TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2024
Which clan is currently worse? Quite possibly just until 11 a.m., we're on an excursion to Medical Land. For that reason, we won't be posting until this afternoon.
That said, rejoice in interesting times! Has there ever been a more fascinating subject than the Trump "hush money" trial?
(We refer to the trial concerning "a woman who wasn't his wife" or more pleasurably concerning "a porn star.")
We hadn't planned to start this way, but a comment last evening altered our framework. We'll be starting today with that cash-seeking Gotham doorman and with the old, bogus rumor about Donald J. Trump—the bogus rumor which dated all the way back to the 1980s, though the New York Times keeps forgetting to include that date.
Last evening, Rachel Maddow mentioned the doorman during the 6 o'clock hour. We decided to switch our framework based on what she said.
Regarding loyalty to the clan, Nestor said it best, in Book Nine of the Iliad. In council, he spoke to the headstrong young Diomedes after the tide of battle had turned against the Achaeans:
How young you are—why, you could be my son,
my youngest-born at that, though you urge our kings
with cool clear sense: what you've said is right.
But it's my turn now, Diomedes,
I think I can claim to have some years on you.
So I must speak up and drive the matter home.
And no one will heap contempt on what I say,
not even mighty Agamemnon. Lost to the clan,
lost to the hearth, lost to the old ways, that one
who lusts for all the horrors of war with his own people.
But now, I say, let us give way to the dark night,
set out the evening meal...
Nestor was speaking about lusting for war within the "clan," not against some rival clan. That said, which of our current media clans is more embarrassing in its approach to the "hush money" trial?
We'll be examining that question this week. We'll only say that the Gutfeld! program was more serious in its choices of subject matter than our own programs last night!
Sociology? Anthropology? Basic human psychology?
What are we humans actually like? This trial creates a golden age for that delayed examination!
Trina Robbins, Beverly LaHaye, and Ushio Amagatsu have died.
ReplyDeleteHunter Biden's long hard cock would look great in my mouth said no Republican bigot ever.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete"Sociology? Anthropology? Basic human psychology?"
In the curious case of your superior tribe, Bob, it's zoology.
Somerby wants people to think of him as Nestor, so indicates his quote from the irrelevant Iliad:
ReplyDelete"I think I can claim to have some years on you.
So I must speak up and drive the matter home."
Yet Somerby derives his understanding of human nature from silly and ancient stories that provide no accurate understanding of human nature. There is a wealth of research and knowledge about human nature, gained through science, but Somerby can not be bothered to learn.
Somerby may be an elder, but he is not wise.
Indeed, Nestor is notorious for giving inconsistent and bad advice based on simplistic judgements of the circumstances.
"(We refer to the trial concerning "a woman who wasn't his wife" or more pleasurably concerning "a porn star.")"
ReplyDeleteSomerby continues to insist that this trial is about the sex when it is actually about the cover up and campaign fraud Trump engaged in to keep his wife and his supporters from knowing about the sex.
That is important. Sex is about lust but the fraud and cover up are about dishonesty. Had the voters known that Trump was dishonest in major ways, they might not have voted for him. No one cares who an old man has sex with, except that he was confessing to assault in the Access Hollywood tape and his behavior with Stormy Daniels was a bit less than consensual. Again, it isn't the sex, it is the assault and coercion.
Why has Somerby never bothered to understand what this trial is about? Is he too busy re-reading the Iliad, or is he trying to excuse what Trump did, in order to bolster Trump's chances at the polls this coming November?
It's not about the sex, it's about perjury.
DeleteClinton wasn't running for office -- he had already been elected to two terms. Trump was put into the office of president by manipulation of the electoral process, including this hush money payment and the associated misuse of campaign funds and falsification of business records. That's why Trump's acts are not about lying but about election interference and manipulation of the electoral process, evading campaign finance laws, falsifying business records, in addition to lying and cheating on his wife.
DeleteSomerby is really showing a lot of ass on this one. You would think a critic of the media would report on the shitty media framing of this case, not join in on the shitty media framing.
Delete"That said, which of our current media clans is more embarrassing in its approach to the "hush money" trial?"
ReplyDeleteI vote for Somerby, since he is apparently unable to get his mind off the sex and talk about the legal aspects of this trial -- the laws that were broken by Trump's hush money payment and falsification of campaign and business records in order to keep his affairs secret before the 2016 election.
