fake news” that his office would comply with the Congressional impeachment inquiry: The OMB is the office that, on Trump’s orders, withheld aid to Ukraine. This is significant because it means that the OMB is helping Trump …
Yale prof. Timothy Snyder explains what was wrong with Mulvaney’s press conference (the meat starts at 3:30) From Snyder: “Mulvaney’s comment ‘get over it’ is a very economical way of saying get over the facts, get over the particular laws that make this illegal; get over the rule of law.” From Snyder: Mulvaney was essentially …
