Donald Trump is reportedly furious in private over the role Vice President Mike Pence is about to play in confirming his election defeat.
Mike Pence: Donald Trump fumes over VP’s role in confirming Biden’s win
Category: Trumpland
24 President Donald Trump on Tuesday added more loyalists to the long list of friends who’ve gotten plum jobs as he eyes the exits. Hope Hicks, the Trump confidante and two-time White House employee, will serve on the board of the prestigious Fulbright scholarship. But Hicks isn’t alone. Tuesday’s list has a few familiar names: Ric Grenell, the former acting director of national intelligence who later played a key PR role in Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election, was given membership on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. (Andrew Giuliani, Rudy’s son, was added to the council last week.)
Trump Gives Loyalists Ric Grenell, Hope Hicks, Pam Bondi Gigs On His Way Out | Talking Points Memo
With Trump raving in White House meetings, prompted by the equally certifiable Michael Flynn, about declaring martial law, it sets an old Middle East hand like me thinking.
Trump aping Mideast Tinpot Dictators and raving about declaring Martial Law, which even Iran Prohibits
Democrats refused to seize a rare opportunity to outmaneuver Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell. They settled for a COVID relief bill that skimps on benefits, provides tax breaks to the rich, and pulls us toward austerity extremism.
We Can’t Survive on $600. The New Relief Bill Is Not a Victory.
When Donald Trump announces his intention to run again for president, tens of millions of Americans will flock to his side. If he ultimately doesn’t run, they will throw their support behind anyone that the disgraced ex-president selects as his successor. They will do so despite all the harm Trump has caused the United States and the world. For the United States, at least, that might prove to be the most dangerous denialism of them all.
How America’s Denialism– Elections, COVID, Climate — is Leading to its Downfall
Trump’s Role Model was always Putin and he tried to do it like Putin
Those living in the bubble created by right-wing news hear Trump’s lies repeatedly from multiple sources, making them appear credible. This is the underpinning of all propaganda. That firehosing lacks a commitment to consistency and objective reality can seem counter intuitive. But as Masha Gessen of the New Yorker explains, that is because the goal of firehosing is not persuasion but power. The immediate reaction of the media and others to a firehose of lies is to fact-check. That turns the lies into a political fight. What shouldn’t be up for debate becomes a partisan tit for tat. As Peter Pomerantsev, a Soviet-born British journalist and author, wrote about Putin’s information warfare in 2014: “insisting on the lie, the Kremlin intimidates others by showing that it is in control of defining ‘reality.’ This is why it’s so important for Moscow to do away with truth. If nothing is true, then anything is possible.”
The GOP’s Assault on Truth Is About Power, Not Persuasion | Washington Monthly
Trump’s coup attempt is on-going. Despite being rejected by state officials and the country’s highest courts, Trump and his agents are continuing their seditious and treasonous attempts to overthrow the results of the 2020 election — and, in effect, overthrow American democracy. These efforts to stop Biden from becoming president have extended to the use of stochastic terrorism and other provocations, to murmurs about martial law, political violence and a second civil war. Because Trump yearns to be a neofascist strongman, his campaign to remain in power indefinitely will not stop. Michael D’Antonio, a CNN contributor and author of “The Truth About Trump”, warned Salon about this during a recent phone conversation:
Richard Painter: Trump is an “incompetent dictator” — but a “shrewder” plot might have worked | Salon.com
Despite the fact that herd immunity failed in Sweden and the hospitals are now unable to cope. Trump wants chaos th reign and COVID-19 is a perfect ploy. (ODT)
Trump appointee at HHS, Paul Alexander, urged other health officials to “flood the zone” with coronavirus and infect “kids and young people” in order to develop herd immunity.
Trump HHS Official Admits ‘We Want Them Infected’ With COVID-19 | Crooks and Liars
“[I]t’s not over. We keep going and we’re going to continue to go forward. We have numerous local cases,” Trump told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade before his campaign filed its latest lawsuit.
