Tuesday, May 21, 2024

🍉 🍒🍓🍇🍎🍑🍊

Nobody voiced concern about Trump’s past conduct or his present indictments on criminal charges, including allegations that he tried to hide hush money payments to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign. Supporters saw Trump as representing a religion of second chances.
The "religion of second chances" is not Christianity, but American ideology. Christianity is about forgiveness, but that’s an activity of actually forgiving others which, among other things, actually requires a relationship with them. Reinventing yourself by “second chances” means you get a clean slate and a “Get out of jail free “ card. Paul actually cursed his church in Galatia for this foolishness. It’s not Christianity, and it’s not even religion. As Derrida pointed out, “Religion is responsibility, or it is nothing at all.”

What these people are talking about is not responsibility; or taking responsibility. It’s not religion. It’s literally nothing at all.

By the same token:
Trump posted a cult-like, unhinged video in which everyone dies and is forgotten, and if we are to find any meaning in this life, it derives from Trump himself. How some religious people still don't find Trump to be completely blasphemous is beyond me.
The people who don’t regard Trump as blasphemous are not religious. 

“By their fruits you will know them.” “Religious” is a stupid label, anyway. Actions still and always speak louder than words.
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I Can Dream, Can’t I?

Much as I would love to see the Manhattan DA prosecute Dan Patrick for being an asshole in public, I know that’s not going to happen.

Would be fun to see him extradited from Texas, though.
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Being Careful What You Ask For

“Do you think the defense ultimately made a mistake by putting Robert Costello on the witness stand and having him be the final witness instead of it being Michael Cohen yesterday, acknowledging that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from the Trump Organization?" asked anchor Kaitlan Collins. 
"You hit the nail on the head," said Rossi. "Instead of focusing on Michael Cohen as a thief and a liar, they made a huge mistake." 
Trump's team completely bungled the key element of "primacy and recency," Rossi continued. 
"You always start off strong, because you only get one chance at a first impression, and people always remember your last act," he said. "By calling Mr. Costello as their last witness — actually, their only witness, they had a minor one — they left with the jury the following. Michael Cohen said, I really didn't trust Mr. Costello. I essentially thought he was a little sleazy and that he was working for Giuliani and Trump, so I didn't want to give them anything that's going to hurt me in the end. So that's very understandable. And when Costello took the stand, Kaitlan, and he acted the way he did — in my 30, 35 years of practicing law as a prosecutor and a defense attorney, I've never ever seen that, he insulted the judge. And frankly, Kaitlan, he insulted the jury." 
"They may not have heard the sidebar, but remember ... there are two attorneys on that jury and they figured out why the judge had them leave the room and it was because of the decorum," said Rossi. "The defense ended on a horrible, horrible note, and it washed away everything they were trying to do with Michael Cohen. And here's the kicker. They actually rehabilitated Michael Cohen, because Mr. Costello did come across as a little unsavory."
"A little unsavory” is in the running for “Understatement of the Year.” But there is a truth I’ve learned time and again: they always remember the last thing you said. And Trump knew before the prosecution rested what the Court’s schedule was.

So they fucked their own case as badly as they could have. I don’t know if they did that because they were following their client’s orders, but that’s not an excuse for such abysmal representation. Like a lawyer I worked for told me: “They don’t pay us to be wrong.” What the client demands, and what you know to be in the best interests of the case, are too different things. You don’t get a pass because your client was an idiot. You’re responsible for what you do in court. Period.  

The client may go to jail because of his own actions. You aren’t supposed to aid and abet that in the trial. They weren’t doing too well before this, but the “defense” they put on literally couldn’t have made the case for the prosecution any better.

And now the jury has a long week to remember that, before they get together to begin reviewing the rest of the evidence. What perspective are they going to have, now, when they do that?

Maybe Trump got the legal team he deserved.
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Is There Any “Quiet Part” Anymore?


Feature, not bug.
A stopped clock is right more often than Jackson, but he still stumbles over the truth now and again.

