This is just… just… Batshit crazy.
I hope the judge dismisses the case with extreme prejudice.
All it is designed to accomplish is to stir up The Base, and get them to part with more money.
That’s all. Fleece the rubes.
I dont see it even getting to that point - this is going to be dismissed for lack of standing.
I hope it is not dismissed for lack of standing. I hope a judge runs up one side of Louis Goober and down the other. I hope it is explained to the dolt EXACTLY why this is a mentally deficient lawsuit.
There are a lot of lawyers on Twitter who’ve been commenting on and explaining the various lawsuits brought by the Krakenlady and her friends. Mike Dunford covers this one at length, but 5 tweets in he says:
There is some scholarly dispute over whether there are Constitutional issues with the Electoral Count Act, but there’s zero chance that these plaintiffs have standing to bring the case - and a very chance that it’s a non-justiciable political question that no court can resolve.
His commentary and analysis has been very reassuring to a whole lot of people, and he has a few very amusing salty terms for the dishonorable opposition.
https://twitter.com/questauthority/status/1343619438168449026
With respect to the last few weeks of thrashing around, I saw somebody use the analogy “testing the guardrails.” In the case of Trump, he’s a big petulant dummy with no strategic plan, so it’s not like he’s checking specific guardrails deliberately — but the more thoughtful GOPers have been happy to stand back, watching him and taking notes about weak points for the next run at undermining democracy.
Now, this latest lawsuit seems like a couple of the crazies have temporarily taken the wheel and are steering directly into a wall. Sure, they know they’ll probably get flattened, but there’s a miniscule chance of breaking through, and even if they don’t, specific elements of the result may be instructive.
Plus, as others have mentioned, this very effectively revs up the lunatic base, and extracts donations.
It makes the people involved look like froth-at-the-mouth morons, but there’s literally no other negative consequence. Gohmert won’t lose in his district. There’s no body to sanction him or his collaborators. There’s nothing to lose, and everything to win. Why not try it?
As satisfying as that would be, it’s probably a bad idea to legitimize the idea of suing government officials because your guy lost an election.
No matter what Pence does on January 6th, the states in blue are the states in which Biden will be the President on January 20th, while the states in Red will have Trump as President.
An analysis I read recently (on Politico, I think) suggests that a key impetus for this lawsuit was to force Pence to tip his hand. Pence has been very quiet and elusive regarding what he is planning on doing on 6 January. The lawsuit will force his office to declare either his support for the suit, and thus his support for the Trumpist coup, or oppose the suit and thus signal he is going to proceed with the normal order of certifying the Electoral count.
I don’t know when the Office of the VP has to respond to the suit, so I’m guessing he’ll just drag his feet responding.
I could be wrong, but as far as I know, there’s no requirement that he or his office respond at all to this lawsuit.
Is hiding under the bed considered a response?
Pence has a choice coming on January 6. Be an American, or be a Trumplican.
Will his epitaph read
“He at least did one correct thing at the end.”
Or
“Convicted felon dies in prison”
I personally think that he’s going to call in sick that day.
“Spend time with his family”
“In private prayer”
“Mommy will not let him outside to play”
“Sudden spinal decalcification”
That was diagnosed five years ago.
If Pence (or his office or his lawyers) don’t respond at all, does Gohmert win the suit by default judgement?
And if Gohmert wins (however that happens), that still doesn’t compel Pence to bugger the election. That still leaves Pence the prerogative to make either Biden or Trump the next president (or hide under his bed), as he sees fit. So if he’s now in a bind as to how to react, then a win by Gohmert won’t change that – Pence will still be in a bind as to how to act on Jan. 6.
Classy. One wonders if Benjamin Harrison returned the favor to Grover four years later.
I don’t think so. Besides, he can just have his lawyers respond while he himself stays as far away from Trump as he can.
I don’t know if he’s going to do the right thing or not, but something tells me he doesn’t like being on the receiving end of the “Trump buzzsaw” treatment. He may also be worried about getting kidnapped or trampled by Proud Boys.
Even if the judge gives a default judgment, Pence has the option of ignoring it. What can the judge do? I still say this is just theater, all sound and fury signifying nothing.
It signifies that a senior elected Republican politician is more than willing to support a movement to destroy the entire electoral process if it benefits his party.
In any sane universe, the Texas Republican Party would disavow him, and strip him of membership.
Pence just cancelled his planned January 10-13 visit to Israel. Any ideas why?