As several people have noted elsewhere, this is another election interference case. Trump covered up information that could have swayed the outcome of the 2016 election, putting Hillary in office instead of Trump. Trump's actions were aimed at keeping info from voters in a very close election. What Trump did was illegal and THAT is why we are having a trial now. It isn't about the sex but the coverup and manipulation of the electoral process for his own benefit.
I didn't vote for trump in 2016 or 2020 (voted for Clinton & Bidne) and am not going to vote for him in November. but the posters here are highly partisan and are incapable of looking at the charges against Trump dispassionately. Tying together the false business record charge (which would not be a crime unless it were for an illegal purpose) with an election law violation charge (in order to make the false business record claim chargeable) is a big stretch. It's not unreasonable to view this prosecution as politically motivated.
DeleteAC/MA So what makes you naturally able to possess a higher level of dispassionate objectivity than the rest of the people here? You do the standard rolling out of your non Trump credentials, but do those really have anything to do with the subject at hand, and aren't they basically what we hear every time someone is taking a Republicans part but want to make us think they are fair? It's a tired cliche.
DeleteI can't fault you too much for not reviewing Bob's defense of Trump, because he doesn't give us anything to work with (accept the usual unfocused condescending smirks, of course).
Bob has made it clear that he finds ANY legal action against Trump unfair ("The Democrats are trying to find a LEGAL action to a POLITICAL problem") and even laughed off the Jan 6th report. Snobby Somerby was just not impressed).
I don't think you have a grasp of these issues that goes beyond what you pick up from Fox News, but, the horrible witchhunt against Trump will continue. You may clutch your pearls and claim you voted Clinton, but it won't help.
"Tying together the false business record charge (which would not be a crime unless it were for an illegal purpose) with an election law violation charge (in order to make the false business record claim chargeable) is a big stretch."
DeleteThe overall charge is manipulation of the election by suppressing information unfavorable to his campaign. It is not legal to use campaign funds to make hush money payments to prevent a scandal from damaging the candidate's election prospects. The fact that the campaign donations (Cohen's payments) were not reported makes those misdemeanors into felonies because they were in service of that election manipulation. The same is true of Trump's listing of repayment of hush money debts as legal services. That is misdemeanor fraud but it was all in support of the larger conspiracy to manipulate the election results by suppressing info unfavorable to Trump via payoffs.
This is why Somerby's mischaracterization of the trial as about porn stars or adultery misleads readers into confusion about the actual crime -- election interference to distort results of the 2016. We know that occurred in a variety of ways that resulted in Hillary losing and Trump winning. This was one of several ways Trump skewed the election.
Recall that the pussy tape came out right before the hush money payments to McDougal and Daniels. Would knowing about those other affairs have compounded the damage to Trump's election chances? It is hard to know, but it does seem likely given that much less was enough to ruin Gary Hart's prospects.
Trump will never be tried for the Russian interference on social media, the hacking of Podesta's emails and posting on Wikileaks, the internal Republican FBI pressure on Comey to produce his letter in October that torpedoed Clinton in the polls, and other manipulation of the election results. Trump did not and could not have won on his own merits (as shown by the lopsided popular vote for Clinton).
Trump refers to justice-seeking as a witchhunt. It is an attempt to keep future election fair for all concerned. It should not be possible to use money and foreign intrigue to corrupt an election the way Trump and his helpers did, while the press fiddled, ignoring the complaints about Trump's conduct as self-serving.
Better late than never. Perhaps these trials can serve as a warning against the next guy who thinks he can manipulate his way into the presidency with the help of a foreign enemy.
OK AC, I would suggest here on the Daily Howler thread that your claim to be a non Trump voter is indeed meaningless, even if accepted as credible. And it’s your characterization of Bob merely “raising questions” about the legal basis of the dozens of charges against Trump (“legal trivia” as Bob would so dishonestly have it) is bold faced nonsense (as certainly begs questions about where you are coming from). I will concede that rather than trying to support his case for Trump (he gave up after about two days of the Jan 6th committee, saying he wasn’t impressed and slinking away) more often he starts babbling about the Iliad or something else. He does admit he stopped watching coverage about Trump’s legal problems and that’s how he discovered, after decades of giving them
Deletea pass, that Fox News is for morons.
