Former judge Michael Luttig was a ponderous bore. He sucked the energy out of the Thursday hearing.
He had value. He sent a message by being there. He condemned Trump and his allies.
Former Judge Luttig was brought in to put a stake in the ground. Trump is wrong and dangerous, he said.
Luttig's message gives moral authority to a position that has a toehold within conservative opinion-writers. They are beginning to break with Trump. Open, clear opposition to Trump is not yet a mainstream idea among senior officeholders. Editorials in Murdoch's Wall Street Journal and New York Post declare Trump to be dishonest about the Big Lie--but they don't stand for public office. With the exception of voters in the Georgia primary, Republican officeholders who openly disagree with Trump, or who voted to impeach him after January 6, lose head-to-head primaries. Officeholders notice.
Ted Cruz and John Eastman have something in common. They both clerked for Judge Luttig. Michael Luttig has credibility as a thoroughly conservative judge. He is a luminary in the Federalist Society. His opinion matters, both as a policy mentor and career reference and sponsor. He is a grand old man.
His presentation was unequivocal:
A stake was driven through the heart of American democracy on January 6, and our democracy today is on a knife's edge.The war on democracy instigated by the former president and his political party allies on January 6 was the natural and foreseeable culmination of the war for America. It was the final fateful day for the execution of a well-developed plan by the former president to overturn the 2020 presidential election at any cost, so that he could cling to power that the American People had decided to confer upon his successor , the next president of the United States instead. Knowing full well that he had lost the 2020 presidential election, the former president and his allies and supporters falsely claimed and proclaimed to the nation that he had won the election, and then he and they set about to overturn the election that he and they knew the former president had lost.
Judge Luttig spoke at half speed. People alert enough to be watching the hearing on TV left the room in frustration. But Judge Luttig himself has authority, and his presence was the message. He sent a signal to the conservative legal establishment that the "Trump issue" could not be finessed. Trump is not half-right or maybe-right, or wrong-but-excusable. He is wrong, period. He is lying. He is a mortal danger to America. And so are his allies. That means you, my former clerks.
Trump, for his part, is not finessing his position:
January 6 was not merely a protest, it represented the greatest movement in the history of our Country to Make America Great Again. It was about an Election that was Rigged and Stolen, and a Country that was about to go to HELL.
Trump hasn't "moved on." He is defining true Republicans and RINOs. Mike Pence was a coward who betrayed him, Trump said. So was Bill Barr. So is Mitch McConnell. So is everyone who questioned him. Trump says he won the election. He says it like he means it. Trump remains on center stage among adoring crowds. He is adamant and indefatigable.
Luttig is telling his kindred spirits they need to choose: Trump or democracy.
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9 comments:
“Jan 6th? Nothing to see here folks, keep moving.”
The overarching principle of the Republican Party has long been the protection of the rapacious from societal or political control.
Nothing must stand in the way of that. Any means are acceptable, including the perversion of religion and patriotism; and the exploitation of our most base violent and fear driven instincts.
Objective truth long ago went out the window, it just took Kellyanne Conway to clear up any misconceptions about that.
There really isn’t a Republican Party anymore. It is a Corporate Fascist Party, still living inside the Republican skin of the party it pretends to still be.
I groaned within 60 seconds of his speaking. My immediate thought was that he was a mistake. Maybe I was wrong given Peter’s premise, but I forwarded through his speaking on my taped video. I recently read Trump has a 45% approval rating. Really America? I guess if the obvious attempt to overthrow American democracy doesn’t do it, then nothing will. Too bad those potential pee tape’s Russia possibly has didn’t come out. I suspect that would lessen his approval rating. In the mean time I look forward to more hearings and hope criminal charges are brought forward. Lock him up!
I guess when your democratic president is failing miserably, and you have no credible replacement candidates in the bullpen, then you have to fabricate and smear and obfuscate in order to win. That's the democratic party playbook.
Former Judge Michael Luttig said that former VP Mike Pence had no authority to challenge the presidential election. SO WHAT? Contesting the past election is not a crime, and that's not the issue here. Hillary and Stacey Abrams both contested their last elections. Nobody prosecuted them for objecting. The only issue at play is if Trump instigated the DC rioters, which he didn't do. He told his followers to protest peacefully and respectfully. What more do you want? He didn't tell them to riot and burn. That's what Kate Brown and Ted Wheeler did in Portland.
