Trump this.

[rareboy]

Trump bragging about ending Roe v. Wade last night might not have been the smartest thing to brag about. That clip could end up coming back to bite him.

 

[rareboy]

MSN

www.msn.com

So, it ends today. Let's remember that Toad is already guilty, this is just a matter of fixing a price for it.

Well he did speak and pretty much behaved as expected.

 

[rareboy]

A review of the TrumpCo. playbook....so transparent.

And apparently now, even can be analyzed because the database is large enough.

He learned all of this at the knees of Roy Cohn....the pivot, the 'I'm rubber, you're glue'.

Trump ramps up attacks on the justice system when trials and key rulings loom, analysis shows

The former president's attacks on the prosecutors and judges in his civil and criminal cases are frequently tied to developments in his court cases, an NBC News analysis shows.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[TX-Beau]

I'm not so sure that is an actual strategy as opposed to just being the things on his mind at the time.

 

[rareboy]

He knows that the noise of outrage is useful to help raise money from the marks. So in that regard, he and his elves at ShysterCo. likely do have a sort of strategy.

That and the bluster is intended to hide his weakness. As long as he is yelling the loudest, he is projecting strength to his minions.

 

[TX-Beau]

Maybe, but you give him a lot of credit for thinking about other people that I'm just not sure exists.

 

[KaraBulut]

ka-ching!

Court says Trump owes New York Times nearly $400K in legal fees

A New York judge ruled Friday that former President Trump owes The New York Times nearly $400,000 in legal fees over his lawsuit targeting the paper that the same judge tossed last year. New …

thehill.com

A New York judge ruled Friday that former President Trump owes The New York Times nearly $400,000 in legal fees over his lawsuit targeting the paper that the same judge tossed last year.

New York Supreme Court Justice Robert Reed said in an order released Friday that the former president has to pay the Times and three of its reporters $392,638.69 for legal fees connected with the lawsuit he brought against them and his niece, Mary Trump, in 2021.

Reed ordered that the Times and reporters Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner receive $229,921, and reporter David Barstow receive $162,717.69.

A few of Suzanne Craig's stories:

 

[KaraBulut]

Today's Cheeto Jeezus quote to the voters of Iowa: "Even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it."

The weather, before wind chill, is expected to be -7F in Iowa tonight. Donald Trump wants people to risk their lives so that he can pardon himself.

 

[rareboy]

His base would go through anything for their anti-christ.

 

[gsdx]

Today's Cheeto Jeezus quote to the voters of Iowa: "Even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it."

The weather, before wind chill, is expected to be -7F in Iowa tonight. Donald Trump wants people to risk their lives so that he can pardon himself.

I thought I read in here some time ago that he couldn't pardon himself. Am I mistaken? If he could, why didn't he pardon himself before he was voted out of office? Or can he only pardon himself of current allegations? In other words, he couldn't pre-pardon future criminal charges?

 

[TX-Beau]

I thought I read in here some time ago that he couldn't pardon himself. Am I mistaken? If he could, why didn't he pardon himself before he was voted out of office? Or can he only pardon himself of current allegations? In other words, he couldn't pre-pardon future criminal charges?

It does not matter what the law says. If it did, we would not be in this situation. He'll just do what the fuck ever and dare anyone to stop him,

 

[KaraBulut]

I thought I read in here some time ago that he couldn't pardon himself. Am I mistaken? If he could, why didn't he pardon himself before he was voted out of office? Or can he only pardon himself of current allegations? In other words, he couldn't pre-pardon future criminal charges?

It does not matter what the law says. If it did, we would not be in this situation. He'll just do what the fuck ever and dare anyone to stop him,

So, let's start with the text:

Article II, Section 2, Clause 1:

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States... and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

The text doesn't say that a President cannot pardon himself.

The only constraint is "except in Cases of Impeachment".

In the US' divided power system system, the sole pardon power is in the Executive. The only constraints on the Executive power are a) the crime must be a Federal criminal offense and b) the Executive can't pardon an Impeachment because that action is the purview of Congress. Congress cannot restrain or oversee the pardon power, except through impeachment.

There's case law that says that a pardon can only be given for a past criminal action. For example, if the coup plotters in Congress were pardoned in December, 2020, they could still have been indicted for their insurrection actions on Jan 6th, 2021. To accept a pardon, it is an admission of guilt, so if the Executive pardons someone for a crime that has never been tried in a court of law, the person who accepts the pardon is admitting guilt. The pardon power is absolute, so if someone is pardoned, they cannot be denied any right that they would have forfeited from their conviction.

TX-Beau hits upon what the real power of Trump: he dares anyone to challenge actions that he takes; and if there is a challenge, he knows that the Courts are wholly unprepared to come to a timely judgment otherwise. Impeachment is intentionally being turned into a joke; the Republican strategy is to threaten to impeach everyone in a Democratic administration so that the impeachment power is further defanged as a Legislative constraint on the Executive.

Congress has done nothing to get rid of things like the Insurrection Act that allows a President to do some pretty scary stuff. Congress has done nothing to change the Judicial Review process so that timely decisions about Executive Power are ruled upon expediently by the Federal Courts.

It's been nearly 25 years since Clinton pardoned Marc Rich. Republicans still howl about it and bring up the stays in Lincoln bedroom being "sold" by the Clintons. If Trump pardons himself, the Democrats will go on MSNBC for a couple of days and then move on to something else he did. Unless there's a change in the Democratic leadership in Congress and someone on the Democratic side comes up with a plan and the cats can be herded to act on that plan, Trump will get away with it.

