Somewhere today, as we type, Hillary Clinton is getting out of bed at a reasonable hour with a clear mind. She is enjoying a beverage of choice. Perhaps reading a good book. Talking with friends instead of a battery of lawyers. And not planning a long-distance trip that she does not want to make.
(Come to think of it, Barack Obama, too, probably is having a pretty good day, and on his terms.)
Politics are negotiable. Statesmanship is not. Elect a clown, expect a circus. Behave like a thug, expect a trial. File under: Character Matters.
I like "politics are negotiable; statesmanship is not" though I'm not sure negotiable is the correct word. And since I love dogs, I don't care for "lie down with dogs rise up with fleas" but I can certainly go with "live in a pit of vipers expect to be bitten."
Characters Matters. Good character is required for good governance. And honest media.
I envision her scrolling through a fashion catalog with a slight smile on her face as she imagines which orange pantsuit would look best on the Donald...
All these Republicans want to blame everyone but Donald Trump for what's happening to the twice impeached former president. Like they have no idea who this guy really is. They're going to have to do this whole song and dance at least another couple times when Fani Willis and Jack Smith start filing their charges. And the GOP will do it all over again.
The current iteration of the GOP suffer from a collective case of Stockholm Syndrome. They've also infantilized TFG. You're right, they will do it all over again and again for each new indictment. Thanks Charlie for that Matt LaBash article. That gave me a healthy dose of laughter first thing this morning. The photo of the new and improved Trump Tower- priceless.
Exactly, Don. All of them are attacking the DA, the judge, Democrats, Joe Biden, but not one of them is defending Trump. Because not one of them could say with a straight face "this doesn't sound like the Donald Trump I know!!"
I expect that as more indictments come, the law of diminishing returns will kick in for his supporters. Beyond a point, in the face of so many credible allegations (and so much evidence) of wrongdoing, it simply becomes absurd to any reasonably objective person to take them at their word in saying that there is no fire despite all of the billowing smoke. If the GOP has any remaining smarts, it will have a Plan B and a Plan C in place and gradually slither toward the main exit door of Trump Tower.
Christie is Trump-lite. He's just ticked at Trump for calling him names earlier. He kind of screwed the "normal" pooch with Bridge-gate which annoyed people in NJ and NY. Don't know anything about Asa.
TheyтАЩre thereтАФmore than a fewтАФbut theyтАЩre hiding.
Charlie wrote тАЬNota bene: Republicans who embrace Trump after his first indictment are likely to do it after his second. And third. And perhaps, his fourth, because, well, you know.тАЭ
I doubt it. If for no reason other than self-preservation, they will peel away with each subsequent indictment. If there are no further indictmentsтАУgod forbidтАФtheyтАЩll likely stay hidden, fester, and rot. As is their due.
That's my "gut" feeling, too, which kind of makes D.A. Bragg an even more courageous figure. He's taken the first step to "lance the wound," so to speak.
There's more "drainage" to come (sorry, that's the most undisgusting noun I can think of), but he's letting a lot of it ooze out with his first indictment.
Maybe even Romney is vaguely aware that the more GOP/MAGA cultists pile onto Bragg now, the less energy they will have to expend on the upcoming, more important indictments and prosecutors.
I heard legal analyst Renato Mariotti say this exact thing. He likened it to a golf foursome when the wind is up. You don't want to be the first to test the wind. Prosecutors don't want to be the first to trial when there are other investigations pending.
Mitt's kind of invisible. If he's said anything, I haven't seen it. He could have been a respected senior statesman and brought other anti-Trumpers together. He didn't.
At this point, what is there for Mitt to say? And I'm not trying to run cover for him, but his position is clear, demonstrated by repeated votes and statements. Could it be more full-throated, sure; but compared to so, so many others, he's done a lot.
At this point I'm actually willing to entertain the notion that he might as well keep his head down and get re-elected Senator. He's the best option that is going to be coming out of Utah for anyone who cares about democracy, rule of law, etc.
