February 27, 2022

"Former Attorney General William Barr writes in a new book that former President Donald Trump has 'shown he has neither the temperament nor persuasive powers to provide the kind of positive leadership that is needed'..."

"... and that it is time for Republicans to focus on rising new leaders in the party. The release of the former attorney general’s 600-page book, 'One Damn Thing After Another,' is coming as Mr. Trump, who remains the GOP’s dominant figure, contemplates another presidential run. Mr. Barr writes that he was convinced that Mr. Trump could have won re-election in 2020 if he had 'just exercised a modicum of self-restraint, moderating even a little of his pettiness.' 'The election was not "stolen,"' Mr. Barr writes. 'Trump lost it.' Mr. Barr urges conservatives to look to 'an impressive array of younger candidates' who share Mr. Trump’s agenda but not his 'erratic personal behavior.' He didn’t mention any of those candidates by name."

From "Ex-Attorney General William Barr Urges GOP to Move On From Trump/Book recounts confrontational meeting in Oval Office and says Republicans need to focus on new leaders" (Wall Street Journal).

A 600-page book called "One Damn Thing After Another"? It sounds like a caption for a New Yorker cartoon. But it's really perfect, isn't it? This isn't a book to be read — what political book is? — but a thing to wave around as the author/"author" appears on TV. Steel yourself for Barr appearances on shows advising Republics to pick someone less old and less divisive than Trump. Or just don't watch the shows. That's my approach.

91 comments:

Lurker21 said...

Mr. Barr writes that he was convinced that Mr. Trump could have won re-election in 2020 if he had 'just exercised a modicum of self-restraint, moderating even a little of his pettiness.'

He's not entirely wrong there.

'The election was not "stolen,"' Mr. Barr writes. 'Trump lost it.”

That's more debatable.

David Begley said...

Ingrate.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

The only thing I agree with about not wanting Trump to run is that Trump is his own worst enemy. He is clumsy and he never played 3-d chess. He never had any idea the level of corruption that would be thrown at him, and he was ill-prepared to deal with it.

Doesn't erase all the great stuff he did/ or tired to do - but his blind spots are numerous.
For starters - He let Hillary off the hook. She should have been indicted and prosecuted for her private server. (no - not HER e-mails - HER-> fucking illegal server)

RMc said...

'The election was not "stolen,"' Mr. Barr writes. 'Trump lost it.”

I'm beginning to think Trump threw the election, because he knew how much the next four years would suck, and he wanted Biden to get the blame for it!

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Young candidates. This.

Kevin said...

I’m more interested in what he has to say about Mueller.

His insights and professional expertise have more credibility there.

Maynard said...

Pettiness and lack of self-restraint sound like two of Trump's personality characteristics.

Nobody is perfect.

hawkeyedjb said...

Pretty well sums up my feelings about Trump. Preferable to Biden, but not preferable to everybody.

wendybar said...

And just WHO does Barr think will get us out of the mess that the Progressives made of this country?? It will be the same old "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss". At least Trump opened our eyes to how much our government despises us, and doesn't work for us, but for illegal aliens they are ushering in to take our place.

Mikey NTH said...

The GOP establishment is also old and divisive and unpersuasive, so they have that going for them.

AMDG said...

At the end of the day, Trump lost because he was perceived to be a bigger a-hole than Biden and that is no small accomplishment.

gilbar said...

So, do i have to decide between Barr, and Trump? Well, That was Easy

Mike Petrik said...

@David Begley -- "Ingrate." Seriously? Barr already had a remarkably accomplished career. Do you really think he was bucking to be AG again? He did it for one reason and one reason only -- he's a true patriot.

gilbar said...

RMc said...
I'm beginning to think Trump threw the election, because he knew how much the next four years would suck, and he wanted Biden to get the blame for it!

And some people (i'm talking to You! Can o' Cheese) think Trump don't play 4-d chess!

Dave Begley said...

Barr wrote the book for money and revenge against Trump.

Has a Dem ever written such a book? “My Years with Obama, the Empty Suit” by Ben Rhodes or “Obama and Iran; Selling out America” by Val Jarrett.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

I still want to know why Vindman was allowed to listen to President Trump's phone calls.

mezzrow said...

