One of the reasons Nixon chose Agnew for VP was “impeachment insurance”, figuring the thought of making the corrupt, incompetent Agnew president would ensure that Nixon would never be removed from office. When Nixon was facing impeachment, the powers to be made sure to first force Agnew to resign, and replaced him with the steady and decent Gerald Ford. We need to do the same with JD Vance, before Trump is forced from office. Because Vance is completely unacceptable, and cannot be allowed to become president. I’m not sure who on the Republican side might be acceptable - Kinzinger? Murkowski? Liz Cheney? In any case, given Trump’s dissolution, we’ll be faced with these issues sooner than later.
Being the first president forced to resign was significant punishment for a man like Nixon. He lived the rest of his life in shame.
And, according to SCOTUS, presidents can’t be prosecuted for crimes committed in office (by US courts, the ICC for Trump’s war crimes is a different issue). Impeachment is the mechanism for prosecuting presidents.
If T were actually*forced* to resign, under the threat of immediate and certain impeachment and conviction in Congress, so that either way, he’s out, that humiliation for a guy like Trump would probably be something he’d never really recover from so that might indeed be a sufficient punishment.
This raises an interesting quandary: Who actually “forces“ Trump out of office if he refuses to go? After all, he controls the DOJ, FBI, Marshalls Service, and the military.
If T did today what Nixon did then, he'd stroll through it as he has everything else, with no consequences. The crucial difference isn't even between T & Nixon; it's between Congressional Republicans then, who retained some level of ethics, & Republicans now, who haven't.
If it goes like Nixon, when it becomes clear that Trump has to go, the Democrats and the never-Trumpers will hold all the cards. The MAGA Republicans, with no credibility, will have little say in the matter.
But the will to do the right thing….its been absent in the traditional Republican Party. I’d be astounded if they pulled it together to remove Vance as they watch the degradation of the other guy. (I cannot bear to use his name).
Those were different times, with a modicum of democracy and financial power broker support. That does not exist today, and in fact, when you have the government becoming the largest stockholder of a corporation, this is even worse than authoritarian, it is almost communism!
We need to remember that this movement was not just about making more money for the super rich, it was about white supremacy and resegregation. That means every area and aspect of life must be changed and supported by the SCOTUS! That has been achieved thus far, and whether it continues, rests with the SCOTUS! Vance is more intelligent than Trump, and therefore more dangerous!
Just read Lawless by Leah Litman. It is absolutely frightening the power that the SCOTUS has. The arguments of the 6 right wing justices make no sense, but overrule Congress and the Executive branches with no further recourse. So, who really is ruling this country?
I certainly don't trust Vance to pick up the pieces if Trump is out. But I don't know if Vance has done anything impeachable (yet.) Mike Johnson is next in line after Vance. Unless the House flips and then we'd have Hakeem Jeffries. What a relief that would be.
There is no one left in the GOP that has any morals or any connection to what the party represented when Ike was their leader. NO ONE SHOULD BE VOTING FOR ANY REPUBLICAN. The news media has been in their pockets since Reagan ended the Fairness Doc. Europeans know more about what has been happening that US citizens, because their journalists are telling them the facts. Our media has been ignoring facts, not telling the whole truth, pretending an opinion can be a "side", claiming "both parties" are the same (when one look at the policies of Ike as compared to the policies of the current GOP easily tells you that's a LIE) or telling the public that the GOP is best for the economy when it has ONLY enriched the rich with "trickle down" and deregulation. This is the reason for the huge wealth gap that currently exists between the rich and the rest of us.
They prosecuted Agnew for 'Tax evasion' charges to get him out of office before Nixon resigned. There must be something in Vance's life that would be worth going after to get him 'out'.....even some of the things he's done and said since becoming VP.
He was credibly being investigated for corruption; it’s very clear he took cash when he was Baltimore county executive and (probably) later as governor. He pled guilty to tax evasion as part of a plea deal
Investigation of AGNEW started before he was VP. I don't think his "resignation" had anything to do with NIXON. He thought for a long time he was going to get away with it. At least back then, we had journalists who would always seek the facts.
The very wealthy and powerful White guys from the Silicon branch of MAGA will prevent JD from losing his spot in line! They put Vance there and will continue to support him! They are fully aware of the weaknesses of Trump and will use them to control the issues! They will do anything to gain control of their form of government and destroy our democracy and our Constitution! The oligarchs will operate their form of government! Definitely will NOT be a democracy! JD is their TOOL!
Thiel, Vance's mentor, owner of Palentir, assisting ICE & Netanyahu, will not allow Vance to be removed. They knew T was in bad shape and might not live to 2028. Like Musk bought the election for T; Thiel bought the vice presidency for Vance.
I'm not sure we'd need to replace him if the Dems win the House (and maybe the Senate). If we can get the wanna-be king removed, Vance will be running scared.
Props and super ego to use them ruthlessly. Remember "They're eating people's pet dogs and cats" - wasn't that generated or at least amplified and spread by Vance?
True. On the other hand, the Dems would be advised to start demonstrating to the public that they can do a better job of addressing the issues dividing America. Waiting for Trump to implode is not sound leadership. Remember, half of America voted for Trump for a reason. I wonder if the Dems can actually get their stuff together. Simply saying they are better than Trump is not going to cut it any longer.
The last two sentences are flashing red, and the last seven words deserve our focus. I hope his complete personal collapse (making him unable to lead us into war, for example) happens soon.
“The legacy media’s refusal to recognize Trump’s mental and emotional unraveling cannot conceal a stark reality: Trump has lost it. That might spell misfortune for MAGA Republicans, but it also poses new dangers to our democracy and security.”
Removing the president via the 25th amendment will require cooperation of vice president and the majority of the Trump cabinet. That will not happen until he becomes a super liability.
