Baker seems to essentially be saying that all future American régimes will be dictatorships—because those are the only sort of governments that would use the dictatorial powers now in place. If this country manages to rid itself of the Fascist dictatorship, I pray it will not simply be supplanted by another dictatorship, which would certainly defeat the purpose.
Thank you Elliot. There is no equivalence for P01135809. We have never had a president like this, and, I hope, never will again. We should all be ready for a decade of hard work repairing the damage P01135809 has done.
Thank you for commenting on these false equivalencies. One only has to think back to 2024 to see that the Democrats could have arrested Donald Trump for stolen government secret documents but they asked for months for their return. Biden was given the same immunity as President from official acts but did not arrest Trump for his insurrection. There is no equivalency to the weaponizing of the Justice Department as Baker writes. Very few Trump conspirators served prison sentences equal to their criminal actions. Trump has pardoned the insurrectionists on his first day in office and given pardons freely to his criminal supporters after receiving huge donations.
If trump had no part in the insurrectionists' attack on our Capitol, why was he so determined to pardon all of them on almost his first day in office? I honestly never thought we would ever have a "president" like trump and I hope his last days in office come soon! He says the Democrats weaponized the DOJ? NO, what HE is doing is weaponizing the DOJ by going after those that were doing their job in investigating his campaign and the Russian element of it.
Beautiful, Elliot, and I commend you for the control you have over your temper. My fuse was much shorter, I tossed my cable and got rid of my TV set in a rage over the lies being told by mainstream media. I do still have an online subscription to NYT because I love their Saturday history quiz, but I ignore all else. I now get all my news online, mostly on Substack. Haven't missed TV or the 'news' papers, I'm damned if I'm going to pay to be lied to.
It is very obvious that the only reason the GOP cares about the crackdown on free speech is that they are afraid they will be targets in the future. Ted Cruz openly admitted this. They are not at all committed to any Constitutional rights, just protecting themselves.
Elliot, thank you so much for so succinctly giving us the reality of Trump's wardrobe. With thirteen months left to go till the BIG one, I wish the left would spend the first six months identifying the values and objectives it wants for the US. So that in the last seven months it can explain very well to the voters why it makes sense to vote for Democrats.
So very true! Heavy means like general strikes are warranted! Trump and his MAGA sycophants MUST BE STOPPED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Every decent citizen must defend democracy and rule by fair laws.
Thank you for your clear sight and concise framing of the issue!
The mainstream media's continued insistence on "both sides have their faults" and the everyman's "all politicians are crooks" do a grave disservice to understanding the actual state of our current situation.
Let us all watch, take names, and remind them all about it loudly in real time!
What is a “New York Times”? And why is it considered important?
Honestly, it’s a pale shade mincing along its ever thinning ledge of relevancy. Baker and most all other writers pooping forth are idiot chorus members for this repugnant regime.
This is the crux of our situation. False equivalency, back-pedaling on harsh but true statements, fearful dithering about well-what-if-we-really-don't-have-to-have-a-full-democracy, it's all fear. Delusions of self-protection. If we take it as a core proposition that civilization as a whole, as well as individual betterment, must begin with freedom and equality, then we might overcome enemies of that freedom. But so long as we practice equivocation then we are playing a game of who can last the longest, until it is too late to change course. What Cruz, for example, said when Kimmel was canceled was not about free speech. It was completely self-serving. Lions will roar, not smirk.
Such a fine article! Poor journalism cries out for critique.
Having a truth and reconciliation process would work for the regime's foot soldiers post trump, but the cabal of insiders, including, but not limited to the cabinet, needs to face trials a la Nuremberg. They could only hope not to have a prosecutor as fine as Robert Jackson, the chief prosecutor at Nuremberg. Stephen Miller, the Eichmann look-alike and act-alike, is a prime candidate.
I used to respect Peter Baker for his sharp incisive investigative reporting. The transcripts of his article are showing a side of him that I am not used to
Baker seems to essentially be saying that all future American régimes will be dictatorships—because those are the only sort of governments that would use the dictatorial powers now in place. If this country manages to rid itself of the Fascist dictatorship, I pray it will not simply be supplanted by another dictatorship, which would certainly defeat the purpose.
