Greg Sargent

They have no space in their brain for "highly competent black woman" so they see no need to do any work.

As I mentioned to @mcopelov.bsky.social, I really, really think it's necessary to distinguish to be distinguishing between areas where Trump is consolidating power and areas where he's utterly failing to: bsky.app/profile/greg...

This is absolutely right. Trump and Miller want the law to be little more than a tool of domination.

It’s as clear-cut an example of their authoritarianism as any

3 tracks out this week showed Trump dropping and at his lowest point this year:
Econ/YouGov 39%-57% (-18) down 5 pts from last week
Civiqs 41%-55% (-14) down 2 pts from last week
AP-NORC 39%-60%(-21) down 13 pts from last month

This dictator shit ain't play well with voters.

Credit where due; Sargent has tended to be quite the doom merchant in the second term but this is clear eyed about "deep institutional resistance" and Trumpian weakness. It's important.

Of course his replies are like "OH OKAY SO EVERYTHING'S JUST FINE, HUH???"

right. put another way, I think we're still in this thing. I think it's important that he's encountering institutional resistance like this bsky.app/profile/greg...

Absolutely, and hard to consolidate power when you're wildly unpopular. Important to be clear about the already-large scale of democratic backsliding/consolidation (bsky.app/profile/mcop...), & the very long way he would have to go & doesn't appear to have the juice to do so.

@mcopelov.bsky.social I really think we need to be distinguishing between areas where Trump is consolidating power and areas where he's utterly failing to.

Trump can appear "strong" by blowing up little boats in the Caribbean, because presidential powers are hard to restrain in that area. He can get networks to deliver him a comedian's scalp. But he can't drum up real prosecution of his enemies without running smack into deep institutional resistance.

A disorienting moment: Trump is consolidating autocratic power in areas where there's an easy path to do so. But in other areas he's facing deep institutional resistance and people are refusing to abandon the rule of law. Here he's weak and failing.

Thoughts on that:
newrepublic.com/article/2006...

I hate rule by the mafia.

Seems like the justice department will be getting smaller and smaller.

This scenario was an entire scandal in the George W. Bush administration that lasted for months, with hearings and the eventual resignation of the AG.

Profound corruption

Verdict first, trial later.

One point I try to make in here is that Trump and Stephen Miller are trying to eradicate the very idea of legitimate guilt and innocence. All prosecutions are just a power struggle, there's only winning and losing, there's no such thing as justice. It's all power all the way down.

This is an impeachable offense. Textbook.

This whole sorry saga is another proof point: Trump is a weak and failing and ineffectual president who is simultaneously consolidating autocratic power in areas where that's easier for him to do. And that's a dangerous combination.

newrepublic.com/article/2006...

There's a deeper absurdity here. Trump and Stephen Miller have been shrieking that Letitia James is corrupt.

But James' team *did the actual work* necessary to *successfully* bring a case against Trump on the facts, and Trump is failing to do even that.

newrepublic.com/article/2006...

It gets worse. Trump is now reportedly looking to replace this career prosecutor with someone who will prosecute the "mortgage fraud" BS more "aggressively."

Translation: He's going to install someone who will bring prosecutions when the facts *don't* warrant it.

newrepublic.com/article/2006...

Trump Firing Top Prosecutor for Failing to Invent Fake Crimes by Foes A U.S. attorney in Virginia is finding no evidence that Letitia James broke the law. In America, that’s justice. In Trumpworld, it’s a firing offense.

Trump's scam of inventing "mortgage fraud" charges against his foes is failing. So he's set to fire a top prosecutor who is failing to bring charges, ABC reports.

Failing to bring corrupt prosecutions is now a firing offense. This is profound misconduct.

New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2006...

thank you!

Smart from @jenrubin.bsky.social: Dems should force Rs to vote on whether Trump has authority to deny licenses to suppress criticism of himself.

"Let them say, 'No we don’t believe in the First Amendment.' That's fine. Let the voters know."

On the pod, Jen is great:
newrepublic.com/article/2006...

Great idea. @schumer.senate.gov @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social do this.

Meanwhile, Democrats who go on ABC News might try to inform the network's audience that it capitulated to Trump's autocratic abuses of power, and that it isn't serving the public well by doing so. They might even directly and publicly ask ABC News journalists if they're comfortable with this outcome, which they surely are not. Democrats need to let it be known that any and all Trump accomplices who carry out corrupt or illegal actions on his behalf will face accountability later. It's the only language these authoritarian thugs will ever understand.

I strongly endorse this @gregsargent.bsky.social suggestion
newrepublic.com/article/2006...

"Elect us and we will put these criminals in jail" has been available to Democrats for quite some time now and yet

Trump’s Ouster of Jimmy Kimmel Is Much Worse Than You Think It Is Anna Gomez, the FCC’s lone Democratic commissioner, tells TNR that chairman Brendan Carr’s move violates both the First Amendment and the Communications Act. Democrats must extract consequences.

The government is “using the public interest standard to go after anything it doesn’t like" says Anna Gomez. She is the only Democratic-appointed commissioner on the three-member Federal Communications Commission.
newrepublic.com/article/2006...

Orbánization has surged forward in the last 24 hours.

"Orbánization has surged forward in the last 24 hours."

Yep, and Trump has since made it explicit that he's instructed FCC chair Brendan Carr to abuse broadcast licensing to suppress network criticism of him. He's stated it right in the open.

They’re exactly the corporate cowards you thought they were. Disney caved because the conservative leadership of Nexstar and other affiliates pushed on them. The content will keep getting watered down, and audiences will find more interesting sources of news and entertainment.

A Few Thoughts on KimmelGeddon Let me start by noting the obvious: What we saw yesterday with...

some additional ideas from @joshtpm.bsky.social here
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-few...