1868
Congress says a president can’t fire a cabinet officer.
President fires cabinet officer.
House: Impeach the president!
Senate: Nope
1972
President’s party carries out illegal operations against opposing party, followed by a cover-up that made use of government agencies.
House: Impeach the …
President, “No, wait, I resign!”
1998
President has nookie, tries to worm out of it
House: Impeach the president!
Senate: For this?
2019
President attempts to extort the leader of another country to help him to damage his most potent poltical rival in an upcoming election.
House: Impeach the president!
Senate: Nah.
2021
President incites and organizes a mob of his followers to breach the US Capitol in order to stop the process of transition to a duly elected president and place a non-elected individual at the head of government, abrogating Article II of the of the Constitution.
House: Impeach the president
Senate: ….. well? What say you, Senate?
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My opinion is that most Senate Republicans will say “Nah” this time too. After all, various cliques of loonies and the people they are able to deceive are about all that’s left of the Republican Party. Instead of looking at the videos of the angry mob of Trumpists (and those exploiting Trumpism for their own reasons, boogalooers, for example) with anger and disgust, the Senate Republicans will likely be considering how dangerously unpleasant the wrath of such people would be directed at them or their families.
“the Senate Republicans will likely be considering how dangerously unpleasant the wrath of such people would be directed at them or their families.”
You can bet on that. Remember there were 74 million right wing racists (rickA among them) who didn’t care that trump accepted help from russia, ignored bounties on US troops paid for by Russia, admitted to sexual assault, etc, but were seriously pissed off that the country had allowed a black man to run the country for 4 years, and several thousand took trumps’ advice and attacked the Capitol Building in an attempt to keep their leader in office, chanting threats directed at elected officials who “dared” not to be loyal to the orange thug. They spinelessly supported trump for 4 years, they don’t want that group to target them.
It’s local too: a representative from Hillsdale county here in MI (where the right wing stronghold Hillsdale college is located) got recorded by a buddy saying the attack on the Capitol was a “hoax” and that there weren’t any trump people there at all. These losers have always been around, have always been a threat to the country, but now that they’ve had one of their own in power and have been given the signal that their behavior is acceptable they don’t want to give it up.
dean:
You tread dangerously close to defamation. Calling one person a racist is considered a matter of opinion. Defamation requires a provably false statement – and how does one prove they are not a racist? Pretty tough to prove a negative. You can call me a racist and get away with it – just as I can call you a racist and get away with it.
But if you say that all Trump voters are racist (or words to that effect), now you are getting into the provably false statement territory. Even ignoring how ludicrous it is to say that all white Trump voters are racist – consider that people of every race voted for Trump. It would not be difficult to argue that your statement is provably false – and therefore actionable.
You should be more careful with your name calling.
Just a helpful word of warning.
Yeah, the republicans have never been about protecting the country, just their own, and this is no different.
Besides, there would have to be at least 17 to vote to convict. They may have 1.5 spines total among them.
“But if you say that all Trump voters are racist (or words to that effect), now you are getting into the provably false statement territory. ”
If people are perfectly fine with supporting a man who
– is a racist
– has courted and supported neo nazis, racists, and white supremacists
– has an admitted history of sexual assault
– has promoted demonstrably false accusations of “rampant crime” by immigrant groups and minorities
– repeated false claims of massive voter fraud and “stolen elections”
– has mocked people with physical disabilities
as you and 74 million others did in the last election, there anything positive to say about any of them.
Trump is clearly guilty, but since the GOP is rotten from top to bottom, they won’t convict. They are desperate to co-opt his base. Trump was not inly by far the worst POTUS in history, but the most divisive. As I said yesterday, the sheer inhumanity of Trump is stunning to behold. It should be obvious that he only cares about himself and his fragile ego, yet millions of befuddled people see him as an almost Godly Messiah. Watching him wind up his base at rallies, while knowing that he loathes every single one of them, will leave a dark legacy that will last for years. Indeed, Trump and his operatives have inflicted so much damage on US institutions that it may take decades to repair them.
Decades humanity probably has not got, thanks now in part to the actions of a vain man-child being elevated to the levers of power. Those that still support this excuse for a human being are either ignorant, thick as pig faeces or twisted, probably all three.
“…yet millions of befuddled people see him as an almost Godly Messiah.”
Conservapedia still maintains its article on the nickname Trump’s followers have given him — GEOTUS: God Emperor of the United States. The risible photoshopped image, too, is still there. This continues to evoke laughter from me, and threatens to evoke tears.
