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Fiendish Thingy

(19,023 posts)
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 01:14 PM Dec 2024

Emptywheel: the Opportunity Costs of Conspiracy Theories About Merrick Garland

(Somebody needed to post it, might as well be me)

https://www.emptywheel.net/2024/12/30/the-opportunity-costs-of-conspiracy-theories-about-merrick-garland/

You have a choice.

You can spend the next few weeks laying the groundwork for making a big stink about the fact that the aspiring FBI Director tried to help Trump steal classified documents.

Or you can spend it clinging to false claims about Merrick Garland so you can blame him for the fact that Trump won reelection rather than blaming the guy directly responsible for preventing a trial (and the guy who’ll remain responsible for Trump’s license going forward), John Roberts, to say nothing of the failed Democratic consultants and voters themselves.

(Snip)

I could give a flying fuck about Merrick Garland. What I care about is that at a time when we need to start establishing means of accountability for a second Trump term, much of the Democratic world has chosen instead to wallow in false claims about the Trump investigation in order to make Garland a scapegoat, rather than the guy directly responsible, John Roberts. It’s classical conspiracy thinking. Something really bad happened (Trump got elected), it’s not entirely clear why (because almost no one bothers to learn the details I’ve laid out here, to say nothing of considering the political work that didn’t happen to make Trump own this), and so people simply invent explanations. Every time those explanations get debunked, people double down on the theory — it’s Garland’s fault — rather than reconsidering their chosen explanation.

And those explanations have the effect of distracting attention from Roberts. Rather than talking about how six partisan Justices rewrote the Constitution to give the leader of the GOP a pass on egregious crimes, Democrats are choosing to blame a guy who encouraged prosecutors to follow the money in March 2021.

It’s a choice. And it’s a choice that guarantees maximal impotence. It’s a choice that eschews actual facts (and therefore the means to actually learn what happened). It’s a choice that embraces irrational conspiracy thinking (which makes people weak and ripe for manipulation by authoritarians). It’s a choice that distracts from Roberts’ role.

And there is a better, more urgent, option.


(Bolding is mine)

Much, much more detailed, evidence-based opinion and analysis (with supporting links) at the link, including a very interesting discussion about what might be in Jack Smith’s report, it’s potential impact, and the chance Trump may seek to enjoin its release.

Reminder: scapegoating takes minimal effort, effective resistance takes critical thinking and hard work.

You have a choice.

I triple-dog-dare you to read the whole thing.

Yours sincerely, from the reality-based community,
FT

22 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Emptywheel: the Opportunity Costs of Conspiracy Theories About Merrick Garland (Original Post) Fiendish Thingy Dec 2024 OP
Well said. Thank you. OLDMDDEM Dec 2024 #1
For God's sake, leave it alone, dudette. Fu_k Garland. He screwed up big time. brush Dec 2024 #4
Worse than Bill Barr? I don't think so. Ocelot II Dec 2024 #5
Point taken. Just as bad though. He didn't get a traitor president... brush Dec 2024 #6
Thanks for posting this. Emptywheel is a thoughtful writer Ocelot II Dec 2024 #2
I can walk and chew gum at the same time, roscoeroscoe Dec 2024 #3
Absolutely. Well said. Agreed 100 percent. brush Dec 2024 #7
You've made your choice Fiendish Thingy Dec 2024 #8
As it happens, roscoeroscoe Dec 2024 #10
Your hot take is not supported by the publicly available evidence Fiendish Thingy Dec 2024 #11
Man you are sitting on this thread roscoeroscoe Dec 2024 #13
You've missed the point entirely Fiendish Thingy Dec 2024 #15
Once again gab13by13 Dec 2024 #9
Good list... roscoeroscoe Dec 2024 #12
Thanks for acknowledging that you didn't read the article Fiendish Thingy Dec 2024 #14
"Democrats and lefties" ? Think. Again. Dec 2024 #16
Garland dragged his heels and did nothing, knowing the consequences and the time limits. lees1975 Dec 2024 #17
I just want to hear Garland say -- just one more time -- how "no one is above the law." Intractable Dec 2024 #18
grain of salt Kali999 Jan 2025 #19
Greenwald and Taibbi need to be called out Fiendish Thingy Jan 2025 #20
I agree Kali999 Jan 2025 #21
I find her well informed, well sourced and fearless Fiendish Thingy Jan 2025 #22

brush

(59,419 posts)
4. For God's sake, leave it alone, dudette. Fu_k Garland. He screwed up big time.
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 01:29 PM
Dec 2024

Historically so. The worst AG since John Mitchell, and we've hasd some stinkers since then.

Period.

brush

(59,419 posts)
6. Point taken. Just as bad though. He didn't get a traitor president...
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 01:36 PM
Dec 2024

Last edited Tue Dec 31, 2024, 05:51 PM - Edit history (1)

convicted of an insurrection against the US government that we all saw his guilt on national TV.

Again, we all saw trump's guilt on TV.

Ocelot II

(123,950 posts)
2. Thanks for posting this. Emptywheel is a thoughtful writer
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 01:22 PM
Dec 2024

and she has clearly done a lot of research on this topic. Too often, fingers are pointed in the wrong direction, and if we're going to be pointing fingers at all it does us no good to be jerking knees as well. It's very awkward and you can fall over.

roscoeroscoe

(1,710 posts)
3. I can walk and chew gum at the same time,
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 01:25 PM
Dec 2024

And carry two thoughts as well. Garland will go down as a historic failure, and the task now falls to the resistance in the days to come.