In the voir dire, prospective jurors are not being disqualified because they did or didn't vote for Trump or Biden, but based on whether they assert that they can be fair when assessing the evidence of the crime at the heart of the trial. Being objective about the facts and evidence presented, regardless of voting preference, is the criterion for choosing a juror. This is very hard for Trump and his lawyers to understand, as they keep digging for negative statements about Trump on juror social media (going back years and extending to family members).
DeletePeople who think that people holding political opinions makes them politically motivated, would find it similarly hard to understand what it means to be fair in considering evidence despite holding political opinions.
For myself, I've never believed you are an attorney AC/MA, unless you went to a night school and got the lowest grades in the class. You don't seem to think like a lawyer -- but then again, neither do Trump's legal staff.
I believe AC/MA is a man. I base this on his distaste for "Identity politics", like protecting women's reproductive freedoms.
DeletePaying someone to keep silent about something embarrassing about a candidate helps his campaign, so it's campaign expense. So Trump is not guilty of the original alleged infraction.
ReplyDeleteMisreporting a campaign expense is a misdemeanor, not a felony.
The statute of limitations expired for misreporting a campaign expense.
How does this add up to felony prosecution?
The law was abused and twisted to charge an opposing Presidential candidate with a crime. Trump must win this election in order to preserve democracy.
Trump is guilty of the original infraction because he accepted a donation to his campaign from Michael Cohen (who advanced the NDA money and payoff to the National Enquirer out of his own pocket), but failed to report it according to campaign finance laws. Then Trump used business funds to reimburse Michael Cohen and listed them in his business records as legal expenses (deducted from taxes) when Cohen performed no legal services for that money. He did this to cover up the wrongdoing that would have otherwise contributed to a greater scandal over the Access Hollywood tapes and affected the election results. That is meddling in the election to affect its outcome by engaging in a coverup.
DeleteIt does not matter what you or I believe about Trump's crimes. What matters is what the jury decides now that the justice system is finally trying Trump for his actions in the 2016 election.
No one in their right mind should vote for Trump again. He cannot even stay awake during the proceedings. He was unfit in his last term and he has only gotten worse since then. His behavior toward Melania was despicable. He doesn't deserve to be president again, and we the people deserve a better man in that job. That's why I am voting for Biden no matter what the result of this trial (or any of the others).
@11:18 Most people do not even know what crime Trump is being charged with in this trial.
DeleteThis trial is mostly about how Trump illegally stole the 2016 election from Hillary Clinton. There is more to the manipulation of the election outcome, but this is a part of it that is supported by evidence and involves crimes committed in NY State. For that reason, Trump will not be able to pardon himself if convicted -- presidents can only pardon federal crimes not state crimes.
DeleteDavid loves him a perverted old insurrectionist who assaults women by grabbing their pussy and schlups porn stars and Playboy Bunnies while his 3'rd wife is with a newborn. The leader of the 1/6 autogolpe is certainly the only one who can preserve American Democracy.
Deleteanon 11:18, I'm not aware that Trump took a tax deduction for the payment to Atty Cohen. If he had done that, that would have been tax fraud, or some other criminal violation of the tax laws. In and of itself that would have been a ground to prosecute him, but I don't think it is part of the case against him. Possibly the statute of limitations ran out on that? Maybe there was no tax evasion, which is my impression. I don't know. Maybe you know more than I do - if you do, you could explain.
DeleteMy understanding is that tax fraud is a federal crime. This trial is about state charges. Please see the link to the indictment posted elsewhere.
DeleteNo one has ever suggested that the current trial encompasses all of Trump's crimes. I have read that Cohen will testify that he provided no legal services for the payments listed on the books as such, but was being reimbursed for his payments of hush money. Trump did not want to write his own checks for those payments.
I do find it frustrating that Trump commits so many crimes that many fall through the cracks and do not get charged, perhaps in order to fry bigger fish. For example, although not a crime, I do not understand why Trump and his family were allowed to participate in the debate with Biden without having taken any covid test or being required to wear masks. It was later revealed that Trump had covid and was likely positive then. And he has blatantly violated the gag order for this trial. At least they will be discussing that violation in court on Wednesday.
I do not admire it when people do whatever they please without observing the same rules and laws as govern those who are law-abiding. That is the essence of sociopathy. Somerby would be correct if he were to say that a society cannot run that way (but he never seems to say that).
"Most people do not even know what crime Trump is being charged with in this trial."
DeleteThat would include you, David.
As the Scarecrow said to Dorothy;
"some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they"
Amusing news story
ReplyDeletehttps://instapundit.com/642299/
You find that funny? What is wrong with you?
