Whatever one may think about the specifics of his policies, President Joe Biden, on the other hand, is a responsible leader and an institutionalist who believes in America and the democratic experiment. By comparison, Donald Trump hates democracy, attempted a coup on Jan. 6, and is a megalomaniac who believes that he is some type of god or messiah. Whatever a fence sitter, undecided, or disgruntled Democrat or other member of Biden’s 2020 electoral coalition who is angry at him over a specific policy may think and feel, there is no issue where Donald Trump will be a real improvement. Moreover, Trump and his MAGA movement will punish those people who they view as being members of the Democratic Party's base of support. Ultimately, a “principled” vote against President Biden (or deciding to abstain in protest) is a vote for Trump and American neofascism.

-Chauncey Devega in Salon.com

 My salient point is this: Those of us who have resided in our bubble need to take stock of all of our shared presumptions about Trump and remember that these voters—again, the ones who will decide this election—don’t share any of those presumptions. Right now, they remember that the economy was doing pretty well under Trump, and they’ve forgotten all the bad stuff. The Democrats have to turn those memories around by November, and the first step toward doing so is realizing that these voters don’t remotely see Trump in the wholly negative terms that we do.

-Michael Tomasky in The New Republic

 

Trump and allies plotting militarized mass deportations, detention camps

By Isaac Arnsdorf, Nick Miroff and Josh Dawsey

-WA POST

 

Both sides in the 1860s believed they were following the gospel of Jesus Christ faithfully. But some chose to support oppression, murder, rape and genocide, while others fought for equality and sought to express forgiveness, repentance, love and grace.

Nanathathiel Manderson in salon.com

 They say that pitcher Nolan Ryan had a devastating curve ball, but it is his least remembered pitch as his fastball went whizzing by your chin. Distraction is a very powerful thing. Magicians make a living with distraction.

 The last thoughts I will have on the last day of my life whenever that is will have no more value than the thoughts I will have today.

 I may not be the brightest candle in the room, I but at least I can distinguish between they, their, and they're. They ain't no reason not to brag about it.

 But if they slow-walk this case so that Smith doesn't get to try it before this year, the court has proved themselves just as corrupt as Trump believed them to be when he asked them to steal an election for him. The case presented to them is a lay-up. There's no legitimate cause to argue that Trump gets forever immunity for his crimes. All they need to do is put out a one-sentence response upholding the D.C. opinion. That can be done this week. Frankly, that could have been done within minutes of Trump filing his appeal. It's rare that matters of law are as black-and-white as this, but here we are. If the Supreme Court slow-walks this, the only reason would be to help a man who tried to overthrow the government get away with his crimes.

-Amanda Marcotte in Salon.com

 I’ve covered both presidents. Biden is Biden. Trump is Trump. One is an aging politician who is known as a gaffe machine, and the other is a narcissistic mentally incompetent fascist. If there is a problem figuring out who the better choice is, perhaps mental acuity problems are more widespread than we thought.

-Brian Karem in Salon.com

 In between eating parched peanuts, considering the body electric while reading Walt Whitman, I look out at my backyard, the trees still in the cold rain, past, present, & future all at one today, I just be, no plans, no regrets, no false visions.

 Would it have been worthwhile If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl, And turning toward the window, should say: “That’s not it at all, That is not what I meant, at all.” T. S. Eliot