Michael Smerconish: Should Joe Biden Stay Or Go?

Posted on February 20, 2024 by FredSchneiderUS

Michael Smerconish: A Challenge To The White House #news #biden #politicsSource:Michael Smerconish talking about President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign.

Source:The New Democrat

“A Challenge To The White House”

From Michael Smerconish

“If you’d asked me a year ago, I would have told you that Joe Biden was a reasonably clear favorite in the event of a rematch against Donald Trump.

Not an overwhelming favorite, mind you. But perhaps a 65:35 favorite. The case for Biden seemed obvious enough. Incumbents win re-election more often than not — and, of course, Biden beat Trump in 2020. The economy was beginning to recover from a period of intense inflation, and the labor market was strong. Trump had to fade a number of downside risks, being subject to a series of criminal trials and what looked like it could be a competitive Republican primary. (This was before Ron DeSantis began his long and embarrassing decline in the polls). Democrats were coming off a relatively strong midterm, buoyed by voter concerns about extreme and under-qualified Republican candidates and the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

So I don’t begrudge people who took their time to realize that Biden’s re-election would be a heavy lift. The first time my internal needle began to shift was in late summer, when Biden’s approval numbers remained poor even as the economy was improving and it was becoming more apparent that his advanced age — Biden turned 81 in November (Trump is 77) — was an enormous problem for voters and one that Democrats weren’t going to be able to spin away. Still, as of late September, I thought that (i) it had become too late for a full-fledged primary challenge to Biden, and (ii) Biden voluntarily announcing that he wouldn’t run for a second term was a close call but probably failed a cost-benefit test for Democrats.

Since then, Biden’s situation has become considerably worse. If he were 10 years younger, he might still be a 65/35 favorite. But if his campaign is substantially encumbered by his age, he’s probably the underdog. If you’re someone who would rather not see Trump re-elected again or who cares about the election for other reasons, it’s time to face the facts. You need to adjust to the new reality and not be mired in anchoring bias by your previous impression of the race.”

From Nate Silver

David Axelrod on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 350 last night talking about Ezra Klein’s article arguing that President Biden shouldn’t run for reelection:

“Well, I think the president probably cares. I think he reads it. I’m sure it irritates him. I know I’ve irritated him when I’ve raised this issue in the past. But I’ll tell you what that Monmouth poll didn’t pull me because if they had pulled me, I would have said, no, I think Joe Biden is going to be the nominee of the Democratic Party.

I said last November a few things. I said, if you gave me Biden’s record and took 10 years off of him, I would have no concerns about this election. But that I thought age was an issue and that screams through every poll.

But the last thing I said was, if Joe Biden wants to be the nominee of the Democratic Party, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party, because there is tremendous loyalty among a lot of the party to the president. I think there’s a lot of respect for the president.

And so, I think that’s where we are right now. I think only — there’s — the idea that some delegation of party elders are going to come and visit him at the White House and persuade him to step down is a fantasy. First of all, that’s not the way politics works anymore. We’re not, you know, in another century.

Secondly, that belies the fact of who Joe Biden is. Joe Biden is a guy who spent his whole life kind of coming up from nowhere to proving to people, you know, that he can — that he’s going to hack it. That he has a chip on his shoulder, and he deserves to. He’s accomplished a great deal.

And his attitude is always people underestimate me in there. I’m sure his attitude is they’re underestimating me now. So I just, you know, I read Ezra’s piece. He said a lot of things that I had said previously, but I don’t think that’s where we’re going to end up.

Well, I think it’s true. I mean, listen, Anderson, the body of work that he’s done, the things that he’s accomplished, the bills that he’s passed on a bipartisan basis against all odds, the coalitions he’s forged globally and so on, those things don’t happen by accident.

He’s clearly doing the job and you speak to people around him and they say that. You know, they say he’s sharp in meetings and so on. He is not good in front of a camera anymore. I mean, that’s pretty clear. And he has trouble with that. And that’s how most Americans see him.

And worse than that, that’s how social media sees him. They, you know, he can give a brilliant speech and have nine bad seconds, and that becomes a — it’s part of the mean, and that gets, you know, circulated to millions of people on TikTok, particularly younger people. And that’s, you know, that has been a real problem for him.

So, yes, no, I do accept that he has governed very, very competently. And Anderson, people — you spent some time with him for your podcast. You know, I’m sure he was very cogent when he…

From CNN

This is from what I wrote about President Biden’s reelection campaign back in October, responding to bedwetting Democrats and bedwetting commentators who are friendly to Democrats:

“It’s one thing to say that Joe Biden shouldn’t run for reelection. But I didn’t hear Bill Maher mention anyone who should run for President as the Democrat in the President’s place. You can quote James Carville all you want, but Carville doesn’t have a Democratic alternative to Trump either.

What we learned during the Barack Obama years is that the Democratic Party is not good at developing its bench or its farm system, at least at the national level. They’re not good at grooming people to take over and become the next leader of the Democratic Party, let alone the next President of the United States. And if you look at approval ratings even in the Democratic Party of Vice President Kamala Harris, someone who I do personally approve of and think she’s been good for President Biden, as far as running his administration, but perhaps not politically, the Democratic Party still doesn’t have any alternative to President Biden.

