The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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Trent Steel
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by Trent Steel »

YellowKing wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 10:14 am
LordMortis wrote:I'm not a Democrat and doubt I ever will be but I can't call myself independent anymore because there is not direct path to me voting GOP anymore. I'm not left leaning but the right has to go.
I'm in the same position re: not seeing myself ever voting Republican again. It has seriously made me think about switching to D and being done with it. "Independent" makes me feel like I still tacitly approve of some stuff the GOP does, and that's just not true right now.
LM, YK... shift over.

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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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YellowKing wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 10:14 am
LordMortis wrote:I'm not a Democrat and doubt I ever will be but I can't call myself independent anymore because there is not direct path to me voting GOP anymore. I'm not left leaning but the right has to go.
I'm in the same position re: not seeing myself ever voting Republican again. It has seriously made me think about switching to D and being done with it. "Independent" makes me feel like I still tacitly approve of some stuff the GOP does, and that's just not true right now.
I'm "independent" or "unaffiliated" not because I'm trying to leave room side with the GOP but because I'm leaving room open to not side with the Democrats. Some might argue that the former is exactly the same as the latter but I don't believe that. If I did, I'd also have to believe that our Republic is effectively dead. I'm not there yet.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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LordMortis wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 8:39 am
Remus West wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 7:57 am Also, anyone else wondering if we have already moved irrevocably down the path that ends in totalitarianism?
Wondering and fearing, yes, but hoping and believing, get back to me in 2020.
Thats what I keep telling myself but I fear by then it may be too late. It may already be. Even so I'm not certain what I'd be willing and able to do to stop it. Voting and working to get out the vote? Sure. Except if that vote becomes meaningless? Then what? I have no idea and that thought depresses and frightens me.

I'm worried that we were done the moment Newt declared there would be no compromise from the R side. Compromises, as has been said over and over, are what make Democracy work.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by Holman »

Our system has never really worked as advertised.

In addition to sheer chicanery and backroom dealing by the powerful, every category of citizen other than rich white men has had to struggle to claim even the vote. We've only ever been a republic when people have actively claimed and insisted on sharing in power.

Now the oligarchs have decided to take it back.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by LordMortis »

Remus West wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 10:51 am Compromises, as has been said over and over, are what make Democracy work.
That's my biggest fear of being irrevocable. I get principles but I guess when your "principles" are synonymous for corruption or stupidity or PsueodoRand Virtue of Selfishness Bull Shit (though, I guess that's still stupidity) and you have found the means to hold your fill in municipality and government level here hostage and can accumulate more power, then I think we may done. I won't say we're there. I will we've crossed the Rubicon and if we don't stop it then we are there. Like I said, I don't see the path that allows my to ally with contemporary "conservatism". I can't find it anywhere. Barr is sealing the deal here.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by Zarathud »

Made the change years ago. Hated where the Republicans were going on economic issues, and Trump just shows the moral bankruptcy of the party. It helped that in Chicago you vote Democratic to have a voice and avoid voting for the Illinois Nazis who get onto the (R) ticket occasionally.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by Kraken »

Remus West wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 10:51 am
LordMortis wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 8:39 am
Remus West wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 7:57 am Also, anyone else wondering if we have already moved irrevocably down the path that ends in totalitarianism?
Wondering and fearing, yes, but hoping and believing, get back to me in 2020.
Thats what I keep telling myself but I fear by then it may be too late. It may already be. Even so I'm not certain what I'd be willing and able to do to stop it. Voting and working to get out the vote? Sure. Except if that vote becomes meaningless? Then what? I have no idea and that thought depresses and frightens me.

I'm worried that we were done the moment Newt declared there would be no compromise from the R side. Compromises, as has been said over and over, are what make Democracy work.
2018 gave me some hope; the Dems overcame a lot of rigging to flip the House in a big way...not to mention making progress at the state level. Democracy still has some fight in it. Now we're watching the rest of the government try to neuter the House or route around it, and the jury is still out on how successful that will be. SCOTUS was lost when the Reps stole Obama's appointment. So it does come down to 2020 -- are the Senate and the WH still competitive? Will the Trumpelos accept defeat if it comes? (The GOP might win fair and square, but I suspect that we are already beyond having fair elections.)
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by LordMortis »

