AG Barr is the real threat.

[alwaysinasnit]

https://www.salon.com/2019/11/18/bill-barrs-fascist-manifesto-is-this-man-the-real-threat-to-american-democracy/

Snip...

It turns out, of course, that Barr is more radical than anyone could have imagined. I've written about his adherence to the "unitary executive" theory quite a bit. But last Friday night he gave a speech to the Federalist Society that makes clear his pet constitutional theory is only a part of the problem. This is not just about presidential power. It is about a deep loathing for his political opposition on such a visceral level that it's frightening to think about such a man having so much power and being answerable only to the inept bully in the White House. It was frankly authoritarian.


Snip...

Barr seeks to make the conservative movement see Trump's alleged victimization as a reflection of their own. They must see themselves as easy prey, hunted by the ruthless leftist "resistance," which seems to include all members of the legislative branch, "disloyal" federal employees and any member of the judiciary who may have ruled against Trump's policies.

The speech was frightening both in its arrogance and its lack of self-awareness. Right now, Barr is in the midst of an investigation into the "origins" of the Russia investigation during the 2016 campaign. He has strongly suggested he believes it was improper to investigate a Republican presidential campaign, and the fact that the DOJ and the intelligence community, which undertook that investigation, are themselves part of the executive branch he now venerates as a repository of unlimited power doesn't seem to have occurred to him.

Barr's speech has come under a lot of public criticism. But the members of the Federalist Society in attendance on Friday night gave his rousing call to arms a standing ovation. The supposedly brilliant legal minds of the conservative movement ecstatically applauded a demagogic, partisan speech by the most powerful law enforcement officer in the nation, setting forth the idea that America should be ruled by a succession of dictators who will keep the nation's true enemies — the political terrorists of the left — in line.

If we're lucky, Donald Trump will not be president much longer. But this is the Republican Party he will be leaving behind. Rather than being chagrined by this experience, they seem to be evolving into a new level of authoritarianism.

[Liberalhammer]

1. The Federalist Society

Name itself is an oxymoron, they are libertarian down to the core.

[Martin Eden]

8. If they applauded Barr's speech

They are fascist.

[zentrum]

11. Exactly. It's now safe

...to be public about it.

[crickets]

12. +1

[warmfeet]

20. They are fascists,

and they live among us.

They are not, by any means, comprised of the federalist society alone.

They are your doctor, your barista, your auto mechanic, your coworker. They are the cleaning lady in your office building.

Quite a mess we have here.

[mountain grammy]

27. yes, exactly!

A very fascist speech. He is the worst. Not a shred of conscience or decency.. hates democracy.

[Joinfortmill]

32. Yes, fascist to the core.

[DENVERPOPS]

21. Does anyone have

Does anyone have a list of their members????? That would be an interesting list to read.......
Or are they chicken like Trump to have their identities known to the public due to their shame......

[ancianita]

37. The question, to me, is whether the original Federalists would even agree with this "Federalist

Society," even. FS members happen to think so.

They love Hamilton, who insisted on his Second National Bank tied to England's central bank.

Yet all the original federalists hated the idea of corporate corruption of government.

But here we find corporate corruption.

The original federalists would be aghast to see today's "Federalist Society" erode our federal courts with domestic and transnational corporatists who themselves have ruled that fictional personhoods "shall" get equal protection to lie and carry on political messaging through media upon a disadvantaged nation of The human American People.

As Charles Koch has said, "If we don't have the courts, we've got nothing."

As anti-federalist, Madison has written:

"There is an evil which ought to be guarded against in the indefinite accumulation of property from the capacity of holding it in perpetuity by corporations...The power of all corporations should be limited...wealth acquired by them never fails to be a source of abuses." 1817

With the federal courts' help for over 100 years, here we find them.

[world wide wally]

2. Theater of the absurd...

That's the best they can do

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

3. Without a doubt... that lyin' sack o' shit also needs to be impeached!!

Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Dems

need to boycott their businesses and keep them out of office. Few, though, are willing to give up anything in their lifestyle to make a political point. Keeping the money at home, DIY production for home use, involves learning, effort, work, and consensus within the household. So everyone talks a good game and the evil-doer cash flows continue and they keep funding more elections. When we do have majorities, our side relaxes. We think it's normal. And the other side goes to war, and soon we are minorities again.

Breaking these cycles should be a major focus for us, as it is for them.

[Garrett78]

5. Barr pushed GHWB to pardon Iran Contra perps. He's always been a right wing ideologue.

Trump is all about Trump. But the likes of Barr, Pompeo, Mulvaney, McConnell and others are driven by an extremist ideology.

[StevieM]

34. Excellent point. And the fact that nobody paid any price for Iran-Contra

Last edited Tue Nov 19, 2019, 01:40 PM - Edit history (1)

is a big part of what brought us to this point in American history.

[Garrett78]

36. I'm not sure why anyone thinks Barr was ever an honorable person.

[Martin Eden]

6. Frightening

All the more reason this election must be won!

[kacekwl]

7. Stop calling him AG Barr.

He's trumps personal attorney Barr. Nothing more.