Considering that the Vice President might actually like (secretly wish for) that move... but the cabinet will dig in for the last drop of status quo to advance their own agendas. I do wonder how long his handlers can prop up his physical and cognitive decline.
I suspect that is already happening to a great extent. At present, trump isn't capable of putting together a coherent paragraph. He mostly just shows up for a few hours each day and talks about how great he is or spews hate and contempt for anyone who doesn't agree, and spends the night posting sh$t on "Truth" Social.. Miller, Vought, and other scum gin up and encourage his hatred, then write his next executive order or direct him to the next unconstitutional action. Why use Article 25 and mess up a good thing? He's their useful idiot.
JD Vance is almost universally disliked. He is awkward, and people don’t seem to relate to him. The maga base won’t support him the way they support the felon, and I seriously doubt that he can get Congress to back any policies he brings forward. He will be a lame duck even before he is sworn in.
This is a repeat of the Woodrow Wilson problem when he suffered a major stroke that impaired his thinking and judgment leading his wife and others to wall him off from the office. That didn't turn out well and this is not either.
I wondered when someone would finally bring up Woodrow Wilson and the story of how his wife and others covered up his illness. Yours is the first time I’ve seen that being alluded to.
And Vance. Thiel also is responsible for Vance. Vance never would have been elected to the Senate, let alone VP, if Thiel hadn’t bought him the seats/planted him in government.
I agree Vought and Miller are the two to focus on, they are the ones with the most likely large bag of tricks/lies/threats to scare GOP members into obedience.
Vance is easily influenced and has a strong internal desire to be accepted and looked upon as a real player, committed to a cause. As he looks for a cause, he always tries to pick the one he will benefit from. I liken him to a loose balloon in the wind, full of hot air until something punctures it.
Trump is a puppet, unfortunately those pulling his strings have such a grip on the GOP that impeachment may not help, they will switch to Vance and have Johnson as their assistant.
Vance and Johnson dance on the puppet stage already.
I don’t see impeachment helping if it can not take down Miller and Vought with Trump.
Alas, you are probably right. It is all the more important for the Democrats to get their act together and win big in the next two elections. Next year, a veto proof majority in both houses. Unlikely, but it would rein them in.
Yes, and with the departures of Rubin, Robinson and other responsible journalists from the staff at the Washington Post, there has been an exodus of readers (myself included).
I subscribed to WaPo for years, mostly for the great writers on the Opinions page. And like many, I cancelled my WaPo subscription a while back; the day Jen Rubin left I'd had enough. Then I let myself get sucked back in with a dirt-cheap one-year subscription offer. Now I'm finding that some of the news reporting is excellent - not all, granted, but they still have some fine reporters who dig deep into the issues. At this point I completely ignore the worthless editorials and opinion columns. (Will I continue after my $20/year runs out? Probably not.)
I keep it (digital) only for the reporters who continue to provide factual, interesting and informative features that I might not see otherwise. I Never give the opinion or editorials even a passing glance, nothing to see here, move on. And it costs me, literally, only pennies a day.
In June 2025, Forbes mag in a review of media observed that WaPo's subscriptions had fallen to the level last seen 50+ years ago. When the national population was half what it is now.
The writer commented that he thought at first there'd been a mistake-- someone left off a zero!
I think he's gearing up for a physical collapse. With all that anger building up his blood pressure must be really high....he's a heart attack waiting to happen!!!
It is surprising that he has still a support of more than 30% of voters. In addition he has another three years to continue the destruction. That thought sinks my heart.
I really don't think he will physically survive that long. Short of generating a deep fake AI hologram of him, and no one allowed into His Presence, he'll be gone. That won't make things better-- we still have the authoritarian elites to crush.
Remember that according to a poll taken on the spot, Nixon still had 26% support __as he was walking out to the Marine One helicopter, having just resigned in disgrace__.
For a long time consumer behavior since that event seemed to roughly support the idea that about a quarter of the US population will buy any product no matter how useless or idiotic, follow any leader no matter how obviously corrupt or incompetent, or believe any lie, no matter how clearly false or manipulative. Since you-know-who has occupied center stage, I've had to bump that figure up to about 40-45%. Lately it seems to be settling back down to roughly the 1/3 mark, a level that I suspect also applies broadly across everyday life.
I'm not a social scientist but suspect the bump from about a quarter to about a third since 1974 is attributable to a decline in reading ability, numeracy, civics education, and critical thinking skills combined with the advent of unregulated talk radio, cable "news," and social media.
absolutely agree. and there are always people who don't pay attention to any news or current events of any kind. there are always people who don't even know who their own senators and representatives are!
I support this comment. Interestingly, the SCOTUS decision on tariffs has the potential to help rather than hurt him. As noted in this post, affordability is a major negative and tariffs play a major role in the issue. Blocking his so called tariff powers could make stuff more affordable. We live in an Alice in Wonderland world.
Scott Bessent said they can find other laws to continue their tariff policy if the SCOTUS rule against it. So, they will continue to dig the hole for themselves.
dementia trump will not get the affordability message until after the midterm, that's when we will start to taking our country back
Yes, but there will be a tipping point, and then they will abandon him en masse. I think the SCOTUS denying his tariffs could be it, or the release of the Epstein files. Trump is deathly afraid of both.
Nearly two dozen House Republicans joined Democrats Thursday to pass a bill that would restore collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees, an attempt to overturn an executive order that President Donald Trump issued earlier this year.
The measure passed 231-195 after reaching the floor through the “discharge” tactic that is being used with growing frequency as Republicans seethe over dysfunction in the chamber. The bill still needs Senate approval to become law.
