Opinion

Last week, President Joe Biden gave a speech warning that "Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic." Since then, Republicans have been performing umbrage. This, in turn, led to a great deal of media worrying about whether Biden's speech was "divisive" or could backfire by recasting the fight to save democracy in "partisan" terms. There was reason to be worried. Americans tend to distrust politicians, viewing their public proclamations as political noise better dismissed than taken seriously. But in this case, it appears Biden's choice to give the speech worked to focus voter attention on the very real threat to democracy posed by Trump and the MAGA movement.

Biden gave his speech right before Labor Day weekend and then Reuters/Ipsos polled Americans after the holiday. What they found was a solid 58% of respondents agreed with Biden that Trump and his movement are undermining democracy. Interestingly, 59% also agreed that the speech was "divisive," showing that all the media handwringing was influencing people's responses. Clearly, a lot of respondents are of the belief that they are smart enough to see the truth in Biden's words but worry that other Americans are not. Still, Biden accomplished what he set out to do. Americans are listening, paying attention, and really beginning to believe the threat to democracy is real.

The week began as one of Donald Trump's best weeks in ages. His hand-picked federal judge came through for him and issued an extremely broad injunction against the government investigation into all the stolen secret government documents he was storing at Mar-a-Lago and decreed that a "special master" be appointed to look through all of it to determine if any of Trump's alleged "privileges" had been trampled since she apparently believes he's is entitled to special protections. Her reasoning may have been panned by every credible legal expert in the country but that's just the sort of reaction that would make Trump's followers respect her more.

Unfortunately for Trump, that was the last bit of good news that he got this week.

Before I even get into the guts of this argument, just ask yourself: if Democratic Members of Congress had engaged in a seditious conspiracy to overthrow our government to put or keep a Democratic president in power against both the popular vote and the Electoral College, and Republicans controlled Congress right now, what would those Republicans be doing?

It’s time to enforce the Constitution, and a judge in New Mexico just kicked off the process. Democrats need to jump on this with the vigor of Trump crashing a Miss Teen USA dressing room.

On Monday, David Brooks, the Times columnist, wrote about No Labels, a third party. He could have been talking about himself, though. He could have been talking about the cycles of political time in which the old political order gives way to a new, fresh one.

What will we do, he asked, if the major parties nominate, in 2024, a redhat fascist on the one hand or a Bernie-Bro progressive on the other? No Labels provides an escape from both extremes, Brooks said. Unfortunately, it’s a pixie-dust alternative to stone-cold reality.

The Senate is back from recess, and legislators are facing down a daunting to-do list to complete before the November election, including passing appropriations bill and confirming more of President Joe Biden's judicial nominees. Additionally, there's now increasing pressure to make time for a vote on the Respect for Marriage Act, which would offer limited protection to bolster previous Supreme Court decisions legalizing interracial and same-sex marriage in the face of this summer's blockbuster decision from the court striking down Roe v. Wade's landmark legalization of abortion.

The bill was passed in the House earlier this summer in response to the court's unprecedented move of taking away a right once granted. Such a move on its own would have raised fears that the court would next overturn other decisions that granted rights like same-sex marriage and birth control, but Justice Clarence Thomas erased any lingering doubts that such things are next on the religious right's wish list by explicitly inviting lawsuits challenging those previous decisions.

They were warned. Ohio Republican lawmakers and Gov. Mike DeWine were warned time and again that their abortion ban was cruel and would lead to heartbreaking situations of unimaginable pain and anguish for many people.

They were warned that their abortion ban set a stage of legal nightmares for doctors and personal nightmares for patients. They were warned that pregnancy is complicated and comes with inherent dangers that radical, extremist lawmaking would make infinitely worse.

Armie Hammer had a promising career ahead of him. In 2010, he attracted attention for his portrayal of the Winklevoss twins in David Fincher's "The Social Network" and in 2012, he won over young hearts as Prince Andrew Alcott in the fantasy Snow White retelling "Mirror Mirror." A few years later — following a string of forgettable roles and box-office bombs — he reclaimed his princely crown with Luca Guadagnino's acclaimed drama "Call Me By Your Name."

But all that fame came crashing down in 2021, when Hammer faced numerous allegations of rape, abuse, violence and even a lurid interest in cannibalism. An investigation led by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) ensued and subsequently, Hammer was dropped from multiple upcoming projects. For the time being, Hollywood's ex-Golden Boy is living a private life, working as a timeshare salesman in the Cayman Islands.

I don’t think Georgia is prepared for what’s coming its way.

I don’t know how it could be, not with the most important and controversial trial in American history looming in its not-too-distant future.

Comedian Kathy Griffin recently received a rash of grief for insinuating in a tweet that the Republicans want to start a civil war. But it is actual Republicans who have floated that possibility – not Griffin. So what would that entail? What would that future look like?

For those who are pondering how to use their vote this fall, it's time to take a look at what kind of future we will face should those who call themselves "Trump Patriots" succeed, either through the ballot box, violence or both.

Comedian Kathy Griffin recently received a rash of grief for insinuating in a tweet that the Republicans want to start a civil war. But it is actual Republicans who have floated that possibility – not Griffin. So what would that entail? What would that future look like?

For those who are pondering how to use their vote this fall, it's time to take a look at what kind of future we will face should those who call themselves "Trump Patriots" succeed, either through the ballot box, violence or both.

That the GOP has abandoned democracy is by now conventional wisdom. Less well-known – their policymaking is broken, too.

Consider the decision to attack Social Security in an election year.

After years and years of birtherism, calls to “lock her up,” antisemitic dogwhistles, delegitimizing everything the broad left does as “communism,” refusing to accept election results, stealing elections and plain-old racism and sexism – after all this, it seems that a line has been crossed and respectful discourse is no longer possible.

What was the final straw?