Trump sues New Mexico in continued election challenge as Electoral College affirms Joe Biden’s win | Salon.com
“It is equal to a 9/11 attack every day for more than 100 days.”
COVID death toll reaches 300,000 under Trump
Look at the statistics: At the time of publication, this is the stark situation worldwide: Cases: 72 million Recovered: 47 million Deaths: 1.6 million In the US alone, the figures are startling: Cases: 16.3 million Deaths: 300,000, equivalent to the entire population of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. The US now records more daily deaths from COVID-19 than occurred on the day of that infamous terrorist assault on the US – September 11, 2001.
Vale 2020 – » The Australian Independent Media Network
In disregard for political precedent or basic humanity, Trump has fast-tracked federal executions before Biden takes office
Trump is spending the last days of his presidency on a literal killing spree | Donald Trump | The Guardian
At least four people were stabbed Saturday as supporters of President Donald Trump, including maskless Proud Boys in helmets and bulletproof vests, descended on the nation’s capital and clashed with counterprotesters—violence that some critics tied to the president’s pre-election directive to the self-described “western chauvinists.”
“In Case There Was Any Doubt Regarding ‘Stand By'”: Four People Stabbed After Pro-Trump DC Rally | Common Dreams News
Yet on Saturday, The Washington Post reported that of the 249 Republicans in the House and the Senate, only 27 acknowledged Joe Biden won the election.
The dangerous toll of entrenched belief – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Sedition is a serious charge, but it’s the right word. Most House Republicans and 17 state attorneys general are standing against the right of Americans to choose their own leaders. As elected officials, they are using the power granted to them by the people to declare that the people should not have such power. Even if they lose this case, this time around, the fact that so many traitors hold elected office in America is a major crisis all by itself.
Republicans want more than a coup: Trump’s loyalty test exposes their hatred for democracy | Salon.com
Seventeen American states, all run by Republicans, have decided to join Texas in its seditious and frivolous quest to have the U.S. Supreme Court throw out the votes of 81,282,896 citizens and declare Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 election. Those states: Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia.
From Frivolous to Frightening: 17 Republicans States Join Texas, Ask the Supreme Court for a Coup | The Smirking Chimp
The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allegedly ordered agency staff to delete an email sent by a political appointee of President Donald Trump seeking to alter a scientific report on corovanirus health risks in children, a CDC official told Congress this week.
CDC Official Says She Was Told to Delete Email on Kids’ Covid-19 Risk to Match Trump’s School Reopening Message | Common Dreams News
A significant epidemiological and statistical analysis shows a major factor in liklihood of death among the 300,000 that have died and contracted COVID-19 is 1) Race and 2) Postcode. and Trump thinks that’s just TERRIFIC
Donald Trump has said it is “terrific” that nearly 15 per cent of Americans have contracted the coronavirus since the outbreak began in the US, citing the “powerful vaccine” of herd immunity.
‘Powerful vaccine in itself’: Trump says it’s ‘terrific’ that nearly 15 per cent of Americans got Covid | The Independent
The president’s ‘vaccine summit’ was notable for its absentees amid revelations that he had spent $14bn on insufficient doses
Only in Trump’s Operation Warped Reality is his vaccine leadership a success | Donald Trump | The Guardian
Now the stance of the ordinary right-winger is that social responsibility, in and of itself, is a dreadful imposition that must be shunned. “Triggering” liberals is the only value left standing, and it remains the top priority even in the face of mass illness and death.
Trump lost the election — but his legacy of coronavirus denialism is here to stay | Salon.com
Trump pressed Kemp to call a special session of the state legislature to get lawmakers to override the results and appoint electors that would back him, according to a person familiar with the conversation. He also asked the governor to demand an audit of signatures on mail ballots, something Kemp has previously noted he has no power to do… Kemp has also said that he will not call for a special session of the legislature.
Trump Once Again Bullies Georgia Governor to Overturn Election Results—This Time By Phone – Mother Jones
Why is Trump offering no leadership to help stop the spread of COVID19?