 

[Kyanimal]

Unless there's a change in the Democratic leadership in Congress and someone on the Democratic side comes up with a plan and the cats can be herded to act on that plan, Trump will get away with it.

Let's not forget that the Republicans have vacated their oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and abdicated their duty to uphold the laws.

The Democrats impeached Toad twice, and demonstrated to the world their ability to prosecute thorough investigations through the January 6th Committee. Those cats are quite well herded, thank you.

 

[KaraBulut]

Let's not forget that the Republicans have vacated their oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and abdicated their duty to uphold the laws.

They're also doing what they typically do: fall in line. It's appalling to see so many Republicans endorsing Trump in 2024- the same Republicans who spoke out against Trump, who sat in Congress for 4 years watching the behavior and chaos from the White House and are listening to Trump promise things to come if he wins.

The Democrats impeached Toad twice, and demonstrated to the world their ability to prosecute thorough investigations through the January 6th Committee. Those cats are quite well herded, thank you.

Herded cats don't whine about how old their leader is and how they wish someone else were running for President. They have yet to finish off RFK Jr who is polling around 7% at the moment. I'm not seeing a strategy to carry Arizona, Georgia and Nevada for Biden. If they can't win against a rambling, incoherent, autocratic 77 year old buffoon with 91 indictments, an orange-painted face and a history of trying to subvert an election, they are not a herd.

I'm not seeing a path for Democrats to control the Senate in 2024. They might regain the House if the redistricting of NY state holds... but it will be with the same slim margins that the Republicans have now.

 

[Kyanimal]

The herded cats I'm talking about are the Unanimous votes, by the Democrats, in the House and Senate. That has not consistently happened in the House probably since it's beginning. I've been surprised as well as impressed. On the other side of the aisle is nothing but chaos, with most cowering in fear of their bully party "leader".

Campaigning is a different matter. Republicans dutifully "tow the line", no matter how outrageous it is, while Democrats feel more free to disagree. What we all have to keep in mind is, what is being blathered about in the media doesn't matter a whit compared to what happens in the voting booths. Don't watch what they say; watch what they do. The 'cats' have been winning since 2018.

 

[KaraBulut]

The herded cats I'm talking about are the Unanimous votes, by the Democrats, in the House and Senate. That has not consistently happened in the House probably since it's beginning. I've been surprised as well as impressed. On the other side of the aisle is nothing but chaos, with most cowering in fear of their bully party "leader".

Campaigning is a different matter. Republicans dutifully "tow the line", no matter how outrageous it is, while Democrats feel more free to disagree. What we all have to keep in mind is, what is being blathered about in the media doesn't matter a whit compared to what happens in the voting booths. Don't watch what they say; watch what they do. The 'cats' have been winning since 2018.

I think the surprise, at least in the House, has been that the Democratic House members have stuck together even after Pelosi left the Speakership. Pelosi had her faults but she knew her caucus and she knew how to count votes before anything got to the floor.

Some were surprised that Hakeem Jeffries was Pelosi's choice to succeed her. It has proven to be a good choice.

The Senate is another matter.

But honestly, these examples of Democratic unity are notable primarily because that is not the norm for Democrats. Their belief in democratic free speech and everyone has a voice is a strength but it's also their weakness when the other party has become a cult.

The party has been winning at the federal level but that is after significant losses at the state-level, particularly in the South, during the Obama years. They still are usually playing defense, waiting to see what Republicans throw at the them (e.g. voting suppression, gerrymandering, campaign finance, the Federalist Society, et al). That's not going to be a strategy for success in November. They need to be fighting hard and dirty, if that is what it takes.

 

[Kyanimal]

I don't know if it's fighting "dirty", but the Dems have been pretty successful at peeling back the facade of "respectability" that the Pubs had managed to hologram, revealing all of the manipulating, lying, corruption, fraud, distortion, and "bad faith" of MAGA. And, they haven't even had to work that hard since the Pubs have been emboldened to the point of saying the quiet parts out loud. All Evil contains the seeds of it's own demise because Evil will always go too far.

Examples: Dems just took over all reigns of government in Michigan. Wisconsin's election of a "blue" State Supreme Court justice has tipped the scales to eliminate gerrymandering, etc. Abortion rights have been winning even in Red states.

Granted, it's Independents that have been providing the support to tip things Blue. However, it's been the Pubs who have been convincing them to do it. Dems just need to keep pointing that out, and not let up until the ashes have settled.

 

[smokeshadow]

just remember, that "massive" win translates to only 7% of the eligable Republican voters in Iowa which means that 93% couldn't be motivated to even get out of their barkaloungers to go vote.

Donald J. Trump Has “Decisive” Victory In Iowa…With Just 7% Of The State’s Republicans Supporting Him? | STR8UPGAYPORN

str8upgayporn.com

 

[KaraBulut]

 

[rareboy]

just remember, that "massive" win translates to only 7% of the eligable Republican voters in Iowa which means that 93% couldn't be motivated to even get out of their barkaloungers to go vote.

Donald J. Trump Has “Decisive” Victory In Iowa…With Just 7% Of The State’s Republicans Supporting Him? | STR8UPGAYPORN

str8upgayporn.com

Exactly.

The turnout was way less than in 2020...but what does this actually portend?

That Republicans are going to sit out this election? That everyone is going to sit out this election?