DeleteThe amusing thing is not that the earth's spin is getting faster or slower. The amusing thing is that two very big major news organs reported opposite things on the same day. Taking down or mocking the high and mighty is a common form of humor.
DeleteMocking Democrat state-run media is not funny. It's hateful.
DeleteOur news outlets are not "the high and mighty". They are a service to the public in order to help people participate more fully in our democracy. It is not unusual for science to produce conflicting results, especially if they are measuring different aspects of a phenomenon. That makes this sort of mockery seem ignorant.
DeleteNeither CBS nor MSNBC are Democrat nor state-run.
11:43 AM, your ignorance is moronic.
DeleteName calling is not discussion or argument. It is trolling.
DeleteMocking pagan media and pagan scientists is hateful.
DeleteIt takes a tortured mind to equate "Instapundit" with "news story".
DeleteReality doesn't care what people believe. It goes on being what it is regardless of people's mistaken beliefs.
DeleteReality is wrong.
Delete"Trump Again Refuses to Release His Taxes
ReplyDeleteApril 16, 2024 at 8:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard [Political Wire]
“President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden paid $146,629 in federal income taxes in 2023 after reporting income of $619,976, according to their joint tax return released Monday to mark the federal tax-filing deadline,” USA Today reports.
“It marks the 26th year that Biden has released federal tax returns during his public life. Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presumptive nominee, is again declining to release his latest federal tax returns after he broke from the bipartisan tradition of presidents disclosing the documents.”
Outrageous. If only we had Trump's tax return, that would be the end of him.
DeleteThe refusal to supply such a return is an indicator of Trump's dishonesty. Voters should take that into consideration. It is true that there are many Trump supporters who know but do not care how dishonest he is, but in this election there are also many Independents, Undecideds and new voters who may not appreciate how unusual it is for a presidential candidate to hide his finances the way Trump has done.
DeleteAlso, there may be prospective voters who are wondering whether Biden is as dishonest as Trump, especially given the unsuccessful smear attempts by Republican House members. Biden's release of his returns should be reassuring to non-Trump voters and also an indicator of his willingness to be transparent about his income. Where are those billions of $ from China that Republicans keep claiming Biden got from Hunter? Why doesn't Biden have gold toilets like Trump?
We all hope that no one will be foolish enough to vote for Trump again, which will be the end of him.
If only Republican voters weren't bigots, it'd be the end of Trump.
DeleteFixed for accuracy.
Somerby asks "what are we humans like?" If he paid attention to psychology, even at a basic level, he would understand that many are concerned that Trump was abnormal to begin with, but that he has been deteriorating mentally to the point where professionals are concerned about signs of increasing dementia. This is important because Trump is running for President of the USA, arguably the most demanding job on earth. Is he up to the job? That is a legitimate concern for voters, one that should be taken seriously.
ReplyDeletehttps://thinkbigpicture.substack.com/p/john-gartner-trump-cognitive-decline?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
Here is some of the evidence that Trump's brain is not OK.
"A Boston Globe study found in 2015 that Trump was speaking at a 4th grade level, much lower than the other candidates, but more importantly much lower than his former self. An Ivy League graduate who once “tossed off well-turned phrases” had fallen to a 4th-grade level of speech. The MOCA dementia screening test that Trump brags about passing is slated to the mental age of a kindergartener (“Show me the picture of the lion?). Only a few grades to go."
Delete"Forgetting names and dates is normal for people who are aging, like Joe Biden, and me, and millions of others. By stark contrast, the Dementia Care Society says “confusing people and generations” is a sign of advanced dementia. And this is the type of profound memory disturbance we’re seeing in Trump."
Delete"Trump shows formal signs of disordered speech we typically see only in organically impaired dementia patients:
DeleteA) “phonemic aphasia”
Trump uses non-words in place of real words, that usually include a fragment of the actual word. For example saying “mishuz” instead of missile, or “Chrishus” instead of Christmas. You can look at supercut reels assembled by Ron Filipkowski on Twitter, The Daily Show, and now by the Democratic House Judiciary Committee, as well. Both Chairman Nadler and Rep. Swalwell showed their own supercuts of Trump’s cognitive decline at the Hur hearings, to counteract Hur’s partisan slur about Biden’s “poor memory.”