This essay indicates that there is a weakening in the support. Others have observed the same thing - ethnics who voted for him are seeing (and sometimes experiencing) the persecution he's bringing and are changing their minds. People who don't want a warmonger who commits crimes against humanity and breaks international law have had enough. The tipping point comes sooner for some than for others.
They are political lemmings headed to the electoral cliffs at this point. But that may change before the midterms. If the midterms are as apocalyptic for the GOP has it appears at this point, they most certainly will after (of course, it will matter far less then if there is indeed a blue tsunami).
There have been journalism failures that brought us the point we are at now. But, the owners like Murdoch, Bezos, Sinclair, etc al have succeeded in their goals. I think it is important to make the distinction between actual reporting journalists and the owners who warp what we read by filtering the reporting.
With greed comes complicity - not making waves and ruffling feathers of the orange oaf and his cult for fear of losing profit. When it comes to news and spreading information, profit should take a back seat.
Also true that The New Yorker is as well. For daily reporting, The Guardian covers U.S. and international news well. Being a British publication, it doesn't have any notable U.S. partisan influence.
I get that, I canceled my WaPo subscription a year ago. But that’s one paper. NPR isn’t caving to Trump. Nor is The Atlantic, or New Yorker, or Mother Jones or The Guardian. Most mainstream media remains critical of Trump. The NYT plays “bothsideism” but they’ve done that for decades.
Yeah, but it won’t matter. Trump is a lousy judge of business deals. Ellison and Paramount will lose a ton of money on this deal (funded by huge debt). The remade CNN will lose its current audience and have to battle with Fox for the limited MAGA audience. Both will lose.
You can add all the top US city papers, including the NYT which still normalizes this president by reporting on his very unpresidential presidential actions. The MSM gives him too much headline space, often with photos. He glories in all this, is energized in his madness. Also add broadcasting news, ABC, CBS, CNN.
Yes, you're correct. I guess sometimes I lump cable and broadcast because all 'news' seems to be so wimpy these days. Cable news isn't what it used to be. Exhibit No.1 is CNN.
CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, CNN to name a few have all become “News Lite” for fear of enraging Trump and incurring multi billion dollar law suits. Same goes for many of the Newspapers.
Yep. And they fail because if they want to do mergers or acquisitions, they need approval of the FCC which is thoroughly controlled by Donald Trump. See the Jimmy Kimmel fiasco, And the desire by David Ellison to buy specifically CNN so he can, um, revamp it to better suit Trump’s liking.
Forgot to mention the cancellation of Stephen Colbert.
Not a troll (thanks). I am reading lots of substacks by people, some who quit WaPo and the NYT (check out today’s Krugman). That’s my point, critical media hasn’t disappeared, it’s evolved. And many mainstream media remain who have not capitulated. NPR, PBS, The Guardian, Mother Jones, The Atlantic, New Yorker, etc.
Mainstream media? Mother Jones has always been a celebrated alt media. As has The Rolling Stone. The Guardian is a British publication. The New Yorker is mainstream media? It is a literary magazine with an intellectual readership and great cartoons.
NYT and WashPo are a good reason we now have such a wide group of wonderful Substacks. Heather Cox Richardson, Robert Hubbell, Paul Krugman, The Contrarians.
I am a contrarian :). But for reasons. I find blanket condemnations of mainstream media to be too broad. WaPo caved. So did CBS (with new MAGA a$$hole ownership). The Guardian has made significant investments in covering the US. When I canceled WaPo (and my Amazon Prime) last year, I started subscribing to The Guardian. Great newspaper, totally unafraid of Trump. If you haven’t read The New Yorker in the past few years you’re missing out on some of the best news coverage out there. The NYT has always been “both sides” (remember the Iraq War? or their coverage of Obama?). They haven’t shifted at all with Trump. They’ve been pissing me off for decades (but they do get a lot right, and they’ve still got Bouie and Cottle and a few other great oped writers (don’t get me started on Brooks or Stephens or Douthat or Friedman)). The mainstream media are not one thing, there’s a lot of range. Heck, I even find myself agreeing with the WSJ sometimes, lately.
As a former journalist, I agree with you. There are certain writers I don't go near at the Times, and I usually disagree with the way important stories are played below the fold or inside, but some very astute reporting still goes on there.
This is completely spot on. And depending on the type of dementia he has, he will personally become violent (if he hasn't already). I fully expect him to take a swing at a female reporter, while traveling on AF 1. She then should press assault charges. I'm serious. It will be a "Woody Hayes" moment for those who remember.
You are correct, the Supreme ruling is pretty clear, no matter how the majority tried to obfuscate. If he's on AF1; if he's in the White House, if he's in public, what he does is going to be an "official act."
'Right on'.....my husband and I were in the stadium when Woody Hayes broke the yard makers over his knee.....with the whole stadium singing, "Good-bye Woody'!!!!
The scary thing? 36% of the voters approve of Trump. These are the folks who get all of their news from Fox and NewsMax only. You want to convert half of these in the mid terms? Use billboards to call out Senators who refused to approve health care subsidies. People can avoid CNN, MSNow and the major news networks, but they can't help but read the billboards. I'd buy up every billboard I could get my hands on in contested race areas. If you think this is a dumb idea, try not-reading billboards the next time you are driving anywhere.
A majority of Republicans still believe that Trump has no responsibility for America’s problems. The only way things will change is if Republican members of Congress are voted out.
And the only way that Republican members of Congress will be voted out, by the same voters who think Trump has no responsibility for anything, will be if those voters are personally impacted by the disasters. It’s not enough for them to impact other people, the bad actions have to impact them directly then they’ll get mad enough, disappointed enough to demand a change, and then the Republicans in Congress may change.
Headline in The Guardian: "Trump says building DC triumphal arch is domestic policy chief’s ‘primary thing,'" because of course everyone wants an ugly structure that will block the view of DC monuments from the Virginia side of the river. You can't make this stuff up.