Trump Has Abdicated His Duty As President And Thousands Are Dying Because Of Him | Crooks and Liars
there is a lack of outrage over a far more significant matter: the death of more than a quarter-million Americans. On Wednesday, the United States set a new record for COVID-19 deaths: 2,804. This is just 173 shy of the death toll of 9/11—that cataclysmic event that reordered elements of American society. The United States is looking at that level of loss on a daily basis. Yet there is little uproar.
274,000 Dead, and Trump Obsesses Over Election Conspiracy Theories. Where’s the Outrage? – Mother Jones
Bill Barr’s only hope is to reverse his comments about election fraud. Then maybe he can stay, says Trump.
Trump Threatens To Fire Bill Barr Over Election Fraud Comments | Crooks and Liars
The justification for Voter ID is ALWAYS racist, just not always this blatantly racist.
Trump ‘Voter Fraud’ Witness Says Voter ID Needed Because ‘All Chinese Look Alike’ | Crooks and Liars
Today loyalist William Barr, Trump’s Attorney General, admitted that the Department of Justice has not found any evidence of widespread voter fraud that would mean Trump won the election. Trump’s lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis promptly issued a statement saying “With the greatest respect to the Attorney General, his opinion appears to be without any knowledge or investigation of the substantial irregularities and evidence of systemic fraud.” Trump allies told PBS NewsHour correspondent Yamiche Alcindor that Barr’s statement was a “complete betrayal.”
In Line For Immunity? | The Smirking Chimp
A week after Michael Flynn secured a full pardon from President Donald Trump, the ex-national security adviser is under fire for sharing a call for his former boss to “immediately declare a limited form of martial law, and temporarily suspend the Constitution and civilian control of these federal elections, for the sole purpose of having the military oversee a national re-vote.”
Recently Pardoned Flynn Shares Call for Trump to Declare Martial Law and Make Military Oversee New Election | Common Dreams News
Trump’s voting base is a sea of suckers.
Trump and his allies won’t drop claims of stolen election — because they’re cashing in | Salon.com
At the end of this past June, the most recent Federal Reserve data point available, the nation’s poorest half held less than 1 percent of the nation’s stock holdings, just 0.6 percent. The nation’s poorest 90 percent, all combined, now hold just 11.8 percent of the nation’s stocks.
The Rich Are Cheering Wall Street’s Latest Records. Americans of Modest Means Are Draining 401(k)s. | The Smirking Chimp
What to do about Trump’s crimes
The only Perfect Call was Mary Trump’s and nobody seemed to meaningfully listen (ODT)
Donald Trump is personally liable for over $400 million in loans, much of it coming due within a year of leaving office. When combined with debts held by the Trump Organisation, he may be over a billion dollars in the red. Trump faces State-level prosecution and the likely exposure of many more federal crimes when he no longer controls America’s government. This may explain Trump’s refusal to concede the result of the Election and puts Trump on a collision course with the democratic reality of peacefully leaving office. The lame duck period of presidential transition, finally now in motion, is normally an uneventful period of political stagnation. Not with this president. Trump has decapitated the civilian leadership of the Pentagon, withdrawn America from the Open Skies Treaty (designed to avoid accidental military escalation) and appears to be deliberately sabotaging Joe Biden’s ability to manage the economy. Perhaps Trump’s ultimate crime will be to burn it all down as he heads for the door. With two months until inauguration, this story may be far from over.
