Month: February 2021

Alan Dershowitz Warns That ‘Cancel Culture Is Quickly Becoming American Culture’

Posted on by LifeZette

Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz went on Fox News on Sunday to blast cancel culture, which was highlighted by threats made against former President Donald Trump’s defense attorney Michael Van Der Veen.

Dershowitz Compares Cancel Culture To McCarthyism

Dershowitz compared the current situation to McCarthyism in the twentieth century, and he also planned to fight it with all that he has.

“Cancel culture is quickly becoming American culture,” he said. “You know, Common Cause, which purports to be a liberal, not a radical organization, has now demanded that Facebook keep Donald Trump off its platform.”

“We are getting liberals, Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times, saying Fox should be taken off cable networks. It’s a call for censorship,” he continued. 

“I grew up during McCarthyism,” Dershowitz added. “I hated communism. But I defended the rights of lawyers to defend accused communists. And I defend today every lawyer.”

“And if any lawyer is the subject of this kind of McCarthyism, I will represent you pro bono,” he said. “I will represent you in front of universities, in front of bar associations. I’m going to dedicate myself to making sure that the new McCarthyism of the hard left doesn’t become American culture.”

Related: Report: Trump’s Own Impeachment Lawyer Called Him A ‘Fu**ing Crook’

Jim Jordan Weighs In

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) also weighed in on this, expressing similar sentiments to Dershowitz.

“On the day we had the impeachment vote on the house floor, I told my Democrat colleagues, I said, the cancel culture won’t just stop with Republicans. It will come after all of us in the end,” he said. “And that’s why we all have to push back.”

“If we don’t push back on this and stop it and stand up, as Mr. Dershowitz said, stand up for the Constitution and the First Amendment, it will only get worse,” Jordan added. “This is the No. 1 issue for the country to address today.”

Related: Trump ‘Not Happy’ With His Legal Team’s First Appearance In Impeachment Trial

On Saturday, the Senate voted to acquit Trump after Democrats tried to impeach him for allegedly inciting the Capitol riots last month.

Had they succeeded in impeaching him, Trump would not have been allowed to run for office in the future. The acquittal means that as of this writing, Trump will be permitted to run for president again in 2024.

This piece was written by James Samson on February 14, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Van Der Veen Owns Impeachment Trial Fourth Day
James Clyburn Issues Brutal Warning To Trump – ‘This Is Just The Beginning’
WH Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo Suspended For Reportedly Threatening, Demeaning Female Reporter

The post Alan Dershowitz Warns That ‘Cancel Culture Is Quickly Becoming American Culture’ appeared first on The Political Insider.

43 Republicans turn their backs on their country to side with Trump, and we’re listing them all

Posted on (Updated by Lauren Floyd

Senate Republicans fumbled the ball on yet another impeachment trial Saturday, this time regarding former President Donald Trump’s reported efforts to incite a riot at the U.S. Capitol. "As far as I'm concerned, he should've been charged with murder and treason," MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart's beloved Aunt Gloria said Sunday on the show. A video clip of her virtual interview went viral, and for good reason. In the interview, she called to task the 43 Republicans who clearly showed no intention to vote against Trump despite his attempted destruction of our democracy. Aunt Gloria said Republicans missed an opportunity to break away from Trump. “Now I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said. “Is he still gon lead the party? And what is he gon have his people do next?

Whatever the answers turn out to be to those questions, remember the 43 Republicans who voted to protect Trump no matter the costs to the country. 