Without the votes Trump has unlocked, the chance the GOP has to reflect its real mission will be divided. What is the real mission? To save us from the Democrats, my friend.

I've often mused that he is the Democratic party's best friend - to a degree that I long believed he was a malign agent inserted into the process that might have gone rogue is some undefined way. Trump is rogue by nature, hence the events since 2015. The PMC types never thought he could win, and spent all their moral capital making sure it wouldn't happen again in 2020. Just read the infamous Time magazine "we did it" confession.

The people he can bring to the polls had been ignored so long that they had given up on the process. Their votes made him President, and made our politics populist for the first time in our lifetime. It is clear that he believes the job is his by right by this point, irrespective of what actually happened in 2021. I'm really not comfortable with that. If that's not true, Trump has done nothing to dispel the notion with his rhetoric or actions since he left office. Would I vote for him before almost any Democrat? Of course I would.

With this said, what would be done by some cabal of the PMC/Deep State (or the egregore they all dance to the rhythm of) if another four years of Trump looks inevitable? I'd really rather never know. I'd really rather have him say "I'm tired of you people" and turn it over to DeSantis or another likely proxy. Doesn't look likely, though.

Life is filled with possibilities. The whole world's situation is fluid, and we all have looked up the meaning of liminal by now. If not, it's time.

Meanwhile, it's time to transplant the Thai Basil I started inside just before Christmas. It's nice to be able to eat like a human again. It's nice to be in Florida.

Michael K said...


Blogger Mike Petrik said...

@David Begley -- "Ingrate." Seriously? Barr already had a remarkably accomplished career. Do you really think he was bucking to be AG again? He did it for one reason and one reason only -- he's a true patriot.


Bullshit. He wants those cocktail party invitations to resume. I had never heard of him.

Temujin said...

Yes, William Barr just created his retirement annuity. His book will be hawked by all the key media players, it'll be a best seller among those who read these things. He'll be on every show with happy hosts who used to call him Lucifer. He's a 'Good Republican' now. The kind the left loves.

I'm not sure he holds any sway with the majority of GOP voters, however. With this book he probably holds more sway with Democratic voters than GOP voters.

And so it goes.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

It’s not black or white to me. Both can be true. There was a lot of mischief in the way the 2020 election was run, and also true that Trump turned off too many key voters with his messaging. Both are true. Is Bill Barr even aware of the illegal (according to courts in AZ and WI) measures taken to enable cheating in 2020? IDK. But he was close enough to know Trump was innocent of all the Russia BS. Being slandered continuously wears on one. Barr should cut Trump’s temperament some slack. He took all the right ACTIONS to keep America safe and prosperous. That’s way more important than mean tweets. Mr. Biden is putting us on the brink of war and bankrupting industries as he goes toddling along.

Charlie Currie said...

"Mike Petrik said...
@David Begley -- "Ingrate." Seriously? Barr already had a remarkably accomplished career. Do you really think he was bucking to be AG again? He did it for one reason and one reason only -- he's a true patriot. "

No. He did it to protect the establishment and to keep Trump from further exposing their dirty secrets.

Sebastian said...

"Trump lost it"

Correct.

"erratic personal behavior"

Correct.

My name goes here. said...

I remain convinced that the real complain when I see comments from Barr are not that Trump lacks the power to persuade, but rather who it is that finds Trump persuasive.

How dare Trump convince the working class, and those without degrees that their lives would be better with a secure border, lack of foreign wars, energy independence, challenging China, and growing the economy through deregulation.

Big Mike said...

I agree 100% with Lurker21. At the same time I think that Barr is showing how much he is an “inside the Beltway” sort of character, focused on the showy stuff in the talk shows and newspapers, and not nearly enough on the people who work for a living.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

“Steel yourself for Barr appearances on shows advising Republics to pick someone less old and less divisive than Trump.”

I assume you meant Republicans but if you didn’t could you list what other republics Trump might want to lead? As far as needing to steel ourselves, I looked up what you don’t want us to watch, an hourlong interview William Barr has given to Lester Holt, which is scheduled to air on NBC on March 6 at 9 p.m.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

More that Althouse wants you not to watch:

“Barr will also sit down with anchor Savannah Guthrie for a live exclusive, one-on-one interview on TODAY Monday, March 7. Additionally, Barr will join Meet the Press with Chuck Todd on Sunday, March 13.“

Christopher B said...