Though I am not a believer, I will quote Thomas Jefferson: “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”
In related news, rudy caludey is getting dunked into more hot water.
https://time.com/5937491/rudy-giuliani-ukraine-trump-impeachment/
At one point in that article trump’s co-conspirator is quoted as saying
“I hate it when people attack my integrity.”
which is laughable. You can’t attack something that doesn’t exist.
And the GOP are trying to paint themselves and Trump as ‘victims’ of the Capitol insurrection, first falsely claiming it was a false flag operation by Antifa and BLM, and when that blatant lie was exposed, they started blaming the Democratic Party. One of the most despicable of all GOP gasbags, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, went after Nancy Pelosi on Fox News, accusing her of being partially responsible for the invasion of the building by not providing enough security to prevent it. The gall of this scum is unbelievable. Anything to avoid culpability. How anyone in their right mind can support the likes of Johnson, Graham, Cruz, Hawley, McConnell, Brooks and most of the other members of the Republican Party is beyond me.
“…Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, went after Nancy Pelosi on Fox News, accusing her of being partially responsible for the invasion of the building by not providing enough security to prevent it”
The parallels with Benghazi are remarkable — and telling. Hillary Clinton was accused of not providing enough security for the diplomatic facility in Libya, but in fact the Republicans had cut the budget for the State Department, and some of them boasted about having cut it.
All the evidence is not in for the 6 January insurrection. But we do know that Trump incited it, and sat for several hours before telling his mob to stand down — and he did it while praising them and repeating the lie that the election had been stolen from him. It appears, and may be proven, that others in the chain of command also impeded the muster of sufficient forces to contain the violence.
The contrast between Republican behavior then and now is stark. Then, when four Americans died in Benghazi, their voices rang with outrage. They held 8 investigations, and put Mrs. Clinton on the stand for 11 hours — only to find nothing actionable.
In the insurrection, seven Americans died and 140 were injured. Yet the Republicans now urge us to move on in the name of “unity.” They will acquit Mr. Trump once again, and would do little to atone for their own involvement in disrupting the peaceful transfer of power.
The only fair outcome is this: Trump must be convicted, and others involved must be held to account: members of Congress included.
One has to love the defense used by RickA and many members of Trump’s unhinged cult to exempt him from responsibility for inciting the violence and attempted coup on January 6th – that it is ‘unconstitutional’ to convict him because he is no longer POTUS.
So let’s get this straight. Trump’s lawyers (who are so incompetent that even Alan Dershowitz was ridiculing their risible performance yesterday) regurgitated the constitutional argument. However, if Trump had been impeached for inciting violence in 46 of the 48 weeks of his Presidency, the trial would be constitutional, but if he does it in the last 2 weeks of his Presidency it isn’t? What ass-backwards logic is this? It means that a lame-duck President can do essentially whatever the hell he likes in January following the election and confidently know that he will not face any repercussions because of it. Thanks RickA for revealing how asinine Trump’s legal defense is. Moreover, let’s not forget that the Democrats wanted to proceed with the impeachment trial before Trump left office, but rancid old McConnell said no, that it would have to wait until after Biden took office. Then in a classic bait-and-switch tactic, McConnell suddenly says that convicting Trump of inciting the violence is unconstitutional after Biden became President and Democrats took control of the Senate.
This only goes to show us even more what rancid rot lies at the heart of the Republican Party. The 13 minute video prepared by the prosecutors yesterday was devastating. It was fun watching the Republican Senators cringing in their seats watching it. Trump’s defense attorneys on the other hand looked like a bunch of keystone cops. Of course Trump will be acquitted by the gutless GOP Senators. But this only proves that the Republicans are a fascist party. Trump is of course completely guilty. His supine supporters damned well know it.
Conviction by the Senate for Impeachment by the house is a remedy designed for people working for the government. Trump no longer works for the government. Nancy could have sent over the articles of impeachment and the trial could have easily been done before Trump left office – but they chose not to do that. That was a mistake – because many Republican Senators want to convict – but won’t because the trial is unconstitutional (in their opinion – which is the only one which counts). I agree with Greg that several republicans may well vote to convict – but I don’t think Trump will be convicted (again).
If Trump broke a law he can and should be indicted and tried in criminal court in a state or by the Federal government. If Trump truly incited an insurrection (lamest insurrection ever) – well he should be criminally tried for that.
