I can’t watch the Cohen testimony where I am, but I could follow along here at the SDMB. Is anyone watching it? If so, could you post the good stuff, bad stuff, bullshit, grandstanding, etc.?
I don’t normally start threads that I don’t plan on contributing to much, but here we are. Apologies in advance.
(Mods, if you think that starting a thread that I can’t contribute to is bad, just close this, I guess)
Thanks! I wish I could get my hands on some popcorn.
I don’t think that I’ll be able to watch any of it myself. But here’s a starter for anyone who wants to read Cohen’s opening statement:
While there’ll be some overlap I think one in the Pit and one here will work out fine.
I looked and didn’t see anything, and checking now, looks like I was first! By a whole minute.
Other than the problem of certain posters refusing to post in the Pit, I’m fine with shutting this down if there’s too much overlap (not that you need my permission). Thanks for keeping it open for now.
The two fora do different things. We can have threads on one topic that do different things. No worries at all. Let’s see what develops.
I predict there will be less cussing in this one.
This is shaping up unfortunately predictably. Republicans are trashing Cohen personally (I believe two of them have used exactly the same line about putting a liar on the stand, while Democrats are tut-tutting the whole thing.
Unless Cohen can come up with some sort of corroborating evidence (witnesses to their conversations, recordings of phone calls, whatever) to his allegations, this will devolve literally into a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
I’m enjoying the R’s beet-read, pop-eyed indignant posturing.
I can’t watch at the moment - is Cohen saying anything new? Is he expected to?
I take it for granted that the Republicans have gone over everything he has said previously, both truthful and otherwise, and will dwell lovingly on the otherwise. And “I was lying then, but I am telling the truth now” is always a tough sell.
Regards,
Shodan
When called a liar he should simply respond that to work for trump it was a job requirement.
“I was a liar, but I’m not anymore” isn’t much better.
Regards,
Shodan
Well, that makes one of us. :dubious:
The sell is relatively easy in this case: Before, he had something to lose. Now, he’s already lost and essentially immune to anything one way or the other.
You seem to imply that no one who ever lied for their boss could ever be trusted. He already pled guilty and has no further reason to lie. He said over and over again that he lied for Trump out of loyalty to him, a loyalty that he no longer feels. He’s coming clean to clear his conscience. At this point, lying to congress would get him into further trouble, since that would lead to new perjury charges, so he has more to gain by telling the truth and lots to lose by lying.
Do you agree?
So he should be believed, because he has been lying all his life and has nothing to lose by lying now.
But I think you are mistaken about his having nothing to gain. Trump is done with him, and if Cohen gives the Dems something they think they can use to bring down Trump, they will make a hero out of him. Heck, maybe if they can bring down Trump and Pence, Pelosi will give him a pardon and some Democrat will set him up with a book deal.
Regards,
Shodan
Or, more likely, to pull Trump into the pokey with him.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
No.
Regards,
Shodan
First, let’s not lose the thread – he was lying in order to hide criminal conduct by the president. That’s what he was lying about. We can’t trust him to tell the truth now because he lied to us to conceal criminal conduct by the Republican president – is that the line you’re taking? Because it seems like it.
And, your second paragraph is pure fantasy. He’s going to jail for a few years. I mean, what the fuck – he’s lying to get a future pardon from a hypothetical President Pelosi?
Respond if you’d like – I think I’m done with this interaction. (Although I’m still hoping you’d respond to my questions in the Pastor Pete thread – you went silent over there)
Very helpful. That wasn’t all that I had in that paragraph. So, I’m really done. Thanks for this extremely fruitful exchange.