They are:

John Barrasso, of Wyoming;
Marsha Blackburn, of Tennessee; 
Roy Blunt, of Missouri;
John Boozman, of Arkansas;
Mike Braun, of Indiana;
Shelley Capito, of West Virginia;
John Cornyn, of Texas;
Tom Cotton, of Arkansas;
Kevin Cramer, of North Dakota; 
Mike Crapo, of Idaho;
Ted Cruz, of Texas; 
Steve Daines; of Montana; 
Joni Ernst, of Iowa;
Deb Fischer, of Nebraska;
Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina;
Charles Grassley, of Iowa;
Bill Hagerty, of Tennessee;
Josh Hawley, of Missouri;
John Hoeven, of North Dakota;
Cindy Hyde-Smith, of Mississippi;
Jim Inhofe, of Oklahoma;
Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin;
John Kennedy, of Louisiana; 
James Lankford, of Oklahoma;
Mike Lee, of Utah;
Cynthia Lummis, of Wyoming;
Roger Marshall, of Kansas;
Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky;
Jerry Moran, of Kansas;
Rand Paul, of Kentucky;
Rob Portman, of Ohio;
James Risch, of Idaho;
Mike Rounds; of South Dakota;
Marco Rubio, of Florida;
Rick Scott, of Florida;
Tim Scott, of South Carolina;
Richard Shelby, of Alabama;
Dan Sullivan, of Arkansas;
John Thune, of South Dakota;
Thomas Tillis, of North Carolina;
Tommy Tuberville, of Alabama;
Roger Wicker, of Mississippi; and
Todd Young, of Indiana

These are the 43 Republican senators who voted to acquit Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial pic.twitter.com/Yly56FQGgb

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 14, 2021

These senators had every opportunity to read a transcript of Trump’s words to his followers at a riot dubbed “Save America,” which was held just before the riot at the Capitol. “We will never give up,” he said at the rally. “We will never concede. It doesn't happen. You don't concede when there's theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore, and that is what this is all about.” In a speech chock full of conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud, Trump directed the crowd to go to the Capitol.

"Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy,” the former president said. “After this, we’re going to walk down and I’ll be there with you. We’re going to walk down. We’re going to walk down, any one you want, but I think right here. We’re going walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators, and congressmen and women. We’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong."

Embedded Content

What followed was an insurrection that left Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick dead, reportedly hit with a fire extinguisher. More than a dozen other police officers were injured; three people died in medical emergencies; and one rioter was shot and killed when she attempted to breach the Capitol. “People need to make up their mind. Was this right?” Aunt Gloria asked. “And it was not right.”

.@CapehartJ's Aunt Gloria gives her analysis of the acquittal of Donald Trump in his second Senate #impeachment trial. #SundayShow pic.twitter.com/vwtgoN5VDk

— The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart (@TheSundayShow) February 14, 2021

President Joe Biden released his statement on Saturday:

“It was nearly two weeks ago that Jill and I paid our respects to Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who laid in honor in the Rotunda after losing his life protecting the Capitol from a riotous, violent mob on January 6, 2021.

Today, 57 Senators – including a record 7 Republicans – voted to find former President Trump guilty for inciting that deadly insurrection on our very democracy. The Senate vote followed the bipartisan vote to impeach him by the House of Representatives. While the final vote did not lead to a conviction, the substance of the charge is not in dispute. Even those opposed to the conviction, like Senate Minority Leader McConnell, believe Donald Trump was guilty of a “disgraceful dereliction of duty” and “practically and morally responsible for provoking” the violence unleashed on the Capitol.

Tonight, I am thinking about those who bravely stood guard that January day. I’m thinking about all those who lost their lives, all those whose lives were threatened, and all those who are still today living with terror they lived through that day. And I’m thinking of those who demonstrated the courage to protect the integrity of our democracy – Democrats and Republicans, election officials and judges, elected representatives and poll workers – before and after the election.

This sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile. That it must always be defended. That we must be ever vigilant. That violence and extremism has no place in America. And that each of us has a duty and responsibility as Americans, and especially as leaders, to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.

That is how we end this uncivil war and heal the very soul of our nation. That is the task ahead. And it’s a task we must undertake together. As the United States of America.”

Who is Donald Trump’s most gutless toady?

Posted on by Aldous J Pennyfarthing

The result of the latest Trump impeachment trial was a fait accompli when Mike Pence was pulled from his mother’s womb, saw his shadow, and scurried back home like a frightened baby wallaby for six more weeks of gestation.