Oh sure, let's spend money on something like this, while the averge person's kitchen-table budget is getting strapped to the max with the increased prices that Trump is saying don't exist. This is more tone-deaf than 'let them eat cake'"
The main reason he wants to build this is symbolic. Arlington cemetery was created on Robert E Lee's former plantation to contain the Union dead from the civil war. The statue of Lincoln in the Lincoln memorial was deliberately sited so that he gazes out at this cemetery. The arch will be between the two and destroy that symbolism.
While the Democrats have been pointing out his scary decline, we have yet to see any of them start to formulate a comprehensive alternative plan to fix his imbecilic depredations. I wish somehow a few of the higher ranking ones would get together and take the bull by the horns and slap some sense into the Democratic Party. We should have at least a coherent and well written set of talking points out there.
Access to the complicit and fearful mass media isn't what it used to be. There are Democratic plans in the works, but they aren't getting the air-play and publicity they need.
While he rants and throws tantrums, we Contrarians are providing facts and fights in the courts. We are gaining the strength we need to rid ourselves of this demented bully. Together we can get through this nightmare.
Especially if you have extremely thin skin, humiliation and visible decline in political power can be truly hard to bear! He may be dangerous, of course he is, but it is hard not to gloat a little bit as he gets his just desserts. Also when dementia runs in the family..........
Was at a sidewalk protest rally in NC on Saturday. Glass half full or empty. Protestors of a kinder disposition took cheer from the car honks and thumbs up. I was shaken by the drivers who slowed, rolled down their windows, and delivered hate filled rants at the smiling protestors.
Those drivers both men and women. Usually ending by yelling I LOVE Trump.
Yeah, a madman sits in the White House. His hold on the cult is crumbling, which is why there must be something cooking to move him out. Or are they just going to let him launch the nukes before they decide he’s gone too far?
He even announced recently that he has "no idea what Melania does", humiliating for both of them in a normal world...
More shootings have rattled me. I have 3 grandchildren, one who has already had a shooting scare. Why should extreme gun owners (I'm not against hunting) have more rights than our children. My father won at shooting competitions and tried to teach me but if someone put a gun in my hands now, I'd throw up!
My MAGA brother told me he thinks Melania is awesome and he expects her to take over. I didn't go for the bait, because he's so irrational that it's not worth it. More concerning is that he has guns.
One of the reasons Nixon chose Agnew for VP was “impeachment insurance”, figuring the thought of making the corrupt, incompetent Agnew president would ensure that Nixon would never be removed from office. When Nixon was facing impeachment, the powers to be made sure to first force Agnew to resign, and replaced him with the steady and decent Gerald Ford. We need to do the same with JD Vance, before Trump is forced from office. Because Vance is completely unacceptable, and cannot be allowed to become president. I’m not sure who on the Republican side might be acceptable - Kinzinger? Murkowski? Liz Cheney? In any case, given Trump’s dissolution, we’ll be faced with these issues sooner than later.
Gerold Ford was a good man, but I'll never forgive him for pardoning Nixon. That act helped lead to the mess we have today.
I don’t understand that argument. Trump would be just as corrupt and unlawful no matter what had happened with Nixon. I don’t see the connection.
That act helped set the stage because it showed that a President will be thrown out of office for crimes, but won't be prosecuted or imprisoned.
Yeah, but…
Being the first president forced to resign was significant punishment for a man like Nixon. He lived the rest of his life in shame.
And, according to SCOTUS, presidents can’t be prosecuted for crimes committed in office (by US courts, the ICC for Trump’s war crimes is a different issue). Impeachment is the mechanism for prosecuting presidents.
If T were actually*forced* to resign, under the threat of immediate and certain impeachment and conviction in Congress, so that either way, he’s out, that humiliation for a guy like Trump would probably be something he’d never really recover from so that might indeed be a sufficient punishment.
This raises an interesting quandary: Who actually “forces“ Trump out of office if he refuses to go? After all, he controls the DOJ, FBI, Marshalls Service, and the military.
But then Vance who is IMO scarier because he is smart. I call the other guy the moron for good reason
No, it was not. It just kept the rot developing in the GOP hidden longer. Reagan made the 1st significant steps in moving the GOP further right.
If T did today what Nixon did then, he'd stroll through it as he has everything else, with no consequences. The crucial difference isn't even between T & Nixon; it's between Congressional Republicans then, who retained some level of ethics, & Republicans now, who haven't.
I definitely agree about vance. But how could he be removed and replaced? I sure don’t see repubs willing to do this.
If it goes like Nixon, when it becomes clear that Trump has to go, the Democrats and the never-Trumpers will hold all the cards. The MAGA Republicans, with no credibility, will have little say in the matter.
But the will to do the right thing….its been absent in the traditional Republican Party. I’d be astounded if they pulled it together to remove Vance as they watch the degradation of the other guy. (I cannot bear to use his name).
Doing the right thing has not been a part of GOP policy since Ike was president.
Too much Ru$$ia in this WH
and saudi
Call him “the felon”. Everyone knows who you’re writing about.
No, they’ll need to be forced to do it.
Those were different times, with a modicum of democracy and financial power broker support. That does not exist today, and in fact, when you have the government becoming the largest stockholder of a corporation, this is even worse than authoritarian, it is almost communism!
We need to remember that this movement was not just about making more money for the super rich, it was about white supremacy and resegregation. That means every area and aspect of life must be changed and supported by the SCOTUS! That has been achieved thus far, and whether it continues, rests with the SCOTUS! Vance is more intelligent than Trump, and therefore more dangerous!
Just read Lawless by Leah Litman. It is absolutely frightening the power that the SCOTUS has. The arguments of the 6 right wing justices make no sense, but overrule Congress and the Executive branches with no further recourse. So, who really is ruling this country?