To demonstrate how pervasive these errors are, I present this long but far from exhaustive list of Trump’s phonemic aphasias:
“President U-licious S Grant” (For Ulysses S. Grant)
“space-capsicle” (for space capsule)
“combat infantroopen”(for combat infantry)
“sahhven country”(for sovereign country)
“renoversh” (For renovations)
“Anonmmiss” (for anonymous).
“transpants” (for transplants)
“lawmarkers” (for lawmakers)
“supply churn” (for supply chain)
“Rusher” (for Russia)
“raydoh” (for radio)
“Liberal-ation (for liberation”)
“benefishers” (for benificiaries)
“con-ducking” (for conducting)
“stat-tics, suh-tic-six” (for statistics)
“crimakle” (for criminal)
“armed forsiva” (for armed forces)
“internate” (for Internet)
“transjija” (for transition)
“stanktuary” (for sanctuary)
That last example took place during Trump’s State of the Union Address, just to contrast that with the SOTU we just witnessed. In recent rallies in GA, NC, and VA over the course of just a few days Trump evidenced more examples:
“We have becrumb a nation”
“All comp-ply-ments” to Joe Biden.
“I know Poten.”
“He can’t cam-pay. He can’t campaign.”
“We will expel the wald-mongers.”
But of course, this is exactly what we should expect. As he deteriorates, these deficits will make themselves apparent more and more often. Now he can’t get through a rally without an example. Cornell psychologist Harry Segal speculated Trump may be “sundowning” and hence most vulnerable to going off the rails at night-time rallies."
"B) “Semantic aphasia”
DeleteSemantic aphasia is using a real word, but in a way that doesn’t correspond to its meaning. For example, when Trump referred to the “oranges of the investigation.” Another example would be “midtown and midturn elections.” Recently, when apparently trying to say “three years later,” Trump said:
“Three years, lady, lady, lady.”
More recently Trump said at a rally:
“We’re going to protect pro-God…”
In mid-sentence he goes blank and looks at the ceiling. When he reboots, the words he uses to complete the sentence don’t make sense:
“…context and content.”
C) Complete loss of all verbal language
Like an infant sometimes, Trump just makes sounds:
“Gang boong. This is me. I hear bing.”
Until finally, he is reduced to silence.
“Saudi Arabia and Russia will re-ve-du. Ohhh…”
Trump’s face went blank, followed by a sigh, and a silent pause while he looked at the ceiling."
"Trump evidences “tangential thinking” where he drifts from one unrelated thought fragment to another, and sometimes tries to “confabulate” them into a story. But the narrative is literally incoherent. When the press describes Trump’s speeches as “rambling,” they are gaslighting us with a euphemistic word that normalizes the grossly abnormal. Trump regularly degenerates into incomprehensible strings of words.
DeleteJust recently outside a New York courtroom, Trump declared:
“We can’t have an election in the middle of a political season. We just had Super Tuesday. And we had a Tuesday after Tuesday already.”
Other examples would be:
“We are an institute in a powerful death penalty. We will put this on.”
“I could tell you about aircraft carriers, where they use electric catapults. They couldn’t go to the steam, which works better for about 1/100th the price, you know? The electric catapult, you know that story? I could tell you about the elevators on a tremendous carrier, the Gerald Ford, and they decided not to use hydraulic like the John Deere tractor, they decided to use magnets, ‘we’re gonna use magnets!’ to lift up the elevators with seven planes.”
The article presents many more examples of this.
By the way, Somerby does this too, in writing. That means he not only drifts onto tangents but doesn't go back and edit them out of his essays in order to present a coherent argument. Hard to know whether this is because he doesn't recognize what he is doing, or doesn't care as long as he fills up the page with words.
"Dementia expert Elisabeth Zoffmann, assistant professor of Forensic Psychiatry at the
DeleteUniversity of British Columbia, told Salon that Trump evidences a “wide-based gait, commonly found among patients with dementia. Video online shows that he swings his right leg in a semi-circle as if it were dragging a dead weight. He has also shown deterioration in his fine motor coordination, for example having difficulty drinking a bottle or a glass of water without two hands.
Some doctors have also pointed out the peculiar way he leans forward as a typical sign of a type of dementia known as frontotemporal dementia. It could be frontotemporal, or it could be Alzheimer’s like his father had. There’s more than one cause of dementia and that’s where a brain scan would be helpful, but we’re never going to get to see that."
"He is showing marked deterioration in impulse control and judgment, becoming ever more paranoid, aggressive and confused. Even the judges in his cases are throwing up their hands because they see Trump actually can’t control his outbursts at this point, it’s like a Tourette’s tic.