[Martin Eden]

10. Barr is more than Trump's servant

He is an ideologue intent on changing the USA into a Christo-fascist state.

[Evolve Dammit]

23. He finally got his Roy Cohn.

[CaptYossarian]

38. And Nixon had his John Mitchell. Mitchell was gone before Nixon.

Cohn became a punchline until he died from AIDS.

[oasis]

9. Scary.

[dalton99a]

13. Their real name is Fascist Society.

[BSdetect]

14. k&r

[Arthur_Frain]

15. AG Barr is another thing we have to fix

Fixed it for ya.

I don’t want focus redirected exclusively. McConnel, Nunes, Stepanik (she thinks she’s a rising star for Pete’s sake), and of course individual one.

Going to need to multitask for this one.

[alwaysinasnit]

18. I didn't mean to imply that Barr is the only threat, only the most impactful.

Barr is a true ideologue and he has the power and reach to spike/obfuscate/delay investigations into 45's activities. He also has 45's wide authority to declassify. Moscow Mitch's value to 45 is in stopping any impeachment conviction, and the rest are lieutenants and foot soldiers. And I agree, they all must go.

[Arthur_Frain]

33. No doubt

CFFWSG found the AG he dreamt of when he went looking the first time. I’m with you on Barr 100%, and while impeachment would be gravy on the table, I’m hoping that we just get to clean house in another year.

[CaptYossarian]

39. Don't forget the stacked Supreme Court.

[Lonestarblue]

16. Fascist power is increasing.

Adolf Hitler began his rise to power by joining the German Workers’ Party in 1919, an anti-democratic party that opposed the Weimar Republic. Using propaganda and outrageous claims, he moved up in the party and government. He was named chancellor in 1933—after 14 years of anti-semitic rants and extreme nationalism. I use Hitler as an example because I see the Federalist Society as a similar enabling group as the German Reichstag for Hitler. The Federalist Society is an extreme group of powerful people who do not believe in democracy and will do everything they can, including supporting a dictator for president, to destroy democracy and establish a totalitarian government that answer only to them. Many people do not even know they exist, so they are not aware of the damage being done. It only took Hitler 14 years to turn German democracy on its ear. The Federalist Society has gotten stronger under Republicans, and the only way to stop their march towar totalitarian government is the election of Democrats. God, I hope we succeed.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

17. I despise the gop

And the psychopaths narcissists and the warped richboy authoritarians that the republican is made of. They need to be taxed @ 90%

[Pepsidog]

19. Great post. His speech was chilling in its arrogance and ignorance. He can give Trump a run for his

money as the world’s best projector. That speech was like Trump full out projection.

[Evolve Dammit]

22. Totally agree. Thanks.

[politicaljunkie41910]

24. What about Mike Pompeo? Whatever happened to West Point's "Duty, Honor, Country"?

As Sec of State, Pompeo has to know what's going on, and his silence has to have brought shame to West Point. Many of Trump's people seem willing to sell out their country for a few pieces of silver; like Judas I guess. I didn't go to West Point, but I did serve almost 5 years in the U.S. Army and another 18 years with the Dept of Defense, even with my humble beginnings, you couldn't have paid me any amount of money to sell out my country to the likes of Putin or Erdoğan. I hope Trump rots in hell.

[alwaysinasnit]

25. Totally agree. But the point I wish to make is that Barr's power is more widespread and of

more protection to 45. Barr runs interference against investigations and generally defends 45's activities as if he, Barr, were 45's personal attorney. Barr also has the power to go after 45's critics and people (Democrats) who seek to hold 45 accountable. Pompeo is a part of furthering 45's goals to the detriment of the Dept. of State as a whole, and he is no less a cancer than Barr is, only that Pompeo's sphere of influence is generally more limited than Barr's.

[Kid Berwyn]

26. Tell me about it.

Bill Barr, secret policeman for the deep state

[alwaysinasnit]

28. Great one!

[3c273a]

29. Barr believes 2 things

President = King
Government = Church
unitary Executive
No Separation

[alwaysinasnit]

30. +1000

[pecosbob]

35. Personally, I'd like to see the SPLC declare the Federalist Society a hate group.

[LiberalLovinLug]

40. I fear we will not be ready for Trump 2.0, moreso, not ready for Republican Party 2.0

All of this energy dealing with 1.0.
Even if our wildest dreams come true, and we win every branch. ESPECIALLY if we won all branches. I don't think, as some have thought, that Republicans will have learned their lesson, and go back to being "moderate", and start peddling the likes of Mitt and Jeb again. I think they will only double down, with Facebook's help, and more avenues opened up to spread misinformation. Trump will never stop tweeting. Fox News will continue to shed any "journalists" that are in any way moderate or Never Trumpers.

At some point, it seems unimaginable at this point, but hopefully soon, we will be rid of Trump, as far as him holding power. The Democrats must be ready to shift focus immediately on this neo-Republican party. They will never stop playing dirty. Or stop lying.

[tclambert]

41. You think Barr wants to run for President after Trump goes away?

Maybe running a "Trump sympathy" campaign?

[alwaysinasnit]

42. I don't know but I wouldn't be surprised if he did.