Trump this.

[KaraBulut]

What we have to hope for is the splintering of the right as has happened in the past. As you point out, it has coalesced into a more or less united group under the MAGA umbrella that Trump created and the Q nonsense that has been nurtured by the Trumpist power brokers.

Am I optimistic? Not right now. But I am hoping that demographics might unravel some of this.

That is true- these mega-movements do devour each other eventually, especially when they lose their common interest. It's what happened after the fall of Communism. It's what happened after the decline in Islamist terrorism.

It's a sad statement, but their anti-science conspiracy theories are influencing things like their mortality rate.

People in Republican Counties Have Higher Death Rates Than Those in Democratic Counties

A growing mortality gap between Republican and Democratic areas may largely stem from policy choices

www.scientificamerican.com

The generation after us has their own set of alternative reality stuff but at least they're not interested in things like getting rid of democracy and impartial elections.

 

[TX-Beau]

They are already splintering. I don't want the toad dead - if he does die before being thoroughly discredited, they'll unite to martyr him. But if he tries to take out that Nazi in Florida, they'll both suffer. Nikki Haley poor dear is just an inconsequential and deluded brown female so she's not going to be an issue here. But when you've got the toad, Pompeo, Lurch, and DeSantis and god knows who ripping at each other, the chasms will form.

Also the crazy fucks in the House are already factionalizing with Marge (418-14) and The Rentboy being savaged by the Bobbert and the Pedo. The "moderate" 'pubs are going to have to choose. Then there is Moscow Mitch and his Offended Wife in the Senate with a personal grudge to prosecute against the toad. Meanwhile, the Texas Delegation runneth over with corruption and insanity.

No doubt we can't imagine the full scope of the crazy that is going to ensue. Santos is going to go, one way or another, plus there is another Freshmen 'pub refusing to comply with financial disclosure laws - that is CRIMINAL. It's always true that every Congress sheds House reps and that is going to alter what happens as well.

Good government is so fucking boring. Alas.

 

[Riverrick]

Season 4 of this melodrama should be really good. Whoever thought of adding the DeSantis character should get an Emmy. And then having the Republicans win the House with some election deniers and liars was a great idea as well. Now we just have to sit back and let them all play their parts.

If Trump does not win the nomination, you just know he will bash the winner over and over and over again until the election. In fact, he will say the Republican nominations are rigged which would be a hoot. Too bad I can't binge watch it right now.

 

[rareboy]

JUst remember that the Repubs are laser focussed on power.

If it looked like Trump would be the best candidate to throw at 2024...I can guarantee you that the big dark conservative money would be in there making sure that all the people they own would push him forward.

The problem they have right now is that DeSantos is a really unlikeable and unlickable turd in the punch bowl. He has no sweeping celebrity appeal for all the trailer dwellers.

And Trump has effectively lost 2 elections and will destroy the GQP.

I am salivating. Except this is now a very dark and corrupt right wing and Republicon/Neo-fascist movement. And they will literally cheat their way to power.

 

[TX-Beau]

They're cheating now and in the past, because they haven't been able to win an election without cheating for years.

The problem with a party of corrupt megalomaniacs is the same problem with any conspiracy of thieves, they can't all sit on the throne, nor can they stand sharing even if that meant winning.

The toad demonstrated their true colors, they will attempt to destroy each other, then stab each other in the back on a regular basis, while the crocodile tears flow and the protestations of patriotism foul the air.

 

[KaraBulut]

JUst remember that the Repubs are laser focussed on power...

Something scary that we saw during the Trump coup attempt... the role of attorneys and constitutional scholars.

Historically, North Carolina had a non-partisan Supreme Court. On ballots, voters selected Court members without their party affiliation on the ballot.

After the North Carolina lost several voter suppression lawsuits in the North Carolina Supreme Court, they not only appealed their case to SCOTUS, they also changed the NC laws to a) require party affiliation for NC Supreme Court justices to appear on the State ballots and b) after the NC Supreme Court changed to a majority Republican Court, they have asked the Supreme Court to hear the same cases again. Basically, when they got a NC Supreme Court decision they didn't like, they changed the rules to pick a different Supreme Court. and they're hoping to get the decision they want this time.

NC lawmakers seek new court hearings on voter ID, redistricting

North Carolina Republican legislative leaders are again asking the state’s highest court to reconsider decisions on redistricting and voter identification.

www.wfae.org

North Carolina Republican legislative leaders announced Friday that they’re asking the state’s highest court to reconsider decisions on redistricting and voter identification.

North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore noted in a news release that GOP lawyers are asking justices to revisit decisions made under a previous Democratic majority. Republican jurists regained a majority of seats on the state Supreme Court in the 2022 elections.

 

[TX-Beau]

Something scary that we saw during the Trump coup attempt... the role of attorneys and constitutional scholars.

Historically, North Carolina had a non-partisan Supreme Court. On ballots, voters selected Court members without their party affiliation on the ballot.

After the North Carolina lost several voter suppression lawsuits in the North Carolina Supreme Court, they not only appealed their case to SCOTUS, they also changed the NC laws to a) require party affiliation for NC Supreme Court justices to appear on the State ballots and b) after the NC Supreme Court changed to a majority Republican Court, they have asked the Supreme Court to hear the same cases again. Basically, when they got a NC Supreme Court decision they didn't like, they changed the rules to pick a different Supreme Court. and they're hoping to get the decision they want this time.

NC lawmakers seek new court hearings on voter ID, redistricting

North Carolina Republican legislative leaders are again asking the state’s highest court to reconsider decisions on redistricting and voter identification.

www.wfae.org

Isn't it odd that in the South we're all STATES RIGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!







...until we aren't.

