There is a segment of the public that will never believe that Trump did anything wrong. It’s more than a segment. It’s about 1/3 of the population of the US.
If these people supported him in 2016, nothing will change their minds. Nothing.
We MUST bring Trump to justice though. I suspect it will cause great civil unrest, but to do nothing will just invite more and more corruption.
As it is, we are at the tipping point of ever being able to stop it.
Yeah, at his point, it’s less about convincing the hard core Trumpists that there’s a real problem here. It’s about sending a message to the next guy who wants to be Trump that we’ll actually do something to the people who try to overthrow a legitimately elected government.
This ^^^^
We’ve gotten so used to public officials urping out tweeting every random thought and reaction in real time that we’ve forgotten that GROWNUPS conduct business in private in an orderly way and don’t have to share everything while they’re putting things in place.
I’m guessing that Garland keeps a little cloth effigy of Mitch in a desk drawer and regularly takes it out to stick pins in it. Or maybe staple its arms. Or pound its turtle face with a glass paperweight.
100% this.
Hopefully seeing the leaders of the infantry, and privates too, being sent to prison for a few years will give some of these idiots pause.
But it’s the Generals that need to go away for a long, long time so that MAYBE a message gets through.
The Hollywood Reporter is saying that about 20 million people watched the hearings on the various outlets that were showing it (PBS numbers were not available at the time they published this article). Fox got about 3 million during that same time period, which is average for that time on a typical night.
Per Nielsen, 20.04 million people watched the two-hour broadcast (not including on PBS, whose figures weren’t available as of publication time). A little over a quarter of that came from ABC, which averaged 5.22 million viewers over the two hours. MSNBC (4.3 million) came in second, followed by NBC (3.7 million), CBS (3.49 million) and CNN (2.74 million).
CNBC, CNNe, Fox Business, NBC LX, Newsmax and NewsNation also covered the hearings, totaling just under 600,000 viewers between them.
ABC also led in the key news demographic of adults 25-54 with a 0.93 rating. NBC drew a 0.69, CNN a 0.61, CBS a 0.55 and MSNBC a 0.51.
Fox News stuck with its usual opinion shows in primetime, commenting on the hearings but not showing them in full. It averaged 3.06 million viewers and a 0.45 rating in the 25-54 demo from 8-10 p.m. with Tucker Carlson Tonight and Hannity . Fox News’ chief political anchor, Bret Baier, led coverage on Fox Business, which averaged about 240,000 viewers over the two hours.
And I’m becoming more and more certain that when it happens, we’re going to be facing our second Civil War. No joke, this is religious fervor, and if the people in the cult see their leader indicted, violence begins. Their Islamic peers call it jihad. Civil war, political assassinations (or attempts) from the lowest levels of government to the highest, domestic terrorism. I live in rural West Michigan, and these people are ab-sol-fucking-lutely willing to kill and die for Donald Trump. They wave his flag higher than the American flag these days.
ETA: And I think these public hearings aren’t just laying down justification for indictment, they’re an attempt to create a moral high ground for once the bullets start flying.
That right there would be irritating if I thought Fox Business was really about business.
And on an unrelated topic: the word “inappropriate” in regards to politics has become virtually meaningless thanks to a lack of consequences. Just a tiny rant.
I know. You’re right. It’s going to happen, and it must happen. I am sad about this, but we can’t avoid doing the right thing just because it’s going to be very, very hard.
Which, again, is why it’s so important for the Committee to soften the blow as much as they possibly can. It may not be much, but it will all help for us to be prepared for what is coming.
ETA: It’s been coming for a really long time.
Regarding Garland’s actions and plans, my concern is that we are always up against a clock. The GOP takes the Senate & Congress in the November election? Whatever remaining work that the committee planned is kaput. As we move into the 2024 election cycle (starting soon!), the “it’s all political!” banshees become loud and constant and drown out everything else.
So, while I appreciate that Garland wants to roll everyone up and have and airtight shrink wrapped case, I would have been more comfortable if they had done a visible COPS style apprehension at the start, and that someone were sitting in a cell during this drawn out process.
Not going to happen, if for no other reason that they would be out on bail in a heartbeat. Just keep ramping up the pressure, get the committee report done before the end of the year, keep rolling the lieutenants as you work your way up the line. Then drop the hammer when you have a lock.
But… they are. Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys, is currently in custody awaiting his trial on seditious conspiracy.
Stewart Rhodes, leader of the Oathkeepers, is currently in custody pending his trial on seditious conspiracy.
Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon were arrested for their failure to cooperate with lawful subpoenas issued by the Committee. This is small potatoes. Indictments for their roles in the conspiracy are coming soon, and for many more.
Why do you suppose guys like Mike Flynn, John Eastman and Jeffrey Clark are defying congressional subpoenas, or if they appear, they’re taking the 5th? Indictments are coming.
Nah, I’m not into gambling.
All the reports I’ve heard say that most everyone in WY will vote against her. Now maybe they’re only hearing the vocal minority and the silent majority will support her. So you may be right, I don’t know. We’ll find out in a couple months.
I’m hoping all of the WY Dems go out and vote for her. She may be a bastard, but she ain’t a crazy bastard.
An estimated 20 million viewers. This may indeed amount to something.
There will be a frightening dance and a celebratory root beer float should this happen. Right now i’m leaning toward Georgia being first blood.
I am interested in what may happen with mrs Thomas. The texts that have been uncovered regarding Arizona are quire concerning.
Someone is referring to a specific individual, yah?
Individual number One, one might say…
That may be, but indictments aren’t brought until DOJ has sufficient evidence to make charges stick. You only get one chance at this.
And when it’s a former president, a situation with which we have never been previously faced, DOJ better make damned sure it can stick those charges when they’re brought.
11+ million watched the hearing (which was aired in primetime) on the Big 3 networks. On average, 18-20 million watch the evening news on those networks on any given day, which isn’t in primetime.
There’s definitely a parasocial aspect to Trump’s relationship with his personality cult. As a narcissist, Trump is constantly putting what he feels is his best face forward to his audience (which is everybody) and he’s constantly honing his “act” to get the adoration he wants.
This is an illusion that can be maintained as long as his personality cult just sees the act. People that he’s close to, those he wants something from are wheedled or abused until they either give him what he wants or he cuts them out completely.
Some people are so far into the personality cult that their self is absorbed by Trump, and they think of everything in reference to him - rather like an abusive relationship. “What did I do wrong” that he’s ignoring me or letting me rot in prison? But since most people in this category will never be truly close enough to Trump to break the illusion, they’re stuck with their obsessions and will make excuses for Trump’s behavior as if it were their own.