The Trump Impeachment Thread

[Biggles]

Mcconnell also made it clear that Trump may be liable in other ways for his actions during his time as President. Yes, Trump still holds a lot of power in the country, but the kind of influence he has will not protect him now that he is out of office.

 

[Dennisch]

Hillary needs to step in now.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Well bugger me, turns out the old fox didn't do it after all.

 

[huskeR32]

Well bugger me, turns out the old fox didn't do it after all.

I guess it really was just TDS.

 

[Biggles]

What's your take on the potential can of worms some were talking about concerning what happens if a President commits an impeachable offense in the last month of office if they are aware they will be out of office by the time a trial starts?

I guess it has to be balanced against the possibility of using impeachment as a partisan, political weapon. All these impeachments are not a generally appropriate way to proceed ... it's just the extraordinary personality & behaviour of Donald Trump that has created this situation. I'm hoping that following this Trump's power will wane precipitously & Trumpism will linger on as a minority cult ... & a mill stone around the neck of the GOP.

 

[Pupik]

The body politic is diseased but makes excuses to refuse medical help.

 

[UKMikey]

"Teflon Don" is trending on Twitter with 3,911 tweets so far.

John Gotti eventually ended up in prison, though.

 

[Joey D]

"Teflon Don" is trending on Twitter with 3,911 tweets so far.

John Gotti eventually ended up in prison, though.

And here I was hoping Rick Ross had a new album coming out.

Also, reading Trump's statement I have to wonder if he realizes that there was an actual witch hunt in the US? Like we burned people alive and threw them in rivers because we thought they were witches. Until someone threatens that to Trump, it's not a witch hunt.

And if anyone is surprised by the outcome of this, I have a ocean front property in Arizona to sell you. It was a waste of time and effort when the Senate should be confirming nominations and getting COVID policies back on track. The American people didn't need convincing either. The ones who think Trump can do no wrong claimed this all was a sham. The rest of us know that Trump is a massive turd who is guilty. I can't imagine any minds were changed. So can we please get back to getting the country on track?

 

[ryzno]

Tweety no worky.

 

[TexRex]

Tweety no worky.

Downside of having a reputation for pathetic ****ery is someone's sure to document your pathetic ****ery.

 

[Terronium-12]

I'm not a political person, far from it in fact, but the next time someone dares to tell me or even suggest that I "trust in the legal system" I am going to laugh in their faces. This is pathetic.

There's no reason this shouldn't have ended in any way other than this thing being carried away in handcuffs.

 

[CodeRedR51]

'Merica

 

[UKMikey]

Also, reading Trump's statement I have to wonder if he realizes that there was an actual witch hunt in the US? Like we burned people alive and threw them in rivers because we thought they were witches. Until someone threatens that to Trump, it's not a witch hunt.

Trump supporter: "So you wanna burn Trump alive and throw him in a river? Yeah, you're just proving his point!" (except with worse grammar and spelling)

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I'm not a political person, far from it in fact, but the next time someone dares to tell me or even suggest that I "trust in the legal system" I am going to laugh in their faces. This is pathetic.

There's no reason this shouldn't have ended in any way other than this thing being carried away in handcuffs.

Not sure if I would include this as part of the legal system, just a trial run by politicians

 

[Danoff]

I'm not sure who "incompetent" is.

 

[Biggles]

I'm not a political person, far from it in fact, but the next time someone dares to tell me or even suggest that I "trust in the legal system" I am going to laugh in their faces. This is pathetic.

There's no reason this shouldn't have ended in any way other than this thing being carried away in handcuffs.

I think you're misunderstanding the point of the impeachment trial - it's not a part of the "legal system" at all, it's a political process. Mcconnell made that clear in his speech in which he unreservedly condemned Trump's actions, not just on January 6th, but his whole "election fraud" lie. That's a significant step & it's also important to take account of the fact that seven Republican Senators voted to convict. This is a significant chink in the wall. I think it's possible that this will signal the beginning of the end for Trumpism.

 

[killerjimbag]

I think you're misunderstanding the point of the impeachment trial - it's not a part of the "legal system" at all, it's a political process. Mcconnell made that clear in his speech in which he unreservedly condemned Trump's actions, not just on January 6th, but his whole "election fraud" lie. That's a significant step & it's also important to take account of the fact that seven Republican Senators voted to convict. This is a significant chink in the wall. I think it's possible that this will signal the beginning of the end for Trumpism.

Nope. This is only going to get worse. Clearly someone couldn't get the job done. They have nobody to blame but themselves.

 

[Keef]

Trump supporter: "So you wanna burn Trump alive and throw him in a river? Yeah, you're just proving his point!" (except with worse grammar and spelling)

Hey! Hey, hey, hey now. We shouldn't be insulting anybody's intelligence. Don't forget, these Trump supporters have been systematically held back and denied education and work opportunities for generations, ever since our ancestors kidnapped them from their homes in Afr.....

Wait, that's wasn't them was it? Huh. I guess they're just morons!

 

[TexRex]

I'm not sure who "incompetent" is.

