FAKE ELECTORS DIGGING INTO THE LOOPHOLES OF DEMOCRACY

Robert Harrington, like many of us, is making a shaky effort to keep all of Trump’s criminal charges in the four jurisdictions straight in his head…91 criminal charges in all, with a constantly shifting on-again-off-again scheduler’s nightmare. He has devised for himself, a mnemonic to provide some order, though Trump’s defense continues to make it all topsy-turvy to keep everyone off-balance. His memory aid is the acronym, DIGS, to represent Trump’s Documents (stolen classifieds), Insurrection (January 6, 2021), Georgia (election interference), and Stormy (hush money) cases, and as he conjectures, “As in, Donald Trump DIGS his own grave.”

Harrington believes if Trump had put his ego aside and accepted his election defeat, and moved on to Mar-a-Lago minus the boxes of loot, the Stormy Daniels case would have blown over, and he would now be free of all his headaches…though E. Jean Carroll was waiting in the wings with a competent legal team to bash him in dramatic fashion. Harrington believes the COVID contagion could have been a gift to Trump had he handled it properly, but the “stupidity of this stable genius” failed to recognize and evaluate it to his advantage. “Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV” cognition didn’t come to his rescue, so he got “Documents, Insurrection, Georgia, Stormy.” Robert ends his piece with, “Donald Trump DIGS graves like nobody else, and he’s going to keep doing it until that blessed day when he finally DIGS his own grave, and lies in it. And nobody lies like Donald Trump.”

The new book released this past week, ‘How to Steal a Presidential Election’ by Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig and Matthew Seligman of the constitutional law center at Stanford, states that, “We are in a profoundly dangerous moment. This is a catastrophic year, and the odds are not in our favor.” Tracing Donald Trump’s assault on democracy with the Big Lie, which was frightful enough, but what lies ahead, the two authors say, is even more troubling. Lessig’s reputation as a leading thinker on possibilities of corruption in public institutions is one of respect, and his probing into the vulnerabilities leaving our democracy open to attack by authoritarians is a blunt warning that, “We are convinced that an informed and intelligent effort to undermine the results of a close, free and fair election could work in America – if the rules governing our presidential elections are not changed.”

Prior to Trump’s stolen-election lies, both Lessig and Seligman concocted a class at Harvard law school designated as ‘Wargaming 2020,’ where they examined the possibility of hacking a presidential election to send a losing candidate to the Oval Office – after which their conclusion is that the US had dodged a bullet. “We discovered that Trump didn’t really understand what he could have done. There were obvious moves he and his team could have made, but they didn’t take them. Overturning an election by insurrection was the dumbest thing they could have possibly done. No court would ever allow the election to be decided by force of bayonets,” Lessig says. After repeating the wargaming exercise for their new book, Lessig has less confidence that another insurrection-type assault would end well. With Trump doing well in primaries to this point, he is certain that the former prez is willing to do much more than we saw through his term, and 2021’s riot, having had four years to conduct their own war-games, with more sophistication. Lessing believes, “Trump didn’t understand how to undo governmental structures. Now he’s well-trained, he knows exactly what he needs to do.”

The three Lessig/Seligman war-games situations are characterized by, 1) the ‘faithless electors,’ delegates chosen by parties to fairly represent the winning candidate in each state under terms of the electoral college – who then renounce their pledges and back the losing candidate; 2) the ‘rogue governor’ of a state who decides to flip the results of the election, which Lessig believes is the greatest long-term threat; and 3) which causes sleepless nights for Lessig, the ‘rogue legislature.’ He is not optimistic that Congress will be able to do anything in time, and can only hope that the infrastructure holds up as it did in the last election. The book offers a host of proposed changes to both federal and state laws for the purpose of closing loopholes, which are not intended to be partisan.

Lessig says of himself and his co-author, “Neither of us have anything against the conservative movement in the US, as expressed in the traditional Republican party,” but the “disengagement from the basic premise of democratic politics – if you win, you win, if you lose, you go home,” is not observed by a number of Americans who still believe the 2020 election was stolen, against all evidence, and that is frightening. “Many Trump supporters have the sense that anything is justified, and that’s terrifying. Trump is denying every single core democratic norm, and yet his support continues to grow. That too is astonishing and terrifying.”