The evidence now makes it abundantly clear that Donald Trump incited a riot, delighted in the mayhem, knew Mike Pence was in mortal danger, and not only did nothing to protect his unflinchingly loyal VP after hearing about his potential, you know, murder but actually sought to further incite the rioters by tweeting hateful lies directly at him. 

And what was Pence’s response to all this?

Crickets.

And not cool, genetically engineered murder crickets or anything—just plain old regular crickets.

Senate Republicans acquitted Donald Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors twice. So make them pay: Donate $1 right now to each of the Democratic nominee funds targeting vulnerable Senate Republicans in 2022.

The Washington Post:

[A]fter four years of obedience as vice president, Pence has no plans to condemn Trump or to speak out during the Senate impeachment trial, people close to the former vice president said. He is still operating from a playbook of obsequiousness that became second nature — he never aired his grievances publicly and delivered his often rose-colored counsel to Trump only in private, one-on-one settings.

I wonder if there’s a literal “playbook of obsequiousness,” and if so, does Mother let him read it after bedtime?

Oh, but Pence’s continued public deference to Trump doesn’t mean his feelings weren’t hurt by Trump’s decision to let him be hanged in public so Trump wouldn’t have to give up his extra White House ice cream scoop and unlimited free airplane rides. They were. You’d just never know it from talking to him.

But the rift that emerged between Trump and Pence — after Trump encouraged a frenzied mob that later chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” as it stormed through the Capitol, in search of the then vice president — is unlikely ever to fully heal, people close to Pence said.

One ally described the former vice president as frustrated with what Trump did and said it would forever change his relationship with Trump. This person added, however, that Pence does not share the animus or fury that some of his former aides have for the president.

Do Republicans feel some weird frisson of excitement when Trump brutally attacks or betrays them? Is this something we mere mortals simply can’t understand? Because if any of my bosses had ever treated me this disrespectfully, I’d have immediately FedEx’d them my company-issued gimp costume (without dry-cleaning it first!) and never spoken to them again.

But Republicans keep coming back for more.

Why?

And it’s not just Milquetoast Mike Pence. 

Trump gave out Lindsey Graham’s private cell phone number at a rally, and Graham eventually became his champion.

Trump implied Ted Cruz’s wife was ugly and that his dad had a hand in JFK’s assassination, and Ted became his gracious and loyal servant.

Kevin McCarthy was harassed and nearly killed by Trump’s mob, and Trump refused to lift a finger to protect him. Nevertheless, McCarthy still flew down to Florida three weeks later to kiss his ring.

And despite knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Trump is the human equivalent of dumpster sushi, Mitch McConnell gladly wolfed down every rancid, mealy bite for years.

It’s inconceivable, but it is what it is. If these guys got into a gruesome clown car accident and you had to Frankenstein them together to confect one historically awful legislator, you’d be hard-pressed to locate a spine or recover a single languorous ball.

So who do you think is the worst? Answer the poll question and find out!

”This guy is a natural. Sometimes I laugh so hard I cry." — BETTE MIDLER on author ALDOUS J. PENNYFARTHING, via Twitter. Need a thorough Trump cleanse? Thanks to Goodbye, Asshat: 101 Farewell Letters to Donald Trump, Dear F*cking Lunatic, Dear Pr*sident A**clown and Dear F*cking Moron, you can purge the Trump years from your soul sans the existential dread. Only laughs from here on out. Click those links, yo!

Opinion: The world watches, stunned as Trump is cleared

Posted on by CNN.com - RSS Channel - HP Hero
The whole world watched the second impeachment of former US President Donald Trump and his acquittal. In many cases, if media coverage is an indication, the global audience paid rapt attention. The BBC was one of many outlets that carried the Senate proceedings live. France24 television broadcast much of the proceedings on their English and French services, with simultaneous translation into French, including the final vote and subsequent responses by Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer and Republican Mitch McConnell -- both of whom condemned Trump's actions, but with McConnell nonetheless voting to acquit the former President.
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