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You are here: Home / Politics / Trump Indictments / Has Trump Finally Met a Judge Who Can Control Him?

Has Trump Finally Met a Judge Who Can Control Him?

by WaterGirl|  March 27, 20249:05 am| 101 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Politics, Trump Indictments

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Has Trump finally met a judge who can control him?  I think YES.  I guess we’ll find out soon.   Trial begins April 15, slightly less than 3 weeks away.

Judge Merchan has had the benefit of seeing the judges who are clearly inexperienced and who let bullshit rule the day (I’m looking at you Cannon and more recently McAfee) and the side shows Trump and his attorneys put on in Judge Engoron’s courtroom.

It’s so interesting to me that the female attorney, Susan Necheles, is not signing some of the bullshit paperwork that is being filed by Todd Blanche.  It looks to me like that’s a mighty fine line she is trying to navigate, but I’ll let our Balloon Juice attorneys weigh in and correct me if I’m wrong on that.

News

The judge presiding over Trump’s NY criminal case REFUSES to budge from his order forcing lawyers to ask his okay to file any more motions.

He also WARNS Trump’s lawyers to obey that order, citing his “power to punish for a criminal contempt.”

Doc https://t.co/wcRnROFm8z pic.twitter.com/YwJDoUulhd

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) March 26, 2024

Excerpts:

The Court’s Order of March 8 was issued at approximately 4:10pm. At 7:57pm that evening, Defendant filed what he characterized as a “pre-motion letter” seeking discovery sanctions. However, the “pre-motion letter” was accompanied by a notice of motion, a motion consisting of 51 pages and 214 pages in exhibits. In the cover e-mail, Defendant stated that they would “communicate with the People regarding redactions prior to filing.” In essence, Defendant disregarded this Court’s Order regarding the filing of motions. In response, this Court circulated an e mail at 9:17pm reminding the parties of its earlier Order. This Court was well within its authority and demonstrated restraint in doing so. See Dalessio n. Kressler, 6 AD3d 57 [2d Dept 2004] (“A court of record has the power to punish a party for disobedience of a lawful mandate of the court . . . the ‘lawful mandate of the court’ constitutes an order of a court of competent jurisdiction which is not void on its face.” Notably, the Court later accepted the proposed motion and directed the People to file a response, if they wished. As of the date of this Order, no party has been denied the ability to file a motion.

Despite the Court’s e-mail of March 8, two days later, on Sunday, March 10, 2024, between approximately 5:17pm and 5:22pm, Defendant filed three additional “pre motion letters, including the one that is the subject of this Decision and Order. In what appears to be an attempt to circumvent this Court’s Order and e-mail of March 8, Defendant this time did not “attach” a notice of motion, motion or exhibits. Instead, the motion and accompanying submissions were appended to the pre¬ motion letter as “exhibits.”

This Court advises counsel that it expects and welcome zealous advocacy and creative lawyering. See Application of Giampa, 147 Mise.2d 397 [Sup Ct, Bronx Cnty April 16, 1990], However, the Court also expects those advocates to demonstrate the proper respect and decorum that is owed to the courts and its judicial officers and to never forget that they are officers of the court. As such, counsel is expected to follow this Court’s orders. Even “[a] good faith belief that a court order is improper or unlawful will not render the order unlawful nor will it excuse willful disobedience.” Matter of Rankin, 78 Misc3d 337 [Sup Ct, Kings Cnty Jan 3, 2023]. As such, “a court of record has power to punish for a criminal contempt, a person guilty7 of . . . [w]illful disobedience to its lawful mandate.” Id. citing to Judiciary Law §750(3). This Court emphasizes that it hopes for and fully expects zealous advocacy from counsel as well as spirited contribution from witnesses and parties alike. Nonetheless, the Court expects that the line between zealous advocacy and willful disregard of its orders will not be crossed.

The above constitutes the Decision and Order of the Court.

I believe that Do Not Fuck With Me Or This Court Again, while communicated very clearly, was not actually part of this written ruling.

Call me crazy, but I think this is the Judge Merchan’s last warning to Trump.

If Trump or his attorneys cross the line, I think they are going to be taught the meaning of power to punish for a criminal contempt.

I surely hope so.  Consequences are long overdue.

Open thread.

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    101Comments

    1. 1.

      Baud

      March 27, 2024 at 9:11 am

      I know the case is stayed, but I don’t believe Trump has dared to challenge Chutkin’s gag order.

      Reply
    2. 2.

      Christopher L Fisher

      March 27, 2024 at 9:13 am

      I’ll believe it when I see it.

      Reply
    3. 3.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      March 27, 2024 at 9:14 am

      I read this post, happily anticipating consequences for Trump and/or his attorneys. Sadly, that hasn’t happened yet. I’m sick of waiting for a judge to throw someone from the Trump team in jail for a few hours. Is that too much to ask?

      Reply
    4. 4.

      OzarkHillbilly

      March 27, 2024 at 9:15 am

      I’m not holding my breath in anticipation of trump behaving.

      eta: or his lawyers

      Reply
    5. 5.

      zhena gogolia

      March 27, 2024 at 9:17 am

      OT, I know people are skeptical about Lincoln Project, but this is a great parody of Phantom of the Opera. It looks as if the beginning is actually somebody singing it in reference to Trump, but then their parody takes over.