Duly noted. I looked into RomneyтАЩs recent comments and found nothing objectionable. Further, I read that he is under consideration for censure by Emery County UT тАЬfor providing aid and comfort to Democrats.тАЭ
Yes. But with "reasonably objective person" I'm referring to those middle ground, often suburban voters who aren't wedded to MAGA or the GOP. I fully recognize that those solidly within those movements are a lost cause and will believe anything that they are told as long as it aligns with what they want to hear.
I know suburban voters that love Trump. Not only suburban, but Religious as well. Their Evangelical (ie: ambitious) pastors are too. They don't like Gay people or abortion, ( but they also don't like poor single mothers and their poor children) Many of them are educated professionals, which floors me. But they are slso avid Fox News viewers and that, to me is pure brainwashing.
Plan B - divine intervention in the way of death by natural causes (though the GOP isn't smart enough to realize that even this will plague them for decades as the conspiracy theories fester and grow, and to deny them will cost them voters).
Plan C - "Democratic" intervention in the way of criminal indictments and convictions, as if the Democrats have any say so over the judicial process...
I predict that whenever Trump dies, his base will launch multiple hysterical conspiracy theories that he was assassinated. Then there will be paradoxical post mortem тАЬsightingsтАЭ of Trump in Walmart parking lots and putt-putt golf courses all across Florida by true believers. The rest of my life is Trump-stained, unless I emigrate.
I saw the mythical Elvis one time in an old Eastside bar. The kind of bar that is busy the first week in the month when the pensioners come in to cash their checks and slowly dies as they run out of money.
He was wearing a cowboy hat. But it was him.
He put a quarter in the Jukebox, when he sang he sounded like Elvis, when he danced he moved like Elvis. He even had that raised lip sneer that Elvis perfected.
Then he took off his hat.
It all changed, for Elvis was bald.
In that moment he went from being the King to just another old fat bald man dreaming of times when young girls smiled inviting smiles, instead of walking on past.
You have more faith in the GOP than I, but we'll see!
There are two things I'm pretty sure are true:
1) The GOP would like to see Trump dead or in jail, since he is general election poison, but attempting to defenestrate him would outrage their base, of whom they are physically scared.
2) The GOP is publicly attacking the very process that might lead the outcome of incarceration for which they're secretly rooting, because, again, they fear for their electoral prospects and physical safety with regard to the base.
Somebody that used the word тАШdefenestrateтАЩ! Well done!
That said, I believe the GOP will continue to rally around him saying тАЬThis proves it is a witch hunt! No [former] ( they donтАЩt mention the word former) president has ever had 3, 7, 9 indictmentsтАж.Send moneyтАЭ
I don't disagree. But, here's something to think about: Political activists, including ordinary folks, have biases. And we tend, human nature tends, to defend as well as support those toward whom we are biased. I liked Obama enormously and for many reasons and thus I had to shake the cobwebs occasionally to see his shortcomings and weaknesses and when I said them out loud I got shouted down by my liberal friends. Ditto Joe Biden. He's a great and apparently compassionate guy and yet his mishandling of the Afghan withdrawal (while understandable given the timing and everything done by TFG to prevent Biden from entering the Oval and taking up the reins of governance), for instance, was in no way compassionate by any standard.
The current GOP and its base seem unable to grasp anything like what I just said. They are all-in all the time no matter the facts and without looking at any facts.
I'm a liberal and if I were your friend, I wouldn't have shouted you down. I would have asked you to explain the shortcomings and weaknesses. (FWIW, my three sisters, all liberals their whole lives, and I felt he failed to use the bully pulpit to gain support from the voters for the ACA. That was definitely a weakness.)
Somewhere today, as we type, Hillary Clinton is getting out of bed at a reasonable hour with a clear mind. She is enjoying a beverage of choice. Perhaps reading a good book. Talking with friends instead of a battery of lawyers. And not planning a long-distance trip that she does not want to make.
(Come to think of it, Barack Obama, too, probably is having a pretty good day, and on his terms.)
Politics are negotiable. Statesmanship is not. Elect a clown, expect a circus. Behave like a thug, expect a trial. File under: Character Matters.
For that George W. is probably fine.
I like "politics are negotiable; statesmanship is not" though I'm not sure negotiable is the correct word. And since I love dogs, I don't care for "lie down with dogs rise up with fleas" but I can certainly go with "live in a pit of vipers expect to be bitten."