So it’s either stick with Joe, or Joe drops out and we see a Democratic free for all, between left-wing Democrats who’ll promise the world to everybody and tell everyone it won’t cost anything. Versus center-right Democrats who will try to run a general election campaign during the Democratic primaries, but when they think they need more Democrats, while try to talk like they’re actually leftists, leaving everybody to believe who is this person and why do they actually believe. Versus The Devil in Donald Trump, with American voters probably choosing The Devil that they already know, over the Democrat.”

From The New Democrat

I talked about this back in October, when Bill Maher was basically trying to make Joe Biden look like the presidential version of deceased U.S. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who stayed in too long and then ends up dying, when the Republican Party still had The White House and Senate back in 2020. And then the country goes to hell, etc, because Justice Ginsberg stayed in too long and was replaced by a Conservative Republican.

And now what those bedwetters are arguing is that if President Biden runs for reelection, he’ll lose to Donald Trump, even if Donald Trump is a two-time convicted felon by the time the presidential election comes around. So again we would have a MAGA White House and a MAGA Congress, with Republicans holding and adding to the House and winning back the Senate.

But, as time goes on, things tend to change in American politics. Back in October, it didn’t look like Donald Trump might even get one trial and conviction before presidential election. The economy wasn’t looking very good, with weak economic and job growth, inflation was still a problem.

But guess what, 5 months later, Donald Trump is now looking at the possibility of bankruptcy, unless he can meet the premiums on those two New York civil judgements against him and even if he does that, he still might be looking at bankruptcy.

Mr. Trump will now have to go trial in Manhattan in March, be looking at felony convictions, just from that case. And it looks like the Supreme Court will not just allow for the Washington case against Trump will be tried and decided before the presidential election as well, but his immunity could be tossed by Chief Justice John Roberts and that case gets sent back to Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington. And the economy moving really well right now, with both strong economic and job growth, rising wages, and even inflation is coming down now.

I think David Axelrod nailed it last night when he said:

“And his attitude is always people underestimate me in there. I’m sure his attitude is they’re underestimating me now. So I just, you know, I read Ezra’s piece. He said a lot of things that I had said previously, but I don’t think that’s where we’re going to end up.

Well, I think it’s true. I mean, listen, Anderson, the body of work that he’s done, the things that he’s accomplished, the bills that he’s passed on a bipartisan basis against all odds, the coalitions he’s forged globally and so on, those things don’t happen by accident.

He’s clearly doing the job and you speak to people around him and they say that. You know, they say he’s sharp in meetings and so on. He is not good in front of a camera anymore. I mean, that’s pretty clear. And he has trouble with that. And that’s how most Americans see him.

And worse than that, that’s how social media sees him. They, you know, he can give a brilliant speech and have nine bad seconds, and that becomes a — it’s part of the mean, and that gets, you know, circulated to millions of people on TikTok, particularly younger people. And that’s, you know, that has been a real problem for him.

So, yes, no, I do accept that he has governed very, very competently. And Anderson, people — you spent some time with him for your podcast. You know, I’m sure he was very cogent when he…

Let’s face the facts: in a perfect world, at least from a Democratic perspective, we wouldn’t have an 81 year old Democratic President of the United States right now. In that world, that President would be in his mid to late 50s right now, with the same economy that President Biden has, but perhaps without a trillion-dollar deficit and 3% inflation. So of course the President has some real reelection challenges that are mostly about his age and how people view his competency. But those problems are easily correctable.

The way President Biden deals with the weaknesses of his reelection campaign, is to take Nate Silver’s advice. Do a series of national TV news interviews and not with just the friendly Democratic news sources like MSNBC. But talk to the network news divisions, including FOX News, someone like a Shannon Breem or even Brett Baier wold give President Biden a fair interview and let the President speak and answer the questions.

President Biden should also talk to CBS News, ABC News, NBC News, the PBS NewsHour, CNN, or if The CW Network wants to have a prime time special with President Biden, do that as well.

And then the President should also do some swing state townhalls, where he’s talking to mostly Independent voters, as well as blue-collar Democrats and African-American Democrats, who aren’t in love with either Joe Biden and Donald Trump and looking for an alternative instead.

To paraphrase David Axelrod, Joe Biden is no longer a good political campaigner in the sense that he can do one campaign event after another and look good in front of the camera, without making any serious mistakes. But he’s good with live interviews and he’s still very good at the townhalls and talking to people one-on-one.

If President Biden solves the age and competency issues, his approval rating gets up to around 50% or better. He doesn’t do that, it will remain in the high 30’s. But considering who his likely opponent is in the fall, that might be good enough to get the President reelected anyway.

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Jesse Dollemore: ‘Huckster Donald Trump Sells IDIOTIC ‘TRUMP SNEAKERS’ to Rubes for $400!!’

Posted on February 19, 2024 by kireschneider

Jesse Dollemore_ 'Huckster Donald Trump Sells IDIOTIC 'TRUMP SNEAKERS' to Rubes for $400!!'Source:Jesse Dollemore with a look at Conman Don’s latest grift.

“Jesse talks about the absolute open grift that Donald Trump is running on his mindless cult. Over the weekend, he introduced his FOUR HUNDRED DOLLAR ‘Trump Sneakers’ that sold out before the weekend was over.”