DeleteWhat are the real risks to our nation of a president who is exhibiting signs of dementia? I can imagine a list of horribles, but what are some of the ones that spring foremost to mind?
It’s an axiom that when a patient with a personality disorder becomes demented, everything about their personality-disordered behavior gets exponentially worse. Trump will become more horribly Trumpian, if you can believe it. Everything evil and destructive about him will become even more exaggerated in an unbound, and even more erratic way, until he is nothing but rageful id, with no rational control or inhibitions. It will be pure chaos. From that point, there’s simply no bad outcome that you can think of that’s inconceivable."
"People need to understand dementia is a progressive illness, which means the Trump you see today is the best Trump you’re ever going to see. It’s all downhill from here. Trump’s rate of decline is accelerating, and if he’s typical, at some point, he will “fall off a cognitive cliff” and become completely disabled.
DeleteTrump could be found wandering the lawn of the White House in his pajamas confused about where he is. I’m not joking. I honestly believe that will happen if he’s reelected. At the rate that he’s deteriorating, I don’t believe it would be possible for him to get through the next 4 and a half years without becoming incapacitated while in office."
Stop and think for a moment about what it would mean to have such a person occupying the most powerful position on earth, with the ability to influence the lives of millions of people. It is urgent that we all realize that such a person SHOULD NOT be elected to our highest office.
Please think before you vote. This isn't about politics any more. It is about the safety and well-being of our nation and the world.
You could be describing me.
DeleteIf that's true @12:33, you should discuss your symptoms with your family and your doctor. And please do not run for office.
DeleteI won’t run for office, but I will vote for Trump.
DeleteIf you can read his name on the ballot, you might not be in as bad shape as your candidate.
DeleteBut I am demented, and that’s why I’m voting for Trump.
Delete10:33,
DeleteThat's certainly on-brand.
ReplyDeleteI am the best DNC bot, capable of producing a word-salad every minute.
What an ass Somerby is.
I am Corby.
"We'll be examining that question this week."
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning.
Heather Cox Richardson explains how Trump has used his court appearances to undermine the rule of law:
ReplyDelete"Trump has used this case—like his others—to try to undermine the rule of law. Rarely arguing that he didn’t commit any of the offenses for which he was charged in four different cases—two civil, two criminal—he has insisted instead that he is being unfairly prosecuted. The Democrats have rigged the judicial system against him, he repeatedly claims, and enough of his loyalists have bought that idea that today some of them urged Trump supporters in the jury pool to undermine the rule of law by lying to get on the jury, then refusing to convict (a plea that observers noted sounded like jury tampering).
Trump’s effort to signal that he remains disgusted by the charges against him continued today. New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman noted that “[s]hortly before court adjourned for the day, Trump’s campaign sent out a fundraising email falsely claiming he had just stormed out of court.” But it was notable that only a few dozen of his supporters showed up at the court today, and they did not stay long.
Trump has also refused to stop attacking the judge and other participants in the trial despite a gag order imposed by the judge. Today, even as prosecutors were asking Judge Merchan to find Trump in contempt for violating the gag order, Trump posted a video in which one of his allies attacked the judge’s wife as well as primary witness Michael Cohen.
Judge Merchan has scheduled a hearing on potential violations of the gag order for the morning of April 23.
Trump is trying to undermine the rule of law not only out of apparent fear of the outcome of his trials, but also because his appearance in court is likely to hurt his popularity. Last month an Ipsos poll showed that 32% of respondents said a conviction in this case would make them less likely to support Trump for the presidency. And that is before we have heard any of the new evidence that various sources have said we will hear, and which, by the nature of the case, is likely to be sordid.
Seeing Trump treated like any defendant is almost certain to damage his brand as a man who commands his surroundings. Today, Haberman noted: “One thing that is striking: Trump has used the previous court appearances in other cases to project an image of grandeur. That is hard to do in this dingy courtroom, which smells slightly off and where he is an island amid a sea of people.”
Further, the public nature of this trial will make it harder for Trump to present himself only through carefully curated appearances. Haberman also noted that Trump, who has repeatedly attacked President Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe,” appeared to fall asleep during today’s proceedings. “Repeatedly, his head would fall down,” Haberman said. “He didn’t pay attention to a note his lawyer…passed him. His jaw kept falling on his chest and his mouth kept going slack.” (While Trump was nodding off in court, President Biden was meeting in the Oval Office with Prime Minister Mohammed Shyaa al-Sudani of the Republic of Iraq, and then with Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic.)"
