Friday Talking Points -- Everything's Just Impeachy-Keen
Rather than our usual weekly roundup, we are going to focus today solely on the public impeachment hearings. This is due to them being the most important thing that happened politically during the week, as well as the fact that we're admittedly more than a little frazzled sitting down to write this, after getting up at 6:00 A.M. and staring at the television for over six hours straight. Normally we would have used a good chunk of that time to sift the news stories from the past week, but that's simply not possible today. Nor is it all that important, because as mentioned everything else really pales in comparison to what is being witnessed right now by the American public.
What's most striking about the partisan divide in these hearings so far is the difference in demeanor. The Democrats are soberly laying out a prosecutorial case, in the serious fashion that such an endeavor demands. This, after all, is really the "grand jury" part of the case, where the prosecutor is allowed to lay out the evidence so that it can be judged worthy of a court case or not. That is precisely what the Democrats intended, and that is also precisely what they have been doing. Throughout it all, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has remained absolutely unflappable, to an almost superhuman degree. Everything the Democrats do and say communicates one very basic message: this is very serious business, and should be given the gravitas it demands.
Republicans, on the other hand, don't feel as constrained, as has been obvious in both of the hearings. Today they were a little more restrained than on Wednesday, but their coordinated plan of "don't personally trash the witness" completely fell apart when, very early in the proceedings, Donald Trump personally trashed the witness via tweet. After this tweet was read into the record by Schiff, all the Republican kind words for Marie "Masha" Yovanovitch fell rather flat.
The most stunning moment of all came when the hearing concluded and the witness was exiting the room, because the public audience actually gave her a standing ovation, showing how little damage Trump's tweet had done. That was a pretty stunning public rebuke to Trump's attempts to smear and intimidate the witness, and will likely become one of the video highlights of the hearing on the news tonight.
All three witnesses in the public hearings this week were impressive and serious, and none showed the slightest shred of partisanship in either their testimony or their demeanor. They were, in a perfectly-appropriate term, all pretty unimpeachable witnesses.
In the face of such upright civil servants, the Republicans really have no comprehensive game plan to defend Trump. They have been flailing about, making points that only make sense to the denizens of Fox News, while not doing much of anything of note to convince any rational observer of whatever case they're attempting to make. There's a lot of sound and fury, but it winds up signifying nothing, to quote the Bard of Avon. The absence of an official "war room" at the White House set up to deal with crafting some sort of defense is openly on display, as Republicans ping-pong between possible storylines, sometimes contradicting themselves as they do so.
Trump did it. It's pretty plain to see. As he says: "Read the transcript." As time goes on, more and more shoes drop. So far, there have been precisely zero contradictions in the stories pretty much every witness is telling the investigation, except for Gordon Sondland's morphing testimony (he will certainly be an interesting witness next week, in the public testimony, because his credibility is already shot to pieces).
Trump wasn't interested in "fighting corruption in Ukraine." He was only interested in getting dirt on the Clintons and the Bidens, period. That's it in a nutshell. He abused the power of his office to do so, which Democrats feel is an impeachable offense. The whole case for impeaching Trump can fit into a single tweet, in fact (which is entirely appropriate, for him). As more and more witnesses add their perspective to this story, the story gets stronger with each telling. And we're only at the beginning of the process.
These witnesses are not some species of rabid partisan. Far from it. They are about as nonpartisan as you can get, in fact. They are not staunch Democrats nor staunch Republicans. Yovanovitch was first appointed by Ronald Reagan, for Pete's sake. They are not "never-Trumpers," because they all consider themselves completely divorced from American domestic politics. Well, all of them we've seen so far -- Sondland certainly doesn't fit into that mold. But it's pretty easy to see that none of them holds any sort of partisan grudge, they are instead alarmed about the subversion of the foreign policy process to suit one man's political needs. As the witness today explained, that is the sort of thing we're trying to convince other countries not to do, because it is so corrupt.
And as Adam Schiff so succinctly put it earlier this week: "If this isn't an impeachable offense, then what is?"
There's really no debate about who the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week was for this particular week. Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided to put Adam Schiff in charge of the first phase of the impeachment inquiry, and now we know why. Schiff is an absolute rock. He simply cannot be flustered in any way, no matter how outrageous the Republicans behave towards him.
Schiff, of course, has been under attack for months by Republicans, led by Donald Trump himself. He's been called names, he's endured the slings and arrows of Fox News-inspired outrage, and he's come through it all without a scratch on him. He's even now being talked about as being Pelosi's choice to take over the speakership when she steps down, which is pretty impressive on its own.
In today's hearing, Schiff mastered the schedule perfectly, although part of this was really beyond his control (to be fair, that part was under Pelosi's control, meaning they may have coordinated this in advance). After opening statements from Yovanovitch, Schiff, and Nunes, the Democrats conducted their 45-minute counsel question period, and then a recess was immediately called. There were an imminent series of scheduled votes in the House, which all the members of the committee had to leave to attend. This break went on for almost two full hours, before the Republicans were allowed their period for counsel questions. This had the effect of removing the hearings completely from broadcast television (at least, on the channels we watched), as every station cut back into regular programming and then failed to return to the hearings when they recommenced. Perhaps this was merely my local television stations, but it was a pretty smart tactic, because this left only the Democratic side of the story told while most people were watching.
Later, Schiff called a second break, this one of only five minutes (which, in congressional terms, means "20 or 25 minutes by the actual clock"), right before the coatless Jim Jordan got his five minutes. Jordan is the Republican attack dog who was specifically placed on the committee to growl and snarl in consummate fashion, of course. But because he is the lowest Republican on the seniority ladder in the committee, he is always the last Republican to speak. Schiff made his time even more obscure by calling a second break right before it began.
Schiff also was putting up with absolutely zero nonsense from the Republicans this time around, too. Using his powers as chairman, he shut down several attempts by Republicans to hijack the hearings with their whiny complaints about the process. The best of these came near the beginning, when Devin Nunes was first given a chance to ask questions. Nunes tried to yield to one of his party's members, but Schiff shot this down by pointing out this was not allowed by the rules -- Nunes could only yield to the Republican counsel during the initial 45-minute segment. Which he knew, full well, despite his Oscar-worthy performance expressing his faux surprise and outrage. This wasn't even the first time Nunes tried to divert attention, but Schiff had already shut down all earlier efforts as well.
In short, Schiff runs the committee with an iron backbone, and throughout it all refuses to be baited by Republicans into any sort of personal shouting match. Such is the power of being in the majority and chairing the committee.
Schiff wields that power well, occasionally breaking in to clarify that the point the Republicans just made is either: false, completely out of context, a conspiracy theory, or just generally insane. This allows all the other Democrats on the committee to focus on their own questions rather than having to play defense against the GOP talking points. While in Wednesday's hearing Schiff allowed the Republicans more parliamentary rope, today he had quite obviously had enough of their nonsense and shut them down before it even got started.
Adam Schiff is about as levelheaded and unflappable as any politician I've ever seen. He refuses to get in playground arguments, he refuses to ever be fazed by the nasty names Republicans call him, and he remains the sober and serious face of the Democrats on the committee with aplomb. He is, in a word, an absolute rock of stability.
There really was no other choice for this week's Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week, in fact. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff was the obvious choice, for very obvious reasons. We look forward to his continued handling of these historic hearings, after showing an extraordinary amount of control and leadership in the first week.
[Congratulate House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff on his official House contact page, to let him know you appreciate his efforts.]
OK, we're going to be quick here because this is the one subject that isn't related to the impeachment inquiry. This past week, both Deval Patrick and Michael Bloomberg decided that the problem with the Democratic primary contest was that it just didn't have enough people running.
Seriously? Having 27 different candidates isn't enough? Really?!?
Sigh.
Wall Street seems to be getting increasingly nervous about Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren actually, you know, reflecting the will of the Democratic electorate by winning the nomination. So Bloomberg and Patrick were drafted to ride in on their white chargers to save the day? What is this, the revolt of the billionaires?
We don't know about anyone else, but the entry into the race of the 28th and (possibly) 29th candidate was more than a little tiresome, which is why we're giving both of them the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award.
[Both Michael Bloomberg and Deval Patrick are private citizens, and it is our blanket policy not to link to campaign websites, so you'll have to seek their contact info out for yourself if you'd like to let them know what you think of their candidacies.]
Volume 551 (11/15/19)
As with most of the rest of this column, our weekly talking points are all on the same theme. Part of any impeachment is the battle for public opinion, and Trump and the Republicans have been doing their best to win this fight. To date, they haven't been very successful, but that doesn't mean Democrats don't need to also make their case in the court of public opinion. So all our talking points this week are geared towards making that case.
We must admit that while writing this, the phrase "Masha, Masha, Masha!" did kind of leap to mind, but in the end we felt the seriousness of the situation precluded any reference to The Brady Bunch, so we'll leave those jokes to others. Ahem.
That's enough introduction, let's just get on with the talking points, shall we?
When you figure out what you want, let the rest of us know...
The Republican response has been rather peripatetic, to date. So point it out!
"It seems that the Republicans just aren't happy about anything, no matter what Democrats do. They said they wanted a House vote, we gave them a House vote. They didn't noticeably stop calling the impeachment 'illegitimate.' They demanded public hearings, and now -- in those very public hearings themselves -- they complain that public hearings are somehow undignified. President Trump even went on record saying there should be no public hearings, after demanding public hearings for weeks on end. They demanded the transcripts be released, and decried the 'secret hearings,' so we made the transcripts public. They now complain we aren't doing so fast enough. They loudly complain that public hearings are nothing more than a media circus, and then they themselves perform as an elephant act in center ring -- showing off all their tricks to the crowd, while Democrats conduct serious and sober hearings. So to the Republicans who just can't get their victimhood complaints straight, I say: when you figure out what you really want, please let the rest of us know."