From Jesse Dollemore

Jesse Dollemore said: “You know how many times that you’ve heard that Donald Trump is a poor man’s idea of a rich guy is and a dumb guy’s idea of what a smart guy is and someone who lacks any leadership ability, their idea of what a good leader is: it’s pretty app, I think… Donald Trump might be a dumb cult member’s idea of what a good cult leader is.”

I disagree with Jesse Dollemore a little bit here. I see him as the political version and non-murderous version of Charles Manson and his Manson Crime Family. I only know about Charlie Manson and his crime cult, because I’m a true crime junky, who rather be writing a lot more about true crime, if I only had the time. And The Don of Manhattan wasn’t dominating all the news. Or at least certainly a lot of it. I guess Vladimir Putin gives The Don breaks, now and then and gives The Don a break from licking his new sneakers, that The Don might have given Vlad for free. And might be because that’s all these shoes are worth anyway. And Vladimir Putin is a horrible man, but he’s not stupid.

I see Donald Trump, again, as the non-murderous, political version of Charlie Manson. And I see the average MAGA (which again, again stands for Mass Army of Gigantic Assholes) member, as Lynette Squeaky Fromme.

For anyone whose just waking up about Squeaky Fromme: she was the most devoted, at least female soldier of Charlie Manson back in the late 1960s and all the way up to the mid 1970s or so, after she tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. I mean, this woman was a jar full of nuts, or nuthouse full of nuts, all into one person. There was literally nothing that Squeaky wouldn’t do for Charlie Manson.

“Lynette Alice “Squeaky” Fromme (born October 22, 1948) is an American criminal who was a member of the Manson family, a cult led by Charles Manson. Though not involved in the Tate–LaBianca murders for which the Manson family is best known, she attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. For that crime, she was sentenced to life in prison. She was paroled from prison on August 14, 2009, after serving approximately 34 years. She published a book about her life in 2018.”

From Wikipedia

Now, I’m not saying that all of Donald Trump’s Mass Army of Gigantic Assholes (also known as MAGA), are nuts. But, when you treat any human being like God, even though he’s just as human as you are and in many cases more human, with all his garbage, all his scams, his lies, his incitement of violence, you become a cult follower.

Anyone who buys Donald Trump’s shoes to either help him pay off his debts, or just to try to put money in bank account, after he goes bankrupt, because of all his debt, you become a sucker, stooge, mug, rube, (which is fitting for a lot of his southern and rural followers) or gull. You know, whatever the term you prefer for someone who is easily screwed over and played.

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CNN: This Morning: ”He Does Not Have Enough’: Michael Cohen Predicts How Donald Trump Will Pay $355 Million Fine’

Posted on February 19, 2024 by FredSchneiderUS

CNN: He Does Not Have Enough': Michael Cohen Predicts How Donald Trump Will Pay $355 Million FineSource:CNN talking to former Donald J. Trump Manhattan lawyer Michael Cohen.

Source:The New Democrat

“Former attorney for Donald Trump Michael Cohen says he thinks it’s unlikely Trump has enough funds available to pay for the roughly $438 million worth of fines from judgements against him in the past four weeks.”

From CNN

Just to try to back up what Michael Cohen said here about Donald Trump’s finances:

the self-proclaimed billionaire, Donald J. Trump on Friday, created a Go Fund Me account to help him meet the 355 million dollar judgment against him, from the New York fraud case that he lost.

Go Fund Me is sort of like the private sector’s version of a Welfare account. Its one’s personal charity account, that people can contribute to help someone who otherwise can’t pay their bills, or raising money that they don’t have for something else. And that’s assuming the person with the Go Fund Me account is even legitimate. Last I saw that was reported, Mr. Trump was at around 350 thousand dollars, with like 4,000 contributions.

Mr. Trump has to raise at least a certain percentage of the 355 million and only has a couple weeks to do that, as well as the 83 million from the Jean Carroll cases against him, just to be eligible to file an appeal in both cases. It’s sort of like a bond or collateral that he has to put up, before he can even file appeals in both cases.

Even Donald Trump himself is no longer talking like he even believes that he’s a billionaire. He’s saying and publications have reported that he personally has 600 million dollars on hand as far as his own personal wealth. But even if that’s true, what’s the Go Fund Me account for?

Donald Trump’s days as a Manhattan, New York businessman, could be coming to end, if not over right now. He doesn’t meet the premiums on the two civil judgments against him to even file his appeals, he loses his New York State business license immediately for 3 years. And then he’s into the criminal trials in Manhattan and Washington, where then his personal freedom is in serious jeopardy as well, because he’ll be convicted overwhelmingly in both cases.

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NBC News: ‘Judge Fines Donald Trump More Than $350 Million, Bars Him From Running Businesses in N.Y. For Three Years’

Posted on February 16, 2024 by kireschneider

NBC News: Judge Fines Donald Trump More Than $350 Million, Bars Him From Running Businesses in N.Y. For Three YearsSource:NBC News– Defendant Don & perhaps soon to be Bankrupt Don, all in the same person.

“The former president denied any wrongdoing, calling the case “a fraud on me.”

The judge who presided over a civil business fraud trial against Donald Trump on Friday ordered the former president, his sons, business associates and company to pay over $350 million in damages and temporarily limited their ability to do business in New York.