I certainly don't trust Vance to pick up the pieces if Trump is out. But I don't know if Vance has done anything impeachable (yet.) Mike Johnson is next in line after Vance. Unless the House flips and then we'd have Hakeem Jeffries. What a relief that would be.
Hope you are right. Vance has got to go.
Those cards keep cropping up everywheres.
There is no one left in the GOP that has any morals or any connection to what the party represented when Ike was their leader. NO ONE SHOULD BE VOTING FOR ANY REPUBLICAN. The news media has been in their pockets since Reagan ended the Fairness Doc. Europeans know more about what has been happening that US citizens, because their journalists are telling them the facts. Our media has been ignoring facts, not telling the whole truth, pretending an opinion can be a "side", claiming "both parties" are the same (when one look at the policies of Ike as compared to the policies of the current GOP easily tells you that's a LIE) or telling the public that the GOP is best for the economy when it has ONLY enriched the rich with "trickle down" and deregulation. This is the reason for the huge wealth gap that currently exists between the rich and the rest of us.
They prosecuted Agnew for 'Tax evasion' charges to get him out of office before Nixon resigned. There must be something in Vance's life that would be worth going after to get him 'out'.....even some of the things he's done and said since becoming VP.
He was credibly being investigated for corruption; it’s very clear he took cash when he was Baltimore county executive and (probably) later as governor. He pled guilty to tax evasion as part of a plea deal
I wonder what led to all those name changes through the years. What is he hiding.
Investigation of AGNEW started before he was VP. I don't think his "resignation" had anything to do with NIXON. He thought for a long time he was going to get away with it. At least back then, we had journalists who would always seek the facts.
The very wealthy and powerful White guys from the Silicon branch of MAGA will prevent JD from losing his spot in line! They put Vance there and will continue to support him! They are fully aware of the weaknesses of Trump and will use them to control the issues! They will do anything to gain control of their form of government and destroy our democracy and our Constitution! The oligarchs will operate their form of government! Definitely will NOT be a democracy! JD is their TOOL!
Thiel, Vance's mentor, owner of Palentir, assisting ICE & Netanyahu, will not allow Vance to be removed. They knew T was in bad shape and might not live to 2028. Like Musk bought the election for T; Thiel bought the vice presidency for Vance.
I'm not sure we'd need to replace him if the Dems win the House (and maybe the Senate). If we can get the wanna-be king removed, Vance will be running scared.
We wish! Vance may have too many props.
Props and super ego to use them ruthlessly. Remember "They're eating people's pet dogs and cats" - wasn't that generated or at least amplified and spread by Vance?
If you get rid of Trump and Vance, Mike Johnson becomes President. He'd probably be safe - he's already losing control of his troops.
I’m thinking any move to get rid of the moron and his toady will happen after both the House and the Senate turn blue next November
Both president and vice president can be removed simultaneously through a single impeachment process.
True. On the other hand, the Dems would be advised to start demonstrating to the public that they can do a better job of addressing the issues dividing America. Waiting for Trump to implode is not sound leadership. Remember, half of America voted for Trump for a reason. I wonder if the Dems can actually get their stuff together. Simply saying they are better than Trump is not going to cut it any longer.
I thought Pence was Trump’s impeachment insurance in his first term - as was Cheney for Bush II. A President Cheney - now THAT’s a scary thought.
Pence was Trump’s assurance to the evangelicals that he really loved Jesus. Seemed to have worked.
Yes! Every word. And brilliant as usual.
The last two sentences are flashing red, and the last seven words deserve our focus. I hope his complete personal collapse (making him unable to lead us into war, for example) happens soon.
“The legacy media’s refusal to recognize Trump’s mental and emotional unraveling cannot conceal a stark reality: Trump has lost it. That might spell misfortune for MAGA Republicans, but it also poses new dangers to our democracy and security.”
Is anyone focusing on P25, Miller, Vought actually ‘running’ the government while propping up T and not using Article 25 (?) to make a change?
Removing the president via the 25th amendment will require cooperation of vice president and the majority of the Trump cabinet. That will not happen until he becomes a super liability.
Considering that the Vice President might actually like (secretly wish for) that move... but the cabinet will dig in for the last drop of status quo to advance their own agendas. I do wonder how long his handlers can prop up his physical and cognitive decline.
As the king fails, the sycophants will skittle out of the light like cockroaches.
I suspect that is already happening to a great extent. At present, trump isn't capable of putting together a coherent paragraph. He mostly just shows up for a few hours each day and talks about how great he is or spews hate and contempt for anyone who doesn't agree, and spends the night posting sh$t on "Truth" Social.. Miller, Vought, and other scum gin up and encourage his hatred, then write his next executive order or direct him to the next unconstitutional action. Why use Article 25 and mess up a good thing? He's their useful idiot.
I agree, Trump is the front man to keep MAGA engaged
Would everyone who invokes the 25th Amendment please devote a few words to the pros (if there are any) and cons of a JD Vance presidency?
JD Vance is almost universally disliked. He is awkward, and people don’t seem to relate to him. The maga base won’t support him the way they support the felon, and I seriously doubt that he can get Congress to back any policies he brings forward. He will be a lame duck even before he is sworn in.
Totally agree 💯%!!!
This is a repeat of the Woodrow Wilson problem when he suffered a major stroke that impaired his thinking and judgment leading his wife and others to wall him off from the office. That didn't turn out well and this is not either.
I wondered when someone would finally bring up Woodrow Wilson and the story of how his wife and others covered up his illness. Yours is the first time I’ve seen that being alluded to.
Don’t forget Thiel, the billionaire tech bro who has managed to get Trump to install his data scooping Palantir and almost every government computer!