Who is grandstanding?
In the same vein...
"Republicans begin each hearing stating that Democrats are doing nothing but playing for the cameras and grandstanding. But when the questioning starts, it's pretty plain which side is actually playing to the cameras, and which side is trying to uncover the truth. Republicans play parliamentary games and openly try to break the committee's rules, and when that doesn't work they loudly shout and pound the table. So it's pretty easy to see which side is playing to the television audience, although in the Republicans' case, this is playing to a television audience of one man only. Because we all know Trump doesn't believe anything is real unless he sees it on the teevee."
So it's to be open season?
Democrats should remind Republicans every once in a while just precisely what the GOP is fighting so hard for.
"You do realize that in taking the position you have been that you are arguing that all of this behavior is perfectly acceptable for any president, don't you? I mean, if it's OK for Trump to use taxpayer dollars to leverage dirt against his political opponents in a presidential campaign from a foreign government, then that will mean that all presidents -- Democrats included -- will be able to do so with impunity from now on. What you are arguing is that Barack Obama should have gone to every country on Earth where Donald Trump owns properties and demanded dirt on the Trumps -- and he should also have withheld foreign aid to achieve this goal. Because that is the standard you are arguing to set. If Trump's precedent stands, then President Elizabeth Warren or President Bernie Sanders should also be allowed to do these things with impunity. Of course, Democrats are arguing that no president should be allowed to do this stuff, but you are staking your position out that all presidents should be able to. Just don't complain when it turns around and bites you in the hindquarters, please."
Rudy didn't go rogue
Let's just head this one off at the pass, shall we?
"I see that some Republicans are already arguing that Rudy Giuliani should be nominated as the fall guy for this whole sordid episode, as they argue that he took it upon himself to do all this stuff without any direction from Trump. It was all Rudy's fault, you see, so let's throw him under the bus and move on. This is downright laughable. Rudy did not go rogue. Far from it. He did exactly what his client instructed him to do. He never made a move without Trump's express approval. So let's just nip the idea that somehow this is all Rudy's fault right in the bud, because such a notion is no more than a bad joke. Trump went rogue, not Rudy."
Who was fighting corruption?
Hit this one hard.
"Republicans are trying mightily to convince everyone that up is down and black is white. Their conspiracy theory is that the Ukrainian prosecutor was fired for not going after Hunter Biden, when in fact the exact opposite was true. The guy wasn't going after any corruption, real or imagined, because he himself was corrupt. Period. That's why he was removed from office, in fact. For not fighting corruption. This is the guy Trump personally praised on that infamous phone call, showing that Trump also had no interest whatsoever in fighting corruption. As the witness today pointed out, launching politically-motivated investigations is actually exactly what we are trying to convince Ukraine not to do any more, because this is a bad holdover from the Soviet era. So to try and force them to open a politically-motivated investigation for Trump's benefit is the exact opposite of fighting Ukrainian corruption."
Mister Corruption-Fighter? Hardly.
And then bring it home to Trump.
"Excuse me, but in what universe is Donald Trump the great corruption-fighter? That's the cover story Republicans are hiding behind -- that Trump was some sort of corruption-fighting superhero. This is absurd. Can any Republican name me one single instance of Trump trying to fight corruption in Ukraine that didn't have anything to do with Hillary Clinton or the Bidens? They can't, because there aren't any such examples. Trump didn't even use the word "corruption" in either of his phone calls to the Ukrainian leader, in fact. I'll go even further -- if any Republican can name me just one single instance of Trump fighting any sort of corruption in any country on the planet, then I will sit down in front of the cameras and eat my hat. But I'm not too worried about doing so, because such examples just do not exist."
Trump doesn't fight the corrupt, he hires them
Guilty, guilty, guilty!
"I'm afraid I've lost track of how many people worked either on Trump's campaign or for his administration who are now living behind bars in a federal prison. Just today, one more was added to this growing list, as Roger Stone was found guilty on every single charge that came out of the Mueller investigation. He was found guilty of lying to Congress and intimidating witnesses. He's been Trump's buddy for decades, so it'll be hard for Trump to spin this as some sort of guy who maybe got coffee for him, once. Maybe Trump is indeed a great finder of corruption, but the only problem with this idea is that when Trump does find someone who is corrupt, his first inclination is to hire them to work for him."
-- Chris Weigant
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Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
CW: all points: Yep!
Late afternoon the news broke that David Holmes, who was testifying in closed session, said he'd HEARD Sondland talking to Blotus on a cell phone. Blotus was yapping so loudly everyone could hear him - Sondland was holding his cell phone (note the unsecured nature of the call) away from his head.
"Sondland told Trump that Zelensky 'loves your ass,' " Holmes said, according to a copy of his opening statement. "I then heard President Trump ask, 'So, he's gonna do the investigation?' Ambassador Sondland replied that 'he's gonna do it,' adding that President Zelensky will do 'anything you ask him to.'"
After hanging up:
Holmes also confirmed Taylor's testimony about the President's thoughts on Ukraine, saying he had asked Sondland "if it was true that the President did not 'give a s--- about Ukraine."
Holmes said Sondland had responded that Trump cares only about "big stuff." When Holmes said that the Ukraine war was big, Sondland responded, " 'Big stuff' that benefits the President, like the Biden investigation that Mr. Giuliani was pushing," Holmes said.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/15/politics/holmes-testimony-sondland-call/index.html
Manu Raju read from the opening statement on CNN.
Good times.
The other big news of the day was Roger Stone being found guilty on all counts!
Watch Manu Raju reading from Holmes' opening statement: https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1195479264444833797
CW: So far, there have been precisely zero contradictions in the stories pretty much every witness is telling the investigation, except for Gordon Sondland's morphing testimony (he will certainly be an interesting witness next week, in the public testimony, because his credibility is already shot to pieces).
Not a single contradiction and notably no exculpatory evidence presented whatsoever, and the White House is buzzing with the events of the day and are none too happy with Mr. Sondland:
Can't a loud mouth criminal catch a break?
{ssiigghhhhhh}
Once again, the commentary proves this is no longer a "REALITY BASED" forum..
HERE is the reality of day 2.
From the view of the White House and some top Republicans, U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart's questioning of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch on Friday was the point where House Democrats' impeachment argument showed the party had "no case" against President Trump.
During Friday's public hearings, Yovanovitvh told Stewart, a Utah Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, that she could supply the panel with no information regarding criminal activity or bribes that President Trump may have been involved with.
Stewart: "I would now feel compelled to ask you, Madam Ambassador, as you sit here before us, very simply and directly, do you have any information regarding the president of the United States accepting any bribes?"
Yovanovitch: "No."
Stewart: "Do you have any information regarding any criminal activity that the president of the United States has been involved with at all?"
Yovanovitch: "No."
Stewart thanked Yovanovitch before predicting that public support for impeachment would decrease after the hearings.
"The American people know this is nonsense," Stewart said. "The American people know this is unfair."
https://www.foxnews.com/media/marie-yovanovitch-president-trump-impeachment-hearing
That is the ONLY take-away from the hearing..
The Democrat's "case" was irrevocably destroyed..
THAT is the FACT BASED reality..
I've been having trouble all week with characterizations of Jordan as "attack dog" and some such as the reasons he was put on this duty. It seems more simple, and easier to explain than that.
The GOP needed a MAN with experience and Jordan has that. He has a great deal of experience ignoring criminal conduct committed by sexual predators. Simple as that.
CW: Trump wasn't interested in "fighting corruption in Ukraine." He was only interested in getting dirt on the Clintons and the Bidens, period. That's it in a nutshell. He abused the power of his office to do so, which Democrats feel is an impeachable offense.
Not only was Trump not interesting in "fighting" corruption, he was part of a conspiracy and directly involved in personally "aiding and abetting" corruption in Ukraine and using millions of taxpayers' dollars as graft to create it, and as the United States Constitution makes abundantly clear, bribery is an infinitely impeachable offense.
CW: As the witness today pointed out, launching politically-motivated investigations is actually exactly what we are trying to convince Ukraine not to do any more, because this is a bad holdover from the Soviet era. So to try and force them to open a politically-motivated investigation for Trump's benefit is the exact opposite of fighting Ukrainian corruption.
Two very great points, and I'll just go ahead and connect those dots and make the additional point that Donald Trump's aiding and abetting corruption in the bribing of Ukraine to inure to the benefit of his own personal interests were not coincidentally also in the service of the former Soviet era KGB officer and current President of Russia, one Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin who is currently holding Trump's leash.
Governor Tarkin, I should've expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board. ~ Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa
Mike [5]: Who said that? Gee, after that, the networks just shut off the cameras, right?
Of course they didn't, because all that was done was a courtroom trick by Mr. Stewart. If Yavonovitch says "yes" she is dismissed as a partisan. If no...
Well you see what happened.
Truth is, that Yovanovitch is correct. It isn't up to her to decide either way about Trump. It's not even up to Mr. Stewart to decide such things.
The difficulty of doing this properly came to the fore today when, in the middle of testimony, Trump tweeted out a takedown of Yovanovitch. So, apparently, witness tampering can be added to the growing list of impeachable offenses.
Mike
5
Once again, the commentary proves this is no longer a "REALITY BASED" forum..
HERE is the reality of day 2.
From the view of the White House and some top Republicans, U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart's questioning of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch on Friday was the point where House Democrats' impeachment argument showed the party had "no case" against President Trump.