Judge Arthur Engoron ordered the former president and the Trump Organization to pay over $354 million in damages, and bars Trump “from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for a period of three years.”

He also continued “the appointment of an Independent Monitor” and ordered “the installation of an Independent Director of Compliance” for the company.

During the trial, Trump and executives at his company, including his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, attempted to blame exaggerated financial statements that were the heart of the AG’s case on the accountants who compiled them. Engoron disagreed.

“There is overwhelming evidence from both interested and non-interested witnesses, corroborated by documentary evidence, that the buck for being truthful in the supporting data valuations stopped with the Trump Organization, not the accountants,” he wrote.

The judge also cited the lack of remorse by Trump and his executives after the fraud was discovered as showing the need for a monitor.

“Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological. They are accused only of inflating asset values to make more money. The documents prove this over and over again. This is a venial sin, not a mortal sin. Defendants did not commit murder or arson. They did not rob a bank at gunpoint. Donald Trump is not Bernard Madoff. Yet, defendants are incapable of admitting the error of their ways,” Engoron wrote.

“Defendants’ refusal to admit error — indeed, to continue it, according to the Independent Monitor — constrains this Court to conclude that they will engage in it going forward unless judicially restrained,” he added.

Trump attorney Alina Habba called the verdict “a manifest injustice — plain and simple.”

“Given the grave stakes, we trust that the Appellate Division will overturn this egregious verdict and end this relentless persecution against my clients,” she said in a statement.

The judgment is the second this year against Trump after he was hit last month with an $83.3 million verdict in writer E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against him. The former president could also face four criminal trials this year as his presidential campaign barrels toward the November election, with the first set to begin in New York state court on March 25th.

New York Attorney General Letitia James had been seeking $370 million from Trump, his company and its top executives, including his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, alleging “repeated and persistent fraud” that included falsifying business records and financial statements. James had argued those financial statements were at times exaggerated by as much as $2.2 billion.

James contended the defendants used the inflated financial statements to obtain bank loans and insurance policies at rates he otherwise wouldn’t have been entitled to and “reaped hundreds of millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains.”

Trump had maintained his financial statements were conservative, and has called the AG’s allegations politically motivated and a “fraud on me.”

From NBC News

Former President Donald Trump says his brand alone is worth over $10 billion, but a pair of civil verdicts could cause financial havoc for him, legal experts said.

Trump was slapped last month with an $83 million award in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case and faces the prospect of another verdict in the coming days that could be multiples of that — while also dismantling parts of the company his wealth comes from.

That combination “would be a devastating financial blow” and could “have a significant impact” on his wealth, said Chris Mattei, an attorney who has handled similar cases.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said Trump “built the greatest properties in the world and a tremendously successful, unparalleled business,” and he called the cases against him “witch hunts.”

“The unjust verdicts will be appealed, and all the hoaxes will be defeated, as President Trump did nothing wrong and the truth will prevail,” Cheung said.

Here’s a look at the fast-approaching financial tsunami Trump faces.

How much does Trump owe Carroll?
Trump was hit with an $83.3 million verdict on Jan. 26 for repeatedly defaming Carroll and has said he plans to appeal as soon as possible. He’s already appealing a $5 million verdict Carroll won against him last year for sexual abuse and defamation.

Will Trump have to pay while he appeals?
While the appeal could delay Carroll from collecting her money for years as it winds its way through the court process, it doesn’t stop Trump from having to come up with that cash — and then some. Under federal court rules, civil defendants have to post security for awards while they appeal, and in New York, that includes a 9% annual interest rate.

For the $5 million award, Trump had to deposit $5.5 million into a court fund — 111% of the judgment amount.

Given the size of the new award, Trump could seek to use a bond instead of posting the full amount — but that could still be very costly because surety companies can charge up to 5% of the judgment amount. For Trump, that nonrefundable fee would be about $4 million, and he’d still have to put up a large amount in cash and collateral to secure the bond.

“Nobody is going to write Donald Trump a bond for $83 million unless the full amount is collateralized,” said Ron Kuby, a veteran New York lawyer. “It would be insanity.”

How much could he owe in the New York attorney general’s civil fraud case?
When New York Attorney General Letitia James first sued Trump, his company and its top executives in 2022, she was seeking $250 million in damages for “repeated fraud” centered on Trump’s financial statements. Last month, she upped the amount to $370 million. Trump and the company have denied any wrongdoing and maintain the case is politically motivated.

Judge Arthur Engoron is expected to issue his decision on how much Trump should pay in the next week or so, but he has already found that Trump and his executives have committed repeated and persistent fraud, which doesn’t bode well for team Trump.

What happens if Trump appeals?
Trump has already said he would appeal if Engoron rules against him, but if he does, he would most likely still be on the hook for the full amount.

David Slarskey, a business litigation lawyer, said that New York state court, like federal court, requires security or a bond and that given the likely size of the award, Trump will probably move to get a bond.

If James gets the full $370 million she’s seeking, it could cost Trump up to an $18 million nonrefundable fee to the surety company. And with the 9% interest rate, the amount of money that would have to be put up would be in the $400 million range.

