Links and Comments: Law and Order except for T***p; Capitalism except for the rich

Republican motivated reasoning about the legality of the impeachment trial; Thomas L. Friedman (NYT) on “Socialism for the Rich. Capitalism for the Rest.”

CNN: Rand Paul calls impeachment ‘dead on arrival’ after most Republicans signal that trial is unconstitutional

Slate: Republicans’ Arguments Against Impeachment Converge Into Nonsense

Only Republicans are persuaded by the argument that the trial is unconstitutional. Motivated reasoning.

Washington Post: Nearly all GOP senators vote against impeachment trial for Trump, signaling likely acquittal

Because Republicans are the party of law and order, of personal accountability and responsibility, as they like to claim. Except when it comes to Trump. Can you imagine how Republicans would have responded if Obama or Hillary would have done anything remotely close to what Trump has done?

Quite telling is a clip I saw on the TV news this morning, Lindsey Graham saying, “Trump needs the Republicans and the Republicans need Trump.”

So the Republican party cannot survive without all the racists, loony-bins, and cultists who will follow Trump no matter what he does? Then I suggest the Republican party is not worth saving; its principles, if they ever had any, are void.

Or perhaps Graham is worried that Trump, as he has suggested, might form his own MAGA party. If that happened, Republican support would shrink by maybe half. And they would never win national elections again. Go for it!

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NYT: Made in the U.S.A.: Socialism for the Rich. Capitalism for the Rest.

Thomas L. Friedman reminds us of the Republican’s perennial policies that benefit the wealthy, never mind the deficit, but short-change the ordinary and the poor, because deficit.

Donald Trump ran up budget deficits in his first three years to levels seen in our history only during major wars and financial crises — thanks to tax cuts, military spending and little fiscal discipline. And he did so prepandemic, when the economy was already expanding and unemployment was low. But now that Joe Biden wants to spend more on pandemic relief and prevent the economy from tanking further, many Republicans — on cue — are rediscovering their deficit hawk wings.

What frauds.