Well, the devil's in the details, and therein lies the perfect demonstration of the reeking stupidity and obvious ignorance of the Trump morons, minions and MAGAts; however, one witness does not a "case" make, and this portion of the impeachment inquiry will be a series of fact witnesses that will be questioned in order to decide whether or not to impeach the POTUS.
It's not all that complicated unless you're a gullible rube and/or inherently ignorant... or both. :)
Balthasar
9
Of course they didn't, because all that was done was a courtroom trick by Mr. Stewart. If Yavonovitch says "yes" she is dismissed as a partisan. If no...
Exactly!
Truth is, that Yovanovitch is correct. It isn't up to her to decide either way about Trump. It's not even up to Mr. Stewart to decide such things.
Again, exactly! The House of Representatives "shall have the sole Power of Impeachment," Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution.
The difficulty of doing this properly came to the fore today when, in the middle of testimony, Trump tweeted out a takedown of Yovanovitch. So, apparently, witness tampering can be added to the growing list of impeachable offenses.
I know, right!? I think the morons, minions, and MAGAts do a great disservice to Their Worship by not insisting that he put down the phone and forthwith and posthaste put together a competent team.
Yes, sir. Balthasar is exactly right again because it appears that "the team" just committed a violation of 18 United States Code, Section 1512 in real time on the same day that the team's longtime friend and campaign associate was found guilty of the exact same felony, which carries a fine of up to a quarter million and a sentence of maximum 20 in Fed Pen.
Yay team! *laughs*
@CW,
"Excuse me, but in what universe is Donald Trump the great corruption-fighter?
MISS universe.
JL
Chris,
Today's column is a terrific set of talking points. IMO, #3 should be the first - and repeated often - every time the Republicans try to convince the American people that Trump's latest outrage is normal.
"Every future President should bash service members of our own intelligence agencies, law enforcement, and defense when they don't follow the President's political agenda?"
"Every future President should praise dictators and despots and disparage and threaten punishment to leaders of flourishing democracies?"
"Every future President should brag about sexual assault and issue hush-money payments to porn stars?"
Chris, your 'playing to a television audience of one man only':
* Republican members of Congress are grandstanding for Trump, and FOX viewers are along for the ride. Every Democratic candidate should build at least one campaign ad around a clip(s) of his/her opponent defending the indefensible - rather than protecting the interests of his constituents.
* By all accounts, Trump can't get enough of slavish praise, so Ingraham, Carlson, and - of course - Hannity are happily serving it up. So long as he lives in this alternate reality, Trump remains uninformed and unprepared to defend himself in the Senate.
Worthy of honorable mention for MIDOW (and already a meme-star) is Peter Welch of Vermont.
'Welch seized upon Jordan calling the whistleblower the person who “started it all.”
“I’d say to my colleague, I’d be glad to have the person who started it all come in and testify,” Welch said, wryly. “President [Donald] Trump is welcome to take a seat right there.”'
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/watch-a-house-dem-totally-dunk-on-jim-jordan-after-he-ranted-about-the-whistleblower-not-testifying/
Once again, ya'all ignore the inevitable..
President Trump is completely exonerated and totally vindicated and remains President Of The United States..
Unless one of ya'all Trump/America haters pursue Ben Franklin's alternative to impeachment (assassination) then President Trump is going to win re-election..
This is the outcome that is all but guaranteed..
So, by all means.. Let the Party Slavery crowd marvel at all the cutesy quips and bullshit talking points.
When this is all over, only one outcome is possible.
He who laughs last laughs best..
And President Trump (and I) will be laughing the bestest and the loudest.. :D
Until then.. Continue to futilely spin yer wheels just like ya did with ya'all's Russia Collusion delusion..
It amuses me.. :D
"Excuse me, but in what universe is Donald Trump the great corruption-fighter?
The same universe where Odumbo is the great protector of Ukraine... :smirk: :D
Parker,
So, apparently, witness tampering can be added to the growing list of impeachable offenses.
Yea?? Who decides what an "impeachable offence" is??
You??
BBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
It's funny how just a couple weeks ago, ya'all were screaming and whining hysterically about Quid Pro Quo..
CW even devoted an entire commentary to it..
Now ya'all change yer tune because ya'all found out what I have been telling ya'all for weeks.. How completely and utterly stoopid ya'all sounded screaming hysterically about quid pro quo....
NOW the watchword is "bribery"... :D
So, NOW ya'all are accusing President Zelensky of being a crook and accepting a bribe..
Of course the ONLY FACTS ya'all have DISPROVE 'bribery' just as the FACTS disproved 'quid pro quo'...
You people are hilarious.. Ya'all throw an impeachment and then desperately and hysterically flail around for an actual impeachable offence..
SOMETHING!! ANYTHING!!
And, mean while, Democrat candidates are lurking in the background and can't get a single drop of media exposure..
Thereby, ONCE AGAIN, proving how adept Dumbocrats are at stepping on their own wee-wees in their haste to form that circular firing squad...
BBBBWWWAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
ItalyRusty,
You are absolutely correct..
President Donald Trump did, in fact, "start it all"..
He started it all when he wiped the floor with Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election..
That is EXACTLY what started the Democrat Party hysteria and Trump Derangement Syndrome.
So, you and whatsisface are absolutely correct.
President Trump DID start it all..
By winning.. And CONTINUING to win.. And win... And win... And win... :smirk: :D
[19] Michale wrote:
"He started it all when he wiped the floor with Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.."
That is so ridiculous it's completely and totally laughable!!!
Yeah, wiped the floor with someone who beat him by 3 percentage points and won more than 3 million more votes than he did, and Trump can't and didn't even win with a plurality of the votes let alone a majority!
ROFL! Please stop Michale, you are making me split my sides!
BWAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Yeah, wiped the floor with someone who beat him by 3 percentage points and won more than 3 million more votes than he did, and Trump can't and didn't even win with a plurality of the votes let alone a majority!
Irrelevant.. President Trump was the SMART one and actually ran his campaign to win the Electoral College..
Hillary was the moron who only cared about the Vanity Vote..
The mere fact that Donald Trump WON is the determining factor.. Especially when you consider that ya moronic Trump/America haters believed that President Trump only had a 2% change of winning compared to Hillary's 98% chance of winning.
Only a dumbshit like Hillary would lose to Donald Trump..
And only moronic Dumbocrats like you would NOMINATE Hillary Clinton..
BBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAH
Oh darn.. Now I have gone and run off JM again. :(
I shouldn't do that to fellow Floridians..
Michale
Serving Up The FACTS On CW's Commentaries Since 2005
according to most odds, hillary had around a 70% chance of winning, pretty close to the same chance i estimated donald has in 2020. and when you're right 52% a'da time...
according to most odds, hillary had around a 70% chance of winning, pretty close to the same chance i estimated donald has in 2020.
ANd HuffPoop & NY Grime estimated a 98% chance of Hillary winning.
Didn't you watch the Cenk Yunger youtubes???
Michale
Serving Up The FACTS On CW's Commentaries Since 2005
Obama tells Democratic candidates to ease off talk of revolution
WASHINGTON - Former president Barack Obama on Friday urged Democrats running for the White House not to lurch too far left in their pursuit of the nomination, while at the same time seeking to quell concerns in the party about its 2020 hopefuls and the messy primary season to come.
The comments - made in Washington at a meeting of the Democracy Alliance, a powerful network of liberal donors - marked some of Obama's most pointed words yet about a fluid primary in which he is not picking sides. They echoed previous comments in which he warned about the dangers of pursuing purity and rigidity in politics.
https://www.thehour.com/news/article/Obama-tells-Democratic-candidates-to-ease-off-14839299.php
Even ODUMBO realizes how bad it is for Democrats to go so far Left...
If ODUMBO hisself tells ya yer too far Left, then ya'all just have to know how far Left ya'all have gone..
Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance released from Leavenworth prison after Trump grants clemency
https://www.foxnews.com/us/army-1st-lt-clint-lorance-released-from-leavenworth-prison-after-trump-grants-clemency
This is why the US military loves their Commander In Chief...
Democrats throw the military under the bus...
President Trump has their back..
Of course, like in all walks of life, there are exceptions.. Trump/America haters like Light Colonel Vindman, et al..
But those kinds of officers are politicians first and foremost..
Not REAL American patriots like EllTee Clint Lorance and Major Mat Golsteyn and Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher...
"There are no words to adequately express how grateful my family and I are to our president, Donald J. Trump, for his intervention and decision. We would also like to thank the American people for their unwavering support during this very difficult time for my family and I -- we can never thank you enough."
-CPO Eddie Gallagher
Hoooooaaaaaaaaaa
What we're experiencing here is perpetual political theater, leading to congressional and government gridlock.
The good news is, that keeps congress from doing anything else, and since most of what they do is detrimental to the country, we should hope it keeps going.
CRS,
After President Trump wins re-election, the Trump/America haters-Democrats should calm down and finally accept the reality that President Trump is THEIR president..
Right???
But it's all but certain that between the time this faux impeachment coup ends (as the Russia Collusion delusion ended) and Nov 2020, Democrats are not going to have a single solitary legislative achievement..
Colin Kaepernick attempts comeback at NFL-organized workout
https://abc7.com/sports/will-colin-kaepernick-make-his-nfl-comeback/5701473/
Fine.. As long as he has learned his lesson and will quit shitting on the flag and this country..
He can be allowed back..
Who decides what an "impeachable offence" is?
That would be the House of Reps Judiciary Cmte.
If you're gonna comment, you might as well learn that.
ya'all were screaming... about Quid Pro Quo
QPQ is still there...please keep up.