And Vance. Thiel also is responsible for Vance. Vance never would have been elected to the Senate, let alone VP, if Thiel hadn’t bought him the seats/planted him in government.
I agree Vought and Miller are the two to focus on, they are the ones with the most likely large bag of tricks/lies/threats to scare GOP members into obedience.
Vance is easily influenced and has a strong internal desire to be accepted and looked upon as a real player, committed to a cause. As he looks for a cause, he always tries to pick the one he will benefit from. I liken him to a loose balloon in the wind, full of hot air until something punctures it.
Trump is a puppet, unfortunately those pulling his strings have such a grip on the GOP that impeachment may not help, they will switch to Vance and have Johnson as their assistant.
Vance and Johnson dance on the puppet stage already.
I don’t see impeachment helping if it can not take down Miller and Vought with Trump.
Alas, you are probably right. It is all the more important for the Democrats to get their act together and win big in the next two elections. Next year, a veto proof majority in both houses. Unlikely, but it would rein them in.
In the case of legacy media Bezos has done his very best to destroy the Washington Post, turning it into a rag bleating about "free markets".
Yes, and with the departures of Rubin, Robinson and other responsible journalists from the staff at the Washington Post, there has been an exodus of readers (myself included).
I subscribed to WaPo for years, mostly for the great writers on the Opinions page. And like many, I cancelled my WaPo subscription a while back; the day Jen Rubin left I'd had enough. Then I let myself get sucked back in with a dirt-cheap one-year subscription offer. Now I'm finding that some of the news reporting is excellent - not all, granted, but they still have some fine reporters who dig deep into the issues. At this point I completely ignore the worthless editorials and opinion columns. (Will I continue after my $20/year runs out? Probably not.)
I miss the Post because it is my local paper, and local journalism is dead or dying. But I refuse to fall for the cheap subscription offer.
I still buy the Friday's edition of the WaPo, and it's literally just a shadow of itself.
Don't blame you one bit. I'm the sucker.
I keep it (digital) only for the reporters who continue to provide factual, interesting and informative features that I might not see otherwise. I Never give the opinion or editorials even a passing glance, nothing to see here, move on. And it costs me, literally, only pennies a day.
I am with you on all of this.
In June 2025, Forbes mag in a review of media observed that WaPo's subscriptions had fallen to the level last seen 50+ years ago. When the national population was half what it is now.
The writer commented that he thought at first there'd been a mistake-- someone left off a zero!
I think he's gearing up for a physical collapse. With all that anger building up his blood pressure must be really high....he's a heart attack waiting to happen!!!
So tired of waiting.
It is surprising that he has still a support of more than 30% of voters. In addition he has another three years to continue the destruction. That thought sinks my heart.
I really don't think he will physically survive that long. Short of generating a deep fake AI hologram of him, and no one allowed into His Presence, he'll be gone. That won't make things better-- we still have the authoritarian elites to crush.
Very much agree that his physical condition is on a downward spiral.
Remember that according to a poll taken on the spot, Nixon still had 26% support __as he was walking out to the Marine One helicopter, having just resigned in disgrace__.
For a long time consumer behavior since that event seemed to roughly support the idea that about a quarter of the US population will buy any product no matter how useless or idiotic, follow any leader no matter how obviously corrupt or incompetent, or believe any lie, no matter how clearly false or manipulative. Since you-know-who has occupied center stage, I've had to bump that figure up to about 40-45%. Lately it seems to be settling back down to roughly the 1/3 mark, a level that I suspect also applies broadly across everyday life.
I'm not a social scientist but suspect the bump from about a quarter to about a third since 1974 is attributable to a decline in reading ability, numeracy, civics education, and critical thinking skills combined with the advent of unregulated talk radio, cable "news," and social media.
absolutely agree. and there are always people who don't pay attention to any news or current events of any kind. there are always people who don't even know who their own senators and representatives are!
I support this comment. Interestingly, the SCOTUS decision on tariffs has the potential to help rather than hurt him. As noted in this post, affordability is a major negative and tariffs play a major role in the issue. Blocking his so called tariff powers could make stuff more affordable. We live in an Alice in Wonderland world.
Scott Bessent said they can find other laws to continue their tariff policy if the SCOTUS rule against it. So, they will continue to dig the hole for themselves.
dementia trump will not get the affordability message until after the midterm, that's when we will start to taking our country back
Stupidity has its virtue.
Trump is losing it. But Republicans are worse. They see him deteriorating, see the destruction of our democracy and still cling to him.
Yes, but there will be a tipping point, and then they will abandon him en masse. I think the SCOTUS denying his tariffs could be it, or the release of the Epstein files. Trump is deathly afraid of both.
Nearly two dozen House Republicans joined Democrats Thursday to pass a bill that would restore collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees, an attempt to overturn an executive order that President Donald Trump issued earlier this year.
The measure passed 231-195 after reaching the floor through the “discharge” tactic that is being used with growing frequency as Republicans seethe over dysfunction in the chamber. The bill still needs Senate approval to become law.
The bill was offered by the House Problem Solvers' Caucus.https://problemsolverscaucus.house.gov/bills
Sponsor Brian Fitzpoatrick, R. Pa. https://fitzpatrick.house.gov/press-releases
12/10/25 Fitzpatrick-Golden Bipartisan Bill to Restore Federal Workers’ Union Rights Clears Key House Hurdle, Teeing Up Final Votes Tomorrow
12/10/25 Fitzpatrick Files Discharge Petition to Force Vote on Bipartisan Bill Preventing ACA Premium Spikes
12/9/25 Fitzpatrick Leads Bipartisan Action to Prevent ACA Premium Spikes and Protect Affordable Healthcare
12/5/25 Fitzpatrick Calls on CDC Director O'Neill Regarding ACIP's Recent Hepatitis B Recommendation
12/4/25 Fitzpatrick Leads Bipartisan Effort to Protect Patients from High Prescription Drug Costs
12/2/25 Fitzpatrick Leads Bipartisan Reauthorization of Global Child Thrive Act
Thank you for your optimism on this cold day.