I don’t think Trump broke a law though. Yes, he bitched about the election being stolen – but that is his right as an American. I really think Trump believes this to be true – so calling his statements lies is wrong. It was stupid and marred his record – but being stupid is his right also.
This trial won’t give rise to unity – that is for sure. If democrats want unity (which I really don’t see any evidence of) – the behavior engaged in by some democrats in calling people racist, and bigot and white supremacist, and sexist and transphobic and so forth has to stop. The guilt by association thing has to also stop. Not every member of a group (any group) can be tarred with the worst characteristic of the worst member of the group. That is axiomatic – which is why America is against guilt by association. Until then, I say screw you to those democrats calling for unity!
It is not transphobic to believe that biological sex exists, and that surgery and/or hormone shots cannot change biological sex. It is not transphobic to believe that people cannot change sex merely by thinking they have. It is not transphobic to be against letting men be in Title IX sports. It is not transphobic to be against forcing people of the opposite sex to shower together against their will, or against sharing a bathroom against their will, or being forced to share locker rooms against their will.
It is not racist to be against affirmative action, or collective guilt or guilt passed down through the generations (reparations). It is not racist to want society to be colorblind in its application of the law and its policies. It is not racist to be against BLM and antifa burning down our cities and committing crimes against innocent people of all color. It is not per se racist just because a person of color gets shot by a cop – you have to review the facts and circumstances to decide if the shooting was justified or not. Why it is not even racist to disagree about whether a particular shooting was justified or not – people get to disagree in America.
It is not homophobic to believe that a relationship between two people of the same sex needs a different word to define it than a relationship between two people of the opposite sex.
People have the right to speak out on these and many other issues, and it is wrong to try to get them fired and cancelled for simply speaking their mind. That is as unamerican as it gets.
But that is just one persons opinion. In America we are all entitled to our opinion and even to say them out loud – even if others disagree. Sure, Twitter and Facebook and Youtube and other social platforms can kick people off based on their speech – that is perfectly legal. But ultimately, unless these companies want 1/2 of the country to terminate their accounts – they will have to get back to the American values of free speech (even speech they don’t like). I suspect these companies do want to advertise to everybody and not just 1/2 of the country – but we will see if the current regrettable trend reverses.
I think a handful — a very small handful, maybe a fingerful — of Republicans in this Senate will vote to convict after this argument.
Probably. I wonder how, if at all, the result would differ if votes were anonymous.
Yes, yes it is. All of your assertions there are wrong.
It is racist of you to repeat the false hood that BLM and antifa are terrorist groups — that’s a blatant lie. It’s racist of you to lay all the blame of violence on them. It’s racist of you to imply that whites and non-whites are treated equally by law enforcement and courts. So again, no, you’re simply spouting racist bullcrap here and couching it in your dishonest “its just an opinion”.
God, you are nothing if not consistent in your bigotry. Yes, it is homophobic. Two people love each other, enter into a lifetime arrangement — they’re married. Full stop. Your bigotry (which is what it is, don’t try to shield it behind your claims of religion) doesn’t negate that.
Keeping digging the hole for yourself deeper. We all know what you are, but these types of posts just reinforce that knowledge.
Re “if you say that all Trump voters are racist (or words to that effect), now you are getting into the provably false statement territory. . . . It would not be difficult to argue that your statement is provably false – and therefore actionable.”
You didn’t say that to or about me but I find it interesting enough to comment. As far as L know, votes are secret and not linked to voter identity, so how exactly would you go about proving that the statement that “all Trump voters are racist” is false?
You might say it is statistically improbable that every Trump voter is a racist, but it is not impossible. By his own actions and the comments of those who know him leave no real doubt that Trump is racist, why would non-racists vote for him?
You could perhaps find any number of people who say they are Trump voters but not racists, but saying it doesn’t make either of those things true. Consider also that (1) racists don’t necessarily proclaim their racism to the general public or write their views down to be held against them, and (2) Trump is a constant and incorrigible liar so it is no long stretch to consider the truthfulness of Trump supporters to be suspect. After all, they don’t think it disqualified him from the presidency.
But, go to it if you think you can do it.
“so how exactly would you go about proving”
As rickA’s post about things that “are not racist”, “are not bigoted”, …., demonstrates, making statements that are supported by reality is something he doesn’t do.
More damning in my opinion than anything Trump told his followers on January 6, 2021 is what he didn’t do or say.
