We all remember Oprah Winfrey shouting “You get a car and you get a car!” right?  Well, we need her again, except this time we need her to shout “You get a pardon and you get a pardon!”  This strategy has been suggested by some customers of the salon and a few pundits on the teevee.  I like it, especially as it would be a big Fuck You to Trump.  It goes something like this:

On January 18, 2025, Biden issues blanket federal pardons for all acts committed by the listed people between the dates of January 20, 2017 through January 20, 2025.  Those on the list will include all US officials who were ever involved in investigations or prosecutions of Trump, his family, friends, associates, and all of those who prosecuted the January 6th insurrectionists.  It would also include all federal personnel in the various departments of the government who have been involved in any program that Trump opposes.  At the top of the list would be past and present Joint Chiefs, especially Mark Milley, and the entire officer corps of all 5 branches of the military.  The pardons would also go to Biden’s family and staff, Kamala Harris, her entire family and staff, as well as all Biden Whitehouse staff.

Also on the list would be all all Democrats and the few Republicans who spoke out against Trump during that period as well as journalists who factually reported on Trump’s corruption between those dates and all of the staff of those new organizations.  Jeff Bezos would not make the list.

Then, on January 19, 2025, Biden would resign the presidency and Ketanji Brown Jackson would swear Kamala Harris in as 47th president of the US.  (Just think of all the Trump 47 merch that would be unsaleable after that!)  Kamala would then issue a blanket pardon to Biden covering the period from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2025.

Biden and Harris would then issue a joint statement of explanation stating that these extraordinary pardons had become necessary because of the clear and present danger Trump poses to these thousands of people who would be otherwise unprotected.  The explanation would include citing the continuous stream of public threats made by Trump and his nominated cabinet members specifically stating that they will use a weaponized DOJ to exact retribution against anyone who has even TALKED ABOUT Trump’s criminality and corruption.  Hunter would be included in that group.

This would be the first salvo in the flame thrower war that the Dems and Biden must wage to protect everything they can from Trump’s infestation of the Whitehouse beginning on January 20th.  Trump must be frustrated at every turn.  This must be a continuous effort on everyone’s part if we stand any chance of actually saving the country from the dictatorship Trump and his goons are planning.  Basically, we’re turning McConnell’s strategy against Obama and Biden against Trump with flamethrowers added for effect.

Let flamewar commence!

In a oped piece in the Washington Post this morning, Joe Biden proposed common sense reforms to the SCOTUS.  It would have been really nice had he proposed those 3 1/2 years ago rather than as a lame duck president, but it’s a badly needed proposal.  In those years of dawdling, an obviously corrupted court has taken a hatchet to the Constitution and almost 250 years of settled law.  The radical majority has been rapidly disassembling longstanding administrative law, voting rights, women’s rights to choose their own reproductive healthcare, gun safety laws, bribery laws, and longstanding understanding of Constitutional principles such as immunity.  They’ve also actually invited parties to bring lawsuits to the court to speed up their destruction (see US v. Trump).

The problem with the court, though, is not just the last few years.  The current crisis has been building since  Reagan nominated Robert Bork and Antonin Scalia and GHWB nominated Clarence Thomas.  Bork was the original originalist, believing the Constitution should only be interpreted through the Founders’ eyes, ignoring what happened between 1789 and current day.  It’s idiotic. The concept is radical and has brought us some of the worst SCOTUS decisions since the disastrous Dred Scott decision in 1857 that ruled that the Constitution did not protect enslaved Americans.

Chief Justice John Roberts has presided over this abortion (pun intended) and has inexplicably defended not only the court’s decisions, but has steadfastly resisted oversite from the Legislative branch and reforming itself.  He has allowed Thomas to flout both the law and common sense, ignoring the fact that he (as well as Alito) have been bought and paid for by partisan and corporate interests.

