“The diplomatic aide who reportedly overheard a phone call in which President Donald Trump asked the EU ambassador about “the investigations” is set to testify in the House’s impeachment inquiry Friday.”
Gotta say, I’m pretty far left, and about as opposed to the incumbent as anyone could be, but I’m having a hard time getting excited about these proceedings. So much damning evidence is already out there, the hearings seem likely to be theater rather than informative. I’m having a hard time imagining what these hearings can bring out that is going to change any significant number of persons’ minds. And, in any event, I fully expect the Senate will simply ignore them and fail to convict. Only drama is whether they will pretend to hold sham proccedings, or simply flip the nation off and decide without any.
Personally, the president is so horrible in so many ways, I’m having a hard time getting too worked up over this specific action. It is not unique - or, I suspect, even the worst he has done. It is just the most blatant.
The BEST I can hope for is that SOMETHING happens that has results next November. But I’m not confident of that either. I hope the American public proves me wrong, but I’m feeling awfully cynical and depressed about my country and its government right now.
Just try to keep in mind that Trump didn’t win those electoral votes by a lot, and the swing that has to happen isn’t huge. If that helps.
There’s nothing to be excited about. The Senate will almost certainly not vote to remove. This is about laying out the facts and doing the oversight duty of Congress. That’s not a thing that should make folks excited – it’s just the job of Congress.
The Washington Post’s analysis of Devin Nunes’s opening remarks.
Speaking of Congress doing its job [emphasis mine]…
Nunes pointing to the Mueller investigation as a way to prove the impeachment hearing is a partisan witch hunt, makes me think of a defense attourney claims that his career-criminal client’s long rap sheet is proof that the police are out to get him.
I don’t expect anyone to be convinced who isn’t already convinced, one way or the other. But you can’t just impeach the motherfucker without due process.
Capone was a crime boss but was convicted of tax evasion, or was it mail fraud? Anyway, gotta be convicted of an actual crime, not because everyone knows he’s an asshole.
You’re in good company.
I will write a $1000 campaign contribution check to any Democratic congress-critter who tells Nunes his point is, Mooooooo-t.
I don’t know why you’re shocked. Weeks ago, iiandyiiii asked this:
And here was my answer then:
My recollection was that I decided to take a break from the thread for a while. Now that it’s mildly interesting again, I’m back.
What about Hillary’s email server? Don’t forget that!
Murder on 5th Ave. This is the world we live in. The facts are irrelevant to about 35% of the country or so.
We now know that if Trump did in fact shoot someone on 5th Ave, the Republicans in Congress would simply refuse to acknowledge that anything took place, and fight any attempt at any investigation of the crime whatsoever. While simultaneously questioning the loyalty and integrity of any witnesses to the murder.
And irrelevant to 100% of republican senators.
What is it gonna take??? He pisses off NAFTA allies, acts like a buffoon in Helsinki, pulls out the troops protecting Kurds, stops congressional aid to Ukraine-- all of this benefits Russia. All of it. How is this still a “witch hunt”? And more importantly, for the life of me, I can absolutely not figure out why all the GOP senators/reps are constantly backing this guy. He’s hurting their party, period.
- Breaking the law to reveal that the law is broken is still breaking the law. If people gave Trump information about criminal activities, he should have given it to the Feds. A campaign is not the fourth estate and has no special privilege for receiving stolen or leaked information.
- There was no crime committed by the Clintons (that was discovered nor revealed). The only crime of which we are aware is the hacking into the DNC. And all that revealed was that the DNC didn’t play fair with Sanders. Possibly, he could have sued them, on that basis, but I don’t believe that a crime was committed against him.
- There is a reason that it is criminal to take things, including information, from a foreign government. Do you really want your elections going to whichever politician has the larger and superior foreign intelligence service working under his wing? Does that really seem same and beneficial to the future of our country?
- Elections are a fundamental right and the foundation of our government. Donald Trump was trying out for the job of Defender of our Elections. For that person to be happy about or accepting of foreign nations hacking into the servers of our political parties and trying to throw the election one way or the other is insane. You may as well hire a guy who who burns dogs for fun as the fire chief.
This is not sports. Getting one over on Clinton, whether she deserves it or not, is a far second priority to fucking AMERICA and the fucking RULE OF LAW.
If you have some argument about how somehow it’s more important for our candidates to be able to personally work with foreign governments against one another than to ensure the legitimacy of our elections, I’ll certainly listen to it. But I would suggest that you’ve just said the most hideous and craven statement that you’ve ever made in your life.
The man was elected while cheering on as a foreign nation launched military attacks against the USA. If your brain doesn’t equate that with treason, then you are far too lost in the idea that “R’s versus D’s is just football, with no real practical difference one way or the other”.
Leave football for football. Don’t fuck the country because you prefer having more games to watch on TV than show on ESPN.
What’s most mind-boggling about this is the admissions of disgusting and reprehensible behavior by Trump. I can at least conceive of the rationalization and thought required for going all in for someone with the political talent, charisma, and overall apparent decency of, say, Obama or Reagan, if they tried to trade foreign aid to another country for a politically-motivated investigation into a rival. But Trump? Who’s bragged about sexual assault and violation of consent on multiple occasions, and said numerous racist and hateful things about fellow Americans?
What’s the thought process for a decent person to brush aside not only all that, but putting petty political concerns over national security and international relations (i.e. the basis of my hypothetical)? Is the SCOTUS really more important not only than personal decency, but national security and our international reputation?
Earlier in this thread I outlined some things that would motivate me to support impeachment. Policy differences were not on the list.
The GOP is defunct. It is now, MAGA-CULT. As long as the MAGA-CULT voters continue to vote in large enough numbers to enable the MAGA-MINION to keep their seats, they have no reason to abandon dear leader TRUMP.
When did you get elected to the Senate?