Let his name be an example of weakness and cowardice for many, many years. May he rest uneasy through his nights and wander the halls looking for peace, unfulfilled. Sorry, but that's what he deserves.

Fiendish Thingy

(19,023 posts)
8. You've made your choice
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 01:55 PM
Dec 2024

Thanks for acknowledging that you didn’t bother to read the whole article.

roscoeroscoe

(1,710 posts)
10. As it happens,
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 02:21 PM
Dec 2024

At work I can't open a lot of website, luckily I can open DU. However, I can't imagine changing my opinion of Garland. My hot take: Garland was hoping Trump would just go away, and spent months wishing he wouldn't have to do anything. Well, don't take the job if you're not ready to take the heat.

Fiendish Thingy

(19,023 posts)
11. Your hot take is not supported by the publicly available evidence
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 02:27 PM
Dec 2024

Much of that evidence is summarized in the article.

Hope you choose to take the time to read the whole article when you get home.

roscoeroscoe

(1,710 posts)
13. Man you are sitting on this thread
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 02:28 PM
Dec 2024

How is it so offensive to you that a number of people view Garland in a negative light?

Fiendish Thingy

(19,023 posts)
15. You've missed the point entirely
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 02:36 PM
Dec 2024

The point is this:

By accepting without question, critique or examination the “blame Garland instead of SCOTUS” CT narrative, Democrats’ capacity to effectively resist and hold accountable the incoming Trump administration is significantly weakened.

As Marcy says in her article, I could give a flying fuck about Merrick Garland.

It’s the abandonment of fact based reality that offends me.

gab13by13

(27,397 posts)
9. Once again
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 02:16 PM
Dec 2024

A post about how people lied about Garland with absolutely no examples, nothing specific.

Garland shit canned the Ken Chesebro and Mark Meadows J6 criminal referrals.

Garland shit canned Dana Nessel’s criminal referral for the Michigan Fake electors.

Waiting on Garland to release the Mueller report.

I don’t expect Garland will release much of the Smith reports even though he did release all of the Hur report that slandered President Biden. Joe was so furious he had his White House counsel write a blistering letter to Garland.

Justice delayed was indeed justice denied.

Fiendish Thingy

(19,023 posts)
14. Thanks for acknowledging that you didn't read the article
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 02:30 PM
Dec 2024

Lots of specific examples , and links to more facts and evidence refuting the Garland-as-scapegoat CT in the linked article.

Think. Again.

(22,330 posts)
16. "Democrats and lefties" ?
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 02:51 PM
Dec 2024

That's a weird thing to say.

Anyway, whenever someone leans on the accusation of "conspiracy theory!" as a defense, I tend to tune them out.

But here's the bottom line: after 4 years, garland's doj did not successfully prosecute the most flagrant crime in U.S. history (that we all watched live on tv).

And yes, the current supreme court sucks, we all know that, and we all know the Smith report (if we ever see it) will be meaningless since garland's doj did not successfully prosecute the most flagrant crime in U.S. history that we all watched happening live on tv .

She is right about one thing, once garland is out (unless trump decides to just keep him), he won't matter in the least anymore.

lees1975

(6,372 posts)
17. Garland dragged his heels and did nothing, knowing the consequences and the time limits.
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 05:39 PM
Dec 2024

It's become clear that the immunity ruling of the Supreme Court does not reach so far as to protect Trump from being adjudicated as a felon insurrectionist.

So this is pretty much baloney. It's going in the trash where it belongs.

Intractable

(958 posts)
18. I just want to hear Garland say -- just one more time -- how "no one is above the law."
Mon Dec 30, 2024, 05:56 PM
Dec 2024

It gives me chills and thrills every time. So do horror movies. They are also fictional.

He's so bold at press conferences.

Kali999

(152 posts)
19. grain of salt
Thu Jan 2, 2025, 06:09 AM
Jan 2025

I read her sometimes. Got bored with her constant Garland defense. She's always calling out Greenwald and Taibbi. And she hated Obama. And the Fitzpatrick deal was disappointing.

Kali999

(152 posts)
21. I agree
Thu Jan 2, 2025, 03:10 PM
Jan 2025

However for someone who said we shouldn't always talk about Trump, she gave them attention on a regular basis's. We all know they were traitors so it grated on me. I like her but she grates on me and seems a bit pompous

Fiendish Thingy

(19,023 posts)
22. I find her well informed, well sourced and fearless
Thu Jan 2, 2025, 03:24 PM
Jan 2025

She isn’t afraid to challenge widely accepted myths, including myths accepted by MAGA, by Dems, and by the MSM.

She lays out her arguments with detailed, verifiable facts from trustworthy sources, including court transcripts that most reporters are too lazy to examine and analyze in any depth.

Following her reporting can be daunting and exhausting with the tremendous amount of information she provides, so I tend to focus on the stories that interest me the most, especially the Trump investigations and prosecutions. The Hunter Biden stuff and other legal scandals are just too much too absorb, so I generally pass on those.

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