Mattei, who represented families of the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in their successful defamation suit against far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, said that if Trump and his company are hit with a judgment that exceeds his ability to pay, the company “could file bankruptcy protection.”

Another possibility would be to liquidate assets to raise cash, a move the AG’s office would monitor to make sure he’s not squirreling away assets “for his own use rather than the creditors,” Mattei said.

Adam Leitman Bailey, a New York real estate attorney who has sued Trump before, said he would most likely have to put up 10% of the judgment in cash while using property as collateral for the remaining amount. “He’s running for president of the United States. He’s not going anywhere.”

Kuby said any bond company would want full collateral for that appeal, as well. “It would be almost four times as crazy as doing it for $83 million without collateral,” he said.”

From NBC News

“A judge has ordered former President Trump to pay $355 million in the New York civil fraud trial against him and his organization and bars him from running businesses in the state for three years.”

From MSNBC

During this entire case, Donald Trump’s Manhattan civil attorney Alina Habba (who you should know well on The New Democrat ) and her team, argued that there were no victims in this case. As well as calling it a witch hunt. But as Judge Arthur Engoron ruled today:

“There is overwhelming evidence from both interested and non-interested witnesses, corroborated by documentary evidence, that the buck for being truthful in the supporting data valuations stopped with the Trump Organization, not the accountants,” he wrote.

The judge also cited the lack of remorse by Trump and his executives after the fraud was discovered as showing the need for a monitor.

“Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological. They are accused only of inflating asset values to make more money. The documents prove this over and over again. This is a venial sin, not a mortal sin. Defendants did not commit murder or arson. They did not rob a bank at gunpoint. Donald Trump is not Bernard Madoff. Yet, defendants are incapable of admitting the error of their ways,” Engoron wrote.

“Defendants’ refusal to admit error — indeed, to continue it, according to the Independent Monitor — constrains this Court to conclude that they will engage in it going forward unless judicially restrained,” he added.”

Judge Engoron makes the whole point for the prosecution here. Donald Trump benefited from cheaper loans to do business in New York City, by inflating the assets of his Trump Organization, as well as his own personal properties. And as a result, got cheaper loans to do business in this city, that businesspeople and companies in NYC, simply weren’t able to obtain, because they played by the rules.

And the Judge is essentially ordering Donald Trump to pay back all the money that he would’ve had to pay in the first place, had he simply obeyed the laws of New York City and New York State.

You can also see this post on Blogger.

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Harry Litman: ‘NY Judge PUTS A FIRM STOP To Donald Trump’s CHILDISH Argument’

Posted on February 16, 2024 by FredSchneiderUS

Harry Litman: NY judge PUTS A FIRM STOP to Donald Trump's CHILDISH argumentSource:Harry Litman– left to right: NYC Judge Juan Merchan & Defendant Don.

Source:The New Democrat

“Judge Merchan ruled today that the trial, known as the hush money case, will proceed with the March 25th trial date. Trump’s lawyer clawed at arguments to postpone to no avail.”

From Harry Litman

Judge Juan Merchan literally just put it all out there and on the line and completely blew up Trump lawyer Todd Blanche, after Blanche literally argued that this trial should be delayed, because his client is running for President of the United States.

Just think about that for a second: future criminal defendants, perhaps just not in New York City, but perhaps around the country, could get out of criminal prosecution, if they’re running for President of the United States. But take that a step further and perhaps they could decide to run for President, after they’re already indicted. This is what that argument could sound like in court:

“Judge, my client doesn’t have the time or money to be here in court. He has to be out on the campaign trail raising money for his presidential campaign and campaigning for President.

If this trial goes further while my client is still running for President, that would take away from his ability to raise money and campaign for President.

Plus, with all this physical evidence, paperwork, and all these witnesses who are testifying against him, who were one time friends and associates, (perhaps relatives) my client is going to look like a criminal on the campaign trail. You have to dismiss this case, because it could hurt my client politically. Or at least put it off until he’s elected, so he can dismiss the case after he’s in office.”

Now, of course Todd Blanche and company didn’t use those words exactly. I’m just giving you a hypothetical of what a future criminal defense for postponement or dismissal could sound like, from future criminal defendants, if they also happen to be running for President of the United States, the same year that they’re goin to trial.

Blanche and company are literally arguing that Donald Trump should be immune from criminal prosecution, simply because he’s running for President of the United States. With Judge Merchan giving the perfect response to that argument: “That’s not a legal argument. That’s a political argument.”

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CSPAN: ‘Fani Willis Accuses Opposing Attorney of Being Dishonest’

Posted on February 15, 2024 by kireschneider

CSPAN: Fani Willis Accuses Opposing Attorney of Being DishonestSource:CSPAN– Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis.

Source:The New Democrat

“Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee holds an evidentiary hearing on whether to remove DA Fani Willis from the election interference case over her personal relationship with Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade. During her testimony, Willis accuses opposing attorney of being dishonest…

From CSPAN

Fani Willis: “I did listen to the arguments this morning. It’s ridiculous that you (referring to Donald Trump lawyer Ashleigh Merchant) lied on Monday and here we still are.”