      Reply
    6. 6.

      WaterGirl

      March 27, 2024 at 9:19 am

      @Dorothy A. Winsor: Not too much to ask, and I think Merchan will be the one to do it.

      Reply
    7. 7.

      BellyCat

      March 27, 2024 at 9:20 am

      @Christopher L Fisher:  Ditto

      Reply
    8. 8.

      Jeffro

      March 27, 2024 at 9:20 am

      There’s a decent chance that one of his lawyers gets thrown into jail for contempt.

      There’s actually a nonzero chance that trump himself gets carried away, slips, and actually outright threatens someone (a judge, President Biden, etc) clearly enough to get those charges added to his plate, too.  Horrendous to think about, but it’d be great to see him lose it publicly and pay the price.

      Reply
    9. 9.

      TBone

      March 27, 2024 at 9:21 am

      Something something clowns, circus…

      Reply
    10. 10.

      H.E.Wolf

      March 27, 2024 at 9:22 am

      @Dorothy A. Winsor: I read this post, happily anticipating consequences for Trump and/or his attorneys. Sadly, that hasn’t happened yet.​

       I too am hoping for judicial consequences. Meanwhile, in ballot-box consequences, an Alabama State House seat just flipped from Republican to Democratic by a huge margin.

      Electoral Vote blog, as usual, has a good write-up.
      https://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2024/Items/Mar27-2.html

      Reply
    11. 11.

      hueyplong

      March 27, 2024 at 9:22 am

      @Dorothy A. Winsor: I think you are correct. Trump will push his lawyers to the point at which a judge either incarcerates that lawyer for contempt or Trump successfully delays/corrupts/whatever.

      Trump won’t go down without playing every card, however crooked, and his lawyers need to understand that they go first.

      Reply
    12. 12.

      TBone

      March 27, 2024 at 9:23 am

      @OzarkHillbilly: I expect it.  I remember Lisa Rubin on live TV when he was in the witness seat saying “I resent having to cover this…” (paraphrased).  I’ll be pleasantly surprised otherwise and that’s a good thing.

      Reply
    13. 13.

      TBone

      March 27, 2024 at 9:25 am

      Flying monkeys.  Not news? It’s so yesterday, I guess…

      https://crooksandliars.com/2024/03/mainstream-media-burying-trumps-very-evil

      Reply
    14. 14.

      WaterGirl

      March 27, 2024 at 9:27 am

      Not a shock, but Ronna McDaniel lied about one of our voting cases during her interview this Sunday with @kwelkernbc.https://t.co/SQ1GODreXC

      — Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) March 27, 2024

      Reply
    15. 15.

      WaterGirl

      March 27, 2024 at 9:29 am

      @BellyCat: Maybe we should have a BJ pool on which judge finally smacks him down with real consequences?  Or something.

      Reply
    16. 16.

      hueyplong

      March 27, 2024 at 9:31 am

      @WaterGirl: I’ll go with this judge.  If it isn’t, then he will have inspired the one who does.

      I can’t see Trump accepting the pleading advice of a lawyer that an uncrossable line has been reached.  He respects no lines, so long as it isn’t him personally who pays the price.  (That sentence is actually a summation of his whole life.)

      Reply
    17. 17.

      OzarkHillbilly

      March 27, 2024 at 9:32 am

      @WaterGirl: If I had to bet, and I don’t, I’d put my money on Chutkan.

      Reply
    18. 18.

      TBone

      March 27, 2024 at 9:34 am

      @OzarkHillbilly: I’m not counting my chickens (😁 from last thread).

      Reply
    19. 19.

      hueyplong

      March 27, 2024 at 9:36 am

      @OzarkHillbilly: You are probably right in terms of who’s most likely, but the timing of when the line finally gets crossed may not be in Chutkan’s favor for pool purposes.

      Needless to say, the hope is that someone does it.

      Reply
    20. 20.

      TBone

      March 27, 2024 at 9:37 am

      Roberta Kaplan had to smack them across the nose yesterday for E. Jean.  (Jeopardy “What’s a newspaper? for 1,000, Alex). It’s a good smacker!

      Reply
    21. 21.

      Bobby Thomson

      March 27, 2024 at 9:38 am

      Summary contempt power = up to six months of jail, on the spot, no jury.

      Reply
    22. 22.

      OzarkHillbilly

      March 27, 2024 at 9:39 am

      @hueyplong: As Brendan Fraser once said, “I never gamble with my money, only my life.”

      Reply
    23. 23.

      TBone

      March 27, 2024 at 9:44 am

      Excellent encouragement:

      The universe may not be fair, but comeuppance is in the air … even in Alabama. Now to the insurrectionist-in-chief. The pressures of fighting in four courts to stay out of prison and to keep his family business from imploding while campaiging for president have the already unstable Trump showing signs of losing it. He goes to trial in Manhattan on the hush money case on his least-favorite day of the year, April 15.

      https://digbysblog.net/2024/03/27/not-being-there/

      Reply
    24. 24.