It is barely possible that Trump is moronic enough to not realize that the things he had been saying for weeks about the “stolen election” and the evil of the Democrats to anyone who would listen are bound to provoke violence when he repeated them to the kind of people he has attracted to the Republican Party. But why then did he not actually go with the group he sent “to the CAPITOL, ” after promising “I’ll be with you”? Instead he (1) gleefully watched the attack of the Capitol on television. (2) during the attack he sent out an angry tweet about Mike Pence which triggered cries of “Hang Mike Pence” that can be heard on the videos. (3) When things had finally cooled down, he told the insurrectionists that “we love you” and you should “go home” and “remember this day forever.”
If he had been at all surprised and appalled by the violence as any previous president would have been, he would have done none of those things. instead he would have (1) called the Pentagon and made sure that the forces needed to protect the Capitol and arrest the most egregious offenders were in place ASAP, (2) he would have gone personally to address the mob, or at least addressed them remotely, telling them to “Stand down! I didn’t mean for you do this! This is insurrection not protest.” and (3) he definitely would not have told the vandals and murderers that “we love you” and the rest of that crap.
Yes – Trump certainly deserves criticism for his actions after the mob started breaking the law. But is not doing enough to stop the mob once it got out of control inciting an insurrection? I don’t think so. Obviously reasonable minds can differ – but that is my take on it.
Really the whole insurrection thing is a bit weak. The crowd had many armed people (I mean armed with guns) – and yet nobody in the crowd shot anybody. Does that seem like a violent uprising? Yes people were injured and that poor officer was killed and the mob got out of control and broke the law. But 120 officers were injured during the riot right before Trump took the bible across the street, but nobody called that an insurrection or a violent uprising. That was just peaceful protesting – just like looting, burning and killing by BLM and antifa is just peaceful protesting.
Oh well – the trial continues. At least it is entertaining.
We have answer for how the Senate trial will end.
Headline:
“Graham assures Trump of acquittal after rocky start to trial”
Money quote:
So just like the firsts trial the republicans have been told they don’t have to take their roles seriously — “don’t worry about that pesky Constitution, you don’t have to do your job. Just vote no at the end and keep kissing trump’s ass.”
Nobody should be surprised at their continued lack of integrity.
Well we knew this was going to be the outcome since they impeached him the second time. Obviously reasonable minds can differ on this issue, with some finding him guilty and some finding him not guilty (and that the Senate cannot even remove someone from office who’s term is over).
So the real question is what is the point of this? To me the point seems to be to try to prevent Trump from running again. So it is political. No real surprise.
Since neither you nor modern republican leadership believe you have to be responsible for your actions rickA (that’s for the people you consider “less” than you) I’m not surprised you are avoiding seeing the reason for it.
Maybe. But the first thing they teach you in law school is don’t bring a case you don’t think you can win. The democrats brought this one anyway. Why?
If it was so important – why not bring it and have the trial before Jan. 20th? They would have removed a giant argument and had a chance to win then. They chose not to do that. Why?
Well – because it is political – that is why.
RickA, they won’t win because the GOP is largely made up of lying, power hungry cretins who would excuse Trump no matter what he did. If Trump was caught on video shooting someone in cold blood, they would find some reason to excuse him. The majority of Republican senators are spineless liars who are salivating at the thoughts of co-opting most of Trump’s unhinged base. Your comments on here and constant refusal to accept reality and live in the real world reveals to us that you are clearly embedded in the cult. Heck, despite the fact that Trump is clearly deranged, and that everything he has done was predicted long ago, you would still vote for him. This is proof, if any were needed, that you are as indoctrinated into Trump’s cult as many of the lunatics who drooled at Trump’s rallies.
Of course Trump is completely guilty of inciting the mob on January 6th. The case presented by the Democrats is devastating. This is not only based on Trump’s incendiary rhetoric on January 6th, but in the 63 post-election days leading up to it. His deranged rants, both in interviews and on Twitter, the constant whining and temper tantrums, all of this was aimed to wind up his base. Many of the rioters have admitted it after being arrested. They read Trump’s rants as instructions to overturn the election. There is no denying it. Trump should be held accountable for his behavior. He was POTUS. He has a responsibility to act maturely and with civility. He didn’t. Instead, like a spoiled, petulant child, he threw an epic temper tantrum after an election he clearly and fairly lost. It would have been funny seeing this immature man-child unraveling before the world had it not been so dangerous to US democracy. The man should never, ever be allowed anywhere near political power again. When he was elected, I was more philosophical. I had no idea how mentally ill Trump was, nor did I realize how much damage he and his operatives would do to federal institutions. He morphed towards authoritarian fascism and the GOP appear to be happy with that. Worse, 74 million Americans, you included, were content to give this megalomaniac four more years – and probably more. This is terrifying.