What to do about Trump’s crimes
When he lost the recent election, yet insisted that he had won it, his followers came out on the streets in droves echoing his accusation that the election had been ‘stolen’ from him. The thieves were not identified. How they could mastermind such a complex coup involving thousands of players scattered across a vast nation of over 330 million was never explained. Yet that did not concern Trump’s followers;
Trump is a cult leader – » The Australian Independent Media Network
The reality is that the Trump obsession isn’t really about Trump himself anyway. It’s about his followers. Advertisement:
Trump isn’t the reason we can’t quit Trump — the obsession is really about his followers | Salon.com
The incoming administration has its job cut out restoring faith in the process and in the nation`s leader to repair the damage reaped by four years of inglorious damnable conduct. The Republican Party also has some fence-building to do. The lights in the party room need to be burning late into many nights analysing the last four years; what worked, what didn’t and what needs to happen to ensure the Democrats only get one term (when Biden is likely to hand the baton on to his Vice President for 2024). Should their outgoing fellow decide he wants another tilt, do they support him or send him on gardening leave, or do they quietly hope that the agony of loss will fry his addled brain completely? Time will tell. Maybe he will retire to his golf courses, sorry, country clubs. Memo to anyone competing with the club owner; let him win, he doesn’t like losing … in case that fact eluded you.
Opportunity lost: Trump’s presidency – » The Australian Independent Media Network
President Trump gained a number of loyal followers during his time in the Oval Office, but there are reasons why his popularity may wane, writes Paul Begley.
Trumpism is unlikely to become a movement
“These claims were meritless from the start and for an audience of one,” Shapiro said in a statement. “The will of the people will prevail. These baseless lawsuits need to end.” Counties must certify their results to Boockvar by Monday, after which she will make her own certification. Democratic Governor Tom Wolf will notify the winning candidate’s electors they should appear to vote in the Capitol on December 14.
In blistering ruling, judge throws out Trump suit in Pennsylvania
Giuliani and Trump might think it’s about him staying in office, but this is all pure Bannon. And it’s very dangerous. “Anything that aids and abets doubts about an election that has been conducted with integrity makes the future of democracy darker,” William Galston, senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution told the Post. “To weaken a democratic people’s faith in its fundamental institutions of self-government is inexcusable.”
Trump’s Election Tactics Turn from Courts to a Bannon Strategy of Chaos | The Smirking Chimp
This is really enough to overturn any election,” said Giuliani, who laid out a litany of allegations – not evidence, but unproven allegations – sprinkled with a list of untruths or perhaps, misunderstandings about the vote counting and certification process. For all of the traditions and norms shattered by Trump during his presidency, publicly musing about and actively making an effort towards “overturning” the will of US voters based on allegations and conspiracy theories really takes the cake.
Trump’s fury grows as US election loss becomes unequivocal | US & Canada | Al Jazeera
The outgoing president’s campaign is filling the inboxes of supporters with messages that aim to incite fear and anger.
Trump Emails Supporters to Say, “The Left HATES YOU”
We’ve got more deaths from this virus than the number of soldiers killed in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. The president of the United States we just voted out of office is sitting around watching Fox News, filing phony lawsuits, firing people he thinks are “disloyal,” and running a new scam on his way out the door to line his pockets with dollars from his adoring base. Donald Trump is living up to every expectation we ever had about him. He’s going out exactly the way he came in: lying, cheating and stealing.
Trump Is Going out the Way He Came In: A Loser, a Liar and a Cheat | The Smirking Chimp
“He’s lined up votes on SIX Trump judicial nominees (for lifetime seats) instead of passing meaningful Covid relief. That’s his priority as the pandemic rages on,” added Gupta.
“That’s His Priority as the Pandemic Rages On”: McConnell Readies Lame Duck Push to Further Pack Courts With Trump’s Judicial Appointees | Common Dreams News
THE STATES IN THE USA which have most avidly supported soon-to-be-ex-President Donald Trump have paid a heavy price for their fealty. Deaths from suicide, gun violence and the COVID-19 pandemic have been much higher there than where Trump’s toxic authority has been rejected.
