The Lincoln Project: Conservative critics launch PAC to take down Trump.

By Abbey Marshall              December 17, 2019
A group of conservative critics of President Donald Trump — including lawyer George Conway, husband of White House aide Kellyanne Conway — is launching a super PAC that will spend the next year actively working against Trump’s reelection and Trump loyalism within the GOP.a man wearing a suit and tie: George Conway.© Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images George Conway.

“Patriotism and the survival of our nation in the face of the crimes, corruption and corrosive nature of Donald Trump are a higher calling than mere politics,” the founders of Lincoln Project wrote in a New York Times opinion piece published Tuesday. “As Americans, we must stem the damage he and his followers are doing to the rule of law, the Constitution and the American character.”

The group also pledged to transcend partisanship to preserve Constitutional principles. “(Trump) has neither the moral compass nor the temperament to serve,” the opinion piece continues.

George Conway, a conservative lawyer who has frequently offered scathing criticism of Trump, has created political headaches for Kellyanne Conway, one of Trump’s most loyal advisers. George Conway and Trump have exchanged pointed barbs, with Conway calling for the president’s impeachment for allegedly corrupt behavior, and Trump coining Conway the “husband from hell.”

George Conway: I’m ‘horrified’ and ‘appalled’ that the GOP has come to this

Now, as George Conway is actively campaigning against his wife’s boss, questions are sure to continue about the opposing political stances.

Other principals in the group include Steve Schmidt, a former adviser to John McCain; John Weaver, the chief strategist for John Kasich’s presidential campaign in 2016; and Republican political strategist Rick Wilson.

The group is aiming to raise and spend millions of dollars on advertising to dissuade Republican voters from backing Trump’s reelection bid.

“Those wounds can be bound up only once the threat has been defeated,” the Lincoln Project founders wrote. “So, too, will our country have to knit itself back together after the scourge of Trumpism has been overcome.”

’Twas the Eve of Impeachment

New York Times – Opinion

Finding verse in this curse.

By Frank Bruni, Opinion Columnist             December 17, 2019

Credit…Illustration by The New York Times; photo by Al Drago for The New York Times

 

’Twas the eve of impeachment, when all through the House
No Republicans wavered, each last one a louse.

The articles were drafted by Democrats with care
In hopes that a conscience would soon bloom there.

We pundits were tossing all steamed in our beds,
While Trump’s certain acquittal danced in our heads.

And I in frustration, feeling all solemn,
Wished I could capture my woe in a column,

When out on the web there arose such a clatter,
I signed in to Twitter to see what was the matter.

And there I beheld him, the master of lies,
Weaving fresh falsehoods, to no one’s surprise.

He savaged the Bidens, he smeared Adam Schiff,
And cycled through villains in a furious jiff,

Not to mention distractions, like the teeth of the Speaker.

Could a “leader” be cruder, could his morals be weaker?

So now he’s a dentist, in his all-knowing ways?
I prayed for deliverance one of these days.

When what to my cynical eyes did appear
But a raft of excuses pulled by mangy reindeer,

With a weasel-eyed driver, so meek and so zany,
I knew in a moment he must be Mulvaney.

More shameless than con men, the sycophants came,
And Trump gloated, so bloated, and called them by name:

“Now, Rudy! Now Jared! Now, Lindsey  and Mitch!
Please fly this democracy into a ditch!

It is how you will save me. It is how I prevail.
Or else I will join poor Paul in the jail.

That’s the toll of a presidency ended too soon,
So you must sing along to my favorite tune:

‘It’s a witch hunt! A hoax!’ Those are lyrics for me.
That’s the verse, that’s the chorus, for eternity.”

He was dressed in a necktie, from his jowls to his soles.
He had tanned beyond tanning. Imagine the moles.

On such fishy foundations was his confidence laid.

And we couldn’t stop looking — not his fans, not his foes.
That was what he was after: the show of all shows.

Its plot strained belief. Its appeal tested reason.
Still it was soaring toward a second season.

The economy roared. The Democrats whimpered.
Vladimir chortled. Emmanuel simpered.

In the bag that Trump carried, he had goodies galore:
Lower taxes, the Dow, right-wing judges and more.

They weren’t for the many, they favored the few,
But that was obscured by the smoke that he blew.

All was fog, all was mist, all was boast, all was fiction,
As he hid his true airs with bad diet and diction.

He could do as he wanted and never know fear,
For an elf — and a savior! — named Barr hovered near.

And then there was Tucker and of course Hannity
To put an extra-fine gloss on insanity.

What great luck to discover a country so riven
You could smash it and rule it if suitably driven.

You could summon the Russians, you could bully Ukraine,
Just as long as you made “It’s fake news!” your refrain.

