Let him lie and whine, he'll be gone soon. Let him call our democracy a fraud, nothing will happen. Let him call for violence... Anyone who didn't see this coming was as detached from reality as Trump.
The problem with wishful thinking against autocrats and demagogues is then there's no plan B for when they don't stop, for when they carry out their threats to the logical conclusion.
If today's violence looks like a banana republic, that's what Trump has been trying to do to America all along, to make it over in his corrupt, chaotic, despotic image. The GOP stood by and now reap the whirlwind.
The answer is always the law. Prosecute the trespassers and impeach their ringleader. Otherwise this will be only the beginning of the violence against the "illegitimate" government.
And now that everything is clear, understand that Trump is an agent of chaos and we know who his handler is. Giving them two more weeks of destruction is unacceptable. America will be a laughingstock and deservedly so.
I hope Americans see this as a wakeup call and never again take their democracy for granted. Trump was always this. The Republicans who enabled him own what's happening today down to the last trespassing thug.
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The next populist demagogue will be more disciplined and smarter than Trump--not hard to do. Impeachment now is a good vaccine against the Trumpism virus. Me on @Morning_Joe today: msnbc.com/morning-joe/wa…
But that's not enough, and whether it happens or not, Biden, Congress, and the Justice Department must move quickly to strengthen America's democratic immune system.
As for Trump's mob at the Capitol, let the law work without interference. They wanted insurrection and selfies, they can have prison sentences and mug shots.
A few notes about the GOP Congressmen supporting Trump's coup attempt. One, the damage doesn't end on Jan 20. Trump won't be president, but he and his supporters will play the victim role forever.
Two, this creation of a permanent anti-democracy wing of a major party is not sustainable. I don't know what Republicanism means now, but if it's attacking legitimate election results, it must be destroyed.
Three, there isn't a Republican in America who knows more about socialism than I do, or who despises it more. The far left is a danger. But leaving the Senate in McConnell's hands is unacceptable after his defense of Trump & Trumpism.
With great sorrow I share the news of the passing of my mother, Klara Shagenovna Kasparova. My role model, my greatest champion, my wise counsel, and the strongest person I will ever know. I love you, Mama.
Thanks from me and my family for all the kind notes and acknowledgements of condolence here and elsewhere. May we all love and be loved just a little bit more in her memory.
It's all been overwhelming, so apologies for not being able to respond. But we do very much appreciate the kind thoughts. More about Klara Shagenovna Kasparova here: kasparov.com/a-short-tribut…
My new CNN.com op-ed on Putin's assassination attempt on Alexei Navalny. From invading neighbors, to hacking, to murder at home and abroad, the thugs are getting bolder. cnn.com/2020/12/25/opi…
We can cheer Navalny's narrow escape from death and the assassins' incompetence, but it's nothing to be happy about when they can keep trying with impunity.
After four years of Trump refusing to even criticize Putin, and boasting of his friendships with despots, we will see if Biden has the will to stand up to dictators.
History is written by the winners, and it remains to be seen if this becomes a badge of honor of shame. For the success of the American experiment and the world, we must fight to ensure it is the latter.
Republicans signing on to Trump's coup attempt reminds me of the Russian parliament voting to extend Putin's term of office. Loyalty only to a man and hoping to be rewarded, not to the people, the country, or the Constitution.
Trump's plan is Putin's: Never concede & treat Biden like an illegitimate leader. Dictators like Putin don't like having their illegitimacy pointed out. Now he'll have the former US president saying it about Biden.
American leadership in promoting democracy and fair elections around the world will be challenged not just by Putin & Xi Jinping, but by a former US president. It's all of Putin's whataboutism dreams.
This was Trump's message from the start, the "we've done lots of bad stuff too" remarks when asked about his fondness for Putin. It's also the message of every dictator. "Sure, we're corrupt, but we're ALL corrupt."