And doesn’t even know it.
But the MSM says Trump’s social media did that. Or it’s just Trump being Trump.
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Alternatively…

If the courts in New York come after any of you because of something you said, because you said something the ruling class didn't like, and that's what all these other countries are about," he continued. "They want to be sure that anyone that speaks up against the ruling class disappears." 
"They want to take him off the main stage because they know he is their biggest danger to take on the ruling class." 
"Isn't Donald Trump part of the ruling class?" one nearby journalist asked. 
Patrick quickly fired back: 'Now, no, you know what? Donald Trump is not the ruling class. Donald Trump is for every New Yorker. He's for every Texan, every, every state." 
"Donald Trump has put his whole life on the line, his whole life on the line for the American people," he added. 
Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka lashed out at the journalist. "Would a member of the ruling class be facing 730 years in prison?" he asked. "What a pathetic question, 730 years in prison, and he's a member of the elite. That's pathetic. You're not a journalist."
The rule of law applies to everyone?

And Dan Patrick is the independently wealthy Lieutenant Governor of Texas, in charge of the Texas Senate. You don’t get much more “ruling class” than that. Trump is a self-proclaimed billionaire who owns four (or five?) golf courses, a jet, and a Florida resort that costs more to join than most Americans earn. But he’s not the “ruling class?”

The funniest part is Patrick co-opting the language of ‘60’s college students.  It reminds me of a now-vintage ad showing a white-haired man in a corner office telling his assistant how he just saved money using the product (or something). “It’s just my way of sticking it to The Man,” the executive says. Bewildered, the assistant answers: “But sir! I thought you were The Man!”

Is MAGA really this stupid?
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Oh, Yeah…

Obviously, this didn’t happen. (Besides, a dismissal would only have gotten him a new trial. There are obviously fact questions a jury must answer. A dismissal would be almost immediately reversed, and Trump would have to pay for this all over again. He really can’t buffalo a government into submission.)

Surprising no one.

The surprise is that Trump didn’t speak after court. A bunch of Trump lampreys did; but they’re all too boring to consider.
Yeah, that didn’t happen, either 
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Question For The Jury

Does this make Costello more, or less, credible?

Context (and a note.  Bove is Trump’s lawyer, on redirect, above. Hoffinger is with the DA’s office, and on cross)
As a lawyer, I’m wondering: Costello was representing Cohen? In what way? Sounds to me more like Costello was representing Trump. I don’t see how this evidence shows Costello ever even won Cohen’s confidence.

And with that, the defense rested their case:
Because they had to cut their losses somehow. I am gonna miss these morning news conferences: The 300 million people who commit election fraud by falsifying business records involving the payment of hush money to porn stars. I guess… 

I’m also gonna miss the just painful stupidity.
Still wondering why the 40 MAGA Reps never showed en masse at the courthouse. Guess that will remain an historical mystery.

Let’s just draw a line under the defense “case” as we remember it’s the last evidence the jury heard:
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Chasing Shiny Things

Remember the "document with Weisselberg’s handwriting on it”? It’s all I heard about for a week. But that was like a week ago. 
"In Allen Weisselberg’s own handwriting, a memo shows that a total of $210,000 was to be reimbursed to Michael Cohen for money owed to him by Donald Trump, including the $130,000 in hush money Cohen paid to Stormy Daniels on Trums behalf because he was worried her revelations would harm his campaign," wrote Davis. "That total $210,000 was then doubled by Weisselberg on the document, equaling $420,000 ... then Weisselberg, a former executive in the Trump Organization, does the elementary school math to arrive at Trump’s monthly installment payments over a year to repay Cohen – $420,000/12 equals $35,000 per month, the amount of the checks almost all of which Trump wrote to Cohen each month in 2017 while a sitting president from his personal checking account." 
Given the simple math of these payments, argued Davis, "There is no other reasonable conclusion, I respectfully suggest, the jury can draw other than that these were reimbursement payments by Trump, not legal fees; and therefore, he lied when he repeatedly publicly stated, as recently as last week, that they were legal fees, not reimbursements." 
Ironically, the phone call that Trump supporters were treating as a large moment discrediting Cohen now appears instead to bolster him, as the prosecution — over the attempts of the defense to stop it — produced photographic evidence partially backing up Cohen's account that Trump was present around when the call happened.
But this week it’s the “bombshell” that Cohen “stole” money from Trump (which Cohen testified to last week), while the real explosion is the witness Trump called who single-handedly destroyed whatever defense Trump might have put on.

