Today is Sunday, January 7, 2024.   In a new poll released on the third anniversary of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, it appears that most Americans are increasingly moving toward putting the unsavory incident in the rearview mirror, according to an online article for Benzinga by Shanthi Rexaline entitled “Should Trump Be On Primary Ballots?    Majority of Americans Agree as GOP Voters Now Feel Less Strongly About Jan. 6 Riots, Poll Finds.” 

A new CBS News/YouGov poll has discovered that a majority of Americans are in favor of states retaining Donald Trump’s name on the ballots.  Fifty-four percent of the respondents supported retaining Chump’s name on the ballots compared to 46 percent who wanted his name off the ballots.    The sad survey was conducted among 2,157 U.S. adults interviewed between January 3 and January 5.

About 90 percent of repugnicans and 56 percent of independents want the former president on the ballots, while only 19 percent of Democrats feel the same.  Support for keeping Dump on the ballots was more prominent among males and those over 30 years old. 

Because of Chump poisoning the tradition of a peaceful transition of power in the presidential election of 2020, the aftermath has left people less hopeful of peaceful presidential transitions in the future.    According to the survey, the percentage of people who feel the losing side will accept the outcome of any given presidential election peacefully in the future is only slightly higher than those who think otherwise, with the ratio at 51 percent to 49 percent. 

The percentage of people who believe President Joe Biden was the legitimate winner in the 2020 election was 61 percent, while the remaining said they did not consider him as the legitimate winner.  

The numbers of people responding who said that the actions taken by the insurrectionists should be disapproved of have waned since the actual riots took place three years ago.  CBS News noted that the strength of disapproval among repugnicans has waned since the revolt.  As opposed to half of the GOP voters who strongly disapproved then, only 32 percent strongly disapprove currently. 

The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday it will decide whether Dump has to be kept off the ballots on the grounds that he engaged in election subversion.  The high court has taken up the case from the Colorado Supreme Court and will aim to issue a ruling quickly, given that state primaries will be held beginning on January 23.   

In connection with another burning Dump issue, a federal appeals court in Washington will hear on Tuesday arguments on a question of vital interest to the rule of law:  whether former president Frump is immune from prosecution for alleged crimes related to his elaborate efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.   As you would expect, the Los Angeles Times editorial board weighed in on the subject and comes out slamming the arguments as “laughable, unpersuasive, and dangerous to democracy.”     In their editorial, the Times board says:  the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit must reject Trump’s claim, not only to ensure that he faces a jury but also to deter further presidents from acting criminally – and not just when they try to cling to office after losing an election.”

The Supreme Court declined a request from special counsel Jack Smith to rule on this case before the appeals court weighed in.   If the appeals court rules in a timely fashion, the high court could still review the immunity issue in time for Dump to be put on trial before the Republican National Convention in July.

If the appeals court actually rules in favor of the son of a bitch, then what would deter the sitting president from ordering the National Guard to put a stop to his most loathsome political opponent, Donald J. Trump?    To assassinate him!   If such expansive concepts of presidential immunity would prevail under this inappropriate ruling, what would stop a future president from accepting a bribe in exchange for directing a lucrative government contract to the payer; what would stop a future president from instructing the FBI director to plant incriminating evidence on a political enemy.     What would stop a future president then from selling nuclear secrets to a foreign adversary, which is what former president Dump might have done already.    Who knows?

The Times board concluded that Trump poses a continuing threat to democracy in this country and that the appeals court must rule against him in order to preserve a shred of it going forward. 

Today marked our second day with our new handsome guy, Atticus.  He appears to have adjusted to being in the bathroom so far.     He slept the night and today Elliot allowed him carte blanche in the living room.  In fact, when we invited our downstairs neighbor and acquaintance for dinner, “Diane,” Atticus enjoyed being the object of attention for all of us.   He scampered clear across the living room floor and enjoyed playing the turbo scratcher cat toy with the plastic ball in the middle.  He didn’t hide the entire time Diane sat in the living room.    I think that’s quite an achievement, given that this was his second day living with us, and that Diane was a stranger to him.    We hope to take him out of the bathroom tomorrow and isolate him in the kitchen after this.    He’ll have more room there.     Elliot still maintains Atticus is younger than a year – he feels he’s just about 6 months old.  We won’t know until we take him to the vet on January 30. 

It’s time to wish everyone a good week.

Stay safe and be well.

  

Atticus looks very comfortable here on the living room carpet and playing with his cat toy.