 

[KaraBulut]

Isn't it odd that in the South we're all STATES RIGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...until we aren't.

[read: until ya'll lose... ]

I do love the logic of, "We don't trust the voters who elected us, so we need to pick our voters better".

Moore v. Harper, Explained

The debunked “independent state legislature theory” is on the Supreme Court’s docket, with potentially disastrous consequences.

www.brennancenter.org

In Moore v. Harper, the Supreme Court will decide whether the North Carolina Supreme Court has the power to strike down the legislature’s illegally gerrymandered congressional map for violating the North Carolina Constitution. The legislators have argued that a debunked interpretation of the U.S. Constitution — known as the "independent state legislature theory” — renders the state courts and state constitution powerless in matters relating to federal elections.


Last year, North Carolina’s Republican-dominated state legislature passed, on a party-line vote, an extreme partisan gerrymander to lock in a supermajority of the state’s 14 congressional seats. The gerrymander was so extreme that an evenly divided popular vote would have awarded 10 seats to the Republicans and only four to the Democrats. The map was a radical statistical outlier more favorable to Republicans than 99.9999% of all possible maps.

 

[rareboy]

And of course, you know what the Roberts Court will decide.

 

[KaraBulut]

And of course, you know what the Roberts Court will decide.

The NC Legislature is asking SCOTUS to say, "State Courts can't rule on Federal elections" but the same Legislature has asked the NC State Court to, in essence, reverse their ruling regarding Federal elections now that they have a different State Supreme Court.

"Stench".

 

[TX-Beau]

The clown show on parade. Trump lies under oath - no one is surprised.

...Trump claimed he wasn’t the president of the Trump Organization during his four years at the White House, despite previously testifying that he was an “inactive president.” And he claimed that he didn’t have a financial stake in a partnership with the real estate company Vornado, even though he previously testified that he did...

Trump in Even More Legal Hot Water After Lying to Judge

The prosecution wants sanctions, the defense ridiculously claims there never even was a "Trump Organization" so really, nothing to see here, no one to prosecute...

 

[rareboy]

BUT NO ONE WILL DO ANYTHING.

Because the US is terrified that charging an ex-prez will lead to a future filled with their Execs fighting charges after leaving office...like all the other banana republics and corrupt 2nd world 'democracies' around the world.

Nothing to devalue your currency and bankability as to be nothing more or less than the next guy.

 

[TX-Beau]

We're actually far further along in "doing something" than anyone ever thought possible. At this point there will be charges, the only question is where.

The system bent over backward to give him an out, and all he did was get worse.

 

[cityboy-stl]

 

[TX-Beau]

What's even more damning is the guy who the toad picked to run the SDNY claims that Barr obstructed from the DOJ to alter or remove evidence of his involvement. He says it outright that they found that Cohen was working at the behest of the toad himself and that Barr stopped the investigation.

 

[KaraBulut]

We're actually far further along in "doing something" than anyone ever thought possible. At this point there will be charges, the only question is where.

The system bent over backward to give him an out, and all he did was get worse.

The thing that is so confounding and that several pundits are commenting on is that there's a good 5-6 things that you or I would have already been charged for if we did them. The question on everyone's lips is, "Why the fuck is it taking so long?".

I get the feeling that when one indictment is unsealed for Trump, the dam is going to break. And if DOJ has the balls to go after some members of Congress who were co-conspirators, it's gonna get interesting.

Get ready for the "Speech and Debate" argument that Miss Lindsey was trying to use.

What's even more damning is the guy who the toad picked to run the SDNY claims that Barr obstructed from the DOJ to alter or remove evidence of his involvement. He says it outright that they found that Cohen was working at the behest of the toad himself and that Barr stopped the investigation.

"Individual 1".

 

[rareboy]

We'll see.

I think at the highest levels of power, there is an agreement that charging a former president with federal crimes is a step too far for the Republic and that it could create a constitutional crisis, particularly because there are sitting members of congress and the wife of a Supreme Court Justice nakedly involved.

This is as much about China, Russia and other countries who would certainly seize on the crisis when the US is at its weakest.

This is about the real threat of an explosive civil revolt.

I have zero faith that any of the organizers will be charged in relation to the attempted coup.

I have no faith that TrumpCo. will ever face charges for the stolen docs because they are probably explosive in nature and involve foreign players.

I have no faith that Trump will ever face federal charges for tax evasion or wire fraud.

After McGonigal this past week, I am even more certain that the rot goes to the core of the FBI and that there are other people in powerful positions in the gathering and transmission of evidence who are also foreign run agents.

But come on Garland. Surprise me. You have less than 2 years to do it because the next Republican president will kill all of this in a heartbeat.

 

[smokeshadow]

Hang onto your hats, boiz; the Donald rides again

Trump Vows to Use DOJ and Congress to Make Being Transgender Illegal While Promoting the 'Nuclear Family'

As part of his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump is now declaring war against transgender people – especially transgender children – even vowing to use DOJ and Congress to make being transgender illegal under federal law, if elected President. He also promised to promote the “nuclear family,” an...

www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

 

[LoveMyPeppermill]

Because the US is terrified that charging an ex-prez will lead to a future filled with their Execs fighting charges after leaving office...like all the other banana republics and corrupt 2nd world 'democracies' around the world.

Not charging this particular ex-prez will lead to criminals battling each other to become President and thereby immunize themselves from prosecution.

 

[LoveMyPeppermill]

I get the feeling that when one indictment is unsealed for Trump, the dam is going to break.

A few months ago, I read some writer (I forget who) saying that prosecutors are very nervous about being the first to indict Trump, but once someone goes first, all the others will rush to the courthouse with their indictments.