So District Attorney Fani Willis is calling bullshit (to be frank) on Ashleigh Merchant. The Trump lawyers in this case are simply trying to get Fani Willis and her assigned prosecutor Nathan Wade for the Fulton County election interference case, removed from this case, because they supposedly had an affair with each other last year, while working with each other. And I think they might be able to prove that the affair happened and Nathan Wade committed adultery.

But, the Trump lawyers seem to want people to think that tax dollars were given to Mr. Wade, simply because he was having an affair with the District Attorney, with nothing to back that up. This should be able to give you an idea of how desperate that Trump’s Atlanta lawyers are right now. They want to get prosecutors removed from their case, for adultery.

I understand this is Georgia and everything and Georgia at least at one point was at the center of the Bible Belt. But adultery is not even illegal in Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, let alone Georgia. And this is also not MAGA Georgia. Atlanta is one of the biggest cities in the country. Fulton County is one of the biggest counties in America. And because of that, Georgia is one of the biggest states in America. Adultery is simply not illegal or disqualifying, by itself.

So Donald Trump’s lawyers can try to hide, delay, literally just make up lies, (if their law license’s don’t mean anything to them) but adultery is still not illegal. And that’s all they seem to have here.

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Piers Morgan: ‘Why DID You Marry Him? Piers Morgan vs Hugh Hefner’s Wife Crystal Hefner’

Posted on February 15, 2024 by FredSchneiderUS

Piers Morgan: "Why DID You Marry Him?!" | Piers Morgan vs Hugh Hefner's Wife Crystal HefnerSource:Piers Morgan interviewing Hugh Hefner’s widow Crystal Harris.

“Crystal Hefner joins Piers Morgan Uncensored to lift the lid on that it was really like to be married to the world’s most famous playboy, Hugh Hefner.

Telling Piers Morgan her late husband was a ‘narcissist’ who “used and abused women from day one”, the famous magazine mogul’s third wife reveals a seedy underbelly of living in the infamous Playboy Mansion.”

From Piers Morgan

“A raw and unflinching look at the objectification and misogyny of the Playboy mansion, a woman’s stolen young adulthood and her journey to self-acceptance, and a rare look inside Hugh Hefner’s final days.

At just twenty-one years old, Crystal Harris’ life changed forever when she attended a party at the notorious Playboy mansion. Picked out of the crowd by Hugh Hefner, she became one of his infamous “girlfriends,” attending glamorous Hollywood parties and traveling the world. Yet this seemingly alluring lifestyle had a dark side. Hef controlled his girlfriends with strict rules regarding everything from their hair and makeup to their curfews, and Crystal was forced to compete with other women for her spot in the highly hierarchal system. Living at the mansion, she felt more like a fixture than a resident.

She quickly rose to the top, but being Hef’s number one girlfriend came at the cost of Crystal’s identity outside her role in the Playboy universe. Her fate seemed sealed when Hef surprised her with a marriage proposal she could not imagine refusing. But as Crystal Hefner, she grew increasingly restless to understand who she truly was away from what she saw as Playboy’s toxic culture.

In ONLY SAY GOOD THINGS, Crystal offers a vulnerable and clear-eyed look at how her experience with Hugh Hefner catalyzed her transformative journey from someone who prized external validation over all else to a person who finally recognizes her true worth. This candid memoir provides a fascinating look behind the scenes at a powerful cultural icon and brand, and an equally empowering perspective on hard-won lessons about who we allow to determine our value.”

From Amazon

I’m not actually saying that Crystal Harris is some money grubbing, whore, whose trying to make money off her dead husband. I don’t know that, but I think someone could argue that. But, if you don’t know Hugh Hefner is and what he represented, what his Playboy Mansion and Empire represented, before you get your photo taken before you try to get permission to enter the Playboy Manson to meet Hugh Hefner, then you are literally from another planet, whose spending your first moments on Planet Earth, at the Playboy Mansion.

I mean Crystal Harris said so herself, she got her photo taken to try to get permission to enter the Playboy Mansion in 2008. She marries Hugh Hefner 4 years later. Was she on drugs the whole time? Was she sleepwalking the whole time that she was involved with Hugh Hefner?

Hefner was a billionaire, obviously one of the most famous men in the world, anything that she writes about him, especially in a book, is bound to make a lot of money for herself, even if it’s all garbage. In the celebrity TV/reality TV, pop culture world, people make money off of other people, especially people who are lot wealthier than them, all the time. Anyone is free to read her book. But you need to know these things and the her potential motives, before she read her book.

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Michael Popok & Ben Meiselas: ‘Justice Engoron PREPARES HUGE PUNISHMENT For Dopey Alina Habba’

Posted on February 14, 2024 by kireschneider

Meidas Touch: Justice Engoron PREPARES HUGE PUNISHMENT For Dopey Alina HabbaSource:Meidas Touch– left to right: New York State Judge Arthur Engoron & perhaps Trump University law graduate Alina Habba.

Source:The New Democrat

“On the Legal AF podcast, trial attorneys Ben Meiselas and Michael Popok debate whether Judge Engoron will refer Trump lawyer Alina Habba and her colleagues to the bar for sanctions and what he will do to get to the bottom of whether TRUMP co-defendant and disgraced chief financial officer LIED UNDER OATH during the Trump civil fraud trial.”