NOW the watchword is "bribery"
It very well could be, we'll see.
A word of advice: pace yourself. This is an inquiry, meant to collect facts. In a few weeks, we'll hand this to Judiciary.
Just saying...
As long as he has learned his lesson and will quit shitting on the flag and this country..
Naw, it has more to do with the Quarterback shortage.
Democrats are not going to have a single solitary legislative achievement
..in the Senate, where bills go to die, apparently.
The House, however, has passed dozens of bills that sit on Mitch McConnell's desk gathering dust.
Of course, you have only your President to blame.
If he hadn't been booed, Kaepernick wouldn't be in it.
Balthasar,
That would be the House of Reps Judiciary Cmte.
If you're gonna comment, you might as well learn that.
WRONG.. The US Constitution decides what's an impeachable offense..
QPQ is still there...please keep up.
Yea?? Where?? No where to be found.. It's all about BRIBERY now.
Because Quid Pro Quo is not an impeachable offense..
Try and keep up... You people can't even keep yer own bullshit straight..
A word of advice: pace yourself.
Yea.. You said the same thing during ya'all's Russia Collusion delusion.. We all know now THAT worked out.. :D
The House, however, has passed dozens of bills that sit on Mitch McConnell's desk gathering dust.
Nothing worth a damn or helps anyone but Dumbocrats..
Of course, you have only your President to blame.
Yea.. *EVERYTHING* is all President Trump's fault.
Do you realize that you have become the epitome of a hateful and intolerant bigot??
Well, you have a lot of company here.. Seems most everyone here in Weigantia is just like you...
#sad
It must be really hard for ya'all to go thru ya'all's day to day activities with all that hate and bigotry in yer hearts...
I feel for ya'all...
Welp, I am calling it a day... See ya'all early in the AM...
hate and bigotry in yer hearts..
Really? After the entire illegal alien thing - still ongoing, by the way - you'd call us hateful and bigoted?
So, have you no heart, or no imagination?
Only a dumbshit like Hillary would lose to Donald Trump..
So you are saying that Donald Trump has no chance of winning if the Democrats pick a candidate that isn’t “a dumb shirt like Hillary”?!?!
Basically an admission that Trump voters didn’t vote for him because they liked him or believed he’d make a good president; they were simply voting against Hillary!
Glad to see you finally seeing that Trump didn’t win the election, Hillary just lost it!
I think he knows full well that he’s in that office way over his head. And so he has to diminish everyone else.”
I think Pelosi got it right. He is useless.
Man, they sure like Edwards in Orleans county!
[42] Oops, meant parish.
WRONG.. The US Constitution decides what's an impeachable offense..
that's why pelosi is describing donald's actions as "bribery" - because it's in the constitution (article II, section 4) as an offense that requires impeachment. the facts are pretty clear that donald attempted both bribery and extortion of the president of ukraine, and failed at both. thus, the question for the senate to answer will be whether attempted bribery that fails is still bribery, and whether attempted extortion that also fails is a high crime or misdemeanor. perhaps donald's incompetence will again be his salvation.
and since the constitution made impeachment a political process, not a legal one, the definitions of said terms are politically determined.
Charles Brown, Esq
43
Oops, meant parish.
Yes, sir, and Orleans Parish is the only place with any outstanding votes not counted... so this one is over.
Somebody has the unenviable task of informing Poor Donald that the Louisiana Governor is still Blue. *laughs*
Donald Trump is the best writer working for SNL in years.
Quid pro quo, the battle anthem for six weeks, was ditched after focus groups told Dem pollsters that bribery was easier to understand than Latin. Presto — bribery it is.
-Michael Goodwin
When all is said and done, ONE PARTY and ONE PARTY ONLY are trying to remove a President that was freely, fairly, legally, democratically and Constitutionally elected..
It's a coup.. Nothing more..
that's why pelosi is describing donald's actions as "bribery" - because it's in the constitution (article II, section 4) as an offense that requires impeachment. the facts are pretty clear that donald attempted both bribery and extortion of the president of ukraine, and failed at both.
Except for the FACT that the President who was supposedly "bribed" or "extorted" said that there was neither.
No, looking at Joe Biden's unsanctioned actions, THAT was clearly extortion..
Funny how ya'all don't MIND extortion if it's a -D guy doing the extorting..
Once again, PROVING that this is nothing but a Democrat Party coup..
"At least everyone knows who MY whistle blower was."
-Bill Clinton
:D
JL,
that's why pelosi is describing donald's actions as "bribery" - because it's in the constitution (article II, section 4) as an offense that requires impeachment.
One problem..
Where is the bribe??
The act of GIVING the military aid could be considered a bribe... But there was not demand of reciprocal action at the time the military aid was given..
So, THAT's not a bribe..
Simply WITHHOLDING is not a bribe.
Bribe is worse than quid pro quo as far as pinning it on President Trump goes..
You people are REALLY reaching.. Throwing all kinds of shit on the wall and hope.. PRAY.. something sticks..
But, irregardless of all that..
If Bribery is the Current Accusation Of The Week.
Why did Pelosi claim that Democrats have not made the decision to impeach??
And, of course, none of you comment how Odumbo didn't give ANY offensive aid to Ukraine..
In other words, Odumbo withheld military aid..
By ya'all's OWN definition, Odumbo committed bribery..
Ya'all see how utterly ludicrous and crazy ya'all sound??
I mean, seriously people.. Look at the FACTS rationally, if you can..
CW is the president of Weigantia.. As President of Sane & Rational ville, I offer to give President CW a million dollars to keep Weigantia running. By Weigantia law, that is not a bribe..
But if I say I am going to withhold that donation, THAT is a "bribe"???
You see how utterly frak'ed ya'alls claim is?? Ya see how utterly frak'ed in the head ya'all are??
Show me the law that says withholding anything of value is a "bribe"??
Mike
Trump's "original sin" (winning the 2016 election) left most of the unpenised Weigantians teetering on the edge.
Then, when the Mueller report fizzled, that pushed them over the edge, into the depths of PTSD syndrome.
When the "bribery/QPQ/impeachment" fizzles, there will no doubt be unrestrained wrist-slashing.
So, with no Weigantian girls to hassle you, what the hell you gonna do for entertainment?
No, the military aid was used for attempted extortion. The white house visit was used for attempted bribery. Neither succeeded.
No, the military aid was used for attempted extortion.
Yea, that's the claim.. No facts to support it..
The white house visit was used for attempted bribery.
Show me where a visit is a bribe??
Also show President Zelensky confessing he was bribed..
No??
This is a more skimpy case than ya'all's Russia Collusion delusion.
And THAT was skimpy..
Trump's "original sin" (winning the 2016 election) left most of the unpenised Weigantians teetering on the edge.
Then, when the Mueller report fizzled, that pushed them over the edge, into the depths of PTSD syndrome.
When the "bribery/QPQ/impeachment" fizzles, there will no doubt be unrestrained wrist-slashing.
So, with no Weigantian girls to hassle you, what the hell you gonna do for entertainment?
Jags game is on. They just scored!! :D
Arrgghhhh!!!!! President Trump will destroy the economy!! Wall Street will be decimated!!!!
Dow jumps more than 200 points to 28,000, posts 4-week winning streak
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/15/dow-futures-fed-reserve-financial-stability-report.html
I gotta ask??
Do ya'all get EMBARRASSED that ya'all are always SO wrong ALL THE TIME??
No, looking at Joe Biden's unsanctioned actions, THAT was clearly extortion..
Further proof that you were never a police officer! You either have no idea what constitutes bribery or extortion, or you are just lying... either way it just makes your claims of being in law enforcement an attack on the honor of those who actually serve their communities!
If after your “over two decades” in law enforcement you still do not see how Trump’s actions are criminal, you owe whichever mythical department that you claim to have worked for their money back!
The act of GIVING the military aid could be considered a bribe... But there was not demand of reciprocal action at the time the military aid was given..
So, THAT's not a bribe..
Simply WITHHOLDING is not a bribe.
Simply WITHHOLDING military aid unless Zelensky goes on TV to announce Ukraine is investigating the Bidens IS EXTORTION!
Offering a visit to the White House in exchange for saying Ukraine is investigating whether they interfered in our 2016 election to help Clinton is BRIBERY!
Trump is a criminal who believes he is above the law. He lies even more than you do, which is as amazing as it is pathetic!
It sickens me every time I think about the new Ukrainian government that was elected on a platform of ending the corruption within their government looking to the United States, their strongest and closest ally, and being forced into corruption to satisfy a coward who knows he cannot win re-election without outside interference once again!
We, as a nation, should be horrified and ashamed of what occurred. I hope that the next administration can make amends to heal the damage done by Trump, and pray it will happen before Russia attempts a full takeover of the country!
We have a president who ignores the words of his own intelligence agencies and instead listens to conspiracy theories from idiots on sites like InfoWars and accepts their words as being the truth.
Listen: true!
Simply WITHHOLDING military aid unless Zelensky goes on TV to announce Ukraine is investigating the Bidens IS EXTORTION!
Just like Biden's unsanctioned actions of withholding billions of dollars in aid unless the prosecutor who is investigating Biden's son is extortion..
But you don't have a problem with extortion if it's a DEMOCRAT who is doing it..
Which proves yer nothing but a hypocrite and a Party slave..
Do ya'all get EMBARRASSED that ya'all are always SO wrong ALL THE TIME??
Since ya'all established the Charlottesville Rule (SILENCE GIVES ASSENT) it's clear that ya'all ARE embarrassed at how wrong ya'all have ALWAYS been about EVERYTHING Trump..