Yes, according to rickA and other trump butt-kissers the lowlifes who were arrested for breaking into the building and then saying “We’re doing this because trump told us to do it” should all be ignored.
rickA probably believes they’re antifa plants.
In one of the first Tweets Trump sent out on January 6th after the failed insurrection he said this:-
“These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!”.
These are the ‘things that happen’? ‘Remember this day forever’? No apology, no condemnation, just praise for a bunch of violent lunatics and thugs. Trump’s best defense against conviction for his impeachment is that he is nuts; unhinged; delusional. Certainly the man is not all there. ‘Sacred landslide victory’? The problem is that Trump lives in an alternate universe where he is worshipped by everyone and democracy is a farce because he is the God Emperor. He lost decisively, of course, but his pathological illness prevents him from accepting reality. Moreover, by ‘great patriots’ he means white people. His racism also bleeds through in this Tweet.
Despite the fact that he needs to be institutionalized, it seems like 74 million Americans were content to support authoritarian fascism. Judging by the comments here by RickA, many still are.
RickA
But then you do not have a reasonable mind. Whatever, Trump is patently guilty of stirring up descent which he has been doing for some time. The ample video and on the record events of ‘phone calls etc’ make it clear that Trump is as guilty as hell.
For your lying eyes:
Trump trial shown disturbing footage of lawmakers ‘hunted’ by Capitol mob
: Officer Eugene Goodman pictured rushing to save Mitt Romney :Trump ‘singularly responsible’ for Capitol attack – prosecutors
But there is more:
Five shocking videos from the Capitol attack shown at Trump’s impeachment trial
If the GOP chose not to vote for a conviction then they will be derelict in their duty towards the USA and the American people. Cowardice in the face of the enemy, the enemy being those element in the USA that have chosen to arm themselves to support a petty would be dictator who has worked towards making rule in the US a family affair, a kleptocratic family affair at that. check out ‘Political Corruption’ on Wiki and note how many contraindications on Trump you will find.
Reading Frank Ryan’s ‘Virusphere’ I came to page 71 which opened with a statement that made me think of Donald and his misguided supporters.
Thus has the US body politic become infected with an entity that behaves like a virus this includes all those evolutionary sidetracked entities that have no sense of the damage they are doing to US politics, RickA being one such (“educated far beyond their capacity to undertake analytical thought”), and the ecological health of the world. Like a virus they have no sentient awareness of the limits to growth, this virus is capable of destroying the host one organ at a time with the US being one of the first to die with the wider world following in short order.
It is clear that a large section of the US populace has failed to evolve into a state where valid knowledge can be harnessed to improve our chances of having humanity reach another century rather than totally destroy them. The rapture is a hoax, it being one of the memes projected by the virus.
Excellent post Lionel. It highlights the fact that Trump has no humanity. Not a scintilla of it. He is incapable or empathy. His warped values hinge on his own fragile ego. Trump does not care about anything or anyone but himself. His undignified exit from office was inevitable. How can someone with such a warped sense of values who is wrapped up in their own importance behave with dignity when they lose?
As bizarre as this may sound, it appears to be this trait – a lack of humanity or empathy – that many in Trump’s base find so alluring. They admire someone who is wrapped up in their own importance and who treats others and the world with utter contempt. His cult admire this because to them it gives the impression of Trump as a maverick, a loner, someone fighting against personal injustice. How else is it possible to explain how such a repugnant human being can be slavishly adored by millions?
Trump and vote restrictions.
That is what unconstitutional looks like RickA. At least we have it confirmed what that A stands for.
This argument that impeaching Trump (either time) is political aims to implicitly argue that he should not be impeached — for anything he has done. In this it resembles the Republicans’ defense of him on the charge of incitement by claiming he is protected by the First Amendment.
Yes, impeachment is political: It is a process established by our founding political document, the Constitution. It is carried out by politicians under rules they agree to follow, as is the trial that the Senate conducts. It imposes no criminal penalties; as Lead Manager Raskin just pointed out, if convicted Trump would spend not one day, one hour, or one second in jail. It is a preventive measure. It exists to stop an official’s misconduct, and to preclude that official from further misconduct by barring him or her from again holding elected office.