From the Meidas Touch

From what I wrote about Alina Habba back in November:

“Alina Habba is not really a trial lawyer. She can barely afford to do whatever she does as a lawyer right now. She’s more of a public relations lawyer, if anything at all, who makes her living trying her client’s cases on TV and on social media. But she’s officially Donald Trump’s civil lawyer right now because she’s about the best of what’s left to try to defend him, because of his own financial situation and all the evidence that’s against him right now, in multiple cases.

Perhaps one of the reasons right now that Alina Habba owes millions of dollars, is because her own client is not paying her. But she’s trying to work for him anyway, perhaps banking on the fact that defending a former President of the United States, would lead to clients who can and would pay her very well for her legal advice and actions in the future. But that career strategy is obviously not working out for her right now.”

From The New Democrat

One of the best quotes about the so-called MAGA movement (which actually stands fro Mass Army of Gigantic Assholes, according to The New Democrat) is from Meidas Touch legal analyst Ben Meiselas. He says MAGA actually stands for Make Attorneys Get Attorneys. That’s what Meiselas and Michael Popok are talking about here.

One of Donald Trump’s ex-lawyers Michael Cohen, did time in prison a few years ago for his role in the Manhattan, Stormy Daniels-Donald Trump legal case.

Joe Tocopina left Donald Trump as his lawyer, because as he said: “You like to argue cases based on the facts and evidence. But that’s not always the case when you are representing Donald Trump.”

And now, Alina Habba who is still officially Donald Trump’s Manhattan civil attorney, even though he fired her a couple weeks ago, because she lost the E. Jean Carroll case, is now in trouble for putting a perjurer on the witness stand, Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weiselberg. And not even bothering to do her homework (because homework wasn’t required at Trump University) to figure out if her own, damn ,witness, was telling the truth. Or at least being honest, before she put Mr. Weisselberg on the witness stand.

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Michael Smerconish: Marjorie T. Greene & Larry David

Posted on February 14, 2024 by FredSchneiderUS

Michael Smerconish: She's Not LaughingSource:Michael Smerconish– talking about U.S. Representative Marjorie T. Greene (MAGA, Georgia) & comedian Larry David.

Source:The New Democrat

“She’s Not Laughing”

From Michael Smerconish

“The far-right congresswoman better watch out for those “nasty commies” from California.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) took her far-right views to another dimension Tuesday in a wild screed against HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Angered by a story arc mocking Georgia’s voting laws, Greene wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that it was “a glaring reminder of why most Georgian’s [sic] resent Republicans in our state for inviting the nasty commies from California, the Hollywood elites, into our state by dishing out Hollywood tax credits.”

From The Huffington Post

“The episode Greene is complaining about, titled “The Lawn Jockey,” continues a plot line from the Season 12 premiere, in which protagonist Larry David goes to jail for giving a bottle of water to a person waiting in line to vote. In doing so, he unknowingly violates Georgia’s Election Integrity Act, which makes it illegal to distribute food or drinks to those in line to cast their ballot. “I was being cordial,” David cried as he’s dragged away by police officers. He describes the law, that many have criticized as voter suppression, as “barbaric.”

When news of David’s accidental activism goes viral, celebrity support pours in, including from Stacey Abrams herself.

“Larry David is about action, not words,” Abrams says in the episode. “He saw an injustice and he did what he could to right it.”

David encounters a man wearing a MAGA hat as he goes door to door trying to replace a black lawn jockey he broke at his Airbnb. “I recognize you, you’re the wingnut who came down here and is messing with our elections,” the man says.

When David says he needs the man’s statue for his “avowed racist” sister, the man slams the door in Larry’s face.

It was a portrayal that Greene took issue with.

“We in Georgia are fed up with disgusting Hollywood and their disgusting values and elite judgement [sic] in our state that is trying to turn GA blue!”

“It’s madness and the agenda of the left,” Greene wrote.”

From The Daily Beast

“I watched this week’s episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm and it was a glaring reminder of why most Georgian’s resent Republicans in our state for inviting the nasty commies from California, the Hollywood elites, into our state by dishing out Hollywood tax credits.

This week’s episode lied and painted GA conservatives and Trump supporters as racists and red necks and made fun of our good new law that stops the Stacey Abrams vote pandering machine and prevents voter fraud.

We in Georgia are fed up with disgusting Hollywood and their disgusting values and elite judgement in our state that is trying to turn GA blue!

And we expect our Republican controlled state leaders to protect GA from the radical left not continually legislate a way in for them which is slowly handing GA over to the Democrats.

This is along the same lines of handing billions of Georgian’s hard earned tax dollars to the failing electric vehicle company Rivian, of which George Soros has been a major shareholder, and trying to turn our beloved Georgia into the battery belt instead of the Bible Belt.

Following the Democrat’s climate deranged electric vehicle and Green New Deal disaster agenda is the worst move for my home state of Georgia.

The electric vehicle industry is FAILING. Ask any car dealer, they will tell you they can’t sell electric vehicles and move them off their lots. And no it’s not because there aren’t enough battery charging stations, and tax payers shouldn’t be forced to pay for and build them.

People should have the free choice to buy whatever car or truck they want and not be forced or mandated to buy EV’s AND should not be forced to pay to switch over to a failing industry.

It’s madness and the agenda of the left!

