I have a question about that. If someone was on Parlor, or started a site like Parlor, and said the election was stolen and they have “proof”, how could they be responsibe for what happened, unless they advocated violence or actively took part in the coup. And don’t get me wrong, I am not in any way defendind the idiots on Parlor, and I am sure many don’t really believe the election was stolen. They knew it wasn’t but wanted to overturn it anyway. But I am also sure that many really do believe it. They hear Rudy talking about 80,000 votes in GA, and they see how far Trump was ahead on election day in PA, they have no idea where those votes were from, or they say that no way could someone who could only get a few hundred people at a rally could ever win, and they never check those alternative facts elsewhere.
Pure ignorance and/or stupidity (Trump has the rare combination of being both, or maybe it’s not so rare). But you can’t prosecute someone for being either one
To that last point. I had to register by giving an email, which I didn’t even have to confirm, but that may be because I have gone to this page a few too many times before without registering.
Historical fact of the day, I did not know this.
Stand back from the nonsense about stolen elections, and the scale of Republicans’ failure under Mr Trump becomes clear. Having won the White House and retained majorities in Congress in 2016, defeat in Georgia means that the party has lost it all just four years later. The last time that happened to Republicans was in 1892, when news of Benjamin Harrison’s humiliation travelled by telegraph.
The election myth that Mr Trump has spun may thus have broken the feedback loop needed for the party to change. Ditching a failed leader and broken strategy is one thing. Abandoning someone whom you and most of your friends think is the rightful president, and whose power was taken away in a gigantic fraud by your political enemies, is something else entirely.
If something good is to come from this week’s insurrection, it will be that this way of thinking loses some of its purchase. The sight of a Trump supporter lounging in the Speaker’s chair should horrify Republican voters who like to think theirs is the party of order and of the constitution. To hear Mr Trump inciting riots on Capitol Hill may persuade parts of middle America to turn their back on him for good.
First, small matter: it’s Parler, as in the French word parler, to speak, not parlor as in sitting room.
Second, it doesn’t matter how their own beliefs and prejudices sent them down the rabbit hole: they went, and they’re culpable for their rusultant actions. John Wilkes Booth believed propaganda that Lincoln would “make himself King.” That did not exculpate him.
These insurrectionists knew the law. They were not brainwashed. They are culpable for the crimes they committed.
Correction to the Economist article, if anyone is able to read the whole thing.
American voters remain wary of big government and have not handed one party more than two consecutive terms in the White House since 1992.
Not quite right. Bush followed Reagan, getting elected in 1988. Before that, all the way back to Truman this country has shifted from Democratic President to Republican President.
Perhaps I should’ve been less overly broad, but I’m not talking about the idiots on Parler re-parlaying conspiracy theories.
This was a conspiracy to overthrow the government, which culminated in them mustering an army to attack the Congressional session that was scheduled to ratify the electoral results. The attack was not a rally gone bad, it was the culmination of the scheme.
I’m not suggesting it was some highly planned conspiracy. It wasn’t, it was a troll campaign, an angry vengeful attempt to prove that they would never give up.
But if you fundraise to muster an army then attack the Capitol with overwhelming force, it’s still a conspiracy- even if all most of the fighters did was steal Pelosi’s spare shoes and take selfies.
The threatening phone calls and extortions were part of that conspiracy. The flooding of our court system with bogus lawsuits was part of that conspiracy. We need the full phone records of that time to find out who else Trump tried to pressure, my money’s on ACB.
This did not happen overnight. They spent 2 months ginning up the crowd, abusing the court system and collecting money. Organizations like Donald J Trump for President and the RNC promoted the Jan 6th event to STOP THE STEAL.
You are right in that the government can’t prosecute people for filing bogus lawsuits, but it looks like the courts are ready to impose heavy sanctions. But the DOJ should investigate all the sworn affidavits that were used as evidence of election fraud and enact those “penalties of perjury”
I am not talking about the people who invaded the Capitol, or encouraged others to do so, every one of them should face serious charges, as did anyone who financed it. I am asking about those who went online and said they believed the election was stolen. Stop the Steal. I’ve never gone to Parler, I am sure there are many there who said that armed insurrection would be required if the House and Senate did not do their “duty” to vote against Biden. They should be prosectuted. But for those who just encouraged their representatives to vote against, that can’t possibly be a crime. It is legal for those objections to be made, no matter how full of shit they may be.
Jeez, I am starting to feel like Johnny Cochan defending OJ.
I will wait for Ann Hedonia to weigh in on this -
If that is the case, then the trio of fascists on FOX every night, as well as The Five Idiots, should go to jail
Ninja edit, just after I postetd I see Ann’s response. I will agree with whoever it was earlier who complimented you on your posts. And hell yeah, sworn afidavits that were blatent lies, had not thought of that
BTW I have unfairly maligned Juan Williams. The show on FOX should be called The Four Idiots and the One Token Liberal, so FOX can claim to be fair and balanced. Just like, years ago, it was Hannity and (milquetoast liberal) Colmes.
His tagline is “I look at Parler so you don’t have to.”
Check out Parlertakes on Twitter. It’s so much fun… the schadenfreude is thick there (and delicious).
SO many Qanons and MAGA-mites asking where the big plan went, some angry… and some suddenly realizing they’ve been had.
Thank you, but don’t you mean Trumpenfreude? I coined that a few days ago. Although it may be like my brother in law once said, if you can think of it, someone else already has
Anyway, funny stuff. My favorite so far - Sean Hannity has lost his lifetime pasta pass at Olive Gardent
Trumpenfreude. Does anyone speak German, I would think in schadenfreude “freude” is about misfortune, “schaden” about taking pleasure , so grammatically Trumpenfreude would make as much sense as “I am a jelly donut.”
An interesting little tidbit is that should the house deliver the impeachment to the senate. They need 2/3rd of the senate that is present.
When the vote in the senate is taken all 100 senators do not need to be present. They can hide in the loo if they don’t want to vote. Then it is 2/3rd of whoever is in the chamber.
True. But this is a common linguistic process. We say “cheeseburger” as if “burger” meant something now — which it does, but originally it was just part of the word “hamburger,” that is, someone or something from Hamburg.
on Twitter. It’s so much fun… the schadenfreude is thick there (and delicious).