Cosigning Lurker21.

William said...

Call it deep state or whatever, but it's a fact that Trump has a great many followers who are quite willing to publicly betray him. He can't even get porn stars to abide by their NDA's.

Leland said...

I've never been a fan of infomercials. That's what the Sunday News Shows, Morning Shows, and Late Night Shows are, when the "guest" is just hawking a new product to buy.

Fandor said...

The former attorney general is a mouthpiece for the political establishment. Barr served in Bush's administration and has a long history of support for the status quo. He's still on the payroll. Evidence is the book deal he is now enjoying. It's the the "legal" way team players receive their "bonus" for being good and faithful political hacks.It's so sad and obvious. Citizens need to take back this nation and bar the others, like Barr, who pretend to serve the republic.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

You couldn't afford me not to watch.

gilbar said...

Vindman is a Ukrainian national, yet claimed to be in charge of AMERICAN policy.
How Does that work?

Douglas B. Levene said...

Mr. Barr will be regarded by history as one of our country’s finest attorneys general. The fact that he is hated today by both the Democrats and the Trump cult is of no moment.

Andrew said...

Mr. Barr may be a decent man, and an accomplished attorney. He may be a patriot. I don't doubt any of that.

But we needed a wartime consigliere.

Bob Boyd said...

Epstein died in Bill Barr's custody.
Bill Barr's dad gave Epstein his first job.

jaydub said...

Although I supported what he did for the country, I thought the high school type pettiness was a huge problem for Trump and will be again, which is why I was initially furious that he got the nomination. After he was in office I tended to give him some slack on that point because he had to fight the entire federal bureaucracy, the media, the courts and the Dems to get anything accomplished, and not only was he getting things done, he also wasn't Hillary. I'm not sure anyone who had a less combative personality could have even made it to the finish line over the four years of his term. He does have a number of personality flaws, but he at has all his wits about him, places the country's well being ahead of personal gain, and is an order of magnitude preferable to the crooked box of rocks currently occupying the WH. That said, I do support the idea of a new generation of GOP candidates, and I hope my own governor, Ron DeSantis, enters the primary. He is as solid on my top priorities as any politician who has come along lately, priorities which include a strong market economy, secure borders, extensive personal freedoms and guaranteed property rights. There are no Dems who check all those boxes, nor are there likely to be with the hard Left influence on the DNC. DeSantis is already being slandered and vilified by the Dems, so I believe the opposition also recognizes his potential.

iowan2 said...

Except for the facts. Like President Trump has been right about everything.

MOfarmer said...

Thanks for acknowledging that we have a republic, not a democracy.

Achilles said...

William Barr is a traitor and a liar. He has done his best to protect his swamp buddies.

He knows that if Trump gets elected he is going to be outed. History is not going to be kind.

Barr just wants a new Republican and a lifetime politician like Desantis so they can betray him too delay the draining of the swamp even further.

Achilles said...

Mike Petrik said...

@David Begley -- "Ingrate." Seriously? Barr already had a remarkably accomplished career. Do you really think he was bucking to be AG again? He did it for one reason and one reason only -- he's a true patriot.

This is going to look pretty bad.

Funny how nobody was investigated for the Russia Hoax under Barr.

Funny how nobody was fired under Barr.

Funny how not a single DOJ hack lost their job even when caught red handed lying to the FISA court under Barr.

And Barr has millions in net worth working in and around DC.

The GOPe is finished.

MadTownGuy said...

From the article:

"Mr. Barr writes that he was convinced that Mr. Trump could have won re-election in 2020 if he had 'just exercised a modicum of self-restraint, moderating even a little of his pettiness.'

What rot. He would have been no less vilified as a Nazi, a white supremacist, Hitler reincarnated, even if he had followed Miss Manners' playbook.

Will said...

Obvious reminder, these book deals are money laundering. These books never make back the advance, never sell, and are quickly forgotten after generating the pay off and the headlines.

And, as pointed out above, they only go one way. Conservative books tend to have small publishers, small advances, and sell as expected in a rational business model.

Barr was paid to not investigate the election, through the book deal. If the middle 400 pages were reprints of old cookie recipes, would anyone even notice?

