2024 American Political Scene

[DOR]

We have had congressmen and House Speakers, senators and governors, cabinet members, CIA Directors, revolutionaries, ambassadors, and attorneys general as vice presidents.

For a job one heart beat away from being POTUS, maybe it’s time to try a teacher.

Tim Waltz taught social studies, which might be important when it comes to casting the deciding vote in the Senate.

[JRT]

Friday, 01 November 2024
Trump on Liz Cheney: "Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her"
(08 min, 22 sec)

Former President Trump on Liz Cheney: "She’s a radical war hawk. Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK? Let’s see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face."

...

Is it hyperbolic political sensationism to label this an act of Stochastic Terrorism?

[TopHatter]

...

Is it hyperbolic political sensationism to label this an act of Stochastic Terrorism?

"Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?"

[DOR]

What’s the penalty for threatening the life of a former elected official, or the daughter of a former VP, … or, another human being?
”Party of law and order,” my ass.

[TopHatter]

What’s the penalty for threatening the life of a former elected official, or the daughter of a former VP, … or, another human being?
”Party of law and order,” my ass.

She committed the ultimate sin: She spoke out against the orange god emperor.

Y'know, if we go by Trump's vice presidential candidate, JD Vance, and say that "Trump is America's Hitler", then I wonder what's going to happen after Trump shuffles off his orange mortal coil.

I've been reading (re-reading, actually) Eight Days in May: The Final Collapse of the Third Reich and it's rather illuminating what happened to Germans after the mustache man put a bullet in his brain.

I have a funny feeling we're going to see some of the same behavior here when Trump's cardiovascular system or dementia-addled brain finally tap out.

[TopHatter]

Trump Wants to Execute My Friend
The aspiring dictator wants to intimidate us. We can’t let him.

Adam Kinzinger



IT’S NOT EVERY DAY THE PRESIDENTIAL nominee of a major political party fantasizes out loud about putting your friend in the way of harm and violent death. Yet that’s just what Donald Trump did to Liz Cheney yesterday: “Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK?” he said. “And let’s see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face.”

In the context of criticizing Cheney as a warmonger, the recipient of five draft deferments who called America’s war dead “suckers” and “losers” was implying that she was a coward who would be unwilling to face the danger into which she sent others. Cheney is among the bravest people I know, but it’s important to note that Trump wasn’t just musing on her character. He didn’t phrase his thought as a hypothetical—I wonder how she’d feel if—but as an imperative: “Let’s put her.”

This is an ominous sign of an aspiring dictator who has abandoned any remaining notion of responsibility or respect for our democratic norms. Threats against fellow Americans—especially those who have taken courageous stands for truth and constitutional values—represent not only a moral failing but also a dangerous indicator of the direction we’re heading. This is personal for me, not just as a former colleague of Liz Cheney, but as someone who has also faced similar intimidation simply for doing my duty to the American people.

Liz is more than a political figure. She’s a mother, a daughter, a wife, and a friend. Like all of us, she wants to live in a country where her children are safe and where people respect differences of opinion. She deserves to do her work and live her life without fearing for her safety or that of her family. But Trump, standing against American history, sees no difference between disagreement and treason. This is a classic sign of autocratic rule, where leaders wield threats and intimidation against their opponents to quash dissent.

Democracies are delicate. They need nurturing, respect, and accountability. When leaders act with unchecked aggression and a disregard for lawful norms, history shows us that democracies do not just erode slowly—they collapse. From Rome to Weimar Germany, and many others since, democratic societies have crumbled when leaders no longer respect the people they serve. Our country is showing the early warning signs that we, too, may be at risk if we continue down this path.

Autocrats thrive by dividing people, ruling through fear, and eroding the institutions that ensure stability and prosperity. And make no mistake, economies fail under autocratic rule. They become isolated, lacking the confidence of the international community, and eventually, as resources dwindle and leadership becomes consumed with clinging to power, the people suffer. Those in power often gain fabulous wealth, but the people are almost always worse off.

If Trump’s rhetoric becomes the norm—if violence, threats, and intimidation replace dialogue and cooperation—then the future we’re looking at is one that should deeply concern every American, regardless of party. We will find ourselves in a country we no longer recognize, one where citizens are not equal under the law, and where the voices of the people are silenced or scared into submission.

Trump hasn’t killed anyone. He didn’t say he wanted to kill Cheney. But he has encouraged violence before. He has admired dictators for their brutality and aggression against defenseless, often innocent people. He incited an insurrection against the government that took the lives of multiple people. And he has predicated his whole campaign on revenge and retribution against those who oppose him—which, in his mind, is anyone who doesn’t actively support him.

We must reject Trump’s vision for America. For those who think that warnings about the fraying of democracy are hyperbolic or that it “could never happen here,” remember that every country that lost its democracy once thought the same thing.

---

Adam Kinzinger represented Illinois as a Republican in the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2023. He is a lieutenant colonel in the Illinois Air National Guard and author of a Substack newsletter.
__________

Don't forget to say the Cult45 Prayer

[Monash]

All I can say is 'good luck gents, because whoever wins this week your going to need it!' (This whole campaign has actually made me grateful to all of our pollies. Which is really saying something.)

[DOR]

Is it Time for Term Limits?

In 31 Senate elections from 1964 to 2024, incumbents won 83.4% of the time.
In 2022, 29 Senate incumbents ran for reelection.
All 29 won.

In House elections, incumbents won 93.3% of the time.
In 2024, it was a record-high 98.5%.

https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/reelection-rates

[Monash]

Is it Time for Term Limits?

In 31 Senate elections from 1964 to 2024, incumbents won 83.4% of the time.
In 2022, 29 Senate incumbents ran for reelection.
All 29 won.

In House elections, incumbents won 93.3% of the time.
In 2024, it was a record-high 98.5%.

https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/reelection-rates

More than time but sadly there's no way in hell would it ever get passed. I'd always though a max 5 terms (20 years) in total for Senators and Congressmen with an upper age limit would be good plus a 10 year term for Supreme Court Judges (also with an age limit). Finally for good measure through it's probably not as essential I'd limit the terms of permanent and deputy heads of major federal agencies and institutions (where no such limits currently apply) to say 10 years as well.

[JRT]

Nearing the end of 2024...

Tuesday, 31 December 2024
Frank Luntz's year-end review of 2024 and look ahead at 2025

(10 min, 03 sec)
I joined Joe Mathieu on the final episode of Bloomberg TV's Balance of Power for this year.

And it was quite fitting for me to end my 2024 by paying respect to the most accomplished students of character in America – the cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

[Amled]

When Mike Johnson was narrowly re-elected speaker of the House he proclaimed that “…this Congress will be the greatest in American history….”???
As if his election as Speaker, and the sheer arrogance of that statement go so far beyond rhetoric as to be almost nauseating!
One would expect even the most brainless of Trumpist who claim an almost divine allegiance to the US Constitution,
that was passed into law by the Continental Congress on July 4^th.1776 to be the greatest’s in their country’s history!
Also, what about the people of color in the Trumpist camp, whose ancestors were slaves,
would they not think that in 1865 when the US Congress passed the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the US,
to be greater than Mike Johnson’s accession to Speaker?
American opponents to the likes of Trump and Johnson can only hope that there’s such a thing as Hubris and Nemesis!