Trump offered Nancy Pelosi 20,000 National Guardsmen to protect the Capitol on January 6th, and she and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser rejected the offer. Pelosi and Bowser were responsible for protecting the Capitol, and they failed. They could have had 20,000 National Guardsmen, but they preferred (and hoped-for) the rioting instead.
The FBI, which is about as corrupt as you can get nowadays, was involved in the rioting, and promoted and participated in it. Capitol employees, including Capitol cops, opened doors and allowed the protesters into the Capitol. Lots of people were responsible for the chaos at the Capitol, but Trump wasn't one of them.
Democrats are treading in dangerous waters with their bogus hearings, which are essentially illegal. The sole objective is to try to disqualify Trump from running again in 2024. Guess what? Trump is going to demolish any clown candidate that the democrats throw in the ring in 2024. After he wins, expect every democrat politician who has participated in these illegal dog and pony shows to be prosecuted for treason. This is not a joke. Trump needs to make an example out of Biden, Pelosi, and Adam Schiff. They should all be in prison (or worse). After it happens, then don't cry, because your tyrants deserved it. Payback will be the bitch of all bitches. I can't wait!
Curt Ankerberg
Medford, OR
From Wikipedia:
"Kleptocracy
(from Greek κλέπτης kléptēs, "thief", κλέπτω kléptō, "I steal", and -κρατία -kratía from κράτος krátos, "power, rule")
is a government whose corrupt leaders (kleptocrats) use political power to appropriate the wealth of the people and land they govern, typically by embezzling or misappropriating government funds at the expense of the wider population."
The recent revelation of fraudulent campaign fundraising by Republicans to "Stop the Steal" is an example of the real motivation behind The Big Lie. Of course, this is obvious to anyone not blinded by racism, bigotry and religious extremism, not to mention insatiable greed.
Now that we have arrived at this point, looking back it seems inevitable that a political party that only served the wealthy would end up so corrupt that it is an existential danger to the Republic.
This leaves me asking; how can these "principled" Republicans, Lottig, Cheney, and the rest still believe their party is redeemable?
Yes, his presentation was boring until I realized I wasn't the audience that needed to hear the words, very deliberate words. The Judge was talking to the intellectual base of the Republican Party, the string pullers and check writers, perhaps even to the majority on the Supreme Court.
Other's like myself weren't overly impressed by the words he spoke because we knew the actions of the Trump cabal were illegal. As Kellyanne Conway said on Real Time with Bill Maher, crimes were committed charge him for those actions but remember we also did great things. She was arguing with the panel in defense of the good they did for the country, which is fair. For example Richard Nixon opened China and gave us the Environmental Protection Agency, however misguided and criminal were the actions of CREEP. Richard Nixon did feel shame and a sense of duty to resign.
Trump feels no shame though, that is why we must confront his supporters and enablers with the shaming words of Judge Michael Luttig, and perhaps give a little nudge to the DoJ.
Not a ponderous bore to me. What ever happened to the art of listening, particularly to our wise and experienced elders?
Not everyone acts like a hotshot media fool, thank goodness.
I think there is only one thing that the January 6 committee could discover that would have a significant political impact:
Conclusive evidence for a conspiracy traceable to Trump that left the Capitol so poorly defended that a disorganized mob of clowns and morons could successfully invade it.
I think anyone who walked out during Luttig's presentation really gave up easily. Luttig's words, albeit slowly said (8 wonder if he’s had a stroke?) we’re about as spot on, and powerful as anyone who testified. He held no punches.
Judge Luttig twice came within spitting distance of SCOTus, and I believe he would have been a far more honest jurist than the venomous S.Alito. That said, any body who walked away from his appearance probably voted for Trump, and wouldn't have been swayed by his words, no matter how artfully they were presented.
His written OpEd on the matter is available on the Bulwark, and other sites as well. I highly recommend the scoffers look it up, and pay attention to his words.
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