Apparently Donald Trump is a cult leader for all seasons. We know that the MAGAs love him because he hates the same people they do and talks the same talk they talk. But what about the educated folk? What about the people like John Eastman who should know better? Apparently Trump appeals to somebody like Eastman because he provides a shortcut to the top. Trump didn’t get where he got by merit, he got there by a confluence of factors that will probably never repeat themselves again (let us hope.) I think that people like Eastman, and Jeffrey Clark, saw Trump as a way to leap frog over obstacles that may have held them back, (such as their dreary personalities) and get to levels of power they could only have dreamed of prior to Trump.
This is what Katyal says.
The similarities between Eastman and Clark are astonishing.
- They both keep insisting they’re right;
- They keep pushing inane right-wing talking points and debunked theories;
- They keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
- They’re both probably going to find their ass behind bars.
This is a case of first impression in American history, at least modern American history. Certainly Benedict Arnold deciding to sell out the country and go back to serving King George was along these lines.
Maybe it’s denial, plain and simple. If you know about AA or any 12-step program, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, i.e., coming out of denial. You would think in Eastman’s case (and in Clark’s, too) that since he’s in disbarment proceedings in California and he just made bail arrangements in Georgia, maybe, just maybe, he has screwed up his as a lawyer somewhere along the line. It would seem that admitting at least that much would be pretty simple, on these facts.
But apparently not. Or, there is another possibility, but this is too fantastic to believe. Maybe both Eastman and Clark have convinced themselves that their defenses are real and they are blameless actors. Maybe they believe they are the targets of the Deep State and it’s all a “political hit job” for “ratings-driven pundits.” That’s an observation Clark made in the motion he filed Tuesday. And maybe Eastman believes the stolen election is real, too.
If that is the case, then Katyal was somewhat right but not spot on. Katyal said that Eastman might be “auditioning for an insanity defense.” No, maybe he doesn’t have to audition. Maybe he really is nuts.
The adjudication of Eastman, Clark, Jenna Ellis, Rudy Giuliani in particular, Sidney Powell and every other Trump lawyer, for their participation in the coup, is going to be written about in law journals for many a moon to come.
Norman Bates believed he was his dead mother. Belief in anything means bupkis. Right now, in our entertainment driven culture, 74 million humans(?) believe baby huey is superman, a wonderful businessman, a born again ‘christian’, the smartest guy ever born, a super golfer, a military hero, a manly man, the greatest lover ever, and the greatest president in the history of our country. It makes me nervous to drive down the highway in this lunatic asylum.
We might have watched the same interview. Regardless, I saw Katyal mention something I’d heard him mention before which is that long ago both clerked at SCOTUS at the same time. Katyal as we know had an impressive legal career, capped off by a stint as Solicitor General. He’s noted in the past that Eastman was once a well respected, top lawyer and professor. I don’t think he and Eastman were ever buddies but they did know each other reasonably well and Neal I think really can’t figure out WTF happened and/or is going on with the guy he once knew and respected.
Yeah either Eastman is lying or trying a insanity defense. Well I really don’t get it because he’s about to loose his law license unless he’s got some kind of rider on it that pays off if he goes cracker jacks. I could see that from a smart slimy lawyer planning ahead on his retirement and giving himself a sweet nest egg.