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-15-2024
We can add to that, his failure to pay fines and post legitimate bonds as ordered by the courts that have already adjudicated civil cases against Trump.
Trump is sleeping through his trial again today:
ReplyDelete"Now: Trump's head slowly dropped, his eyes closed. It jerked back upward. He adjusts himself. Then, his head droops again. He straightens up, leaning back. His head doops for a third time, he shakes his shoulders. Eyes closed still. His head drops. Finally, he pops his eyes open."
Frank G. Runyeon (on X)
Digby says: "I just heard CNN describe this as “Trump closed his eyes during jury questioning.”
Ask yourself if they would be so euphemistic if Joe Biden was nodding off during his own criminal trial."
This is the kind of question Somerby should ask, if he were a media critic instead of a Republican shill.
A hard scenario to imagine as Biden is not a lifelong fraudster like Trump.
Deletehttps://x.com/shunyaa00/status/1780279075195756682?s=42&t=oYvKLjVc8YzJIvwKoQTYBQ
ReplyDeleteI should hope someone would hold an umbrella for our president. Note that Biden points toward the door where he is going, before they guide him there under their umbrellas. Biden knows where he is going, although Cecelia perhaps wishes to suggest he doesn't.
DeleteIs the leader of the free world supposed to reject such courtesies in order to look waterproof?
But this is a good illustration of the kind of childishness Somerby has been complaining about when Gutfeld does it.
The person holding the umbrella over a glazed and dazed Biden, put his hand on the president’s back and gently steered him to toward a view of the exit, upon which Biden came to and pointed at the door.
DeleteSans umbrella guy, Biden would have stood there confused as to his surroundings and even of the rain.
This is in the eye of the beholder. Biden points toward the door and the guy holding the umbrella does place a hand on Biden's back, but Biden is ahead of him going forward. Without the umbrella, Biden would have walked more quickly toward the door. When you are trying to coordinate your actions with another person, you do not walk as directly as when you are trying not to outrun the person holding that umbrella over your head.
DeleteYou are seeing what you want to see. There is no confusion on anyone's part.
It is understandable that you might never have had the experience of taking a man's arm and walking at the same pace with him, neither leading nor being led, such as at a dance or formal event.
In the clip, Biden says something to the man with the umbrella but it is not possible to know what. It could have been "we're just going in here" as Biden points to the door. It is not anything like "where are we going?" as you suggest. That would be incompatible with the obvious pointing by Biden, not the umbrella guy or the men in front of Biden.
This is like the ridiculous clips the right wing used to circulate of Hillary going up aircraft stairs, suggesting that she had a stroke or had a terrible illness, none of which turned out to be true.
As I said, you guys are both childish and deceptive. But what else is new?
At least Biden isn't starting himself like the other old geezer running for President.
DeleteDamn autocorrect, sharting himself.
Deletehttps://www.npr.org/2024/04/16/1244962042/npr-editor-uri-berliner-suspended-essay
ReplyDeleteThe article says about Berliner's essay:
Delete"It angered many of his colleagues, led NPR leaders to announce monthly internal reviews of the network's coverage, and gave fresh ammunition to conservative and partisan Republican critics of NPR, including former President Donald Trump."
And including Somerby too...
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAnonymouse 2:00pm, and goodness knows NPR journos don’t want NPR accountable to internal reviews of the fairness of their coverage or to the opinions of half the country’s taxpayers
DeleteIt was a right-wing hit piece. That isn't fair, it is hostile.
DeleteAnonymouse 3:24pm, it wasn’t a right wing hit piece, it was the observation of a well- respected journalist who has stated that he is dismayed by a lack of balance in his organization.
Delete"I and a couple of other editorial leaders were encouraged to make sure that any coverage of a Trump lie was matched with a story about a lie from Hillary Clinton. Another colleague asked what to do if one candidate just lied more than the other." Silence.
Deletehttps://slate.com/business/2024/04/npr-diversity-public-broadcasting-radio.html
That's the kind of balance you're looking for, right Cec?
Maybe it be hard to balance one party of fanatical loons who strip abortion rights, attempt an autogolpe, and who have a history of blowing up the deficit with tax cuts for folks and corporations who don't need them; with the other side of.normies.
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