Remember Justice Barret's book deal, announced right after the election? exactly.

The only upside is that these payments are in American money, so they lose value quickly.

Ray - SoCal said...

Barr is a Bush creature, and with all the election creative “counting” there is no way Trump could have won.

AZ Bob said...

Steel yourself for Barr appearances on shows advising Republics to pick someone less old and less divisive than Trump.

Ann, why do you feel this will be painful?

Wince said...

...Mr. Trump could have won re-election in 2020 if he had 'just exercised a modicum of self-restraint, moderating even a little of his pettiness.'

"Yeah, we're working on it."

(I love how Paul Newman winks there.)

Earnest Prole said...

Trump would have been re-elected in a landslide if he’d risen to the covid moment rather than telling Americans it would fade away in a week or two.

rightguy said...

Trump is not very good at explaining things, but he is real good at doing things.

George Putnam said...

I like Barr, and how he has handled himself. I don't really want to read 600 pages, but I am interested in what he has to say.

A political book about the Trump White House that I did actually read was "The Drift: Stopping America's Slide to Socialism" by Kevin Hassett, former chair of the Council of Economic Advisors. Recommended. It's only 256 pages. I met Kevin a few times when he was a frequent speaker at business conferences I attended long before he served in the White House. I like Kevin, too. His book is not as blunt about Trump as Barr's book, but it did not make me wish for Trump to run again. Kevin is now a columnist for National Review.

Someone I read once said that Trump before the 2020 election and Trump after the 2020 election were like two different people. That rings true to me. The WSJ column about Barr's book says the same thing: "After the election, Mr. Barr said that Mr. Trump “lost his grip"[.]"

Sebastian said...

I get the irritation at Barr. Whether it's justified depends partly on what else in his book: how does he deal with the anti-Trump shenanigans in DC?

But the strategic issue is that for the GOP, or anti-prog forces in general, to prevail requires a coalition that includes the Barrs, and at least some of the time the Althouses, of America. Trump lost partly because he lost them. Of course, I disagree with them. But I prefer to deal with reality. Sure, there's a chance Joe gets so bad Trump can stage a comeback. But it's far more likely that the anti-Trumpers will stay anti or stay home. Solution: a pretty Trumpist, younger candidate who can articulate his positions without "pettiness" or clownish grandstanding.


mikee said...

Apres Trump, le deluge. I don't think the left will like what replaces Trump. Imagine a political leader who is exactly as portrayed by the Left, and doing what they have accused every Republican, ever, of doing. And doing it well.

Jokah Macpherson said...

One reason to never vote for Trump again: has anyone from his cabinet or staff ever wrote even a remotely flattering book about him? Part of leading is getting positions filled with smart, competent people, and no one other than a handful who put up with you out of duty to country are going to sign up if you get a bad reputation. Who is going to fill the hypothetical Trump 2024 cabinet? How long before they too quit and write a book about how much it sucked?

Achilles said...

William Barr was strangely uninterested when Epstein Killed himself.

papper said...

Barr is right. Trump is too petty and self destructive. He will drag down everybody with. See as example # 1 the two Georgia Senate races.

Joe Smith said...

Barr was a massive disappointment...almost as bad as Sessions.

Instead of exposing the massive corruption, it turns out he was part of the coverup all along.

Readering said...

Trump warps everything and everyone.

Lurker21 said...

If you lose and election under questionable circumstances, you want to be the candidate who can say, "I did everything right and it was stolen from me" and have people believe you. You don't want to be the candidate who has to admit to messing up in the debates and making other mistakes and claims that he was cheated, and you certainly don't want to be the candidate who can't admit making mistakes.

Jupiter said...

"' 'The election was not "stolen,"' Mr. Barr writes."

That's what he said at the time, and that's what he says now. Hell, he could have told you that before the election. He didn't need to investigate. He knows when elections aren't stolen.

MikeR said...

Yup.

Amadeus 48 said...

I read the article in the Wall Street Journal. I would dispute the way that the writer (Sadie Gurman) characterizes certain events (such as the end of the Michael Flynn matter), but Barr has come to the same conclusion that I have come to about Trump, namely, that Trump has neither the temperament nor the persuasive powers to provide the type of leadership that is needed.