Kraken wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 11:23 am Will the Trumpelos accept defeat if it comes? (The GOP might win fair and square, but I suspect that we are already beyond having fair elections.)
I would like to promise and pledge, to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States, that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election — if I win,"
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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At a minimum it will be the most horrific lame duck period in history.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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Yeah - is there any doubt that Trump will go full slash and burn before he leaves office? Talk about executive orders. It's gonna be YUGE.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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YellowKing wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 2:09 pm Yeah - is there any doubt that Trump will go full slash and burn before he leaves office? Talk about executive orders. It's gonna be YUGE.
Bear in mind that Trump has a reasonable fear of jail time after he leaves office. I deeply worry about exactly what he'll do to avoid that.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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El Guapo wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 4:52 pm
YellowKing wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 2:09 pm Yeah - is there any doubt that Trump will go full slash and burn before he leaves office? Talk about executive orders. It's gonna be YUGE.
Bear in mind that Trump has a reasonable fear of jail time after he leaves office. I deeply worry about exactly what he'll do to avoid that.
Refuse to leave office.

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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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I hope he tries to preemptively pardon himself.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by Holman »

Preview of coming attractions:



tl;dr There will be a lot, it's going to be ugly, it's going way past 2020, and it will all go to the Supreme Court.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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John Goodman could totally play Barr.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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SNL cold-open tomorrow, I'm guessing.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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I’m thinking Patton Oswalt.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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Unagi wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 12:41 pm
pr0ner wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 12:35 pm
Trent Steel wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 12:18 pm It’s worth it to watch to the end. Nadler wrapped things up LIKE A BOSS.
Did he eat fried chicken, too?
That was from Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), who brought chicken props to mock Barr.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... spartanntp

stupid "move". The Democrats (IMO) have the high-ground here and any sophmoric treatment only undermines them.
I hope his comment that it 'wasn't wonderful' reflects his choice to do it, not the quality of the meal.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... spartanntp
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) told MSNBC on Sunday that the Kentucky Fried Chicken he brought to a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week "wasn't wonderful."
Cohen ate the chicken at the Thursday committee hearing and also presented a chicken statuette, saying the props were intended to call out Attorney General William Barr's refusal to testify before the committee under the Democratic-controlled House's terms.
"It was humor, the New York Times referred to it as levity [and] that's what I intended," Cohen told MSNBC. He also clarified, contrary to a quip by "Saturday Night Live"'s Colin Jost that he had sent an intern "out at dawn" to order the chicken, that it had been procured the night before.
Cohen noted that comedian Sarah Silverman, who he said has become "my advisor on the Twitter" had told him that bringing a bucket of chicken as well as the statuette was "a hat on a hat," or repeating the same joke twice.
Cohen added that while, given the choice, he "would have gone with the Four-Way grill from Memphis or Gus' from Memphis, people know more about 'Chicken Barr' than they ever did before," using the nickname he applied to Barr during the hearing. Barr, Cohen said, has "shown himself to be Trump's lawyer like John Mitchell was Nixon's lawyer."
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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These stunts and the incredibly weak response by Democrats to the findings in the Mueller report are really depressing. They don't want to impeach so they are investigating. The Republicans have formed an obvious strategy to obstruct and block House progress while threatening their own investigations via the DOJ and the Senate. Therefore, I can only hope they turn to impeachment because they are clearly losing to a moron in early stage dementia and the most mediocre political villains (besides McConnell) in recent memory. The old rules *do not apply* anymore. Predictions that they have an easy election ahead of them are going to be wrong. Guaranteed. They need to act. The report should have been a disaster for Trump and yet the #nocollusion story line seems to be winning. Good grief. It is hard to not believe the Republic is doomed.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by YellowKing »

Yeah and I don't really know the answer.

The GOP and this administration is playing House Rules Monopoly with cheating under the table, while the Democrats are playing official tournament rules.

That said, I don't think the response to the Mueller report has been weak per se; it's going to take time to schedule hearings, hold those hearings, do something with the results of those hearings. etc. Especially when the White House is stalling and blocking at every opportunity. The problem is they're playing right into the administration's hands by allowing Trump to control the clock.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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Pelosi and the other moderates wants the Dems to play the long game and focus on 2020, while those that tend to lean further to the left are being short sighted and trying for immediate gratification. Whether or not they have an actual point is irrelevant at this juncture. They need to step back and let those with more experience and an ability to see the reality of a situation take the reins. They're seriously endangering the chances of a 2020 Dem win if they continue down this road.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by GreenGoo »

But that's not the only way to look at it as has been discussed here on OO.