This essay indicates that there is a weakening in the support. Others have observed the same thing - ethnics who voted for him are seeing (and sometimes experiencing) the persecution he's bringing and are changing their minds. People who don't want a warmonger who commits crimes against humanity and breaks international law have had enough. The tipping point comes sooner for some than for others.
The Republicans have no plan, vision, or ideas! Cling to a dying pig?
They are political lemmings headed to the electoral cliffs at this point. But that may change before the midterms. If the midterms are as apocalyptic for the GOP has it appears at this point, they most certainly will after (of course, it will matter far less then if there is indeed a blue tsunami).
If we’re talking “humanity”, he lost that long ago.
You can't lose what you never had to begin with.
He never had it.
Main stream media has utterly failed in its role as the ‘fourth’ branch. It is startling how greed overcomes every other sense of purpose.
There have been journalism failures that brought us the point we are at now. But, the owners like Murdoch, Bezos, Sinclair, etc al have succeeded in their goals. I think it is important to make the distinction between actual reporting journalists and the owners who warp what we read by filtering the reporting.
You are so right about main stream media's utter failure and "how greed overcomes every other sense of purpose". Thank you.
With greed comes complicity - not making waves and ruffling feathers of the orange oaf and his cult for fear of losing profit. When it comes to news and spreading information, profit should take a back seat.
Unfortunately there's no print alternative to PBS and NPR.
The Atlantic comes very close.
True, but it’s more a magazine than daily reporting.
Also true that The New Yorker is as well. For daily reporting, The Guardian covers U.S. and international news well. Being a British publication, it doesn't have any notable U.S. partisan influence.
I see this kind of comment a lot. Name the specific media to which you refer. How have they failed? Give examples, please.
The Washington Post.
Right-swing as clear as day.
Read any of the Editorial Board's recent rants.
They have abandoned objectivity to mollify Bezos and his billionaire views.
I get that, I canceled my WaPo subscription a year ago. But that’s one paper. NPR isn’t caving to Trump. Nor is The Atlantic, or New Yorker, or Mother Jones or The Guardian. Most mainstream media remains critical of Trump. The NYT plays “bothsideism” but they’ve done that for decades.
How many MAGA followers read The Atlantic, or New Yorker, or Mother Jones or The Guardian? Even NPR/PBS is a stretch for many of them.
Probably none. I honestly doubt there’s any way to reach MAGA followers outside of Fox and Trump’s media - therein lies much of Trump’s strength.
There are reasons why Trump wants 🔻CNN parent company bought out by rightwing interests.
Yeah, but it won’t matter. Trump is a lousy judge of business deals. Ellison and Paramount will lose a ton of money on this deal (funded by huge debt). The remade CNN will lose its current audience and have to battle with Fox for the limited MAGA audience. Both will lose.
You can add all the top US city papers, including the NYT which still normalizes this president by reporting on his very unpresidential presidential actions. The MSM gives him too much headline space, often with photos. He glories in all this, is energized in his madness. Also add broadcasting news, ABC, CBS, CNN.
CNN is cable, not broadcast, and it's in play for being captured.
Yes, you're correct. I guess sometimes I lump cable and broadcast because all 'news' seems to be so wimpy these days. Cable news isn't what it used to be. Exhibit No.1 is CNN.
CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, CNN to name a few have all become “News Lite” for fear of enraging Trump and incurring multi billion dollar law suits. Same goes for many of the Newspapers.
Yep. And they fail because if they want to do mergers or acquisitions, they need approval of the FCC which is thoroughly controlled by Donald Trump. See the Jimmy Kimmel fiasco, And the desire by David Ellison to buy specifically CNN so he can, um, revamp it to better suit Trump’s liking.
Forgot to mention the cancellation of Stephen Colbert.
Read today’s Krugman, for a take on the financial house of cards behind Ellison.
Are you reading a Substack by a former big media editorial writer who quit big media? Do you need more specific examples?
Are you a TROLL 👿
Not a troll (thanks). I am reading lots of substacks by people, some who quit WaPo and the NYT (check out today’s Krugman). That’s my point, critical media hasn’t disappeared, it’s evolved. And many mainstream media remain who have not capitulated. NPR, PBS, The Guardian, Mother Jones, The Atlantic, New Yorker, etc.
Hmmm
Mainstream media? Mother Jones has always been a celebrated alt media. As has The Rolling Stone. The Guardian is a British publication. The New Yorker is mainstream media? It is a literary magazine with an intellectual readership and great cartoons.
NYT and WashPo are a good reason we now have such a wide group of wonderful Substacks. Heather Cox Richardson, Robert Hubbell, Paul Krugman, The Contrarians.
You are very contrary.
Have a great day
I am a contrarian :). But for reasons. I find blanket condemnations of mainstream media to be too broad. WaPo caved. So did CBS (with new MAGA a$$hole ownership). The Guardian has made significant investments in covering the US. When I canceled WaPo (and my Amazon Prime) last year, I started subscribing to The Guardian. Great newspaper, totally unafraid of Trump. If you haven’t read The New Yorker in the past few years you’re missing out on some of the best news coverage out there. The NYT has always been “both sides” (remember the Iraq War? or their coverage of Obama?). They haven’t shifted at all with Trump. They’ve been pissing me off for decades (but they do get a lot right, and they’ve still got Bouie and Cottle and a few other great oped writers (don’t get me started on Brooks or Stephens or Douthat or Friedman)). The mainstream media are not one thing, there’s a lot of range. Heck, I even find myself agreeing with the WSJ sometimes, lately.