I gather those who fought for a vote to allow witnesses, got that vote to allow witnesses, won the vote to allow witnesses with a bipartisan majority...and then didn't call any witnesses. But then I observed that tweet in the context of Ken's other tweets and retweets regarding the matter.

[Edit] Speaking of Ken's retweets:

 

[Grayfox]

Just saw this picture of Trump is it due to the lighting that is making his hair look gray?
Normally it is blonde even from frontal shots.

 

[Danoff]

Nope. This is only going to get worse. Clearly someone couldn't get the job done. They have nobody to blame but themselves.

What? I'm gonna need you to explain because that makes no sense.

I gather those who fought for a vote to allow witnesses, got that vote to allow witnesses, won the vote to allow witnesses with a bipartisan majority...and then didn't call any witnesses. But then I observed that tweet in the context of Ken's other tweets and retweets regarding the matter.

I gathered that they changed their minds on whether they wanted witnesses. They had this thing in the best position they were going to get it - at that point, hang up. Calling witnesses was not going to help with the public, and it wasn't going to change any votes. I'm not entirely surprised they backed down. They moved in a direction quickly, and then thought it through. At least that's how it appeared to me.

I went through a few of the posts in that twitter profile, and it seems like it's generally hard on democrats for not playing stronger ball. But from where I sit, they're playing about as strong as they can without going full republican and throwing the rules out. And throwing the rules out is not good. That's why I don't like the GOP.

Anyway, overall I say cheers to the house impeachment managers and to the impeachment effort. It was not possible to convict Trump. He could have shot mike pence himself in the chamber and the senate still would not have convicted. A cardboard box could have represented him... actually I'm pretty sure a cardboard box did represent him. It made no difference. As one prominent figure said, the jury included the co-conspirators.

The case that was made for impeachment was made to America, and I think America heard it. The republicans will claim "exoneration", but everyone who has not already drowned in the kool aid will recognize that Trump is as guilty as he possibly could have been. This time.... last time... and Clinton was the time before that... the Senate is not carrying out justice, it is carrying out politics.

====================================

McConnell's statement:

“President Trump is still liable for everything he did while he’s in office, as an ordinary citizen, unless the statute of limitations has run,” McConnell said. “He didn’t get away with anything, yet. We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation.”

And former presidents, he noted, aren’t immune from either.

McConnell claimed his own vote to acquit was a narrow technical matter, saying Trump couldn’t be convicted in an impeachment trial because he is no longer the president. (McConnell overlooked the fact that he, himself, had delayed the trial until after Trump stepped down.)

The speech amounted to a stunning denunciation of a president McConnell has been content to support without criticism for four years.

McConnell would fail as a juror. The senate ruled on that particular issue, they ruled (properly) that a former president can be convicted by the senate. He has admitted that he did not vote on the issue he was asked to vote on. He instead protested over a settled matter that was already voted on. This is a failure of his duties - and one which he has admitted to. Because he already admitted that the president is guilty.

 

[Biggles]

I gathered that they changed their minds on whether they wanted witnesses. They had this thing in the best position they were going to get it - at that point, hang up. Calling witnesses was not going to help with the public, and it wasn't going to change any votes. I'm not entirely surprised they backed down. They moved in a direction quickly, and then thought it through. At least that's how it appeared to me.

I went through a few of the posts in that twitter profile, and it seems like it's generally hard on democrats for not playing stronger ball. But from where I sit, they're playing about as strong as they can without going full republican and throwing the rules out. And throwing the rules out is not good. That's why I don't like the GOP.

Anyway, overall I say cheers to the house impeachment managers and to the impeachment effort. It was not possible to convict Trump. He could have shot mike pence himself in the chamber and the senate still would not have convicted. A cardboard box could have represented him... actually I'm pretty sure a cardboard box did represent him. It made no difference. As one prominent figure said, the jury included the co-conspirators.

The case that was made for impeachment was made to America, and I think America heard it. The republicans will claim "exoneration", but everyone who has not already drowned in the kool aid will recognize that Trump is as guilty as he possibly could have been. This time.... last time... and Clinton was the time before that... the Senate is not carrying out justice, it is carrying out politics.

McConnell's speech in full :



McConnell pretty much killed any residual support he might have enjoyed from the Trump faction with a speech that could have been made by one of Democrat Impeachment House Managers. He even intimated that Trump could & perhaps should be prosecuted outside of Congress. So what is McConnell's strategy going forward? It's hard to see how this does not indicate a complete & irreversible repudiation of Trump.

 

[Blitz24]

McConnell's speech in full :



Macconnell pretty much killed any residual support he might have enjoyed from the Trump faction with a speech that could have been made by one of Democrat Impeachment House Managers. He even intimated that Trump could & perhaps should be prosecuted outside of Congress. So what is Macconnell's strategy going forward? It's hard to see how this does not indicate a complete & irreversible repudiation of Trump.

If Trump somehow remains eligible in 2024, he will run and McConnell (if he's not out of office by that time) will likely flip his words then.

