Nellis' comment about holding Obama accountable for the lack of accountability in the financial crisis frustrates me. Did he expect Obama to initiate a battle with no chance of success? In that situation as it is for today, the problem is Congress. Their wholesale corruption is the core of the problem.
The founding fathers understood that no piece of paper like the Constitution can enforce itself. They gave us a republic and the free press needed to keep it, but it was up to the people to make the effort to be informed voters. The majority of American have failed them, and we all are paying the price. The Constitution assigns much less power to the president that most people assume in ignorance, and an Obama led prosecution in 2008 would not likely succeed. Our legal system is severely flawed even though less so than most others.
The founders understood that writing a legal code free of subjectivity was an exercise in futility, so they ceded justice to a jury of one's peers. That system still is imperfect being vulnerable to the skill of the lawyers. We've replaced the jousting knights with lawyers jousting with words impeded by a bill of rights, but money still buys the best justice.
The Constitution is only as good as the people we entrust to enforce it. The majority of America has failed the Constitution and thereby failed themselves. We cannot win the fight to save the democratic republic without fighting civic ignorance. To paraphrase the late great Justice David Souter, if people don't know why things are not getting done and who is responsible, someone will come along and claim, "Only I can fix it if you give me all the power." Benevolent kings are very rare exceptions and are mortal.
I get where you're coming from but Obama and the DOJ made a decision to not go after the worst offenders of the Wall Street crisis and I believe that was a mistake.
I completely agree. This country was not built on the slogan of Too big to fail. The very opposite, actually. They should have nailed them to the wall as a show of principle and publicity. Even if the offenders could pry the nails out, they'd know that they were held accountable. Publicity is a powerful tactic because it effects share price and market share holdings.
I think that's true. Obama ran on hope and change. By not holding anyone accountable he undercut his own message and it resulted in the rise of the Tea Party in the GOP which captured a lot of working class votes. So when Trump ran in 2016 a bunch of former Obama voters jumped to him as their champion. I think Obama's biggest problem was that he had too many big name advisors with Wall Street connections, and being a relative political newcomer he didn't have an established cohort of his own who could stand up to those guys. Maybe he couldn't have won an open fight against Wall Street, but he didn't even pretend to voters that he wasn't capitulating. That, in itself, sent a terrible message. Remember that in the early days of Trump's campaign he boasted frequently that the Wall Street guys were not going to be happy if he was elected.
HE DID NOT WIN!!! THE PROOF IS RIGHT HERE ON SUBSTACK!!! There is a series, "THIS WILL HOLD" I keep posting it, but no one is reading it, or no one is commenting!! https://thiswillhold.substack.com/archive?sort=new I don't know why it's not clickable, sorry, it was before!
“ And there are still millions of Americans—frustrated, hurting—who haven’t fully turned on him yet, but are on the edge.”
I wish I could share your optimism, and I do hope that you’re correct. But as a gay man, in the gay rights fight for more than 50 years, I find it difficult to be that optimistic. People have willingly sold their brains and their souls to the devil, exchanging their birthright for a mess of pottage. They look at a weak, immoral, vain, narcissistic bully like Trump, and they see strength.
I have seen the same phenomenon in my own political work as a gay man. I still remember being in a debate during the Briggs initiative in 1978 with a deeply fervent catholic woman who was more than willing to repeat every bit of slander, lie, and illogic that she could muster in support of her religious bigotry. After one of our debates, she asked me to write to her, telling me that she really cared about what I had to say. Since I had all of her literature, I wrote her a very careful and respectful letter showing her where most of what she had to say was contrary to facts, logic, and experience. The next time I saw her, I asked her if she received my letter, because I hadn’t heard from her. She said, “I don’t have time to read letters from homosexuals.“
I look at the Trumpenlieblings in exactly the same way. They are looking for a strong man to tell them what to do, a weak man to embody their aspirations, and a liar to tell them that whatever they think is true.
Oh, again the blaming of Obama. Why is it he was responsible and not the Republicans who attacked and blocked his efforts every time? You are falling into the same trap, enough with navel gazing about the things that cannot be changed. Focus on now.
Except, I’ve often wondered, who do they choose to punish among all those who deserved it? A few to be used as examples? And how does one choose them? If it were easy to find the culprits and use resources to punish them, then they should have, but there were so many who needed to be punished, and how does one proceed from there?
I don’t accept that the Obama admin acted out of indifference, or intimidation, as I believe other factors entered in. Why do you think they failed to act?
