Trump

[Vertigo 7]

Trump has been impeached, again. 10 republicans voted with the democrats to impeach. 232-197

[Observe]

Now Trump can brag: "I have been impeached more times than any other President in history! Even Clinton wasn't impeached as often as me."

[Vertigo 7]

So this is disturbing.

Apparently, there are supposed to be "panic" buttons in the offices at the capitol. One congresswoman has reported that the panic buttons had been ripped out of her office. This is lending credence to the theory that some members of congress helped the terrorists plan the attack on the capitol, going so far as to even give guided tours in the days prior to the failed insurrection.

If there's any truth to this, whoever is responsible should be summarily executed for treason and their rotting corpse strung up on display for all of the hillbilly mob to see.

[jlehtone]

Now Trump can brag: "I have been impeached more times than any other President in history! Even Clinton wasn't impeached as often as me."

Yes, but ...
being impeached implies that someone else acts. Surely Trump wants to focus on what he has done:
"I have done more [impeachable deeds] than any other President in history!"

[matthewfarmery]

Trump demands his staff not pay Giuliani's legal fees for helping him try to overturn the election: report

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-wont-pay ... tion_start

How the mighty has fallen! So Trump not going to pay Rudy's fees, I saw this coming. But then again, Trump will have very few allies left to defend him, once he is no longer president. I think most if not all the law firms have turned their back on Trump. So I wonder who will represent Trump in his upcoming trials?

@Vertigo 7
Sadly, I can believe that. I just hope that those responsible are found. Also there also a massive failing of the FBI, as they were warned / told that the 6th could be trouble, but they didn't do anything.

So there are a lot of people involved. So its looking likely it's an inside job. And it wouldn't surprise me, if some of the GOP that still support Trump were in on it. Like I said earlier, this will take months, if not years to unravel.

[pjknibbs]

Trump demands his staff not pay Giuliani's legal fees for helping him try to overturn the election

Because pissing off your lawyer is totally the most sensible thing to do when you're likely to be facing criminal charges in a couple of weeks...

[Vertigo 7]

Trump demands his staff not pay Giuliani's legal fees for helping him try to overturn the election

Because pissing off your lawyer is totally the most sensible thing to do when you're likely to be facing criminal charges in a couple of weeks...

This is so typical for Trump. Not that I give a damn if Rudy Colludy sees a dime, but this is the same crap he pulls every time something doesn't go his way, which is all the time. Oh, you owe mortgage payments on a contract you signed? Refuse to pay, sue the bank, declare bankruptcy, get a new loan, wash and repeat.

[matthewfarmery]

Trump demands his staff not pay Giuliani's legal fees for helping him try to overturn the election

Because pissing off your lawyer is totally the most sensible thing to do when you're likely to be facing criminal charges in a couple of weeks...

I know, and considering that there won't be anyone left to defend him. I dont think he realises that, or realises that he will be in a very bad position in a few weeks time. It might not have dawned on him yet, or if it has, maybe he still plaining on escaping the county somehow? Again, I doubt any legal law firm would be willing to help him now, so he is on his own, as far as I can see.

Edit

You know, If Rudy has to testify against Trump, I wonder now, if he will spill the beans? I''m sure Rudy will be mad now that he been thrown under a bus like everyone else that has failed Trump. And been his now ex personal lawyer, Rudy will probably have a lot of dirt on trump. So will be interesting if the worm turns.

[Vertigo 7]

Trump demands his staff not pay Giuliani's legal fees for helping him try to overturn the election

Because pissing off your lawyer is totally the most sensible thing to do when you're likely to be facing criminal charges in a couple of weeks...

I know, and considering that there won't be anyone left to defend him. I dont think he realises that, or realises that he will be in a very bad position in a few weeks time. It might not have dawned on him yet, or if it has, maybe he still plaining on escaping the county somehow? Again, I doubt any legal law firm would be willing to help him now, so he is on his own, as far as I can see.