Oh.. excuse me..
PRESIDENT TRUMP..
That's another thing ya'all were wrong about..
Ya'all said that PRESIDENT TRUMP would NEVER be President...
It must stick in ya'all's craw how ya'all have been ALWAYS wrong.. :D
If after your “over two decades” in law enforcement you still do not see how Trump’s actions are criminal, you owe whichever mythical department that you claim to have worked for their money back!
You also said that President Trump's actions were criminal with the Russia Collusion delusion..
YOU were WRONG..
According to YOUR infantile idea of "logic" that "PROVES" you are not gay, you are not married to a cop and you were NEVER an EMT..
BBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
You really are nothing but an imbecile filled with hate, are ya Russ.. :smirk: :D
"It's a debate, and I want a lot more data before I legalize marijuana nationally. I want to make sure we know a lot more about the science behind it."
-Joe Biden
Wooops... Joe Biden just got PNG'ed from Weigantia...
:D
That type of "WE NEED MORE FACTS" attitude simply WILL NOT BE TOLERATED here in Weigantia...
Michale
Bringing The FACTS w/ CW Since 2005
Very interesting to note..
Biden's numbers continue to plummet..
But there are no corresponding rise in other Democrat candidates..
Apparently, Democrats are reading all about how the Democrat candidates don't stand a chance to beat Trump and are totally disillusioned with Democrats and their faux impeachment coup, they are simply deciding not to vote... :D
Who could have POSSIBLY predicted this!!??
Oh... Wait... :D
Democrats don't want public to know origins of Ukraine probe like they didn't want public to know origins of Russia probe
Why are House Democrats stonewalling questions about the identity of the Trump-Ukraine whistleblower?
Start by taking them at their word. Perhaps they really are concerned about the whistleblower's personal safety. They also know that, beyond a limited prohibition applying to the inspector general of the intelligence community, no law bars anyone, in politics, media, or anywhere else, from revealing the whistleblower's identity. So they worry.
But there is more to the story. Should the whistleblower have connections to prominent Democrats, exposure of his identity could be embarrassing to the party. And perhaps most of all, reading through the impeachment inquiry depositions that have been released so far, it's clear that cutting off questions that could possibly relate to the whistleblower has also allowed Democrats to shut off any look at how the Trump-Ukraine investigation started. Who was involved? What actions did they take? Why did some government employees think President Trump's July 25 call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky represented a lost opportunity, or poor judgment, while others thought it represented wrongdoing requiring congressional investigation?
Democrats do not want the public to know. And in that, their position is familiar to anyone who has watched Washington for the last two years: The Democrats' determination to cut off questions about the origins of the Trump-Ukraine investigation is strikingly similar to their determination to cut off questions about the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation. In both cases, they fought hard to keep secret the origins of investigations that have shaken the nation, deeply divided the electorate, and affected the future of the presidency.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/democrats-dont-want-public-to-know-origins-of-ukraine-probe-like-they-didnt-want-public-to-know-origins-of-russia-probe
Democrats are re-using the Russia Collusion delusion play book..
And it's going to end JUST as badly for Democrats as ya'all's Russia Collusion delusion did..
With a vindicated and exonerated President Trump still in office and stronger then ever before.. :D
From their point of view, it makes sense. Democrats were rattled by Republican efforts to uncover the origins of the Trump-Russia probe. The Steele dossier, the use of spies and informants to target the Trump campaign, the Carter Page wiretap, the murky start to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation -- Democrats resisted GOP attempts to reveal them all. But in 2017 and 2018 Republicans controlled the House. Then-Chairman Devin Nunes used the power of the Intelligence Committee to unearth key parts of the story. Nunes' efforts eventually led to a Justice Department inspector general investigation whose results, expected in coming weeks, could further damage the Democratic Trump-Russia storyline. And then there is the ongoing criminal investigation led by U.S. Attorney John Durham.
But Democrats now control the House. As they lead the Trump-Ukraine impeachment inquiry, Chairman Schiff and other Democrats are applying the lesson learned from Trump-Russia: Do not allow inquiry into the origins of the investigation.
Democrats are DEATHLY afraid of the origins of these coups being found out...
Because when that information comes out (and it WILL come out) many MANY Democrats are going to jail..
It's gonna be funny. After the GOP takes the House, it will be DEMOCRATS who will ignore subpoenas all over the place..
But they don't have EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE to use as a trump card.. :D
It's going to be REALLY fun to see Democrats squirm and go to jail.. :D
In the Trump-Russia affair, the investigation was entrusted to a special counsel who ultimately could not establish that Schiff's and the Democrats' key allegation, a conspiracy or coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign, ever actually occurred. Now, House Democrats are doing the Trump-Ukraine investigation themselves, making it easier to reach the conclusion they want.
But so far at least, the investigation seems to have established that Trump's alleged misconduct exists in the eye of the beholder. Some officials heard the Zelensky call as it happened and saw no wrongdoing. Vindman, on the other hand, saw wrongdoing and got in touch with an unknown number of people about it. After that, the story grew and grew. How did one man's impression turn into the impeachment probe of today?
And that is what Chairman Schiff does not want the nation to know.
It's an amazing coincidence..
The traitor, Vindman talked to a whole bunch of people about President Trump's phone..
What's amazing is that EVERY person traitor Vidman talked to was a Trump/America hater...
Uncanny coincidence..
Impeachment by Focus Group
The Democrats try to get traction by dumbing down the narrative.
Anyone following the increasingly desperate Democratic impeachment effort will by now be aware that they have exchanged the term “quid pro quo” for “bribery” and “extortion.” They rebranded President Trump’s alleged offenses, according to a Washington Post report, after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee conducted a number of focus groups to test their messaging. The use of a marketing tool for something so serious confirms that, for the Democrats, impeachment is just another election strategy they hope will get traction if they dumb down the narrative. This betrays breathtaking contempt for the nation’s institutions as well as the voters.
https://spectator.org/impeachment-by-focus-group/
Proof positive that this faux impeachment coup is NOTHING but a political ploy....
Imagine that!?? Dumbocrats are FOCUS GROUP'ing an impeachment!!
"The FACTS don't matter!! Let's just focus group it and find out what plays well!!!"
-Dumbocrats
Reminds me of that episode of THE ORVILLE where the entire criminal justice system is based on Social Media..
Dumbcrats... Life imitating art..
:eyeroll:
As an aside.. In the OLD Weigantia, the FUN Weigantia, ^^^ THAT would have prompted a long debate on the appropriateness of the Democrats actions..
But in the new HHPTDS infused Weigantia, it's ignored...
Russ,
Simply WITHHOLDING military aid unless Zelensky goes on TV to announce Ukraine is investigating the Bidens IS EXTORTION!
"You really are a sad simple creature, aren't you?"
-Bartleby, DOGMA
Do you know what "EXTORTION" is called when national-states do it??
It's called "SANCTIONS"...
You really don't know anything about anything, do you Russ??
You just sit there and spew yer hate and bigotry while being completely and utterly CLUELESS about the FACTS and reality..
Using your moronic definition of extortion, Odumbo is guilty of "extortion" when he, FINALLY, applied sanctions to Russia..
You see, Russ, my moronic and imbecilic friend.. Democrats are simply flailing around for SOMETHING... ANYTHING to stick..
And as usual, your Dumbocrats fail time and time and time again..
"Bribery" will fail.. "Extortion" will fail... Just as "quid pro quo" and "collusion" has failed..
Ya'all have been WRONG every time with regards to President Trump..
Ya'all will be WRONG again this time.. AND the next time.. AND the next time..
Why?? Because you people (NEN) and yer Dumbocrats and Trump/America haters DON'T THINK THINGS THRU...
You simply hate..
This brings us back to the series of Democratic conspiracy theories that have been deployed by the Democrats against President Trump. Before the Ukraine “scandal,” they accused him of colluding with the Russians, defying the Emoluments Clause, violating the separation of powers doctrine, obstructing justice, ignoring security clearances, tax evasion, and exhibiting such erratic behavior that only the 25th Amendment could save the nation. They assured us that the Mueller investigation would uncover skulduggery that would make the preceding pale by comparison. When that 22-month snipe hunt finally ended with Robert Mueller’s maundering testimony, they needed a new scandal.
Miraculously, an anonymous “whistleblower” filed a complaint about a “disturbing” phone call in which the President had committed yet another evidence-free offense. Trump had, we were told, attempted to arrange a quid pro quo deal whereby he would receive dirt on a potential 2020 opponent in exchange for security aid for Ukraine. But the storied stupidity of the American voter prevented “quid pro quo” from going viral and the Democrats turned to their ever-present consultants. They conducted the inevitable focus groups and produced a new crop of calumny that included such buzzwords as “extortion,” “bribery,” “abuse of power,” and “corruption.” The voters just yawned.
The voters understand that the latest “impeachment inquiry” is just a campaign strategy for the Democrats, who assume they are idiots. They know the people running this circus despise them and intend to fundamentally transform the nation’s institutions into something irreconcilable with individual liberty. It will, however, take more than focus groups and a few new talking points. America isn’t listening anymore. That’s what 2016 was all about. Another dose of reality will be administered in 2020.
I know there is at least a handful of Weigantians who are very intelligent people..
The fact that even a couple of them buy into this totally hate-fueled faux impeachment coup is very very sad and very very disappointing..
Makes me sad just being here...
Of course, bitch-slapping the bigots and haters has it's own rewards... :smirk: :D
"Bribery" will fail.. "Extortion" will fail... Just as "quid pro quo" and "collusion" has failed..