As for the free speech argument, a president operates under more constrains than an ordinary citizen. Should he lie, the bully pulpit gives his lie extra weight. Should he falsely claim unfair treatment, his high office imbues his protest with extra power to arouse his supporters to action in his defense. With his false claims of a stolen election, Trump is in exactly the same position as the hypothetical man falsely shouting “Fire!” in the crowded theater.
Re RickA “If it was so important – why not bring it and have the trial before Jan. 20th? They would have removed a giant argument and had a chance to win then. They chose not to do that. Why?”
Did you miss the part of reality in which Mitch McConnell, still the Senate majority leader at the time, flatly refused to reconvene the Senate and said the earliest the trial could begin was the day before the inauguration?
rickA is willing to lie and misdirect in any way — anything so he doesn’t have to address facts.
Tyvor:
Did you miss the part where Pelosi didn’t even send the articles over to the Senate until Jan. 25th, in the afternoon on a Friday? She didn’t want the articles sent over before inauguration. They could have sent the articles over on the 13th, when they impeached – but they left it in limbo until after inauguration.
If nothing else, it would have been better to have started the trial before the 20th, while Trump was still President – rather than wait until he was a private citizen.
“Did you miss the part where Pelosi didn’t even send the articles over…”
So Tyvor, even when facts are against him rickA will give a distorted view of events and ignore those facts.
You can use reality against folks like him — they don’t like that it is in direct contradiction of their believes so they ignore it.
RickA won’t read this because it takes him well outside of his comfort zone – but he should. It demolishes everything he says. Not hard, really, since RickA ain’t the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. Trump cultists generally aren’t.
https://www.salon.com/2021/02/11/house-democrats-make-their-case-to-senate-republicans-trump-duped-his-rioters–and-hell-dump-you/
Basically, Amanda Marcotte states the obvious: that the rampaging mob which invaded the Capitol Building on January 6th thought that they were doing this on the orders of Trump and that there would be no repercussions for doing so. Why else did so many openly reveal their identity? This goes back to the early days after the election when Trump started winding up his base. There are piles of evidence to prove that many believed he was instructing them to resist the election outcome in any way possible. The march to the Capitol and subsequent invasion were the last acts of Trump-inspired resistance against an election he decisively lost.
Marcotte elegantly lays out the fact that Trump lives in a teflon pan. He shows no loyalty to anyone. For four years, Pence was like a slavish dog, doing everything and more that his Master told him to do. There has never been a more obedient Vice-President in US history. But then Trump mistakenly believed that Pence could hand the election to him on January 6th by refusing to certify the electoral results of several states. Even Rasmussen, the Trump-worshipping polling agency, went along with this lie. Pence’s role was only ceremonial, but Trump gave the impression to his baying mob that Pence had the power to overturn the election and hand him the victory. If he didn’t, Trump made it clear that he would not be happy with him. When Pence rightfully fulfilled his constitutional obligation and verified the electoral college votes, four years of supine obedience was instantly ignored and Trump threw Pence under the bus. The rioters openly searched for Pence and had they found him it is terrifying to think what they would have done.
This is Trump through-and-through. No consequences for his inhumanity and when he openly breaks the law. While he basks his bloated body in the Florida sun at Mar-a-Lago, hundreds of his brainwashed followers are in prison cells, awaiting to be tried and given lengthy sentences for essentially listening to him and following his instructions. These people were always Trump’s expendables. The GOP will acquit Trump even though they know he is guilty, guilty, guilty. They should remember that Trump’s pathological narcissism means that he would gladly throw any of them under the bus too if they were no longer useful to his interests or an impediment.
As for RickA, one wonders why he persists on this thread, given that his arguments are wholly vacuous and without merit. Perhaps he revels in being shellacked? More importantly, why would anyone with half a brain continue to defend such a repugnant, selfish ignoramus as Donald Trump?
Re “Pence’s role was only ceremonial, but Trump gave the impression to his baying mob that Pence had the power to overturn the election and hand him the victory.”
The way the federal government is supposed to work seems to be unknown to a substantial percentage of the U. S. public. They seem to think that the U. S. president is essentially a king with a term limit. In their minds, a president merely has to order someone to do something and they have to do it. Trump, being essentially an ignoramus about almost anything but cheating, certainly had such ideas. I remember early in his administration he was known for demanding whatever person happened to be around when he decided to fire someone to do the actual firing.
“So the real question is what is the point of this? To me the point seems to be to try to prevent Trump from running again”.