It is time for the GOP to move on.

Amusingly, the discussion on December 1 is reflected in my ongoing discussions with my most Trumpophile friend, whom I'll call David. Whenever I posit some failing or shortcoming of Trump, he immediately says, "You must hate Trump. You hate Trump." Well, I guess I could grow to hate Trump if David keeps it up, but I have concluded that Trump is wrong for the job. He did some great things, but he has spoiled them with his post-election behavior. For example, his ongoing efforts to fracture the Georgia Republican Party are completely counter-productive.

Trump could have won in 2020, but he lost to Joe Biden, an empty, stupid, vicious political hack. Enough said.

cfs said...

Barr refused to seriously look into the allegations of fraud.

Now, it's just "let's just move on". The left counted on the GOP establishment to turn their eyes from the fraud because they ALL wanted Trump gone. Kemp in Georgia is another example. Trump was interfering with their gravy train. Uni-party, indeed.

Chris Lopes said...

If Trump runs, it becomes about Trump and all the psychodrama that involves. That gets the current administration and its supporters off the hook for the shit show they have so lovingly produced. It will be about conspiracy theories and tax returns instead of inflation, supply chain issues, and failed foreign policies. So I am hoping Trump stays on the golf course for this one.

Kevin said...

Has a Dem ever written such a book? “My Years with Obama, the Empty Suit” by Ben Rhodes or “Obama and Iran; Selling out America” by Val Jarrett.

No, they get make-work jobs in media, banking, and universities so they won’t.

One guy was even made Mayor of Chicago.

Iman said...

Barr had his chance to shine. He blew it, he’s another in a long line of unserious DOJ bullshitters.

West TX Intermediate Crude said...

According to the Interwebs, Barr's net worth is $50 million. He's not doing this for the money, laundered or still dirty. He's doing it as a way of saying, "Look at me, I'm still relevant!" He's part of the Establishment, the Deep State, the Uniparty, and he likes things this way. Trump was a threat, the only worrisome threat, to the world that he and the rest of the GOPe and the entire laptop/digital class live and prosper in.

rehajm said...

I’m good with the young blood so long as the policies are good…

…I’m not surprised were in the shit we are given how so many of our government/political betters are more obsessed with feelings and temperament than a labradoodle breeder…

MadisonMan said...

How much of a book's content is decided in the contract that goes along with the advance?

I find myself wondering that as I read this story.

farmgirl said...

Inside the Mind of Joe Biden is a book by Phoenix Glenn.
“An in-depth exploration of the man himself “

Lol- it’s pages are blank

farmgirl said...

“At the end of the day, Trump lost because he was perceived to be a bigger a-hole than Biden and that is no small accomplishment.”

Perception needs an eye exam.
What a country, eh?

Kai Akker said...

When I think back on it, Barr was the single biggest disappointment in Trump's administration. He said all the right things and then nothing of it whatsoever happened.

Unless the long-lost John Durham completes the Hail Mary he seems to be attempting. Fool that I am, I'm still hoping.

Ray - SoCal said...

What does Barr’s white washing of Ruby Ridge say about his political views?

William Barr’s Connection To Ruby Ridge, Defending FBI Snipers

Critter said...

Barr is another grifter making money by saying bad things about Trump. This is the guy who is close family friends with Mueller. He is an emotional pantywaist. So Trump won’t be invited to Barr’s social club. Who cares? It’s about policies and actions that benefit the American people. Could you imagine how Barr would react to Andrew Jackson? People like Barr never criticize Democrat policies that really hurt Americans such as globalism, green new deal dramatically increased energy prices, pushing racist propaganda in schools and the military, increasing regulations to drive the trend to recession, etc. I guess Mueller violating prosecutor ethics didn’t bother him because he and his wife are friends.

But I actually don’t believe him when he says his issue is Trump’s personal behavior. Anyone who says that is shilling for the corrupt establishment getting rich from government service. Trump is the only one with the balls to try to drain the swamp. In Washington, that makes him part of a very small group of patriots.

Kathryn51 said...

Iman said...
Barr had his chance to shine. He blew it, he’s another in a long line of unserious DOJ bullshitters.

Barr (and McGhan) saved Trumps ass during the Mueller investigation (that Sessions ROYALLY screwed up). He's a fuckin' hero.