Take it from me, as I fight against Democrats in Washington and their radical, evil, and America last policies I can tell you first hand that we in Georgia need to step and do more to PROTECT GEORGIA!!”

From U.S. Representative Marjorie T. Greene

OK, to explain why Representative Marjorie T. Greene’s point about Hollywood making Georgia MAGA right-wingers look like rednecks: (I’m not going to give them the credit of being either Conservatives or Republicans)

It’s not Hollywood that makes MAGA people look like rednecks, dipshits, assholes, uneducated, fools, etc. When someone shoots themself in the foot over and over, it’s either because they’re suicidal, or they simply don’t know how to handle a gun, maybe they have bad eyesight, whatever the case. You can’t blame the gun manufacturer for the idiot who keeps shooting themself in the foot.

MAGA members get presented as rednecks, because that’s how they present themselves to the outside world. And the outside world to MAGA, is the most of the country. Most Americans now live in or around major cities. Most MAGA people live in either rural America, or in small towns that are hours away from a major city.

A major part of the outside world to MAGA, is in Georgia. Georgia is a big state of 11 million people. 6 million Georgians live in either Atlanta, or the rest of the Atlanta metro area. Which is how Joe Biden won Georgia back in 2020, along with center-right Republicans not bothering to vote for Donald Trump, or voting for Joe Biden.

Most MAGA members, don’t live in or around Atlanta, because they view big cities and metros, like Atlanta, as Communist cells. That should give you a little idea about how stupid and crazy MAGA (which actually stands for Mass Army of Gigantic Assholes) looks and sounds outside of their movement.

And to Marjorie T. Greene’s point about Hollywood Communists: To the Mass Army of Gigantic Assholes (also known as MAGA) anyone whose not in their world, is basically an Un-American, Communist, or some other type of Socialist, or Islamist. Basically anyone who believes in modernism, diversity, individualism, individual freedom, free choice, equal justice, equal rights, rule of law, the U.S. Constitution, etc, is a Communist or Islamist, to your average MAGA militant.

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Ben Meiselas: ‘Supreme Court QUICKLY RESPONDS to Donald Trump Application’

Posted on February 13, 2024 by kireschneider

Meidas Touch: Supreme Court QUICKLY RESPONDS to Donald Trump ApplicationSource:Meidas Touch– left to right: U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts & Defendant Don.

Source:The New Democrat

“MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on the Supreme Court response to Donald Trump’s application for a stay of the mandate after the DC Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his claim for absolute presidential immunity.”

From the Meidas Touch

“Trump’s lawyers in a brief to the Supreme Court warned that “conducting a months-long criminal trial of President Trump at the height of election season will radically disrupt President Trump’s ability to campaign” against President Joe Biden ahead of the election.
They asked the justices to halt the trial proceedings pending their bid for the full slate of judges on the D.C. Circuit to reconsider the case, and, if necessary, an appeal to the Supreme Court. A March 4 trial date for Trump in federal court in Washington on four criminal counts pursued by Special Counsel Jack Smith already was postponed, with no new date set.”

From Reuters

As my colleague Fred Schneider wrote earlier today:

“With all due respect to Donald Trump’s Washington lawyers: they’re referencing the wrong case here and it’s not going to help them. The Supreme Court back in 1982 ruled that President’s are immune from prosecution and civil liability, from their official acts as President. They can’t be sued or prosecuted because of executive orders that they sign, treaties and trade deals that they sign, budgets that they propose, etc.

But Donald Trump is not being prosecuted for official actions that he took as President of the United States. He’s being prosecuted for alleged criminal actions that he took as candidate for reelection as President of the United States. Doing your job as President of the United States and campaigning for the presidency, are two different things.”

From The New Democrat

I’m just going to talk about Donald Trump’s lawyers argument to the Supreme Court as far as why he should be granted immunity now, their current argument:

Now, they’re not saying that Donald Trump should be immune from prosecution because he was once President of the United States. (Even they still probably believe that, at least publicly) They’re now arguing that he should be immune from prosecution, because he’s running for President of the United States.

So left’s think about the precedent that would set, if successful, of the current Trump argument on immunity:

Future, Federal, criminal defendants (which is what Donald Trump is right now in two different cases) could just file to run for President the second after they’re indicted and say: “I don’t have time to deal with this criminal prosecution right now. I’m running for President of the United States. Plus, this criminal prosecution is hurting me in the polls. Voters are going to think I’m a criminal or something. You have to dismiss this case, Supreme Court.”

Trump’s lawyers current argument, is not that different from the argument that they made to Federal Appeal Court back in January, where John Sauer argued that for a former President to be criminally prosecuted for actions that he committed while as President, he would first have to be impeached and convicted by Congress, first. Impeached by the House and then convicted in the Senate.

If that were true, future President’s could order their political opponents to be jailed or assassinated, kidnapped, etc, and then resign the presidency 5 minutes later to avoid being impeached and convicted by Congress and being criminally prosecuted as a former President.

The problem that Donald Trump’s team has here, (and I’m not a lawyer) is that they’re no longer even trying to make a constitutional argument for why their client should be completely immune from criminal prosecution. They’re all political now. And I think they picked the wrong U.S. Justice to try to bail them out politically in Chief Justice John Roberts. But we will see.

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