Trump’s Republican death cult soon to lose office
Claiming that the election was a Democratic “power grab” financed by (of course) George Soros, Gingrich threw a bone to anti-Semites in the Republican base. He concluded that “it is very hard for me to understand how we [Democrats and Republicans] are going to work together,” which is really his point. This is all pretext for massive resistance to anything President Biden tries to do. The plan is to deny Biden legitimacy. Right-wing media will give Republicans cover to maintain the lie by obsessing about “investigations” and “reports” of a “stolen election.” Meanwhile, GOP voters will encourage them while failing to hold their leaders accountable for refusing to govern. That strategy worked pretty well for Republicans during the Obama presidency. With a few tweaks, they’re teeing it up once again.
“Stolen Election” is the New “Birtherism” | Washington Monthly
Trump has touted vaccines and therapeutics, including therapeutics that may have saved his own life when he was hospitalized with the infection. But there aren’t nearly enough therapeutics for all the patients in need — nor the top-notch care the president received — and the vaccines won’t be ready for full distribution into well into 2022. On Friday, Trump announced that the vaccines will be available in April, though he had previously said it could be distributed last month, in October, which never happened. And right now, the administration has no plan to stop surging virus. Most Republicans are following his lead, and even Democratic governors who might prefer to take a more aggressive approach are hamstrung by a lack of federal resources. There is no plan to stop the virus. The federal government just intends to let it spread through all of us. It’s a plan for mass death, because they don’t care enough to stop it.
The Trump Plan for Mass Death Is Unfolding Before Our Eyes | The Smirking Chimp
Like Freddy Krueger, the serial killer in A Nightmare on Elm Street, Donald Trump could still return to haunt us. It all depends on the Electoral College, a system unique to the U.S.
A nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue: Trump could retain the White House
Atlas is a physician with no expertise in infectious diseases or epidemiology. Fauci, an immunologist, has led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for more than three decades. MOST READ GA Secretary of State: There will be a ‘full, by hand recount in each county’ Georgia’s chief election official announces hand recount of presidential results The GOP’s Georgia boogeyman: Chuck Schumer Biden announces Ron Klain will be White House chief of staff Two Ideas for Trump’s Exit Strategy Trump’s new Pentagon sets up clash over Afghanistan pullout
‘A political animal’: Atlas attacks Fauci, escalating feud between Trump’s pandemic advisers – POLITICO
For the first time in history, an incumbent president is refusing to concede after clearly and indisputably losing a presidential election. That’s making observers, citizens, and experts nervous that Trump may be preparing to stage a coup of some sort, or perhaps call again on his supporters to commit violence to sustain his rule.
Can Trump really stage a coup? Experts weigh in on whether it’s possible | Salon.com
Is Trump planning to send in the army to arrest Biden or simply disappear him? (ODT)
“Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service.”
Trump sacks defence chief as Biden pushes ahead with presidency
But there are real questions about whether he will, in fact, be able to govern. At the moment, it seems likely that the Senate – which is wildly unrepresentative of the American people – will remain in the hands of an extremist party that will sabotage Biden in every way it can. Before I get into the problems this confrontation is likely to cause, let’s talk about just how unrepresentative the Senate is.
‘We are in big trouble’: Is America becoming a failed state?
On November 2, Trump signed an executive order that aims to manipulate the minds of young children. “We will state the truth in full, without apology (sic),” he said, adding: “We declare that the United States of America is the most just and exceptional nation ever to exist on earth (sic).” If bipartisan US hardliners get their way, education at all levels may resemble Nazi Germany and Israeli indoctrination of children. After Nazis gained control in 1933, the infamous Nuremberg Laws followed. Education featured indoctrination and loyalty to the Reich. It laid the groundwork for wars to come. Scholar Louis L. Snyder witnessed Nazi rallies and practices firsthand. He explained that “(t)here were to be two basic educational ideas…” “First, there must be burnt into the heart and brains of youth the sense of race.” “Second, German youth must be made ready for war, educated for victory or death.” “The ultimate purpose of education was to fashion citizens conscious of the glory of country and filled with fanatical devotion to the national cause.” As one of the world’s most militarized societies, Israel resembles Nazi German.
Trump’s Executive Order to Manipulate the Minds of US School Children – Stephen Lendman
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