17
50+17 = 67
Or some to not be in the room. 2/3 of those present.
I think you underestimate the influence that the party leader in the Senate has over the other members. He has a huge part in determining what appointments those members get, how much power they have, and what favors can be done for their states.
There are some senators who will likely vote for impeachment on their own, like Romney, Sasse, Murkowski, and Collins. It’s by no means a sure thing, but it’s very possible that McConnell can get enough others in line to convict.
This is assuming the presence of a soul.
I understand and share your skepticism about McConnell or Graham eventually doing the right thing and voting for conviction in the Senate. I think right now the odds are that they won’t, based on past history. But cracks are starting to form (e.g. Liz Cheney in the House, which is a huge deal).
But the only reason we’ve gotten even this close is that Pelosi and the Dems are pushing hard. So the “Don’t bother, it won’t go anywhere” crowd would create a self-fulfilling prophecy. If Dems were wishy-washy, Pubs would be doing nothing but ducking for cover. The only way there is a glimmer of hope is to aggressively and relentlessly push impeachment now. Give them no cover. Make them go on the record supporting the cop-killing terrorists who invaded their own house - or, hopefully, not.
So the Capitol was, one week ago today, the site of a deadly mob attack, one in which congresspeople were nearly physically assaulted, taken hostage, or murdered. And Republicans are going ape shit over increased security. Do they even want security? Seems like they like the idea of more violence and that they assume they won’t be its targets.
Remember, folks, ignore the reports of who may or may not support impeachment; judge them by their actions.
Yeah, this is something I’ve been trying to get my head around. How hard is it for someone to think, “You know, I really shouldn’t go there behind those violent folk.” “What if I got in trouble for this?”
It is going to be interesting to find out the disparate groups of people who enabled/took part in the insurrection.
I wonder how many other greedy, ruthless, soulless bastards will follow this incredibly sensible line of thought:
“I’m going to do everything I can from Day One to make sure I do my part to make Joe Biden the most successful president in the history of this country,” Langone said. “There’s a selfish reason for that, we’ve got very serious major issues in American to deal with.”
Like you, I do have a bit of cautious optimism about this, heavy emphasis on the “cautious.” No major player in the GOP at the moment appears to have what it takes to recreate that special sauce that is Trumpism. I certainly can’t see Josh Hawley riling up a crowd the way Trump does. Of the party’s current crowd of rabble rousers, the only ones I can see being able to build up anything close to a Trump-like cult of personality are Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton, and even they lack that certain carnival barker quality and “don’t give a shit” badditude that so endeared Trump to his base.
But, keep in mind, also, that until Trump entered the race in 2015, he wasn’t a major player in the GOP. And it wasn’t until he started winning primaries that party insiders began taking him seriously, instead of seeing him as some fringe gasbag trying to promote his brand. Chances are the next Trump-like figure is going to be someone from outside the party apparatus, someone who may not even be on most people’s political radar at the moment.
Airbnb is shutting down in & around DC until after the inauguration:
Some of the rationalizations of Trump’s behavior point to all his “let’s all go down to Capitol and peacefully protest” language, as evidence that he in no way incited a riot. That may technically be true – it may be hard to prove incitement of violence in a court of law.
But in an impeachment trial: he absolutely unequivocally incited the disruption of the constitutional process of certifying the election, all based on a mountain of bullshit and lies. And that’s a 100% impeachable offense.
I imagine that a lot of Republican politicians would love to see Trump banned from holding office – clear ing the field for 2024. If that doesn’t happen, the chasm between normal Republicans and MAGAts will be huge and devastating. Unfortunately for Republican politicians, the only way to get there is to vote to convict.
The “healing and coming together” is, in and of itself, inherently abusive.
The problem is on one side only. This is what I think is the best analogy for the situation
If your husband belittles and berates you because he does like the way you fold the towels, there is no legitimate solution that involves you working on your towel folding skills.
I’ll work on my temper if you practice your towel-folding is abusive.
It’s really my fault, I’ll spend every waking moment working on my temper, but, by the way, can you try to do a little better with those towels - is still abusive.
It’s all or nothing. We did nothing wrong and have nothing to work on.
Cudd gets chewed.
“Unless I could have gotten away with it…”
There is a column I like called Comic Strip of the Day where the writer takes some editorial cartoons and comic strips and writes a column around a theme. Today’s theme is this abusive relationship between the Republicans and the country that you have described. I especially like the Marc Murphy cartoon: I think it is very poignant.
http://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2021/01/13/csotd-the-nation-that-walked-into-doors/
This. And regarding McConnell cum suis, I’d like to quote Maya Angelou:
When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.
Psychopathic narcissists will always promise you the world when you’re about to split. They feed on you.
And be back to their previous behavior when they think they’ve ensnared you again. It quickly turns into a vicious cycle.
Man. My math skills have severely deteriorated with old age.
A cycle of hope.
Hope and crushed hope. And a mixture of emotions and neurotransmitters far more addictive than love. That’s the killer IMHO.