Of course Trump should never be allowed to run for office again. This is a no-brainer. He is a criminal. He deliberately incites violence. He doesn’t give a hoot about anything or anyone other than himself, and he thinks he is exempt from the law. He is mentally unhinged. His attempt to pressure the Georgia AG into producing 11,780 votes was clearly sedition and should also prevent Trump from ever holding public office again. Most importantly, the Republican Senators know full well that Trump is a crook. The problem is that the party is as rotten as he is.
Anything else RickA?
Read this interview with psychoanalyst Dr. Justin Frank on Trump. It is chilling. Trump is an abhorrent individual, but Frank explains that his pathology is very deep. It is a combination of delusion and sadism.
https://www.salon.com/2021/02/12/dr-justin-frank-on-the-trial-for-trump-capitol-riot-was-a-source-of-incredible-pleasure/
Nothing RickA or MikeN can ever say will excuse the warped mind of Trump. They voted for this monster, along with 74 million others. A new poll suggests that 40% of Republicans support violence to attain political objectives. This is fascism, folks.
The only thing this impeachment trial teaches people is that when Republican politicians break the law they get to have 50% of the jury composed of people who supported them and helped them do it.
Send as though there wasn’t anything trump’s lawyers were telling the truth about.
https://www.politicususa.com/2021/02/12/mike-pence-gets-his-revenge-by-letting-it-be-known-that-trumps-impeachment-lawyers-are-lying.html
No surprise. You cannot remove someone who’s term has already expired. They should have delivered the articles before Trump became a private citizen. Or better yet, just censored Trump – given he was days from his term being over. Instead they wait until Trump is no longer president to try to try the president [oops – I mean private citizen].
Now Trump has a record! Impeached twice and acquitted twice. Good job!
I really liked the debunking of the fine people hoax – that was just brilliant. I bet that was the first time millions of democrats saw what Trump had actually said – rather than the misleading edited version shown by the mainstream media. Why did the impeachment mangers even use that lie. They lied about the fine people hoax for so long, they probably forgot the truth – and just used the edited video, rather than the actual video. What a mistake. Debunked just by showing the actual video. Stupid. So many lies, they had to withdraw the only evidence they had of Trump’s state of mind. Another colossal mistake. The loss of credibility was profound.
The defense closing argument was devastating to the impeachment case. It really shows how important it is to do a good investigation and gather real evidence – not doctored tweets and edited video. What was the rush again? They have 4 years before Trump can run for President again (if he even bothers).
Oh well – it was very entertaining.
You really are incapable of telling the truth aren’t you? That is the requirement for being a republican but good lord rickA your bullshit is blatant.
I’m sure it was enjoyable to the scum of the country. People like you who don’t care about what the Constitution says, only that you are able to discriminate against others.
To people who appreciate the rule of law, decency, and fair play – there was no debunking about Trump’s people, or history of misleading portrayals by media. But I get it – facts are never on your side riickA, so lying is all you have.
Bullshit RickA. Like everything you write on here. You are part of a cult, and cannot see the wood from the trees. You are saying that lame duck Presidents can get away with virtually anything if they have a Senate majority that covers for them. The defense closing argument was hardly ‘devastating’ as Trump’s lawyers were rank incompetents. The Democrat prosecution smoked them and the GOP knew it. They are supine to Trump and his base (including dopes like you) and would have covered for him no matter what he did. It was McConnell who insisted that the trial be delayed until Biden was inaugerated and then he argued that the trial was unconstitutional because Trump was no longer President. Total hypocrisy. But in his summation, McConnell stunned his supine colleagues by stating that Trump was completely responsible for the Capitol insurrection. Of course he was and you know it and the world knows it. And don’t think for a second that this simply paves the way for the lying ignoramus sadist to be free to run for President in 2024. He is being investigated for sedition in trying to coerce the AG of Georgia to overturn the results there, and for all kinds of financial misdeeds in New York. In these instances he won’t have scumbags like Hawley, Cruz or Johnson to bail him out.
Trump is finished, and good riddance. On a side note it was heartening to see another of his vile policies overturned yesterday. Trump had signed a dictate just before leaving office along with the corporate stooge he appointed to head the Bureau of Land Management, William Perry Pendley, to open up 10 million acres of wilderness in Nevada and Idaho to mining interests. The area harbored some of the last large populations of the magnificent Sage grouse. This species has declined by 95% across its range in the western US because of habitat destruction and climate change. Trump and Pendley both knew it, but of course they didn’t give a damn, and were happy to sacrifice this species on the alter of the big corporations whose interests they prioritized. The dictate was canceled yesterday by a federal judge citing the conservation importance of the habitat.