Even while acknowledging the crisis at the SCOTUS, Biden has been reluctant to step in.  He started a commission to study the court and make recommendations, but three years later, he’s done nothing.  Only now, after he became a lame duck, is he proposing long needed change.  Beyond waiting WAY too long to propose changes to the court, there’s no chance that they’ll get a fair hearing in the legislature.  The Insurrectionist Party, which clings to a tiny majority in the House, has no interest in doing anything beyond putting its collective nose up TFG’s diapered ass, so reform bills will no nowhere for now.  They LOVE the Court as it is, and only a change in November will make reform of the Court possible.

What can we do?  Vote.  Every single incumbent and candidate who supports TFG or this court must be defeated.  That, of course, is not going to happen in one election, but it’s a start.  And that’s the only chance we have of pulling us back from the brink.

At long last, TFG is on his 3” lifted heels, is already demanding changes to the next debate and has even suggested he be reimbursed because Biden stepped aside for a dynamic and unflappable candidate almost 20 years younger than him.  Whine, whine, whine.  After hurling personal insults at Biden about his age and mental acuity for almost a decade, suddenly TFG has become the dribbling octogenarian who can’t successfully assemble a simple sentence in English, doesn’t know where he is, can’t tell the difference between Pelosi and Haley, and has to wear Dependz for THAT unmentionable problem.   I’m very much opposed to ageism and discrimination against older adults; however, in this particular case, there is a sweet poetic justice that TFG is now the “oldest candidate for president in US history” and has the same insults he hurled at Biden now being heaped on him.

TFG, along with Yale Hillbilly, doesn’t know weather to fish or cut bait, and are still talking about Biden because character assassination was their only campaign strategy.  They’re just trying to change the name of the target from Biden to Harris.  It’s also clear that TFG doesn’t want to debate Kamala and he’s already moving the goalposts, demanding that the broadcast network be changed from ABC to…wait for it…Fox Noise (because it has a smaller and friendlier audience).  What’s really rich is that he’s complaining about having to change his campaign strategy and wants the Dems to reimburse him for the trouble.  Talk on MSNBC earlier today was that Kamala should quadruple down and propose 5 debates, one specifically about Roe v Wade.  I agree.

Kamala has hit the ground running, which was the nightmare scenario for TFG.  I find all that to be most entertaining.

As you already know, Biden announced today that he was stepping aside from his candidacy for president as expected.  It was the right decision, and even though I believe he should have never tried to run again, I appreciate him coming around.  He’s been one of the most consequential presidents in modern US history and his legacy is secure.  He’s endorsed Kamala Harris as his choice for president.  As I think about it, she’s probably the wisest choice for now, though personally not my first choice to run against TFG.  However, she has the qualifications and the moxie to take the fight to him.

Kamala will need the right VP choice to have her back and to bring votes from the battleground states.  I have two picks: First, Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania.  He’s taken on TFG’s election lies directly as an AG, and is super well spoken like Kamala.  My second pick is Roy Cooper of North Carolina.  He’s also a former AG, and has fought (and beaten) Republicans on the own ground.   A third possible in my view is Mark Kelly, senator from Arizona, husband to Gabby Giffords, and retired astronaut, but his election could cost us the Senate through a special election.  All of these guys are stronger than dirt, and, at the risk of pissing off some customers, they’re white guys, which is going to be important to help bring in votes from a broader base of voters.  Sorry, but it’s a fact.

Anyway, good on Joe for stepping aside.  It was a tough, but correct decision.  Nate Silver and other analysts won’t have numbers for a week or so; then we’ll have an idea how uphill the battle the Dems have.  But at least they now have a chance.

Biden is still isolating at his beach house in Delaware recovering from his latest case of Covid.  While that goes on discussions are still swirling about his ultimate decision about his candidacy at pretty much all levels from party leaders, talking heads, WH staff, and the rest of us.  His numbers are terrible and getting worse as this controversy drags on.  Here are few interesting items this morning:

The Washington Post has an interesting infographic about how a new nominee would be elected by convention delegates describing different scenarios should Biden step aside.

Federal staff is already dusting off their resumes preparing for a Biden loss.  This is not unusual in election years or during times of serious uncertainty but is pretty urgent right now.