Meanwhile the record of the payments to Stormy Daniels is so clear a child can understand it. Which explains why nobody on cable TeeVee or Twitter seems to be able to. We can only hope the jury isn’t as stupid.  Trump’s defense is that the payments were legal fees. The notes from Weisselberg belie that. Especially since Trump signed the checks 12 times. He, who hated to pay for anything, knew what he was paying for.

That silence spoke more loudly than Cohen’s confirmation of what he’d said a week earlier. At least to the jury, who are presumably paying attention.

The media? Apparently they can’t be expected to do more than chase shiny things.
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“Shit Happens” Is The Passive Voice, Too

But Trump didn’t post that. “Trump’s social media account” posted that. Much better. The narrative must be served. Objectivity demands it!
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Monday, May 20, 2024

It’s Literally Worse Than You Think It Is

No, as Ron makes clear, that’s not a thing. But Trump coerced his lawyers (who surely knew better) into arguing for it anyway. Be that as it may, that’s not the point he thinks it is. Especially after this happened: How much worse could Costello be? Bad enough to be the “star witness” Trump wanted him to be. Think of this as that Perry Mason moment Trump kept looking for. Except Trump’s lawyers are not Perry Mason. And the moment is not his salvation.

I mean (and I never use this language except in extremis): Jesus Fucking Christ.
And Eli Honig can absolutely suck it. Speaking of Honig, I’m completely through with him:
Honig argued that while Merchan may initially appeared to have countered Trump's legal team, in truth the Manhattan criminal court judge had done them a service. "The judge did the defense a bit of a favor," Honig said. "He get got the jury out of there real quick."
No, Merchan saved himself a swift and severe reversal 
for irreparably prejudicing Trump’s defense by dressing down Costello in front of the jury. If Honig doesn’t understand that, he’s worse than useless.

I also still continue to wonder what it takes to be “respected” in these circles:
They were rolling their eyes, they were pursing their lips, they were shaking their heads," Eisen said. "The irony [was]...will Michael Cohen kept his cool for an entire week. Bob Costello, a long-respected attorney blew up the entire courtroom."
Costello is an old and long-standing associate of Giuliani. He, too, was “respected.” Whatever those circles are, I’m truly glad I never ran in them.

And then Trump made us all forget the entire cross examination of Cohen. 

He is a very stable genius and the smartest man in the room. Ask him; he’ll tell you.
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Life Imitates Parody

One of NYT Pitchbot’s regular jokes is Jonathan Turley arguing something is not in the Constitution/prohibited by it, so it’s okay to do it. Like that.

Alan Dershowitz has turned into a living NYT Pitchbot meme.
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Apparently I Was Right

Although I’m assuming Blanche moved to dismiss so he wouldn’t have to put Costello on the stand. Surely he saw this coming.

But first, a detour to consider that “bombshell” that had the MSM and Eli Honig wetting their pants:
When he was asked about the $50,000 payment to RedFinch that Trump refused to make, Cohen said the purpose of that was because Trump was not included in a CNBC poll of the most famous businessmen in the last 50 years, so they were hired to create an algorithm to boost Trump to Number 1 because he wanted that. CNBC ended up cancelling the poll, so Trump refused to pay the bill. Cohen explained that he skimmed Trump for the extra $30,000 later when being reimbursed after paying them $20,000 out of his pocket because he was angry that his annual bonus was cut for no reason.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: journalists know jack shit about trials, and cover them like they are made for TeeVee dramas made for five year olds. And most “legal commentators” are shit. Besides, this was much more important:
The jury was then brought back in and the photo was introduced into evidence. This is a critical piece of evidence because the White House call logs prove that Cohen called Schiller right as the money was being wired to Stormy and spoke to Trump using Schiller's phone, and now they have a photo of Schiller with Trump at that exact time.
The state cross-examined Costello (without the judge having to clear the courtroom), then told the judge they have another 45 minutes or so for tomorrow. Blanche then DID try to cut-off further questioning of Costello:
After the jury was excused, Blanche argued a motion for dismissal as a matter of law and made his legal arguments why the case should be thrown out as Trump perked up and listened intently. Blanche argued that there was no evidence of fraud in the documents since Cohen provided some legal services in 2017. He argued that there was no criminal intent behind the scheme to plant positive stories and kill negative ones about Trump while he was running for president. Blanche wrapped up his argument by saying that the court should not consider any of Cohen's testimony because he is not a credible witness.
That last bit is both pure Trump and a desperate attempt to get Costello off the stand. Cohen’s credibility is a question of fact (for the jury to decide). The justice can’t take that away from them.