I cringed as I watched him and cried for us all,

Our values, our futures hijacked by his gall.

A last bid to preserve them was cause to impeach
But his party’s corruption put him beyond reach.

So then why all his thrashing? His howls of dejection?
It was just a performance for the next election.

It brought more donations. It rallied the base.
You could see, if you looked, a clear smirk on his face.

If you listened, you heard it: a lilt in his voice.
In drama like this, he would always rejoice.

So as history scarred him, he could nonetheless yell,
“Merry TrumpMas to all! I’m the king of this hell.”

Michelle Goldberg put it into perspective.

Malcolm Nance Fans

December 15, 2019

@michellebklyn nails it for me!

“It’s like watching someone you love die of a wasting disease,” she said, speaking of our country. “Each day, you still have that little hope no matter what happens, you’re always going to have that little hope that everything’s going to turn out O.K., but every day it seems like we get hit by something else.” Some mornings, she said, it’s hard to get out of bed. “It doesn’t feel like depression,” she said. “It really does feel more like grief.”

“Democracy grief isn’t like regular grief. Acceptance isn’t how you move on from it. Acceptance is itself a kind of death.” Michelle Goldberg

For Mouth & Foot Painting Artists, anything really is possible

CBS Sunday Morning

For Mouth & Foot Painting Artists, anything really is possible

CBS NEWS                        December 15, 2019

At the Zenger Group printing plant in Buffalo, New York, Christmas came early … really early. It was August when holiday cards were rolling off the presses –a summer-time snowdrift of paper, each card as individual as a snowflake.

You might think in these digital days of ours that sending greeting cards like these is a bit old-fashioned. But for the very special artists who paint them, it’s anything but just a quaint tradition.

“I would love just for people to just enjoy the piece for what it is, and not necessarily be taken back by the way that I’m doing it,” said artist Alana Tillman.

She was born with a condition that left her arms locked in place, but she’s been drawing with her mouth since he was a kid.

alana-tillman-mouth-and-foot-painting-artist-with-lee-cowan-620.jpg
Artist Alana Tillman, a member of Mouth & Foot Painting Artists.  CBS NEWS

 

“No one taught you how to do it? You just figured it out?” asked correspondent Lee Cowan.

“No, I just kind of figured it out,” Tillman said. “I’ve always had to prove myself to people that I am capable. Doubters in my life just made me want to achieve even more.”

Then there’s artist Brom Wikstrom: “When I got out of the hospital it was just something to maintain my sanity, you know, to give me something to do,” he said.

“More therapy than anything?” asked Cowan.

“Yeah, to help me feel better about myself.”

brom-wikstrom-mouth-and-foot-painting-artist-620.jpg
Artist Brom Wikstrom at work.  CBS NEWS

 

Wikstrom was paralyzed at age 21, when he dove head-first into the Mississippi River in 1975.  He’s been painting with his mouth almost every day since“I would just paint from morning until night,” he said.

“So, it sounds like it’s almost a need for you to paint,” Cowan said.

“At this point, I can’t imagine what else I’d be doing.”

It’s remarkable to watch either of them paint – the detail, the finesse, the control.

brom-wikstrom-mouth-and-foot-painting-artwork-620.jpg
An example of Brom Wikstrom’s artwork.  CBS NEWS

 

And no, they don’t just paint holiday cards; they each have huge portfolios. But it’s the Christmas cards that have helped pave the way for their careers, and which have helped make possible an association called the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. Its name takes a bit of getting used to, but not its goal: the money from its Christmas cards goes to financing disabled artists. It’s not about charity; it’s about empowerment.

It is, said Jim March, the director of North American Operations, “very much not a non-profit. They’re very proud of not being a non-profit situation. It’s a business to make money to give them a living.”

The MFPA, as it’s called, was started in 1957 by Arnulf Erich Stegmann, a German painter who had lost the use of his hands due to polio. Despite his challenges, he became an accomplished artist and publisher, who sought out other painters like him to help further their skills and build their careers.

holiday-cards-from-mouth-and-foot-painting-artists-montage-620.jpg
Examples of holiday cards from the Mouth & Foot Painting Artists.  MFPA

 

Today, there are about 800 artists who are members of the association, and every one of them gets a monthly stipend based on their skill level. They enter as student members, like Alana Tillman, who lives on her own in Santa Rosa, California.  She gets enough to pay for art courses as well as supplies, and it certainly helps pay the rent.

“Before they came along, I was just living off of my Social Security. I didn’t really feel like I was a contributing member to society,” she said.

“So, has it given you a sense of independence?” asked Cowan.

“Way more independence.”

She’s adapted to just about everything, including driving to work. She now owns her own business, called ArtXcursion, where she offers painting lessons (people don’t have to paint with their feet or mouth), with a side of wine and appetizers.

