True dat.
It’s a fight. The fight will be decided in the courts and in public opinion. From the invaluable Talking Points Memo:
Some judges are discovering their mojo:
Since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, courts have been reluctant to impose consequences on the administration for its myriad violations of court orders. In recent weeks, however, some judges have started to recognize their power to compel compliance with their directives. A New York Times analysis published last month shows that since August, federal judges have issued at least 35 orders requiring the administration to explain why it shouldn’t be held in contempt. Twice since February, federal judges in Minnesota actually followed through, and briefly held the administration in civil contempt. And twice more in the past two weeks, federal judges in Minnesota and New Jersey threatened the administration with criminal contempt, too.
The appeals courts have been more of a mixed bag. And the Supremes have revealed themselves to be corrupt and corrupted.
When Trump fights court decisions in court that’s better than the alternative. When competent people leave the DOJ, that has downsides for Stephen Miller’s agenda. It’s a fight.
ETA: Followup by Paul Krugman on yesterday’s suspicious $500 million++ trades:
ETA2 below; Wheels of justice grind slowly, in case you haven’t noticed. Did so during the Biden admin as well. ETA3: More losses by Pam Bondi
Only twice in 35 tries, and notice the word “briefly”?
The key word being “trying”.
No. The key word is “succeeding”, and the success rate is abysmal.
I doubt anyone will be held responsible for the insider trading theft.
SEC Enforcement Division Director Margaret Ryan resigned last Monday after just over six months on the job, Reuters was the first to report. Her resignation email, seen by Reuters, did not say why she was leaving. Ryan declined to comment when reached by phone and text.
Two of the people said Ryan wanted to be more aggressive in pursuing charges for fraud and other misconduct including in cases that touched the president’s circle, but faced resistance from SEC chair Paul Atkins and other top Republican political appointees.
Curious how threatening that resistance could possibly have been.
Krugman:
I do believe that the culprits will be easy to determine once Democrats are back in power, and they must apply the full force of law to the people responsible.
Financial transfers generate records and I doubt whether the stock trades and futures trades were settled in crypto. Now the crims may be foreign citizens. Treason is tough to prosecute. But I agree that there should be an investigation of those responsible.
When (if) members of the administration are jailed for contempt, and pilots ask ICE if that bound man is legally leaving the country before they fly, because they fear being jailed for contempt. THEN the courts will actually be doing something effective.
You might want to rephrase. Every time the unjustly accused or the illegally detained are released, the courts are doing something effective.
No, I don’t think the courts will save us on their own. That’s why I say the battle takes place in the courtroom and the court of public opinion.
There have been a lot fewer of those than there have been court orders. And those are, honestly, too little, too late. A lot of those people have been traumatized and choose to leave the US.
Oh, dear! This time it’s been (checks post) 3 weeks since you wrote your post. I’m so sorry, your royal highness, for not responding right away to your words of wisdom. I prostrate myself at your feet for not checking into this dumpster fire of a thread every time I come to this board. Even when I’m depressed as fuck, my mental health should be subservient to your royal whims.
Whenever you wag your finger at me or demonstrate your moral superiority, I should just sit back and take it. How dare I point out you’re doing the very thing you complain about? You’re above such human foibles as projection. You surely aren’t just deliberately bringing up my insecurities because you couldn’t come up with a cogent counter argument.
I have totally regressed by not keeping all of this in mind, and forgetting to reshape my entire personality around what makes MrDibble comfortable. I should never make points that contradict him in any way.
The US is doomed, there is no way to get a progressive on the ballot. No one should ever stand up for anyone, or have any moral principles other than those that MrDibble declares to be okay.
And fuck anyone who even tries to be nice and resolve something without being a giant dick. The only acceptable response is complete capitulation.
I’m sure whatever you are currently typing will be an utterly devastating takedown, but seeing you only contribute Wordle and complaining and no longer say the smart stuff I actually used to like you for, I won’t really be seeing any of it.
..and yet you have come back with nothing new.
No, no, I understand, you do have a reputation for being a little … tardy.
If someone replies to you, you don’t need to “check the thread”. Nice attempt at appearing indifferent when that’s so obviously not the case.
Oh, no, I’ve offended the only poster with mental health issues…
…fuck off with the pity party. Your issues don’t stop your finger wagging, or all your other posting, so you’re clearly functioning juuust fine.
"No, U !!! "
I have other fora for that, thanks, just here to participate in the Pit.
No, you should take it in. Be better.
I’m not the one blaming this thread, or bragging about how above it all I am, or both-sidesing the fuck out of the discussion, you dumb shit. That’s not finger wagging, that’s me mocking you.
Man, how many different ways is this wag session going to try and say “No, U!”?
Counter-argument to what? Your attack on everyone else in the thread? That didn’t need a counter-argument, just a laugh.
Do you need more wood for that cross?
Contradict away. Just don’t be so tediously preachy about it, you boring motherfucker.
The USA was lost long ago. A bunch of progressives isn’t going to save it, it’s much too late for that.
Where the hell did I ever say that? I’m all about standing up for people, buddy, got the scars for it and all. You know, not just a sprained finger…
Well, that would make the world a much better place.
“Nice”? That certainly doesn’t include you, you judgmental and holier-than-thou prick. Your first post was nothing but you being a dick to everyone except Nemo. Just because you’re milquetoast doesn’t mean you weren’t calling us all out, shit for brains.
I see you’re also building a giant pile of straw next to your cross. Busy, busy!
Oh, no! How will I cope?
Quite well, I expect.
Bumping this thread, because this post has some interesting survey results which I think should be guiding Democrats, instead of their current strategy of giving up on non-voters and scolding all us “hysterics”.
Blockquote
In July 2025, the Democratic donor group Way to Win released a slide deck summarizing a new poll by Lake Research Partners. The poll surveyed 822 “Biden skippers”: registered voters who turned out for Biden in 2020 and did not vote in 2024.
Nothing in the poll matches Booker’s description of these voters.
And what would those things actually be?
It’s at the very very end of a long article.
The data shows what motivates these voters isn’t culture war noise on transgender issues and ‘wokeness.’ It’s economic promise and freedom and having a chance at success.”
Hardly a surprise. Those voters are populists who liked Bernie Sanders and like AOC. They are upset that the rich keep getting richer. They want a coherent policy to help the poor. (Not just the “middle class”.)
So they let someone actively hostile to them win and make their goals most likely permanently impossible to achieve. Clever move.
Both are actively hostile to us. It’s just that Trump is much worse. Give us something to vote FOR.