Merchan said he’d rule in the morning (no surprise there). Blanche must be desperately hoping to pull his fat out of the fire, at this point. Moving for dismissal is not unusual. It’s virtually malpractice not to. But this argument sounds like 10 lbs of shit in a 1lb bag.
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One More Reason To Go On Living

Cross-examination continues tomorrow.

And circling back to this:
What kind of God-forsaken hellhole of a bubble do these journalists live in? Leopards don’t change their spots and people don’t change their character.  Costello didn’t turn into an arrogant idiot anymore than “America’s Mayor” turned into a slandering, bankrupt clown. The media created those narratives, and they came from journalists who kept them going for decades because they do live in an echo chamber.

Someone on MSNBC told me Costello is a Giuliani cohort and part of a group of NYC lawyers who watch each other’s backs and think they are Masters of the Universe.

Sound familiar? Explains why Giuliani and Costello both know Trump. And all three still insist their shit don’t stink.

I don’t think Costello really surprised anyone on Trump’s legal team. I also doubt Trump sees the problem.

The same person on MSNBC also tells me Merchan cleared the courtroom twice, if not three times. Jesus Christ almighty damn. They might as well beg the court for mercy now.

Costello certainly buried that “bombshell” that Cohen dropped a week ago on direct. I’m not sure Costello didn’t bury Trump, too. Seriously. Not without Trump on the stand did I ever expect a witness to fuck the party who called him, so badly. If Cohen dropped a bombshell (it was a dud), Costello left a crater. A nuclear bomb crater. ☢️ 

I still wouldn’t be surprised if they put Trump on the stand. It couldn’t hurt, at this point.
Pretty much what the guy on MSNBC said.
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You Can Lead A Horse To Water, But You Can’t Make Him Think

Since Ben Franklin started the public library system, and land grant colleges began about a century later, there has always been access to knowledge.

What the internet changed was the access to the ignorant and those impervious to knowledge. Who are as American as apple pie.

It’s a wonder tall trees ain’t layin’ down.
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What If They Held A Riot And Nobody Came?

“People are now aware that there is a cost for showing up for him,” said Heather Cox Richardson, a historian at Boston College who in recent years has been warning about a Trump-centered autocratic movement. “They’re not willing to put themselves on the line for him.”
Or, without organized groups like Proud Boys or Oath Keepers, nobody gives a shit. Besides: show up on a street in Manhattan and do what? Pay $20 for a hot dog?🌭 (No, I know; but the perception of non-NYC residents is what matters).

There’s just not a lot of incentive to show up in NYC and… shout at a building?

Date goes on to draw the ubiquitous comparison to J6. As the committee proved (but no one seems to remember, because it’s not the narrative!), J6 was an extensively planned event (hence, too, the conspiracy convictions on sedition), not the spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions because Trump showed up to give a speech, or sent out one tweet promising: “Will be wild!” But it’s a telling comparison (not that Date notices). Mob action in response to the murder of George Floyd is one thing (and most of the violence came from right-wing cranks). Mob action for Trump requires coordination and planning. Even his rallies are advertised well in advance so people will actually come. Trump is not drawing mobs for the same reason Trump is not a fundamental threat to the Republic.

He’s not in a position of power.

God forbid he ever is again, but just by existing he does not threaten the American Experiment. What Date says (in the tweet) about MAGA’s predictions not coming true, applies equally to all the Cassandras who insisted Trump’s every public utterance was another sledgehammer blow at the foundations of Constitutional government and the American legal system.

