Yesterday I wrote a very quick piece on the “Not Many” BS we have been fed the last few days. Today there’s much more to ponder and to add. Oh, and the “He” to which I refer in the title? The same terrific guy I mentioned yesterday: Glenn Kirschner. Glenn is an NBC/MSNBC legal analyst, so you have seen him on a whole host of shows; but he now has a daily podcast, on YouTube, titled #Justice Is Coming, on which every day he weighs in and analyzes a current issue using his 30+ years as a federal prosecutor in the DC office of the Justice Department and before that he was a JAG in the military.
However, before we get to Glenn and the “what” he may be on to, let’s chat about all of us for a minute. I know from having been a faithful reader of Politizoom and before that, of reading both Ursula’s and Murf’s work on Daily Kos, and of reading all the comments so many of us in this community of informed but, let’s face it, hair-on-fire folks who are concerned, even terrified about the fate of our American democracy, that there are a few abiding, nagging questions all of us are asking. Over and over again.
Husband and I ask these questions; we talk with colleagues at the University of Maryland, with friends, with family, all of whom are asking the very same questions. We ask these questions here on Politizoom; they feature on most of the programs we try to catch, including Rachel Maddow; The Last Word; All In; and more. But until this morning at 4 am, I hadn’t heard any answers that made any damned sense to me regarding these questions we keep asking, but in particular one question: Why are literally all Republicans quiet as Edna St. Vincent Millay’s graveyard in “Renascence,” her first published poem?
Welp, here for your consideration is what Kirschner came up with and it makes estimably good sense: The Republicans, both House and Senate, aren’t merely enablers. They are complicit; they are co-conspirators; they are as guilty as Donald Trump is of selling out our democracy. And why does Kirschner contend this?
Let’s go back a bit and into the belly of the beast: remember all those Republicans who merrily jaunted off to Russia, what, three years ago now? Remember all those Republicans who bad-mouthed Trump during his run for the nomination, among them especially Lindsey Graham, soon-to-be washed up Senator from South Carolina if Jaime Harrison has anything to do with it? And then all those feckless Senators who voted not only against impeachment, but first voted to prevent even any witnesses from testifying? And while we’re at it, all the non-elected Repubs who also maintain a deadly silence, well, except for God bless ‘em, the leakers.
Here’s what Glenn says, and the podcast too if you want to hear more.
He reminded us: not only did the Russians hack the DNC, and through too many iterations for me to lay out here, John Podesta’s e-mails were then published for all to read, and others’ private transmissions as well; but the RNC was also hacked. But again, quiet as a grave: no release of any of the hacked information from the RNC. Nothing. Even now. So, why not? Who benefits from the holding back of this treasure trove of information on the dirty laundry of the RNC; of the other men and one woman, I forget how many now, who also were running for the Republican nomination? What do the Russians have on these folks?
Enough to “buy” their silence? Seems plausible; possible; very likely. And if this is true, what have these folks done to protect their dirty little and big secrets? They have sold out our country. Nothing less will do as a charge. Nothing else makes sense. Nothing.
Glenn knows his stuff, as does Rachel & Malcolm Nance.
Occam’s razor says yes.
Don’t you just love Occam’s razor? When it works to explain “stuff,” it really holds true. There are not a ton of assumptions we actually have to make in the face of, well, let’s call it what it is, the attempted destruction of an entire democracy. I think we would have done well to have paid far more attention to Steve Bannon and his belief in the deconstruction of the administrative state. He may be gone, but it appears the entire government is being deconstructed, taken apart, but not being put back together again in a different form.
You seldom hear from the NRA anymore. Not that I mind them keeping out of the spotlight but I’m guessing they too are fearful of Trump losing in November and having a properly functioning DOJ again. If you comb through financials the list of GOP Congress Critters who took NRA money in the last couple of cycles is pretty short compared to those who took at least some. And in some cases such as a vulnerable Senator (Tillis) in my adopted state quite a bit.
Two things. First, the NRA didn’t just set a record for political contributions in 2016 (again, not just to Trump) but they more than doubled any level of prior spending in a given election. My second point however is that the thing that probably has so many in the GOP scared shitless is that money they took in 2014 and perhaps even some as far back as 2012. What the hell am I talking about you ask?
A whole lot of that extra money, if not most of it started out as RUBLES!
Some in the GOP by 2016 surely knew this, but since Trump was so willingly taking the money the figured they’d get away with it too. But every such dollar was an illegal campaign contribution – a felony in fact. Proving any of these assholes knew at the time that NRA money was tainted would be a tough case to make. However the NRA itself is in dire financial straights and some of its top folks have only avoided being indicted themselves because Barr is AG. But they have already been worked over a bit by the system and know how vulnerable they and the NRA itself are, and their lawyers are already familiar with career, line prosecutors who will in a Biden administration be freed up to pick up where they left off before Barr came in and quashed everything.
You know the old saw about the first one(s) coming forward will be the ones to get the sweetheart deal with prosecutors. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to by this time next year learn that if as we hope Biden wins that those lawyers will be putting out feelers about entering plea bargain negotiations. They will of course have to trade something of value, and GOP elected officials as well as some of the highest officials of the Trump campaign (both 2016 and 2020 since Trump started the 2020 campaign within a week of taking office) make nice, headline grabbing and juicy targets!
Should he win I fervently hope that Biden won’t make the same mistake Obama did when the latter said publicly we should be looking forward rather than focus time and effort prosecuting those bankers who crashed our (and the world’s) economy. Instead he should pick an aggressive AG and tell them to simply have the Department do its job. IOW let them go after those who brought us to ruin in the Trump era if they have a workable case. Let the GOP whine and complain about political persecution. THEY have gone to extraordinary lengths to politicize DOJ and to try and prosecute Democrats. Even with Barr’s best efforts they can’t even manufacture a bullshit case, much less a credible one. Even Barr knows having a federal judge summarily dismiss a case because its bullshit on its face won’t play well. At most he might get one or two bites at that particular apple and I suspect Biden (and his son) are prepared for what’s likely to be one of multiple planned “October Surprises.”
Anyway, that’s my more than two-cents initial take on this.
Why they voted to allow campaigns to not report offers of foreign “help”, I think.
Exactly!! This smelled like three-day old fish the minute I heard it. Some folks are aging from the stress of all this like some sci-fi plot would create. And thinking there are a cadre of reporters on this story right now because they have that nose for stench.
Excellent piece! I’m so glad to see you writing on this site! I wrote a longer comment to you on this on Daily Sound & Fury. I guess I should have saved it for here!
Thanks for that!!
Yes, Caroll, you did a great job on this article! I’m glad you joined the ranks of the PolitiZoom writers. Let’s have more!
At this point, no one is in any mood to play nice. Obama was their one and only chance to get onboard. Now, with all this, they’re going to be paying for that.
I was saying this shortly after the election after hearing a comment by Randi Rhoads. I called my Senator, Cory Gardner, to ask about it and the person on the phone freaked. Wanted to know my name and address – new policy don’tcha know. (Since I now live in Mexico, I gave her my old US address.) I figure most of the GOP senators and reps are either being blackmailed or bribed.
It was July 4, 2018 and boy, did they get blowback on Twitter for their chipper “Happy 4th” posts dialed in from Moscow. They were Senator Richard Shelby (Alabama), Steve Daines (Montana), John Hoeven (N.D.), John Kennedy (Louisiana.), Jerry Moran (Kansas), John Thune (S.D.) and pedophile protector Ron Johnson (Wisconsin), and Congresswoman Kay Granger (Texas).
anastasjoy, that’s just lovely. ?