Characters Matters. Good character is required for good governance. And honest media.
That is extremely well put.
I envision her scrolling through a fashion catalog with a slight smile on her face as she imagines which orange pantsuit would look best on the Donald...
All these Republicans want to blame everyone but Donald Trump for what's happening to the twice impeached former president. Like they have no idea who this guy really is. They're going to have to do this whole song and dance at least another couple times when Fani Willis and Jack Smith start filing their charges. And the GOP will do it all over again.
The current iteration of the GOP suffer from a collective case of Stockholm Syndrome. They've also infantilized TFG. You're right, they will do it all over again and again for each new indictment. Thanks Charlie for that Matt LaBash article. That gave me a healthy dose of laughter first thing this morning. The photo of the new and improved Trump Tower- priceless.
The infants are the MAGA voters. That's who they're indulging.
Exactly, Don. All of them are attacking the DA, the judge, Democrats, Joe Biden, but not one of them is defending Trump. Because not one of them could say with a straight face "this doesn't sound like the Donald Trump I know!!"
Furthermore they are all secretly hoping that a) he dies or b) he gets convicted.
I expect that as more indictments come, the law of diminishing returns will kick in for his supporters. Beyond a point, in the face of so many credible allegations (and so much evidence) of wrongdoing, it simply becomes absurd to any reasonably objective person to take them at their word in saying that there is no fire despite all of the billowing smoke. If the GOP has any remaining smarts, it will have a Plan B and a Plan C in place and gradually slither toward the main exit door of Trump Tower.
Such a noble thought. but, alas, I do not think it will come to pass.
Name one "reasonably objective person" in the R party. They're either pro-Trump or hiding, except for Liz.
How about two? Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson.
Christie is Trump-lite. He's just ticked at Trump for calling him names earlier. He kind of screwed the "normal" pooch with Bridge-gate which annoyed people in NJ and NY. Don't know anything about Asa.
Christie has pledged not to vote for Trump. That's not pro-Trump, yes?
TheyтАЩre thereтАФmore than a fewтАФbut theyтАЩre hiding.
Charlie wrote тАЬNota bene: Republicans who embrace Trump after his first indictment are likely to do it after his second. And third. And perhaps, his fourth, because, well, you know.тАЭ
I doubt it. If for no reason other than self-preservation, they will peel away with each subsequent indictment. If there are no further indictmentsтАУgod forbidтАФtheyтАЩll likely stay hidden, fester, and rot. As is their due.
That's my "gut" feeling, too, which kind of makes D.A. Bragg an even more courageous figure. He's taken the first step to "lance the wound," so to speak.
There's more "drainage" to come (sorry, that's the most undisgusting noun I can think of), but he's letting a lot of it ooze out with his first indictment.
Maybe even Romney is vaguely aware that the more GOP/MAGA cultists pile onto Bragg now, the less energy they will have to expend on the upcoming, more important indictments and prosecutors.
I heard legal analyst Renato Mariotti say this exact thing. He likened it to a golf foursome when the wind is up. You don't want to be the first to test the wind. Prosecutors don't want to be the first to trial when there are other investigations pending.
Is your question limited to current elected GOP officials?
No.
Mitt Romney.
Now, under no circumstances ask me to name 10, such as to spare our city on the hill from biblical destruction.
Mitt's kind of invisible. If he's said anything, I haven't seen it. He could have been a respected senior statesman and brought other anti-Trumpers together. He didn't.
At this point, what is there for Mitt to say? And I'm not trying to run cover for him, but his position is clear, demonstrated by repeated votes and statements. Could it be more full-throated, sure; but compared to so, so many others, he's done a lot.
At this point I'm actually willing to entertain the notion that he might as well keep his head down and get re-elected Senator. He's the best option that is going to be coming out of Utah for anyone who cares about democracy, rule of law, etc.
I didn't know that. Do you have a source for that?
So much taking his (their) oath of office seriously.
Duly noted. I looked into RomneyтАЩs recent comments and found nothing objectionable. Further, I read that he is under consideration for censure by Emery County UT тАЬfor providing aid and comfort to Democrats.тАЭ
"reasonably objective person" being the catch here.
