Trump wouldn’t have been acquitted if popular support for his impeachment and removal had swollen to levels that compelled the Senate to act in order to save their own asses.
But, that’s not what happened. And it didn’t happen because not enough Americans have a value system that is compatible with democracy’s continued viability. Some of these voters like Trump or think he’s doing a good job; others are checked out. Some value inequality and like their spot at the top of the social and economic pecking order; others are literally too busy struggling to survive to care about political theater. The reason doesn’t matter.
The sobering, brutal reality is this: your large neighbor to the south will not continue to be a free and democratic society for much longer at this rate. And unfortunately, that, too, will have implications for your country as well. It probably already has. But at least Canada can be an example and a model for how a democracy can work, even if we ultimately give up on it or experiment with something else for a while.
Possibly. Trends tend to move north, though. It turns out our illustrious premier was in attendance at that prayer-breakfast thing, clapping with the rest.
While I agree with the spirit of this post (i.e., that Trump has broken boundary after boundary), the IRS was weaponized by the Nixon and Johnson administrations. Shortly after the 1964, election, Goldwater’s speechwriter Karl Hess got slapped with a “revenge audit”.
I think all of democracy everywhere is being (or will be) challenged by sweeping transformations that have been, are now, and will continue to cause dislocation. And these dislocations are the fault lines upon which democracies lie.
Our most recent iterations of Democracy took shape during the age when mass communication was introduced and became the way we shared ideas. We were fortunate in that, for the most part, these information gatekeepers and “sharers” valued facts and value shining the light on public servants. Not only was the gatekeeper powerful, but also responsible.
In the day and age of social media and satellite/cable TV with hundreds of channels, it’s difficult for responsible journalism to stand out and it’s easy for irresponsible journalism to poison the well. Democracies depend on good input in order for voters to make good choices and select good leaders. I’m not sure 19th and 20th Century constitutions and federal codes are updated enough to respond to this increasingly volatile situation.
Trust me, they’re not just worried about their careers; those who are watching the president and Bill Barr know that their lives could be totally ruined - not just their careers, but their lives.
The purge will continue until the whispering stops.
Canada can be annexed if The Don thinks it feasible and manufactures an excuse. It will be a bigger land grab than Polk’s annexation of Texas Republic, Oregon Territory, and half of Mexico - YUGE!. But what would happen to the price of maple syrup?
Trump can* talk* about how easy it would be to annex Canada and it’ll have even less credibility then his claims that trade wars are easy to win and that he can pay off the national debt in eight years. His rally audiences will hoot and cheer and that’s all he really wants; praise for the assertion. Following though is for suckers and losers.
Sondland is wealthy hotelier in his own right. I’m sure he just writes a check for his latest Ferrari.
As for the Vindmans: Trump can fuck with their promotions and assignments. These guys are specialists who work in the Pentagon, but they could easily just be reassigned to Afghanistan or Korea or some other garden spot and to billets that are relatively meaningless. How about mess officer in Fort Wainwright, Alaska? While he’d still be a LTCOL, it would be a demotion in terms of duties and responsibilities, which lessens promotion chances.
If they withdraw plum assignments that have been made in advance, would that be considered retaliation?
I’m not sure if I’m phrasing that right. I listened to Vindman’s testimony. He talked about how he had been accepted into the War College, an elite training program for military officers and he was going sometime this year. It is supposedly a great honor.
And I’ve been wondering if they could withdraw that and would it be considered, legally, retaliation? By a military that made specific promises that he would be safe from retaliation.
And I’m pretty sure Trump thinks he was FIRED- and he has no idea Vindman still works for the government. And I bet everyone is falling over themselves to keep him from finding out.
Declare English the official language to disenfranchise Quebecois, Puertoricanos, Gullahs, etc. Enroll all Greater Americans in mandatory private health plans, with premiums set inversely to a postal code’s vote for Tramp. This rewards the faithful. What, nobody in the Great North or Puerto Rico voted Tramp? They’ll pay, oh yes they will!
Back to purging. So many non-minions remain in the [del]Postal and Civil Services[/del] Deep State*. Only loyalists deserve those jobs, no matter how incompetent, illiterate, or insane. Honest people who actually know anything can’t be trusted. Kick-em out!
Did an actual Deep State exist, the Oval Office would have a different occupant.
Not just their lives but their families’ lives - everyone is talking about Vindeman being shown the door but seem to forget his twin brother also lost his job, and his twin never said anything to Congress. WTF? Where’s the outrage? As near as I can tell Yevgeny was fired solely because he’s Alexander’s brother.
I asked about this in one of the other threads, but how much power does Trump have to influence their assignments? Can he, for example, dictate they be put on latrine duty in Afghanistan? Can he personally veto any promotions or commendations recommended by their superiors?