The very wealthy call it the American way,Donald trump was convicted of 34 felonies and hasn’t spent one day in jail,that should be a lawsuit for any American who gets a felony and has to do time in jail,the law was made for the wealthy to
Does this make you upset?? How about runt NOT WINNING THE ELECTION??! HOW ABOUT THE DEMs. knowing the truth and doing nothing???!!! Read the proof below, posted by SUBSTACK, and I believe, also investigated!!! Read the attached, don't want to hear me? That's fine look for the links, ignore me if you want a shorter story!! BUT YOU MUST READ THE LINKS!! PLEASE!!! >>>>>>>>PLEASE READ THIS> IF NOTHING ELSE> You NEED TO READ THEM ALL!!>>>>> >>>> https://thiswillhold.substack.com/p/she-won-part-vii-how-stephen-colbert >>>>>>>>>>>https://thiswillhold.substack.com/archive?sort=new
Biden realized too late that the S. court had been corrupted! Everything he tried to do to reign in the court was met with scholars and judges defending the S Court!!! The men and Amy are all traitors; they have been since B4 roeVwade!!! Runt, loudly, proudly and often, told how he put those men on the court so they would do what he wanted!! These men are not GODS, they are not above the law either, why do we let them get away with this corruption?? Will we sit by as they arrest ANY judge that runt doesn’t “like”??!! Why do we just do nothing as he and his fellow Traitors, just say NO to the courts!!! They made an “opinion” that runt has immunity, we don’t have to accept that opinion!!! They told roeVwade protestors to go home, they could change the decision in the states, how is that working??!! Women are still dying!!! runt is NOT our ‘REAL” president!! We have all known from day one! WHAT are we going to do?? Read all the posts in this series of articles about HOW the election was stolen!!! WE have waited too long, the world believes WE ALL support runt because he tells them so! This series has been here for everyone to read, every Dem. always knew it was true, the election was stolen, and here is how they did it! >>>>> (10) Archive - This Will Hold<<<<Read how it happened, share, call your Dem leaders, send them the link!! I’ve already done it, to many, they are afraid to hear the truth!! They don’t know what to do with the truth!! TELL them!!! Send it to the places listed in part VI, send it to the protesters!!! We are fighting more than runt!! Every Dem. always knew it was true, the election was stolen, and here is how they did it! Read how it happened, share, call your Dem leaders! They don’t know what to do with the truth!! TELL them!!! Send it to the places listed in part VI, send it to the protesters!!! We are fighting more than runt!! “THEY” said this would be a “bloodless Revolution, as long as we all stood back and let them do what they want”!
An impediment to convincing disillusioned non-voters or those who voted for Trump for non-MAGA reasons (inflation, Biden’s age, Gaza, to upset the apple cart) is that too few of our elected leaders are willing to retire. Unless something happens we’ll be running the same faces which makes it hard to promise you’ll fix what’s broken.
I’m excited that Durbin and Schakowsky announced their retirements. But despite already having 3 Reps die! in office this year, so many Senators and Representatives act like they’ll live forever.
If Democrats started with asking every Representative and Senator over 75 to announce this is their final term and step away from Party leadership positions we’d have a better chance of convincing voters the Democratic Party is ready to change.
Speaking of Obama, why didn't the Democrats rescind the Bush Tax Cuts, and for that matter, why didn't Biden rescind the Trump Tax Cuts? We had a balanced budget in 2000, but those cuts blew that up.
It’s easy to bash Texas parents and their Christian God, as it is to bash California parents who don’t know or care where their kids are. And, as Mike points out, that divides us. The Dems really need to get it together and be for something instead of just against Republicans. Dems historically have been the party of the working people and we need to reclaim that. Take responsibility for having lost our way and move forward. I think it might have been different had Obama endorsed Biden after his second term. It’s a shame we got that excellent man and leader n his declining years. We have a number of proven leaders, we need to pick one who shows that they can hear all people instead of just their own interested constituents and get behind them
You can’t win a game that has a bunch of cheaters on the other side. The Dems need to fight back any way they can at this point. I’m sorry, I’m not saying doing illegal things but I’m saying potentially borderline, gray area things that are still within the system. If Republicans keep gerrymandering then voting doesn’t do squat. The Dems are usually a party of lawyers. They need to look for loopholes, exploit them, and then close those loopholes once in power. That’s the only way they are going to gain control back.
Sorry folks—I accidentally made the comments paid on this one, but I fixed it.
Thanks to those who flagged it.
Nellis' comment about holding Obama accountable for the lack of accountability in the financial crisis frustrates me. Did he expect Obama to initiate a battle with no chance of success? In that situation as it is for today, the problem is Congress. Their wholesale corruption is the core of the problem.
The founding fathers understood that no piece of paper like the Constitution can enforce itself. They gave us a republic and the free press needed to keep it, but it was up to the people to make the effort to be informed voters. The majority of American have failed them, and we all are paying the price. The Constitution assigns much less power to the president that most people assume in ignorance, and an Obama led prosecution in 2008 would not likely succeed. Our legal system is severely flawed even though less so than most others.