West TX Intermediate Crude said...
According to the Interwebs, Barr's net worth is $50 million. He's not doing this for the money, laundered or still dirty. He's doing it as a way of saying, "Look at me, I'm still relevant!" He's part of the Establishment, the Deep State, the Uniparty, and he likes things this way. Trump was a threat, the only worrisome threat, to the world that he and the rest of the GOPe and the entire laptop/digital class live and prosper in.

If there is one person who is saying "look at me, I'm still relevant!" it's egomaniac Trump.

Douglas B. Levene said...
Mr. Barr will be regarded by history as one of our country’s finest attorneys general. The fact that he is hated today by both the Democrats and the Trump cult is of no moment.

AGREED.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Former Attorney General William Barr refused to prosecute teh members of the American Deep State who criminally attacked President Trump.

As such, he's a worthless shit who has nothing of value to offer, on any topic.

Yes, it was good that he was willing to nuke the Mueller farce. But he was unwilling to bring the rule of law to the people who think they should rule America.

Which makes him just another weasel

Madconductor said...

The election was not "stolen,"' Mr. Barr writes. 'Trump lost it.”

I would have quit reading right there. Barr is inside the beltway and is so far in the deep state he couldn't point his way out. I'm not impressed that he wrote anything.

Jeff Weimer said...

Barr's not really wrong, but the WSJ is - Trump is no longer the 'dominant' figure in the GOP. Large, yes; but we're moving on. The only reason he's perceived as dominant is that his opposition can't quit bringing him up. They love him more than his fans do.

Readering said...

Sounds like enough of the book is ass covering defense of his conduct as Trump consigliere that Barr will be attacked from all sides. I don't expect his NBC appearances to be especially friendly.

Expect story of his time with Bush to get no attention but be more interesting.

Eddie said...

I doubt I'll read the book, but it is a good title. "History is just one damn thing after another" is the full saying. The saying suggests that things happen without any great rhyme or reason. Our brains are wired for story-telling, though, so we act like there's some kind of logic to the narrative. I'd be surprised to find that this is Barr's view, but it does sound like how Trump might experience things.

Valentine Smith said...

Just try to imagine Biden receiving the relentless hatred thrown at Trump for 4 years. Biden's personality would disintegrate before our eyes. (Actually it's already fragmenting and not by dementia in my opinion.) I'd bet anything he's a lush who somehow stopped drinking decades ago then substituted addictions. He's a stone cold addict--mostly power but no doubt money and sex also. Hunter Biden did not spring forth fully formed. He is his father's creation. It would explain everything.

OTOH, Trump's monstrous ego almost makes him a tragic figure. Hubris, which enabled his unparalleled strength in the face of unimagined public hatred, also brought about his downfall. He just couldn't let go of any slight. And he can't let go of the corrupted election.

Tomcc said...

I had hoped that Mr. Barr's DOJ would investigate the sources of funds for the rioting that took place during 2020 and 2021. I'm inclined to believe that some of it was self-funded with the $600/week federal unemployment benefit, but the breadth and scope of it makes me suspect other forces. Alas, nothing seems to have come of it.

boatbuilder said...

600 pages. Did Barr say anything else of importance?

I mean, what could possibly be more important than Bill Barr's belief that Trump isn't his kind of a guy?

Tim said...

Barr-the guy who defended Lon Horiuchi after he killed an unarmed woman holding a baby? That Barr?

walter said...

Blogger Bob Boyd said...
Epstein died in Bill Barr's custody.
Bill Barr's dad gave Epstein his first job.
2/27/22, 10:29 AM
--
Circumstances as believable as Gadfly's ability to overflow toilets in multiple swing states simultaneously.
Takes a lot of hot air to play bagpipes.

Gary said...

I just check in for the delusional comments. Never disappoints.

The Godfather said...