      Comrade Scrutinizer

      March 27, 2024 at 9:44 am

      SASQ:  Control Trump?  Never.

      Reply
    25. 25.

      Trivia Man

      March 27, 2024 at 9:44 am

      Judges hate this one weird trick!!

      Reminds me of the Sov Cit clowns. “I didn’t actually ‘file’ a ‘motion’ so TECHNICALLY you can’t do anything!”

      except he can and I hope WILL

      Reply
    26. 26.

      TBone

      March 27, 2024 at 9:47 am

      @TBone: Comeuppance is a great word.

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BrWwVhnztcg

      Reply
    27. 27.

      Constance Reader

      March 27, 2024 at 9:48 am

      Trump has met several judges who can control him – they just don’t.   They all have the legal authority and underpinning to do it.  And they don’t use it.

      Reply
    28. 28.

      Trivia Man

      March 27, 2024 at 9:50 am

      @Constance Reader: he did get the escalating fines in EJC 2 so at least a start. And that did have some effect.

      Reply
    29. 29.

      Soprano2

      March 27, 2024 at 9:52 am

      A regular person would be going nuts if what’s happening to TFG were happening to them. I’m not surprised TFG seems to be melting down regularly. I eagerly await someone from that camp finally having to pay a price for these shenanigans. I think he doesn’t believe that he can’t put all these trials off forever. He thinks he’s going to win, and then all these things are magically going to go away because no one would dare try to hold the president accountable for anything.

      I don’t have much of an update on hubby.  They’ll repeat the test on his kidney function this morning to see what kind of progress he’s had. That will determine when he gets out of the hospital. The truth is, I hope it’s not until Friday. Strangely enough, it’s reassuring to me that he’s there because I know people are looking out for him. I’m at work this morning; this afternoon I’m going to talk to the caseworker at the hospital about my options for getting some help. People keep telling me “do this” or “do that”, I need someone to guide me as to what I should do when. I need to get something set up, whether it’s having someone stay with him for part of the day during the week, or a nurse to check on him a couple of times a week, or someone to help him take a shower, or whatever. I only know I can’t keep doing this by myself, because I’m not a trained health professional so I don’t know when he’s getting sick until it’s really bad, and that’s not good for anyone. Imagine you’re trying to figure out if a 3 year old is sick, only they’re a full grown adult and keep telling you everything is “fine” when you can tell everything is not “fine”. Wish me luck!

      Reply
    30. 30.

      TBone

      March 27, 2024 at 9:55 am

      Sanity inducer:

      NYT:A federal appeals court late Tuesday ruled against Texas in its bitter clash with the federal government, deciding that a law allowing the state to arrest and deport migrants could not be implemented while the courts wrestled with the question of whether it is legal.

      Reply
    31. 31.

      Kristine

      March 27, 2024 at 9:55 am

      @Soprano2: Hoping you get everything sorted soon.

      Reply
    32. 32.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      March 27, 2024 at 9:57 am

      @Soprano2: The best of luck to you. Here’s hoping the caseworker gives you some concrete guidance

      ETA: I finished making my daily tiktok so life is looking up. I’m putting my shoes on and going to the library to write. Have a good morning, jackals.

      Reply
    33. 33.

      Soprano2

      March 27, 2024 at 9:57 am

      @TBone: That’s the only sensible way they could rule. That law is likely unconstitutional, because the federal government is in control of immigration and immigration enforcement. We cannot have fifty states with different immigration laws – that would be insane.

      Reply
    34. 34.

      Jeffro

      March 27, 2024 at 9:58 am

      @TBone:The pressures of fighting in four courts to stay out of prison and to keep his family business from imploding while campaigning for president have the already unstable Trump showing signs of losing it.

      Late last year, before it all got real, I heard right-leaning folks, pundits, reporters, etc all trying their best to convince themselves and/or their audiences that we weren’t really going to get a Biden/trump rematch in 2024.

      “I don’t think either Biden or trump will be the candidate”.

      Well my punditariat friends…you might just be half right.  =)

      Reply
    35. 35.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      March 27, 2024 at 10:02 am

      @Jeffro: I remember being shocked around the same time when a savvy friend asked me who I thought the candidates would be. To me, it was so obvious.

      Reply
    36. 36.

      eclare

      March 27, 2024 at 10:05 am

      @Soprano2:

      Thanks for checking in, I wondered how you and your hubby were doing.  I hope the caseworker can help you find some relief that will help your hubby.

      Reply
    37. 37.

      eclare

      March 27, 2024 at 10:10 am

      @Dorothy A. Winsor:

      It was obvious in November 2020.  I wonder if my aunt still thinks Democrats will perform some switcheroo at the convention.  A few months ago she said she kept hearing that from people.  I asked point blank, which people?  She couldn’t answer.

      Reply
    38. 38.

      narya

      March 27, 2024 at 10:10 am

      @Soprano2: The guidance you’re talking about was absolutely one of the most helpful things that hospice provided to my mom, and the other was their ability to increase care provision as my dad’s needs changed. It doesn’t sound like he’s eligible for hospice yet, though if he is, that could be a path. Fingers crossed that the caseworker can point you in the right directions and line up help for you.