As a former journalist, I agree with you. There are certain writers I don't go near at the Times, and I usually disagree with the way important stories are played below the fold or inside, but some very astute reporting still goes on there.
Don't forget Dan Rather and his crew on Substack. Solid observing there.
Rather was undeservedly torpedoed by Karl Rove.
This article by Paul Krugman can also enlighten you about how our national media outlets are being compromised by right wing takeovers.
https://open.substack.com/pub/paulkrugman/p/maga-the-broligarchs-and-the-media?r=54jij2&utm_medium=ioshttps://open.substack.com/pub/paulkrugman/p/maga-the-broligarchs-and-the-media?r=54jij2&utm_medium=ios
Seriously?!?!
This is completely spot on. And depending on the type of dementia he has, he will personally become violent (if he hasn't already). I fully expect him to take a swing at a female reporter, while traveling on AF 1. She then should press assault charges. I'm serious. It will be a "Woody Hayes" moment for those who remember.
The corrupt, illegitimate USSC will probably say that his hitting someone is an "official act" and therefore he has immunity. (Eyeroll)
You are correct, the Supreme ruling is pretty clear, no matter how the majority tried to obfuscate. If he's on AF1; if he's in the White House, if he's in public, what he does is going to be an "official act."
Don't forget that Ivana said he raped her.
'Right on'.....my husband and I were in the stadium when Woody Hayes broke the yard makers over his knee.....with the whole stadium singing, "Good-bye Woody'!!!!
The scary thing? 36% of the voters approve of Trump. These are the folks who get all of their news from Fox and NewsMax only. You want to convert half of these in the mid terms? Use billboards to call out Senators who refused to approve health care subsidies. People can avoid CNN, MSNow and the major news networks, but they can't help but read the billboards. I'd buy up every billboard I could get my hands on in contested race areas. If you think this is a dumb idea, try not-reading billboards the next time you are driving anywhere.
A majority of Republicans still believe that Trump has no responsibility for America’s problems. The only way things will change is if Republican members of Congress are voted out.
And the only way that Republican members of Congress will be voted out, by the same voters who think Trump has no responsibility for anything, will be if those voters are personally impacted by the disasters. It’s not enough for them to impact other people, the bad actions have to impact them directly then they’ll get mad enough, disappointed enough to demand a change, and then the Republicans in Congress may change.
Headline in The Guardian: "Trump says building DC triumphal arch is domestic policy chief’s ‘primary thing,'" because of course everyone wants an ugly structure that will block the view of DC monuments from the Virginia side of the river. You can't make this stuff up.
Oh sure, let's spend money on something like this, while the averge person's kitchen-table budget is getting strapped to the max with the increased prices that Trump is saying don't exist. This is more tone-deaf than 'let them eat cake'"
The main reason he wants to build this is symbolic. Arlington cemetery was created on Robert E Lee's former plantation to contain the Union dead from the civil war. The statue of Lincoln in the Lincoln memorial was deliberately sited so that he gazes out at this cemetery. The arch will be between the two and destroy that symbolism.
While the Democrats have been pointing out his scary decline, we have yet to see any of them start to formulate a comprehensive alternative plan to fix his imbecilic depredations. I wish somehow a few of the higher ranking ones would get together and take the bull by the horns and slap some sense into the Democratic Party. We should have at least a coherent and well written set of talking points out there.
Access to the complicit and fearful mass media isn't what it used to be. There are Democratic plans in the works, but they aren't getting the air-play and publicity they need.
I'd like to see Pete Buttigieg tackle this problem. He could do it with his usual grace and good manners.
thank you so much for this thoughtful written piece.
Yes, thank you Jennifer.
Republicans went after Biden for reasons Trump exceeds by a country mile. A party of utter hypocrisy is spiraling toward self-nihilism.
While he rants and throws tantrums, we Contrarians are providing facts and fights in the courts. We are gaining the strength we need to rid ourselves of this demented bully. Together we can get through this nightmare.
Especially if you have extremely thin skin, humiliation and visible decline in political power can be truly hard to bear! He may be dangerous, of course he is, but it is hard not to gloat a little bit as he gets his just desserts. Also when dementia runs in the family..........
Was at a sidewalk protest rally in NC on Saturday. Glass half full or empty. Protestors of a kinder disposition took cheer from the car honks and thumbs up. I was shaken by the drivers who slowed, rolled down their windows, and delivered hate filled rants at the smiling protestors.
Those drivers both men and women. Usually ending by yelling I LOVE Trump.
Bummer.
We had none of that where I live, and no counter-demonstrators.
There was one couple who held up middle fingers from inside their car while turning their faces away.
We told them we loved them and one man offered them a "dogs for democracy" balloon.
My nicer fellow protestors followed your example. Smiling and saying we loved them.
I’m trying to get to that better place.
We employ the Southern meaning of the expression "bless their hearts!" They don't get it.
We must leave room for them to return to sanity and respect for our Constitution.
they love racism, and trump delivers it for them every time...
Yeah, a madman sits in the White House. His hold on the cult is crumbling, which is why there must be something cooking to move him out. Or are they just going to let him launch the nukes before they decide he’s gone too far?
Will that even be far enough? 34 convictions weren't, and neither was everything else since then.
He even announced recently that he has "no idea what Melania does", humiliating for both of them in a normal world...
More shootings have rattled me. I have 3 grandchildren, one who has already had a shooting scare. Why should extreme gun owners (I'm not against hunting) have more rights than our children. My father won at shooting competitions and tried to teach me but if someone put a gun in my hands now, I'd throw up!
My MAGA brother told me he thinks Melania is awesome and he expects her to take over. I didn't go for the bait, because he's so irrational that it's not worth it. More concerning is that he has guns.