(a) I won't read Barr's 600-page book about Trump; I wouldn't even read the 150-page Readers Digest Condensed Version of it. (b) If the 2020 election was "stolen" the steal started in November 2016, and continued with the phony "Dossier" and the "Special Counsel Investigation", and then on to an Impeachment based on a telephone call with the President of Ukraine, etc., etc. (c) If the Democrats had to manipulate votes in 2020 in order to win, they were clearly expert enough at the theft that Trump could never prove it. (d) In human terms we certainly should be able to sympathize with Trump's sense of outrage about all this. (e) Can any reasonable and knowledgeable person doubt that Putin wouldn't have attacked Ukraine if Trump had won the election instead of Biden?
BUT that's old history. What about 2020? If Trump is the Republican candidate and wins (against Biden? Harris? A Player to be Name Later?) He will be an instant lame duck, with (likely) a Republican Congress and Senate for 2 years. I'd rather have a Republican President with 8 years ahead of him/her. My current preference is for a DeSantis-Abbott ticket, but things could change in the next couple of years.
I think it would be cool if President DeSantis appointed Trump to the next vacancy on the Supreme Court,

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Kathryn51 said...
Iman said...
Barr had his chance to shine. He blew it, he’s another in a long line of unserious DOJ bullshitters.

Barr (and McGhan) saved Trumps ass during the Mueller investigation (that Sessions ROYALLY screwed up). He's a fuckin' hero.


Bullshit.

Yes, Barr shut down the Mueller travesty. But what he didn't do was make ANYONE who had violated the law to go after Trump pay for their crimes.

That was moral cowardice that leaves a stain that will never come out

Unknown said...

Bill Barr’s motivation is to protect the institutions. He’s like John Robert’s in a way insisting the court is not political. Both men I think understand that if too many people lose trust in our institutions that the social fabric suffers, especially as we seem to have less shared culture and values with each passing year.

Sanctity of the vote even more important that trust in institutions like the DoJ, CIA, or SCOTUS, because it is the public remedy for all other ills. In a sense it’s more important that the people trust the vote than who wins. I think Barr is an honorable man who loves our country, but given his priority is the institutions and not allegiance to Trump – I’m not sure that Barr is willing to go wherever the facts may lead some issues. I also think the Durham report will provide some vindication for Trump, but ultimately pull punches as did the IG report.

One outcome the Trump term that gives me no joy is reduced trust in our institutions. At first I entertained the possibility that Trump was a Manchurian candidate for Russia, as it developed and saw the depths the institutions would go to thwart the will of Trump’s voters it made me wonder what else would might do or have done. Jeffery Epstein and big tech censorship have also contributed to my lowered trust.

doctrev said...

William Barr was really brought on to bring a "legitimate" end to the Mueller inquiry, so anything else he did was gravy.

Yet I'm quite grateful for his "anyone but Trump" narrative alongside the rest of the GOP political consultant class. This makes any rival utter poison to the MAGA base. In fact, support from this evil cabal cripples the potential candidacy of Ron DeSantis- I halfway wonder if Trump actually encouraged Barr to take this tack.

Narayanan said...

For which earlier Presidents would their AG be part of reelection effort and advice?

is it allowed?

is AG cabinet member?

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Unknown said...
Bill Barr’s motivation is to protect the institutions. He’s like John Robert’s in a way insisting the court is not political. Both men I think understand that if too many people lose trust in our institutions that the social fabric suffers, especially as we seem to have less shared culture and values with each passing year.

And both of them do far more damage to the institutions they're "trying to protect" than they could have possibly done by doing the right thing, instead.

By not going after the FISA Court judges who rubber-stamped spying on the GOP candidate and then GOP President, Robert's has proved that FISA is our enemy.

By not prosecuting the FBI, DoJ, and CIA people who corruptly went after the Trump Admin, he established that those are corrupt institutions that must be destroyed, partisan institutions that are tools of the Left, not protecters of America and Americans

Over the next 20 years, the costs from those choices will be far greater than the costs of holding the corrupt accountable for what they did.

But Roberts and Barr were and are too stupid to see that

GRW3 said...

The New York Times literally wrote an article telling everyone how the Democrats worked to rig the election. There is clear statistical evidence from Benford's Law that the results were flawed. (Noting that evidence is not proof per se, but should drive an inquiry.) All the "election was fine" people rest on the totaled numbers and point to recounts getting the same results. (Sort of like they were handed a deck of cards with 10 aces and just counted the physical cards and said "Yep, 52 cards, no problem here").

walter said...

Blogger Gary said...I just check in for the delusional comments. Never disappoints.
--
Taking time out from your sexual lemming blog.
We are blessed.