      Reply
    39. 39.

      No One You Know

      March 27, 2024 at 10:11 am

      @Soprano2: Wishing you luck, and also for help. Prayer gets laughed at, but sending an  intention of active goodwill into the world is a form of energy.  If God exists, I believe they are a physicist.

      Reply
    40. 40.

      Jeffro

      March 27, 2024 at 10:12 am

      Look how hard Post columnist Jason Willick tries to ignore the obvious: it’s a BFD that Pence (along with dozens of trumpov cabinet officials) refuses to endorse his own former boss.

      (pssst: Ramesh is, well, Ramesh and Alexi is the ‘moderator’ for this discussion)

      Why it’s nothing but heads in the sand (specifically Jason’s), all the way down!

      Alexi McCammond: Hey, guys! Would love your smarts on what’s going on with the GOP right now. Specifically, how big of a deal is it that Mike Pence refused to endorse Donald Trump for president this time around?

      Ramesh Ponnuru: It is a big deal historically. There is little precedent for a vice president to refuse to endorse the president he served under. Whether it will be a big deal politically is a different question. Add it to the extensive evidence that people who worked closely with Trump, and whom he himself selected to work with him, think he is unfit for office. Maybe the accumulated weight of that judgment will have some effect on voters.

      Jason Willick: Hi, Alexi! I actually don’t think it’s a big deal. Pence is just the latest high-level Trump administration official who has come out against his former boss. And he has done so in a less assertive way than others — stopping short of calling Trump a danger to the republic, for example. Trump chose Pence in 2016 as vice president because Pence was a very traditional conservative, and it appears that same traditional conservatism is leading Pence to decline to endorse Trump this time around.

      …Jason: I think the segment of Republicans who won’t vote for Trump because he is *insufficiently* conservative is small…I hate to say it, but I actually think the ideological flexibility that Pence is complaining about will be an asset to Trump with some voters.

      …Jason: One question is whether it’s possible to imagine a Biden administration that could have actually won the support of anti-Trump Republicans. Probably a stretch in this polarized era. But this administration has not tried to court those people in a meaningful way. From cutting the defense budget in real terms to trying to nuke the filibuster to change election laws to climate regulations and executive orders — it’s just hard for any serious conservative to affirmatively support Biden.

      and then here’s the kicker: moral qualms what moral qualms?!??

      Ramesh: For a Republican to refuse to endorse Trump hurts Trump, but not as much as an endorsement of Biden would. But those who decide to endorse neither are presumably not thinking first and foremost about how his decision will play politically; they are thinking about what they can morally countenance.

      Alexi: I feel like even if you’re motivated by a moral compass, then you should be organizing for an outcome that will be safe and prosperous for all — or most. But maybe I’m asking for too much! Anyway.

      Jason: I don’t agree that one has to choose one candidate or the other to endorse because one of them is likely to be president. I think endorsing neither is a legitimate exercise of one’s political freedom of association even if it doesn’t move the needle.

      Blithely dismissing the very real danger to our shared republic.  “Meh – I’m just not going to endorse either one”.  Must be nice to dance through life like that…

      Reply
    41. 41.

      Pennsylvanian

      March 27, 2024 at 10:14 am

      I think this trial is a bit different because these are criminal charges and not civil. These charges can result in prison time, not just fines and scolding. Trump is out on bail on this one, not just there for performance art before the press and doing his public griping. He can be remanded to jail at the discretion of the judge pending trial.

      Reply
    42. 42.

      Betty

      March 27, 2024 at 10:15 am

      I highly recommend the Infernal Triangle columns being written by Rick Perelstein at American Prospect. Today’s entry explains the historical antecedents to Trump’s xenophobic comments. An important history lesson.

      Reply
    43. 43.

      yellowdog

      March 27, 2024 at 10:15 am

      Trump will just say.’ Hey check out Z’s account.’ And then he gives all the the information, to Z to harass the jurors.

      Reply
    44. 44.

      Jeffro

      March 27, 2024 at 10:16 am

      @Dorothy A. Winsor: I know, right?

      The wishcasting and overthinking, it’s intense!

      Why would a highly successful president *not* run for re-election?  Especially when the threat to the republic from the orange moron is still present?  Especially considering the damage it would have done to our coalition?  It was never going to happen.

      What I can’t believe is how everything flowed from the GOP meekly going along with trump’s election lie.  If they had kicked his ass to the curb (just for costing them election after election, if nothing else), they’d have been able to move on.

      But here they are, lashed to the Titanic’s stern, band merrily playing away…

      Reply
    45. 45.

      Harrison Wesley

      March 27, 2024 at 10:19 am

      @Jeffro: Heads in the sand?  You’re too kind.

      Reply
    46. 46.

      Sure Lurkalot

      March 27, 2024 at 10:20 am

      @Soprano2: I wish you more than luck, S2. I hope with all my heart you get the assistance you and your dear husband need to deal with his illness so you can get some peace of mind to get through each day.

      Reply
    47. 47.

      Jeffro

      March 27, 2024 at 10:23 am

      Btw here was a good piece in the NYT today: Biden is Breaking Campaign Rule #1…And It Just Might Work

      (did y’all know that raising taxes on the rich…just because…is wildly popular?  especially in swing states!)

