“Trump tried to steal an election
… and, so far, none of these defenders have mounted a serious defense against the charge. Instead, they carp about the lack of Trump defenders on the committee. As far as it goes, it’s a fair complaint. It just doesn’t go very far. Heck, even Donald Trump blames Kevin McCarthy for it. But there’s nothing stopping the carpers from offering a defense on TV or outside the hearing room.” — Jonah Goldberg.
How did Mike Pence become a RINO?
Gerard Baker in the Wall Street Journal
 :
“The stolen-election theory carries many of the requisite concoctions of all fabricated conspiracies. But none are as implausible as the premise that the people who stopped Mr. Trump from claiming his rightful re-election were all sinister figures conspiring to hand the reins of power to the illegitimate Joe Biden.
“Because it hasn’t been Adam Schiff and his comrades who have made the most effective case against Donald Trump. It has been Mr. Trump’s own, handpicked people. Think about the list of conspirators that you would have to conclude had somehow become late-convert enemies of Mr. Trump (and American democracy) to believe the former President’s story.
“Mike Pence, impeccable servant of the Republican Party, loyal (crueler observers might say servile) supporter of the former President, who sometime between Nov. 3 and Jan. 6 became a notorious RINO and traitor.
“William Barr, perhaps the most effective defender of Mr. Trump through the mostly manufactured controversies of his term, but who somehow became a double agent for Mr. Biden after the election.
“Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, who stood down Stacey Abrams’s race-baiting charges of a stolen election himself and proved himself a strong conservative in office but somehow plotted with fellow Republicans in the state to confirm a fraudulent victory for his political opponents.”
Get your shine box
Tom Nichols in The Atlantic Daily:
“The January 6 committee, however, deserves a great deal of credit for illuminating the dangerous mediocrities on whom Trump relied for his mischief — the men and women who were certain that their moment had finally arrived. These people — call them the Third String —t hought that they were finally going to The Show, and they were going to burn the Constitution if that’s what it took to stay there.
“Consider, for example, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, a minor Justice Department official who sought to oust his own boss and get Trump to make him the attorney general, after which Clark would try to overturn the election results. … Clark got his comeuppance in a meeting in the Oval Office when Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue warned Trump that any such appointment would lead to mass resignations, and told Clark: “You’re an environmental lawyer. How about you go back to your office, and we’ll call you when there’s an oil spill.”
And then there’s John Eastman …
Ann Coulter on 2000 Mules
First, the movie doesn’t show what it says it shows.
• Cellphone tracking isn’t precise enough to distinguish between liberal activists stuffing drop boxes, and store owners, police officers, delivery men and others who have perfectly legitimate reasons to be within a few yards of the same drop box every day.
• In all five battleground states D’Souza considers, it is perfectly legal for third parties to drop off ballots for others, with varying degrees of lenience. …
• Even if every cellphone dot represented a left-wing organizer illegally dropping off another person’s ballot, that still wouldn’t make the ballot invalid. A legal ballot can be illegally delivered, although the guy who delivered it might be in trouble. — (More here.)
A couple of years ago I was reading some cookbook reviews on Amazon, and a British guy shared some very mild critiques of the cookbook. Sure enough, almost immediately, someone started taking potshots at the guy because he was British, and the next thing I knew, others were piling on, insulting the Brits. And these were supposed to be COOKBOOK reviews! I truly mean no disrespect to anyone here, but can’t we Americans do better than this? I am getting so tired of this “all angry, all the time” level of readers’ commentary, and long for the civil, reasonably intelligent discourse that used to be possible in this country.
Education
Blaska Policy Werkes 
Totally agree with her, but you just have to learn to ignore them and contribute your thoughts in the best way that you can. It is a waste of time to read the bickering. Don’t these guys work?! LOL I also agree that your reporting, Dave, is A++.
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Amen. (shoot, now I will be attacked for being Catholic)
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Papist!
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I grant you absolution. No, I’m not a priest, but I’m really good friends with one.