“Talking about my adversities, I think is what kind of helps them realize that they can actually do it, too,” Tillman said.

Brom Wikstrom has been with the MFPA so long, he gets a full salary, the equivalent of what any other commercial artist near his home in Seattle might be paid.  “I thought that I was going to be on public assistance, or you know, how was I going to make it?” he said.

Now he’s on the payroll forever, regardless of whether he stops painting or not.  “It is a lifetime position now, so if physically I was incapable of working, they would be there for me,” he said.

That’s a relief not only for him, but for his wife of 30 years, Anne. The association, she said, has not only provided Brom with a living wage, but something much harder to quantify: Confidence.

Wikstrom works part-time at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington, and he volunteers at schools, showing children that, yes, anything really is possible.

As successful as both Wikstrom and Tillman have become, their daily struggles remain. But what they hope can be changed is perception.

They want to be seen simply as artists, not “disabled artists,” who at this time of year are truly making our season bright.

“I think people do us kind of a double kindness because they’re buying our cards, but they also get to send those cards out to their loved ones,” Wikstrom said. “And it seems like such a small thing  but it means a lot.”


For more info: 

The Traitors Among Us

The Traitors Among Us

Donald Trump likes to call his opponents traitors — but if he’s looking for treasonous behavior, he should look within his own party
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 03: US President Donald Trump leaves number 10 Downing Street after a reception on December 3, 2019 in London, England. France and the UK signed the Treaty of Dunkirk in 1947 in the aftermath of WW2 cementing a mutual alliance in the event of an attack by Germany or the Soviet Union. The Benelux countries joined the Treaty and in April 1949 expanded further to include North America and Canada followed by Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. This new military alliance became the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The organisation grew with Greece and Turkey becoming members and a re-armed West Germany was permitted in 1955. This encouraged the creation of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact delineating the two sides of the Cold War. This year marks the 70th anniversary of NATO. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

More than a few people in Donald Trump’s immediate orbit — and Trump himself — richly and actually deserve the title of traitor. Leon Neal/Getty Images

America once used the words “treason” and “traitors” only in cases of actual betrayal of our nation’s most vital secrets or interests. They were profound words, deep with meaning, grim in import, carrying with them the knowledge that the penalty for treason was death.

Be honest: The words “traitor” and “treason” don’t have the sting they once had; they’ve been devalued from mis- and over-use by this president. For Donald Trump, any opposition, either personal, ideological, or political is treason. Anyone who stands in his path betrays the Great Leader. Anyone who fails to take the knee is a traitor.

Like hearing an insult too many times drains it of its potency, Trump has diluted the power of that approbation. He has labeled loyal, dedicated Americans who served this country in the military and law enforcement as traitors, so much so that we could almost give in to the temptation to excuse it as “Trump being Trump” and let it slide like any of the other insults he vomits forth on the daily.

Which is a shame, because America is in the midst of a treason boom right now, and more than a few people in Trump’s immediate orbit — and Trump himself — richly and actually deserve the title of traitor, and the treason inherent in their acts and words is apparent.

Traitors from Benedict Arnold to Klaus Fuchs to Aldrich Ames to Robert Hanssen sold out this country for a host of reasons, all explicable and unforgivable. The intelligence community even has a handy acronym for the motivations of traitors, and one that applies readily to known cases. The acronym is MICE: Money, Ideology, Compromise, and Ego. Pick a traitor and one of those reasons will underpin their betrayal.

Add a new one to the acronym. Call it, MICE-T, with the “T” naturally standing for Trump.

Their treason isn’t executed in the old ways of secret meetings, furtive brush passes, or encrypted messages. No, the traitors of today show us their cards on cable TV, laughing and giggling over their betrayal of the oath they swore, and the security of this country, all for the political service of Donald Trump.

As the impeachment hearings have worn on and as evidence of the complete moral collapse of the Republican Party has become more and more evident, it has become quite obvious there really are traitors among us. There are elected officials who have made the decision to protect a corrupt president by embracing conspiracy theories, refusing to acknowledge sworn testimony of career foreign-service officials, and piling on to Trump’s attack of democratic institutions.

The traitors deliberately ignore the reporting, counsel, and warnings of the intelligence community when it comes to Russia’s attacks and Vladimir Putin’s vast, continuing intelligence and propaganda warfare against the United States.

The traitors — be they United States senators like John Kennedy and Lindsey Graham or columnists from the Federalist, Breitbart, and a slurry of other formally conservative media outlets — repeat the Kremlin-approved propaganda messages and tropes of that warfare, word for word.

It’s not simply treason by making common cause with a murderous autocrat in Russia, or merrily wrecking the alliances around the world that kept America relatively secure for seven decades.