      Dark Brandon Just Might Know What He’s Doing

      Should we have trillionaires? Should we even have billionaires? According to at least one recent analysis, the economy is on track to mint its first trillionaire — that is one thousand billion — within a decade. Such staggering accumulations of wealth are made possible in large part by the fact that America’s federal tax burden is so comparatively light. After a long period of seeming to venerate the 1 percent, or the 1 percent of 1 percent of 1 percent, American sentiment is swinging hard against this imbalance.

      Now Joe Biden, behind in many polls and presiding over an economy that is objectively strong but politically unpopular, is hoping to boost his re-election bid with a policy idea that would once have been almost unthinkable: For this portion of the population, at least, he is vowing — almost gleefully — to raise taxes.

      Even for a popular president, this would seem like a huge risk. For a Democrat with low job approval ratings and precarious poll numbers on his handling of the economy, it’s a shocking rebuke to conventional wisdom — and practically an invitation to critics to call him a tax-and-spend liberal. But on the politics as well as the policy, Mr. Biden is making the right call. Economic ideas that were once dead on arrival are now gaining traction on both the left and the right. The moment has arrived for changes in the tax code — and maybe beyond.

      For at least the last half-century, raising taxes has been the third rail of American politics…

      No it hasn’t been – we’ve just been TOLD that, over and over.

      Anyway…

      Fast forward to Joe Biden, who is making $5 trillion in tax increases central to his re-election campaign. During his State of the Union speech this month, he even made fun of Republicans for favoring cuts. Getting the rich to pay their share is right up there with getting greedy companies to stop charging you junk fees and, he says, shrinking your Snickers bars.

      What explains the pivot? The president is following the money. Over the last decade, and even more since the pandemic, wealth concentration has shot up astonishingly. Elon Musk was worth about $25 billion in 2020 and at the end of 2023 was worth almost 10 times that. In 1990, there were nearly 70 American billionaires.  Today, there are nearly 700. To what earthly end are we encouraging trillionaires?

      It isn’t all outrage, though. A lot of it is common sense. As one of the wealthy nations with the lowest tax rate, the United States has put off investing in our families and children. This deferred maintenance is costly: Our child care, health care, family leave and higher education systems are, as a result, among the most expensive and least accessible in the world. Making these arenas a priority is affordable and effective, and they have waited far too long.

      Could we get past the sense that taxes are what the government takes, and toward an idea of taxes as a means of patriotism, a kitty we all pay into to build something for community use: a school, a library, a road, a college, a hospital?  Of course, taxes are only a civic good if the tax rules are perceived as being fair. Which is why Mr. Biden’s calculated risk could pay many dividends come November.

      It gets a little pie-in-the-sky at the end – almost no one is going to go, “awesome!  let’s pay our American unity taxes!” – but the point is the same: raising taxes on the rich is super, super popular.

      Reply
    48. 48.

      smith

      March 27, 2024 at 10:26 am

      @yellowdog: I’m pretty sure Merchan has ruled that the jurors’ identities are not to be publicized. TFG and his lawyers will have the info, but if they dox the jurors, there will be hell to pay.

      Unfortunately, the witnesses can’t be given the same protection, and the ones who are already publicly known, such as Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, are predictibly getting threatened. It amazes me the extent to which death threats for anyone who opposes anything having to do with TFG have been normalized.

      Reply
    49. 49.

      WaterGirl

      March 27, 2024 at 10:27 am

      @OzarkHillbilly: I would have bet even money on both of them, if both cases were still active.

      But since Chutkan’s is stalled out while the Supreme Court justices pick their respective noses while they give Trump several months of breathing room, my money is on Merchan.

      We shall see!

      Reply
    50. 50.

      WaterGirl

      March 27, 2024 at 10:28 am

      @Bobby Thomson:  Interesting!

      For plaintiffs, or for plaintiff’s attorneys?

      Reply
    51. 51.

      Soprano2

      March 27, 2024 at 10:29 am

      @narya: I’ve had people mention hospice to me, so that’s something I’ll ask them about. Hospice is evidently a lot more than end of life care.

      Reply
    52. 52.

      OzarkHillbilly

      March 27, 2024 at 10:29 am

      @Soprano2: Hope you can get some sleep while he’s there.

      Reply
    53. 53.

      Old School

      March 27, 2024 at 10:29 am

      @Soprano2: Good luck!  I hope you find the resources you are looking for.

      Reply
    54. 54.

      TBone

      March 27, 2024 at 10:31 am

      @Soprano2: historically, that hasn’t stopped insanity coming from the judiciary.  So I find it hopeful, but not inevitable.

      Reply
    55. 55.

      TBone

      March 27, 2024 at 10:32 am

      @Jeffro: 💙 ever hopeful but not foolishly so.  All things in moderation.

      Reply
    56. 56.

      TBone

      March 27, 2024 at 10:34 am

      @No One You Know: 💙 my mom advocated intentionality despite her atheist leanings, she’d have loved your comment as much as I do.  As her dementia progressed, she reverted to her Christian roots.