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“they’re the worst!!” (according to a BLM protester whom I told I was Catholic, when I had said something about God and they asked my religion) I don’t actually know what he meant by it, but he truly did not like me. I had criticized State Street being smashed, and other destructive and violent acts that these individuals had no problem with.
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Totally agree, and maybe the commentators she is referring to hopefully come to understand that
it’s only David’s belief in free speech, so essential these days, which is why their tiresome and juvenile posts show up every day to accompany this indispensable blog. Thank you, David, for everything you are doing to help Madison. I think this blog is far and away the most important source of real information and sane thinking in regards to Madison’s current and wholly unnecessary troubles that I know of. And yes, your tolerance of the accompanying immature and egotistical hangers-on, once again says a lot for your own maturity and respect for free speech.
Keep up the great work!
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Thank you.
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Hear, hear! I’ve pretty much stopped reading the comments because they invariably degenerate into a kindergarten playground conversation. I don’t mind people who disagree, but what’s typical now is childish, personal attacks on the people rather than a heated, hopefully reasoned discussion of the issue. No one has a monopoly on truth and the solution to many of our issues is likely somewhere in the middle, not on either fringe or side. I hope we can find that again and try to find the greater good.
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If you all think the commentary here is bad try a site like Jonathan Turley’s blog, there are trolls roaming free insulting everyone and there’s absolutely no moderation. That’s not a rationalization it’s a fact. The reason I bring it up is that Dave actually does a decent job of balancing moderation vs allowing some freedom of speech with the boundaries he chooses to put in place. I appreciate Dave’s candor with commenters when it happens to get a bit out of hand and he brings in the pest control guy to clean it up.
Diane,
Participate and speak your mind but please understand that not everyone will politely agree to disagree. Just have a little thick skin and walk away from a particular conversation if it’s more than you want to deal with knowing that you’ve stated what you wanted to state and remember that they can’t reach through the screen. Heck I’ve used the phrase “we’re done in this thread” far more times than I’d like to on a variety of sites, some respect my ending of the conversation and some ignore it an babble on like immature fools trying to suck me back in, I just ignore them.
Anyway; welcome to the fold.
Steve
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Diane, we have our trolls here too, but the vast majority of commentators here are passionate, but decent.
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It wasn’t ME, it was the “Bad Kids”
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DANG yer eyes; now The Gotch’ll have to come up with something else…
The Gotch
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I choose to comment on Blaska’s Das Werkes about das werkes, not about other commntators. C’mon Karen, your vrtue-signaling slip is showing.
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Diane: A. Likely you checked on a day when the “Troll” needed a slap-down. Most days, he doesn’t say a word, B/C he knows he cannot contribute to a meaningful discussion. B. The folks that “agreed” with your comment hardly ever/never post here, they seem to just lurk. Yep, we’re all passionate BUT truthful. I suggest ya monitor this site for a tad more time B4 you judge -no “bickering” goes on of any importance, nor does this site resemble kindergarten in any way. That’s my suggestion if you want your posts to be valid here.
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Sometimes I read comments just to know who I am dealing with in community. I am usually appalled, but they inspire me to soldier on in debunking, raising awareness, and educating the malinformed.
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Thanks Diane for your comment about backing away from this blog. I have for quite some time followed this blog and find Mr. Blaska’s topic selections timely, accurate
refreshing and informative. I’ve made only two comments during this blog experience and after the my last comment got blasted out of the water by fingers that took over for their brain cells. I quit commenting.
I’m 72 years old , born and raised in Madison, West High graduate, Marine Corps Vietnam Combat Vet. (Not a REMF) UW Madison BA. MPA. 28 years retired law enforcement. I had the rare experience of my major Sociology Professor stating numerous times “My job is too teach you HOW to think not WHAT to think. I set a goal for myself many years ago to try and learn something new and different every single day. This Blog on some days really meets that goal! Name calling and emotional melt downs are counter productive. I shouldn’t be complaining! I feel like the luckiest man in the world to still be alive and still living in Madison, Wi. I do yearn for those good old days on Loruth terrace when Life was a lot simpler and a helluva lot safer!!
Thanks for this Blog Mr. Blaska!!
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Honor to have you aboard, sir.
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