Quid Pro Quo -FAILED
Separation of Powers -FAILED
Obstruction -FAILED
Emoluments -FAILED
Tax Evasion -FAILED
25th Amendment -FAILED
Collusion -FAILED
Trump Charity -FAILED
Bribery -FAIL PENDING
Extortion -FAIL PENDING
One would think you people and yer fellow Trump/America haters would get a clue..
But then again, I am dealing with people who HATE so much that very little facts or reality get thru the blinding hysterical curtain of hate..
Bloomberg, Once a Tough Talker, Becomes a Pander Bear
Michael Bloomberg speaks at an event in New York, N.Y., September 21, 2016. (Darren Ornitz/Reuters)
His recent apology for stop-and-frisk probably won’t win him the nomination.
We now know Michael Bloomberg is going to run for president. He’s turning himself into a pander bear.
During his three terms as New York City’s mayor, Bloomberg was famous for dismissing politically correct criticism and refusing to apologize for it.
But there he was on Sunday at an African-American megachurch in Brooklyn saying he was sorry for the stop-and-frisk policy he used so successfully to break the back of crime and reduce the murder rate in New York City by 50 percent.
Under stop-and-frisk, police officers were authorized to search people if they were suspected of illegal activity while carrying a weapon. Critics said the practice was disproportionately used against blacks and Hispanics. After Bloomberg left office in 2013, a judge ruled that the tactic had been used unconstitutionally. Bloomberg denounced the decision of Bill de Blasio, his successor as mayor, to dramatically reduce stop-and-frisk.
https://tinyurl.com/wqm4qsc
Bloomberg is going the politician pandering route..
I am betting there are more than a few Democrats who will actually believe Bloomberg's spewage..
Liz Peek: Schiff steers Trump impeachment drive straight toward a ditch – Here's what's next
House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Adam Schiff delivers opening remarks to day two of the public impeaching hearings into President Trump featuring former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
Adam Schiff has made a complete hash of the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry. The decision by the California Democrat and House Intelligence Committee chairman to conduct the first series of interviews behind closed doors allowed Republicans to appropriately brand the enterprise as unfair and clandestine.
His next step, orchestrating a steady stream of leaks and disclosures timed and edited for maximum impact, all but guaranteed that last week’s subsequent live hearings would be anti-climactic.
Schiff stole his own thunder.
In addition, he has not been straightforward about his dealings with the whistleblower, who initially was pivotal to charges against the president but who is now deemed inconsequential by Schiff.
It is common knowledge that the initial complaint was launched by a Democrat with ties to President Trump’s adversaries. That revelation has sucked even more legitimacy from the investigation.
As a result of these several missteps, the public is wary of what has emerged as an obviously partisan attack on a duly elected president. Worse, they are also, already, bored and, we’re not even in the home stretch.
As usual, President Logan/Adam Schiff-head royally screws the pooch..
Polls show that almost 75% of Americans have little or no trust in what Democrats are doing..
Over 80% of Americans have already chosen sides and say that this faux impeachment coup won't change their minds about anything..
Democrats are SO hosed... :smirk: :D
From others, Bloomberg has earned nothing but scorn for his retreat. “The reign of race-based identity politics in the Democratic party may now be declared absolute,” Heather Mac Donald, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute who often boosted Bloomberg, tells me, adding:
The Left has never shown that stop-and-frisk was racist; in fact, like other tactics in the police tool kit, it was directed through objective, color-blind data to where people were most being victimized. And such victimization occurs overwhelmingly in minority neighborhoods, driven by minority perpetrators.
The main argument against stop-and-frisk by the Left is that a bit more than 50 percent of New York City stops were of blacks. Even though blacks are only about a quarter of the city’s population. Whites, by contrast, are about a third of the city’s population, but made up about 9 percent of stops. By MacDonald says that population is the wrong benchmark for measuring the validity of police actions. The relevant benchmark is crime. Blacks commit around three-quarters of all shootings in New York City; the victims are overwhelmingly minority. Whites commit less than 2 percent.
The police cannot respond to violent street crime without having a disparate impact on minority communities. The fault lies not with the police but with the criminals. To argue that support for stop-and-frisk is a form of white supremacy ignores the real issues.
And THAT is were Dumbocrats reign supreme..
Ignoring REAL issues..
:eyeroll:
Back in 2014, when he gave a famous commencement speech at Harvard, Bloomberg was thinking about running for president in 2016 as an independent, not as a Democrat. Then he took a much braver stance against political correctness. Universities were becoming places “where the forces of repression appear to be stronger . . . than at any time since the 1950s,” he said.
Today, on many college campuses, it is liberals trying to repress conservative ideas even as conservative faculty members are at risk of becoming an endangered species. . . . Diversity of gender, ethnicity, and orientation is important, but a university cannot be great if its faculty is politically homogenous.
That Michael Bloomberg is probably gone for the duration of his campaign, his anti-PC stances no doubt being held in a blind trust.
The irony is that Bloomberg’s cave-in came just two days after former president Barack Obama sounded a warning cry to Democratic donors meeting in Washington, saying that Democrats risk tilting too far to the left to win elections. He cautioned that average voters aren’t going to agree with “certain left-leaning Twitter feeds or the activist wing of our party.” He urged Democrats to remember that “even as we push the envelope and we are bold in our vision, we also have to be rooted in reality.”
26
No doubt Bloomberg’s political consultants have told him that shifting to the left is necessary if he is to have any chance of winning the Democratic nomination. But while polls can pick up voter attitudes on issues, they cannot always detect shifts in people’s opinion of a candidate’s character.
As Bloomberg fills in political potholes on the left-hand side of his road to the nomination, he should remember that his repairs may come at the expense of his reputation as that rare officeholder who did what he thought was right and defended the results.
Democrats are going to lose and lose big in 2020....
It's really THAT simple..
[72] Michale
"Do you know what "EXTORTION" is called when national-states do it??
It's called "SANCTIONS"..."
Except, it WASN'T a nation state doing it!!!
It was a political leader (Trump) doing it for PERSONAL POLITICAL GAIN, NAMELY, HELP with his OWN RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN AGAINST HIS DOMESTIC POLITICAL RIVAL.
Otherwise, why go thru his private lawyer to do it???
Why not enlist Congressional and Allied help???
Why no mention of any OTHER corruption in any OTHER nation??? If Trump is so focused on corruption??? Why no OTHER case in Ukraine OTHER than Biden??? Why Biden ALONE???
Care to answer ANY of those questions if you can Michale???
UNLIKE Biden, who was working in concert with ALL our European Allies, and NOT acting ALONE by himself!!!
"You really don't know anything about anything, do you Russ??"
Apparently, he KNOWS MUCH MORE than you DO Michale!!
So thanks for playing!!!
"You just sit there and spew yer hate and bigotry while being completely and utterly CLUELESS about the FACTS and reality.."
Please do STOP talking about YOURSELF Michale! YOU, as I have stated REPEATEDLY, are the one TOTALLY CLUELESS and IMPERVIOUS to FACTS and REALITY.
Michale,
The flaw in your defense of Trump is that you keep ignoring that what Trump sought was for his re-election campaign; he was using the office of the presidency to benefit himself.
Do you know what "EXTORTION" is called when national-states do it??
It's called "SANCTIONS"...
But Trump is NOT a nation — he’s an individual and so it is called EXTORTION!
Biden did nothing wrong. You have been royally conned by Trump if you think he gives a crap about this nation! Trump is in this for only Trump.
Except, it WASN'T a nation state doing it!!!
Really??
Trump is President Of The United States..
You really are so full of hatred you can't speak straight..
Why not enlist Congressional and Allied help???
Oh yea.. Because Congress has been SOOOO helpful to President Trump to date, eh? :smirk: :D
The fact is, in this matter, President Trump can do as he pleases.. He SHIRLEY doesn't have to run it by YOU are any other Democrat Trump / America hating moron..
Why no mention of any OTHER corruption in any OTHER nation??? If Trump is so focused on corruption??? Why no OTHER case in Ukraine OTHER than Biden??? Why Biden ALONE???
Care to answer ANY of those questions if you can Michale???
There are not enough facts to know the answers.. But that doesn't stop you from your hate filled spewage against President Trump..
Apparently, he KNOWS MUCH MORE than you DO Michale!!
Yea, I am sure he (and you) think that..
But, as USUAL you have NO FACTS to support ya'all's claims..
YOU, as I have stated REPEATEDLY, are the one TOTALLY CLUELESS and IMPERVIOUS to FACTS and REALITY.
How do YOU know?? Ya'all never **HAVE** any facts or reality..
Your Russia Collusion delusion was ya'all's "reality" for over 2 years.. And ya'all were WRONG about it..
So, come talk to me when you have ANY facts at all to PROVE any accusation you have against President..
This is the point where you run away again, JM.... :smirk: :D
But Trump is NOT a nation — he’s an individual and so it is called EXTORTION!
You really are an imbecile, aren't you??
BBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
President Trump is President Of The United States..
On the world stage, he ***IS*** the United States.
And YOU can't handle that..
That's why you are so hysterical with hatred and bigotry..
President Trump is **YOUR** President and you can't handle that fact...
Biden did nothing wrong.
According to YOUR definition, Biden committed extortion..
And Biden even did it on his own without ANY orders from Odumbo..
All to protect Hunter Biden..
These are the facts.. And you can't dispute them..
John M [79]
Well said!
The more worked up he gets, the more it is clear that he knows he is full of shat.
"We are going to have to learn to live with each other or else there will be blood. So don’t freak out if Ellen sits next to George Bush at a football game."
-Bill Maher
Yes, there will be blood.. That is all but certain.
