How extortion machine fueled the big lie
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Opinion
By JOHN YOUNG
Upon voting to expel George Santos from Congress, Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon pronounced, "We're not going to tolerate people that lie and steal in our ranks."
Goodness, Congressman. Do you hear yourself?'
A Republican in good standing in Congress swears to one thing only. Hint: It's not to support and defend the Constitution, as the oath says. It's to abet and obey a lie and a liar.
Donald Trump, the Napoleon of Prevarication, the Hannibal of Dishonesty, lives by the lie just like little George Santos.
In Trump, however, we aren't talking about petty fictions and dime-store theft. We are talking lies for the ages — in particular one lie so massive and offensive that history will forever encase it in capital letters.
He now stands indicted for, among a stunning array of criminal charges, defrauding the government in the effort to negate the voters' verdict on him in 2020.
And here's another offense, whether or not the criminal code applies: Trump has extorted fellow partisans to swear to the Big Lie, thereby seeding the beanstalk of BS that so many Americans salute as fact today.
Liz Cheney saw it up close. Few books are more appropriately named than her new work, "Oath and Honor."
Honor? Liz Cheney kept hers. Adam Kinzinger kept his. And so did dozens of Republican officials like former Arizona Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers, who testified to the Select Jan. 6 Committee about the many ways by which Trump sought to subvert our democracy. They were methods by which Bowers could not abide.
Many Republicans in Congress will say they have no choice but to embrace Trump's acts and his prevarications. That excuses none of them.
As one congressman told Cheney, it was either embrace all that Trump says and does or face threats to his family and himself and, more frighteningly, getting a Trump-backed primary opponent.
That's the definition of extortion.
What a telling gem it is for Cheney to report that "Orange Jesus" had become a nickname in the GOP caucus for the Tangerine King.
Extortion. Recall how Trump committed this very act — and got himself impeached — for dangling military aid before Volodymyr Zelenskyy to get him to lie that Ukraine was investigating Joe Biden. Just say it, said Trump, even if an investigation isn't in the offing. The falsehood was the thing.
Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, in their book, "This Shall Not Pass," write about how Trump honed this tool — political extortion — in his attempt to return to power.
Then-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey set up a "Hail to the Chief" ringtone so he would recognize — and not answer — Trump's incessant calls to get him to protest loudly about Arizona's election results - vote totals which Ducey knew he had no reason to contest.
At one point, a despondent Ducey told a friend he feared for his political future for not playing Trump's game. If Ducey were to run for anything, he said, "Trump's going to primary me."
However, "Nowhere did Trump do more to attack the foundations of democracy than in Georgia," Burns and Martin write.
The matter far transcended Trump's phone call in which he sought to intimidate Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, insisting that he "find 11,780 votes."
When Republicans in Georgia begged the pouting ex-president to come there to boost senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in a crucial run-off, Trump said he'd do it only if the two echoed his "stolen election" line at the event. Neither believed the claims, but both repeated them dutifully, knowing the consequences of bucking Mr. Big.
Both would lose. Many Georgia Republican officials believe some Trump voters stayed home from the runoff because he had convinced them their votes wouldn't count in a "rigged election."
Extortion. It's how the Big Lie became so monumental as to threaten the world's oldest democracy.
John Young is a longtime Texas newspaperman who now lives in Fort Collins, Colo. Email jyoungcolumn@gmail.com. See johnyoungcolumn.com.
From The Progressive Populist, January 1-15, 2024
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Will 2024 be the year we are saved from this all time jackass ? It better be.
GOP loyalists are doing their best to get Trump elected to the presidency.
“GOP loyalists are doing their best to get Trump elected to the presidency.”
While they simultaneously deny their support for him…while they continually misunderstand and thus misrepresent the multiple charges levied against him..,while they incessantly play the ‘what about’ game… and saddest of all, while they ignorantly deny the dire consequences another term would entail.
All in the name of inexplicably protecting one beyond redemption.
Recognizing the fundamental problem facing the USA with Trump as the likely GOP nominee and thus potential PotUS is not to 'go off the deep end' . This is one of the biggest modern issues.
It is, however, irrational, irresponsible and unpatriotic to pretend that this problem does not exist or does not matter.
And here we see you ignoring the 800lb Gorilla. Trump as potential GOP nominee and PotUS is a problem. Do you recognize this problem?
I have never stated that Trump is legally guilty of the crimes of his indictments.
You have no argument so you invent your own facts.
As you again deflect.
Trump as potential GOP nominee and PotUS is a problem. Do you recognize this problem?
He says "get Trump nonsense" and then wonders why he regularly gets deleted for trolling.
Trump is facing 91 felony counts. There is no such actual thing as "get Trump", because "get Trump" implies he is being treated unfairly. America better wake up while there is still time.
Defend Donald Trump and stop pinning his woes on Newstalkers members.
If you cant defend him, as best you can, then dont comment. I'm not putting up with any more TDS nonsense in my group.
At this point, it's all some can do. They certainly cannot defend trump.
What is your idea of a 'reasonable' approach to Trump?
The problem is people pretending that Trump is not a problem and that he is not a threat to our system. And those who do not see this need to open their eyes and deal with the obvious. It is inexcusable for someone to NOT see that Trump's attempt to steal the 2020 election through fraud, coercion, lying, and incitement is an abuse of his office and clear demonstration that he will try to circumvent the CotUS if it suits him and that he has no problem attempting to violate the foundation of democracy — the vote of the electorate.