The founders understood that writing a legal code free of subjectivity was an exercise in futility, so they ceded justice to a jury of one's peers. That system still is imperfect being vulnerable to the skill of the lawyers. We've replaced the jousting knights with lawyers jousting with words impeded by a bill of rights, but money still buys the best justice.
The Constitution is only as good as the people we entrust to enforce it. The majority of America has failed the Constitution and thereby failed themselves. We cannot win the fight to save the democratic republic without fighting civic ignorance. To paraphrase the late great Justice David Souter, if people don't know why things are not getting done and who is responsible, someone will come along and claim, "Only I can fix it if you give me all the power." Benevolent kings are very rare exceptions and are mortal.
I get where you're coming from but Obama and the DOJ made a decision to not go after the worst offenders of the Wall Street crisis and I believe that was a mistake.
I completely agree. This country was not built on the slogan of Too big to fail. The very opposite, actually. They should have nailed them to the wall as a show of principle and publicity. Even if the offenders could pry the nails out, they'd know that they were held accountable. Publicity is a powerful tactic because it effects share price and market share holdings.
I think that's true. Obama ran on hope and change. By not holding anyone accountable he undercut his own message and it resulted in the rise of the Tea Party in the GOP which captured a lot of working class votes. So when Trump ran in 2016 a bunch of former Obama voters jumped to him as their champion. I think Obama's biggest problem was that he had too many big name advisors with Wall Street connections, and being a relative political newcomer he didn't have an established cohort of his own who could stand up to those guys. Maybe he couldn't have won an open fight against Wall Street, but he didn't even pretend to voters that he wasn't capitulating. That, in itself, sent a terrible message. Remember that in the early days of Trump's campaign he boasted frequently that the Wall Street guys were not going to be happy if he was elected.
HE DID NOT WIN!!! THE PROOF IS RIGHT HERE ON SUBSTACK!!! There is a series, "THIS WILL HOLD" I keep posting it, but no one is reading it, or no one is commenting!! https://thiswillhold.substack.com/archive?sort=new I don't know why it's not clickable, sorry, it was before!
I'm reading every word, and archiving it! He did not win.
There’s no ONE place corruption resides in America. Wish it were anywhere near that simple.
“ And there are still millions of Americans—frustrated, hurting—who haven’t fully turned on him yet, but are on the edge.”
I wish I could share your optimism, and I do hope that you’re correct. But as a gay man, in the gay rights fight for more than 50 years, I find it difficult to be that optimistic. People have willingly sold their brains and their souls to the devil, exchanging their birthright for a mess of pottage. They look at a weak, immoral, vain, narcissistic bully like Trump, and they see strength.
I have seen the same phenomenon in my own political work as a gay man. I still remember being in a debate during the Briggs initiative in 1978 with a deeply fervent catholic woman who was more than willing to repeat every bit of slander, lie, and illogic that she could muster in support of her religious bigotry. After one of our debates, she asked me to write to her, telling me that she really cared about what I had to say. Since I had all of her literature, I wrote her a very careful and respectful letter showing her where most of what she had to say was contrary to facts, logic, and experience. The next time I saw her, I asked her if she received my letter, because I hadn’t heard from her. She said, “I don’t have time to read letters from homosexuals.“
I look at the Trumpenlieblings in exactly the same way. They are looking for a strong man to tell them what to do, a weak man to embody their aspirations, and a liar to tell them that whatever they think is true.
And in this, he is succeeding admirably.
Oh, again the blaming of Obama. Why is it he was responsible and not the Republicans who attacked and blocked his efforts every time? You are falling into the same trap, enough with navel gazing about the things that cannot be changed. Focus on now.
Obama's DOJ didn't take enough action to hold Wall Street crooks accountable. I think that's a reasonable take, and hardly me falling into a trap
Except, I’ve often wondered, who do they choose to punish among all those who deserved it? A few to be used as examples? And how does one choose them? If it were easy to find the culprits and use resources to punish them, then they should have, but there were so many who needed to be punished, and how does one proceed from there?
I don’t accept that the Obama admin acted out of indifference, or intimidation, as I believe other factors entered in. Why do you think they failed to act?
The very wealthy call it the American way,Donald trump was convicted of 34 felonies and hasn’t spent one day in jail,that should be a lawsuit for any American who gets a felony and has to do time in jail,the law was made for the wealthy to
No matter what obscure distraction they throw - same questions should be repeated
Two single phrases should be said by everything that comes from this White House by all reporters and inquirers:
1. Why not a FULL release of ALL Epstein Materials?
2. Shall we anticipate that Donald Trump wi be giving a pardon to Ms Maxwell in exchange for her silence?
Let’s get in front of this for once!
