If there is any justice left in this world, Trump will have to ask for permission to attend from the correctional facility authorities.
IKR
It’s a tradition that hopefully will return in the future, though I see no reason for Biden to do it for Dolt45 when it is his turn. Any portrait of him should be hung in the White House gardener’s manure shed.
With a title already prepared, you’ve just got top write your memoirs now.
Trump birther tweets, in order:
He could attend via Zoom.
This doesn’t surprise me, President Trump acts like a spiteful and spoiled six year old who truly believes everyone who disagrees with him is mean. It is unfortunate.
As for “What would Joe do” or even better, “What would Barak do”, it’s discouraging that the correct answer isn’t obvious: They’d be grownups about it, respectful of the office and of the nation’s electoral voice even when they disagree with it, and they’d execute the ceremony with sincere gratitude for the opportunity to participate in a moment of the nation’s history.
This.
I have great respect for the office of the President of the United States. There are a lot of Trumpanistas that think he is mistreated and that the office should be respected. However, this whole episode shows that HE DOESN’T EVEN RESPECT THE OFFICE HIMSELF. I would hope that the next president would again return respect to the office. I do not like the man, but he was legally elected and has held the office. He will get a portrait, and it will be revealed with respect. After that, I hope some kid draws a mustache on it with a sharpie.
Wow. Even after all these years, I’m still shocked at the vomit spewing from this wretched scum. (No offense intended to all the literal scum innocently living in ponds the world over).
These two contradictory sentences nicely present the problem.
You can argue that there were presidents who damaged my country more than Trump has so far. A good case could be made for either James Buchanan or Andrew Johnson being a more harmful one-termer. But no other President can match Trump in how often he talked like a dictator. (To test this, go to Wikiquote.com)
If Joe Biden wins, his administration is going to be under pressure to have Trump arrested. As much as it would be deserved, I think it would be a polarizing mistake. But that doesn’t mean Biden needs to honor a prime conspiracy theorist who incites crowds against present reporters, jokes about being president for life, cruelly insults women’s looks, and is on track to becoming a real tyrant if given another four years.
Should a future President should go to the funeral, showing no rancor? Yes. Trump should be given that much honor. But none before.
When Trump dies, all flagpoles should be extended 50%.
It seems that this is going to be one of the most difficult issues post Trump,
Much of what he’s doing looks to be illegal and damaging to democracy - but what if there are no consequences to it?
At some point, don’t we have to say that this is NOT acceptable?
Trump is already threatening what looks to be one of the cleanest administrations in recent memory with prosecution, so I do see the danger in investigations of Trump post presidency…
We made that mistake 12 years ago with Obama and “Let’s move on” and no investigations/prosecutions of the criminal morons of the Dubya administration. I for one would be happier with the image of Cheney and Rumsfeld breaking rocks in some hellish southern penitentiary than picturing them living the fat life on their blood money. Let’s not make that mistake again.
I myself would be happy to live in a country with neither political prisoners nor hellish penitentiaries.
If what you fantasize had come to pass, I can’t see myself having changed my registration from Republican to Democratic in 2016.
As for the political prisoners, Trump would have freed them years ago.
Now, drawing the line between political prisoners and ordinary criminals, who happen to be politicians, can be hard. But the way you do it is to err on the side of not prosecuting.
No, the way you do it is you prosecute and give the war criminals you supported until 2016 a chance to defend themselves.
Serious question -
If we HAD seen that happen, would it have made it easier for Trump to today be “prosecuting” Obama? Would we now be seeing people from the Obama administration under facing actual charges?
I think politicians need to be held to account for blatant factual lies - just not sure how to do it given the general cluelessness of the electorate
Alleged war criminals.
I think they had ample opportunity to defend themselves at news conferences while in office.
I have at least two contradictory ideas in my mind here.
One is that, in 2019 federal prosecutions, fewer than 1% went to trial and won their cases. This shows how hard it is to beat a federal charge, even without the massive prejudicial pretrial publicity that Bush/Rumsfeld/Cheney would have faced. So there is a good chance they could have gone to prison until freed by Donald Trump.
On the other hand, the case you propose seems to have little jury appeal.
The prospect of living in a country where losing an election results in prosecution has little appeal to me. Whether it would make life better in Afghanistan is admittedly an open question. I think no.
As far the idea of living in a country where one party, the Democrats, locks up those they defeated, while the Republicans don’t do it – that sounds highly unlikely. But, if it does happen, I may change back to being a Republican.
“Let criminals go free if they ever held political office, either elected or appointed, because maybe someone somewhere thinks their prosecution might be politically motivated.”
I’m gonna go with, “Nah.”
That would totally make sense if the people charged with federal crimes was random. Instead, you might look at the data as “98% of people charged with federal crimes DID it.” Are you arguing that federal prosecutors (and grand juries) are just flipping coins to see if someone’s charged with a crime? Hell, according to your cite, almost half of states have similar trial rates.
No. I have every suspicion that indicted people have a higher incidence of actual criminality than the general population. I also have a strong suspicion that those convicted are more likely to be actual criminals than the acquitted.
However, there is a human tendency to, without significant additional evidence, jump from thinking something is probable to thinking it is certain. Prosecutors, judges, and juries are not exempt from this.
Another factor is the Three Felonies a Day problem. There are so many laws, and so many opportunities for a high administration appointee to break them, that every incoming administration can potentially lock up the one before.