 

[Imari]

I had a bit of an epiphany about this last night. We're treating this all as a political problem - a problem of political extremism & disunity, which it is ... but on a important level this situation has been promoted by the pathology of one man - Donald J. Trump. Yes, our politicians aren't always the "best people", but with Trump the American people elected someone who is beyond the pale - a man who very obviously suffers from diagnosable psychological disorders: narcissism & megalomania among others. The different parts of his brain are not working properly. I think he really believes in a lot of the fantastic web of lies that he spins.

There are probably lots of people like this in the world - psychopaths, sociopaths - but the problem is that this particular one was elected as President of the United States. At what point will enough people come to recognize how bad the orange man really is & say "enough"?

Trump himself is a big part of it, but I feel like there's a big discussion around exactly how much he's just a symptom of greater problems. There are plenty of men like him out there, and if the mob wants a megalomaniacal narcissist as President then I'm sure they can find one. This is not to say that he's not responsible for his own actions, but more that there are potentially greater forces that are not addressed simply by removing Trump.

Trump speaks the minds of a lot of Americans, and just because he's stopped speaking it doesn't mean that they've stopped feeling that way.

 

[Dotini]

At one time the patent on the automobile in the US was held by a single entity. Henry Ford sued and won, opening the door for every man to own a car. Antitrust actions by the courts and the congress broke up other monopolies as well, including Rockefeller's Standard Oil, Carnegie's steel, and Morgan's banks. The Century of the Common Man and the Middle Class was upon us. But in 1999 at the WTO Battle in Seattle, a darker vision of the future was seen, as the common middle class working man and his ability to own a home, raise a family and own a car was on the way out.

 

[Liquid]

At one time the patent on the automobile in the US was held by a single entity.

Okay, your post seems irrelevant to the thread but this tangent intrigues me:

Considering that the automobile isn't an American invention, how was it possible for it to be patented and held by a single entitiy?

 

[Famine]

your post seems irrelevant

It's the Dotini way.

So McConnell says it's Trump's fault, but didn't say it was Trump's fault by voting that it was Trump's fault, after deciding that you couldn't impeach a President so close to the end of his term and couldn't convict someone after impeachment during their term if they were no longer in office.

He's a nice guy.

 

[Blitz24]

It's the Dotini way.

So McConnell says it's Trump's fault, but didn't say it was Trump's fault by voting that it was Trump's fault, after deciding that you couldn't impeach a President so close to the end of his term and couldn't convict someone after impeachment during their term if they were no longer in office.

He's a nice guy.

He's going the "actions speak louder than words" route, it seems. As I said above, this gives him an out if Trump runs again in 2024.

 

[MatskiMonk]

Considering that the automobile isn't an American invention, how was it possible for it to be patented and held by a single entitiy?

It's quite an interesting story...

https://www.autonews.com/article/20...ent-case-broke-selden-s-lock-on-auto-industry

 

[TexRex]

I gathered that they changed their minds on whether they wanted witnesses. They had this thing in the best position they were going to get it - at that point, hang up. Calling witnesses was not going to help with the public, and it wasn't going to change any votes. I'm not entirely surprised they backed down. They moved in a direction quickly, and then thought it through. At least that's how it appeared to me.

I went through a few of the posts in that twitter profile, and it seems like it's generally hard on democrats for not playing stronger ball. But from where I sit, they're playing about as strong as they can without going full republican and throwing the rules out. And throwing the rules out is not good. That's why I don't like the GOP.

Anyway, overall I say cheers to the house impeachment managers and to the impeachment effort. It was not possible to convict Trump. He could have shot mike pence himself in the chamber and the senate still would not have convicted. A cardboard box could have represented him... actually I'm pretty sure a cardboard box did represent him. It made no difference. As one prominent figure said, the jury included the co-conspirators.

The case that was made for impeachment was made to America, and I think America heard it. The republicans will claim "exoneration", but everyone who has not already drowned in the kool aid will recognize that Trump is as guilty as he possibly could have been. This time.... last time... and Clinton was the time before that... the Senate is not carrying out justice, it is carrying out politics.

Yeah, that's fair. And I think Raskin has said something to that effect since, but I sort of just scrolled past the article.

It's just difficult to understand the hard push for witnesses only to decline once they're permitted. I'm also tired of Republicans, chiefly ****ing McConnell, acting in bad faith and Democrats just letting them, which feels like what's happened here even if it isn't. Even then, with neither firearm nor foot, Democratic leaders have demonstrated time and again that they have no trouble shooting theirs.

What's more, I ****ing despise what Trump and his base--which includes the overwhelming majority of the GOP--have done to my country. That problems existed already isn't lost on me, but I heard/read someone say that he gave people permission to be at their absolute worst...and they absolutely obliged.

McConnell would fail as a juror. The senate ruled on that particular issue, they ruled (properly) that a former president can be convicted by the senate. He has admitted that he did not vote on the issue he was asked to vote on. He instead protested over a settled matter that was already voted on. This is a failure of his duties - and one which he has admitted to. Because he already admitted that the president is guilty.

Turtles gonna turtle.

It's the Dotini way.

I don't post on the topic much at all.