Edit

You know, If Rudy has to testify against Trump, I wonder now, if he will spill the beans? I''m sure Rudy will be mad now that he been thrown under a bus like everyone else that has failed Trump. And been his now ex personal lawyer, Rudy will probably have a lot of dirt on trump. So will be interesting if the worm turns.

Doubt it unless he gets an immunity deal. Rudy is neck deep in all of Trump's BS going back to Ukraine and the removal of Ambassador Yovanovitch.

[RegisterMe]

Doubt it unless he gets an immunity deal.

Rudy's only hope now is a life long endorsement from a company that produces no-run hair dye.

[Axeface]

What are everyones thoughts on the senate trial? Apparently they need 2/3rds to be able to actually do anything significant? Imo there is no chance in hell of getting that, unless some very, very, very, VERY damning stuff comes out about the riots before the trial happens. So basically, he will be acquitted, again.

[RegisterMe]

I can't attest to this (though there's a bit of me that would like to, they write better than me!), but it's... compellingly written. Some minor swear words that probably break Ego's rules so if that kind of thing offends you please don't look.

It captures a lot. And, imho, is pretty powerful .

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ErkYMBbXYAE5XOH.jpg:large

[Axeface]

I can't attest to this (though there's a bit of me that would like to, they write better than me!), but it's... compellingly written. Some minor swear words that probably break Ego's rules so if that kind of thing offends you please don't look.

It captures a lot. And, imho, is pretty powerful .

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ErkYMBbXYAE5XOH.jpg:large

Reading that I feel deep loneliness. I felt something like that once when I swam out to sea about 200 meters not realising how far I had went, I turned around to see the tiny people too far away and got very afraid, in a strange and new way though, disconnected, and I couldnt help but notice how quiet it was. I expect that the person that wrote it is either currently, or has 'fallen down the rabbit hole' quite severely in the past.
Its very well written yes, quite brilliant actually.
The tone reminds me of one of my favourite films actually, 'a scanner darkly'. Interestingly I think both that movie and the post are trying to highlight the same thing, crippling mental illness brought on by loneliness or substance abuse.

[eladan]

What are everyones thoughts on the senate trial? Apparently they need 2/3rds to be able to actually do anything significant? Imo there is no chance in hell of getting that, unless some very, very, very, VERY damning stuff comes out about the riots before the trial happens. So basically, he will be acquitted, again.

There's a lot more chance of a conviction this time. Quite a few Republicans have expressed favour in the impeachment, and there were actually a whole ten (10!) Republicans voting for impeachment in the house out of about 200! (Yeah, sarcasm...) But I'm serious that it's a possibility (even if unlikely) this time around - the key is Mitch McConnell, who's apparently split from Trump, and is reportedly very angry with him over the election loss and the loss of the 2 Georgia senate seats. He's supposedly 'pleased' that the impeachment is happening, which may indicate that he will vote to convict? We'll have to wait, obvs, but whichever way McConnell goes, you can expect a good chunk of his fellow senators will follow.

[RegisterMe]

Reading that I feel deep loneliness. I felt something like that once when I swam out to sea about 200 meters not realising how far I had went, I turned around to see the tiny people too far away and got very afraid, in a strange and new way though, disconnected, and I couldnt help but notice how quiet it was. I expect that the person that wrote it is either currently, or has 'fallen down the rabbit hole' quite severely in the past.
Its very well written yes, quite brilliant actually.
The tone reminds me of one of my favourite films actually, 'a scanner darkly'. Interestingly I think both that movie and the post are trying to highlight the same thing, crippling mental illness brought on by loneliness or substance abuse.

I think it was somebody writing to somebody they cared about. A great deal. But... the loss, the distance, the loneliness, the... alienation... yeah.

"A Scanner Scanner Darkly" was written by Philip K Dick The book is... way **** than the (cartoon) film. Blade Runner (aka "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep") and (Total Recall, based on "We Can Remember You Wholesale") fame.

I've run out of grammar.

[Vertigo 7]

What are everyones thoughts on the senate trial? Apparently they need 2/3rds to be able to actually do anything significant? Imo there is no chance in hell of getting that, unless some very, very, very, VERY damning stuff comes out about the riots before the trial happens. So basically, he will be acquitted, again.