Listened to you for the first time in Prior Lake, MN.
Great job. Thank you.
Listening for the first time in Minnesota
Will become a paid member
No Star Trek for you
Does this make you upset?? How about runt NOT WINNING THE ELECTION??! HOW ABOUT THE DEMs. knowing the truth and doing nothing???!!! Read the proof below, posted by SUBSTACK, and I believe, also investigated!!! Read the attached, don't want to hear me? That's fine look for the links, ignore me if you want a shorter story!! BUT YOU MUST READ THE LINKS!! PLEASE!!! >>>>>>>>PLEASE READ THIS> IF NOTHING ELSE> You NEED TO READ THEM ALL!!>>>>> >>>> https://thiswillhold.substack.com/p/she-won-part-vii-how-stephen-colbert >>>>>>>>>>>https://thiswillhold.substack.com/archive?sort=new
Biden realized too late that the S. court had been corrupted! Everything he tried to do to reign in the court was met with scholars and judges defending the S Court!!! The men and Amy are all traitors; they have been since B4 roeVwade!!! Runt, loudly, proudly and often, told how he put those men on the court so they would do what he wanted!! These men are not GODS, they are not above the law either, why do we let them get away with this corruption?? Will we sit by as they arrest ANY judge that runt doesn’t “like”??!! Why do we just do nothing as he and his fellow Traitors, just say NO to the courts!!! They made an “opinion” that runt has immunity, we don’t have to accept that opinion!!! They told roeVwade protestors to go home, they could change the decision in the states, how is that working??!! Women are still dying!!! runt is NOT our ‘REAL” president!! We have all known from day one! WHAT are we going to do?? Read all the posts in this series of articles about HOW the election was stolen!!! WE have waited too long, the world believes WE ALL support runt because he tells them so! This series has been here for everyone to read, every Dem. always knew it was true, the election was stolen, and here is how they did it! >>>>> (10) Archive - This Will Hold<<<<Read how it happened, share, call your Dem leaders, send them the link!! I’ve already done it, to many, they are afraid to hear the truth!! They don’t know what to do with the truth!! TELL them!!! Send it to the places listed in part VI, send it to the protesters!!! We are fighting more than runt!! Every Dem. always knew it was true, the election was stolen, and here is how they did it! Read how it happened, share, call your Dem leaders! They don’t know what to do with the truth!! TELL them!!! Send it to the places listed in part VI, send it to the protesters!!! We are fighting more than runt!! “THEY” said this would be a “bloodless Revolution, as long as we all stood back and let them do what they want”!
An impediment to convincing disillusioned non-voters or those who voted for Trump for non-MAGA reasons (inflation, Biden’s age, Gaza, to upset the apple cart) is that too few of our elected leaders are willing to retire. Unless something happens we’ll be running the same faces which makes it hard to promise you’ll fix what’s broken.
I’m excited that Durbin and Schakowsky announced their retirements. But despite already having 3 Reps die! in office this year, so many Senators and Representatives act like they’ll live forever.
If Democrats started with asking every Representative and Senator over 75 to announce this is their final term and step away from Party leadership positions we’d have a better chance of convincing voters the Democratic Party is ready to change.
Speaking of Obama, why didn't the Democrats rescind the Bush Tax Cuts, and for that matter, why didn't Biden rescind the Trump Tax Cuts? We had a balanced budget in 2000, but those cuts blew that up.
I am protesting and creating signage. I am getting burnt out on polls. I get a lift from them occasionally, but think them meaningless in the end result. We need meat behind our platform. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/lot-of-polls-no-platform?r=3m1bs
I tried to sign a portion against Trump and demand the files to be opened but the site never works.
It’s easy to bash Texas parents and their Christian God, as it is to bash California parents who don’t know or care where their kids are. And, as Mike points out, that divides us. The Dems really need to get it together and be for something instead of just against Republicans. Dems historically have been the party of the working people and we need to reclaim that. Take responsibility for having lost our way and move forward. I think it might have been different had Obama endorsed Biden after his second term. It’s a shame we got that excellent man and leader n his declining years. We have a number of proven leaders, we need to pick one who shows that they can hear all people instead of just their own interested constituents and get behind them
You can’t win a game that has a bunch of cheaters on the other side. The Dems need to fight back any way they can at this point. I’m sorry, I’m not saying doing illegal things but I’m saying potentially borderline, gray area things that are still within the system. If Republicans keep gerrymandering then voting doesn’t do squat. The Dems are usually a party of lawyers. They need to look for loopholes, exploit them, and then close those loopholes once in power. That’s the only way they are going to gain control back.