Here is a graphic of the changes in battleground states from 2020 to 2024.  The outlook is nothing more than dismal for Biden:

Finally, the NYTimes has an article about the what if question of Kamala Harris as the nominee should Biden pull the plug on his campaign.

I believe this will be decision week for Biden.  TFG/Hillbilly are already ramping up attacks against Kamala anticipating she’ll be the nominee.  His laughable “unity” reset lasted something like 28 minutes during his speech at the RNC;  he’s already in full TFG bullshit mode while Hillbilly is calling for DOJ investigations of writers and researchers who dare criticize the Dictator Wannabe.  It’s a snapshot of what the world would become should the unthinkable happen.  I’ll post a link about this when CBS posts the video about it from Face the Nation this morning.

The NYTimes is reporting what all of us can just imagine, that Biden is pissed about his long term allies abandoning him after long years of loyal public service.  He’s still isolating at his Delaware beach home, trying to get over yet another case of Covid as his campaign crumbles around his ears.  What’s happening is tragic, and most certainly not fair to Biden, especially after the events of 2016.  2016?  Read on.

I find it pretty rich that the very people who are whining and hissing through gnashed teeth about the calls for Biden to step aside in 2024 are the very ones who gleefully celebrated pushing him aside during the 2016 election because it was Hillary’s “turn”.  It was unfair, unwise, and strategic blunder.  Pushing Hillary in front of Biden is the precise reason that TFG is even around today.  Let’s review: Immediately after the 2012 election, Obama handed Hillary the keys to the DNC.  She immediately fired all of the senior staff, installed her loyalists, including Debbie Wasserman Schultz, unwound all the reforms that Obama had put in place, and began building a huge wall of money to keep out all other viable candidates before the primaries even started.  Those efforts were aimed directly at Biden to push him aside and keep other candidates like Bernie at arm’s length.  How?  I’ll tell you how.

The Joint Fundraising Agreement Hillary forced onto the DNC in 2015 was actually a giant money laundering operation that washed money from donations to state parties through the DNC and then immediately to her campaign coffers.  That kept the DNC and state parties starving for money and all of the control in Brooklyn, not in DC.  DNC staff had to run EVERYTHING by Brooklyn, including hiring, press releases, primary process, EVERYTHING. The result was that a candidate, who had not even been nominated yet, was in total control of the primary process.  Another irony is that all of this was discovered through WikiLeaks’ leaking of DNC emails which marked  the trail that Donna Brazile later followed to get to the bottom of the corruption.  The public scandal was “Hillary’s emails;” the actual scandal was Hillary’s complete control of the DNC and rigged primary process fully ONE YEAR before she won the nomination.

Mad about Biden now?  Blame Hillary.  And those who supported her.  The Queen of Coasting blew it by pushing Biden to the curb, and not taking TFG seriously, and not campaigning in battleground states when she desperately needed to as she started slipping in the polls.  Add her incompetence to meddling by the Russians, Clinton Foundation scandals, and the ridiculous “Hillary’s emails” scandal, and you get the disaster we all witnessed live on national television.  Hillary was clearly qualified to be president, but as I’ve said many times before, a TERRIBLE candidate and incompetent manager.  Oh, and one last thing; Biden didn’t pull out of the 2016 campaign because his son Beau died; that was a diversion.  Biden bowed out because Hillary boxed him out with Obama’s assistance.  Those are the facts.

So, while you’re all pissed off about Biden being treated unfairly in 2024, remember that you probably supported him being treated REALLY unfairly in 2015.  And, in 2015, he was a vibrant well conditioned, fast on his feet 72 year old.  The tragedy is that, but for Hillary’s corruption and mismanagement, added to Obama’s benign neglect of the DNC, Trump would still be playing golf and losing money while putting his name on cheesy buildings in Asia rather than getting ready to waltz back into the White House in 2024.

So, get over yourself and read the objective numbers.  It’s a cold hard truth, but the 2024 election is already lost unless Dem leaders move quickly and decisively.  After all, they’re 4 years behind, and they’ve got three months to have any chance of pulling this out.