Those people stand with Michael Cohen, trying to make themselves famous (or just noticed) by being connected to Trump. I discard them all.
Concluding example. And where are the 40 House MAGA who were coming to court this week?
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God Almighty Damn


So their second witness was: No idea what the paralegal said. No one seems to care, because:
They’re resting their whole defense on Cohen. This is what I mean by “re-presenting” Trump.

It turns out Costello is the witness Trump wanted Cohen to be:
As I was saying: ETTD. And it’s clearly something about NYC.

The defense is frantically researching whether they can rest immediately and cut off cross examination of Costello.
Trump might as well testify now. It can’t get any worse. He’s already turned this trial into a shitshow. He’s running the defense.
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“Lexie, Turn The Heat Up!”

Trump lies the way other people draw breath. He is also an old man living in Florida. Any room is probably cold to him.

Did I mention he’s an old man?
Meanwhile:
The DA is playing chess. Trump is eating a pot of paste somebody left within reach. His lawyers are determined to represent him by…re-presenting him.
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A Journalist’s Memory Has The Half-Life Of A Mayfly

That the tweet Conway quoted has been deleted is a hint. Not a hint everyone got. There’s even a transcript. MSNBC was even talking about what a revelation this was, during the lunch recess. You wouldn’t know those same people had been covering this trial for four weeks.

The jury is taking notes. I trust they are paying more attention. The people getting paid to pay attention, certainly aren’t.

This is a bomb, this is really important,” Honig told CNN’s Jake Tapper and a panel of legal analysts. “This is a bomb dropped in the middle of the prosecution's case. Two reasons: One, Michael Cohen was stealing from Donald Trump. He was lying to people about what he was doing with money. He pocketed at least the $30,000 by lying … this is crushing to the prosecution's credibility because the prosecution did not ask Michael Cohen about this."
He wasn’t through:
“I just have to say this is prosecutorial malpractice,” Honig said. “This is a failure by prosecutors to either know this and not raise it with Michael Cohen on his direct or to not know it, which would mean Michael Cohen is lying right now.”
I refer the assembled to the transcript, and remind everyone that only the narrative matters. And the narrative didn’t pick up on this testimony a week ago, so it didn’t happen.

Only the narrative matters. Twat.
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Weaving A Few Threads 🧵

A legal argument was then held on whether the defense could call an "expert" Brad Smith to give his interpretations of legal terms that are the subject of the predicate offense for these charges. The DA objected since experts are permitted to give an opinion about the facts of the case based on their analysis but not on the law since it is the province of the jury to apply the law to the facts, not a witness. Emil Bove argued that having their expert define those terms "is absolutely critical" to their defense. Judge Merchan ruled that Smith cannot testify since he will only be making legal conclusions.
I’m just going to say the defense argument there is absolutely a non-starter . Merchan’s ruling is horn book law. Bove knows better than to even try. A sure sign they know they got nuthin’.

Calling Costello is not looking too good, either.
They tried to do it without the risk of cross-examination. That didn’t work.
Legal arguments began with the DA objecting to Blanche's plan to use an email from the partner of former Rudy Giuliani associate Robert Costello, who claimed to represent Michael Cohen in 2018 despite Cohen's strong denials. Merchan excluded it on the grounds that it is hearsay and doesn't include Cohen's state of mind at the time, which would be the only relevance of it.
So, will they call Costello, and get him to testify he’s a Trump sycophant who never worked for Cohen? Signs point to “No.”

The reason Merchan called them in 45 minutes early:
Was to hear these arguments from Trump’s lawyers. Meanwhile, outside Fort Knox, Manhattan: Mission Accomplished.

And I thought some 40 MAGA Representatives were supposed to be in court this week. The judge seems to think it’s going to wrap up by tomorrow:
Those guys had better hurry.
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Nope. (Rhymes with “Dope”)

First: not even vaguely true.