Thank you Elliot. There is no equivalence for P01135809. We have never had a president like this, and, I hope, never will again. We should all be ready for a decade of hard work repairing the damage P01135809 has done.
This mess is not about Republican vs Democrat, red state vs blue state, or any binary other than right bs wrong.
Thank you for commenting on these false equivalencies. One only has to think back to 2024 to see that the Democrats could have arrested Donald Trump for stolen government secret documents but they asked for months for their return. Biden was given the same immunity as President from official acts but did not arrest Trump for his insurrection. There is no equivalency to the weaponizing of the Justice Department as Baker writes. Very few Trump conspirators served prison sentences equal to their criminal actions. Trump has pardoned the insurrectionists on his first day in office and given pardons freely to his criminal supporters after receiving huge donations.
If trump had no part in the insurrectionists' attack on our Capitol, why was he so determined to pardon all of them on almost his first day in office? I honestly never thought we would ever have a "president" like trump and I hope his last days in office come soon! He says the Democrats weaponized the DOJ? NO, what HE is doing is weaponizing the DOJ by going after those that were doing their job in investigating his campaign and the Russian element of it.
Beautiful, Elliot, and I commend you for the control you have over your temper. My fuse was much shorter, I tossed my cable and got rid of my TV set in a rage over the lies being told by mainstream media. I do still have an online subscription to NYT because I love their Saturday history quiz, but I ignore all else. I now get all my news online, mostly on Substack. Haven't missed TV or the 'news' papers, I'm damned if I'm going to pay to be lied to.
Good for you, Fay! I'm with you!
Bravo Elliot. Spot on. An apple is not, nor ever will it be an orange.
It is very obvious that the only reason the GOP cares about the crackdown on free speech is that they are afraid they will be targets in the future. Ted Cruz openly admitted this. They are not at all committed to any Constitutional rights, just protecting themselves.
Elliot, thank you so much for so succinctly giving us the reality of Trump's wardrobe. With thirteen months left to go till the BIG one, I wish the left would spend the first six months identifying the values and objectives it wants for the US. So that in the last seven months it can explain very well to the voters why it makes sense to vote for Democrats.
So very true! Heavy means like general strikes are warranted! Trump and his MAGA sycophants MUST BE STOPPED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Every decent citizen must defend democracy and rule by fair laws.
Thank you for your clear sight and concise framing of the issue!
The mainstream media's continued insistence on "both sides have their faults" and the everyman's "all politicians are crooks" do a grave disservice to understanding the actual state of our current situation.
Let us all watch, take names, and remind them all about it loudly in real time!
What is a “New York Times”? And why is it considered important?
Honestly, it’s a pale shade mincing along its ever thinning ledge of relevancy. Baker and most all other writers pooping forth are idiot chorus members for this repugnant regime.
Pox on ‘em all.
Sometimes there is only one side to a story. Peter Baker's work reveals his moral hesitancy and his dishonesty; remember his writing about Biden?
Eliot, this mold set decades ago when Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon for crimes that seem almost quaint in retrospect.
This is the crux of our situation. False equivalency, back-pedaling on harsh but true statements, fearful dithering about well-what-if-we-really-don't-have-to-have-a-full-democracy, it's all fear. Delusions of self-protection. If we take it as a core proposition that civilization as a whole, as well as individual betterment, must begin with freedom and equality, then we might overcome enemies of that freedom. But so long as we practice equivocation then we are playing a game of who can last the longest, until it is too late to change course. What Cruz, for example, said when Kimmel was canceled was not about free speech. It was completely self-serving. Lions will roar, not smirk.
Such a fine article! Poor journalism cries out for critique.
Having a truth and reconciliation process would work for the regime's foot soldiers post trump, but the cabal of insiders, including, but not limited to the cabinet, needs to face trials a la Nuremberg. They could only hope not to have a prosecutor as fine as Robert Jackson, the chief prosecutor at Nuremberg. Stephen Miller, the Eichmann look-alike and act-alike, is a prime candidate.
I used to respect Peter Baker for his sharp incisive investigative reporting. The transcripts of his article are showing a side of him that I am not used to