That you voted for such a disgusting, anti-environmental gasbag, Trump, says everything about you. The problem is ignorance. The vast majority of the 74 million who voted for Trump had no idea what he and his operatives were doing, or else they didn’t care.
We’ve seen for years that rickA doesn’t possess any of the characteristics of a decent person, and his admission above (bragging, essentially) about the bigotries and discriminatory behaviors he embraces — “it’s not racist to [blatantl racist stuf]”, “it’s not bigoted to [textbook examples of bigotry]” — are only the most recent examples. That behavior isn’t new.
What has excited him others of the worst people the country has is that one of their own, a man with histories of sexual assault, theft from charities, convictions for housing discrimination, supporting neo-nazis and white supremacists, disparaging and even mocking people with disabilities, made it to the presidency with the help of social media and a foreign power. rickA’ (and again, others like him), see this and think that all of their hatred and dishonesty will be acceptable now. These scum aren’t going to go away, and they’re never going to be concerned about the United States as a country, only about how many people they can harm and still get away with it.
You hit the nail squarely on the head, Dean. Trump is a lazy, delusional ignoramus and he will not have supine Senate Republicans to cover for his crimes now. There is no doubt that Trump’s threats against Georigia’s AG and post-election rants and coercion became illegal, and there is hope that he will finally be held to account.
As Lawrence Tribe, Harvard Law attorney said, Trump was clearly guilty in both impeachments, but his acquittal for the first one paved the way for him to assume that his sense of entitlement meant that he could do whatever he liked again. Combined with Trump’s pathological narcissism, this made his post-election temper tantrum and attempts to incite his base to overthrow the election inevitable. Senate Republicans voted to acquit because they want to be rid of Trump but want his base. Underlying all of this among Trumpers is that sense of entitlement I discussed above. That entitlement is based around white privilege and supremacy. It is brazenly racist and the GOP barely disguise it.
The Republicans are busy now working as hard as they can to disenfranchise minority voters in at least 28 states. They are openly embracing fascism as a means to stay in power and abhor democracy because they know that they will never again win the popular vote, unless minorities are sidelined.
In response to RickA’s rant above, pounding his chest at Trump’s teflon achievements, here are the basic facts: he was the first President ever to be impeached twice. He lost the popular vote in both elections by a combined 10 million votes. He was the only President never to have a positive approval rating during his tenure. Not an enviable legacy. Trump proved what we knew all along but what his deranged mind could never accept: he is a loser.
To my mind Trump is a loser loser, loser squared even, as are his sympathisers.
I am appalled that anybody who considers themselves reasonable should even attempt to absolve Trump of obvious dangerous stirring. What does RickA want? Another civil war for that is basically what Trump was inciting. There are no excuses for whipping up hate where thousands of lives may be lost, and millions blighted, the tally after four years of Trump is already high. RickA and his heroes have not evolved mentally so as to be an asset for humanity going into the future, still Paleolithic in function.
This is from an article in The New Stateman dated March 2018:
_ Perhaps the big question is this: what if an emboldened and power-hungry Trump refuses to leave office when the time comes? If he’s impeached in the next year or two or – more likely – if he’s defeated by a Democratic opponent in November 2020, what then? “Given Trump’s narcissism; his recklessness; his instability; and his willingness to treat democratic norms as disposable nuisances,” says Klaas, “I would not be shocked if his time in office ends in an irregular way at odds with democratic conventions.” That’s a hell of a euphemism.
https://www.newstatesman.com/world/north-america/2018/03/could-donald-trump-refuse-leave-office-when-his-presidency
How prescient, and yet I doubt the writer could have imagined that the corrupt orange moron would incite his deranged mob to storm the Capitol to overturn an election.
The next time Jordan talks about being outraged at something realize that his time at Ohio State showed he isn’t capable of outrage, only self preservation.
https://www.si.com/more-sports/2020/02/12/jim-jordan-accused-cover-up-sexual-abuse-ohio-state
Election tampering by mail disruption, will a Trump ally be stamped upon?
Democrats urge Biden to fire USPS chief Trump ally who decimated mail service
Note also that side headline, Revealed: evidence shows huge mail slowdowns after Trump ally took over
High crimes and misdemeanours that need to be addressed.
McSweeney’s has a new card game. Download the cards and cut them out.
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/guess-who-violated-the-us-constitution