The courts are doing their job. Nobody is stopping them. You just do not want to deal with the valid, damning criticism of Trump. Too bad. You are on a news forum and Trump is front and center in the news and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. If you cannot stand to read criticism of Trump then that is your problem to deal with because it is not going to change.
People are going to put labels on others no matter what JR does. And surely you have seen the childish labels on Biden such as calling him 'Brandon', 'human fuck-up machine' and your own personal favorite of using 'traitor Biden' every time you refer to him.
Clean up your own act.
That is not the case. The reality is people, like you, who will run to Trump's defense whenever he is criticized. Those who must make a derisive comment about the criticism, the critic, or attempt to downplay the criticism are defending Trump.
“It is inexcusable for someone to see that Trump's attempt to steal the 2020 election through fraud, coercion, lying, and incitement is an abuse of his office and clear demonstration that he will try to circumvent the CotUS if it suits him…”
This should…in the name of anything we hold dear, be considered by all the apologists and in their attempts to justify their purely partisan polemics…preface every response
I'm not that worried about Trump ending democracy. I am worried about what he is doing to our country. How in the world can a pathologically lying traitor be under consideration for the presidency?
And dont say Biden is the same, that is gaslighting bullshit.
Right off the bat you (yet again) misrepresent. I use usage 1 of the dictionary. That is not my chosen meaning for the word 'traitor', it is THE colloquial meaning for 'traitor'. Endless dishonesty ...
Do you see people referring to Trump as "traitor Trump"? No. There is a difference between recognizing that Trump is a traitor (and a narcissist, etc.) and obnoxiously using labels like "traitor Trump" or "narcissist Trump" when referencing Trump.
Most Trump critics are adults who deliver sober, adult criticism of Trump with supporting facts and reason, and do not resort to obnoxious, pointless tactics like "traitor Biden".
It would be nice to see some sanity regarding Trump from those who typically attempt to counter any criticism of him.
Deflection from JR's question:
No. About half, or maybe even more of American voters, don't consider these baseless allegations to be a problem.
Many numbers of them think it amounts to election interference.
And of course you totally misrepresent what I wrote. Referring to Trump as a traitor as part of a cogent criticism is very different from the obnoxious practice of referring to Trump as "traitor Trump" on each reference. Your trite practice of referring to Biden as "traitor Biden" is fundamentally different from you putting forth an actual argument (verifiable facts and sound reasoning) that Biden is a traitor.
You are confused. I have made no such suggestion.
Again you ignore what I wrote. There is a difference between a criticism based on verifiable evidence and sound reasoning versus simply labeling Biden 'traitor Biden' or 'traitor Joe' at every turn. The former requires thought, the latter is simply obnoxious behavior.
A non-rebuttal. Of course.
Those who believe the Trump indictments are without merit are the underlying reason why Trump is even a candidate.
You mean those who actually believe that the 2020 election was rigged against Trump? No matter how many audits, recounts, lawsuits, etc. these people still believe Trump's bullshit. Do you think their views are valid?
How revealing. You think that merely replying to a post is a rebuttal.
Trump literally said he wants to do away with/abolish the US Constitution.
So trump lied again, good point.
Some probably do, but not enough to matter.
Who? Certainly not me. LOL
As Texan replied to 1.1.39 flag is dismissed by charger
Trump is easily the most corrupt president we ever had, everyone knows that.
Not everyone.
Have you bothered to take a close look at Biden?
Yeah my eyes are wide open. Reality is that Biden is facing allegations that have yet to be supported with evidence sufficient to make a case whereas Trump has been indicted with specific criminal charges and based on an abundance of sound evidence (much of which has been publicly available for years).
Biden's case might shore up and if it turns out that he traded political favors for money then I will deem him unfit for office (among other things). Until then, Trump is demonstrably (overwhelmingly) unfit.
Pretending otherwise is irrational, irresponsible and unpatriotic.
How about the fact that despite the post-Covid economic unbalancing and a worldwide refugee crisis Biden's is a fully functioning government managed by qualified competent professionals? One that is leading the world against Putin's aggression and varied violent religious fundamentalists. Our growing economy and strong job market all point upward. Things are actually going quite well for the US worldwide.
Just imagine the government Trump would give us 2nd term.
The gop is going to nominate Trump. Biden is going to whoop Trump even worse than last time and go down in history like Truman as a perhaps unlikely but ideal leader for the times.
A man who exceeds expectations to make steady progress during difficult times against often dishonest or dishonorable foes...
The executive branch will be replete with dishonest Trump sycophants.
No decent dept heads would voluntarily serve 2nd term...
I can only imagine Trump's 2nd Term Team of Big Losers!
There is no way on Earth that Biden can get reelected. Too many negatives and distractions, dismal record, awful approval ratings, and he is not fit to hold office. If he decides to go forward, he will drag down the down ballot candidates and issues. The Dems need to get real by not concentrating on Trump and ignoring Biden's faults, and do it soon, as the Iowa Caucus is only two weeks away.
Even NBC News Is Asking What Will Happen If Biden Drops Out (townhall.com)
By omission, do you then think Trump is fit to hold office?
Funny, I remember a lot of you people saying the same thing in 2020.
Um, so you are quoting NBC via townhall? Why not just quote NBC?