Trump is just upset the “wrong” people are carrying signs.🪧  Trump really does live in a world of his own fabrication. It’s like the guy generates copying the way other people sweat.😅 
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Protesting WAY Too Much

"my Speech in Dallas this weekend at the NRA’s 'Endorsement of President Donald J. Trump,' was attended by a Record Crowd of very enthusiastic Patriots. The Biden Campaign, however, put out a Fake Story that I 'froze' for 30 seconds, going into the “Musical Interlude” section, when in actuality, the 30 to 60 second period of silence is standard in every one of my Speeches where we use the Music. Check out any of my Speeches!" 
"The reason they came up with this Disinformation is that Biden freezes all the time, can’t put two sentences together, and can rarely find his way off the stage without help," before insisting, "Donald Trump doesn’t freeze!”
"It is a MADE UP Biden Campaign story, put out in a dying Newspaper that I never heard of, and every Reporter knows it, including the large group that was there…."
So, the explanations are:

A) It didn’t happen.

B) It was for “dramatic effect,” (The only affect was: “Is he finished? Is he asleep?”)

C) The teleprompter broke. (He paused an earlier speech the same weekend to complain about that.)

D) Trump spaced. (Hardly a scientific term, I know. But that’s the lay version.)

Maybe he needs some of the drugs he says Biden is taking. Or maybe the drugs wore off because he was two hours late to start this speech.

There are more plausible explanations than what he’s coming up with.

(And actually the Biden campaign didn’t put it out. The Biden campaign just called it a “glitch.” Others said it was the teleprompter, or a psychological breakdown. Either way, it’s on video on the Internet. I guess the story made its way into the MSM. No wonder he doth protest too much.)

This, too, didn’t happen:
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Sunday, May 19, 2024

Clearly Grounds For Dismissal With Prejudice

And “baptized heathens” is my go-to in these situations, but really, the people Kinziger describes don’t even rise to that level. The effort to steal the tactics of your opponents has pretty much worn out, especially when those tactics haven’t had time to become the cultural norm.

Not much above whinging about how you were served for a criminal trial.
Sorry. This is sadder.

I still say it’s something about New York City.
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No Matter What

Will Rubio object/raise questions of fraud in races Republicans win?

Will Rubio object/raise questions of fraud if Trump wins?

Will he object to questions of fraud if Trump wins? If Republicans win individual races?

EOD.

(Partisan replies indicate Democrats win by cheating, Republicans win outright. Which is a distinctly partisan, distinctly minority, view. It’s also as American as apple pie.)
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A Reminder MSM Pretty Much Parrot What Public Officials Say

Here’s the moment in question: One reasonable explanation is the teleprompter went down (different city, same problem). But the campaign explanation brushes that away. I’m not a trained observer: is this what a psychological condition looks like? I know it only from movies, which are all fake and false and imaginary.

Still, he just stops and seems disgusted (with the teleprompter?) or unsure what to say, or just in stasis. One thing is sure: “dramatic affect” it ain’t. No more than arriving over 2 hours late “heightens the anticipation.”

And if it happened to Biden, the GOP Fox 🦊 would be crying about it so loudly the MSM would follow like baying hounds.

But even Biden-Harris just call it a “glitch.” Here’s a hint: people are not computers. They don’t run on glitchy software.
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He Won’t Do It Until The Judge And The Prosecutor Take A Drug Test

He’s suddenly realized that’s very important to him.
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Saturday, May 18, 2024

The Lord Of The Flies, Or: Trump’s Greatest Hits

It shows. I suppose somebody has to. Don’t threaten us with a good time. I spent the day cleaning up half of a pine tree that blew out of my yard and into the street during a derecho two nights ago. I’m watching “The Three Stooges” and resting up enough to start making dinner. This is still more interesting. Pretty low bar, too. One we’ll spend the rest of our lives trying to forget. You’ll spend the rest of your life in courtrooms and jail cells. Aaaannd: scene! We’re done here. This man needs to end his days in a padded cell. He is clearly a danger to himself and others, and utterly out of touch with reality. I knew I walked away too soon. This just nails down my final point, though.
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Sad Truth

The majority of voters in those cities are more sympathetic to the NRA position on guns than not. Still. 

