Martin, there are some glaring inaccuracies in your report. You say Jack Smith unsealed his 165 page case agains Trump. Not so. It was Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, who released the filing, not Jack Smith. You also state that when Trump was informed on January 6th, 2021 that Pence’s life was in danger that he responded, “Who Cares?” I believe his actual words were reportedly, “So what?” I know....either of those responses are equally reprehensible, but if you’re going to quote someone, readers naturally expect the record to be irrefutable. Also, the Republican Party did not become the Democratic Party, any more than the old ‘Democrat’ Party (as you refer to it) became the modern Republican Party. It is just that over time the Republican Party evolved from being the one that wanted to abolish Slavery to one that saw an opportunity to engage White voters by opposing Civil Rights, and the ‘Great Society’ programs that were the product of the Lyndon Johnson administration. The Democrats morphed from being the party that supported Slavery in opposition to Abraham Lincoln’s Republican Party to becoming one which fought for Equal Rights, Racial Justice, and an end to Jim Crow laws and other holdovers from the post Reconstruction era. It may seem that the parties “flipped” but it was the historical twists and turns of various factors and agents that made the parties evolve the way they did. Now, of course, the G.O.P. has pretty much become a personality cult in thrall with one man bent on bringing the entire experiment in democracy down after an almost 250 year run. It remains to be seen how this country looks in another month after an election where one of the candidates is on the record for saying he only recognizes outcomes in elections that he wins. If he loses, it’s “rigged.” So much for honoring “the peaceful transfer of power.”
Thanks, Greg. Glad to hear it’s something I can readily identify with (LOL!). Last night the Missus and I went to a terrific “Live” concert: Dwight Yoakam with “The Mavericks” as a ‘warm-up’ act. We didn’t even have to drive or take an Uber to the venue either. It was just a brief walk of less than ten minutes from the AirBnB where we’ve been staying in Charleston, WV for almost a month now. I am very familiar with both The Mavericks and Yoakam, although I had never seen either acts “Live” before. So nice to get out and do something ‘normal.’ For nine long years now we have been living with the craziness and chaos that has been part and parcel of the Trump/MAGA phenomenon. The result has been a country divided and its citizens stressed out beyond belief. Enough said. The concert that did not disappoint. Let’s hope that we’ll all be able to survive an election that drives a wooden stake through the heart of the MAGA movement, signaling the end to a very dark period in the American story. Cheers, Paul
Paul, you are absolutely right in your corrections regarding the ‘so what’ response. Thank you. As for the metamorphosis of the parties, I decided not to go into the specific history as that’s not my expertise and I try to keep these pieces to a certain length. I debated about getting into the weeds with it but I’ll leave that to Heather Cox Richardson, the authority on that history! Thank you.
Martin, there are some glaring inaccuracies in your report. You say Jack Smith unsealed his 165 page case agains Trump. Not so. It was Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, who released the filing, not Jack Smith. You also state that when Trump was informed on January 6th, 2021 that Pence’s life was in danger that he responded, “Who Cares?” I believe his actual words were reportedly, “So what?” I know....either of those responses are equally reprehensible, but if you’re going to quote someone, readers naturally expect the record to be irrefutable. Also, the Republican Party did not become the Democratic Party, any more than the old ‘Democrat’ Party (as you refer to it) became the modern Republican Party. It is just that over time the Republican Party evolved from being the one that wanted to abolish Slavery to one that saw an opportunity to engage White voters by opposing Civil Rights, and the ‘Great Society’ programs that were the product of the Lyndon Johnson administration. The Democrats morphed from being the party that supported Slavery in opposition to Abraham Lincoln’s Republican Party to becoming one which fought for Equal Rights, Racial Justice, and an end to Jim Crow laws and other holdovers from the post Reconstruction era. It may seem that the parties “flipped” but it was the historical twists and turns of various factors and agents that made the parties evolve the way they did. Now, of course, the G.O.P. has pretty much become a personality cult in thrall with one man bent on bringing the entire experiment in democracy down after an almost 250 year run. It remains to be seen how this country looks in another month after an election where one of the candidates is on the record for saying he only recognizes outcomes in elections that he wins. If he loses, it’s “rigged.” So much for honoring “the peaceful transfer of power.”
Please excuse Martin, he was raising a martini.
Thanks, Greg. Glad to hear it’s something I can readily identify with (LOL!). Last night the Missus and I went to a terrific “Live” concert: Dwight Yoakam with “The Mavericks” as a ‘warm-up’ act. We didn’t even have to drive or take an Uber to the venue either. It was just a brief walk of less than ten minutes from the AirBnB where we’ve been staying in Charleston, WV for almost a month now. I am very familiar with both The Mavericks and Yoakam, although I had never seen either acts “Live” before. So nice to get out and do something ‘normal.’ For nine long years now we have been living with the craziness and chaos that has been part and parcel of the Trump/MAGA phenomenon. The result has been a country divided and its citizens stressed out beyond belief. Enough said. The concert that did not disappoint. Let’s hope that we’ll all be able to survive an election that drives a wooden stake through the heart of the MAGA movement, signaling the end to a very dark period in the American story. Cheers, Paul
Paul, you are absolutely right in your corrections regarding the ‘so what’ response. Thank you. As for the metamorphosis of the parties, I decided not to go into the specific history as that’s not my expertise and I try to keep these pieces to a certain length. I debated about getting into the weeds with it but I’ll leave that to Heather Cox Richardson, the authority on that history! Thank you.
No problem, Martin. I appreciate your response. Next time up, I’ll probably be buying you a cuppa Java. Cheers, Paul