Report: Trump Indicted In NY

The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head.

It is un-American.

The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is…

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 30, 2023

The author of a book on strongmen and authoritarianism tweeted about the reported indictment of Trump in New York over the Stormy Daniels matter (details pending) and the reaction.  Authoritarianism in action.  

The tweet here is reprehensive and pathetic in about equal measure. The Supreme Court back in the 1980s held that states cannot resist their Art. IV extradition duties.  Reports are that Trump will just surrender (nice word) to authorities for processing anyhow. The Jew/NYC baiting is chef kiss.  Either way, this is such a suck-up approach from Trump's alleged major 2025 rival.  

This (with some toning down on the Jew bashing) response is par for the course.  I won't go through posting the tweets or anything, but the governor of Virginia (the hoped-for "moderate" alternative in 2024) had a similar comment. Of course, the ultimate puke-inducing (head of the fucking people's House) Kevin McCarthy is up to his usual bootlicking ways.  

I realize we have to pace ourselves (oh so concerned about everything while chuckling in her nerdy way -- yeah, I'm bored with her for a while now -- Rachel Maddow says it will be "boring" -- yeah, we know, Rachel -- we have been watching paint dry for years now with people at your network continuously trying to excite us with the latest development).  While doing so, we should remember how horrible these people are. 

I don't want to do too much to assume what will be charged (reports of over 30 charges? hard to imagine that many even technical violations) since we can just wait ("what fun is that?") until it happens (the indictment is in open court after all).  Still, various basic things can be cited, and I have.  

The overall authoritarian / strongman playbook includes the level of masculinity involved in sex with a porn star.  It involves the obeisance from others to Dear Leader to a degree that seems pathetic to outsiders. 

It involves disrespect to the rule of law, and the law does not apply to certain people (there is a certain normalcy to these charges -- they don't go to the heart of our election system; that might help them go down easier).  This includes protecting the authoritarian leader by bending and breaking the law.  Others might get hurt (Michael Cohen here, a bunch of 1/6 people elsewhere), but not Dear Leader.  And, so on.  

We have a long way to go.  Long way.  But, like the impeachments, crossing the Rubicon to arrest Trump is a minimum level of basic rule of law, republican values in action.  Maybe, it will help the ball rolling (will Georgia be the April news?  nice Easter Season thing).  We will see.  But, this matters.  Don't belittle it. 

[I forgot to reference it but this should be underlined more often. The coverage of the announcement in the NYT included a reference to "Trump's family business" being convicted of tax fraud last December.  

You know the drill: "imagine if Biden" ... imagine if BIDEN'S SON had a business (with its chief financial officer) so prosecuted.]