      Reply
    57. 57.

      Josie

      March 27, 2024 at 10:35 am

      @Soprano2: Yes. My mother had Alzheimer’s and was in hospice for such a long time that they had to re-up and change providers. Do check on that and keep asking if they turn you down at first.

      Reply
    58. 58.

      Brachiator

      March 27, 2024 at 10:38 am

      If Trump or his attorneys cross the line, I think they are going to be taught the meaning of power to punish for a criminal contempt.

      Trump loves to pull out his psychological Sharpie and try to redraw the line. His infantile ego sometimes seems to understand when to pull back. OTOH, he is largely in the mess he is in because he believes that he is above all laws, traditions and norms.

      Reply
    59. 59.

      eclare

      March 27, 2024 at 10:39 am

      @Soprano2:

      Jimmy Carter has been in hospice for over a year.  I’m sure he is getting world class care, but still, entering hospice doesn’t mean that the end is imminent.

      Reply
    60. 60.

      rikyrah

      March 27, 2024 at 10:43 am

      Good Morning Everyone 😊😊😊

      Reply
    61. 61.

      TBone

      March 27, 2024 at 10:46 am

      @Soprano2: some good info in this article if you’re not overwhelmed

      https://www.agingcare.com/Articles/Hospice-Care-for-Advanced-Dementia-When-Is-It-Time-200580.htm

      It speaks to Medicare requirements.

      Reply
    62. 62.

      Attempted Chemistry

      March 27, 2024 at 10:48 am

      @Soprano2: Correct, and there’s more in end-of-life care than just hospice. If hospice is not appropriate for the situation, they can usually recommend other forms of assistance.

      Reply
    63. 63.

      Attempted Chemistry

      March 27, 2024 at 10:51 am

      @Brachiator:

      To be fair, he frequently gets to be above all norms.

      Reply
    64. 64.

      Baud

      March 27, 2024 at 10:52 am

      @rikyrah:

      Good morning.

      Reply
    65. 65.

      Paul in KY

      March 27, 2024 at 10:56 am

      @Constance Reader: True dat.

      Reply
    66. 66.

      Paul in KY

      March 27, 2024 at 10:58 am

      @Soprano2: My dad was like that. He could be sicker than a dog, but a nice female nurse would come by and he’d perk up & everything was fine, etc. etc.

      You had to laugh about it.

      Reply
    67. 67.

      mvr

      March 27, 2024 at 11:00 am

      @Soprano2: Sincere wish of luck with all that. That’s all a lot of hard work.

      Reply
    68. 68.

      Paul in KY

      March 27, 2024 at 11:01 am

      @Jeffro: Who the fuck on our side has refused to endorse Biden?  Sinememema? Grandpa Blacklung? Bueller?  The Grifter Fake Black Guy?

      Reply
    69. 69.

      Paul in KY

      March 27, 2024 at 11:04 am

      @Jeffro: As long as it is easily and repeatedly explained to voters that these tax increases are ONLY on the ultra-wealthy and if they don’t pony up, then the non-ultra-wealthy has to, I think it will be a great campaign strategy!

      Need a good name for it. Something that Harry Truman would have thought of.  ‘The Greedy Pig Tax” or something like that.

      Reply
    70. 70.

      narya

      March 27, 2024 at 11:06 am

      @Soprano2: The way it worked for us is that a doctor had to certify that the person has a condition that will kill them if untreated (or if treatment is not possible). In our case, we had several conditions from which to choose–we chose the one that allowed as much other care as possible/as he wanted. We could have chosen COPD, but that would have meant no treatment (nebulizer, etc.) for that; thus, we chose the bladder cancer that he had already decided he no longer wanted to treat. I don’t know how it works in your case–if you don’t get a helpful answer, then call the local hospice folks directly. I did the initial calls and the hospice people were extremely helpful in understanding the requirements.

      Reply
    71. 71.

      Ghost of Joe Liebling’s Dog

      March 27, 2024 at 11:06 am

      @Paul in KY: “The Free-riding Billionaire Loafers tax” … ?

      Reply
    72. 72.

      Paul in KY

      March 27, 2024 at 11:07 am

      @Soprano2: If he’s on meds that would demonstrably lengthen his life, Hospice will remove them. They are about end of life and helping the patient get to that point with dignity and pain free and in home if at all possible.

      Reply
    73. 73.

      Ruckus

      March 27, 2024 at 11:09 am

      @hueyplong:

      Trump won’t go down without playing every card, however crooked, and his lawyers need to understand that they go first.

      When crooked contempt for every other breathing creature on earth is all you’ve got….

      SFB will push the limits as far as he is allowed, he is a far worse than useless human who absolutely believes that his shit doesn’t stink (which is why he stores it in his shorts) and that he can do whatever the hell he wants to do and no one can stop him or say no. And as we all know there are others in this world who think the same of themselves, but it is possible that they are smart enough to not display their ignorance and bruised ego so loudly that every single human on earth can hear them piss and moan that they are getting exactly what they deserve for being exactly what they think they are and attempting to prove it to the entire world.

      Reply
    74. 74.