2020 is one election. It doesn't get any shorter than that. Defending the Republic has much longer ramifications.

Trying to win 2020 *is* the short sighted approach. Doing what is right to defend and reinforce the Republic is a much more difficult, farther reaching approach.

It's the difference between doing what's right and doing what's pragmatic. Not pushing back hard now is just doing what's politically expedient in a time where political expediency is at an all time high and your country seems to be suffering for it.

That's not noble or honourable or right. That's doing what's necessary so that they can win a single election. That's... business as usual at a time where business is anything but usual. If the Dems are not going to worry about what's right, what makes them more worthy to govern than anyone else?

:|
Last edited by GreenGoo on Mon May 06, 2019 1:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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hepcat wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 12:32 pm Pelosi and the other moderates wants the Dems to play the long game and focus on 2020
This in my mind is the problem. I think YKs comparison above is good - the long game they are playing is a different game. The Republicans have already started using (perhaps even abusing) their powers to stymie the long game Pelosi and co. are playing. Long drawn out investigations? The Republicans are just not showing up. They aren't producing documents. They are hoping for a long court fight that will be a time wasting effort and worse the Dems risk the Republicans winning that battle.

Like said above, Trump is in total control of the clock and soon enough it'll be McConnell-esque deferrals to the election. In the end, this isn't the left looking for immediate gratification anymore. It is about the left not consistently leaning into Trump's strategies hoping that they will rise above it. They don't have to sink to their level but they have to admit they are in a life and death fight at least.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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malchior wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 12:52 pm
hepcat wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 12:32 pm Pelosi and the other moderates wants the Dems to play the long game and focus on 2020
This in my mind is the problem. I think YKs comparison above is good - the long game they are playing is a different game. The Republicans have already started using (perhaps even abusing) their powers to stymie the long game Pelosi and co. are playing. Long drawn out investigations? The Republicans are just not showing up. They aren't producing documents. They are hoping for a long court fight that will be a time wasting effort and worse the Dems risk the Republicans winning that battle.

Like said above, Trump is in total control of the clock and soon enough it'll be McConnell-esque deferrals to the election. In the end, this isn't the left looking for immediate gratification anymore. It is about the left not consistently leaning into Trump's strategies hoping that they will rise above it. They don't have to sink to their level but they have to admit they are in a life and death fight at least.
What specifically are they not doing that they should be doing? I don't see how they can plausibly avoid subpoena fights. One tool that they haven't yet deployed is contempt, which is fairly extreme but which they are already moving towards doing.

I just think that people tend to overestimate their options in a situation where the GOP can unilaterally veto most things, and all the GOP really cares about is holding onto the Fox News base.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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hepcat wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 12:32 pm Pelosi and the other moderates wants the Dems to play the long game and focus on 2020, while those that tend to lean further to the left are being short sighted and trying for immediate gratification. Whether or not they have an actual point is irrelevant at this juncture. They need to step back and let those with more experience and an ability to see the reality of a situation take the reins. They're seriously endangering the chances of a 2020 Dem win if they continue down this road.
It's not the long game, it's how justice works. It takes time, and grinds slowly:
House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler has scheduled a Wednesday vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress after the Justice Department declined to provide an unredacted version of the Mueller report to Congress.
The vote to hold Barr in contempt marks the first time that House Democrats are moving to punish a Trump administration official for defying a congressional subpoena and represents a dramatic escalation in tensions between Democrats and the White House.
The endgame is revealing all the crimes in such a fashion that it is plain to all, which is appropriate under our Constitution.

And this administration will keep digging its own hole.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by Kraken »

They're going to regret their stonewalling if Trump's tax returns and the full Mueller report finally arrive during the heat of the general election campaign. Unless they really believe that they can block them forever -- or unless they are so damning that even the Senate would have to react -- it would be better to get them out now and have them semi-forgotten in 18 months.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by Zarathud »

The Democrats need to persuade the undecideds that investigation is necessary to limit abuses of Presidential power.

We've moved beyond Obstruction of Justice to Obstruction of Congress and Democracy. Hit that Trump is acting guilty and like he has something financial to hide. It's obvious what it is -- Trump said it openly.