And the funny thing is, one side has all the training and 98% of the guns in the nation..
The other side is afraid of guns and couldn't even fire one if their life depended on it..
So, that side?? The Trump/America hating side??
THAT side is going to be massacred..
John M [79]
Well said!
Actually, JM already ran away... :smirk: :D
And JM's sole comment is #82, not #79..
You couldn't be more of a moron if you tried.. :smirk: :D
The more worked up he gets, the more it is clear that he knows he is full of shat.
And, as usual, you have absolutely NO FACTS to prove that..
:smirk: :D
Looks like Kapernutz chickened out of his NFL try-out..
He knows he is a washed up has been....
So let me get this straight, Colin Kaepernick has been working out all this time, him, people in his camp, his loved ones - everyone's saying he's ready to play football, he wants to play, just give him a chance. So what does the NFL do? Recognizing that teams need a shield, because they need something to hide behind, because they know that, guess what? If we bring this brother in for a workout and we don't want him, we don't need him, who knows what we're going t get accused of. We need cover! So the NFL provides that.
I have no doubt Jay Z is involved, I have no doubt Roger Goodell is involved. I have no doubt there is a host of people involved, but forget all of that. This man wanted a chance, 25 teams show up in Georgia at the Atlanta Falcons practice facility, they stayed at our facility, NFL personnel, equipment, video, everything.
And what does Colin Kaepernick do? Not Tuesday, not Wednesday, not Thursday, not Friday, Saturday -- three hours before the workout -- because of some issue with a liability waiver -- Colin Kaepernick wants to change the venue, Colin Kaepernick wants his own receivers, Colin Kaepernick wants to video things himself, Colin Kaepernick... wants the media available.
You see? He don't wanna play. He wants to be a martyr. But, guess what? It ain't working this time.
All of us believe Colin Kaepernick would have sold out. And if he had sold out, I believe he would have had a job in two weeks. But it didn't happen because he didn't show. He wanted to show up to a high school in Georgia, not an NFL facility, a high school. And you took it live. Like, the average Joe out there gets to decide if he's on the NFL roster. You don't want to work, you just want to make noise and control the narrative.
It's over, Colin Kaepernick's aspiration for an NFL career. It is over.
-ESPN Stephen Smith
Like the Dumbocrat Party who loves him, Kappernutz is a joke.. A washed up has been who is on his way out..
Just like the Dumbocrat Party..
If Biden did something wrong, as you keep wishing so hard that it will be true....then why didn’t Trump order his flunky, Barr, to have the DOJ investigate him?
Why would Trump want Ukraine to say they will investigate Biden when it would be a lot worse if our own intelligence and law enforcement agencies were investigating him???
You are the fool arguing that Biden forced the Ukrainians to fire their prosecutor — who was allowing corruption to run rampant in their government — and hire a new one who would be tough on corruption, all to help his son, Hunter, do what? You have no evidence showing Hunter Biden doing anything illegal. So you fail to show how any of this benefitted Joe Biden personally. “But Hillary’s emails...”
Trump keeps saying how perfect his call to Zelensky was, but he refuses to release the full transcript to Congress. Trump refuses to let anyone who could possibly offer testimony to support his claims of innocence testify.... which makes no sense at all! Why would an innocent man work so hard to cover up his innocence?
The only people who look more stupid than Trump are people like you defending this traitor!
You have no evidence showing Hunter Biden doing anything illegal.
If that is factually accurate, why did Hunter Biden swear he would never do it again??
The only people who look more stupid than Trump are people like you defending this traitor!
yea.. you said the same thing about yer Russia Collusion delusion..
And, as it turned out, YOU were the one who looked totally stoopid.. :D
Funny how that ALWAYS is the case around here in Weigantia, eh? :D
That's what is so hilarious about all this..
Ya'all are spewing the exact same bullshit ya spewed during yer Russia Collusion delusion phase..
Totally IGNORING the ***FACT*** that ya'all got yer asses handed to ya...
You people are making all the same mistakes you made last time..
And why?? Because ya'all are blinded by hatred and bigotry...
I noticed ya'all ignored that almost 75% (THREE QUARTERS) of Americans have LITTLE TRUST or NO TRUST in Democrats faux impeachment coup..
For you people, who live and die by polls, that is especially hilarious.. :D
biden's numbers have been "continuing to plummet" since july, yet somehow they've continued to be almost exactly where they were.
If that is factually accurate, why did Hunter Biden swear he would never do it again??
same reason i gave last time you asked, because ethical politicians like joe biden try to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest, even when no actual conflict exists.
JL
Simply WITHHOLDING military aid unless Zelensky goes on TV to announce Ukraine is investigating the Bidens IS EXTORTION!
Offering a visit to the White House in exchange for saying Ukraine is investigating whether they interfered in our 2016 election to help Clinton is BRIBERY!
no, it's ATTEMPTED extortion and bribery. while the legal code may not draw a distinction, the court of public opinion (and thus, the senate trial) well might. we're not dealing with legal definitions, we're dealing with political definitions, and a scheme that fails so spectacularly to yield any fruit will probably not implicate the politician who attempted it, at least not sufficiently for impeachment to succeed. as for re-election, that's also not looking super, but the jury's still out.
JL
biden's numbers have been "continuing to plummet" since july, yet somehow they've continued to be almost exactly where they were.
I was referring to the most recent week or two..
But I understand yer need to spin :D
same reason i gave last time you asked, because ethical politicians like joe biden try to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest, even when no actual conflict exists.
Yes, that is one possibility.
But it's ONLY a possibility..
no, it's ATTEMPTED extortion and bribery. while the legal code may not draw a distinction, the court of public opinion (and thus, the senate trial) well might. we're not dealing with legal definitions, we're dealing with political definitions, and a scheme that fails so spectacularly to yield any fruit will probably not implicate the politician who attempted it, at least not sufficiently for impeachment to succeed. as for re-election, that's also not looking super, but the jury's still out.
Yes. You tried that same legalese lawyer-listic tap dance with the Russia Collusion delusion right down to the same "but the jury's still out" claim.
Remember how that worked out???
But THIS TIME... THIS TIME it's gonna be different, right?? :D
I admire your loyalty...
But the simple fact is, a partisan impeachment is not a legitimate impeachment.
So says Democrats like Biden, Pelosi, Nadler and Schiff... :D
Yes. You tried that same legalese lawyer-listic tap dance with the Russia Collusion delusion right down to the same "but the jury's still out" claim.
Remember how that worked out???
But THIS TIME... THIS TIME it's gonna be different, right?? :D
Of course, the "you" is a euphemistic "you"... :D
Wow..
Supernatural is bringing back all the old alumni for their final season..
Amara
Chuck
Becky
Ketch
Rowena
Kevin
It's like old home week!! :D
Now, if we could bring back the old Weigantia, the Weigantia before all the haters and bigots arrived??
Then life would be perfect.. :D
[61] Listen: Yep!
Ukraine, under fire from Russia, elects a man who wants to end corruption in his government and along comes the most corrupt US potus ever, who puts the screws on him, attempting to force Ukraine to pretend Joe Biden is corrupt by announcing the launch of a smear-investigation.
Ukrainians have been killed while Blotus & his gang of enablers conducted their blackmail attempts.
It is disgraceful on every level.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS AGREE TO HALT DEMAND TRUMP TAX RECORDS
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/house-agrees-short-halt-fight-trump-records-67106785
Once again, Democrats cave..
Just like they caved with their subpoenas... :D
Democrats are losing it... :smirk: :D
Ukrainians have been killed while Blotus & his gang of enablers conducted their blackmail attempts.
It is disgraceful on every level.
Typical of a Trump/America hating bigot...
You didn't seem to mind when Odumbo refused military aid to Ukraine and tens of thousands of Ukrainians died..
President Trump gave them the military aid that Odumbo refused to give.
Funny how you didn't give a lick about Ukrainians dying under Odumbo..
You are utterly contemptible, Zanax Girl...
Yes, Weigantian would be SOOO much better without hating bigots like Zanax Girl here...
I noticed ya'all ignored that almost 75% (THREE QUARTERS) of Americans have LITTLE TRUST or NO TRUST in Democrats faux impeachment coup..
Not true. Here is the recent polling on Impeachment:
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/impeachment-polls/
47.7% in favor of Impeachment
45.6% against impeachment
Democrats are strongly in favor of impeachment, Republicans are strongly opposed and independents hover somewhere in between.
Not true. Here is the recent polling on Impeachment:
First of all, 538???
BBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Second of all, no one said anything about approval..
As usual, yer ignoring the "facts" and changing the goal posts..
We're talking about AMERICAN TRUST in Democrats about impeachment.
And THAT shows that almost 75% of Americans have LITTLE or NO Trust in Democrats..
Why not argue the point instead of spewing a bullshit argument??
Answer: Because you can't..
Because, as with your Russia Collusion delusion, ya'all are gonna get your asses handed to ya'all...
AGAIN..
You yourself has stated as much..
First of all, 538?
Where do you get your information - from the back of a cereal box?
'Cause I note that you never Linked to yours.
You yourself has stated as much..
And you started to lie about it as soon as I did.
typical.
Holy shit!!!
LILITH is back!!!!!!
Whoaa!!!! Mind officially blown!!!
:D
And you started to lie about it as soon as I did.
YOU said it..
Now you claim I LIE about it!!???
What a moron..
"I just wanted to bring everyone back to reality. There isn't going to be an impeachment, because Republicants can't bring themselves to do it. We (dems) knew that this was true before we started it, but feel compelled to do it all the same.
In the end, like a Thanksgiving turkey which has been meticulously prepped, the process is leading to a half-baked result."