      Jackie

      March 27, 2024 at 11:10 am

      @Paul in KY: Manchin isn’t endorsing Biden “at this time.” I really don’t think his endorsement or lack of will be a big f’n deal.
      https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4478050-manchin-isnt-endorsing-biden-or-anybody-right-now/amp/

      Reply
    75. 75.

      Paul in KY

      March 27, 2024 at 11:11 am

      @Ghost of Joe Liebling’s Dog: How about the “Loafing Fat Cats Tax”?

      Yours was good too.

      Reply
    76. 76.

      Paul in KY

      March 27, 2024 at 11:12 am

      @Jackie: I do think that jerk will come around and endorse Joe, after he’s milked all he can from his hemming routine.

      Sinememememea I couldn’t care less about.

      Thanks for that link!

      Reply
    77. 77.

      smith

      March 27, 2024 at 11:16 am

      @Jackie: Joe’s not going to win WV either way, so who cares?

      Reply
    78. 78.

      Geminid

      March 27, 2024 at 11:16 am

      @Jeffro: Rep. Bob No-Good brought his “The Freedom Fighters” tour to Scottsville this morning. His campaign scheduled 12 events yesterday, today and tomorrow. Allegedly, Reps. Matt Gaetz, Chip Roy, and former Rep. Mark Meadows are the other Republicans joining Good in his fight against freedom

      Most of the events are at restaurants so  they’re RSVP, but the Scottsville event was open, at the Downtown Pavilion where the Farmers Market is staged Saturday mornings. That could be why the “rally” was staged at 8 AM.

      Reply
    79. 79.

      Jager

      March 27, 2024 at 11:18 am

      @Paul in KY:

      A great friend of ours sings in an adult choral group, they did a Christmas concert at one of the assisted living places in the San Fernando Valley. Some of the seniors couldn’t leave their rooms. The chorus spread out to wish the bedridden Happy Holidays. Our friend who is a bright, shiny, attractive middle-aged woman, stepped into a room. The old guy in the bed perked up, smiled, and said “You’ve got great tits, show them to me!” Our friend laughed, “Not today but thanks for the compliment, Merry Christmas!” she left and headed down the hall, the old buck yelled at her, “Let’s get married, I’ll buy you a ring that will knock your socks off.” She told a nurse what happened, the nurse laughed, “He proposed to me twice last week.”

      Reply
    80. 80.

      Ruckus

      March 27, 2024 at 11:21 am

      @Soprano2:

      First of all – GOOD LUCK!

      Second, I hate to say this but there are times that human beings do not act within the “rules” of common behavior. Young humans do because they haven’t learned the rules – yet. Older humans do when they can’t remember or understand the rules, or just don’t give a damn. (SFB is in the category after this in that he thinks the rules do not apply to him, they can’t because he’s the best human in the entire world. And yes we all know that this is pure, unadulterated, bullshit. But then we aren’t and don’t have – Shit For Brains)

      Reply
    81. 81.

      Ruckus

      March 27, 2024 at 11:34 am

      @Jeffro:

      But here they are, lashed to the Titanic’s stern, band merrily playing away…

      I believe that the Titanic was a better ship than SFB is a human being and so I’m not sure that lashing them to the stern of the Titanic is appropriate. I mean the concept that he’s going down with the ship of fools and and tons of crap that he constantly shovels upon himself is extremely valid and the Titanic DID sink it’s just that might have been an unfortunate accident and this was predictable, given who and what SFB is.

      Reply
    82. 82.

      Ruckus

      March 27, 2024 at 11:43 am

      @smith:

      It amazes me the extent to which death threats for anyone who opposes anything having to do with TFG have been normalized.

      I have to ask why? SFB is leading, inspiring who? 1. People who believe in democracy? 2. People who believe in hate, racism and the absolute almighty dollar over every other thing on the planet?

      I’m going with 2. He’s the leader for people like himself, people who think that their shit doesn’t stink. It can’t IT’S THEIR’S! People who then continue to prove that their shit does stink, by spreading it all over everything within poo flinging range.

      Reply
    83. 83.

      Jeffro

      March 27, 2024 at 11:50 am

      @Paul in KY:‘The Greedy Pig Tax” or something like that.

      love it!

      Reply
    84. 84.

      Jeffro

      March 27, 2024 at 11:52 am

      @Geminid: Ye gods

      Imagine having Matt Gaetz campaign for you.

      Imagine being in a party where that might be a positive with your base.

      (barf)

      Reply
    85. 85.

      Ruckus

      March 27, 2024 at 11:54 am

      @Soprano2:

      Yes hospice is far more than end of life care. One of my parents needed it and it was extremely good for them. And it made having to worry about that parent go down a noticeable amount. A voice of first hand experience speaking. It was, as the saying goes, a godsend. Being on a first level relationship to someone needing constant care is hard, having to provide 98% of that care is a lot harder.

      Reply
    86. 86.

      Captain C

      March 27, 2024 at 12:02 pm

      If Trump or his attorneys cross the line, I think they are going to be taught the meaning of power to punish for a criminal contempt.

      Not that he’ll get sent there, but I would pay to see a video/audio feed of TIFG having to share a cell with Sam Bank-Fraud at MDC Brooklyn (which is walking distance from my pad).