The Democrats need to find a clear message and Beat that Drum. Trump is best at creating confusion and consistent messaging. If Trump sets the debate, the Democrats have everything to lose.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by malchior »

El Guapo wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 1:00 pm
malchior wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 12:52 pm
hepcat wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 12:32 pm Pelosi and the other moderates wants the Dems to play the long game and focus on 2020
This in my mind is the problem. I think YKs comparison above is good - the long game they are playing is a different game. The Republicans have already started using (perhaps even abusing) their powers to stymie the long game Pelosi and co. are playing. Long drawn out investigations? The Republicans are just not showing up. They aren't producing documents. They are hoping for a long court fight that will be a time wasting effort and worse the Dems risk the Republicans winning that battle.

Like said above, Trump is in total control of the clock and soon enough it'll be McConnell-esque deferrals to the election. In the end, this isn't the left looking for immediate gratification anymore. It is about the left not consistently leaning into Trump's strategies hoping that they will rise above it. They don't have to sink to their level but they have to admit they are in a life and death fight at least.
What specifically are they not doing that they should be doing? I don't see how they can plausibly avoid subpoena fights. One tool that they haven't yet deployed is contempt, which is fairly extreme but which they are already moving towards doing.
One example is the story I read about over the weekend was the request for Trump's tax returns. The law is crystal clear. The ways and means chairman can request any tax return. The law was specifically created back in 1924 because the President already had that power. What the Dems are doing is grinding slowly through subpoenas, contempt, etc. One legal scholar however recommended 'file a lawsuit'. The argument was the statute is 100% clear. And was explaining how their current process 1) ceded ground to the executive and 2) undermined their own case. I don't have the details or link in front of me but it laid out exactly why the course they are taking in Ways and Means is wrong (in that person's opinion naturally). If their goal is to whine about Republican obstructionism then sure this is the best course. If they want the tax returns, they need to play actual hardball. I am not feeling like the House Dems are treating this with the urgency the situation demands.

They can also go for impeachment. A letter from 370 former Federal prosecutors says they'd charge the President for obstruction absent the DOJ findings.The Mueller report should have been dynamite but the Dems are letting the story line slip away from them. I get the middle ground investigate and build support angle they took but the Republicans adjusted. They need to adjust as well and take a more urgent action. They have shown an inability to be able to control the clock or narratives and it is on display again here. The stakes are too high for risk aversion.
I just think that people tend to overestimate their options in a situation where the GOP can unilaterally veto most things, and all the GOP really cares about is holding onto the Fox News base.
Sure but they have powerful cards to play and now is the time. Everything is at stake. The GOP response has been skirting pure lawlessness. The House is all that is left and they need to respond assertively.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by El Guapo »

malchior wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 2:02 pm
El Guapo wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 1:00 pm
malchior wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 12:52 pm
hepcat wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 12:32 pm Pelosi and the other moderates wants the Dems to play the long game and focus on 2020
This in my mind is the problem. I think YKs comparison above is good - the long game they are playing is a different game. The Republicans have already started using (perhaps even abusing) their powers to stymie the long game Pelosi and co. are playing. Long drawn out investigations? The Republicans are just not showing up. They aren't producing documents. They are hoping for a long court fight that will be a time wasting effort and worse the Dems risk the Republicans winning that battle.

Like said above, Trump is in total control of the clock and soon enough it'll be McConnell-esque deferrals to the election. In the end, this isn't the left looking for immediate gratification anymore. It is about the left not consistently leaning into Trump's strategies hoping that they will rise above it. They don't have to sink to their level but they have to admit they are in a life and death fight at least.
What specifically are they not doing that they should be doing? I don't see how they can plausibly avoid subpoena fights. One tool that they haven't yet deployed is contempt, which is fairly extreme but which they are already moving towards doing.
One example is the story I read about over the weekend was the request for Trump's tax returns. The law is crystal clear. The ways and means chairman can request any tax return. The law was specifically created back in 1924 because the President already had that power. What the Dems are doing is grinding slowly through subpoenas, contempt, etc. One legal scholar however recommended 'file a lawsuit'. The argument was the statute is 100% clear. And was explaining how their current process 1) ceded ground to the executive and 2) undermined their own case. I don't have the details or link in front of me but it laid out exactly why the course they are taking in Ways and Means is wrong (in that person's opinion naturally). If their goal is to whine about Republican obstructionism then sure this is the best course. If they want the tax returns, they need to play actual hardball. I am not feeling like the House Dems are treating this with the urgency the situation demands.