As things are, I give it 50/50 odds of getting a conviction. There's a pretty strong desire among some of the senior GOP senators to cut all ties with Trump and the easiest way for them to do that right now is to convict him and make him politically irrelevant. McConnell is a key indicator as to what's going on and his stance is drastically different from the first time Trump was impeached.

Look at it this way... the GOP lost the house, senate, and white house all in Trump's 1 term. The smart ones know that "Trumpism" isn't going to get them anywhere if they have any hope of getting control back of anything in the federal government. So how do they do that? By purging Trump and sending a clear signal that his rhetoric won't be tolerated.

[Tolmos]

I can't attest to this (though there's a bit of me that would like to, they write better than me!), but it's... compellingly written. Some minor swear words that probably break Ego's rules so if that kind of thing offends you please don't look.

It captures a lot. And, imho, is pretty powerful .

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ErkYMBbXYAE5XOH.jpg:large

The death of a cult. It's really sad how that conspiracy pulled so many people in; likely people with mental illnesses, people who felt lonely or angry at their lots in life, or people who were just easily manipulated.

The post brings up a good point about the sunk cost fallacy: some people will keep believing because they simply devoted too much of themselves already to stop. Even after everyone else has moved on, they may keep trucking because they feel like it would be too big of a loss to walk away otherwise.

Even beyond the QAnon folks, you have the "Stop the Steal" conspiracy theorists who will be in a similar boat. Some of them will likely be talking about it for decades to come. Watching some of the videos pulled from the Parlor dump of people at the capitol can be really chilling, with folks saying things like "We aren't trying to overturn the election, we're just trying to get the real results!" They'd honestly hurt people over that belief (and, in fact, they did), and I can't imagine it would just up and vanish because the people who stirred the conspiracy simply quit talking.

It'll take years to undo the damage that's been done here. I can only hope that once Trump is no longer front and center in the limelight that some of these people will be able to turn their lives around from the dark path they're headed down.

[eladan]

Look at it this way... the GOP lost the house, senate, and white house all in Trump's 1 term. The smart ones know that "Trumpism" isn't going to get them anywhere if they have any hope of getting control back of anything in the federal government. So how do they do that? By purging Trump and sending a clear signal that his rhetoric won't be tolerated.

The House Republicans didn't send that message when they voted on the impeachment though... I question just how many senators will follow McConnell if he does vote to convict (and that's a big if) - the House vote didn't give me a great deal of confidence that they're that keen on cutting Trump loose.

[Vertigo 7]

Look at it this way... the GOP lost the house, senate, and white house all in Trump's 1 term. The smart ones know that "Trumpism" isn't going to get them anywhere if they have any hope of getting control back of anything in the federal government. So how do they do that? By purging Trump and sending a clear signal that his rhetoric won't be tolerated.

The House Republicans didn't send that message when they voted on the impeachment though... I question just how many senators will follow McConnell if he does vote to convict (and that's a big if) - the House vote didn't give me a great deal of confidence that they're that keen on cutting Trump loose.

Believe it or not, 10 signing on is a pretty big deal. Sure, it would have been better if more had. There was more "bi-partisan" support for this impeachment of Trump's than any other, including from some high profile republicans like Liz Cheney.

Also, consider the senate's attitude towards the election certification votes vs the house. Even after the attack, house republicans were still climbing over themselves to vote down the results, but the senate only saw 1 other objection and that only got 7 votes.

All I'm saying is I feel that it's up in the air. Trump has garnered a lot of resentment in the GOP for one reason or another and the senate isn't a very forgiving sort.

[eladan]

All I'm saying is I feel that it's up in the air. Trump has garnered a lot of resentment in the GOP for one reason or another and the senate isn't a very forgiving sort.

Fair enuf - you're the USian, you'll have a better feel for it than I do.

It'll be interesting to see who Trump gets to defend him, given the apparent rift with Giuliani and the other bridges he's burned.