      Reply
    87. 87.

      Brachiator

      March 27, 2024 at 12:04 pm

      @Attempted Chemistry:

      To be fair, he frequently gets to be above all norms.

      True enough, but mainly because of his enablers.

      This is the sad thing, that so many Republican leaders love Trump more than they love democracy and their country.

      Reply
    88. 88.

      Sister Golden Bear

      March 27, 2024 at 12:08 pm

      Well that didn’t take long…. Trump Again Sics Cultists On NYC Judge’s Daughter this morning.

      Reply
    89. 89.

      Geminid

      March 27, 2024 at 12:26 pm

      @Jeffro: It’s an interesting intra-party fight. Good and his challenger, state Senator John McGuire, both are of the ultra-conservative wing and their fight is more about power than ideology. Good’s biggest weakness is his endorsement of Ron DeSantis, and McGuire won’t stop pounding that issue even though Good promptly endorsed Trump once DeSantis quit.

      Also, the House Republican infighting has spilled into the 5th CD primary. Good is one of the 8 Republicans who helped topple Kraven McCarthy, and McCarthy has vowed revenge. So has Marjorie Trailer Greene, so she and McCarthy have endorsed McGuire.

      Reply
    90. 90.

      Miss Bianca

      March 27, 2024 at 12:34 pm

      @Sister Golden Bear: This is after Trump got slapped with a gag order?

      Reply
    91. 91.

      rikyrah

      March 27, 2024 at 12:37 pm

      @Jeffro:

      Btw here was a good piece in the NYT today: Biden is Breaking Campaign Rule #1…And It Just Might Work

      (did y’all know that raising taxes on the rich…just because…is wildly popular?  especially in swing states!)

       

      It doesn’t hurt that so many of the rich continue to outrage people by the ridiculous shyt they say out loud that make people nod in agreement when someone says ‘ eat the rich’.

      Reply
    92. 92.

      Ruckus

      March 27, 2024 at 12:41 pm

      @Miss Bianca:

      Do you really think that SFB cares about a gag order?

      He’s shitforbrains, he does not live in reality. At least not the one that most of us live in. He thinks he is above all of us, especially the slime that does not think he is the perfect human and that he deserves that all of us do something extremely disgusting to him, just so he can hold it over us.

      Some days I really do hope there is an afterlife so that I’d know that SFB ends up in hell for being SFB.

      Reply
    93. 93.

      Paul in KY

      March 27, 2024 at 1:04 pm

      @smith: I care. Manchin is a Democrat and should endorse a successful Democratic President (like Joe).

      Reply
    94. 94.

      Paul in KY

      March 27, 2024 at 1:06 pm

      @Jager: Dad wasn’t quite that crass, but same ideas! I miss him.

      Reply
    95. 95.

      Paul in KY

      March 27, 2024 at 1:09 pm

      @Brachiator: They only love him as a ‘useful idiot’ to their fleecing Federal Government of anything they can steal. Horrible people all.

      Reply
    96. 96.

      Paul in KY

      March 27, 2024 at 1:11 pm

      @Sister Golden Bear: Well, he’s just taken a big crap on that judge’s gag order. Let’s see how many divisions/court orders Judge Merchan has.

      I would assume his lawyers are drinking.

      Reply
    97. 97.

      Captain C

      March 27, 2024 at 1:20 pm

      @Paul in KY:

      I would assume his lawyers are drinking.

      Your Honor, I move that the Contempt hearing be delayed 24-hours so I can sober up and recover from my hangover a bit.

      Reply
    98. 98.

      Paul in KY

      March 27, 2024 at 1:49 pm

      @Captain C: The judge would probably be understanding in that case.

      Reply
    99. 99.

      Denali5

      March 27, 2024 at 3:16 pm

      @Soprano2:

      A friend of mine whose husband has dementia has an aide during the day. I believe it is possible if you have long term care insurance for the insurance to pay for it, if the aides are approved. Please investigate all possibilities. You cannot be a good caretaker when you are exhausted.

      Reply
    100. 100.

      greenergood

      March 27, 2024 at 5:55 pm

      @Jeffro: ​
        I might be a bit over-dramatic about this, but I do wonder about Repugs like Pence and many others, who are genuinely worried about what happens to them and their families, if they completely renounce/deplore/condemn the MAGA King, as opposed to just politely stepping aside. There’s already been Republican pols on a county/state level who are retiring, withdrawing from public office due to fear of retribution. JFC, the mob wanted to HANG Pence! That would certainly put Pence off endorsing the Flatulent Fascist, but might make you avoid complete condemnation if you feared for your own life and your family’s. NB: no sympathy for Pence, just MAGA reality stomping in – for him, and many others

      Reply
    101. 101.

      Ruckus

      March 27, 2024 at 8:40 pm

      @Denali5:

      You cannot be a good caretaker (when you are exhausted) 24 hrs a day. Share the load. Medical personal do not work 24/7. Neither can anyone else. When you are young you may be able to get away with it once in a great while. When you get up to geezer age, you can’t do it at all. I’ll leave when someone gets to geezer age up to each one of us to figure out, but you will know.

      Reply

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