They can also go for impeachment. A letter from 370 former Federal prosecutors says they'd charge the President for obstruction absent the DOJ findings.The Mueller report should have been dynamite but the Dems are letting the story line slip away from them. I get the middle ground investigate and build support angle they took but the Republicans adjusted. They need to adjust as well and take a more urgent action. They have shown an inability to be able to control the clock or narratives and it is on display again here. The stakes are too high for risk aversion.
I just think that people tend to overestimate their options in a situation where the GOP can unilaterally veto most things, and all the GOP really cares about is holding onto the Fox News base.
Sure but they have powerful cards to play and now is the time. Everything is at stake. The GOP response has been skirting pure lawlessness. The House is all that is left and they need to respond assertively.
Sure, I'd be fine with them filing a lawsuit. But I thought that the problem was that Democrats were falling into a trap of legal disputes where Republicans "are hoping for a long court fight that will be a time wasting effort and worse the Dems risk the Republicans winning that battle." Wouldn't that be more of the same?
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by LawBeefaroni »

malchior wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 2:02 pm I am not feeling like the House Dems are treating this with the urgency the situation demands.
Of course they aren't. The have a lot to lose personally. I'm willing to bet that the more they accumulated wealth in their Congressional careers, the more they lean towards the "slow and steady" approach.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by malchior »

El Guapo wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 2:23 pmSure, I'd be fine with them filing a lawsuit. But I thought that the problem was that Democrats were falling into a trap of legal disputes where Republicans "are hoping for a long court fight that will be a time wasting effort and worse the Dems risk the Republicans winning that battle." Wouldn't that be more of the same?
Not from what I read on the tax return angle the law was unambiguous there so they could ask to expedite it. The long path on the tax returns is this subpoena -> contempt path and has less chance of success. They hold them in contempt. Ok so what? At this point they need to get things done.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by YellowKing »

Sometimes I feel that Trump's entire presidency has been a case of "waiting out the storm" while the house falls apart around our ears. We may survive, but what the hell's going to be left?
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

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GreenGoo
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by GreenGoo »

I don't get it. Everyone was already accepting it, or not. What's the point of the original tweet?

And yes, I get the blanket joke, which is the point of the post. It's the original tweet (aside from the typo) that has me scratching my head.

There is no after life! Accept it, or not! You have both options, pick one! It's you wafflers in the middle I can't abide!
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Holman
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by Holman »

GreenGoo wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 6:10 pm I don't get it. Everyone was already accepting it, or not. What's the point of the original tweet?

And yes, I get the blanket joke, which is the point of the post. It's the original tweet (aside from the typo) that has me scratching my head.

There is no after life! Accept it, or not! You have both options, pick one! It's you wafflers in the middle I can't abide!
Original tweet is an example of spin on the Right insisting that the Barr summary fully captured the essence of the full report.

He's not talking to you.
Much prefer my Nazis Nuremberged.
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GreenGoo
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by GreenGoo »

Holman wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 6:47 pm He's not talking to you.
Who's he talking to? His audience already thinks it's a witch hunt and the president already said the investigation is both a crime and fully exonerated him.

Honestly, who is he addressing here? Congress?
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by Pyperkub »

GreenGoo wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 6:57 pm
Holman wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 6:47 pm He's not talking to you.
Who's he talking to? His audience already thinks it's a witch hunt and the president already said the investigation is both a crime and fully exonerated him.

Honestly, who is he addressing here? Congress?
Just reinforcing his hold on his audience by pwning teh libs above all else.
Black Lives definitely Matter Lorini!

Also: There are three ways to not tell the truth: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
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Holman
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by Holman »

GreenGoo wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 6:57 pm
Holman wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 6:47 pm He's not talking to you.
Who's he talking to? His audience already thinks it's a witch hunt and the president already said the investigation is both a crime and fully exonerated him.

Honestly, who is he addressing here? Congress?
Propaganda is a process, not a product.

You don't have the Two Minutes Hate once and call it done. You have the Two Minutes Hate every day before lunch, forever.
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by milo »

I assume he meant it as shorthand for "[This is true whether you] accept it or not."
--milo
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Re: The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Post by Zarathud »

Mnuchin refuses the House Committee's request for 6 years of Trump's tax returns. There is no explanation for how the Committee's request is "unlawful" or "unprecedented" or raises "serious constitutional questions." It's time to fight, and hold the Trump administration in contempt.

Stop the Trump Coverup!
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