Abbott knows who his voters are. I’d like to say it should be different; but I know it isn’t.
Nope. None of them went to jail.
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But Nate Has…

… a lot of domain knowledge on this from having modeled out the effects on polling from the debates and similar events.
That makes him smarter than the average Bear!🐻 
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2 Observations

First off, he agreed, "Intimidation is first and foremost on the minds of Trump's call for these people to show up. The other aspect, though, is they're showing up because nobody else is. Donald Trump expected Americans to rush to his side and show up and be in the park and rally for him, and nobody is. Nobody is there for Donald Trump except the people with a direct political benefit from him. Elected officials." 
Finally, he said, "I would be fascinated how it works with the jury. Because yes, intimidation might be the intent, but you're telling me that if I'm a juror and I see Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert and Mike Johnson and Rick Scott come in the room, that somehow I'm going to think more favorably about Donald Trump? It's comical. This is an absurd cast of circus clowns showing up to defend the president, and I think it very well might backfire. It highlights that nobody else has his back at times, not even his own family, and suggests that the only people who do have his back are the most political crazies on the scene today."
Support for Trump is tissue thin. Don’t tell me about the money he raises from his trial. A fool and his money are soon parted, and nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public. Trump is a living exemplar of the truth of both statements.

But Trump is burning through the cash he raises, and there’s no sign he’s going to catch up soon.

Trump also thinks his rallies prove America loves him. But the same people travel from venue to venue to hear the same bedtime stories. Standing on the street in Manhattan is not listening to Trump for 90 minutes. Besides, who wants to stand in a park in NYC for four weeks?

Maybe all his rally goers will vote for him. All 3 to 4 hundred of them. Along with all the boaters in the boat parades. Oh, wait, that was 4 years ago…

And then there’s the circus clowns silently filling up the courtroom. Do all the jurors know who they are? Doubtful? Do they care? Equally doubtful. Are they impressed, in awe, intimidated?

Don’t make me laugh. A gang of strangers who go outside (where the jury can’t hear them) to spout Trump’s talking points? Who show up and leave after 45 minutes?

This is all a farce.
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📞?????

Wait a minute!

Ivanka still had a corded landline? In the kitchen? I was still a poor community college adjunct and I didn’t have a corded line in the house. We had three cordless handsets. (Or was it four? Damned things were as cheap as dirt.)

What century did this happen in?

Asking for a friend….
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Which One…?

Is the parody? And which one is a parody of thinking? 🤔 

Bonus question: must parody be intentional, in order to be parody? 🧐
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Back To The States, Where It Belongs

In a statement to the Post, Wren questioned whether it was "a good use of resources to send multiple agents across the country to storm an 80th birthday party like it was Normandy." Ted Goodman, whom the Post described as a "political advisor" to Giuliani, said it was "unfortunate that they chose to barge up and startle guests during a celebration of this man’s 80th birthday." 
"They could’ve shown a little more respect for the man who comforted the nation following September 11th and who stands up for law enforcement and the men and women in blue," Goodman said of the man who taunted authorities in a now-deleted tweet.
There is no “Get Out Of Jail Free” card in life. 😈
 
Eastman has also been disbarred and a stay of his suspension from the California Bar pending appeal has been denied. He also lost his job as a law professor at two different schools and has been indicted in the federal J6 case as well as the Georgia RICO case. 
Eastman was the legal architect of Trump's "fake elector" scheme.
ETTD. QED.
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RIP Nate Silver 🪦

He is also the very model of a modern Major General, with information vegetable, animal, and mineral. But with the simple tactic of using his own momentum against him: One could easily argue Trump already has. Hannibal Lecter? Sums up in two words the utterly baffling gibberish Trump spouts at nearly every public appearance. Puts it on a bumper sticker, if you will. Further examples are literally legion. Aside from Trump taking responsibility for ending Roe. Or ending public health mandates at schools. Or, as he’s already doing, trying to wriggle out of the debates he so eagerly agreed to.

But I’m sure, in all his “domain knowledge on this from having modeled out the effects on polling from the debates and similar events,” Mr. Silver has taken all of that, and Trump’s criminal trials, into account.

Is it any wonder pollsters and the reporters who love them still talk about Democrats “over performing”? Shit, Ezra is just playing the same “the incumbent is weak let’s imagine the impossible” game that gets played every 4 years. And Silver is dumb enough to imagine there’s such a thing as an empirical prediction of the future where politics is concerned.
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