I wish I were as confident as you are about this. But we’ve seen GOP leadership move from horror at Jan. 6 to pretty much pretending it was no big deal, if it even happened. They’re not (all) idiots; they know which way the wind blows. I suspect they don’t think support for Trump has eroded much at all.
Plus … Trump getting convicted opens the door for a Cruz or DeSantis, meaning the party can fan the flames of outrage over the martyred Trump and still not have to put up with the actual Trump. Win win!
Don’t get me wrong – I want to see Trump and everyone associated with him incarcerated and penniless. I’m just not sure it helps more Democrats get elected.
I know you do, and I’m not as confident as I may sound when I write. I try to get down my thoughts about the facts more than including nuance of my emotional state in the bargain. I’m already excessively verbose in my posts. However, I do believe there is reason to hope.
A couple of points:
It’s true that GOP leadership is trying its best to ignore the horror show of January 6th, and they do know which way the wind blows. But if your best chance is only a shitty chance, don’t you still take that road and hope for the best? That’s what I think they’re grasping at: The remaining straws. When McConnell is literally reduced to calling in favors to get his caucus to vote the way he wants, we can perhaps glean that he’s having quite a time getting them to “agree” with him.
As for running either a Cruz or DeSantis, we can only hope it goes like that. Cruz is barely holding on to his Senate seat in Texas, a state that tolerates him. He has no shot in a national race (absent cheating, which none of them are above doing). Similarly, DeSantis’ antics may play well in Florida, but they are abhorrent in a national race. These people only look good to those in the Trump bubble, that 12-ish percent I talked about earlier.
By the way, do you think Trump will campaign for them?
If Republicans were so confident that another candidate could inspire Trump-like voting numbers, do you think they’d still be on the Trump train? Would they still be gerrymandering like there’s no tomorrow (because maybe there is no tomorrow for them)? Would they still be trying to pass outrageous voter suppression laws in virtually every single state, not even caring that everyone knows exactly what they’re up to? They’re not even trying to hide it anymore. It’s all about wresting raw power in whatever way they can. To me, it smacks of desperation and fear.
I don’t see these tactics as being on the Trump train. They’re designed to help any Republican, no matter how incompetent or loathsome, secure victory up to and including the presidency no matter how poorly they’d fare in a fair election. They’re using Trump’s loss as fuel for these tactics, but the tactics can succeed with or without him.
Sure, but it’s a very Trumpy tactic, and I believe those tactics grow more repugnant to Americans every day. They only work if they succeed in getting Americans to care more about the grievance/victimhood issues like abortion, LGBTQ and gun rights than about the standards of their day-to-day lives and the very obvious undermining of the very foundations of democracy.
If they do, then as I said earlier, nothing we who are opposed to this movement do will be enough to stop it.
I’m mostly with you on this. One glimmer of hope is that, while the country overall might be tired of Trump’s antics, the GOP always has to keep in mind that they’ll be primaried by Trumpists. That’s why they’re trying to stay on top of the maelstrom and prevent the commission.
Agreed with all this. But since this thread is about the grand jury investigating Trump, I’ll just reiterate my fear that nothing they turn up and no charges they recommend will do much to impact these tactics one way or another. No matter what happens, there’s an important segment of voters convinced they were cheated, and the GOP will pull every lever they can to appease and encourage that segment.
A talking head on MSNBC said this is “transactional” (as opposed to Federal “use”) immunity which protects against criminal charges but not civil liability. Apparently being able to avoid going to Rikers Island is worth the trade-off. Whatever the case may be, Jeffrey McConney is a big fish and if he’s cooperating that can’t be good news for one particular individual above him in the Trump org.
I see several issues with the idea this article supports the idea DJT will not be charged with any crime.
The source of this information is an attorney working for DJT. These are not members of the bar that I would say have a very close relationship with The Truth or Reality.
The article actually says “Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance has indicated he does not currently plan to charge the Trump Organization with crimes…” Note the word I bolded (currently) and the Trump Org, not DJT personally is what is being discussed here.
We should all keep in mind this is only about the investigation being conducted by the Manhattan DA, Cy Vance, and doesn’t appear to have anything to do with the investigation being conducted by the NY State AG.
Also bear in mind this quote from the article -
Fischetti also said that Vance’s team told him they will not bring charges against Trump himself when the first indictment comes down.
“They just said, ‘When this indictment comes down, he won’t be charged. Our investigation is ongoing,’ "
I consider the phrases I bolded to indicate this is in no way over.
And Vance knows his term is up soon. Nothing to keep the next DA from pursuing this further.