Their betrayal is also to our system of government, which as imperfect — and often downright fucked up — as it is, has been remarkably capable of surviving.

The traitors talk a good game, hands over their withered hearts, about supporting the Constitution, but they’re happy to ignore it when it suits their purposes.

The traitors believe the executive branch is superior to all others and unaccountable under the law. Traitors believe the “Fuck you, pay me” ethos of this president and this White House isn’t an open door to a pay-to-play political culture in Washington where everyone and everything in our government is for sale.

They defend the White House’s indefensible position of stonewalling, silencing witnesses, and refusing to testify before Congress.

Traitors keep racial arsonists like Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon in their orbit and employment. They pretend these men are selling populism and nationalism when in fact it’s just the same weaponized racism that worked so well for them in 2016.

The traitors will sit in Congressional hearings on impeachment knowing the truth about Trump’s extortion racket and of the grubby, sleazy plan Trump sent Gordon Sondland, Rudy Giuliani, et al to carry out, and tell lie after lie, the bigger the better.

The traitors cheer when Trump rides roughshod over the military chain of command and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, freeing men who killed civilians, abused and violated the warrior ethos, and broke the very laws of war they swore to uphold. They’ve gone from respecting hard men carrying out tough missions to fetishizing the outliers, edge cases and the war criminals.

You can spot the traitors simply by watching their television shows, as they look you in the eye and tell you to your face they side with Russia. Tucker Carlson wasn’t winking and nodding to the camera; it was where he’s landed politically — a pro-Putin shill on a network that looks away from their pet president’s grotesque subservience to the Russian leader who helped elect him.

The traitors are ass-deep in oligarchs, eagerly selling access to the president, the secretary of state, the attorney general, and of course, the president’s venal pack of lucky-sperm-club spawn.

And if you can’t spot the treason yet, you will soon enough. That’s the thing about spies, traitors, and those who betray their country — they rarely stay hidden forever.

The traitors are the ones who, when this is all done and dusted, will sit in the dock at some new Nuremberg trial and claim their innocence of the worst charges and penalties not by claiming their actions were “just following orders” but that they were “just following Trump.”

Rick Wilson is a GOP political strategist and author of the forthcoming book “Running Against the Devil: The Plot to Save America From Trump — and Democrats From Themselves.”

More Than 500 Legal Scholars Say Trump Committed Impeachable Acts

HuffPost – Politics

More Than 500 Legal Scholars Say Trump Committed Impeachable Acts

By Sara Boboltz          December 6, 2019

A group of more than 500 legal scholars has signed an open letter to Congress declaring that President Donald Trump “engaged in impeachable conduct” as the impeachment proceedings against him continue.

“We do not reach this conclusion lightly,” stated the letter, dated Friday.

Trump “betrayed his oath of office” by attempting to pressure Ukrainian leaders to help him “distort” the 2020 election “at the direct expense of national security interests as determined by Congress.”

“The Founders did not make impeachment available for disagreements over policy, even profound ones, nor for extreme distaste for the manner in which the President executes his office. Only ‘Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors’ warrant impeachment,” the scholars asserted.

The signees include professors and other experts from an array of academic institutions such as Columbia, Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, George Washington University and the University of Michigan, among many others. Their message was spearheaded by the Protect Democracy Project, a nonprofit created in 2017 with the goal of holding the White House “accountable to the laws and longstanding practices that have protected our democracy through both Democratic and Republican Administrations.”

Since the impeachment inquiry began in late September, House investigators have heard from a number of witnesses both in private and in public who have painted a fuller picture of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.

According to sworn testimony from U.S. foreign policy officials, Trump threatened to withhold millions of dollars in military aid in exchange for investigations that would help his reelection campaign, and conditioned a White House meeting with Ukraine’s president on a public announcement of those investigations.

On Tuesday, a panel of four constitutional law experts took questions from the House Judiciary Committee over whether the president’s alleged offenses were serious enough to warrant articles of impeachment ― or a formal description of impeachable misconduct. Three of the four experts said Trump’s behavior was clearly impeachable, while a fourth dissenting in part because he believed more testimony was needed.

In their letter, the legal experts said Trump’s “conduct is precisely the type of threat to our democracy that the Founders feared when they included the remedy of impeachment in the Constitution.”

They also noted that “conduct need not be criminal to be impeachable.”

“Whether President Trump’s conduct is classified as bribery, as a high crime or misdemeanor, or as both, it is clearly impeachable under our Constitution,” the signees concurred.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday asked that articles of impeachment against Trump be prepared, saying the president’s actions have left “us no choice”

If the articles are passed in the Democratic-controlled House, the process moves to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it is not likely to result in Trump’s removal from office.