I don't believe his cult members, gullibles or con victims can be considered reasonable nor objective.
Yes. But with "reasonably objective person" I'm referring to those middle ground, often suburban voters who aren't wedded to MAGA or the GOP. I fully recognize that those solidly within those movements are a lost cause and will believe anything that they are told as long as it aligns with what they want to hear.
I know suburban voters that love Trump. Not only suburban, but Religious as well. Their Evangelical (ie: ambitious) pastors are too. They don't like Gay people or abortion, ( but they also don't like poor single mothers and their poor children) Many of them are educated professionals, which floors me. But they are slso avid Fox News viewers and that, to me is pure brainwashing.
Plan B - divine intervention in the way of death by natural causes (though the GOP isn't smart enough to realize that even this will plague them for decades as the conspiracy theories fester and grow, and to deny them will cost them voters).
Plan C - "Democratic" intervention in the way of criminal indictments and convictions, as if the Democrats have any say so over the judicial process...
God forbid what will happen if he dies in Jail.
Trump will always be undead, no matter how it goes down. A new religion, founded on evil?
Shot while trying to escape, or found hanging after his suicide watch guard gets back from break?
I predict that whenever Trump dies, his base will launch multiple hysterical conspiracy theories that he was assassinated. Then there will be paradoxical post mortem тАЬsightingsтАЭ of Trump in Walmart parking lots and putt-putt golf courses all across Florida by true believers. The rest of my life is Trump-stained, unless I emigrate.
For sure.
Lol. His devotees will be putting golden toilets in random McDonalds and KFCs to lure him there for a sighting.
Hanging out with Elvis ?
I saw the mythical Elvis one time in an old Eastside bar. The kind of bar that is busy the first week in the month when the pensioners come in to cash their checks and slowly dies as they run out of money.
He was wearing a cowboy hat. But it was him.
He put a quarter in the Jukebox, when he sang he sounded like Elvis, when he danced he moved like Elvis. He even had that raised lip sneer that Elvis perfected.
Then he took off his hat.
It all changed, for Elvis was bald.
In that moment he went from being the King to just another old fat bald man dreaming of times when young girls smiled inviting smiles, instead of walking on past.
Haha! YouтАЩre killing me! In a good way . . .
You have more faith in the GOP than I, but we'll see!
There are two things I'm pretty sure are true:
1) The GOP would like to see Trump dead or in jail, since he is general election poison, but attempting to defenestrate him would outrage their base, of whom they are physically scared.
2) The GOP is publicly attacking the very process that might lead the outcome of incarceration for which they're secretly rooting, because, again, they fear for their electoral prospects and physical safety with regard to the base.
So much of the last near decade has been absurd.
Somebody that used the word тАШdefenestrateтАЩ! Well done!
That said, I believe the GOP will continue to rally around him saying тАЬThis proves it is a witch hunt! No [former] ( they donтАЩt mention the word former) president has ever had 3, 7, 9 indictmentsтАж.Send moneyтАЭ
I don't disagree. But, here's something to think about: Political activists, including ordinary folks, have biases. And we tend, human nature tends, to defend as well as support those toward whom we are biased. I liked Obama enormously and for many reasons and thus I had to shake the cobwebs occasionally to see his shortcomings and weaknesses and when I said them out loud I got shouted down by my liberal friends. Ditto Joe Biden. He's a great and apparently compassionate guy and yet his mishandling of the Afghan withdrawal (while understandable given the timing and everything done by TFG to prevent Biden from entering the Oval and taking up the reins of governance), for instance, was in no way compassionate by any standard.
The current GOP and its base seem unable to grasp anything like what I just said. They are all-in all the time no matter the facts and without looking at any facts.
I'm a liberal and if I were your friend, I wouldn't have shouted you down. I would have asked you to explain the shortcomings and weaknesses. (FWIW, my three sisters, all liberals their whole lives, and I felt he failed to use the bully pulpit to gain support from the voters for the ACA. That was definitely a weakness.)
I wish you better friends!
President Carter is having a better day than Trump, and President Carter is in hospice.
May he outlive the Guinea Worm! (there were only 13 cases in 2022, it could happen, fingers crossed)