Trump to Georgia Official: Steal Me an Election

Mere days before he’s evicted from the Executive Mansion, lame-duck President Donald Trump can’t resist another chance to break the law, trying to turn the land of his birth into a banana republic. In an hour-long phone call, aided by Mark Meadows and other co-conspirators, he tried to wheedle, cajole, pressure, and threaten Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, into “finding” him 11,780 votes and overturning his defeat in the state’s November’s election, even though Georgia’s returns have been reviewed three times and certified by the state’s electors.

But even if Mr. Trump got Georgia’s 16 electoral votes, Joe Biden would still have won the U.S. presidential election by 40 electoral votes, so you’ve got to wonder: in what other states has Donald Trump been illegally leaning on election officials?

Mr. Trump has threatened to sue Brad Raffensperger for making recordings of the phone call public, but his recording of the conversation is legal under Georgia State Law.

Here are some of the Trump-Raffensperger phone call low-lights:

Trump Enthusiasts Respectfully Await Final Election Returns

In an historic display of good citizenship and patriotism, armed supporters of defeated candidate Donald Trump gathered at vote processing centers to dispute arithmetic and threaten election workers. God Save the Republic.

More:

“Faced with defeat, armed protesters in Arizona insist election stolen,” Mimi Dwyer, David Shepardson, Reuters

“Election officials worried by threats and protesters,” Nomaan Merchant and Tim Sullivan, Associated Press

“Philadelphia police arrest armed men allegedly heading to vote-counting center,” Cameron Jenkins, The Hill

“Increasingly normal: Guns seen outside vote-counting centers,” Tim Sullivan and Adam Geller, Associated Press

“‘It’s not over’: Trump supporters flock to state capitols after Biden victory is announced,” Susan Miller and Jordan Culver, USA Today

“The Next 2020 Election Fight? Convincing Trump’s Supporters That He Lost,” Miles Parks, NPR News

Updates:

“Philly Vote-Counters Getting Death Threats Because of Trump’s ‘Deranged’ Theories: Republican Commissioner,” Jamie Ross, Daily Beast

“Arkansas police chief resigns after calling for violence against Democrats,” Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken, CNN

“Republican Philadelphia official responsible for vote counting says office getting death threats,”Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill

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Image (“Trump Enthusiasts, after James Whale“) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Trump Tantrum Prolongs His Government Shutdown

As the end of the year approaches, President Donald Trump has thrown a temper tantrum, shutting down the federal government, and barricaded himself in the White House until his extortionate demands are met. If congress wants to reopen the government, he wants $5 billion for a border wall of undetermined design. No wall, no government.

Seeking new threat targets, Mr. Trump now says he’ll shut down the southern border if he doesn’t get his way, a move that would violate international law and cost U.S. businesses billions of dollars.

The chief executive continues to sulk in the White House, foregoing a planned Mar-a-Lago New Year’s party.

More:

“Trump struggles to make a coherent case for his border wall,” Steve Benen, MSNBC

“More Americans blame Trump for government shutdown: Reuters/Ipsos poll,” Chris Kahn and Ginger Gibson, Reuters

“Most Americans would rather spend the $5 billion Trump is demanding for the border wall on infrastructure, education, or healthcare,” Bob Bryan and Walt Hickey, Business Insider

“About That Wall Trump Said Mexico Would Be Paying For: QuickTake,” Mark Niquette, Bloomberg, via Washington Post

“No Deal in Sight: Shutdown Here to Stay Amid Border Wall Stalemate,” John T. Bennett, Roll Call

“Trump: Give Me a Wall or I’ll Engineer a Recession,” Eric Levitz, New York Magazine

Related:

“Trump admin to unpaid federal workers who can’t make rent: beg, barter, and get a lawyer.” Boing Boing

“Taxpayers Are Subsidizing Mar-a-Lago’s New Year’s Eve Party Despite Trump’s Shutdown,” Ryan Bort, New York Post

“Five lessons that never seem to be learned from shutting down the government,” Leon Panetta, Washington Post

“The Border Wall Is a Symbol of Our Symbolic Politics,” Jonah Goldberg, National Review

Update:

“Trump Gripes About Lonely Xmas With No One But ‘Machine Gunners’ Who Don’t Smile,” Nicole Lafond, TPM Livewire

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Border Wall: Art of the Threat

After being schooled on TV by Nancy Pelosi, President Trump is conducting his latest extortion campaign via Twitter and White House Staff Creature Stephen Miller. The Trump Doctrine: Gimme $5 billion for my border wall, or else:

“If we don’t get what we want one way or the other, whether it’s through you, it’s through military, I will shut down the government.”

The deadline is Friday.

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Kim Thinks Trump Won’t Bite Himself In the Ass. We’re Not So Sure.

As Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un blunder and bluster their way towards nuclear conflict, one factor may hold Mr. Trump back from a rash military act. It’s something very important to him: His own self-interest. “The president owns a 59 percent interest in Trump Korea LLC,” points out Phillip Y. Lipscy, “a joint venture with Daewoo.”

“Trump World Seoul consists of six properties located in Seoul, Busan, and Daegu. In particular, Trump World I, II, and III are located in the heart of Seoul, which would be subject to heavy North Korean conventional artillery bombardment in the event of a major peninsular conflict.

North Korea may thus perceive threats by the president as noncredible given his personal exposure to financial loss. Despite Trump’s tough rhetoric and sending aircraft carriers to nearby waters, Kim Jong Un may reasonably calculate that the president will not risk annihilation of what the Trump Organization describes as an ‘unmatched project that is a true asset to the Trump portfolio.’

Trump World Seoul also puts the president at risk of personal coercion by the North Korean regime. Kim Jong Un could seek to deter U.S. intervention by threatening to specifically target and destroy Trump’s business assets in the event of U.S. escalation. Kim need not physically destroy a Trump Tower to harm the president’s bottom line: Prominently identifying Trump properties as targets will affect their economic viability.

The president stands to lose personal wealth if a military conflict imperils any Trump property. In the vast majority of cases, insurance coverage for commercial property excludes damages sustained in interstate wars. The president therefore faces a direct, personal incentive to avoid escalating conflicts that could potentially result in the destruction of Trump Organization assets.”

— “The Trump Tower Peace Theory,” Phillip Y. Lipscy, Foreign Policy

On the other hand, playing chicken is second nature to Mr. Trump, and this kind of dispute brings out the playground bully in him. It’s why he’s involved in 3,500 lawsuits, but he can’t lawyer his way out of this.

Maybe President Trump should consult with his Ambassador to South Korea. Oh wait, he hasn’t appointed one.

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The Art of the Threat

Borrowing a stratagem from every petty thug with a protection racket, President Donald Trump has threatened to shut down the federal government in October if he doesn’t get his way:

“President Trump on Tuesday called for a government shutdown later this year and suggested the Senate might need to prohibit future filibusters, dramatic declarations from a new commander in chief whose frustration is snowballing as Congress continues to block key parts of his agenda.

‘Our country needs a good ‘shutdown’ in September to fix mess!’ Trump wrote in a series of tweets Tuesday morning. He likely meant a shutdown in October, as the current spending bill lawmakers have agreed to would fund government operations through Sept. 30.

Trump’s call for a shutdown, which appears to be unprecedented from a sitting president, come as his problems are mounting within the House and Senate, chambers that are both controlled by his party.”

— “Trump raises prospect of government shutdown to leverage better budget for GOP in fall,”  Damian Paletta and John Wagner, Washington Post

More:

“Trump Says U.S. Needs Government ‘Shutdown,'”Julie Hirschfeld Davis, New York Times

“President Trump Wants a Government Shutdown,” David A. Graham, The Atlantic

“Trump May Be Spoiling For A Shutdown Fight, But It Could Spell Disaster In 2018,” Jessica Taylor, NPR

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Shocker: Violence at Trump Rallies

There are reports of violence at political rallies for reality TV star and billionaire authoritarian thug Donald J. Trump. Who would think that a supporter of  the man who said he’d like to punch protesters in the face would punch a protester in the face? What could drive the campaign manager of a man who has threatened reporters to rough up a reporter?

When little Donny Trump was in second grade, he punched his music teacher in the face. He was so incorrigible that his family finally sent him to military school. Sounds like it’s time for him to re-enroll.

More:

“Donald Trump gives supporters permission to be violent at rallies: ‘I’ll defend you in court,’” Kellan Howell, Washington Times

“Cheers, a punch, a slur. What it’s like in the crowd at a Donald Trump rally.” Stephanie McCrummen, Washington Post

“Why All the Violence at Donald Trump Rallies?” Tom Jacobs, Pacific Standard

“Breitbart reporter is latest victim of the wild media environment created by Donald Trump’s campaign,” Callum Borchers, Washington Post

“Donald Trump and the press, a few notable scuffles,” Cox Media via KRMG

CEOs to Workers: ‘Vote for Romney or Get Fired’

Ex-financier Mitt Romney in a conference call to corporate CEOs in June:

“I hope you make it very clear to your employees what you believe is in the best interest of your enterprise and therefore their job and their future in the upcoming elections. And whether you agree with me or you agree with President Obama, or whatever your political view, I hope — I hope you pass those along to your employees. Nothing illegal about you talking to your employees about what you believe is best for the business, because I think that will figure into their election decision, their voting decision and of course doing that with your family and your kids as well.”

The Next National Disaster

 

The USA has seen a lot this year:

Snow storms. Floods. Tornadoes. Oil spills.

Next:

Grasshoppers. The USDA predicts a record infestation of voracious grasshoppers in the Western states. They eat crops and the forage that feeds cattle.

Things are getting downright Biblical.

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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