The Daily Escape:

Morning storm, Grays Beach, Cape Cod, MA – August 2022 photo by David J. Long
Itâs good to be back. Did Wrongo miss anything besides the fraught decision by a Trump-appointed judge about the FBIâs search of Mar-a-Lago (MAL)? Or, the contrasting apocalyptic speeches by Biden and Trump?
First, with the end of summer in sight, a few words about what Wrongo did on his vacation. We attended a Judy Collins concert at Tanglewood, MA. At 83, her voice remains remarkable. She opened with âBoth Sides Nowâ and although Joni Mitchell owns the songâs copyright, Judy Collins owns the song. Collins performed songs by many other artists and led the crowd in several folk-style sing alongs. It was a very worthwhile evening.
Letâs turn to the two big news items that occurred over the Labor Day break.
First, the competing views of America by President Biden and the former president. Last Thursday, Biden gave a speech identifying Trump and MAGA Republicans as a threat to democracy. Then on Saturday, Trump gave a speech in Pennsylvania that proved Bidenâs point.
Trump reprised his âPocahontasâ attack on Elizabeth Warren. He claimed that the FBI planted evidence at MAL. He called for the death penalty for drug dealers, and a ban on electric vehicles. Trump took on the FBI and DOJ:
âThe FBI and the Justice Department have become vicious monsters, controlled by radical left scoundrels, lawyers and the media, who tell them what to do.â
David Frum in The Atlantic:
âFor the 2022 election cycle, smart Republicans had a clear and simple plan: Donât let the election be about Trump. Make it about gas prices, or crime, or the border, or race, or sex education, or anythingâanything but Trump….Republicans had good reason to dread the havoc heâd create if he joined the fight in 2022.â
Now, Bidenâs attacks have pushed Trump over the edge â exactly where Democrats want him in the run-up to the midterms. More from Frum:
âBiden dangled the bait. Trump took itâand put his whole party on the hook with him. Republican leaders are left with little choice but to pretend to like it.â
Sounds hopeful to Wrongo.
Second, Monday brought the order by federal judge Aileen Cannon approving Trumpâs request to appoint a special master to review the documents seized by the FBI from MAL. This stops at least temporarily, federal prosecutors from using those documents in their investigation into obstruction and mishandling of government secrets by Trump.
From a political viewpoint, while her incorrect reading of the facts and the law may slow the investigation, the DOJ was never going to indict Trump before the midterms. Theyâre saying they are still at the early stages of the investigation.
The judgeâs decision is wrong, because stolen defense secrets arenât privileged; they are the evidence that Trump committed a crime.
It seems clear that the DOJ hasnât decided whether to appeal her decision to the 11th Circuit, or to play out the special master fight. Of course, it could start by complying with the order and then appeal once the judge has: a) selected a special master, and b) provided instructions on the scope and duration of effort by the special master.
The DOJâs delay may be caused by the fact that after an appeal to the 11th Circuit, any further appeal is first heard by a single Supreme Court Justice before it goes on to an expanded Supreme Court hearing. In this case, that initial hearing would be before Justice Clarence Thomas, who would likely side with Trump.
Like in Bidenâs attack on democracy strategy, Trumpâs theft of government secrets will remain a front page story throughout the mid-terms, and regardless of what happens afterwards, all the way to the 2024 presidential election.
The end game politically is to persuade the few persuadables on the Right, along with the majority of Independents to agree with Biden: That weâre in a âwarâ about the future of our democracy. The threat from one side of our political spectrum is grave. And itâs Bidenâs obligation to do whatever he can to pull people away from the brink. On Friday, Biden said to Peter Doocy on FOX:
âI donât consider Trump supporters a threat to the country. I do think anyone who calls for the use of violence, refuses to acknowledge an election….changing the way you count votes, that is a threat to democracy.â
That clarifies a message that could reach a few Republicans. They and most Independents should then vote with the Dems in November. The Dems now need to carry that message to its logical conclusion.
These can be good developments for Democrats. Before the Dobbs decision and the raid on MAL, Republicans had convinced Americans that the greatest threat to democracy was high gasoline prices.
Now Dems should be going for a win.