-Balthasar
What exactly am I "lying" about, eh?? They are YOUR WORDS verbatim...
'Cause I note that you never Linked to yours.
Of course I did.. But like CB, yer too stoopid to find it...
Holy shit!!!
LILITH is back!!!!!!
Whoaa!!!! Mind officially blown!!!
:D
And DEMON DEAN IS BACK!!!
Holy shit, my heart can't take much more of this!!! :D
@m,
re: "the jury's still out," i was discussing the election. anyone who claims they can 100% accurately predict the outcome of a general election almost a year prior is fooling themselves.
JL
Note that I didn't say we were "getting our asses handed to us" or anything like that.
Maybe it's a reading comprehension problem.
And, by the way, went all the way back to the start of this thread and couldn't find the link you describe.
I'm beginning to believe that it doesn't exist.
you also predicted the impeachment investigation would be voted down in the house, which i warned you was incredibly unlikely, given nancy's penchant for successfully whipping votes.
the outcome of the impeachment is basically a foregone conclusion at this point. the general election, still a bit up in the air. biden's numbers have rebounded from every other dip thus far. reports of his campaign's death may have been greatly exaggerated.
re: "the jury's still out," i was discussing the election. anyone who claims they can 100% accurately predict the outcome of a general election almost a year prior is fooling themselves.
Well, I was referring to this latest attempt by the Democrats to nullify a free, fair, legal, democratic and Constitutional election..
Anyone who thinks that they are factually accurate about the outcome, considering how many times they have been UTTERLY and COMPLETELY wrong??
They're fooling themselves...
you also predicted the impeachment investigation would be voted down in the house, which i warned you was incredibly unlikely, given nancy's penchant for successfully whipping votes.
That wasn't the impeachment vote, according to Nancy Pelosi..
According to her, Democrats haven't started impeachment yet.. It will start with the vote on the articles of impeachment..
the outcome of the impeachment is basically a foregone conclusion at this point.
Yes it is.. And you are one of the only Never Trumper here who concedes that..
Balthy conceded it as well, but he is back-pedaling so fast I am afraid for his safety...
biden's numbers have rebounded from every other dip thus far. reports of his campaign's death may have been greatly exaggerated.
Yea??? Check his bank account..
Biden is down to searching for loose change in the couch cushions...
JL,
And I am constrained to point out that if Biden was doing so good Patrick & Bloomberg would not be joining the race..
I get it.. You don't want to have to vote for President Trump....
But it's beginning to look like that is a forgone conclusion.. :D
Balthy conceded it as well, but he is back-pedaling so fast I am afraid for his safety.
I'm fine, albeit too nuanced for you.
So your 75% number was bullshit. Thought so.
And just when ya'all got SOOOOOoooo giddy about seeing President Trump's tax returns..
Supreme Court temporarily blocks release of Trump tax returns
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-temporarily-blocks-release-of-trump-tax-returns
BBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
"OOOOOooooooo.. Access denied!!!"
:D
You people crack me up.. You really do...
So your 75% number was bullshit. Thought so.
Nope.. It was linked..
But yer too stoopid to find it..
Michale
Serving Up The Facts With CW Since 2005
:D
@m
i concede the point that biden's been having trouble raising funds. however, after six months in "freefall" he's still leading in the national polls, as well as two of the four early voting states.
as for bloomberg and patrick, i stand by my comment about them probably smoking something.
JL
"OOOOOooooooo.. Access denied!!!"
-Paul, SPIN CITY
i concede the point that biden's been having trouble raising funds. however, after six months in "freefall" he's still leading in the national polls, as well as two of the four early voting states.
But, as you say, polls this early mean nothing..
as for bloomberg and patrick, i stand by my comment about them probably smoking something.
Personally, I think the whole lot of the Dim candidates are smoking something if they think Independents & NPAs will vote for them..
Michale
Serving Up The Facts With CW Since 2005
And, by the way, went all the way back to the start of this thread and couldn't find the link you describe.
I'm beginning to believe that it doesn't exist.
Soooo... If I prove you wrong and point out the link, will you admit you were full of shit??
No?? Of course not.. You can NEVER admit that...
It's funny.. I can't find a SINGLE commentary here in Weigantia where Obama was condemned for withholding military aid from Ukraine..
Yet, with this new HHPTDS infused Weigantia, there are oodles and oodles of Ukraine mentions..
I guess Ukrainian lives aren't worth much to ya'all unless ya'all can use their deaths to beat President Trump over the head with, eh??
How you people sleep at night is beyond me....
McConnell 'can't imagine a scenario' in which Senate removes Trump
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/470957-mcconnell-cant-imagine-a-scenario-in-which-senate-removes-trump
When all the Dumbocrats/Trump/America haters are done, this ends only ONE way..
With President Trump still in office..
Everyone here with more than 2 brain cells to rub together (and one who doesn't even have THAT) agrees that this will be the outcome..
Michale
Serving Up The Facts With CW Since 2005
Last week was so bad for Blotus he had to go to the hospital. This week will be worse.
Last week was so bad for Blotus he had to go to the hospital. This week will be worse.
Yea.. You keep saying that..
As usual, you are ALWAYS wrong.. :D
Welp, it's quittin' time for me.. :D
See ya'all in the morning.. :D
Mike
53
CW is the president of Weigantia.. As President of Sane & Rational ville, I offer to give President CW a million dollars to keep Weigantia running. By Weigantia law, that is not a bribe..
No, it's nothing but lunacy. You're not a public official, moron, and neither is CW. You are free to offer to give a private citizen any amount of money you want, and he is free to laugh his ass off at your asinine bullshit.
But if I say I am going to withhold that donation, THAT is a "bribe"???
You're an idiot, Mike, and not a public official.
You see how utterly frak'ed ya'alls claim is?? Ya see how utterly frak'ed in the head ya'all are??
We're not the idiots insisting that a promise for a fictional amount of money you don't have to another citizen who is the author of a blog is the equivalent of a bribe, moron; that's all your ignorant dumfuckery.
Show me the law that says withholding anything of value is a "bribe"??
Federal bribery laws are outlined in 18 United States Code, Section 201 - Bribery.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/201
Bribery: Corrupt solicitation, acceptance, or transfer of value in exchange for official action. You should note the "or" in the legal definition of bribery. The solicitation of a bribe also constitutes a crime and is completed regardless of whether the solicitation results in the receipt of a valuable gift.
Bribery refers to the offering, giving, soliciting, or receiving of any item of value as a means of influencing the actions of an individual holding a public or legal duty. This type of action results in matters that should be handled objectively being handled in a manner best suiting the private interests of the decision maker. Bribery constitutes a crime and both the offeror and the recipient can be criminally charged.
Russ
60
Yep!
JL
95
no, it's ATTEMPTED extortion and bribery.
The solicitation of a bribe is bribery. The solicitation was made multiple times, and the funds were withheld for months and not released until the criminal was caught in the act of bribery. Full stop.
while the legal code may not draw a distinction, the court of public opinion (and thus, the senate trial) well might. we're not dealing with legal definitions, we're dealing with political definitions,
We're definitely dealing with both since the United States Constitution lists the reasons for removal from office as "Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” There's no way around the fact we're dealing with crimes, and Donald Trump can be tried for the commission of those crimes when he leaves office. Full stop.
and a scheme that fails so spectacularly to yield any fruit will probably not implicate the politician who attempted it, at least not sufficiently for impeachment to succeed.
Impeachment is likely to succeed in spectacular fashion since the POTUS is an elected official who withheld taxpayers' money to the tune of nearly $400 million and solicited a bribe in order to release the aid. Zelensky had agreed to the terms and was scheduled to make an announcement and was only stopped when intervention caused the funds to be released. Trump has admitted to asking a foreign leader to investigate Biden (his political opponent) and given a myriad of different excuses for doing it (which were lies) and has now settled on the admission and saying he'd do it again. He's violated multiple federal statutes, e.g. bribery, federal election laws, Hobbs. etc. He also ordered people in his administration to order their employees not to cooperate with Congress's investigation, and that is obstruction of justice... on paper.
Removal, on the other hand, is not likely to happen until and unless Moscow Mitch and the spineless GOP in the Senate think they're going to lose enough of their respective jobs and therefore cause Mitch to lose his precious Senate. Just watch how fast Trump goes under the old bus if Mitch thinks he's going to lose the Senate.
Paula
100
Exactly!
Mike
101|117
Once again, Democrats cave..
It's a temporary stay until they can file their own brief in opposition, dumbfuck. You seem blissfully unaware that the order from the DC Circuit would take effect on Wednesday, November 20, if the SCOTUS didn't place a temporary stay on the Order while they review it. The House wants to file a response to Trump's request so they'd naturally agree to a short stay.
Damn, you are dumb! Temporary stays are routine.
And just when ya'all got SOOOOOoooo giddy about seeing President Trump's tax returns..
Supreme Court temporarily blocks release of Trump tax returns
Well, you're obviously unable to connect the dots on this temporary stay issue. It's temporary. Roberts is requesting their response by November 21 when they had said they would respond on Friday, November 22. It'd be funny if Roberts has already made up his mind and wants their brief filed a day earlier on Thursday so he can quickly make a ruling on Friday not to hear the case.
Trump's claim is basically that laws don't apply to him, and I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that Roberts has already decided not to hear the case wherein any dipshit... including the dipshit elected to serve as POTUS... would declare himself above the law.
Any member of the SCOTUS that would be fool enough to make a ruling that would place any POTUS above Congress and the Supreme Court would deserve whatever that dipshit they crowned would do to them for having done that.