The Supreme Court case, Chiafolo vs Washington, decided in 2020, says that states have the ability to enforce an elector’s pledge in presidential elections, whereby electors were fined $1,000 for not voting for the nominees of their party in the state of Washington, casting their votes for Colin Powell instead of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine. A MAGA-dominated legislature could wreak havoc by going rogue, prompting Lessig to warn, “That’s a kind of opened hole that is going to be very hard to close in time.” A case in point lies in Arizona, where a lawmaker who signed on to be a ‘fake elector‘ for Trump, has introduced a bill that would allow members of the statehouse to overturn future election results that they don’t like. The bill sponsored by state Senator Anthony Kern (Senate Concurrent Resolution 1014) seeks to bypass wholly the popular vote, giving the legislature absolute power to control Arizona’s electoral college votes, disenfranchising millions of the state’s voters. The bill reads, “It is the responsibility of the Arizona Secretary of State to certify elections, including elections for President of the United States, but the sole authority to appoint presidential electors is granted to the Legislature,” concluding, “The Legislature, and no other official, shall appoint presidential electors in accordance with the United States Constitution.”

Sam Paisley, national press secretary for the Democratic Legislative Committee, said, “This is a full sound-the-alarm moment for American democracy. Arizona Republicans are attacking the most essential tenet of our elections: that the people decide their representatives…this latest attempt to remove the will of the people from the presidential selection process is one of the gravest threats to democracy we’ve seen yet.” Senator Kern failed to respond to requests for comments, but has said he was unable to serve in the military during Desert Storm, having two sons to raise as a single dad; he has a degree in business administration, is self-employed and owns a private investigation business; he has been involved in the Block Watch Program, and started the City of Phoenix Employees for Christ organization in 1995. As a former code enforcement officer in the City of El Mirage, he was fired for lying to a supervisor about a lost tablet computer. His name appears on the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office ‘Brady List,’ which is a database of police employees known for credibility issues. Sam Paisley describes Arizona’s Republican caucus as “a hotbed of MAGA extremism,” and Kern makes no secret of his affinity for that cause, having attended the January 6, 2021 rally, using campaign cash to pay airfare and hotel accommodations.

On his TV show, Jimmy Kimmel brought up former Fox News host, Tucker (Useful Idiot) Carlson and his visit to Russia to conduct an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Though Tuck has his own streaming platform, Tucker Carlson Network, Kimmel notes that, “Tucker Carlson still doesn’t have a job. He’s in Moscow. House-hunting, I hope.” An unimpressed Kimmel said of Putin,“He’s a murderer, he’s a war criminal, he hates America, he hates everything America stands for, he’s a liar and a propagandist, but Tuck thinks we need to hear him out.” Playing a clip of Carlson claiming he wants to get Putin’s view since he’s “involved in this conflict with Ukraine,” Kimmel blasted, “I love ‘involved in this conflict’…it’s like saying that in ‘Jaws,’ the great white shark was ‘involved in biting.’ It takes two to be eaten, you know.”

CNN’s Oiver Darcy called the interview “propaganda victory for Putin,” with a silent Carlson giving the president free-rein to manipulate his deceptive version of the history between the two countries. Carlson has ‘erroneously‘ stated that US media haven’t attempted to interview Putin, but many journalists have revealed that repeated requests to do so have been denied by Putin. Clarissa Ward, chief international correspondent for CNN explained, “What you see from watching the first 45 minutes of this, is that it was clear from the very beginning that Carlson did not have control,” being unable to hold a credible dialog with the strongman. Conditions laid down at the outset placed editorial control with the Russian government, alongside Carlson’s agreement he would broadcast the interview in its entirety. In the end, the interview was released to Tuck only after the Kremlin censored many of the questions, and any comment made by Carlson not appreciated by Putin. Though Carlson and Putin have differing reasons for hating America, Tuck fills the role of ‘useful idiot’ for the Russians, earning many kudos on Russian state TV directed at the populace. We can bet that Mr. Trump is eyeing this ‘useful idiot’ with interest after his sojourn in Moscow, so don’t be surprised when VP selection time arrives and we see Tucker Carlson’s name listed in the ‘select few’ for consideration.

