Why Pelosi is now considering the 25th amendment

Ayayayay, Pelosi is contemplating the 25th amendment. For what it’s worth, considering how that could backfire on her politically, I don’t think she’s taking this lightly. Biden’s lead grows by the hourly and Republican senators are starting to panic. This is not the time to step into this minefield. So why now?

Three possible reasons.

1.) There’s a question as to when Trump knew he was Covid positive. I think she is trying to determine whether Trump knew before the debate. There are reasons to suspect that he knew because his entourage arrived in Cleveland too late to take the Covid test that everyone else took. They waived it for him and why not? Deference to the office is expected. They didn’t challenge him or his family who removed their masks when they were in the audience.

If Trump knew he was positive, he knowingly put Biden at risk. That’s like not telling your partner that you just tested positive for HIV.

2.) Gretchen Whitmer was the target of a kidnapping plot by Michigan militia members. We saw militia in action back in May when they entered the Michigan statehouse with their guns and second rate body armor. Then we saw Trump’s “Liberate Michigan!” tweet. Maybe he’s not in on the plot, but he’s been encouraging lawless behavior. It could have had serious consequences for Whitmer.

3.) I don’t know what he’s up to but Trump is planning a trip to Pittsburgh. I keep bringing this up but it bears repeating. This section of western PA is ground zero for Election Day chaos. He has to win the electoral college votes here and it’s a swing state he “won” in 2016 when none of our machines had paper trails. He’s been trying like crazy to invalidate our mail in ballots. He’s losing here and the spread is getting worse. And he’s been asking why the dudes with the guns, religion and grievances aren’t being counted in the polls. I expect some Proud Boys interactions here and probably pretty close to me where a number of polling places will have a relatively high African American turnout.

Now, he’s telling Pittsburgh officials that he’s not planning a rally. But no details are forthcoming about what it is he actually wants to do. And that could be dangerous in a couple of ways because we want to minimize Covid spread and we don’t want any white nationalism trouble here. Pittsburgh is a modern, enlightened city. Neo Nazis spontaneously gathering on the Belgian brick streets is not a good look.

So, the bottom line is that Trump may very well be a threat to others. Just because you don’t shoot yourself doesn’t make your rampage through a school with a semi automatic any less deadly. And as president, Trump has a lot of tools at his disposal to cause some real damage on Election Day in the name of protecting our freedoms or some such nonsense.

I don’t know where all of you live but here in Pittsburgh, and Detroit, it’s looking like the threat to public safety is real. I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I just want to be completely aware of what’s going on.

Maybe Pelosi has more information but the first two items above are enough for me to understand why she might want to get the ball rolling on the 25th amendment whether it’s politically convenient for the Democrats or not.

The Prophet Adam

They’re just saying it out loud now.

“Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some.”

From The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

This was said by Commander Waterford to his sexual slave concubine, Offred. It’s his defense of Gilead and why democracy had to go. It’s for the greater good. Some people are going to get the sh*tty end of the stick but that’s just the way it is. They don’t have the power to change it. It’s the sacrifice that the state makes on your behalf. It’s not your place to decide what is the common good, not even if the world is melting.

You’re welcome!

Remember, Mike Lee is a member of the Judiciary Committee that will conduct hearings for Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation.

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And then there was this:

NEW: The FBI thwarted what they described as a plot to violently overthrow the government and kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

The alleged plot involved reaching out to members of a Michigan militia, according to a federal affidavit filed Thursday.https://t.co/kOKpSGjHg9

— Heidi Przybyla 🌺 (@HeidiReports) October 8, 2020

Someone should ask Trump if he approves.

Negativism

First, the debate. I didn’t think the moderator was that bad. Her questions were pretty good. I kind of liked that. No gotchas. Sure she was a Susie OneNote trying to get Pence to stick to his time but as annoying as that was, it only served to illustrate how disrespectful Pence was to women. I don’t know if we can expect anything more from him. After all, he’s not allowed to be in a room alone with a woman not his wife. That will affect his attitude towards working with women if he sees them as sexual temptresses or liars first. It’s a very Saudi thing.

Now that I think about it, how does that work if he has a female national security advisor? Does that mean that she can never brief him alone? Does she always have to bring a male chaperone? Does anyone but me see a problem here with Pence automatically seeing her as subordinate to anyone the female NSC advisor brings with her to a meeting? Let me know if I’m overthinking this.

Kamala did best when she kept her answers sharp and brief. I loved the one on the White supremacists. Her having to reintroduce herself as California’s AG and all that entailed was unfortunately necessary. Trump has been bogarting the camera for months and Kamala sort of disappeared.

Pence was a semi-transparent bore and a toady. Same old shtick. They’re going to raise your taxes. Obamacare is as bad as signing an indentured slavery document. (Note: I am not an Obamacare fan. Obama did a really shitty job “negotiating” for it. There’re a couple of glaring omissions like cost controls and the working poor’s no man’s land that are as unforgivable as they are politically stupid. But I understand that it’s all some people have and it’s better than nothing.).

Anyway, the fly was the highlight. Draw your own conclusions about why it was drawn to Pence and why the moderator didn’t say anything like, “Mr. Vice President, let’s pause for a moment. There’s a fly on your hair.”

It would have been the kind thing to do. But then again, he kept talking over her so f#%* him.

Women can exercise power in different ways than men. This is how they do it.

Best tweet on the subject. Black Flies Matter.

Win for Kamala but now I see why she didn’t get the nomination. She’s just a little bit shy of being dynamic. She ain’t no Lizzy Warren with all those snappy answers and youthful enthusiasm. She’s more sedate, not as witty. Let’s see if she grows into that.

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Second, this:

Also: The White House has now refused *at least 7 times* to say when Trump last tested negative, ABC reports:https://t.co/KsF1xcvCOz

Incredibly, the WH also won't disclose when/how he was tested *before the last debate.*

Reupping this piece/thread:https://t.co/dyUZJFFiL4

— Greg Sargent (@GregTSargent) October 8, 2020

There is no HIPAA restriction that would prevent Trump himself from disclosing his last negative status. In fact, he’s the only one who could authorize it.

But like him releasing his tax returns, he’s not going to do it. It’s part of his oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder. For what it’s worth, I think he was aware of his positive status on the night of the debate with Biden. It would explain why he didn’t arrive until it was too late for the venue to test him.

Trump is very good at wishful thinking. Bob Woodward has the recording of Trump saying he wasn’t going to get Covid. I can believe that Trump wasn’t going to let some stupid quick Covid test get in the way, especially if it hadn’t been confirmed by the PCR test. So off he went to Cleveland, still asymptomatic.

And if it turns out Biden catches it, who’s to say he got it from Trump? Well, genetic testing could help resolve that question. If he had been paying attention when Fauci explained it to him, he would understand how it works. It’s not a difficult concept. But I doubt, very seriously, whether Trump paid attention to his lessons or would voluntarily supply a sample in the event that Biden later tested positive.

Yeah, he’s a real piece of work.

If anyone asks Biden about it, here’s a possible reply:

“Based on experience with this president and the lengths he will go to in order to conceal the truth, I think we can assume the worst until proven otherwise.”