Some of you probably know me: I write the “Annex” on Good News Roundup about 4 times a week. As such, I have believed for quite some time that:
1) Trumpf would ultimately end up in bad shape when it comes to the 2020 election; and
2) The poll data consistently understates the magnitude of the Dem advantages at all levels in in most states—for the Prez, Senators, Congresspeople and state-level officials. There are a number of parts to that case, related to our GOTV and grassroots advantages, Trump’s strong likelihood of countinuing to deteriorate (as he is), and real problems for him and his cronies when it comes to several key topics (healthcare, climate change); and
3) Anti Trumpf events yet to come, such as Bolton’s evidence, however articulated. And taxes and bank records, and very likely a global economic crisis related to the corona virus.
4) At the very end, just added, is a strong Bloomberg site op-ed related to the rule of law, which more people are beginning to recognize and more leaders are beginning to discuss.
I know that it was difficult to maintain that viewpoint last week, what with the impeachment fraud, Trump’s SOTU—in which the prez always has a significant advantage, as witness Bush after the Iraqi lie blew up in his face—and then the noise of Iowa. My view, as I stated in several “Annexes,” was that Trumpf’s poll deficit would hit its bottom around early this week, and so far, that seems to be working, with his 538 negative rating already up exactly one percentage point from last week’s trough.
And, I know that for many of the talking heads, including Rachel, the turn as yet isn’t showing up in her discussions—she keeps talking about the current Trumpian mess as a political crisis. My “good news” right now is that I am beginning to believe, strongly, that the worm is already turning, with several patterns moving away from him. In other words, he is reaching a tipping point, s point og no return. Indications are rife:
--The 4 prosecutors getting out on Stone;
--Kelly starting to take him on;
abcnews.go.com/...
Former White House chief of staff John Kelly levels harshest criticism yet at Trump
Trump fired back on Twitter, saying Kelly “can’t keep his mouth shut.”
--Barr “preparing” to testify in the House Judiciary by whining about Trump’s twitterverses;
--Trump’s buddy Jim Jordan not doing so hot;
--Increasingly effective anti-Trump ads, whether from Bloomberg, from the Lincoln Project, or several other anti-Trump conservative groups;
--George Conway with a pretty cool op-ed, described in The Hill:
thehill.com/...
George Conway: We might have to impeach Trump again
Neil Katyal fighting The Barrbarian AND Trump, with one hand behind his back:
www.rawstory.com/...
We need extreme measures’: ex-Obama lawyer reveals how Democrats can fight back against AG Bill Barr
As President Donald Trump’s apparent control of the Department of Justice continues to increase, one of the top legal minds in America says it is time for congressional Democrats to respond with “extreme measures” to defend the constitution.
Former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal was interviewed by MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes on Thursday about the latest developments in the Department of Justice.
“Well, Chris, I think we are in an extraordinary situation and I think it demands an extraordinary response from Congress,” Katyal said.
“It demands an extraordinary response from Congress and one response, the founders gave the Congress the purse power, the power to spend money and they fund the Justice Department,” he explained. “What one hand can give, another can take away.”
Giuliani/Trump in more hot water over Ukraine:
More on Barr as a dangerous liar.
‘Plausible deniability’: Experts warn on Barr’s ‘carefully staged PR pushback
‘Diversionary Tactics’ Attorney General Bill Barr’s record and not his remarks should govern how the people and the press perceive the Justice Dept. chief. So say experts who are weighing
Attorney General Bill Barr’s record and not his remarks should govern how the people and the press perceive the Justice Dept. chief. So say experts who are weighing in Thursday afternoon after Barr gave an interview to ABC News in which he appears to complain about President Donald Trump’s tweets.
“I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody … whether it’s Congress, a newspaper editorial board, or the president,” Barr told ABC News. “I’m gonna do what I think is right. And you know … I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.”
But government, legal, and authoritarianism experts, and some journalists are saying “don’t fall for it,” literally. Those words came from NBC News National Security Contributor Frank Figliuzzi, a former FBI Assistant Director, on MSNBC minutes ago.
“It all rings very hollow to me and I don’t think we can take anything the Attorney General says at face value,” former U.S. Attorney, law school professor, and MSNBC contributor Joyce Vance just said on “Meet the Press Daily.”
Trump contradicts past denials, admits sending Giuliani to Ukraine
(Trump says “yeah, I sent him there, but never asked him to come back.”)
And now Grumpy Trumpy is going after jurors.
Now it looks like the fore person in the jury, in the Roger Stone case, had significant bias. Add that to everything else, and this is not looking good for the “Justice” Department. @foxandfriends @FoxNews
What is the accusation about? Hart is a Democrat, and she previously ran for Congress. That doesn’t disqualify her from serving as a juror in Stone or any other Republican’s case, of course. But if Stone’s lawyers wanted to, they could have had her removed. They didn’t.
As part of the growing feedback loop, Trump is getting nuttier, and more people are becoming willing to stand up to him—with more of this to come. Promise. I can just imagine the responses to “Bolton’s Bible” whenever that comes out. And, Trump actually helps, by generating standing ovations for our Ukranian-oriented heroes, Vindman and Yanakovich. I don’t even see Rachel’s “sacrifices” for those two—either they get re-hired after November, or they get wonderful private sector foreign policy/business jobs, I expect. What company wouldn’t hire them?
And finally, the more complex anti-Trumpian concepts, such as his contempt for the rule of law and his incompetence in foreign policy, are starting to “catch a wave.” By November, it may well be a Tsunami.
Anyway, my strong view is that Trump peaked last week. It isn’t easy to peak in a valley, but The Donald manages. And he is in a death spiral, from which I doubt that he recovers. We just have ti keep the pressure turned on, and we will.
Btw, I am adding a good new op-ed from the Bloomberg site:
www.bloomberg.com/...
Politics & Policy
2020 Election Is a Choice Between Democracy and Putinism
The rule of law is larger than any Democratic candidacy.
Some crimes take only minutes, even seconds, to execute. Now imagine how many seconds Donald Trump has between this moment and Election Day.
For Democrats, too, November is far away. But what Trump does in the months ahead will be at least as important to the presidential contest as what Democrats do. There are plenty of crimes to come…
Yet against the sordid backdrop of Trump’s presidency, a long Democratic ordeal may not matter much in the end. By November the presidential campaign will come down to one overarching issue — and it won’t be Bernie’s revolution or Mayor Pete’s crisis of belonging or Elizabeth Warren’s big structural change.
It will come down to rule of law. In November, Americans will decide whether they will fight for the foundation of liberal democracy and democratic capitalism or whether they will accede to Putinism.
I have hope that more than half of voters will understand that choice, and that everything I noted above provides the evidence.