It’s a good bet that Mike ‘My Pillow’ Lindell won’t be on any MAGA lists ever again since he’s been crashing and burning, lost in his conspiracy fantasies and The Big Lie of 2020. He always seems to be ‘just a couple of weeks’ away from delivering his proof of the victory that Trump lost to the deep state, but still has nothing to show for it after three years. Friends claim that he’s broke, having lost his focus on his pillow business, and is now hawking socks, bottle cleaners, and a lion painting! With the Feds seizure of his phone with a search warrant several weeks ago, it appears that he is party to a federal criminal investigation. So, as Bill Palmer’s blog predicts, Lindell will soon be hauled away in either handcuffs or a straitjacket…sleep well, Mikey!

Rudy Giuliani disclosed in bankruptcy court that Trump’s 2020 campaign and the Republican National Committee are on the hook to him for $2M in unpaid legal fees, NOT Trump himself…that’s right Rudy – keep that door open just a bit in case your SOS reaches Toupee Orange in a weak moment! Rudy maintains he was paid in part for expenses, but not for his sterling legal work, and is now facing “a major financial hit,” with his law license in suspension. Ted Goodman, an adviser for the disgraced NYC mayor, wrote that poor Rudy has “earned everything he has in life through honest, hard work. The American people are waking up to the abhorrent weaponization of our justice system for partisan political gain, and the fact that we are here today is just another example of this great injustice.” Might we suggest that Mr. G. rescue himself with some honest, hard work by selling socks and bottle cleaners?

The Washington Post has revealed that Trump is ‘absolutely livid and deeply worried’ that Attorney General Letitia James is destroying his ‘family’s brand and inheritance’ earmarked for his children, in the ongoing New York fraud case. To make matters worse for dear ol’ Dad, Ivanka has made her choice to ‘step away’ from defending her father due to the ‘stinging scrutiny’ that his jump into politics has brought to their criminal family operation. A Trump insider told the Post that “Everything about the case makes him angry – including that it’s hurting the children, striking at his identity and the family and what he’s been able to build over years and years and years.” The report reveals that “Trump’s children have not been involved in his current bid for the presidency” because they are attempting to “cool off” and distance themselves from all the criminal trials. And because the presidency proved to be so painful for the family with endless subpoenas, legal bills, investigations, testimonies, bad press, and being in the limelight constantly, they are now wary of lurking enemies, becoming paranoid that accountability is at hand. Socks, bottle cleaners, and Daddy’s leftover non-fungible trading cards, that’s the ticket…got it kids?

The Las Vegas Super Bowl’s Sunday telecast raised the hackles of another family…the Kennedy clan. American Values 2024, a super PAC backing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential run, produced a campaign spot which mimicked an ad for John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential effort, using the same jingle and a black and white, small screen TV moodiness. While RFK Jr. also posted the ad on Xwitter, he later posted an apology after cousin Bobby Shriver forcefully criticized the presentation, saying that his mother and the late president’s sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, “would be appalled in light of his health care views.” Junior said, “I’m so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you.” His anti-vax philosophy grates on many observers, and especially his family which has been at odds with him for years.

Press secretary Stefanie Spear had a different take on the $7M ad, telling CBS News, “We are pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values PAC for running the ad where more than 100 million Americans got to see that RFK Jr. is running as an independent candidate for president of the US.” Speechwriter for the late Senator Ted Kennedy, Robert Shrum, posted his statement that the ad was “plagiarism,” adding, “Bobby, you’re no John Kennedy. Instead you are a Trump ally.” It’s telling that the ad remained at the top of Jr.’s website on Monday morning.

Another dominant advertiser on CBS’s Super Bowl presentation was Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light, trying to regain a foothold after getting involved in the culture war by brief sponsorship of Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender woman, which resulted in a heavy backlash from its legion of customers. Last October the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization faced its own backlash after signing a $100M+ six-year contract with Bud Light. So how did UFC President Dana White attempt to solve this dilemma? Of course, she reached out to Donald Trump, asking him to provide some positivity to the situation. And, he obliged her by posting on his Truth Social site that consumers should give the brewer a “second chance.” He wrote, “The Bud Light ad was a mistake of epic proportions, and for that a very big price was paid, but Anheuser-Busch is not a Woke company.” He also posted a few bits of relevant information about the company…likely coming from White. Certainly he wasn’t influenced by the fact that he owns close to $5M of Anheuser-Busch InBev stock…ya think? Had Trump appeared as a contestant on his TV show, ‘The Apprentice,’ he surely would have had to fire himself!